Tag Archives: friends

Easter

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The Easter long weekend seems like an appropriate time to stage some sort of comeback. I’m told it’s the done thing (if you’re into that sort of thing), so check it out – my blog lives.

I wasn’t in a good place when I ditched my 100 Happy Days project in the ninth week. It wasn’t me at my best. But I’ve missed writing my weekly blog posts, happy or otherwise, so here we go again.

I’ve had one of the nicest Easter weekends I can remember, and it’s due in no small part to the alarming volume of chocolate I have consumed. I also spent time with some of my favourite people and aced my Easter bunny manicure attempt, so it’s not all about the cocoa. (Except that it kind of is).

My amazing friend Jessy threw the most impressive Easter high tea for the girls, and it was a little slice of girly luxury, and I want to do it every year. Jessy is one of the most creative and talented people I know, with such a keen eye for the small details that she should be a party planner. For realsies. Check out her instagram feed for all things nice. And a few snaps of my own below:

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In other news since we last spoke, things have been pretty peachy as far as roller derby goes. I survived my first two bouts, which were hugely nerve-wracking but lots of fun. I’m not sure how much I contributed overall – apart from looking like a deer in headlights and swearing loudly at myself every time I did something wrong – but you have to start somewhere. Here’s a quick photographic summary to bring you up to speed:

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‘Til next time,

Sig

 

Week 8, in sickness and health

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As you may have gathered from my last post, I spent a considerable portion of last week in less than tip top condition. It turns out weeks of being run down, stressed out, and sleep deprived will cause your immune system to finally buckle. And buckle she did. So much so, in fact, that a full week since feeling the first twinges, I am still exhausted after minimal exertion, am surviving primarily on antibiotics and soup, and have the most nasal voice in town.

In the ‘happy days’ stakes, then, there wasn’t a whole lot happening. It was all about the small things:

  • home made soup provided by parents;
  • aloe vera tissues;
  • comfortable pillows;
  • cuddly cat; and
  • sleep.
I admit that medication might have made this picture seem more amusing than it is. But at the same time... CAT ANTLERS.

I admit that medication might have made this picture seem more amusing than it is. But at the same time… CAT ANTLERS.

Things are on the up, though, because I can sort of sporadically breathe again. I also got to spend time outside of the house with some of my favourite people at quiz night last night (we lost) and NSO-ing at interleague scrimmage today. All in all, I’m starting to feel a bit more human again, which is actually really nice. I have a few things on the agenda for the coming week too, which should make for more interesting times.

‘Til next time,

Sig

Week 7, in which things turn out ok in the end

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This week my multi-layer Laneway sunburn peeled horribly not once but twice, I buckled slightly under the weight of various stresses, making questionable decisions and speaking out of turn just about every time I opened my mouth. My house went on the market, and sleep eluded me again. I took some serious steps to cheer myself up:

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I bet my dinner was better than your dinner.

Adelaide has developed a split personality when it comes to weather. This week a 40+ degree heatwave ended in record rainfall which caused flooding and road closures across the city, and ruined a very comfortable pair of my shoes:

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Just trying to walk home.

But it wasn’t all so dire. The highlight of the week was Friday’s Adelaide Fringe opening parade. Light City Derby and the Murder City Roller Girls were part of the pre-parade entertainment, and I was very proud to don orange and black to muck around on wheels on King William Street. The weather dried up somewhat miraculously and it was a night of skating, fairy lights, free cocktails, dancing, and spending time with some pretty awesome people. I do think, however, that my orderly HR lady image might be irreparably destroyed since I was sprung wearing fluoro orange tights with fishnets and knee high socks in a public place by my colleagues. Oh well, I guess it had to happen eventually.

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Capping off a pretty fun weekend, I hit the Parade this morning for a breakfast date with some of my fave girls:

Total babes.

Total babes.

Winning.

‘Til next time,

Sig

Week 5: Dudsville

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Here’s the truth: week five of this Happy Days malarkey was a dud. I couldn’t keep my head above water, I chased my tail, I felt like everything I touched fell apart. And I worried, about a lot of things. However would I manage to write a good, positive post when, all things considered, all things were not great?

