Project 289 - Day 197 : Zara Has Growed and Growed and...

She's so unbelievably cute isn't she? Three months old, and in clothes designed to fit a 6 month old. She's smiling, giggling, talking to herself, and loves lying back while her mum, my sister Helen, reads her fairytales. She's going to be a delightful little girl, but was there really any doubt?

Project 289 - Day 196 : Hanging with The IT Crowd

This is the coolest show. Great scripts, wacky characters in almost surreal (yet scarily corporately normal) situations, and more laughs per square centimetre than there are secret nuclear facilities in Iran..... and tonight I found series 3 was out on DVD! Oh happy day!

But hark why was I out shopping on a Tuesday night? Why to meet my very close dear friend Ian for a heart to heart catch up chat over delicious Indian food at Tamana's on King Street, and as per a sacred tradition venerated and followed nigh on two years by us, we met at HUM, and lo' did the DVD leap into my hands screaming "Buy me! Buy me!" Actually no, it didn't.... but hey think what a possessed talking DVD set would have fetched on EBAY?!

Anyway, Ian and I had a brilliantly good night chatting and really that the point of the night and what made it such a good end to a chaotically busy day....

Project 289 - Day 195 : Flash Forward...Tangine Back!

Life is a Very Fractured Fairytale

Project 289 - Day 194 : Some Freedom, Some Lunch and then Lost in Austen

Project 289 - Day 193 : Yummy Yummy Yummy I Got Lobster in my Tummy

I spent most of today resting up in bed doing my best to try and kick this cold but I did emerge briefly tonight for dinner in the City with my beautiful guy, my close friend, Fahmi and three visiting friends from Singapore - Phillip, Adrian and Saxon.

We ended up in a private room at The Golden Century in Chinatown and had the most delicious food - lobster and noodles, snow crab (so soft and sweet - the flesh, not the shell which frankly was crunchy and I would recommend it), authentic fried rice, all washed down with a lovely NZ white wine.

Yes I was exhausted by the end of it, but it was very much worth it.....

What Pets Write in Their Diaries

This is an old but a goodie.....

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary...

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary...

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a Cat's Daily Diary...

Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are

fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.

Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear,
I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.
In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet.
I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly

demonstrates what I am capable of.
However, they merely made condescending comments about what

a 'good little hunter' I am.

Bastards.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight..
I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event.
However, I could hear the noises and smell the food.
I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.'
I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my

tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking.
I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.
The dog receives special privileges.
He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return.
He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant.
I observe him communicating with the guards regularly..
I am certain that he reports my every move.
My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell,

so he is safe. For now..............

Project 289 - Day 192 : Assailed by the Dreaded Lurgy so I Slept, I Read, I Watched 'The View'... At Home, Not Work!

I had every intention of going to work today.

But when I woke up, I pretty much knew my body, full of all new aches and pains that it had mysteriously conjoured up overnight from the viral load coursing through my bloodstream, said.... NO. Nevertheless, I doggedly plowed on - all the more remarkable since I am in actual fact, a cat person but let's face it, the cat would just turn over and keep sleeping!) - ironing my shirt, taking a shower, even starting to get dressed until I realised I was too exhausted, even after a good night's sleep, to make it up the hill to the railway station.

.... and so I climbed into bed, texted my boss, and begun a day of giving my body a chance to rest, dosed up to the eyeballs with the fabulously tasty olive leaf extract, Aspro Clear (yummy lemony zing!), cough syrup, and who knows what else, and read my book, napped, and watched "The View".

Soon my gorgeous guy will be here and my day will be all the better for his lovely presence.

Project 289 - Day 191 : Two Years At My Current Company and I Celebrate With a Wedge of Rocky Road.... and Olive Leaf Extract

So it's two years since I pulled up sticks at my previous company - no idea what I was doing with sticks there since, apart from anything else, it's an OH & S issue - and decamped to the sunny climes of the campus, and while it's not a cause for celebration as such (what I thought I was that unemployable that celebrating two years is like marking the miracle I ever got there?! LOL), it is an excuse for something so calorically-burdened that Jenny Craig would faint at the mere mention of it.

