Warning - Weekends Can Be Dangerous

Wednesday 29 August 2012 - an update from the past couple of weeks:

Saturday 18 August - 6 of us girls went to see the Prado Exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art. The art on display is from the Prado in Madrid, and apparently it's the first time these paintings have been shown in the southern hemisphere. GoMA has been getting some good exhibitions, and this was really enjoyable. I went along because when I go to Madrid in October, these works won't be back there yet. I don't know many Spanish artists, but I picked out a few that I quite liked.

The "Disasters of War" sketches by Francisco de Goya were disturbing, and really showed what was going on at the time of Spain's struggles against French occupation in the early 1800's (I think!) I also liked the religious artists, particularly Antonio de Pereda's "Christ The Man Of Sorrows" and Francisco Rizi's "The Annunciation". After the exhibition, we had lunch at a tapas place called Ole at Southbank, which was really nice, and in keeping with our Spanish 'cultural' day.

And this gorgeous lady, by Goya - isn't she fabulous?!

That afternoon, I met 3 of the girls from work at the Ekka. It was the last day of the show, and we were planning on seeing Eskimo Joe playing at 7:30. The Indian girl and the 2 Kiwis had never been to Ekka, and so it was a complete eye-opener for them. We saw the baby animals, cows, horses, alpacas, llamas etc, then checked out the showbag pavillion and the $15 rides!! before we rested our feet in the Woolworths food pavillion. By the time 7:30 came around and we headed for the rather long queue to go into the band, we found out E.J. didn't start for another hour, and so as we were fairly exhausted, we decided to call it a night. As I finished off my Ekka essential, the strawberry ice cream with chopped up strawberries in the cone (YUM), we saw the 3 guys from Eskimo Joe right next to us, complete with show bags, and I believe the lead singer had a Bob The Builder backpack on, perfectly accessorising his perfect coiffure and muso tight jeans. So we did end up seeing the band, we just didn't get to see them perform.

So that was a big Saturday.

On Sunday, Kim and I saw The Dark Knight Rises, at Chermside. It was my favourite of the 3 Christian Bale Batman movies. Truth be told, I barely remember the first one with Katie Holmes; I was really disturbed for days afterwards, by the Joker in the second one, and so I thought this one was really entertaining, and wrapped things up quite well. 8.5 out of 10.

Friday/Saturday 24/25 August - Our team getaway to O'Reilly's in Lamington National Park

Shikha, Gemma, Lorraine & Andy in our Villa

Andy & I drove up in front of Gemma, Lorraine & Shikha on Friday night, arriving at about 7pm. Brett arrived the following morning for breakfast. Look at what greeted me on Saturday morning on our balcony:

Aww. Lorikeet? Rosella? Not sure, but he is very pretty

After breakfast, I made a boo-boo in going on a guided Segway tour with the team and a very reassuring and helpful guide called Brett. He said how safe these things are and how some 'older' lady had just done the tour before us etc. The fact that the previous group had seen a tiger snake in the bush/forest/whatever, made me even more nervous than I already had been, at the thought of balancing on and driving a 2 wheeled contraption along bush tracks... But, if GOB Bluth could do it (on Arrested Development).... 

 How I hoped it would be...

Anyway, being adventurous, we all set off in single file, with me directly behind Guide-Brett, following in his expert tracks. About 45 minutes into it, after skilfully negotiating turns and tracks and forests, I was starting to relax and actually enjoy myself. Then - we were on an uneven, rocky dirt road, and I hit the side of a pothole - not the best thing to do on a Segway, as one second I was on it, next I had been spectacularly tossed off it, and onto my arse, bouncing as I landed. OW!! Stupid freaking Segway, uneven dirt roads, adventure and nature in general. My first thought was, "I'm going to Europe in 7 weeks and I've broken my back!" As it was, nothing except my spirit was broken, also dispelling any thought of ever becoming a stunt woman. As my friend Allyson said, we need wheels under our feet like a fish needs a bicycle. Or something wise that I completely agree with. 

So, I made it back to the villa, the others headed back to the lodge for lunch, and I soaked in a long, hot bath until they came back. Then I lay on the lounge in the foetal position, trying not to move as I was so stiff and sore. Then at 5:30, alleluia, the Lost World Spa rang to say they could give me a massage, that ended up saving me. I had a 1 hour relaxation massage, which I thought would be useless, as Jenna, the masseuse, had a fairly light touch. When I got up, I wanted to hug her, I felt so much better. It really made a difference, obviously loosening up the stiff muscles for a while. I was able to join the others for a really delicious meal, then a game of Cranium before sleeping like a log. 

Today, 4 days later, my lower back is still a bit stiff, but hopefully no lasting damage has been done. I seem to have a little bit of bad luck when I try to be adventurous - last year it was attempting to sail, which resulted in the worst sunburn I've ever had, and a severe dislike of stupid catamarans (and their owners); this year, it was attempting the Segway. I am really having second thoughts about the sandboarding in Dubai later this year as a result. 

