Apparently we are already heading into that latter part of the year where time speeds up and the weeks all blur into each other - and I'm so not ok with it.

So what's been happening over here?

Amelia had her hip dysplasia x-ray and review, and unfortunately is still requiring harness time - her right hip angles are still not where they should be. She is now wearing her harness for ALL sleeps, which works out to be approximately 12 hours a night, plus 3-4 hours across the day. We are all pretty exhausted, but praying this last batch of increased harnessing will help us get across the line. Her next review is mid-September.

Georgia is back in the swing of things at school and Claire is enjoying two days a week of daycare, with both girls thriving on routine. We're enjoying it while it lasts, as the threat of Covid restrictions creeping back in again is on all of our minds. Both girls have gone back to swimming lessons. Georgia is doing amazingly well. Claire is just starting out and is, well, Claire. 

As for me, I turned 36 last fortnight. It was incredibly low key and sort of feels like it didn't happen at all.. but I spent it surrounded by family, so that's what matters most. I'm continuing to work with some amazing small businesses and having a ball photographing the kids as well as the products we are lucky enough to shoot. I'm also thoroughly enjoying my Virtual Assistant roles, and have been learning and growing in that department every day.

I'm slowly inching closer to the elusive 10k Instagram followers milestone, one that I've been aiming for for many years. I'm trying to do it as authentically as possible (hence the snail's pace) but hopefully the wait will be worth it! 

• We've been in our new house for almost a month now, and it's still only half-done. The rain around here has been constant, we've got half a driveway done, a whole lot of mud puddles in the front and backyard, and a big old mess upstairs. I love it here, but I'm tired, oh-so-tired.

• My class of Year 1/2 students got so big that the school reshuffled the classes, so we could have smaller class sizes. As such, I'm now a regular old Year 1 teacher - and loving it! Except that I'm tired, oh-so-tired.

• I ovulated last month, for the first time in many, many moons. The two week wait is almost over, but I'm not holding out much hope. {You can read more here.} All I know is that this whole process is making me tired, oh-so-tired.

What happens when you're trying to take on too many projects at the same time? You end up stressed out, being mostly useless at all of them, and becoming slightly delirious.

I was out of the house most of this weekend, spending quite a lot of time with a few visitors that have been in London recently. I was really excited to meet Emily {aka Emily Jane, awesome wedding-winner extraordinaire} during her whirlwind trip back to the UK with her fiancé, and we quickly coordinated a time and place to catch up.

I have to say, I'm rubbish at making decisions and picking venues to visit. I do have one favourite place that I love to stop by every once in a blue moon; it's not in my neighbourhood at all and requires a bit of a journey, but it makes for an awesome brunch spot. It's located near Tower Bridge and it's on a little cobblestone street full of shops and apartments that are completely precious. How can you not love it; it's oh so London. {And check out that sky!}

This is the reason I would travel clear across town for brunch. I mean, really. I'm hungry again just looking at it.
Emily was just as sweet in person as she is online and we happily spent the morning chatting away; about life, about travelling, about the UK and of course, about wedding planning! It was a Saturday and quite busy when we first arrived, but we stayed for a few hours and soon only a few diners were left as the kitchen prepared to close.

The restaurant is filled with random mismatched furniture, which I was admiring while I finished my banana oat smoothie. It was about that time that I noticed that the table we were sitting at was actually an old desk, complete with drawer. Being the nosey person that I am, of course I opened the drawer. I was not expecting what was inside!

The drawer was filled with dozens, possibly even hundreds of scraps of paper. There were messages on notepaper, messages on the back of receipts, messages on napkins, all sorts of messages. I felt a little shifty going through the drawer in front of the staff, but couldn't help but get excited - so we started pulling them out one by one and reading them together. There were messages about love, relationships, marriage, hopes, and random dreams.

It was such an unexpected surprise, and it was incredible to think that so many people had gone through the exact same motions as I had - randomly opening a drawer in a restaurant and discovering a secret stash of notes.

