Just a quick note to say that I am in Geringong, just south of Sydney and I need to be up at 5am to catch a train from Kiama to the airport.
I've had a lovely time meeting The Motivator's family, who are all really nice people, just as I expected!
Thank goodness the temperature has dropped from 42C to a pleasant 24C. Crazy!
Now I need to sleep.
Nite all.
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Friday, February 10, 2017
A Bubbly Day
What a great day!
I started by packing a box with some of my purchases and walking to the post office to send it home. While I was there, I asked if they still had my sunglasses that I left behind 18 months ago ... I know ... wishful thinking. They weren't there.
Bubbles and I had agreed to meet at Westfield Miranda for breakfast and we chose Rubyniks restaurant where I thoroughly enjoyed French Toast with bacon, caramelised banana and maple syrup. YUM. Bubbles selected a chicken and avocado wrap.
For drinks, we chose a chocolate thick shake and a fresh juice drink of orange, pineapple, watermelon and coconut water. I'm sure you can guess which drink went with which person haha.
I bought another journal (seriously!) and a plaque with my favourite quote from AA Milne.
We decided to bring them back to the motel room before catching the train to Cronulla to see this movie ...
It was a great movie. Very emotional, stirring, shaming and uplifting. The cinema was quite full so there were some animated responses throughout, and then a round of applause at the end.
We did some browsing and shopping on the way back to the train station and we caught the train to Caringbah, where we alighted and headed to Bubbles's house.
I haven't seen the last two houses that she has lived in, so I thought it was time to go for a visit, even though it was 39C and a decent walk from the station. It contributed to my 11,000 steps (according to my watch) for the day. Her house is a beautiful old place with some of the original fittings dating back to 50s or 60s.
Bubbles had a shower and got changed and we called for a taxi to take us to the motel at about 6pm. After an hour and four texts from the taxi company telling us that there was a delay, Bubbles suggested that I download the Uber app and book a car.
So I did.
It took 'Dan' less than 5 minutes to arrive at our doorstep in a luxury car with lovely air conditioning. He was wonderful and the trip cost me $9. The last time I caught a taxi, it cost me $16 for a shorter distance.
Then tonight, when we left Miranda Diggers RSL after dinner, we walked to the motel and I booked another Uber driver to take Bubbles home. It was this driver's second day on the job and he got a little lost on his way to the motel. What should have taken 3 minutes to reach us, took about 8 minutes, but Bubbles said he was lovely and got her home safe n sound.
So, in my opinion, Uber rocks!
I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow, and it's almost 1am, so I'd best get some sleep!
Nite all.
I started by packing a box with some of my purchases and walking to the post office to send it home. While I was there, I asked if they still had my sunglasses that I left behind 18 months ago ... I know ... wishful thinking. They weren't there.
Bubbles and I had agreed to meet at Westfield Miranda for breakfast and we chose Rubyniks restaurant where I thoroughly enjoyed French Toast with bacon, caramelised banana and maple syrup. YUM. Bubbles selected a chicken and avocado wrap.
For drinks, we chose a chocolate thick shake and a fresh juice drink of orange, pineapple, watermelon and coconut water. I'm sure you can guess which drink went with which person haha.
I bought another journal (seriously!) and a plaque with my favourite quote from AA Milne.
We decided to bring them back to the motel room before catching the train to Cronulla to see this movie ...
It was a great movie. Very emotional, stirring, shaming and uplifting. The cinema was quite full so there were some animated responses throughout, and then a round of applause at the end.
We did some browsing and shopping on the way back to the train station and we caught the train to Caringbah, where we alighted and headed to Bubbles's house.
I haven't seen the last two houses that she has lived in, so I thought it was time to go for a visit, even though it was 39C and a decent walk from the station. It contributed to my 11,000 steps (according to my watch) for the day. Her house is a beautiful old place with some of the original fittings dating back to 50s or 60s.
