Feelin' Hot Hot Hot!

The past few blog entries have been well and truly about sailing, which pretty much summed up life before Christmas, over New Year and for a little while afterwards too. However, things have calmed down now i.e. it isn’t mentioned in every conversation anymore, only every second one! We did have a hilarious moment when we were at Macky and Ness’s house for a pre-Christmas BBQ (my first barbie since I’ve been here). During a sailing conversation which had brought the sailing conversations for that evening into double figures, Ma Jordan (Nessie’s mum) piped up with sarcastically laced innocence “Oh, are we talking about sailing again?” Welcome to my world, Mrs J…

But we’re over that now, so what of life on the other side? Well, summer is here good and proper. Temperatures are up, people (me) are hot and irritable and the creepy, crawly, flying insect brigades are out in force. Our flat gets the sun down the side in the morning and across the front in the evening. There is no escape. The fashionable dinner accessory is still sunglasses. Very this season. We’ve had a couple of evening plodges in the sea for a bit of relief from the heat. The good news is that our rather amorous colony of Plague Solider Beetles has now departed from our balcony which means we can sit outside without feeling like we’re on I’m a Celebrity. The not so good news is that crickets seem to like heights. Who knew?!? I’ve now found 6 of them in our apartment in the past 2 weeks. Thankfully only 3 have been alive (and two of them may indeed be the same one as one managed to escape from underneath a jar I’d trapped it in), but boy can they jump! Not to the 9^th floor, I hasten to add, but far enough to give me the heeby jeebies J

So, as the great Aussie lifestyle was a huge factor in our move here, we’re doing our best to experience it to the full. In Melbourne terms, the hibernation which seems to occur during the winter in June, July and August is a distant memory. Everywhere is buzzing and there are loads of concerts, festivals, performances and sporting events going on all over the place. We had the lovely Stella visiting in November which meant that we got to see some of the gorgeous Victorian countryside around Melbourne including the Great Ocean Road, Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula all of which were stunning. In December for our Wedding Anniversary we went to Phillip Island for the weekend and within 5 minutes of us arriving it became my new favourite place. I had one request of things to do over that weekend and that was to visit the (world famous) penguins and it didn’t disappoint. We did the Private Penguin Experience – 10 of us with one of the penguin rangers and various accessories to keep us warm, comfortable and give us front row viewing on the beach. The penguins are of the Fairy variety and are around 30cm high. They are the cutest things and their behaviour is very, very funny. It’s all for good reason – camouflage, survival etc, but funny to watch. You can see why they have been the subject of various animations. Speaking of which, I must invest in Happy Feet 2.

Christmas came and went in Sydney (the least said the better) then it was down to Tassie for New Years in Hobart. Hobart was fantastic. It reminded me of Greenwich. Lots of historical buildings, wharfs and docks, most of which are now funky cafes or boutique shops but stunning nonetheless. The Taste Festival runs from 28^th December to 3^rd January and it’s a festival to celebrate the local Tassie produce – food and drink. If you’re a foodie, I can’t recommend enough heading to Tassie for this time of year. The wines, cheeses, berries, breads were all enough to keep us girls more than occupied until “the boat came in” (said with a Geordie accent with a slight sea shanty manner about it J) The food and wine there is truly spectacular. Thanks to Scottish Karen, we had a fantastic apartment overlooking Sullivan’s Cove which meant we could watch the NYE fireworks from the comfort of our balcony with a glass of Sparkling in hand. I can honestly say I haven’t drunk so much for such a consistent number of days since I was in Faliraki in ’96. OK maybe at Camp in ’97. No, probably actually in Cairns ’98. Well, you get the idea, it’s been a while. My poor liver, kidneys and head held up surprisingly well all told. My waistline suffered a bit, but I’ve now managed to drop half a stone since New Year. Not quite back to my fighting weight but thank heaven for small mercies!