I'm not going to go right out there and name the restaurant, though if you look carefully enough at the images, you might get a bit of an idea. Or, you know, you could just ask ~ it's definitely worth a visit if you're in town.

Maybe when you visit, you could add your very own messages to the drawer. And perhaps you will find the messages that Emily & I added to the stash. This has to be one of my favourite places in London town.

Have you ever encountered a random surprise or note somewhere unexpected?

I've been feeling really awful for the past few days, super nauseas and like I have a constricted throat - so chances are I'm coming down with something just in time for this next bout of hot weather in London. Awesome! I woke up this morning though and saw that Karen of Dream Once More had written in her lovely handwriting on her blog; and I figured I might just be able to scrounge up enough energy to do that too.

My own handwriting used to be much neater. It was nice and scripted through university, and then I easily managed to perfect the teacher's printing while I was teaching back in Sydney. But a few more years out of teaching, followed by a whole lot of office and computer work has seen my poor freehand suffer!

Funnily enough, I don't really have one style of writing. I can change it quite easily into a different style, so I find it hard to pinpoint what my usual handwriting looks like. Still, I thought I'd give it a go - following these prompts:

1. Name/Blog Name

2. Right handed, left handed or both

3. Favorite letters to write

4. Least favorite letters to write

5. Write: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

6. Write in caps:

CRAB

HUMOR

KALEIDOSCOPE

PAJAMAS

GAZILLION

7. Favorite song lyrics

8. Tag 7 people

9. Any special note or drawing

So here's my handwriting as of today - slightly frantic and rushed, crooked and a little messy... but me. 

Some Notes:

I actually have several songs I could've used - and actually would've chosen 'Everything' as Karen featured on her blog! (We have a mutual love of Lifehouse.) The lyrics I ended up choosing are by the same band, from 'Hanging by a Moment' - this is the song that brought Jase and I together back in 2001, so it holds a special place in my heart!

Consider yourselves tagged if you're so inclined and let me know if you do showcase your handwriting on your blog, so I can come and take a peek. They say handwriting says a lot about a person.. what does it say about you?

It's Friday, lovelies! And what better way to celebrate that, than a Love/Hate post? (Props to Janet!)

Love: I am going strong my my June challenge of gym visits each weekday. This week, I managed to squeeze in swimming, a class of Zumba, my own treadmill/weights routine and a Spin class.
Hate: Despite three weeks of exercise & eating well, my weight is still. the. same. Not getting disheartened but..

Today …

I woke up and looked out the window to see everything covered in white.

I may or may not have freaked out when my iPhone got stuck on a black screen of doom. It's fixed now, thanks to Google.

I had cereal for breakfast AND dinner, and loved it.

I started something new, though I'm not ready to go into details on that.. yet!

I had a stranger compliment my engagement ring during the tube ride home.

I stood outside in the cold with snow in my hair taking pictures like a crazy person.

How was your Wednesday?

It's become a yearly tradition to recap the years gone by - this will be my fourth blogging recap since I started on Wordpress and eventually my own domain.

See 2006 here, 2007 here, and last year's recap here.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Moved apartments, applied for a Highly Skilled Visa for the UK (and was successful), changed jobs at work & got a payrise... oh! And became a fiance!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I think my resolution last year was 'not to worry so much'. I think I did alright - I still worry a lot, but I'm more aware of myself this year. I tend to go well with resolutions for the first month and then falter. I've got one (the usual?) ready to go for 2010.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? In my general vicinity over here, no. No babies.

4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thankfully.

5. What countries did you visit? This year... let's see. I visited Belgium (Brussels/Bruges), Switzerland (Zurich & surrounds), the Czech Republic (Prague) and France (Paris). I also went back to Australia for nearly three months, waiting in Sydney for my Visa to be processed. Quite a busy year, of small trips.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? I'd like to have willpower. And the ability to stick to my resolutions to achieve a goal.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? August 8th, 2009 - the day we got engaged in Prague. I still can't believe it sometimes.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting a new job at work, having a bit more independence.

