Sail Away

Don't you just love this chic sailboat?!  Lets pretend that our sailboat ride around the harbour this weekend looked just like this, ok?  Amidst the chilly winds and cloudy skies, we had a blast with friends!  Now when we watch all the sailboats and partygoers go by from our balcony, we can say we've experienced it too!  

Couples shots!

Hanging out on the bow...yes I had to look that term up and no I never realized how many sailing terms there are! Way too complicated for me.  But it sure is a great time.  

Our "spot" for the day.

You have to look at the bright side of things…after getting caught in a torrential (and unexpected) downpour complete with hail while walking home from the train stop (which is a ten minute walk and no way of getting out of), a few good things came out of it.  The blooms were quite heavy and in my line of vision so I couldn't help but stop and take some pics on the walk home and the pup had an excuse to get a good scrubbing. I guess those are my selfish reasons for why it was good anyways.  But I wasn't very happy at the time, with both arms full of groceries and such!  And I am always so baffled when these people pop up with their big umbrellas like they had been anticipating the rain all day among the sunshine!  I just have to laugh at myself because no matter how "prepared" I am, I am never "prepared" for rain.  

Too bad this was the only shot I captured of this great story.  As you can see, I walked outside to this…and about 30 more police cars, vans, motorcycles, standing guards, and suited men with earpieces running around the Prime Ministers house.  The street was a buzz, with bystanders and a news van staked out..you could just feel the excitement.  Mind you, I had no idea what was going on at this point!  I carried on my business walking Teddy around, and then promptly returned home to question my "know it all" neighbor.  She has become my resource for everything (from proper ways to recycle to ringtail possums to best bakeries to buy bread from to where I should let our dog do his "business") and usually not because I asked!! Haha that's another story.  Anyways, she looked at me funny and said "Charlie!..Charlie is staying there! He and Camilla always stay at the Kirribilli House when they visit. " As to my puzzling face.."Who is 'Charlie'?!"  Oops.  For those of you who don't know, 'Charlie' is an endearing name for THE Prince Charles.  Another oops happened when I literally squeezed her frail arm so tight and squealed in excitement over the news.  Ya, she definitely thinks I'm a weirdo now.  Unfortunately, I never caught a glimpse of them..but R did!  That brat.  Ironically, he was just being a sweet husband by running to pick up some Sunday brunch for us when he saw their enormous entourage speed past!  Luckily he was quick enough to record the madness so I could feel a part of it.  Prince Charles, William, and Kate all in a matter of two months…what are the odds?!

Date night complete with Thai food, chocolate soufflé, and funny awkward night at the comedy club.  As you can see in my face, I didn't know what to think of a. sitting in the second row and potentially being picked on b. the first contestant "blanking" and forgetting ALL of his jokes (yes that really happened) and c. the electronic voting pads to rank the comics (that part was actually pretty cool).  I walked away with a newfound respect for standup comedians and those trying to make a career out of it.  Maybe it didn't help that we just got done seeing a "celebrity" comedian at the opera house…but it is also very surreal to think that he too started on a small stage just like everyone else!  

A surprise spontaneous outing our Sunday turned out to be.  We were headed to the next neighborhood over by ferry (so Teddy could come along) to run some errands, and long story short, our first ferry was late which meant our connecting ferry to our destination didn't leave for another hour or so.  Instead of waiting around, we found the next departing destination and hopped on!  We ended up in a suburb called Double Bay (aka Double PAY) that I had heard so many good things about, but never made it around to exploring.  We couldn't have asked for a better day…just us two with Teddy.  

R and I both decided we would live in this suburb to raise a family in our "dream land".  We just couldn't get over how charming it was!  Forget the logistics.  So many cafes, unique shops, and parks around.  Poor Teddy was exhausted by the end of our day…we walked a ton!  The best part of it all is that we ended up bumping into a hardware store (fifteen minutes before closing) which had everything we originally needed when we set out for the day!  Funny how it all works out.  

I'm holding down the fort alone this week while R travels for business.  No cooking for me!  Good thing I just bought an intriguing new book I can sink into thanks to my favorite friend KFite (shot out!).  The book is called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and is about her family's attempt to eat only locally grown food for a year.  Other than that, I will be anxiously awaiting and preparing for our visitors arrival on Saturday!!!  Which if you forgot, that would be R's brother and his (really my) best friend..we are lucky to have them both!!  I cannot begin to tell you how excited we are...and to know that some of our dearest loved ones are finally going to experience our lives here is a thrill!

Speaking of loved ones, there are some important people in my life that I am celebrating today.  Happy happy birthday to three lovely ladies... my best and matching 6th grade backpack buddy 'Airy', my sisttaa from college, and sorority advisor turned family member!  I love y'all!