This week is the second week of the Australian Open in Melbourne, so on Monday evening we headed off to the Rod Laver Arena for the evening matches. We were lucky enough to see Sharapova (just) beat Lisicki and watch Hewitt (the last Aussie standing) be beaten by Djokovic, but not without a fight. Great venue, great seats and great matches. We would never have been able to get equivalent seats at Wimbo with such ease. Such is the way here – or at least it seems to be.

The rough plan for 2012 is to get out and about around this part of the world, so we’re planning a few weekends and trips away. We have Mr O’D touching down next week which we're tres excited about and he and Mr S along with a small gathering of a few others, are heading off on a golf weekend up in NSW. March is a busy month with the Queen’s Birthday weekend (bank holiday) when we’ll be going glamping, the Grand Prix (which is a 10 minute walk from our house  (ear plugs to the ready), then I’m heading off for 10 days on a Yoga Retreat to Ubud (Bali) and to the Bali Spirit Festival – can’t wait. Then in April the folks arrive for a month and luckily, there are a few more bank holidays to squeeze in (3 in April).

Tomorrow is Australia Day (another bank holiday) when all things Aussie are celebrated. We’ll be joining in the fun with a picnic at Caulfield Races with Macky and Ness and super top bonus is that I’m also off on Friday – hurray! So I get to have a mega long weekend. Too easy.

Happy Australia Day to you all!!

T minus 7 days...

So it’s T minus 7 days and counting….. We’ve arrived in Sydney for the start of the big race. It’s been a busy time preparing and getting everything in shape for our trip up here. But we’ve made it. J

A very funny Sunday morning was had before leaving to come up here. As we will be living in a house with a bunch of sailors and very little privacy, we decided to have our Christmas morning Sunday just gone.

We did everything the way would normally – Cup of tea to start (Mrs S just doesn’t function without this), turn on the Christmas tree lights (very weird – the sun shining through the large glass mass of windows in our lounge) and settle down to opening our pressies from each other. It was weird but we got through it. Then breakfast - poached eggs with Smoked Salmon and hollandaise on Rye Bread. Lovely!!

So, that was our Christmas – now for the job in hand. So, we’re here in the house loaned to us by Eclipse Computing (my employer – thanks Brad), preparing for later in the week when the rest of the crew arrive. The real issue is that it’s pissing it down (Cats and Dogs).

Anyway, the big race is getting really close now and I’m beginning to get excited and nervous. We went to CYCA to take a look at the boat and I picked up my official pass (another wave came over me at the boat).

I will try and post bits as we get closer to the big day. Stay monitoring this blog for more details.

The Kiss Goodbye to MS crew for the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race on boxing Day 2011

Follow us during the race at http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/yacht_tracker.asp?key=522

Tony (Tony) Warren  - the Skipper and owner of our illustrious vessel - A vertically challenged man who's enthusiasm is only top trumped by he vast sailing experience.  He's raced from Melbourne to Osaka in Japan a 5,500 nautical mile trip with only one other crew member no less then 3 times, not to mention is Sydney to Hobart and Melbourne to Hobart races. What he lacks in communication skills he totally pulls back in ability to fix anything on land of sea at the drop of a hat. Take note Mrs S, he really could be the last boy scout.

Ian (Mumble) Lindsey - our crew boss - A Scottish IP Lawyer enjoying the fruits of Melbourne with his lovely wife Karen. Ian has a rear quality on the boat - the ability to get the skipper to shut up and wind his neck in. Tony can a bit exited at times. Anyway, Ian organises the rest of us and handles all things official is the race side of things. Oh and he can sail too.

Bob Colman - Helm and Trim - Bob has loads of experience with his own boat Raucous in Darwin. Bob and Tony often disagree but we always get the best out of both of them because if this. Bob does has a few interesting views on life and the universe so is I even need entertaining I just need to start up a conversation with Bob. Oh ply him with red wine - it has the same affect.