9. What was your biggest failure? Getting lazy, bodywise. I joined a gym in the last few months of the year, but I feel like I could have done more.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing major this year.

11. What was the best thing you bought? I actually don't think I bought all that much this year? Lots of small things, for sure. I suppose my iPod from last Christmas - I used that nearly every day of 2009!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? A few people this year. First up is Kirby. She's my best friend, my future maid of honour, and she's gone through some crap this year and is still smiling on the other side. Same goes for Julie. It's not easy keeping in touch with people when you live thousands of miles away, but whenever I see these girls, everything comes flooding back and it feels like I never left.

And of course, Jason. The boy is a machine. He works so hard over here as a contractor, never takes a day off, and all so that we can have some savings to take back home with us when we leave. He's amazing!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? A few people.

14. Where did most of your money go? Saving mostly. I also spent money on the usual things, like books, clothing & bit and pieces while travelling.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Our engagement! After nearly seven years of dating, I had basically willed myself to stop focussing on marriage and just enjoying things as they were. And wouldn't you know it, when I finally stopped whining? Jason pulled out a corker of a proposal, complete with a surprise birthday weekend to Prague AND a little blue box! I love my beautiful ring, and still find myself staring at it and looking forward to the future. Soppy, I know.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? A couple, actually. Use Somebody - Kings of Leon. Lovegame - Lady Gaga. You Found Me - The Fray. Lover, You Should've Come Over - Jeff Buckley.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
(a) Happier or Sadder? Happier.
(b) Thinner or Fatter? About the same, unfortunately.
(c) Richer or Poorer? Richer.. but I intend on spending alot on travelling & wedding planning this next year, so I'm sure that next December I'll be poorer!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I wish I'd taken a few more photographs. I also wish I'd seen more of England, but it's tricky a) without a car and b) having the cat to think about. It's hard to travel when you have a little one.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Being lazy.

20. How did you spend Christmas in 2009? Hibernating in our cute West London flat with Jason and Oscar. We cooked our own turkey and played on the Wii.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009? We stayed in love. He's my best friend.

22. How many one-night stands? Hold on, let me get my diary and check...

23. What was your favorite TV program? Grey's Anatomy (again!), True Blood and Coupling.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I don't hate anyone. Disappointed in a few people, but not hate.

25. What was the best book you read? Again - so many. These are the ones I can think of from this year: The Heretic's Daughter. The 19th Wife. The Cellist of Sarajevo. Wicked. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Not sure if I'd call it a discovery, but maybe a rediscovery? The Fray & Jeff Buckley.

27. What did you want and get? Bling! And also, my UK work Visa.

28. What did you want and not get? In touch with a few more friends.

29. What was your favorite film of this year? Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince. I also really liked Avatar and New Moon. (Hee.)

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 25 this year, and spent the day at work. The following weekend, Jason took me to Prague for the long weekend of a lifetime!

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Seeing more of England.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Jeans, winter coat, flat shoes. I also got into the whole tunic/tights phase VERY late in the game.

33. What kept you sane? Jason, Oscar, Kirby.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? No-one really?

35. What political issue stirred you the most? Off the top of my head? I have no idea.

36. Who did you miss? The usual - everything about being at home. But then, when I was home, I missed everything about being in London. It's a conundrum.

37. Who was the best new person you met? A few more new starters at work. I'd love to meet some more new people though. Is it just me, or is it harder to make friends as you get older?

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. Patience: it really is a virtue. And apparently nagging really doesn't pay off?

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. “You know that I could use somebody - someone like you and all you know and how you speak..."

40. What are your resolutions for 2010? Ah, but that is a whole other post in itself.

I'll be working tomorrow (yuck!) and then hopefully meeting a beautiful blogging friend when she visits London, followed by NYE celebrations in Chinatown. Enjoy the last few days of 2009!

