Meanwhile, in the middle of nowehere...

We threw caution to the wind this weekend and went away. Somewhere REAL nice. In fact i took Thursday and Friday off work just for the occasion, rebel that i am. Our destination was Eagle View Escape, about 20 minutes west of Lithgow. It's one of those "couples only" places that likes to boast all the "couples only" things you can do there. Like play tennis. Yeah, we were lining up for that one. Or "enjoy the property at your leisure". Which is just a nice way of saying "stop being so lazy and go for a walk."




We stayed in a cabin out in the bush...









...that had a big bed and a big balcony and a spa and robes and room service...







...and i pretty much spent my days being a booze hag. Cause if Jo's gonna bring me back two bottles of expensive champagne duty free, then Lord knows I'm gonna drink it.

The bush was our backyard for a while, which was nice, being that I'm a city girl at heart. I don't think i could ever forsake the city forever though. I even love the noise, which is weird right? And the smell. Jo is a country boy though, so he was in his element.

We walked in the wild, amongst the animals, just like regular Dr Doolittle's. (Although i will just say, Jo was a total baby. He was too scared to go anywhere in the vicinity of the roos. Thought they were gonna walk right up and sucker punch him. Like they don't have better things to do, like eat grass.)

The property had a grand river running right through it - the landscape felt so quintessentially Australian actually, and that was really nice. I say it all the time, and i mean it - this country is so unique, it can be harsh and stark and hard, but there's a real beauty in all that. I mean look at this - this is special, you know?













We decided to go ahead and be a couple for a while, since it seemed the thing to do at a "couples only" place. So here's some couple-y goodness for you to enjoy, or puke at, or pin on your walls. Whatevs.

I hung out with a goat for a while, since it was there, and had a collar, which everyone knows is the universal signal for "this animal is a pet." So. It was totally safe and all.

We had dinner delivered hot to our door...

And i had about a billion of these...

...cause hell, bubbles just get me excited.

So it was all very nice! I read my book and we watched a ton of old Seinfeld episodes, and drank to our hearts content, and became one with nature....what more could we want.

On our way home, it started raining. Or so i thought. "Why is it raining funny?" i asked Jo. To which he replied, "That's snow you effing idiot".

Huh.

Well! How am i supposed to know! I've never seen snow fall from the sky! Does it snow in Sydney?? NO! Would i venture anywhere in winter where it DOES snow?? NO! What do you take me for!!!??? No no, the cold and me, we just aren't friends. So anyway, it snowed. And then it cleared. And then it snowed again. And then it cleared AND snowed. Goddamn weather.

We stopped into the Blue Mountains on our way back, and decided a bit of a bushwalk was in order.

Here's the bush

And here's the view.

And here's me with a waterfall

And here we are, couple of crazy kids in love.
(*insert finger in mouth. vomit. continue reading*)

Before we headed back to Sydney, we stopped in Leura, a pretty little town up there in the mountains, for scones and tea. On this occasion, our scones came in a flower pot.

Both kooky AND delicious. And that was the mini-break, and now its over and frankly that's depressing. Lucky i have about a thousand and one other things going on to divert my attention from the fact that i won't have another holiday till my honeymoon, which is freaken ages away. Again, i bemoan the fact that i can't have my cake and eat it too. (Who came up with this ridiculous saying by the way. Why would anyone buy a cake they didn't want to eat??? It's expression number 351 in the English language that MAKES NO SENSE!!!)

Don't you love it when...

...you get an extra long weekend? Like the one coming up?



(What's that you say? No long weekend for you, you say? Must just be ME!)



We're going bush. Luxury bush, where there be cabins with spa's and massive flat-screen TVs. But bush nonetheless. And there really is nothing more unique than the Aussie landscape. May as well enjoy it! (Champagne on the deck and all.) So long suckers! See ya in a few days!

Thrills and spills

This is going to be the mother of all posts, but we jammed so much into our Easter long weekend...what's a girl to do? I'm going to save the pics till last. Y'all probably know by now that Jo and I went to the Gold Coast with Dave and Mel...so here we go.







We left bright and early on Friday morning, and arrived just in time for brunch. Since there was a little rain overhead, we started our holiday in what only seemed the proper way - via a bowling tournament. I'm going to say from the start that I, most un-co of all people, beat David. Yep. You just read that. And even though he blamed everything from the disco lights to the fan in his face, the truth is simply this - I played better than him.









In the end, Jo won the match, but Mel was the real surprise - her methods may be strange (I don't know - does dropping the ball in front of your feet and watching it spin slowly down the alley at less than 9kph count as actual bowling?), but they paid off, cause she came in second. A rematch was quickly demanded by David - but we saved that for another day. The afternoon was warm and sunny, so we spend it by the pool, before David and Mel headed off to a friend's party, leaving Jo and I to our own devices - after a quiet dinner at a little Italian joint (what else?), we went to play mini-golf.