Jimmy Wright - Helm and Trim - Jimmy is famous amongst us for his Chinese Gybe on the Melbourne to Hobart race last Christmas. Well, he also like a beer or too and is now often found in Mothercare. But that's another story. Jimmy also has a great honour of being the other Pom in the crew.

Paul Griggs - Main sheet Trim - Paul is one of the elder statesmen on the crew. He regularly can be seen with a video camera on his head (Paul is a professional Photographer - so he tells us), but we think he's really a drug baron. He owns a pub, amongst other things. All our provisions are organised by Paul - Surprise surprise!!

Bruce Hawken - Office and Navigation - Now for all you luddites the Office is the centre of the boat where all the hoisting is done from. So Bruce mainly manages all the halyards as well as provides us with our core navigation throughout the race. Bruce is also our communications king. He just loves getting on the radio and submitting our sched's (that is pre-arranged scheduled check in's with the race organisers.  Bruce also likes a drop of Sav Plonk - it can only take a sniff and he's turned from a grumpy old man to a lecherous goat. We love him really.

Johnathon (Jono) Goldsworthy - Trim and general all rounder - Jono is the newest member of our little band and is a Kiwi (but we don't hold this against him).  A seasoned boat delivery sailor and kite surfer Jono brings grunt and glamour to the boat - oh and some experience..

Ian (Doc) Law - Mast and Trim - Doc is our second Scotsman and is the reason we have renamed the boat Kiss Goodbye to MS and are supporting MS Research Australia. He has a diagnosis has a diagnosis of MS. He is fortunate to be at the easier end of the MS scale and is grateful that he is physically capable of engaging in such an endurance event. Doc has been here in Oz for 20 years and is still only my age. We do take the odd drink together (occasionally!!) .

Simon (it's your fault) Wastney - Foredecky - Simon is our second kiwi. He tests software for a living and obviously like to sprawl around on the foredeck amongst the water for fun. The nickname comes from our skippers incessant desire to shout and blame Simon for anything and everything that goes wrong. Simon has and needs an extremely think skin. It takes all sorts.

Only 9 sleeps before the big race now.....

Last Ocean race before the Big One!!

October was a funny month - anyway finished with an ocean race to Tasmania . Stanley to be exact. Stanley sits on the north shore of Tazzie and is 155 nautical miles almost due south from Queenscliff which was where the race started from. As normal we left St Kilda just after lunch on the Friday and I start on my latest sickness combatting attempt (Sturgeon) Thanks to Stella (sister) for smuggling bringing some over from the mother land. The plan is always to be to Queenscliff around 6ish coz Tony (the boat owner does not like to pay the mooring fees ). Anyway, this time the crew boss (Ian Ockhie Lindsey) put his foot down with a strong hand and we birthed amongst the fee paying (normal ) yachties . We dive off to the local pub for a hearty meal and a few (Light) beers them returning to get some shuteye before the planned 4AM race start - Yes 4 AM!! (it's normally 1AM). We're up at 2am because the skipper get over excited and everyone needs to be up and ready in plenty of time, only to be informed that the race has been delayed until 5AM.

Anyway, 36 boats have entered this mainstay event which is seem by many as the lead up race to the Sydney to Hobart race. We're geared up, alert and ready for the start. A few practice tasks and we're on the start line with the big boys and due to some nifty manoeuvring and good team work we have a great start. Is this going to be the good performance we've been working towards all year?

We seem to be going well with the only boats in front of us being the bigger ones. The wind is good and strong and most importantly it's not on the nose all the way. We're only making between 7 to 9 knots but we're looking good.

The watch system kicks in and I get some shuteye. When I return on deck there are only a couple of boats to be seen and there far enough away that I can't make out who they
are. Some boats had made the choice to go east on the plumb line thinking that when the weather changes they'll be able to turn for Stanley on a reach and other went for the directly opposite tact. With the two main weather forecasting sites conflicting each other we went for staying roughly on the plumb line (albeit slightly east of it) and see how we fare being hopefully
that the change will not be too detrimental to us when it comes.

