Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Sunday 23 November – Pearls and Paxton











Current location: Pearl Beach
11.11am, In my happy place. Andy and I got up and went straight to the beach (as it was 33˚C by 9am and rising!)... We quite often go to Pearl Beach but today we went to the opposite end to where we normally go, and it was just so stunning. There's an ocean pool there and so we spent a good amount of time floating around and loving life. We had breakfast in the cafe by the beach too (mushrooms and goats cheese on toast, then pancakes!), and basically had the loveliest start to a day ever.
In the afternoon, we went back down to Sydney and hung out with our friends Dorde and Court, who have a beautiful seven-month-old daughter Paxton. She's a cutie!

Saturday 22 November – Semi-active Saturday






Current location: Ettalong Beach
11.11am, Getting back to the house. I'd woken up early (well, 8ish, which is early for a Saturday for me!) and Jess and I went for a run, and then ended with a swim in the sea (or an 'ice bath' as us professional athletes like to call it, haha!).

 We grabbed a coffee and a juice (treating ourselves!) then went back to the house to read our books, chill out, eat some brekkie and try and sunbathe, but it was just too hot. So back to the beach we went. The evening brought a lovely breeze, some delish cold white wine, a verandah hang and a barbecue. Do Saturdays get any better?!

Friday 21 November – Birthday surprise!



Current location: Ettalong Beach
11.11pm, Going to bed after a fab evening. Today was so hot, and it was forecast to be a scorcher of a weekend, so Andy and I decided to head straight up the coast after work. We went for a swim, and then I was surprised by my awesome friend Lily... As a birthday pressie, she'd arranged for me to have cocktails in a bar in Ettalong, and there were my fave flowers waiting for me when we got there too. It's so special to feel so close to your friends who live on the opposite side of the world, thanks Pil!
x

Wednesday 19 November – Impromptu Wednesdays


Current location: Redfern
11.11pm, Leaving the pub. With a chilled evening planned of unpacking, reading and sitting on the balcony, I instead went for 'one quick drink' to the Dock in Redfern, with a couple of girls from work. A few bottles of wine later, we tried to leave just as the pub quiz was starting. So obviously we stayed for 'just one more'...

(Pic from Timeout)

Tuesday 18 November – Netball and new stuff


Current location: Erskineville
11.11pm, Getting home from Jess' house. Andy and I went for dinner there, after Jess and I played a cracking game of netball (which saw us win 17-12). Jessie was getting rid of loads of clothes and i grabbed a whole heap of them (including this skirt, which I immediately put on and then tried to take a photo of while walking)... So I'm planning on being dressed by Jess for the next couple of weeks!

Sunday 16 November – Back to Ikea


Current location: Glebe
11.11am, Trying to get the motivation to go to Ikea. For the second time this weekend. On a Sunday. With a hangover. We did it though, and it was busy, hilarious and awesome. Man, I love Ikea.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Saturday 15 November – Coastrek training part two




Current location: Glebe
11.11pm, Playing 'Cards Against Humanity'. It's a new game I got for my birthday, and it's so blinking funny! Andy and I were at Chrystal and Marc's place in Glebe, after an amazing dinner made by Marc. We were all feeling a bit achy but very happy, as we'd had a big 16km walk around a part of Sydney we'd never been to before, in training for our 55km Coastrek walk in March.
We walked up through Rozelle and then around Iron Cove, stopping for a drink on our way back to Glebe to rehydrate. When we got back to Chrystal and Marc's, we opened the bubbles as Marc made us a delish dinner and then got the games out, including Sardines of course! Such a fun night with this lovely pair.

Friday 14 November – Another new home!


Current location: Alexandria
11.11pm, Unpacking. Or moving things. Or cleaning. Or one of those things that happens when you move house. Because, yes, we've moved again! Either we love packing and unpacking or are gluttons for punishment, I don't know, but after seeing a teeny apartment on Saturday, we applied to rent it, got offered it, signed for it today and now have moved in. It's even closer to work than our last place in Erskineville was, and needs quite a bit of love to make it look lovely, but we can do it! We spent an hour in Ikea tonight, speeding around so we could get to the meatballs, then went home, decided to eat pizza after all, and began the Great Unpack. Watch this space...

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Thursday 13 November – What Katie Ate at the Weekend


Current location: Paddington, Sydney
11.11pm, Taking a photo (above). Tonight Andy and I were lucky enough to go to the launch of Katie Quinn Davies' new book, What Katie Ate at the Weekend. Katie is a friend/sometimes-colleague of Andy’s, and also an all-round lovely lady, so it was fab to be able to celebrate with her and meet some of her friends.
The book is absolutely beautiful, and we also got some fabulous goodies from The Gourmet Grocer. 