On Saturday we headed to Dreamworld. They've opened a water park there, so we thought we'd kill two birds with one stone - thrill rides and water slides. But David's day started going downhill before we'd even made it to the bus. Folks - the humble mushroom. As far as varieties go, he's very clear about what he likes (button mushrooms) and what he doesn't like (everything else.) He is particularly offended by the field mushroom - too big and too slimy. And though he ordered his usual eggs and mushrooms that fateful morning, he forgot to ask what type of mushroom they served. Alas, when the plate came laden with field mushrooms, he believed he had been cheated. Well, who wouldn't? He dumped them unceremoniously on Mel's plate and huffed his way through the rest of his breakfast.







His day didn't improve when we actually got to the park. Dreamworld has two particularly scary rides - the Giant Drop and the Tower of Terror. We tackled the Giant Drop first. It's 39 stories high - you sit in your chair and are lifted slowly to the top, then dropped back down to the bottom again without warning. "My name is David Argiro", he said as we rose higher and higher, "and i am not happy. Let the record state that i wanted to go to the WATER PAAAAAAAAAAAARK!" Those were his last words - then we plummeted.








And the Tower of Terror? Its the 4th fastest rollercoaster in the world, reaching 160 kph in 3 seconds. It shoots up 39 stories and then falls back down again. When it takes off, it sounds like a rocket ship. Therefore, David was not amused when we told him that's where we were headed next. Actually, he flatly refused to get on - but we bullied him into it. "Why. Why?" is all he could say as the queue moved steadily onwards until we were almost at the front. I actually thought he was going to be sick at one point. But once we took off, his terror turned to exhilaration, and by the time we were back down again he was punching the air in excitement, nearly taking off Mel's head in the process. We figured we'd better let him relax a bit after all that, so we spent the rest of the afternoon in the water park (by the way, the slides there are awesome - we had a great time! I felt like a kid again.) Oh, dinner that night was Italian. So what's your point?









On Easter Sunday, we had a lovely brunch down at the surf club, which overlooks the ocean. It was a sunny morning, but by the time we made our way back, it has started to rain. Perfect time for a bowling re-match. Unfortunately, Jo won again, and David didn't get the glory he'd hoped for. Later that afternoon, when the sun had come out again, we hired some jet ski's and went out on the river for a spin. Jo felt it necessary to throttle the thing to 95kph, while I sat on the back and clung to him in terror - especially since the woman who owned the rental place helpfully informed us that late afternoon is when the bull sharks came out. And I quote: "I wouldn't want to have to swim across the river at this time!" Gee thanks lady. P.S - guess what we had for dinner...









On our last day, we hired a car and drove to Byron Bay. Well, Mel drove. I sat in the backseat and read Vogue. "Why do you read that crap Nelsie?", David asked in disgust. "At least I read NW." NW as in, New Weekly, that quality publication that offers articles of substance with headlines such as 'Stars Without Make-up! See What they Really Look Like!' or 'Celebrity Cellulite! Who's Fighting Fat?' or 'Inside Boytox! Now the Boys Are at it Too!' But hey. I'm not judging. Byron Bay is known for having a bit of a hippie culture, proven over brunch when we overheard Mel have a conversation with a waitress that involved the words 'dandelion', 'soy' and 'cows milk' (she's into natural stuff.)





All we had to decide was what to do with our day. Shop? Swim? Visit a day spa? No siree. Not us. Nope, we went ahead and took a trapeze lesson. What's that you say? We're crazy, you say? Yeah, pretty much. As David said - "Trapeze school. It's one for the ages." Followed by the astute observation that "Byron girls aren't up to Gold Coast standard, are they?"









On the topic of trapezing, I can honestly say that i have never been so terrified in my whole life. And i have done some scary stuff. I've stood three feet from a real rhinoceros in the middle of a jungle, for godsake. But seriously? This make me poo my pants. (What? I mean metaphorically.) I was literally sweating in fear, which is really not what you want happening when you have to grip a bar and hang on for dear life as you're pushed over the edge of a ten metre high platform. And I'm not exaggerating. I never exaggerate.









David gave up after two attempts. When told he'd regret it if he didn't give it another ago, he swiftly assured us not to worry - "I'll sleep tonight." And that was that. I don't blame him really. It took the poor guy twenty minutes just to climb the ladder to the top. (Admittedly, i was doubled over in laughter - i mean no offence, but it really was freaken hilarious to watch him crawl up at snails pace, holding on like grim death, face down, eyes closed, breathing ragged...oh wait, maybe that was me.) Mel tried to convince him one last time to give it another try - "Come ooooonnnnn! Everyone else is doing it!" To which he responded, "Everyone else doesn't have a Porsche, Darling. They don't understand." Elitist, and sadly true.









Once you got used to it, it was actually immensely satisfying to get it right. I was pretty damn proud of myself - we hooked our knees over the top of the bar and hung down backwards, did back flips, and let another dude catch us off a swing all in the space of an hour or two. (Yes, alright, there were five year olds doing the same thing. But. They haven't developed any sense yet.) (Also, we were in a harness the whole time, and there was a net underneath ready to catch us if we fell. But it still felt totally death-defying.)