The change was predicated to come in around midnight and it was going to be gusting 40/45 knots. Anyway in hit us around 12:30am. We had our number 1 headsail and full main up at the time and what is so great about Kiss Goodbye to MS (BO) is that she is so well balanced that she just healed more but didn't round up or give us a hellish time trying to control her. Other boats however were not so lucky - one we later saw in Stanley, rounded up so sharply that it was difficult to ease the main sheet and the boat ended up spinning and crash gybing and the boom snapped on half!! We however, got all hands on deck, changed the headsail to No. 4 and reefed the main without really loosing to much speed or time.

Finally, we approached the Stanley breakwater crossing the line to a big cheer just after 6am on the Sunday (some 25hours after the start back in Queenscliff). Rounding the harbour entrance we notice that there are not many yachts there. Thinking that most of the big once typically turn straight round and head for home without stopping.

It's still windy, but not too bad and we pull up beside a great big converted fishing trawler where we are greeted by the official photographer. "it's nice of you to come and take our picture we shout across at the man." he replies with " well to are third across the line". Well, the feeling was totally overwhelming, I was so emotional (Claire knows what I'm like) Whooping and air punching by everyone. What had happened - did everyone turn back due to the wind or were we just great? Well in all honesty, it was a bit of both. There were a few boats in front of us that arrived outside the bay and decided that the bay was too dangerous to venture into and some who turned back when the strong weather came in. but, we finished and they didn't.

So when presentation time came around the crew were sitting there waiting to see how we fared in the handicap races. We had had a few tines by them so we were not shy and were barracking everything and everyone who spoke or moved prior to the announcements. It turned out that we not only got 3rd over the line but 3rd in the International Rule Club (IRC) category and first in both the Performance Measurement System (PMS) and Australian Measurement System (AMS) categories..

What a race.. We were over joyed. In fact I would go as far to say that Jono was beside himself with happiness it was just a shame that he had to take the ferry back to Melbourne to catch his flight back to Perth to be able to make work the next day..

Watch out for the next instalment when I introduce the crew on Kiss Goodbye to MS…...

Spring Marches On

Well, it’s been a while since either one of us have updated this – how very remiss! So I’ll be posting a couple of updates in relatively quick succession to bring you up to speed on our life down under...

After the sporting extravaganza of the Australian Football League (AFL) Grand Final at the beginning of October (think FA Cup Final), the next event on Melbourne’s social calendar is the Spring Racing Carnival. Aussie horse racing at its best – well, that’s quite a big statement so I’ll caveat it with a maybe. I’m not an expert, but I’m sure one of you reading this might well be (Holl or Macky feel free to jump in here and post a comment to correct me). The Spring Racing Carnival is a week long event held at Flemington race course with four key days of race meetings. Now this is HUGE in Melbourne, possibly even in Australia. People fly in to Melbourne all suited and booted just for the day so they can attend a race meeting. I can only equate it to Royal Ascot, without any royalty in attendance. And despite SJP, Scary Spice, Philip Treacy and various other celebs being there, I don’t think they quite pass as royalty, although some teenagers may beg to differ. So when I say this is huge, it’s huge. The weeks running up to it create Spring Carnival fever in Melbourne, as the city becomes full of people shopping for new outfits. The full ensemble includes a fascinator or a hat, complete with new handbag and shoes – and that’s just the blokes. On Race Days the city and suburbs are full of well heeled Melbournites drinking, eating and generally enjoying the merriment of it all before or after Flemington. However, there are rules which must be followed... Each race day has a colour theme and a flower all of its own, some of which I haven’t quite been able to fathom just yet. Here goes my attempt to explain the form...

·         The first Saturday of the Carnival is always Derby Day – dress code is black and white (howay the lads) and the flower is (I think) a purple crocus.

·         The Tuesday is Melbourne Cup Day which is a public holiday here in Melbourne (maybe even Victoria) – dress code is brightly coloured and the flower is a yellow rose.

