Sunday, March 22, 2009

Sydney: first impressions

Mum and Dad's garden. The landscaping was only just finished when I was here at Xmas and now the hedge has already grown! Not surprising really as the weather has been fantastic since I got here last Thursday - I went to Manly beach for a dip and sunbake the day I arrived!!
Pudda helping me with my work!!!! How cute is that? Almost as cute as Cooper, Joel and Kelly's dog, swimming in the pool last night. I have never seen a dog willingly jump into a pool and paddle around! It was a sight to see. Cooper would stand on the edge of the pool, lean back on his haunches and launch himself into the pool, travelling about half way down it as he did, landing with an almighty splash. He'd paddle around, rest on the ledge and then haul himself out and do it all again. This went on for nearly half an hour!

There is always something happening, or someone coming or going, at M & D's. Mark is at uni now and so home a couple of days a week, Megs is never at school (unlike last year where she went some of the time! :) ) And of course Joel only works when he feels like so often drops in during the day. This was Em heading out to work yesterday - apparently she really wasn't going to a gentlemans club, and instead spent the day promoting Pepsi Max to the masses!



the kitchen and dining table at Mum and Dad's - note the cat on the chair at the table!



Home for the next few weeks. Quite a coming full circle experience as the room I'm staying in at Mum and Dad's now is the room that was my bedroom in my early twenties.




a final stop at the Canadian institution 'Timmy's' for one last extra large green tea before leaving Orangeville for the drive to the airport.






my office the day before leaving - it was a mad rush to finalise all the papers and resources I'd need for teaching (why is it that, knowing a trip has been planned for six months, one still leaves EVERYTHING to the last minute?!)










Monday, March 16, 2009

turning thirty

a birthday bunch - from Le Gravelles
my man :) (and his cheeky sis!)

at the bowling alley!


birthday peeps cutting the cake!



Michelle in the cold pool - 12deg C!




Myself and Michelle I think (mid shot!) in the warm pool - 39deg C





Bikini gals






the warm pools, with steam rooms in the background







on the way in...








braving the cold - who'd have thought we'd soon be in bikini's!









cake and champers - what more does a girl need!?










A birthday bunch (from Katie F!)

I celebrated the big 3-0 birthday a couple of weeks back - and you'd have to say it was done in style! I spent the day itself with Steph and Michelle, Peter's sisters, at Le Sacndinave hot springs spa. It was arguably the most decadent thing I have done. It was arguably one of the most decadent things I've done. The night was spent celebrating Sebastian's birthday (Yup, we share a birthday) at the bolwing alley with the whole family. The following weekend Peter surprised me with a stretch limo and the six of us (Peter, myself, his two sisters and their husbands) headed into Toronto for a luxe night out. We had drinks and snacks at the Bier Market then hit Lily's for cocktails. It was late and messy (yup, still stopped at McD's on the way home!) but what a way to travel. I'd take the limo anyday.

And now, it's the night before I head back to OZ for another work/ family catch up trip and I am madly writing to get columns in and teaching resources organised. So of course I'm updating the blog too!!