I began to have visions of myself in a red, sequined number, performing tricks for an adoring crowd under the big top. But rope burn brought me back to reality, along with my inability to actually jump into the air myself - the lady at the top had to push me off the platform every time, despite my protests to "wait! just wai-..."









We rewarded our bravery with a swim in the ocean before a late lunch and cocktails at the pub. And a nutella doughnut, but i earned that one. Right? Then it was off to the airport, and home again, after what felt like a whirlwind (but really fun) trip.









Pictures...

Beach!!


Brunch at the surf club

David and Mel

Jo, bowling champion of the weekend, with his prize - brand new socks.

David in the pool

Hanging out, poolside

Across the river, by night

Gold Coast, by night

Mel and I on one of the rides at dreamworld

Byron Bay

David, me and Mel

Surfing girl in Byron

Afternoon cocktails

About to do some trapezing...

Just one of my many tricks

Jo, hanging out (get it? get it?)

I'm looking alot like Tarzan here

David, about to poo his pants before he swings away...

Jo again

Mel in her double act with the professional trapeze dude

Thoughts on the humble Easter Egg

It's my opinion that Easter egg chocolate is different to all other chocolate. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's just me. But there's something about it that just TASTES better. Therefore, this time of year usually results in a gorge-fest of easter eggs. Problematic, i assure you, for my already troubled waistline. Nonetheless, i can't resist their pull. The shiny wrapper definitely helps. They look so pretty - all the bunnies lined up in their little foil coats and jackets and dresses, the bundles of baby eggs, so sweetly wrapped in all the colours of the rainbow, and that's just your garden variety. These days they've got all sorts of fandangled new shapes and characters and flavours - like the recent introduction of the Easter Bilby. Now look, i respect Australian wildlife as much as the next person, but lets just stick with tradition on this one huh? Easter is for rabbits. Not Bilbys. Do we have to Aussie-fy everything?




Anyway, I consider myself somewhat of an egg connoisseur, and after much research (hey, someones gotta do it), the humble Red Tulip Milk Chocolate Easter Egg still kicks total egg-butt. You can't go past a classic and I still buy them every year. When I'm not eating them, I'm craving them. When Easter's over, i pine for them. When they're selling post-Easter stock in supermarkets for 3 bucks a pack, I'm the crazy lady pushing kids out of the way to get to them. In short - our bond has lasted a lifetime. Go get yourself a packet right now (or better yet, get two packets and send one to me.)




We're off to the Gold Coast for our break this year, so we'll be back in 4 days. I hope you all have a safe and happy Easter, and remember - you're never too old to hunt for an egg.

Stuff i've been doing. (Part II)

Almost a week since my last post, and life in Westport is much the same. It's been so nice to just rest, read, eat, sleep late, watch movies...not obligations at all. Love it, for reals. Here's a pictorial of what we've been up to...

We've explored more of the Buller region...



We visited Jo's muso friends Grant and Maria, who live in the nearby(ish) town of Reefton. Before Jo left NZ, they were all in a band together - and they kindly put us up for the night so that Jo could have a jam with them.

Jo getting back into the swing of it. Yay for drums.

We've taken in some lovely Westport sunsets down at the beach...

I've watched Jacob jumping on the trampoline about a gazillion times. (seriously. a gazillion.)

Jo's mowed the lawns (FYI - it's not real work when you're sitting down)

Last but not least, we've spent a lot of time with these monkeys (cause they're so darn cute.)

Other interesting facts -

- Rochelle and I watched 13 going on 30 twice IN A ROW cause the boys were not around and we totally could. And isn't worthy of a double viewing? I love that movie. We were not ashamed to get up and dance to the totally rad soundtrack, including classics like Michael Jackson's Thriller, Pat Benatar's Love is a Battlefield and Madonna's Crazy for You. (Thank you God, for the 80s and all its music glory.) As usual, DVD viewing with Matthew and Rochelle is a Westport staple. We've been through Role Models, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden, Keeping the Faith, and tons of Seinfeld in the last week, amongst others.

- I've finished another book - called Living Oprah. It's a chronicle of one woman's decision to do everything Oprah (Winfrey, yes) tells her to for a whole year. Meaning, whatever Oprah says on her show, she has to do - whether its watch a particular movie, eat a particular food, exercise a particular way, buy a particular chair, re-paint your house, visit a museum, do a meditation...whatever it is, she does it. For a whole year. It was very funny and actually very fascinating.

- We've booked a photographer for the wedding. Yay. Check out his blog here.

- I've rediscovered my love for Jersey Caramels. The main ingredients for this delicious little treat, as stated on the back of the packet, are sugar, salt and vegetable fats and oils. Just sharing.

- I have another NEW cousin! Even more exciting - it's a girl!!! ZARA was born on February 25th Congratulations Joe and Vicks! Can't wait to meet her.