Tuesday 11 November – Steak Tuesdays


Current location: Paddington, Sydney
11.11pm, Reading my book at Nick and Bree's house. Tonight after netball, Andy and I met at The Local, a lovely pub just up the road from netball and down the road from Nick and Bree's, and ate steak and drank wine. We're staying at theirs tonight because they're on holiday in New Zealand, celebrating Bree's birthday (today! Happy birthday gorgeous girl!) and their 10-year anniversary of being together.


Sunday, November 9, 2014

Sunday 9 November – Ettalong Oyster Festival



 

Current location: Ettalong Beach
11.11pm, Having a walk with Jess on the beach. We passed the Oyster Festival, an annual event that seemed to attract everyone on the Central Coast – it was heaving! We all went back later to have a look around the stalls, eat some seafood and soak up the atmosphere.

Saturday 8 November – How much can you fit in a Saturday?









Current location: Coogee Beach, Sydney
11.11am, At the beach! This morning, And and I decided to go to see Sculptures By The Sea, which is exactly what it sounds like: sculptures, lining the coastal path between Tamarama and Bondi. We got the bus to Coogee first to meet Jess (and, randomly, Yee who we unexpectedly bumped into) and have a sunbathe... We were also joined by a man dressed as Tigger, who was on his stag do...

Anyway, after a chill on the beach, we drove over to Tamarama and did the walk. The sculptures were so awesome, and my faves were the ones on Tamarama Beach (the giant frying pan, and the rainbow structure) but they were all fab. After another swim at Tama, we hopped back in the car and headed to Erskineville to look at an apartment, and then have lunch with Jess in our haunt, Bakerman.

We then successfully convinced Jess to join us up the coast for the night, so we all drove back up to the Central Coast, where Jess and I went for a run, then we all had a swim. It was alovely evening so we fired up the barbecue, and had a chilled but very Aussie night. What a bloody fab day!!

Friday 7 November – Hello Hemi!



Current location: Erskineville, Sydney
11.11pm, On Rochy's couch. She and Jdog have a new little doggy, Hemi, and we met him for the first time. He's so lovely! We had good snuggles and then went up to Sha's apartment and they attempted to inflate the airbed for us (Sha managed it; Andy didn't). We'd all been out for drinks and dinner at Mary's, to celebrate some good work news for Sha. Got to love a Friday night with the whole weekend ahead of you...

Wednesday 5 November - NOFX



Current location: Newtown, Sydney
11.11pm, Dancing! Sweating! Trying not to get squished. Andy and I were at a NOFX gig, having a fab time. We'd met in Newtown after work and gone for a few beers and some Italian food, then off we went to the gig. I used to be a big NOFX fan back in the day when I was about 16, and had never seen before. It was a super-fun gig (even if lead singer Fat Mike was really grumpy and proceeded to punch someone in the face!) and so fun to have a boogie with ma boy. 

Tuesday 4 November - Giddy up!

 
Current location: Eveleigh, Sydney
11.11am, Printing off pictures of horses. Today is Melbourne Cup day, so Chrystal and I organised a sweepstake...

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Sunday 2 November – Beached as





Current location: Ettalong Beach
11.11am, Going for a run. I haven't run in aaaages so I went for a cheeky 5km, but it was so hot, I really struggled! When it was over, I rewarded myself with a picnic with Emily and Dave, who are up visiting the Central Coast. We went to Umina Beach, then drove to Pearl Beach, and we basically just sunbathed all day. Don't worry, Mum, I had suncream on!

Saturday 1 November – Three beaches in one day







Current location: Woy Woy
11.11pm, At the hairdressers. This year I decided to take advantage of all those marketing emails you get around your birthday, offering you money off, or free stuff, as a 'birthday gift'. One of the things I was offered, and said yes to, was a hair treatment and blowdry at my hairdressers. It was lovely, although I was a bit embarrassed at turning up all sandy straight from the beach (no.1: Ettalong). After the hairdressers, me and my lovely blowdried hair went to Umina Beach (no.2) and then my friend Ducky called and asked if I wanted to meet her at Avoca. I did (beach no.3) and I promptly ruined my lovely blowdried hair by getting straight in the sea (I couldn't help it, it was 36˚C!)!
As a storm started rolling in, we went for juices in the cafe and watched the crazy rain, then I came back to Ettalong and met my friends Emily and Dave, who are up here on a beach holiday for the weekend!

Wednesday 29 October – Brill birthday






Current location: Eveleigh, Sydney
11.11am, At work, not doing much work. Today is my birthday!!! I woke up with lovely Andy and opened some presents that my beautiful family and friends had sent, then I went off to work to find my desk decorated and cake all round! Such a lovely day, then I went to the Rose Pub in Erskineville for a wine or four with more awesome friends. I am so lucky to know such wonderful people on both sides of the world, and days like today really bring that home.