And the cure is...Sydney

I was a bit under the weather last week.

In a world in which swine flu was slowly encroaching I was stricken suddenly with a head cold.

Saturday - mild throat tickle (and matinee performance of Sydney Dance Co's 360 degrees.
Sunday - full on head cold
Monday - full on head cold

Also Monday went to doctor - she prescribed 48 hours of bed rest followed by 4 days in Sydney.

Well who am I to argue!

Tuesday - cold receding - not quite as rapidly as it had arrived but at least voice back, ears almost better etc.

Wednesday (Cold a bit better still worried about ears) - fly to Sydney to recuperate. (Suffer the dreaded 'ear squeeze for the first time in a long time - not even earplugs help). Visit Lindt chocolate shop (Cockle Bay Wharf) to buy cookies n cream lindt balls for hannah (only reason of course). Forced down a Lindt chocolate milkshake for health reasons. Went to casino to win money to pay for hot chocolates etc. (won $150), went to theatre - Chicago - Millerchip & O'Connor = awesome. Rohan - what a 6 pack.

Thursday - (Cold still on the improve - ears a bit better) Rain most of day. Sydney Writers Festival at various times throughout the day. Hot chocolate at Lindt Cafe (Martin Place) -medicinal purposes only of course!, State Library of NSW for World Press Photos exhibition and Darwin exhibition, and also because I'm a library nerd. Visit cupcake shop and buy cupcakes - use them to drown my sorrows after receiving disappointing email. Find Jeff de Bruges chocolate shop - lovely, but expensive belgian chocolates made to a french recipe. Delish.

Friday - (Cold getting better - ears good). Persistent rain seemed to make a Chocolate & banana milkshake at Guylian shop a good idea. Ferry to Homebush, tour Olympic Stadium (the faux engineer in me fascinated by how they change the stadium from oval - for cricket & AFL, to rectangular for rugby & soccer). Dinner @ City Extra, Circular Quay (Very good hot chocolate for a non hot chocolate specialist shop - very chocolatty & creamy)

Saturday. (Ears seem ok, still sniffling a bit) Rocks market - didn't buy anything, not even any fudge. Hot chocolate at Guylian Cafe underneath the 'toast rack'. Opera House for a wander, Sydney Museum for tramways exhibition, out to the airport to hang out in the business class lounge before flying back to Melb (business class).

Sunday. Cold practically gone. Headed out to the wilds of Clayton for Cloc's production of Miss Saigon - absolutely brilliant, superbly done, even the helicopter, just superb - giggled when realise BL borrower playing little boy and I'm sitting next to his mum, dad & big brother (big brother is 10 and one of our 'after school play games on the internet until mum comes & gets me' gang). freaked him out a little when I called him by name I think.

Monday - back to work. Cold is mysteriously worse again...

What does the 'out of order' sign mean?

This morning the public internet server decided to cark it (technical term that) meaning that for the first three opening hours there was no public internet.

I put bright yellow 'out of order' signs on all the computers while we waited for Adam to resuscitate the server.

NB: The bright yellow 'out of order' signs are clearly not that useful.

Questions/Statements from public:

1. What does the out of order sign mean?
2. The internets won't login
3. Hotmail isn't working
4. Are the internets out of order?
5. Why won't the internets log in?
6. Hawthorn's internets are working
7. How do I log on to the internet
8. Someone's turned the computer off
9. I found this sign on internet #3 (hands me out of order sign) is this why it isn't working?
10. The sign says the internet is out of order but can I use the pc to check my email instead?

This doesn't take into account the number of 'when will the internets be working again' questions and variations thereof.

If it had been my last day I'd have been tempted to be creative with my answers to the above questions...

How would you like to have answered these questions?

Light bulb moments

So the other day one of the light globes in the loungeroom blew.

In the light globe cupboard* I had spare screw-top globes but no bayonet globes. So I headed for my local foodworks - my light globe supplier of choice for nigh on ten years - but, world in crisis, they only only had screw-top globes.

I plugged in a spare floor lamp and used that to illuminate the front half of the lounge room.

Then I found myself at BigW - I've bought clothes, groceries, whitegoods and a computer there - surely a frosted bayonet light globe would be attainable?

BigW had shelves upon shelves of light globes: Did I want flood or spot (& what angle of flood or spot); 27w = 40w (how can that be); halogen (wasn't halogen gas banned?).

What about shape - the only 'uncle fester' shaped ones were red - no thank you; but I could choose from intestine shaped; mushroom shaped; glu-stick shaped etc.

Price - what happened to $1 per light globe? The cheapest were $6 each and did nothing other than light the room - the more expensive ones would save the environment; reduce my carbon footprint, brew coffee, and bring about world peace - if they vacuumed as well I'd have bought them.

Safeway had 'old fashioned' globes but only in clear - I want frosted (pearl).

So the floor lamp will do for now - (Just means I can't use/charge the eee whilst watching dvds at night)

P.S. My peeps at Foodworks have 'special ordered' me some pearl bayonet cap light globes. Should be in Tuesday.

*******
* When I say light globe cupboard, it's not a cupboard just for light globes - there are lots of other things in there as well!

This Boots was made for walkin'

We had a family lunch at my mum's in Pakenham today. The day started with an easter egg hunt for the under 12's. Unfortunately the 4 - 11 age group were late arriving which gave the under 3s a clear advantage in the egg hunting (close to the ground) section.

After a delicious lunch the various family members scattered themselves around the unit. Young (20 month old) Boots left the Brum-watching contingent and headed into the backyard with daddy. Daddy & Uncle rowrow then left to take the trestle tables back to the craft room and daddy swears he saw Boots re-enter the unit.