·         The Thursday is Oaks Day, now colloquially renamed as Blokes Day. Officially this is Ladies Day of the Carnival and was originally created on the precept that wherever there are women, the blokes will follow. What a way to increase attendance! I have no idea what the dress code or flower is for this day, as quite frankly I was at work so couldn’t watch the TV to continue with my “Integrating into Melbourne Life” curriculum.

·         The second Saturday is always Stakes Day. This is family day so the focus is on well dressed kids. There were some pretty good examples of Tantrum and Tiara style kids, but in the main, they were very cute and very snazzy.

I went to Stakes Day, which meant that Cup Day morning (pre the racing starting) was spent in the only two stores which were open on that day, the two department stores in Melbourne – Myer and David Jones – to update my wardrobe and get myself a fascinator. As it was spring and I like a challenge, I’d decided to avoid black at all costs, which was easier said than done. As a result, my fascinator, bag and shoes were all different colours. Most unlike me and it gave me the jitters just thinking about it! However, I went on the word of Madison magazine (a bit like Marie Claire only Australian) which was all about mixing up the colours of your accessories for the Spring trends. If at this point you’re thinking that I must have too much time on my hands if this is top of my worry list, I’d be inclined to agree with you. Except that it isn’t. Top of my worry list, that is. But my worry list wouldn’t make for a very entertaining blog, so you’re stuck with this for now. Any letters of complaint should be addressed to the Editor and they will be duly dealt with...

I should probably mention at this point that Mr S wasn’t having any wardrobe concerns at all. This was mainly down to the fact that Flemington doesn’t have any water, boats or sails, so he’d declined to attend. What Flemington did have was bright sunshine in a cloudless sky, great views of the winning post from our Hill Stand seats and even better, most stunning views of the Melbourne city skyline (see pic).

If any of you are thinking of visiting us next year, I’d strongly recommend coming for this Carnival, whether racing is your thing or not you’ll be gripped and swept up in the atmosphere. “I love a pardee with a happy atmosphere...” etc etc.

I’m starting to feel like this blog is dragging on a bit now, so to cut to the chase, I was spray tanned, manicured, pedicured, heeled, fascinatored and with a betting app on my phone, I was ready to go. After a rather cavalier start to my betting (only placing bets to win) I only won on the second race, so by 3pm the vice like grip of the fascinator on my head brought me to my senses and I started to bet each way. Not that it made a jot of difference, as I didn’t even get any other horses placed! For those of you that have never been to the races with me, it’s worth mentioning that I select my nags through a very technical study of the horses names and I pick a horse whose name I feel drawn to. Failing that, I look at that colours worn by the jockey and pick the ones I like best. Oh well, you have to know how much you can afford to lose at these things...



What did improve matters somewhat was the brilliant company of lovely Scottish Karen and Geordies Nessy, Macky and Olly. Yes, we like our “Y’s” in Newcastle, or should I say “why eyes”. After a hard day at the track, we meandered back into the city utilising the exemplary public transport system which was boosted for the day by express trains to and from Flemington every 4 minutes at peak times. It put the UK public transport infrastructure on FA cup day or at any large arena concert, or in fact in London at rush hour every day(!) to shame. After a very European evening of Pimms and Pasta we headed to a proper pub, The Sherlock Holmes, to watch the Toon v Everton game which had an 11.45pm kick off – AEDT. Luckily, as it was a proper pub, it also had seats (unlike most Aussie pubs which are cavernous and usually standing room only) so Nessy and I kicked back, whilst the boys sang/shouted rather loudly at the screen. It was just like the Akenside back in the day. There were some vague reports about a Gooner trying to become an honorary Toon Army member for the night, but they were never substantiated. I’m sure they’ll crop up again as The Toon coasts into a place in the top four at the end of the season. I’ll keep you updated....

Ciao for now x

It’s been a long time coming, but here it is!

