May...

Profuse apologies to the one or two readers who haven't given up on me! It's nearly the end of May and I have not written one word all month! My longest blogging absense ever!

There's not a lot to say really. May has been quite a busy month, but nothing that is really outstanding or blogworthy. I suppose the biggest event was my purchase (very unexpectedly I might add) of a new car! I made the mistake of mentioning to McBrad that I was thinking about updating my poor tired (but mechanically very sound) Corolla and before I could say 'overhead gasket' (or whatever), we were driving around to different car yards, checking out what was available. McBrad is a very decisive person - if he thinks about updating his car, he goes and buys a new car! Me, I think about a new car, have a look at what's available, compare prices on the internet, research the pros and cons of each car, look at colours, peruse my finances, do cash flow spreadsheets and work out a repayment plan. That's all before I even decide whether or not I'm going to proceed. So, Sunday morning, we're at the car dealer's and lo and behold, I drive out of there with my new Nissan Tiida Q! I got home, still in shock at having spent so much money in such a quick time, without much thinking about it! McBrad was excited out of his mind, I was nearly throwing up in the sink (quite literally). BUT, once we went for a drive and I settled down, I started to get excited. It's a lovely car, and driving it is a dream! Noodle LOVES her back seat - I think it's the leather that does it for her! So that was quite a momentous incident in the past month.

McBrad also extended my 6 sessions with my new Personal Trainer Daz by another 10 sessions, because he was impressed with my progress and was feeling generous. I've gotta say, despite him being a total NAZI who takes particular delight in inflicting pain on me, Daz is very good and it is producing results. I now have a 2pack, and hope that the remain 4pack will emerge from long banishment in the near future, to give me a nice hard flat abdomen! I don't know what it is, but you hear about how people who exercise regularly get this rush after they have exercised. I'm yet to experience that. I just feel smashed after each session.

We've had less than satisfactory weather here in the Emerald City for the past week or so - very autumnal, with cool mornings, cloudy days and the occasional torrential downpour of rain. Fantastic for snuggling with McBrad, but it would be nice to have a lovely sunny weekend. According to the forecast, it's not going to happen this weekend. :-(

I was just thinking the other night about comfort movies (the cinematic version of comfort food I suppose) - that movie or those movies that you always go back to when you just want to feel good about the world. No matter how many times you watch it, you always end up with that warm fuzzy feeling in your heart! For me, Pretty Woman used to be high on the list, but of recent years, it has fallen somewhat. My new no. 1 comfort movie is Love Actually. Yes, it has its critics, but I just feel so good after watching that movie. McBrad and I watched it last night, and of course, watching Love Actually whilst snugged with my very hot boyfriend when it's cold and rainy outside is just the BEST thing in the world.

So that's my May. I will try to update my blog a bit more frequently, but I can't guarantee it. Whilst I'm still reading blogs, I find that I'm just unmotivated to put digit to QWERTY anymore.

Anyway, hope you all have a lovely weekend whereever you are!

Rain...feel it on my fingertips...

At the risk of being accused of being anally retentive, I confess to owning three umbrellas. One normal umbrella which is at home, one large Golf umbrella which is at work, and one small foldup umbrella which stays in my work bag. That way, where-ever I am, I'm covered. Tonight, as I was leaving work, I had a look out at the night...it had been such a weird day, with glimpses of sky, clouds, very dark clouds, showers, very heavy showers...the whole gamut! And so I was considering taking the large golf umbrella as it is, well, quite big and so more likely to keep me dry. But when I looked out at the city, it seemed like it was only a soft drizzle at best, something my small foldup umbrella would cope with. Good plan! Got out and walked about half a block and it came down in TORRENTS! Absolutely bucketed down! And my little foldup umbrella struggled to cope! Needless to say, I was a little damp by the time I got home!

But despite that, I must say it is rather pleasant to have this kind of weather...much more typically autumnal! Rain always puts me to sleep, and I was out like a light last night! And tonight will be just the same! It's fabulous!

The only thing that could improve it would be a nice warm man in bed next to me! I was even thinking that watching TV or a DVD on a night like this, snuggled with a nice guy would be a most pleasant way of spending an evening. Well, I shall keep looking! He's gotta be out there somewhere!

I'm loving this at the moment...

I've borrowed this Title off Muzbot as it perfectly sums up my day today...