About 30 minutes later daddy rejoined the brum contingent and was asked where Boots was.

It then transpired that Boots (who could wander for his country) was nowhere to be found. He had somehow evaded the attention of doting grandma, aunts, uncles, & cousins and wandered off.

My mother lives in a retirement village (gated community) but Boots had wandered some 800 metres and into a different drive from hers.

Luckily a neighbour in the next block along from mum had seen Boots wander into her garden - she went out and spoke to him and was leading a very unconcerned Boots back the way he had come when we caught up with them.

We still don't know how he got out - there were adults near the front door, and in the back garden so someone should have seen him, but no-one did.

After a fifteen minute power nap Boots was up and ready to wander some more - luckily now everyone was keeping a much closer eye on him.

A week in the life

In which Fiona has a week off work.

Monday - stuffed around and did nothing.

Tuesday - looked after youngest nephews (the 3 yr old is teaching me spanish)

Wednesday - Melb. International Food & Wine Festival revisited. This time lunch at Bottega with CF & PJ. I had the parsley, chive & green olive risotto followed by the tiramisu. As with last week the venue was superb, the food delicioso, the company great.

After lunch, and on a whim as I was walking past Her Maj., I decided to grab one of the $50 Billy Elliot tickets. The lead was Josh Denyer - I hadn't seen him perform before - so it seemed opportune. So I spent a lovely afternoon at the theatre (missing the earthquake cos it hit during the loud, tap dancing finale of the show).

Thursday - Up early for day trip to Canberra. Arrived in Canberra at 8.30 and headed for the gallery to see the Degas exhibition. Long queues to get in, but we were at the front...

The exhibition was great although I would have liked to have seen more of Degas' dance works displayed. I did ponder twittering from the exhibition but couldn't be bothered.

After Degas it was off to the new Portrait Gallery for morning tea and a leisurely look around.

A wander round (new) Parliament House was followed by lunch in the cafe (with a superb view thru to the War Memorial) and then it was back to lake side and a visit to the National Library (via the national archives). Afternoon tea and wireless internet @ NLA thena stroll around the lake and eventually over to city centre for more wandering (civic library) and tea before back to airport for flight home.

Our flight home was at 8pm so at 7.20 ish we wandered up to the departure gate thinking we'd get a coffee there - ONLY they don't serve hot beverages after 7pm! (we could have bought alcohol but hot chocolate was a no-no). Couldn't buy anything after 7.30 and our flight was late.

But still it was a great, if tiring day, and I see that Tiger have cheap airfares again...

Friday (today) - relaxing, maybe some housework, more relaxing, perhaps some shopping

All is right in my world.

A day in the life

So I worked the long weekend (well the saturday/sunday part of it) and spent the holiday monday (a) recovering from it and (b) taking my littlest nephews to the beach.

Tuesday was devoted to housework(yes really) and spending way too much time on the 'puter.

Today was play day. Started day with darcy & brekky @ crown (won $200 - yay) then it was off to meet a couple of friends (and former colleagues) for lunch at Punch Lane.

As part of the Melbourne International Food & Wine Festival a number of restaurants are offering 'express lunches' - 2 courses, a glass of wine, tea/coffee for $35.

Punch Lane's express menu consisted of two starters, two mains & two desserts - strangely enough our table skipped the starters and went for the mains/dessert combo.

I had the chicken confit (extremely delish) and the chocolate mousse with brandy soaked plums (could've done without the plums but hey!)

The roasted ocean trout was also highly recommended by our table as was the torta something- or-other for dessert.

The service was excellent - friendly & attentive without being intrusive.

Punch lane is in Little Bourke Street - pretty much halfway between two of my main city haunts - The Princess & Her Majesty's theatres.

Looks like Spag Tree may lose our pre- theatre custom...

After lunch I wandered round town - bought some un-needed but gorgeous paper clips @ Kikki K, some books at Dymocks, and some 2ndhand books @ Kill City.

Also played with some 'smart' phones (I'm about ready for a new phone y'see).

Tomorrow it's back to work - have a booktalk to prepare for and lots of other stuff to do before I go on hols next week.

Busy, busy, busy

In which my hovercraft is full of eels.

Hanner Cymraes practically did the online equivalent of taking off her gloves and slapping me across the face with them (and challenging me to the welsh language at 25 paces).

I responded with that most useful of welsh phrases - my hovercraft is full of eels (do you know how many times I've needed to say that in Wales?)

I think HC may have mis-translated slightly - she didn't realise I had a helicopter (my helicopter is full of eels - that just doesn't make sense!)

We have now exhausted my welsh knowledge of above-surface transport (and, for that matter, eels) so we will move on to 'what is the welsh for I almost locked a child in the library last night?'

At 5.55 pm I wandered (strode purposefully) round the library warning people that we were closing in 5 minutes, and did they need any help (before I picked them up and threw them out the front door). Young AC (annoying child) was playing games on pc 4.

At 6 pm I once again strode purposefully round the library reminding people that we were now closed. AC was no longer at the internets and the last couple of people were heading out the door. I made sure everyone was out, locked all the doors, and started on the post closing library rituals.

At 6.10 pm I heard watson say loudly 'the library is closed' I looked up and there was AC heading for the internets. Now I'm not sure where he'd been hiding when I made the 'make sure everybody is out of the library' tour - I did try to ask him but he just looked at me.

The sad thing is I suspect he would have been perfectly happy to be locked in the library all night so long as the internet was working.

From now on I think I shall escort him out the door at closing to make sure he actually leaves.