So my bestest gal pal at work, Sammi, bought me a delectably thick slice of Rocky Road, probably not the wisest move given the horrible cold I had, but a literally sweet thing to do, and a nice way to mark the occasion. Of course, unless I kick this cold quicker than I am, and get back to swimming and pounding the pavement, there's a very good chance that the calories I took in will be with me for quite some time to come. Not the souvenir I am particularly after!

Nor really was this interesting concoction. A close friend, Justin (one of my blog followers, for which I thank him!), swears by this, as does a colleague at work, and while it no doubt works, it tastes, well, not like Rocky Road let's just say. When I had my first dose tonight, my housemate was treated to the comedic hilarity of me rushing from my bedroom to the kitchen (not an easy task when your body aches and you feel TIRED) flicking my tongue lizard-like out of my mouth, all the while saying "Ugh. Yuck. Taste. Yuck!" till I got to the pantry, poured some honey onto a spoon and erased the, ah, less than yummy taste previously resident on my taste buds. I am sure that this will miraculously heal me, Lourdes-like, of my cold (especially since Blackmores products are so good... no, that's not a plug.... I have used them for years and they work) but I am looking forward to the Creaming Soda or Vivacious Cherry flavours hitting the market so I can have my miracle cure and happy taste buds too!!

Shopping Will Never Be The Same Again

I just found out that Melvin Simon, one of pioneers of shopping malls has died. Given the amount of time and money I spent in them, it seems only right that I reprint his obituary here. (I am fairly certain that this obituary was brought to the world by VISA and Mastercard!)

***************************************************************

Franchise mourns passing of Melvin SimonSimon Property Group News Release Sept. 16, 2009

Melvin Simon, shopping center industry pioneer and Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Simon Property Group, has died at the age of 82 after a short illness.
A native of the Bronx, New York, Mr. Simon attended the Bronx High School of Science and the City College of New York, where he earned a B.S. degree in accounting, and an M.B.A. with emphasis on real estate. He came to Indiana in 1954 while serving in the U.S. Army at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis.
Upon his discharge from the Army, Mr. Simon worked as a leasing representative with the Albert Frankel Company, an Indianapolis developer of community shopping centers. In 1960, sensing the vast potential in this industry, Mr. Simon, joined by his brothers Herbert and Fred, created Melvin Simon & Associates, who quickly became known for their willingness to do business on a handshake.
From the early years of developing enclosed regional malls and community shopping centers, the company has pioneered cutting edge development and retail concepts that have earned it the reputation as one of the industry’s leading innovators. In 1993, under the leadership of Mr. Simon’s son, David, Simon Property Group was formed into the largest Initial Public Offering in the history of the REIT industry. Subsequent property and portfolio acquisitions have created the world’s largest retail real estate REIT.
Mr. Simon also enjoyed a lifelong love of sports, most notably basketball and golf. His love of sports culminated in the purchase of the Indiana Pacers in 1983, along with his brother, Herb, turning that franchise into one of the most respected in professional sports today.
Throughout his life, Mr. Simon was the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Jewish Welfare Federation’s “Man of the Year,” The Horatio Alger Award and a seat in the Central Indiana Business Hall of Fame. In 1995, upon the opening of Circle Centre in Indianapolis, he was named a Sagamore of the Wabash. In 2003, he was named a “Lifetime Trustee” of the Urban Land Institute and was a former trustee of the International Council of Shopping Centers. In 2007, Mr. Simon was inducted into The Indiana Academy, a recognition bestowed on him by the state’s private colleges and universities. Most recently, in June 2009, he was named a Living Legend by the Indiana Historical Society.
Understanding the importance of giving back, Mr. Simon had many philanthropic interests, including organizations that serve underprivileged youth, the arts, museums, social services and education. From the early days of the Jerry Lewis Telethon for Muscular Dystrophy, to the formation of the Simon Youth Foundation, Mr. Simon always tried to help those less fortunate, never forgetting his humble beginnings. He was especially generous in gifts to Indiana University – Simon Hall and the Bess Meshulam Simon Music Library and Recital Hall on the Bloomington campus, the Simon Family Tower at Riley Hospital for Children, and most recently, the Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center at the Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis. He was a member of Beth-El Zedeck congregation in Indianapolis.
Mr. Simon is survived by his wife of 40 years, Bren; his children, Deborah Simon, Cynthia Simon Skjodt, David Simon and Tammy McCauley; his grandchildren, Eli, Rebecca, Hannah, Noah and Sam Simon; Erik, Samantha and Ian Skjodt; Tasha and Dylan McCauley; and his brothers, Fred and Herbert. He was preceded in death by son, Joshua Max Simon.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Joshua Max Simon Primary Care Center at St.Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Project 289 - Day 190 : Life On Mars