I'm a terribly sporadic blogger, I know. Things have been pretty mellow lately, and we've just been plodding along taking each week as it comes. The trees outside have gone from beautiful colours, to grey and bare, and the temperatures are slowly dropping... my second (or third, really) winter in London.

I love spending Christmas here. There's something so wonderful about enjoying the holiday in the opposite weather than what I'm used to. (I can't say I'm missing the 38-42o Celsius days back home.) I love the Christmas lights on Oxford Street and Regent Street. I love the toffee nut and eggnog lattes in Starbucks. I love the coats and the scarves and the boots. I love the ice skating rinks that pop up out of nowhere. I love the random winter fair in Leicester Square. I love the mulled wine.

I've had my Christmas shopping done for about a month now. It might sound super impressive, but keep in mind that I literally only have two people to buy for: Jason and Oscar. Yes, the cat. He's just as spoiled as Jason, if not more so. I won't go into what presents I've bought for Jason, but suffice it to say that a) they're awesome and b) I'm awesome and c) giving presents is awesome.

It's so expensive to send gifts through the post that I don't send family gifts - but I'll be home in April, so will be sure to take some goodies back with them then. They'll just have to settle for really awesome (word of the day!) Christmas cards instead.

It's funny how as I've got older, I really appreciate the thought and time that goes into gifting to other people - although I'll admit, I'm still a sucker for receiving them too. All in moderation! Unfortunately Jason, bless his cotton socks, always struggles with what to buy me. His reasoning is that if I want something, I tend to buy it for myself anyway, which is actually pretty true. I have the patience of a ladybird. Do ladybirds have patience? I do not know. I digress.

What I do know, is that Amazon? Socks, while they may be unexpected and certainly surprising, are not my idea of a gift from a loved one. I'm just saying.

Without further ado, here's what is on my Christmas wishlist this year.

Cluster Ring
It's so beautiful and sparkly. Hint: I'm a size O/P, Jason.

Ollie the USB Owl
I can't think of anything cuter to have on my desk.

Tan Shoulder Bag
One can never have too many handbags.

Paperchase Diary
It will match my cute new coin purse!

Digital Luggage Scale
How have I never seen these before?

Glass Pearl Drop Earrings
Simple and cute.

Body Shop - Strawberry Stuff
I can smell it already...

A New Watch
This one, with its dash of bling, will do nicely!

Vibrating Travel Cushion
Perfect for my upcoming long haul flight.

The Genie
And yes, Jason, you have to do it for me!

Ralph Perfume
I'm currently obsessed with Givenchy's 'The Secret' but this is a classic!

Books
Any of them. Any kind. Even in vouchers - I'm not fussy.

Donations
RSPCA Sydney or the Guide Dogs would be my picks.

What are you wishing for this holiday season?

In the midst of the vampire crazy hitting the internet, I thought I'd jump on board. I'm a huge Buffy fan, and yes, I may also be on the Twilight bandwagon (Team Jacob!) and came across this video. It's a clever little mash up between the two that made me laugh out loud a couple of times!

(I'm not an Edward hater, don't you worry - I'll be hitting the cinemas next week to catch New Moon and do my share of swooning.)

Watch the clip via YouTube.

Today ...

I snagged a seat on all four tubes I caught.

I asked for a pay increase, based on what I thought I was worth.

I had several lengthy conversations with the cat, mostly regarding food.

I rowed 5km at the gym.

I stood up to someone bossy at work and ended up receiving an apology.

I kissed Jason in the rain, while getting completely drenched.

How was your Tuesday?

Can't type well, just slammed my thumbnail backwards on the metal door of my washing machine as I was loading laundry and OMG the PAIN is UNBEARABLE. It even warrants capitals! At first I thought I was being a wimp, but then there was blood, followed by mild panic that my finger (or at least the nail) was going to fall off and now there is just throbbing and one heck of a blood blister.

See, folks? Chores are bad.

P.S. My finger hurts.

Apparently during NaBloPoMo, I'm nothing if not a follower - so when I saw some of these cool little gadgets floating around the blogosphere, I couldn't resist.