O'Reilly's is really beautiful, up about 45 minutes of winding, hairpin bending roads from the nearest town of Canungra, i.e. the middle of nowhere. The staff were lovely, our villa was very nice, and the food at the restaurant was great too. But as far as getting away from it all, and being  one with nature, I tried it, and I prefer looking at it from a distance, thanks very much:

Beautiful view from the villa's balcony - and somewhere in that beauty, I was chucked off a wild, untamed Segway!

The Stunning Sapphires

Thursday 16 Aug 2012 - So far this week:

Monday - worked. Watched Big Brother on Channel 9, betraying my Amazing Race on the other channel. Thought BB had potential, and I used to love it. This first episode was okay.

Tuesday - worked. Groundhog Day - watched BB as 2 new housemates went in. Still showing signs of  hooking me in. Caught parts of the 2nd last episode of Amazing Race. Missed yoga due to working late shift, and also wanting to catch the abovementioned shows! So very slack of me.

Wednesday - while many Brisbanites had this day off as Ekka Day, I had a fairly cruddy day at work, admittedly my attitude to the job I was doing, did not help. BUT at night, the finale of Amazing Race was on, and it was exciting and very satisfying in the end. The good-natured cops team beat out the "alpha males", one of which many people including myself, really disliked; and in third came the blonde twin cheerleadery, air hostessy types that actually were not too bad, although they did succumb to the pressure and kept snapping at each other in the last leg. BB is not taking my fancy the way I had hoped - maybe I have outgrown it over the long break between seasons.

Today - I got an email from Mum & Dad. They have had internet issues on the ship, so it was short and sweet. They are having a good trip, apparently just missed a typhoon when they sailed out of Hong Kong, and are on their way to Shanghai. Hearing from them made my day a little brighter.

Tonight I watched one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. The Sapphires is an absolutely gorgeous, heartwarming, touching, funny and feel-good flick, that I enjoyed so, so much. It is about 4 aboriginal girls who in the late 1960's, with their scruffy, funny Irish "manager", end up in Vietnam, entertaining the troops by singing soul music. And all the adventures and dangers in this setting that ensue... without giving anything too much away, the home truths and issues of the time are addressed subtly and without preaching, the music is great and so are the characters. Truth be told, I am not a major fan of Australian movies. In my opinion, The Castle is one of the best that springs to mind, and that I remember really enjoying when I first saw it; The Sapphires is definitely another. I loved this movie, and give it a 9 out of 10. Wonderful.

Weekend Country Escape

Sunday 12 August 2012 - The past week has flown by. I had little sleep, an eventful work week and was fairly exhausted by the weekend. What a great time for a Weekend Country Escape!

Last Sunday, I left the townhouse and precious pup for a couple of hours, for lunch at my friend Kim's. Another friend, Mellissa, had spent a few weeks in Paris and the French Riviera back in May. She filled us in on her trip, showed us her photos and gave us some good tips on what to do, see and eat in Paris. (This Tuesday, it will be 2 months till we fly out).

On Monday, I had a dentist appointment after work - all good - and then went to the townhouse to collect my stuff and return the keys to my friend who had arrived back during the day. She wasn't impressed about how much the locksmith had charged to get me in when the spare key BROKE in the front door lock. I don't blame her, and I felt so bad about the expense, even though it wasn't anyone's fault. Keys are not meant to break in locks, really. Anyway, somehow I think I might not be housesitting there in future.

I then sat up most nights watching the Olympics. One night an Australian sailor boy won gold, so I stayed up watching him win - even though I cannot stand those freaking boats where you have to hang off the side with waves crashing over you, then ducking under the boom to the other side and getting sails and ropes tangled - I just don't see the appeal. But the guy was so happy, I felt happy for him. And the other nights, I don't even remember the events I watched, but I seemed to just fight the urge to get to bed, therefore getting an average 6 hours sleep per night last week. And I actually missed Anna Meares win the cycling and Sally Pearson win the 100m hurdles! And gave myself, self-inflicted exhaustion!

My little brother turned 40 on Wednesday. He was with some mates in the outback, headed for the Simpson Desert in a couple of 4WDs. Camping and the outback - 2 more things I don't want to do or see in the near future. But he loves it all, so good for him. Bless those boys & their toys (4WDs and sleeping in swags).

On Thursday it was my brother-in-law's birthday. I managed to call him before he & the family went out for dinner, and before I had to meet Kim to go and stock up on some supplies for our Weekend Country Escape.

On Friday, it was my workmate Gemma's last day at work, before she joins my old area, FCGP as a product co-ordinator. We went to the Marriott for lunch which was a good 2 course special for $20, what a bargain. Then at about 4pm 3 teams shared the most massive pavlova I've ever seen - and we got through it in no time flat. Yum.

That night, Kim and I drove to a place called Hillyridge, past Boonah in the Scenic Rim area. The last 5km or so to the house was an exciting mixture of dirt, gravel and sealed road, and the driveway had to be experienced to be believed! But Nat, Mel and Jane, who had arrived earlier, had dinner just about ready for us. I had been eating all day, and another delicious meal beckoned that night!

