Spring has sprung!

And if you look VERY carefully you will see some blossoms on the tree. Who needs Botanical Gardens when you get to walk past this garden bed with several different sorts of plant in it?
Well it has been a hectic week or so.
First, as you probably know the election didn't really result in anything except disillusionment and confusion. And a fair bit of wheeling and dealing.
We paid a visit to our neighbour Susan in a rehab hospital on the Sunday after the election. Susan had been out the previous week and tripped on a dodgy council footpath and broke her femur up near her hip. Not very much fun for her - especially the 2 day wait in public hospital emergency for a bed and an operation.
Then on the Tuesday I got a call that the Perturbed Parent had been whisked off in an ambulance with an undisclosed leg problem. Thank goodness for WWII because dad got a Veterans Affairs gold Card for free medical, which my mum now gets too. So instead of having to go to a horrid public hospital like our poor neighbour she ended up in a swish new private hospital which was more like a hotel. Poor thing is very confused but in good hands.
I only have 3 more days of work on this contract, but am hoping for more in the future.
The Zumba classes are a hoot but it is much better now that I have my (thanks Rhonda) GOLD JIFFIES to slide across the floor in. Mind you, I still can't follow the moves so spend a lot of time wiggling around and waving my hands in the air.
We're busy lining up people to see and things to do for the UK trip - just skyping someone now in fact about catching up for a drink. AND I am allowed to go 'sightseeing' in Harrods without my wallet - how can that be fun?
Puss is squeaky and throwing her toy mouse around everywhere so I had better go and feed her before there is a mutiny.
Bye!

it's election time

And no doubt it will run much more smoothly than the lame attempts still going on in Nepal where there have been 4 or 5 (I have lost count as well as interest) with no outcome.
today in Australia we get to choose between Tony Abbott (Mr Rabbit) and Julia Gillard, who someone once said had a voice that sounds like you imagine the font Wingdings would. If that makes sense.
So off I went this morning to do a spot of shopping followed by voting. Couldn't get anywhere near a parking spot for the shops, so headed off to another suburb to do what I had to there, but on the way saw a polling place. So I pulled over and went in only to find that there were about 100 people queued up to get in. Back into the car I got and did my Leichhardt shopping, before heading back to try for a second time to get the groceries. Waited and waited till I finally got a spot. The shops were almost deserted so I don't know who took all the parking spots - probably the cafe society of Summer Hill. How sad. I finally voted at the church across from the fruit shop where there were only 3 people in front of me. Since I live in a safe Labor seat it probably makes no difference after all the trouble I went to anyway!
Go Julia!
What else has been happening? Well I have a ticket to the UK thanks to Robin's dad so I'm off next month to enjoy autumn in London and surrounds. No idea what exactly the programme is, but I do have permission to go sightseeing in Harrods..Looks like we will also stay in Covent Garden as Robin is probably doing 2 talks for World Expeditions - if you're going to be in London on the 22nd or so check them out. I believe it will be at Stanfords Travel Book shop.
I now only have 2 more weeks of work so I need to make the most of it and try not spend all the money I earn as it could be some time before I get another job as we STILL don't know what our plans are after the UK trip. Oh and I went to a zumba class last week with someone from work. How hilarious! I didn't bother with the bits of exercise where you kneel on the hard floor (with my knees a very poor idea) but I had a rather good time wiggling around and making a goose of myself. Sadly one needs to wear shoes that skid a bit to do zumba properly, but of course I am such a klutz that I only buy shoes with super non skid soles, so I spent a lot of time jerking across the floor. Someone suggested good old 'Jiffies' (remember them from Phys Ed back in the old days?) but I have no idea where  I would find a pair. Anyway it's back for another go on Monday and I'll see if I am any better at it then...it was all too confusing last week.
And just to cheer you all up, here's a picture of the view I get every morning on the train, taken with my NEW Panasonic Lumix  LX3 with a Leica lens and more menus than a Michelin restaurant. And yes, I LOVE it!