I went to bed last night on Earth.... and woke up today on Mars.

No, I have not been mixing vodka, red cordial and peyote in some hallucinogenic mix - although god knows it would make for an interesting day at work! - and drinking it for breakfast. What I have done is gone to work on a day when a massive red dust storm, blown in from western NSW (and heading to NZ!), has blanketed Sydney, covering everything in fine granules, obscuring the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, and blasting everyone and everything with fine sandblasting spray.

It is like living in a sci fi movie, with the wind howling around you, the sky a weird foggy murky orange, and no sense of a normal day or weather. I am almost expecting some bizarre aline life form to appear in the distance, fly close to me and ask to be taken to my leader, or just whisk me away to their planet.... or is that just one of the Sales team? Hard to tell the difference really....

However you slice it, today is one very odd day.....

******************

But it did have it's funny side and kudos to the person with lightning fast Photoshop skills!

Project 289 - Day 189 : Attacked by Liquid Cats and Dogs

I got soaked in 5 minutes of walking home from the station tonight.

I knew it was raining. I'd seen the lightning. I expected a few annoying drops would skip crazily around the protection of my umbrella - my extremely small umbrella that makes hummingbirds look massive and obese - and leave my clothes slightly less dry than they had been.

What I didn't expect was pelting angry rain - I have no idea what makes rain angry.... sub standard clouds? Having to downpour on the night "Mad Men" is on? A sense of raging injustice that they aren't fire or earth, one of the cool elements? Who knows? - that left my back and the back of my legs soaked all the way through, and my bag only dry because I hugged it closer than a gay man shopping for funky shirts at a 75% off Dolce and Gabbana sale.

Thankfully the walk is short but I am still worried my umbrella may not make it through the night... it doesn't look good (see picture). I'll keep you posted......

Project 289 - Day 188 : As Jason Disappears Into the Sunset and Heads to Brisbane, We Say....

.... Wait a minute the sun doesn't set in the north!

But that minor discrepancy aside, tonight I bade farewell to my very good friend Jason when he flew back to Bris Vegas after a wonderful weekend of movies, stage musicals, brunches, lunches, dinners.... and a partridge in a pear tree (no we didn't eat that! Or did we?).

I managed to leave work early and Jason & I did a small bit of shopping in the City, got the train back to St Peters and walked home (abused on the way by an irate feral crack-addict looking woman as an "old man!" WTF?!) and then set off for my fave Thai restaurant, "Stir Crazy" in Erskineville. The food as always was fabulous, the service fast, and we were even joined in the middle of our D & M about love, life and the universe by the restaurant's resident cat (see picture) who didn't averse to a pat or two during the meal.

It was a lovely way to end the weekend. Thanks Jason for more laughs, insights and fun!

Project 289 - Day 187 : More Flicks Than a Cow's Tail in High Summer

Another full on day in the pursuit of art, fun and weekend enjoyment!