The house had 4 bedrooms, a fireplace in the living room, a pretty decent kitchen and a couple of big decks. It was cold at night and when the wind sprung up during the day, so we quite liked the fireplace. On Saturday morning after a yummy breaky, the other 4 headed for some lake to do a bit of hiking (guess what? another activity I didn't want to take part in - I see a non-nature theme happening), I took the opportunity to sit on the deck with a cuppa and read up on the Paris/France Eyewitness and Rick Steves Travel guides. A real rejuvenation morning for me.

My morning location

On Saturday night, after watching a beautiful sunset, Jane and Kim cooked up a fantastic lamb roast with veges, followed by tiramisu.

Nat's Instagram Sunset

That night, Wests beat St George by 22-12, and Collingwood just edged out Sydney Swans, winning 78-70. Good results both. After watching some of the gymnastics on late night Olympics TV, we rolled into our beds, with tired eyes and full tummies.

Today Kim, Nat, Mel and I had lunch at the restaurant at Kooroomba Winery & Lavender Farm, before heading back to Brisbane. Beautiful setting, my meal was great, and the girls had lavender ice cream for dessert which was a hit.

Mel, Nat & Kim - Kooroomba Lavender Farm

Tonight, as I started typing this blog, Debbie came over with her hand burned due to her grabbing a hot pan handle. We had a good catchup as she held onto a packet of frozen veges from my freezer. I think she will be in a world of pain tonight and her hand is going to blister for sure. Yowch, poor Deb. 

Olympics & Happy Housesitting

Saturday 5 August 2012 - I am sitting in my friend Kylie's loungeroom, having just seen the Aussies win yet another Olympic silver medal, this time in the rowing. Far out, I know that's a good result, and I don’t appreciate just how hard it is to win, but I'm a little over the 2nd placings, I gotta say. Australia have won 1 gold medal so far, the 4 x 100m women's relay in the swimming on Day 1. I am house & dog sitting for Kylie for a couple of nights while she is away for work.

I got up at 5:10am on Thursday morning in the hope of seeing James Magnussen win gold in the 100m freestyle. I'm not an Olympics fanatic, but I did take a liking to him when he came through in the 4 x 100m men's relay to win the heat for the team. He was a bit cocky in his interview afterwards, but adorable and confident, which I liked. And very good-looking... 

Anyway, the team came 4th in the final, and he was devastated, then immediately, Giaan Rooney stuck a microphone in their faces to ask "what happened?" and he was expected on the spot, to be gracious and explain eloquently, why they just lost. And Aussie media turned on him for being arrogant and spitting the dummy. I find the whole interview as soon as they get out of the pool situation, really intrusive and insensitive. I say, give the athletes a few minutes to process whatever happened, gain a bit of composure and then maybe they will give a decent, media-savvy response. In other words, give them a break!

Back to the 5:20am race. He missed winning by 1/100^th of a second. What?! I went back to sleep for another hour, then went to work, where I was on a job that we each have to do once a fortnight or so, and that I really detest. Then, after work, when I got to Kylie’s place and tried to unlock the front door, the pretty blue spare key she gave me, broke off in the door knob! After calls to a couple of people who I hoped could help me out – I don’t know how – I rang Kylie’s mum in Hervey Bay, who told me she didn’t think anyone besides herself had a spare key, and that I should call a locksmith.  Which is what I did.

45 minutes later, I was in. A bit scary, just how easily the locksmith was able to open that door! Rama the dog, who I thought would be all traumatised for hearing what was going on outside her house, was just happily jumping around, wanting to play. It was me who was all flustered and stressed about it all. Anyway, after a long and crappy day, I was in the house by 8pm!

Today, Saturday, I went down the road to Toombul shopping centre, bought some clothes, the paper and Who magazine, and the 3^rd season of Offspring, which I am very much looking forward to watching. After lunch, Sam, her English friend Teresa and Katie picked me up and we all drove to New Farm Park. Katie had a play on the amazing kids’ stuff in the playground set up there, then we caught the CityCat to Bulimba where we wandered around the shops and had stopped at a cafe for a bit. Then we headed back to the car at New Farm and they dropped me off back at the townhouse at Nundah. Where I was greeted by a happy dog who, while I was out, had vomited in 2 places on the shagpile rug.

Jeez - vomiting dog, breaking keys in doors, very bad internet connection (bloody Optus) – is the universe trying to tell me not to house sit here or what? To top it off, I was looking forward to watching Collingwood play St Kilda on channel 7Mate tonight – only to find they’re showing fricking Brisbane playing Richmond. Who are playing in Brisbane, and who are 2 of the lamest teams in the comp. Hence the reason I am watching the Aussie silver performances of the female triathlete and the male rowers.... Now I have just looked up and see that the dog is chewing up and spitting out bits of an old slipper all over the floor.

It must almost be time for a cuppa tea and Offspring. After I pick up the pieces.