Bubbles had a shower and got changed and we called for a taxi to take us to the motel at about 6pm. After an hour and four texts from the taxi company telling us that there was a delay, Bubbles suggested that I download the Uber app and book a car.
So I did.
It took 'Dan' less than 5 minutes to arrive at our doorstep in a luxury car with lovely air conditioning. He was wonderful and the trip cost me $9. The last time I caught a taxi, it cost me $16 for a shorter distance.
Then tonight, when we left Miranda Diggers RSL after dinner, we walked to the motel and I booked another Uber driver to take Bubbles home. It was this driver's second day on the job and he got a little lost on his way to the motel. What should have taken 3 minutes to reach us, took about 8 minutes, but Bubbles said he was lovely and got her home safe n sound.
So, in my opinion, Uber rocks!
I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow, and it's almost 1am, so I'd best get some sleep!
Nite all.
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Maybe Not
So maybe I wasn't all shopped out yesterday!
Bubbles, Knight in Shining Armour and R1 arrived at precisely 11am to pick me up from Mosman and drive me across to the other side of Sydney to The Metro Hotel, where I am staying for two nights.
I like this motel. I've stayed here a couple of times before and it's very comfortable with good beds and it's right across the road from Westfields Miranda.
Westfield Miranda has had huge renovations since I was last here and it's bigger and brighter than ever with so many new shops, it would take more than a day to see everything!
Bubbles and I spent the afternoon having a look around a few shops. Shoes and jewellery were our focus. Two pairs of shoes and two necklaces later, we decided to sit down for some lunch.
I enjoyed some grilled salmon with a garden salad and Bubbles ordered a Wagyu beef burger and chips. It was a long leisurely lunch and we caught up on all of our news.
From there, we escaped the shopping centre and come back to the motel room so that I could change my shoes.
We lazed around on the bed relaxing for more than an hour before heading off to the local RSL for a flutter on the pokies and keno and then some dinner. GF chicken schnitzel with GF chips and salad. It was a huge meal and we followed it with delicious desserts, also GF.
We walked back to the motel again, watched some Big Bang Theory and then Bubbles walked the two blocks to her home, while I talked to her on the phone.
Now, I and my electronic devices are spread out over this deliciously large and comfortable king sized bed, and I am watching a movie.
Tomorrow, we plan on having breakfast together, then catching the train to Cronulla to attend the cinema to see 'Hidden Figures'.
The temperature is forecast to be 36C tomorrow and 38C on Saturday, so a dip in Knight in Shining Armour's swimming pool might be in order! Thank goodness we are not in Western Sydney, where the forecast is for 44C!!! Ugh!!
It's after 11pm, so I'm off to get some sleep.
Nite all.
Bubbles, Knight in Shining Armour and R1 arrived at precisely 11am to pick me up from Mosman and drive me across to the other side of Sydney to The Metro Hotel, where I am staying for two nights.
I like this motel. I've stayed here a couple of times before and it's very comfortable with good beds and it's right across the road from Westfields Miranda.
Westfield Miranda has had huge renovations since I was last here and it's bigger and brighter than ever with so many new shops, it would take more than a day to see everything!
Bubbles and I spent the afternoon having a look around a few shops. Shoes and jewellery were our focus. Two pairs of shoes and two necklaces later, we decided to sit down for some lunch.
Bubbles' boots
My boots
I enjoyed some grilled salmon with a garden salad and Bubbles ordered a Wagyu beef burger and chips. It was a long leisurely lunch and we caught up on all of our news.
From there, we escaped the shopping centre and come back to the motel room so that I could change my shoes.
We lazed around on the bed relaxing for more than an hour before heading off to the local RSL for a flutter on the pokies and keno and then some dinner. GF chicken schnitzel with GF chips and salad. It was a huge meal and we followed it with delicious desserts, also GF.
We walked back to the motel again, watched some Big Bang Theory and then Bubbles walked the two blocks to her home, while I talked to her on the phone.