good old Sydney harbour

more medical news

seems to me that we are going to be busy with all sorts of medical stuff in between trips now. I am still busy physio-ing  my knees (which are proving particularly recalcitrant), Robin has discovered that his sore tooth seems to be caused by sinus trouble (so no surgery needed) and I have just returned from a fabulous colonoscopy. Don't know if it was fun as I was knocked out, but I enjoyed the sleep and there's nothing wrong with me - always good to know when my sister had bowel cancer and my grandfather died from it. Funny thing - not allowed to eat anything for 36 hours before the test so I had to drink lots of strained chicken noodle soup (YUCKO) and I never want to see it again. So just now I was sitting on the lounge with Puss gazing at the Franklins catalogue when I turned the page to see Cup a Soup Chicken Noodle on SPECIAL!!!! :)
So apart from keeping the medical fraternity in golf clubs, what else has been happening? More visitors over the weekend kept us fed and busy- shame it wasn't recycling collection today!
The weather on Sunday was perfect for yet another barbie with the guests - Robin is very much enjoying that new addition to the premises.
Mummy Dearest goes from lucid to loopy and back again but as long as she spends most of her time in the lucid zone we're happy.
My old school celebrated it's 50th anniversary last week - I'm amazed it lasted so long! 3 cheers for Bankstown Girls' High.
Good to see that Nepal has now had 4 attempts to find a new PM and failed miserably every time. Can't see them finishing the constitution if they can't even pick between 2 candidates....
And hasn't the weather in Pakistan, India, Nepal and China been dreadful? I heard today that the Pakistan floods have affected more people than the tsumani and the Haiti earthquake put together. My friend Billi who works for the UN in Islamabad is having a very tough time trying to cope with it, although she isn't directly affected.

And I am hungry.....

I had a birthday!

And what fun it was...finally got to enjoy the decorated desk and all the lolly bags - even got taken out for lunch, and dinner. Lots of useful pressies (chocolates mostly) AND today is a bank holiday so I get a long weekend - and you can't complain about that.
I can however complain about this weather, which seems to be just getting colder. One of our gas heaters conked out last week which means there is only one room at home we can warm up (I was going to say 'keep warm' but that would imply that it actually GOT warm...). Seems the only time I get warm is to have a 'tropical moment' and I don't enjoy that too much. But the 5 cent jar at work is filling up nicely! I'm sure it won't be long before we get the small personal fan to share.
So this weekend we had visitors to stay - GT and Flip from Oxshott who I met travelling in Pakistan 20 years ago. We always have a good time (and lots of wine), they have been trekking with us in Nepal, and we always catch up with them when we got to the UK. Speaking of which, Robin is off to the UK in September (using up both our expiring frequent flyer points) and now his dad has offered to buy me a ticket so I can go to. But I'm not sure if I want to go or not? I'm not one of the UK's biggest fans that's for sure, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is that gets on my goat. If I have a job I can't really take time off, and if I don't have a job should I be goofing around on the other side of the planet for 2 weeks? My job at the credit union is only till 3 September and I'm not sure there will be another extension in it, so I would have to find another job straight away and then leave after a week, or go 4 weeks without a job and hope to find something. Or I could just do whatever I feel like...
Got another friend coming round for dinner tonight, and Robin has to go to the dentist shortly to investigate a mystery toothache that has been bugging him for a while. The curry I'm cooking is smelling pretty good but I suppose I should go and check shortly.
So as part of my day off I had some knee physio, and am now enjoying Judge Judy in front of the heater. I love Judge Judy. The way she tells stupid people to shut up cracks me up. Apparently she once wrote a book called 'Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining.'

I'd rather be at that pool than back at work tomorrow. Oh well

what a stupid week

I really don't know where to begin... How about with last Saturday when we were sitting on the back deck in the sun, and I decided to ring mum cos I hadn't spoken to her for a couple of weeks. Mum is over 80 and 'forgetful' .So I ring up 'oh hi mum it's me! How are you?' and I was met with 'oh how long have you been back?' I am a little confused as we saw her 2 weeks before and gave her a present... anyway I told her that we had been back for 2 weeks and she told me off for only ringing her then. Oh dear. I just kept  on with whatever I wanted to talk about and hoped she hadn't noticed. The Perils of a Dotty Parent!
Then back to work to do battle with the financially insane trying to get them to understand that if they don't pay their bills, it ain't my fault. 20 years and I'm still struggling with that. I love the way everything is someone else's fault. Mostly mine. So I have instituted a new policy in the workplace - called Blame the Temp. Seems to be working. And it is terrifically popular. The 'tropical moments' 5 cent tin is coming along a treat - we will soon be able to afford a battery operated personal fan to cool us down when things get hot.
Now to the funniest thing this week. On Thursday I walked into work, to find my chair and desk covered in streamers, balloons, party lolly bags and a metre or so blow up man with a fake hairy chest and a sign that said 'Old Spice Guy'. But it isn't my birthday yet I said! It's NEXT Thursday. I was accused of lying for some time, then Karen the boss moaned 'but I bought you cupcakes!!!'. So down came all the party decorations for a week, but we ate the un-birthday cakes anyway. And ever since every time someone walks past I get wished Happy Un-Birthday. Gee thanks everyone.
I had to bring the leftover cakes home on a delayed train that had the air con set to 'Stun and Suffocate' so they looked a bit sad by the time they got here, but they still taste GOOOOOOD.