Well I don’t know how long it is since I shared what I’ve been up to so I’ll just go straight in and if I miss anything you won’t know anyway.

Since Mrs S arrived I don’t think we’ve had a moment. Moving to our new pad on the lovely Beaconsfield Parade (the background pic is our view – how great is that?), Mrs S sorting out all her employment stuff, my work and of course the sailing (more on that later).

We’re really settling in now. We have our lovely sofas, pictures and possessions (Oh and Mrs S has here clothes :). It really feels like home at last. You know, socks lying around the place and shoes cluttering up the hall by the front door. Only joking!! But it really feels so much better with our personal stuff in here (Thumbs up!) By the way if you need to ship anything around the world – Mrs S is your woman – she really did a stunning job of sorting out our stuff – it went like a dream. Thanks babe, I really appreciated you doing this.

So work is moving along very well now. I’m beginning to be seen as a major part of the Melbourne office here for Eclipse. It was quite difficult at first – No personal network and no knowledge of the business landscape to speak of, but I’m getting to grips with it all now and things are definitely moving in the right direction now. I was third in the league table at last months sales meeting - not too bad when you think there are 14 of us across the company. Anyway, onward and upward…

So, last week saw Mrs S’s birthday, so we decided to go all out. We got a take-a-way, put Sex in the City on the TV and opened a bottle of pop…. …. Naaa, not likely - we celebrate birthdays differently around here. Firstly, we had our first 2 of 5 Kite Surfing lessons before trooping off in our new car to the Grange at Cleveland Winery on the edge of the Macedon Ranges for a romantic evening, followed by a sunny trip to Hanging Rock (yes - of the film fame). The day

started with the obligatory breakfast in bed. Pot of tea (refilled as per KJ’s instructions), Juice cereal etc. then the inevitable search for the wet gear (Now which box was it in?), just in case we did get to the “in the water” stage; Down to the Kite Surf Centre for noon. It was raining and v cold so Mrs S put a stake in the ground almost straight-away “I’m NOT going in the water today mate, OK?” Well, Joel our Canadian instructor was so happy to hear this it was definitely not an issue. What fun !!%&#@

Bring on the warmer weather and we’ll be there with bells on; can’t wait. So after a nibbles lunch in front of the ALFGF (No, it’s not the Australian Loosers Farting and Grunting Final) it’s the Aussie rules Grand Final… Collingwood v Geelong, Geelong won 119 to 81 - a close game - Whatever… yawn yawn. So, Mrs S and I jump in the bat mobile and head off to the wine country.

So: the Bat Mobile: Yes we have a car: For all those of you out there who care… it’s a Mazda RX8 (it’s got a Wankel Engine - steady) and very nice it is to.

Anyway, Cleveland is a boutique winery that covers about 4 hectares just north of Melbourne (Stella there are loads of these places very near to us, so you’ll be sorted). They produce Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Don’t I sound like I know what I’m talking about? Anyway, it was really nice to be able to drive out into the country and chill. The next morning after a gourmet breakfast we headed out to Hanging Rock. So, who of you remember the film?? Yes, that’s it, Picnic at Hanging Rock. I think I called it Massacre at Hanging Rock. Mrs S didn’t really like the sound of it, but we went anyhow. What a beautiful place and such great views. Note to self – must do more of this…..

Less than 12 weeks to the big race. The Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race that is and I’m going to be in it. We’ve been working extremely hard, repairing and preparing the boat and training to get the core crew to a standard so we can all cover each other’s position such we need to. I’ll detail who’s who nearer the race. Most importantly, all you lot need to know is that I’m trim, looking after the heady and spinnaker. We’ve had a great breakthrough over the past couple of weeks with regards to sponsorship. One of the crew has Multiple Sclerosis (yes MS) and so we have agreed to enter our boat Beyond Outrageous in the race as Kiss Goodbye to MS in support of Multiple Sclerosis Research Australia and their campaign to raise awareness of MS in Australia. This should secure us new sails which will hopefully help us to be competitive. Please do take a look at the websites.