Now, I and my electronic devices are spread out over this deliciously large and comfortable king sized bed, and I am watching a movie.
Tomorrow, we plan on having breakfast together, then catching the train to Cronulla to attend the cinema to see 'Hidden Figures'.
The temperature is forecast to be 36C tomorrow and 38C on Saturday, so a dip in Knight in Shining Armour's swimming pool might be in order! Thank goodness we are not in Western Sydney, where the forecast is for 44C!!! Ugh!!
It's after 11pm, so I'm off to get some sleep.
Nite all.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
All Shopped Out
The Motivator had a meeting to attend this morning.
I had the opportunity to go shopping for the duration of her meeting, but instead I chose to laze in bed til late, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, pamper myself in the bathroom and then sit in the giant comfy lounge right under a beautiful window with filtered sunlight, reading a book.
It was a perfect morning which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The Motivator arrived home after lunch, so we snacked on some leftovers from the fridge before deciding to head off to Chatswood for a spot of ... you guessed it ... SHOPPING!
We started at Chatswood Chase and then headed over to Westfield. We didn't get to Chatswood until after 3.30pm, so there wasn't a lot of time for the heavy duty kind of shopping with which we are most familiar!
I was in search of a small suitcase combined laptop carrier on wheels and with an extending handle and found this ...
It's the perfect 'carry on' size and carries enough clothes/toiletries/shoes/stationery etc for three or four days + my laptop/iPad and all the cords and chargers for my devices.
It also came in very handy for carrying the remainder of our purchases in the short time that we had to indulge.
I got a business card container, a journal (another one!?), a folder to take to the gift fair next week, two pairs of shoes (one pair for Adoring Husband) and a top.
Now, with two pieces of luggage, I have just enough room to pack everything to take home!
Tomorrow, I leave The Motivator for a couple of days to spend time with Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour. Then on Saturday, I return to The Motivator to spend the evening with her family as they celebrate Mum's and Dad's special birthdays.
I fly home on Sunday to catch up with Adoring Husband for a few days. I'm looking forward to seeing him before I head off for another 12 days.
Even though I'm not a big fan of Sydney, I have enjoyed my time here with The Motivator and feel refreshed and rejuvenated!
By the time I arrive home, the air conditioning will be installed and life will be cooler and happier in our home. *happy dance*
It's well after midnight .. again .. so ..
Nite all.
I had the opportunity to go shopping for the duration of her meeting, but instead I chose to laze in bed til late, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, pamper myself in the bathroom and then sit in the giant comfy lounge right under a beautiful window with filtered sunlight, reading a book.
It was a perfect morning which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The Motivator arrived home after lunch, so we snacked on some leftovers from the fridge before deciding to head off to Chatswood for a spot of ... you guessed it ... SHOPPING!
We started at Chatswood Chase and then headed over to Westfield. We didn't get to Chatswood until after 3.30pm, so there wasn't a lot of time for the heavy duty kind of shopping with which we are most familiar!
I was in search of a small suitcase combined laptop carrier on wheels and with an extending handle and found this ...
It also came in very handy for carrying the remainder of our purchases in the short time that we had to indulge.
I got a business card container, a journal (another one!?), a folder to take to the gift fair next week, two pairs of shoes (one pair for Adoring Husband) and a top.
Now, with two pieces of luggage, I have just enough room to pack everything to take home!
Tomorrow, I leave The Motivator for a couple of days to spend time with Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour. Then on Saturday, I return to The Motivator to spend the evening with her family as they celebrate Mum's and Dad's special birthdays.
I fly home on Sunday to catch up with Adoring Husband for a few days. I'm looking forward to seeing him before I head off for another 12 days.
Even though I'm not a big fan of Sydney, I have enjoyed my time here with The Motivator and feel refreshed and rejuvenated!
By the time I arrive home, the air conditioning will be installed and life will be cooler and happier in our home. *happy dance*
It's well after midnight .. again .. so ..