Here's my most randomly random mix of songs I love, dredged up from the depths of my Ipod and streaming free straight to your speakers! Have a flick through, pretend not to notice that half of my music collection is from the nineties, and comment!

Update!! - I've had so much fun with this player, I decided I had to create another one. (If only ALL the songs I wanted were available on that site.. but still. Music!

One of my favourite bloggers, The Casual Perfectionist, has tagged me for the following meme - and since it is a hot and (worse) humid day today, it's the perfect time for me to steal this meme and roll with it. Enjoy!

P.S. Birthday - 3 days! San Francisco - 9 days!

A. Attached or Single? Attached. Our official anniversary date is September 21st, 2002, so the boyfriend and I? We go way back.

B. Best Friend? Since moving here, I've met loads of amazing people, though I'm not sure if I would class any of them as my 'best friend', apart from J of course. I will get to see my best friend in just a few short weeks. We will take pictures. It will be grand.

C. Cake or pie? We don't have a lot (well, any?) of pie back home, unless you're talking about a classic Aussie meat pie. My absolute favourite dessert in the entire world is a big ol' slice of lemon meringue pie. Mmmm. Pies all the way.

D. Day of choice? I quite enjoy Fridays. Most people would say the weekend, which would absolutely be a close second, but I love the feeling of watching the clock count down on Friday afternoons and knowing that I have an entire weekend to look forward to.

E. Essential item? Usually, I would say something fairly predictable like 'Music' or 'Lip Balm', because if I were to be stuck on a desert island, I wouldn't want to a) have no tunes or b) have nasty chapped lips. BUT, because of the type of day it is today, I'd say my current essential item would have to be a fan. Seriously. Who would've thought I would need to buy a fan in LONDON, a city that is known for it's winters. Unfortunately, whilst the city is well equipped for the cold, the second the weather gets hot, there are no cooling appliances in sight. (I am not looking forward to my sweaty train ride in and out of the city today.)

F. Favorite color? Blue and Yellow.

G. Gummy bears or worms? I'll take both. I like gummy everything.

H. Hometown? A suburb about 45 minutes west of Sydney.

I. Favorite indulgence? Lately, Starbucks.

J. January or July? I prefer July in Australia, and January in the UK.

K. Kids? I'd like some, eventually! At the moment, J and I have Oscar, and he is more than enough of a fur baby to keep us occupied.

L. Life isn’t complete without? Friendship.

M. Marriage date? No marriage date in sight right now!

N. Number of brothers and sisters? One little baby brother . . . who is 21.

O. Oranges or Apples? I love oranges, but am really fussy when eating a whole one. I don't like the ones that are too tart, I peel ALL the white stuff off them (and I mean all of it) and the whole experience ends up taking me about thirty minutes. Apples on the other hand, I can scoff in two minutes.

P. Phobias? I'm not a fan of spiders, at all. I'm also worried by elevators.

Q. Quotes? 'Happiness is not something you experience, it's something you remember.' - Oscar Levant

R. Reasons to smile? I love my little life here, with the boy and the cat. We are happy. Love the people I work with, love that I can walk outside of my house and stand in front of the River Thames, love that it's my birthday soon, and most importantly, love that I'll be travelling so soon and hopefully meeting some amazing people along the way!

S. Season of choice? Autumn or Winter. Love the cold!

T. Tag 5 people: People, you know the drill, you want? You take!

U. Unknown fact about me? I'm shy.

V. Vegetable? No, thank you! *cough* I'm still not a big veggie fan, I know, I know. But if I had to pick, it would be basic things like onions, capsicums, carrots & sweet corn.

W. Worst habit? I don't just pick at my nails, I also pick at the skin around them. That sounds really gross right now, but I swear it's not that bad. I'm also terrible at putting things off - which is strange, because I'm also totally fixated on being organised and early. Weird.

