This weekend was the Queen's birthday. Well, actually it wasn't, but it was her 'official' birthday. So we got a day off work. In England, you ask, the land of the sovereign? No, in Australia. Naturally. Any excuse for a day off... I may have made references before to their penchant for long weekends. Aussie friends are aghast to learn that we don't get St George's Day off work (Australia Day is a big one for boozing!) that Remembrance Sunday is always at the weekend (Anzac Day coincidentally seems to nearly always fall during the week...) and we don't celebrate our Queens Birthday with, yeah, another day off.
Woke up disgracefully early on Saturday to head to Scone for the weekend to stay with some friends. Not that it mattered if I was tired, as I wasn't driving, but its just not cricket old chap. Arrived just too late to join the others for the local sheep festival, the highlight of which was 'the running of the sheep'. Not quite the same impact as Pamplona but they did put red socks on the sheep to add to the drama... Points for effort!
The drive took us through wine country and then through the mining towns. It was hugely atmospheric, as the rain set in, with the industrial chimneys looming out of the low lying cloud, belching smoke to add to the mix.
Arriving in Scone we shoved the footy on and promptly fell asleep on the sofas, which the others were not impressed by when they arrived with the three month old twins in tow an hour later. The twins and sleep do not go hand in hand. As I was to discover first hand that weekend.
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It was a brilliant weekend - amazing food, great company, gorgeous countryside. Highlights included the Lions win on Saturday, some epic games of Balderdash, and Jim's ten minute talk about favourite stubby holders he has owned. Beer holders being a crucial part of life. What was a deeply strange topic of conversation was at least impressive in its length and passion. Once again, only in Australia...
I spent the weekend having a bit of a love in with Lacie the Kelpie. She is possibly the most amazing dog I have ever known. Having complained bitterly about looking after a Maltese/Chihuahua cross a week before due to its desire to sleep on my pillow (and going to great lengths to get there) I was utterly content to curl up with Lacie on a single mattress on the kitchen floor. And on the sofa. And the kitchen benches. You get the idea - am still having shameful thoughts about stealing her and somehow smuggling her back to the UK.
I have also utterly fallen for the twins, despite all previous protestations of not really liking children. They are at the amazing stage of discovering smiling. It was lovely looking down at the tiny being as it gazed up adoringly. No-one looks at me like that - it was great! And almost made up for the late night screaming. It is truly incredible that something that small can make that much noise and for that long! It is also amazing that their heads smell so good. Random, but true. Of course I have now caught the cold that was keeping them up all night. But it was totally worth it!
Woke up disgracefully early on Saturday to head to Scone for the weekend to stay with some friends. Not that it mattered if I was tired, as I wasn't driving, but its just not cricket old chap. Arrived just too late to join the others for the local sheep festival, the highlight of which was 'the running of the sheep'. Not quite the same impact as Pamplona but they did put red socks on the sheep to add to the drama... Points for effort!The drive took us through wine country and then through the mining towns. It was hugely atmospheric, as the rain set in, with the industrial chimneys looming out of the low lying cloud, belching smoke to add to the mix.
Arriving in Scone we shoved the footy on and promptly fell asleep on the sofas, which the others were not impressed by when they arrived with the three month old twins in tow an hour later. The twins and sleep do not go hand in hand. As I was to discover first hand that weekend.
.jpg)
It was a brilliant weekend - amazing food, great company, gorgeous countryside. Highlights included the Lions win on Saturday, some epic games of Balderdash, and Jim's ten minute talk about favourite stubby holders he has owned. Beer holders being a crucial part of life. What was a deeply strange topic of conversation was at least impressive in its length and passion. Once again, only in Australia...I spent the weekend having a bit of a love in with Lacie the Kelpie. She is possibly the most amazing dog I have ever known. Having complained bitterly about looking after a Maltese/Chihuahua cross a week before due to its desire to sleep on my pillow (and going to great lengths to get there) I was utterly content to curl up with Lacie on a single mattress on the kitchen floor. And on the sofa. And the kitchen benches. You get the idea - am still having shameful thoughts about stealing her and somehow smuggling her back to the UK.
I have also utterly fallen for the twins, despite all previous protestations of not really liking children. They are at the amazing stage of discovering smiling. It was lovely looking down at the tiny being as it gazed up adoringly. No-one looks at me like that - it was great! And almost made up for the late night screaming. It is truly incredible that something that small can make that much noise and for that long! It is also amazing that their heads smell so good. Random, but true. Of course I have now caught the cold that was keeping them up all night. But it was totally worth it!
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