Nite all.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
A Day of Fabulousness
We woke to rain, rain, rain and more rain!
It was lovely because the temperature dropped considerably, which is just what the doctor ordered.
We drove to Balmoral for breakfast at The Boat House and even though it was already raining steadily, as soon as we parked the car, the heavens well and truly opened!
We sat in the car wondering how we were going to manage paying for the parking and then getting to The Boat House without being absolutely drenched.
Suddenly there was a tap on the driver's side window and there appeared an elderly gentleman with a giant umbrella, offering to shelter The Motivator while she paid the metre and then accompanied her across the road to our destination! What a lovely man!
There was only one table free for us to sit and it was partially in the weather. We didn't mind though because it had some shelter and we weren't getting wet. We ordered our breakfast of avocado and tomato on GF toast (the nuttiest and most delicious toast EVER). I had watermelon, raspberry, mint and lime juice, while The Motivator drank peppermint tea.
Even though it was raining, it was a very pleasant spot and we enjoyed ninety minutes of idle chit chat and delicious food. We could hear the gentle rumble of thunder in the distance, but it didn't seem to be building into anything.
All of a sudden there was this bright flash right beside us, followed a second later by a massive exploding crack of thunder that scared the pants off everyone! There were gasps and screams everywhere and I've gotta say, I almost soiled my pants!
About thirty minutes later, we experienced a repeat performance and the rain got even heavier.
We must have waited thirty minutes for the rain to ease, but it didn't even look like stopping any time soon, so the girl who served us suggested that we take a big black garbage bag and rip it up the centre so that we could share it over our heads til we reached the car.
What a great idea!
Needless to say that my Italian leather sandals got drenched because the pathway and road were flooded and the water completely covered our feet as we rushed to the car.
We weren't going to let a bit of rain dampen our spirits! It was time for some RETAIL THERAPY!
Manly was our shopping destination of choice and six hours, many shopping bags filled with goodies later, we decided to head straight to Hotel Mosman (aka The Duck) and climb the stairs to the top bar to eat dinner.
What a great pub that is! Relaxing atmosphere, friendly staff, mood lighting, easy listening music and wonderful food. We were surprised when we noticed that three hours had passed and it was time to head home!
Here it is after midnight already! Another full day and possibly an equally big day tomorrow, so ...
Nite all.
It was lovely because the temperature dropped considerably, which is just what the doctor ordered.
We drove to Balmoral for breakfast at The Boat House and even though it was already raining steadily, as soon as we parked the car, the heavens well and truly opened!
We sat in the car wondering how we were going to manage paying for the parking and then getting to The Boat House without being absolutely drenched.
Suddenly there was a tap on the driver's side window and there appeared an elderly gentleman with a giant umbrella, offering to shelter The Motivator while she paid the metre and then accompanied her across the road to our destination! What a lovely man!
There was only one table free for us to sit and it was partially in the weather. We didn't mind though because it had some shelter and we weren't getting wet. We ordered our breakfast of avocado and tomato on GF toast (the nuttiest and most delicious toast EVER). I had watermelon, raspberry, mint and lime juice, while The Motivator drank peppermint tea.
Even though it was raining, it was a very pleasant spot and we enjoyed ninety minutes of idle chit chat and delicious food. We could hear the gentle rumble of thunder in the distance, but it didn't seem to be building into anything.
All of a sudden there was this bright flash right beside us, followed a second later by a massive exploding crack of thunder that scared the pants off everyone! There were gasps and screams everywhere and I've gotta say, I almost soiled my pants!
About thirty minutes later, we experienced a repeat performance and the rain got even heavier.
We must have waited thirty minutes for the rain to ease, but it didn't even look like stopping any time soon, so the girl who served us suggested that we take a big black garbage bag and rip it up the centre so that we could share it over our heads til we reached the car.
What a great idea!