X. X-ray or Ultrasound? I've never had an ultrasound, so I'm guessing X-Ray?

Y. Your favorite food? I love pasta and pizza, and grilled cheese. Boring!

Z. Zodiac sign? I'm a Leo, but I'm the world's worst one. I definitely don't think I have many traits of the lion, that's for sure. What do you think?

Because a day of spring cleaning has left me pooped . . .



Purple teddy looks awfully content. And blue teddy just wants in on the photo.

This morning, whilst dodging the rain and heading towards my rail station, a man walking next to me suddenly broken into a sprint as he realised his train was coming. As he jogged towards the station and up the stairs, his wallet flung out of his pocket and landed on the ground in front of me - without him noticing.

Of course I picked it up, and took off after him up the stairs, bellowing at him all the while. Unfortunately by the time I got to the platform, the doors of the train had literally just closed, so I stood at the doors waving the wallet around and hoping the guy would notice. I waited on the platform for a while, thinking that if he had seen it, he might have gotten off at the next stop and then returned back to get it, but no luck. I was left standing on the platform with a stranger's wallet in my hand!

Needless to say, I felt very awkward heading off to work as usual with somebody else's belongings. I didn't want to look in it at that point, because I would've hated someone on the station thinking that I was clearing out the poor man's wallet. I didn't want to put it in my bag, because again, that would've totally looked like I was claiming it for my own. Instead I waited around, and eventually started heading towards my work, awkwardly clasping it in my grasp for most of my journey.

I finally opened it up at my desk, to see if there was a phone number or address in there. Nope. Nothing except a few credit cards, an Oyster card/train ticket (gasp!) and a few pounds. There were also a few receipts from our local grocery store; meaning that yes, he must live in our block of flats, which would make him easier to find. Noticing what I was doing, my colleague asked if there was anything interesting in there. 'Nope' says I. 'Nothing at all!' At the same time, I opened a flap of the wallet and noticed a pill packet with four empty spots, and we both looked on, shocked.

[To be continued . . . ]

Leave your guesses in the comments as to what was lurking inside.

My brother turned 21 today - 21! I feel so old. And so far away.

Even though I'm over here and he's back home, he still makes me laugh. We chatted online a few weeks ago, and it reminded me that he is turning out to be such a decent guy. He'll forever be the same old frustratingly annoying and cheeky sibling that he's always been, and I love him for that. But I'm realising more and more that I actually like him. Despite his flaws (and lame jokes), he's turned into a really decent man.

(Now he just needs to grow out of the whole spending money on his car phase, and start on the whole saving money for a European adventure trip phase.)

Happy birthday, my not-so-little brother!

Bomb scare at my work,
Left us standing in the street.
My feet really hurt.

Old re-runs of Friends,
I need to get this boxset.
Loving Rachel's hair.

Wanting a pet now,
Going to write to landlord.
Keeping fingers crossed.

How many cups of tea do you reckon are drunk across the UK every day?

a) 75 million
b) 105 million
c) 135 million
d) 175 million
e) 235 million

Discuss amongst yourselves - and leave your guess in the comments. No googling!

I love LOLcats. I love LOLdogs. I love all the LOLanimals in between.

I think the reason they jump out at me so much is because most of the images featured are just brilliant - because they're cute, spontaneous or simply wonderful photographs.

I usually start my morning by checking out the cute critters while I eat my cornflakes. For the most past, you'll find me awwing with the sappiness, squeeing over the cuteness or just plain giggling over the craziness. The captions really do top it all off, so if the caption is lame? I'll skip it fairly quickly and keep searching for the funnies.

Funnies like this one! (Damnit, I'm going to have that song in my head all night long.)

The fact that the captions are written the way they are is fairly unique to the pictures - and I'm all for it, definitely. But I'll tell you what drives me absolutely mad? The way that the comments are written... all in LOLspeak. It's cute on the picture, but the fact that people are taking the time to talk like idiots in the responses, well, it's just weird. And annoying. And irritates the crap out of me for no particular reason.

Your challenge today, should you choose to accept it, is to leave a reply completely in LOLjibberish. Let's see how long it takes before our brains explode into mush.