After a hearty lunch - yes hearty... who knew a tandoori burger could be hearty?! - at Foodarama on King Street, we caught the train to the City (in and of itself a thrilling and exciting.... nah, only if you're three!) and watched not one, but two movies (one in 3D, "UP" which meant I got to wear very funky glasses (see the picture above)! Normally my friend Jason and I would watch three in a row but decide to err on the side of non-sensory overload and stick to a more manageable two, in the hope we may actually recall the movies afterwards! (Although a narrative mishmash is kind of fun, and a challenge to recounting the movies to your work colleagues around the water cooler the next day!)

In between the movies, we grabbed some dinner at BBQ King in Liverpool Street - lemon chicken and tangy shredded beef that sounded cliched as hell as I ordered it but tasted original and delicious... go figure - and fortified ourselves with lollies, which as everyone knows is an essential part of any cinematic experience. As you can see below both the movies were fabulous, as was the time spent with my beautiful guy and my very good friend Jason.....

UP

What a gorgeous movie! It has it all - emotional resonance (more touching than many real life movies I have seen lately!), exquisite characterization, spot-on dialogue and innate sense of slapstick and verbal humour that had me laughing out loud. This is a movie that tells a story of the longing for adventure only to discover that you were living the very adventure you really wanted all along - that of loving somebody, and then channeling that realization into letting love move you to new and unexpected places again. Inbetween all these heartfelt realizations are brightly birds with slapstick skills most circus performers would kill for, a talking dog ("Squirrel!" is my new favourite diversionary word!), and the necessary villain to remind everyone that you need to often fight for what you truly value. All in an animated feature? Yes! It's one of the best movies I have ever seen and you need to take the time to go see it.

(500) Days of Summer

I will say at the start that I love traditional romantic comedies. Yes they are predictable, schmaltzy and over the top but hey we flock to them because for a second we can believe that love actually happens like that! Having said that, I also like movies that subvert the standard approach to anything (even if I love it) and this movie reinvents romantic comedies beautifully! It does nod it's head to the discovery of real true love, but not between the two protagonists! It also messes with a standard narrative jumping liberally between days 1 to 500 in exactly the same way the heart and mind do when recalling events. Neither party comes across badly - just as a flawed human beings doing their best to craft lives that make sense and connect with their dreams and expectations, and failing and succeeding in equal measure. It's the sort of movie that actually gives you hope about life and love because it is so grounded in the reality of loving; while tipping its hat to an optimistic outlook, it also acknowledges life isn't as cotton-candy bright and Pollyanna chirpy as we we'd like to believe it is. You can relate perfectly to these people, beautifully acted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, understanding what drives them, and why they do what they do. Ultimately it restores your faith in life and love, because it makes all the things you long for seem achievable. Just perhaps not in the way you expected.

Project 289 - Day 186 : That's WICKED!

Today we ate brunch at my favourite cafe in Newtown, South End - after sleeping in and swimming 500 m (not at the same time.... trust me I didn't dream it!) - and I ate my usual Pineapple and Mint Frappe (two of them in fact - I am such an addict!) and delicious big breakfast, full of healthy fat-free chorizo sausage, bacon, and, ugh, runny fried eggs which I loathe but somehow managed to eat. Forgot to ask for the fully fried ones didn't I? My bad.

(Here's Jason in the powder blue polo shirt and I walking up to a breakfast so healthy we actually grew younger while eating it! I know.... are we good or what?!)

(Jason and my beautiful guy wait outside South End for a table, taking in the always fascinating street scape of King Street)

Back home for a brief hey presto change-o, and then off into the City for the 2 p.m. matinee session of WICKED, which was AMAZING! We started with Ozmopolitans, luminously green daiquiris before the show and then settled in for a show I had hear so much about, and was hoping would live up to the hype. It did, and in spades! It had everything - deliciously melodic songs, clever dialogue skillfully delivered by some brilliant performers, wonderful costumes, exquisite set pieces, and scenes that organically flowed one into the other. In short, just perfect, making WICKED one of the very musicals I am raving about to anyone who will listen.... and trust me, I am going on and on and on and..... yep my colleagues run from me at work now!

(Warren - left - and Jason goof off at dinner, doing goodness knows what!)