All those Sydneysiders who read this blog will understand what I am talking about as today has just got to be one of the most ideal of days...it's around 25 degrees C, sun-drenched and a flawless blue sky! There's nary a breeze to be had, which admittedly means it's a touch hazy, but otherwise PERFECT weather! This is why I love Sydney in April!

I wandered down to my local park with a book (The Kings and Queens of England) and my camera and read up on the Tudors for an hour in the sun. 'twas tres magnifique! There were some couples sunning themselves and indulging in some PDA's, some parents with their kids playing on the swings and the odd single like myself who was just enjoying the day! But it's such a large park that it feels like you have lots of space to yourself.

I then walked home via my favourite street which really hits its straps twice a year - in Autumn and Spring. In spring, the trees are a verdant green, a lively, zingy, brilliant lime colour which just invigorates the soul. In Autumn, all the leaves are dying and the colours are warm and rich. So, I took a some pics of the street too!

...and people ask me why I love living on the North Shore! Hello!

Autumn....Part II...

I was reading today in the Sunday Telegraph, an article by Jacinta Tynan and it kind of resonated with me - particularly in view of my last couple of blog entries. The article was entitled "Now is the winter of the single man's discontent". The interesting thing she said was about the behaviour of men once the seasons start to change from summer to winter.

She said "Summer is the season for distraction, idleness and eternal options, hardly conducive to forging long-term commitments or making decisions of any sort. But the shift in the weather has induced a last-minute scamble as men begin to panic at the prospect of a long, lonely winter." And she identified a trend that has been noticed - the "scattergun approach." What, you may enquire, is the scattergun approach?

"The phenomenon isn't documented, but is well known. With mere weeks until winter, men aren't being discerning in their pursuit, but are firing indiscriminately, with several girls (or guys) lined up on any given weekend."

I read this article and saw me!!! This is what I have been doing up until a few weeks ago! Certainly the "scattergun approach" has been my modis operandi - lining up a plethora of dates in any given week. And summer was certainly the season for frolicking, fun, and fucking! My so-called "slutty phase". But in the last few weeks I've been feeling the urge to calm down somewhat, to actually think about something a bit more long-term, more stable and lasting. I thought it was simply a manifestation of me moving on to the next stage of my life...moving past the "slutty phase" and into "relationship phase". But perhaps I'm wrong...perhaps, as Jacinta suggests, I'm just responding to the changing seasons - feeling a need for someone to snuggle with when it gets cold. Hmmmmm...something to think about!

Autumn...

I woke up this morning feeling fabulous! Not because anything marvellous is happening in my life or anything - it's just the weather! I love this time of year! April is always such a lovely month (yes, yes, I know it's only the 31st March but it's April tomorrow) - clear skies, cool but dry, and the deciduous trees make a magnificent display in the street next to mine! I've always found that my mood is lifted when it's like this.

You can just sniff winter around the corner, with it's log fires (well, at least here on the Nth Shore, people do have log fires and they smell wonderful in the neighbourhood), crisp mornings, blue blue skies - I've always got so much more energy in cooler weather! Coming from Nth Qld, where mid-winter is the equivalent of April in Sydney, I can't get enough of the cold! Bring it on!!! It's always a remarkable phenomenon to me, the fact that as soon Daylight Savings ends, it suddenly gets cooler - or at least it seems like it does! Was it just me, or did anyone else miss the fact that DLS was finishing last Sunday? I woke up, toddled around home, doing my usual Sunday stuff and turned on the TV at 6pm to watch the news and the news wasn't on! I was so confused - I actually ended up ringing up a friend who advised me to change my clocks! How embarassing!

And that's the other thing...as soon as it starts getting cool, I get into this retro-80's mood! I've been playing all my old music today - Kylie's first couple of albums, Pet Shop Boys, Faith (George Michael) and yes, even Richard Marx (collective gasp). Fabulous! I don't know why I get this way, but unfailingly it happens! When I used to live with flat-mates, they dreaded this time of year...but luckily, now that I live alone, it's not an issue - well, maybe my neighbours may be objecting, but they don't count!

And speaking of 80's pop, Pet Shop Boys are in town! And I'm currently trying to locate friends who would like to go next Friday (yes, Easter Friday) to their concert at the Hordern Pavillion - ahhh the Hordern, such fond memories for me from Mardi Gras! I am a HUGE PSB fan, and so I am fanging to see them!