I now get to spend the weekend helping to write a chapter for the guide book about staying long term in Kathmandu doing logistics for someone doing the Great Himalaya Trail. Oh joy!!!
And here is Nonna, Robin and Billi at our very classy wine and cheese party at our place in Kathmandu, but why is there Sprite on the table???

CHEERS!!!

winter is so much fun...not

I even had to resort to gloves yesterday morning, and when I got to work my reading glasses were so cold I had to wait 10 minutes before I put them on. Brr.
Robin did presentations in Sydney and Brissy this week about the World Ex GHT trips next year. Very enjoyable, and there are now 4 people signed up for the whole thing, and good on them.
So what else has been happening? Well, Tri Nations rugby has started so we are about to head across the road to the house of foxtel to watch NZ hopefully thrash the cheating thugs from South Africa.. And of course we don't hold much hope for the Wallabies next week but we will watch it nevertheless. We do love our rugby and dinner!
Work is still good - no idea how long that will last but it keeps me off the streets.
There are 2 of us now in Collections at work who are 'women of a certain age' suffering 'tropical moments' where we have to rip our cardies off while we sweat for a bit. So we are putting 5 cents in a jar every time it happens and will buy ourselves a treat in a few weeks. How stupid.
Still missing Kathmandu, but the other day as I was on the train to work I was reminded why, despite all the things about Sydney that annoy me, I love Sydney. The train came out of the tunnel at Circular Quay, and there was a big cruise ship, the Opera House and the ferry pulling under, all under a steel grey sky with fluffy clouds. And then the next day it was clear bright blue sky and green water. Just gorgeous. 
So who will be the new PM of Nepal next week? I'm putting my money on it NOT being someone form the maoists, even though that is probably just hat the country needs. I think it willbe some old fool who has no idea about anything, just like all the rest of them.

Here's a pic of me and Robin in the Everest region a couple of years ago when he started on the GHT project.

Bye for now.

It's SALE time in Sydney

And thank goodness for that. The state of my smalls (well, mediums actually) after being washed in the water from the not very clean Bagmati for months is quite deplorable - I certainly wouldn't want to get run over and be taken to hospital in some of them. Good thing it's stocktake sale time and it's bargains bargains bargains!

So I made it back to work with hearty hugs and greetings, and sat down at the desk to reacquaint myself with the same old debtors.  After 4 months they still aren't paying! Makes me feel like this...

Going to Leichhardt Marketown makes me feel like that too. OMG had to go there with Robin yesterday because Target (also known as Red Spot Boutique) had socks and jocks on sale. The Target undies dry heaps quicker than so-called travel undies, and are miles cheaper too. Anyway, we aren't really mall people, and there we were stumbling around on a Saturday morning trying vainly to cope, when we heard a mother yelling "Atticus come back here!" ATTICUS??? What were they thinking? And they then called their other kid, whose name we misheard as 'Mucus' - surely not. Why do people so such awful things to their kids.
So now Robin is starting his tour of Oz for World Expeditions to publicise the WE GHT treks starting next year. If you are interested in going to one of the presentations, or even signing up for a trek, click on GHT treks and info nights.
Meanwhile, Lakshmi the Wonder Cat has dodgy guts and is on the dry food diet, our nephew Miraj got 89% in his SLC in Nepal, and the weather here is cold and wet. I am enjoying being back in the kitchen cooking up all my favourites, and of course being able to enjoy wine is a real plus.
We still aren't sure what our plans are for the rest of the year, so if anyone has any bright ideas do let me know. Robin might go to the UK to see family and I would love to go to a Thai beach.
I am missing Nepal heaps, especially the crazy traffic, potholes, noise, dodgy lettuce, Sams Bar, Northfield Cafe for breakfast, and of course all our friends and family there.

Here's our family in Sydney: Princess Lakshmi the Wonder Cat (I wonder were she's leaving landmines now?) who is always happy to see us (well in fact anyone who might feed her). She's too cute AND she knows it.

Right then, time for a bit of ironing and then a relax methinks.....