We raced home again, changed once again - oh darling it's like we're in our very own production really! OK no it isn't but we changed a LOT! - and headed out to dinner, starting with drinks at The Colombian on Oxford Street, graduating to dinner at The Tandoori Palace, and finishing up with a fun boogie at Palms, the daggiest but funnest nightclub on the strip that we all adore!

(Peter - below - does his best vogue staring off into the nonchalant distance)

Project 289 - Day 185 : Jason, 'Adam', Steve and a Fabulous Steak Called Bruce

Of course the steak isn't called Bruce! NO sir! Everyone knows his name is Carl, and on the weekends, when he dresses in drag, it's Carla.... but Bruce? Puh-lease? Who'd name a steak Bruce? Seriously.....

But today with the arrival of my wonderful friend from Brisbane, Jason, we ate steaks (who may or may be called Bruce, or Carla; I didn't do a name check before plunging in with the steak knife!) @ Phillips Foots pub in The Rocks, a dinner preceded by the movie "Adam". This movie told the touching story of Adam (who has Asperbergers Syndrome, a form of high functioning autism) and Beth, his neighbour, lover and then, simply friend. It was touching and real, and given Jason and my proclivity for movies generally, the perfect way to start our time together!

Project 289 - Day 184 : Canada Flashback 2! I Remember When...

Sandra and I posing on the bay at Kitsilano.

Today, I am continuing my fabulously photogenic series of Canadian holiday flashbacks in preparation for my upcoming holiday in Canada (just in case I forget what it looks like and end up in, say, Bhutan).... these pix are from my holiday in November 2005 when I went to Canada to celebrate my friend Sandra's 40th and my own (surprised? Yes I know I don't looka day over 39).

I am the birthday queen yes I am!

But Sandra is the birthday girl!

It was quite the party with lots of music played (particularly Madonna's "Confessions on a Dancefloor" CD which I bought there), Sangria drunk (I got very drunk and loud!), and sashes & tiaras worn (by me and Sandra.... we girls need our moments to shine!). Inbetween all the festivities, I visited Kitsilano, a funky neighbourhood on the bay full of arty shops and one-of-a-kind locales, and ate all the salmon I could get my hands on, and shopped on the ever-changing funky Robson Street....

I love Tsunami Sushi on Robson Street! LOVE IT!!

Project 289 - Day 183 : Cleaning Out the Closet (No, The Metaphorical Gay One...Left That Ages Ago!!)

I hunted for it, I hunted for it there, I hunted for that freakin' charger everywhere....

...and I didn't find it! After upending the cupboard where the mattress pump sits (sans the power charger which has gone AWOL), ferreting through all my kitchen cupboards, and cleaning up hitherto unexplored dark regions of my walk in wardrobe (wherein I discovered a lost tribe of very confused accountants), and even looking under couches and atop bookcases, I failed to find any sign of the power charger. It seems that thousands of miles from Bermuda, that I have a supernatural zone operating in my apartment, sucking in the usual socks and pens, but now power chargers.

What will be next? Cue sounds of ominous foreboding, footsteps in the dark, and lightning, and be afraid, be very, very afraid..... or only slightly.... really it's not that scary...

Project 289 - Day 182 : Death of Icons : Goodbye Patrick Swayze and Mike Leyland

* Today it was announced that Patrick Swayze had died, sad news for me not so much because of his acting career (although I did enjoy his movies) but more because of his passionate commitment to living and his great and inspiring love for his wife, Lisa Niemi (pictured with Patrick above), to whom he was married for 34 years. The death of anyone is deeply sad, but to lose someone who so enthusiastically lived and loved is a great tragedy. He will be missed.

Here is one announcement of his death:

"Hollywood actor Patrick Swayze has lost his battle with cancer.
His publicist Annett Wolf confirmed it a short time ago.
"Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," the statement said.

Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2008, Swayze fought a very public battle with the illness and hoped for a miracle cure.
In an interview with US journalist Barbara Walters earlier this year, Swayze said he was not giving up.
"Am I dying? Am I giving back? Am I on my death bed? No way."
"I want to last until they find a cure."
Born Patrick Wayne Swayze in August 1952, he was always destined for stardom.
His mother was a dance instructor and taught him how to move.
In 1972, he packed his bags for New York to train as a professional dancer and after scoring a few roles on television, Hollywood came knocking.
In 1983, following his film performance in The Outsiders, the roles kept coming.
He starred in the action film Red Dawn and opposite Rob Lowe in Young Blood but then he became an international pin-up boy for his role as Johnny in Dirty Dancing.
His fame continued to rise and he managed to make even the toughest of men shed a tear in the romantic box office hit Ghost, starring alongside Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg.
Swayze's star status was confirmed when he played Bodhi in the action blockbuster Point Break and it was following that role when People Magazine dubbed him the "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1991.
In the late 1990s he featured in smaller movies before making a comeback in 2001 as the motivational speaker and closet paedophile Jim Cunningham in Donnie Darko, featuring the up-and-coming actor, Jake Gyllenhaal.
His most recent on-screen performance was in a US television series, The Beast.
But Swayze's best role of all was that of husband to his wife, Lisa Niemi.
The couple met in 1970 as teenagers and had been married since 1975."

** Word of Mike Leyland's death was also released today. Though no exactly a household name anymore, he is another icon of my childhood as a result of me watching countless episodes of "The Leyland Brothers Show" when they trekked all across Australia. It is now perceived as laughably hokey in delivery, but the scenery captured, and the passion for Australia conveyed, made the show an iconic part of Australian TV in the late 70s and early 80s and very much a part of my childhood. RIP Mike.

Here is the announcement of his death in 'The Herald Sun" newspaper:

"Mike Leyland, one of the two legendary Leyland brothers whose quirky travel show ran for years on Australian television, has died at the age of 68.
His family announced that Mike died of complications of Parkinson's disease this morning.
Mike and Mal Leyland, explorers and documentary filmmakers, were best known for their television show Ask The Leyland Brothers.
The weekly show, which ran from 1976 to 1984, was watched by more than 2.5 million people at its peak.
It featured the brothers in unusual or far-flung places around Australia which viewers had asked them to visit.
Mike was eight and Mal was five when they migrated with their parents in 1950 from England to Newcastle in NSW, where Mike lived for the rest of his life.
Mike Leyland is survived by his wife Margie, his daughters Kerry, Sandy and Dawn, his step-daughters Sarah and Alison, and seven grandchildren."

Project 289 - Day 181 : Further in the Drink Than Ever

I went swimming again tonight.

Whoa big deal you say! All you ever do is rabbit on about how you're swimming all day every day... why you're obsession with swimming is becoming almost as unhealthy as your weird car park fetish, which..... aaaany-waaaay, back to the oft-repeated topic at hand, I managed to swim 1.1 km tonight which is 100m better than last week and a good indicator that my swimming fitness is getting back up there! 

Hopefully I will be back up to the good old 1.5 km mark in no time flat and I may even go beyond that in pursuit of the wrinkliest fingers ever....

See I do have goals.... weird goals that involve too much water in my skin membranes but goals nonetheless.... 

The Worst Joke Ever - I Love It!

A chicken crossed the road and met James Bond.

'What's yourname?' asked the chicken.

'Bond, James Bond. What's yours?'

'Ken, Chick Ken.'

Project 289 - Day 180 (Sunday 13 September 2009) : Pic-a-nick in the Sun

In the wise old words of one Yogi B Bear, I went a 'pic-a-nicking' today!

My wonderful friends, John and Essie threw open their backyard today to my beautiful guy and I, and my friends Stephen (below next to John and Essie's dog, Aroha, and next to my beautiful guy with Fahmi in the background), and Fahmi (myself and Fahmi to my right in the photo above), and together with John and Essie's kids, we ate chicken, potato salad, muffins, drank creaming soda, and read the Sunday papers and talked on what was a very hot day yes, but when spent in the shade with the company of special friends, an idyllic restful afternoon....

Which I followed with a lovely nap in the arms of my man..... pretty close to perfection I'd say!