As it turns out, there is one seriously effective cure for a crap week, and that, my friends, is Eddie Vedder. Throwing caution and budget to the wind, I took myself off to the Adelaide Big Day Out after work on Friday in the sweltering heat and rocked my socks off to some truly awesome bands. It might be two minute noodles for dinner this week, but it was so worth it.

In between it all, when I thought about it, there were actually some other nice things about last week too:

  • Two fun fresh meat intake nights at derby, one of which was followed by beers at the pub and some of the funniest conversation I have had this year.
  • Lunch and a cheeky cider with some former work colleagues who inspire me no end and remind me that I am capable of coping with a lot, even when I tell myself otherwise.
  • Catching the genuinely delightful Saving Mr Banks on the spur of the moment over the weekend, then waxing lyrical about all of life’s ups and downs over some inordinately large glasses of Belgian beer with a good mate.

So all it takes is a music festival and a bunch to drink. Worth noting, people. Worth noting.

‘Til next time,

Sig

Week 4: that time of year again

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It’s that time of year again when Adelaide is transformed into the City of Lycra for the Tour Down Under, creating a cityscape full of tightly wrapped packages and latte-sipping cyclists at every early morning turn. My week, while everyone was hopping on the cycling bandwagon and there was lots of talk of legs and jerseys which went somewhat over my head, disappeared in a blur of meetings and emails, which resulted in an ever-growing ‘to do’ list and chain-drinking tea like an addict.

It was little things that made the early cut for my Happy Days post: crunchy leaves, new nail polish, fresh flowers in my bedroom:

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But Adelaide puts on quite a good show through the summer months, and yesterday my friend Rose and I hit the city for the first Orchard Cider Festival in Hindmarsh Square. Part of the city council’s Splash Adelaide campaign, it was a celebration of locally made ciders, food and music. All in all, a pretty lovely way to spend a sunny afternoon:

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It’s also that time of year again when the nation is gripped by Australia Day t-shirt controversy and the uncomfortable anxiety that comes with knowing a good portion of the coming days will be spent cringing and head-shaking at brazenly offensive posts and messages littering social media. For me, Australia Day will be spent as is traditional  – just a day, with friends and beer and barbecued meat and music, as we collectively grumble over the order of the songs in the Hottest 100 and I quietly worry that the portion of songs I’m even familiar with is smaller again. I expect it to be a thoroughly enjoyable day.

‘Til next time,

Sig

Week 3, by the numbers

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Here’s a little numeric snap shot of the week that was:

5. The number of days over 40 degrees.

4. The number of days with heat-related public transport delays.

2. The number of thunderstorms.

2.5. The number of hours locked out of my house on a 40+ degree day.

200. The number of dollars spent on locksmith.

3. The number of beers consumed while waiting for locksmith.

300. The number of times I now check in my bag for keys when leaving the house.

I’m not going to lie. By midweek I was struggling to come up with anything that I might be able to include in my ‘happy days’ post for this week. It was hot and humid and my clothes stuck to me in unflattering places. It was hard to sleep. It was hard to eat anything that wasn’t salad. Everything seemed twice as difficult, twice a frustrating, half as fun. Still, the weekend came along in its charming weekendy way, the cool change rolled in, and suddenly things were looking up.

On Saturday I caught up with some dear friends who have just returned from some overseas gallivanting. They visited me for lunch and I baked and we chatted and it was all kinds of nice. Then I spent the afternoon/evening with my sister’s family, helping to stick up a wall decal, sipping sparkling wine, and doing my best storybook voices as I put my niece to bed. It was a good day.

Sunday saw me boarding a bus and heading out to the Adelaide Hills for the annual Crush Festival. Our trip took in three wineries (Barristers Block, Bird in Hand, and Maximilians) and each had a different vibe, with music, good food and fine wines being very much the order of the day. Sure, I went over budget, got a little bit sunburnt and drank an alarming amount of wine, but I’m not complaining. Well, I’m not now that I’ve had a ham and cheese toastie, a strong cup of tea, and some panadol to ease my aching head…

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‘Til next time,

Sig