Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 31 - At the movies!

First night at the Open Air Cinema for the season after having to miss last Wednesday thanks to my back which at that point was acutely painful. I couldn't move let alone sit in a seat.

Today was much better, save for a little rain that the fetching white plastic ponchos took care of nicely.

They'd expanded the food area so more room for tables, expanded bar area, but all the same views and thankfully my beloved fish and chips! We drank lots of wine, had our yummy ice cream cookies, looked out on the Harbour. Gloriously beautiful as always.

The movie was awesome - Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol... here's my review - and my back survived nicely thanks to the thoughtfulness of my beautiful man who brought a rolled up towel for me to wedge in the small of my back. The seats were still manifestly uncomfortable - that hadn't changed nor has the opening music as the screen is lifted - but at least my back survived mostly intact.

I am grateful that my friend Fahmi parked the car nearby - he had a bad leg, I had a bad back - so the walk there was minimal and so thankfully was the drive home.

An awesome night with great friends at a spectacular venue.

Walking to Mrs Macquarie's Chair

Ian and Warren

My gorgeous guy and I

My gorgeous guy, Fahmi and me

Love my fish n chips!

Bread and wine... how holy of me

LOVE the view!

I was determined to eat the chips! (Fahmi sent this shot to his friends in Singapore to show them what they're missing).

The new bar area (Waz in the corner of the shot)

Best ice cream cookies EVER!

Dusk falls over the food tent

Movie boring? Check out the view!

Stephen M with his fetching poncho and Fahmni already decked out

The movie begins... and so does the rain

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 30 -

Home again with my back giving me grief. Sigh...

I did manage to do some work from home for about 3 hours so caught up on some of the backlog which was a relief.

Spent the rest of the day flat on my back which included a nap and watching the rest of Community season 2 which ended with the best two part paintball finale EVER.

I am looking forward to ending the enforced incarceration in my apartment (apart from physic I haven't left the place in six days) and returning to civilisation tomorrow.

Community gets their paintball on!

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 29 (Sunday 29 January) - The Blue Blue Skies of Home

Gloriously blue skies today. Just beautiful.

A perfect day to sit on the balcony and contemplate life.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 28 - Chilling at home - AGAIN!

Quiet day today - blogging, napping (after a sleep in till 10.45 a.m., which happens when you sleep badly during the night - I don't usually sleep on my back and sides so my sleep is very restless - I long to sleep on my stomach again) and watching a little TV, and dinner with my gorgeous guy and Fahmi at my place (yes who'd have guessed that would be the location for housebound Andrew?).

The big event today, far from us, was my Nanna's 99th birthday party at Mum and Dad's in Alstonville. My sister Helen made a gorgeous looking birthday cake for for Nanna, which my sister Rachel texted me.

I also got two new pics of Rachel's son, and my nephew, Bodhi. He's gorgeous!

His first face painting!

Playing on his new drum set

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 27 (Friday 27 January) - More Physio, More Rest

After a day of being once house bound, save for a quick trip to the physio in the morning (my gorgeous guy drove there and back and so sweetly waited while I was massaged, gently pummelled and heat-packed by Brett... felt so much better afterwards), I thought it'd be fun to have an impromptu pizza and champagne night with the gang.


Ian and Fahmi were otherwise engaged - sister's birthday dinner and a play respectively - so it was Waz, Peter, my gorgeous guy and me on the balcony on a surprisingly cool night (well cooler than turning into liquid humidity anyway!) for Alberto's pizza (satay chicken XL, supreme XL and a free Margarita XL... so you know just a little pizza) - lots of wine too and great conversation...


... and me in my high backed chair looking vaguely silly. But who cares? The back behaved itself mostly (although it got way worse overnight for reasons I can't determine... no one is allowing me to do anything so how it could be further hurt is beyond me)

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 26 (Australia Day - Thursday 26 January) - Aussie Aussie Aussie! Pie Pie Pie!

We were going to go to Marrickville for our yearly multicultural Oz Day extravaganza of fun and fireworks with John, Essie, the kids, and Fahmi but thanks to the back, and my physio's edict that the only walking I could do was around my apartment, we had to stay home.

We did have a little Australia Day fun though. My gorgeous guy picked up Four and Twenty party pies, and added to pastizzi and sausage rolls in the fridge, and lashing of "Dead Horse" (tomato sauce), we had a ball, with my housemate Aidan,  watching episodes 8 & 9 of Once Upon a Time, the premiere episode of The Killing, and episodes of Modern Family and Big Bang Theory.

It wasn't a multicultural fiesta but it was a great way to spend the day.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 25 -

I cannot move.


I seriously cannot move.


I have had a sore lower back before and it's been painful especially when the spasms hit. But this is the first time I haven't been able to move, when even walking has triggered spasms. When realising that getting something from across the room, or even simply getting up is going to result in a whole works of pain.


It's demoralising. I have worked long and hard to eat right and exercise and my body keeps deteriorating. I know we all joke about getting older but this isn't funny. It's extraordinarily painful. I have lost my car and now I cannot even move around and do what I want to do.


It's been an awful painful nasty day.


I can only hope the Physio will have some effect at 2pm. (Aly, the office manager, is a absolute delight. So warm and friendly so I have high hopes just based on how lovely she is.)

P.S. Waz ended up driving me, the physio, Brett of Erko Physio was awesomely good but my back was so bad (I spasmed multiple times getting on and off the table) that he did some work to alleviate the pain but sent me home to do nothing but either lie down or sit in a high backed dining room chair.


No bending, twisting, reaching, anything. Oh what fun!

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 23 (Monday 23 January) - Crazy funnies for a Monday

Crazy busy but fun day at work and this seems to be the perfect antidote to it. (Back was crazy sore too and even though I managed a walk with my friend Waz tonight around Sydney Park, it was only through the grace of physic exercises and Aspro Clear!)

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 23 (Monday 23 January) -

Rambo the Dog (my boss Valerie's much-loved pooch) came into work today. 


He is so cute, and a great work companion. (Save for the farts, of which for some reason, there were many today)

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 22 (Sunday 22 January) -

My gorgeous guy and I went to see Women on the 6th Floor at Cinema Paris in the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park. It was as great as expected, and we stopped off at Maya restaurant for thalis (a selection of small servings of various curries, raita etc) for dinner on the way there.

Mango lahsi

A really lovely and romantic date night.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 21 (Saturday 21 January) - Zzzzzz

Brunch at Noemi's Cafe in Sydney Park with Waz on a very rainy day ( we decided at that point to not go to Symphony in the Domain later that day; of course it fined up into a beautiful night!) - service slow but food great and we saw a pimped up purple car parked out on the street. So cool!

So instead of heading into the City, we went to Newtown - Stephen Moore, Fahmi and John Piccles, my gorgeous guy and me - to see the delightful film Hugo with dinner at cheap and cheerful Chinese restaurant, Happy Chef afterwards. A fabulous night out!