Needless to say that my Italian leather sandals got drenched because the pathway and road were flooded and the water completely covered our feet as we rushed to the car.
We weren't going to let a bit of rain dampen our spirits! It was time for some RETAIL THERAPY!
Manly was our shopping destination of choice and six hours, many shopping bags filled with goodies later, we decided to head straight to Hotel Mosman (aka The Duck) and climb the stairs to the top bar to eat dinner.
What a great pub that is! Relaxing atmosphere, friendly staff, mood lighting, easy listening music and wonderful food. We were surprised when we noticed that three hours had passed and it was time to head home!
Here it is after midnight already! Another full day and possibly an equally big day tomorrow, so ...
Nite all.
Monday, February 6, 2017
Day of Rest (or not)
What a beautifully lazy start to the day!
I woke up just after 8am and lazed in bed until after 10am. It felt decadent after the last 3 days of jumping out of bed early, showering, eating breakfast, preparing lunches, making ourselves presentable for 12 hour days and then navigating through 30 minutes of peek hour traffic to reach our destination!
We left the house at lunch time, test drove some cars, lunched at a pavilion full of furniture shops, test drove some lounges and outdoor settings (Adoring Husband, you almost got a phone call!) and then drove to Manly beach where we frolicked up to our ankles in the COLD sea water.
There were a hell of a LOT of people at the beach.
They were playing beach volleyball, surfing, body boarding, sunbathing, canoodling, wading, swimming and body surfing.
The tide was on it's way in and the waves were very unpredictable, sometimes tickling my toes and sometimes pounding almost up to my knees!
It was very refreshing after a very hot day. The 'grounding' was therapeutic and the wind blew all the cobwebs out ... even though we were left very windswept.
We had a few items to buy to restock the pantry before we headed home, so we stopped off at that wonderful market place again.
This was our dinner tonight, which was washed down with vodka, tonic and lime.
We have spent the evening surfing the net and listening to relaxing, soothing music.
I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
Now I must attempt to climb into bed before midnight! (oops! too late!)
Nite all.
I woke up just after 8am and lazed in bed until after 10am. It felt decadent after the last 3 days of jumping out of bed early, showering, eating breakfast, preparing lunches, making ourselves presentable for 12 hour days and then navigating through 30 minutes of peek hour traffic to reach our destination!
We left the house at lunch time, test drove some cars, lunched at a pavilion full of furniture shops, test drove some lounges and outdoor settings (Adoring Husband, you almost got a phone call!) and then drove to Manly beach where we frolicked up to our ankles in the COLD sea water.
There were a hell of a LOT of people at the beach.
They were playing beach volleyball, surfing, body boarding, sunbathing, canoodling, wading, swimming and body surfing.
The tide was on it's way in and the waves were very unpredictable, sometimes tickling my toes and sometimes pounding almost up to my knees!
It was very refreshing after a very hot day. The 'grounding' was therapeutic and the wind blew all the cobwebs out ... even though we were left very windswept.
We had a few items to buy to restock the pantry before we headed home, so we stopped off at that wonderful market place again.
This was our dinner tonight, which was washed down with vodka, tonic and lime.
We have spent the evening surfing the net and listening to relaxing, soothing music.
I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
Now I must attempt to climb into bed before midnight! (oops! too late!)
Nite all.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
The Party is Over
Well, what a weekend it has been!
Totally amazing, and I'm so happy that I made the decision to attend and then wholly participate. I cleared a lot of stuff from my past - surprising stuff that I wasn't expecting.
Three twelve hour days that completely drained me, yet by the end, left me feeling totally energised.
This is the castle where the workshop was held ...
... it's an old catholic priest seminary and was built in the 1840s.
We came straight home, prepared a dinner of pork fillet and salad, drank a vodka and tonic with lime, shared childhood photos and told funny stories from our past and then realised that it was midnight!
So here I am. Just popped in to say ...
Nite all.
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