Would you believe that in 23 days I would have been out of England for a whole YEAR! Yep I left on the 28th October. So, I’ll try and update you all again before the year is out.. Laters

A Pick and Mix September

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last blog entry. The plan was the next installment was to be written by Mr S the following weekend so he could tell you all about his very exciting sailing trip out into the Bass Straight, but I'll let him tell you about that...

September has been a real mixed bag. After the Gripper incident I was struck down with a mystery illness (coincidence?) and was confined to my bed for a week. Fortuitously, I had been for a job interview on the day that illness struck and despite being called back for a second interview the following day which involved lots of drugs and dragging myself from my bed, I was somehow offered the job! Woo hoo! I started my new job last Monday working for Coles supermarkets (the Aussie version of Tesco) at their Store Support Centre (Head Office) in a place called Tooronga which is to the east of Melbourne city centre way out in the 'burbs, so it's a bit of a schlepp when it comes to the commute. The place is huge and has the nickname of Battlestar Galactica due to it's size and black glass windows. There are 800 people in the IT department! The more I find out about the company, the more it reminds me of the way Tesco operates in the UK (courtesy of work tales from Sarah and George). It's all worked out rather swimmingly really, as Coles is a household name in Aus and I'm working on their customer loyalty programme (Nectar, ClubCard etc) so it's a pretty high profile thing to be involved in. What an introduction to Australian working life!

Last week our Big Shipment was finally delivered to our apartment. Absolutely brilliant. Bloody hard work. Very emotional. The guys arrived at 8.30am and by 10.30am 71 of the 72 pieces were in the apartment. The 72nd item was the 3-seater settee. I was called to the first floor by the guys to assess the situation of the settee which hadn't fit in the lift and they were attempting to carry up the stairs. The message I'd received was that it was stuck on the roof. How did they miss the 9th floor, I was thinking. Turned out to be Chinese whispers. It was in fact only slightly cosily snug between the floor and the ceiling on the first floor landing. Call themselves removal men?!?! Despite their defeatist attitude "This isn't going anywhere", I insisted that the settee would fit up the stairs and around the corner of each of the nine flights of stairs, so I proceeded to make them carry it back down to the ground floor so it could be turned around to the right angle and begin it's journey upwards again. It is worth mentioning at this point, that Mr S, very conveniently, had a business meeting in the City on Thursday morning, so was no where to be found when the hard work was to be done. Did I mention we live on the ninth floor? After my insistence that the settee was going up to the flat come hell or high water, I thought it only fair to lend a hand with the grunt work, so Brendan, Dylan and I got to work and within what seemed like no time at all *clears throat* the settee was in the flat. There's nothing like a bit of Friends style pivoting to make the floors pass by quickly (David - that one's for you). Just call me the Fairy Spatially Aware Godmother.

After the excitement of Thursday's unboxing extravaganza, "Eee, I'd forgotten we had that", Saturday afternoon was our housewarming drinks. It was planned as late afternoon sunset cocktails, but we couldn't resist waving the British flag (not literally of course) and having Pimms as the welcome drinks (thanks to Kevin's most delicious Pimms recipe from the Hunters BBQ's - happy days). The plan was for a few casual drinks, then sometime around 7pm head out for the evening. As my project management skills were off duty, mainly due to excessive early intake of Pimms, the evening didn't quite follow as planned. The sunset cocktails merged from afternoon to evening, the nibbles morphed into a late night pizza order and the sensible chat degenerated into talking absolute rubbish with fuel added to the fire in the form of a bit of Irish craic. The result was a truly hilarious evening of memory making in our new pad.

This coming weekend will be another busy one. We're booked for an afternoon of learning to kite board on St Kilda Beach, then with a bit of luck the subtle hints will have worked their way into Mr S's psyche and I'll be whisked off for a wonderful evening of yummy food and quaffable wine to celebrate another year of getting older. Happy Days :-)