Boy from Oz

Even though Mondays are usually crazy for us, today was different cos I had to somehow make time at 9am sharp to book 2 tickets for the musical, "Boy from Oz", starring my very favourite and yummy-licious Hugh Jackman!!!! Aaahhhhh!

And I did get the tickets at 9am sharp and good seats too for our section. But we could only afford the cheapest tickets on offer which was still expensive - $99!!! The most expensive were VIP tickets at $499!!!!

I can't wait!!! Yeah! *does imaginery cartwheels*

Farewell dinner

Phill and I went to the farewell dinner the group of us at the office organised for Lynn. We went to the Mansfield hotel for dinner and I had a great meal - eye fillet! Yummy! Phill had porterhouse steak but it wasn't that great at all. We (Lynn, her hubby Steve, my colleague, Steve, Ken, Elise, Dianne, Phill and I) enjoyed the conversation and all too soon, it was 10.50pm and time for us to head home. Fortunately, Phill has a training course tomorrow so he can sleep in a little and doesn't need to leave home as early as he usually does.

Queen's Baton Relay

This was a photo my colleague, Sian, took of me when the Queen's Baton (part of Commonwealth Games) came through our town, Mansfield, today for less than an hour. She had a better camera and was running on the footpaths trying to catch the action. I was at the back of the media vehicle. It was fun but look at the pissy little camera I was holding compared to the other two big, powerful and appropriate cameras the other 2 gals by my side were wielding. I felt embarassed. And although I still wasn't feeling well, it was fun sitting there and waving to the crowds and the people I knew who were lining the streets. Perhaps something to tell the grandkids even though I wasn't one of the runners carrying aloft the baton... ;O)

Saw the doctor

I was starting to feel unwell on Saturday so I decided to see the doctor and just get well really quickly.

Anyway, I saw a lady doctor and she said I had a cold and that it was going to get worse. I said my throat really feels raw and sore and she prescribed a painkiller, Nurofen, that I could buy from the counter.

I've been told before going to this doctor that she likes to prescribe Nurofen and she doesn't prescribe anything else....arrrgghhhh!

I hope the medicine works...

Feeling miserable about having to work even though I am not feeling that great.....but its okay, it just so happens that today, our part-time journalist is also busy.

Scones

I tried making scones today using a recipe book I bought which I love for all the good, yummy recipes it has.

Turned out the scones were abit hard but the inside were soft and fluffy enough. I may have cut the scone size abit too big. I didn't have a cookie cutter so I used the rim of a glass to cut out circles of dough to bake into scones. And I thought I was being innovative until Phill told me my mum-in-law does that too cos she doesn't use a cookie cutter.

Phill had his scones with apricot jam while I have mine with strawberry jam....YUM!

The McGuigans

Phill and I met his long-time friend, Anita and her husband, Mark McGuigan earlier today. We had such fun talking even though it was for 1 hour 15 mins. They had come up to Kevington (about 45 mins from Mansfield) from Port Fairy (8 hours drive away) for a wedding yesterday and so when i read that in the papers a week ago, I emailed Anita and arranged to meet up. Their kids are so gorgeous, Matisse, Sasha and Isaac, and very well-behaved. I hope it won't be too long before we meet the next time. We saw them about 6 years ago, at their wedding.
















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Later in the afternoon, we took my dad-in-law to a cinema at Swanpool (about 30 mins drive from Mansfield, and 10 mins drive where my in laws live). We watched a documentary on Gallipolli and a short film, "My mother India", about the filmmaker's Aussie mum and how she adapted living in India, going through the troubled times of the 1980s and even having to give up her Aussie citizenship which saddened her. It was a really good film.

Feeling clucky

Lately, I've been feeling cluckier than usual. Usually, it just comes and goes. I'm not sure if its cos my friends seem to either be starting to have kids or having their next kid. Or cos I see quite a few cute babies in my line of work - usually, I have to go to the hospital and take baby photos and some info on the baby and family for the newspaper.

And then I worry about juggling work and having a baby. And how it seems so bad of me to leave my baby at a childcare centre at 1, when my maternity leave is up and I have to return to work.

The way I feel now, I want to work but then again, I have these worries about missing my child's first words, steps, etc.

When I told phill that, he said," don't worry...when we hear our kid say his/ her first words, that'll be their first words. Whatever else they said before are all gibberish." I had to laugh at his reasoning but it sure was comforting. Phill says the notion of hearing your kid's first words is very hallmark/ hollywood. I suppose they could possibly say their first words on their own and no-one to hear it.

But I've got some travel plans for September next year (we hope to go to China with my parents) and before then, don't plan to have babies. But, as I've been told, babies have their own sense of timing.

I investigated private health insurance today and the way it works, you'll have to be a full-paying member for a year first before you can claim on your policy so we've got to decide shortly which policy and sign it up first. The wonderful thing about private health insurance is that it includes IVF treatments, but only for 3 rounds and after that, its not covered. I pray we won't have to go for IVF.

Then again this morning, waking up at 6am, I wondered if I am ready to wake up early to feed/ placate the baby. Selfishly, I don't think so. I'll still like to be able to sleep in.

Chicken Avocado Melt

I had Chicken Avocado Melt for lunch today. My car tyre blew last night after my play rehearsal so I thought I'll buy takeaway lunch instead of walking home for lunch. Its also one of the few times I feel like indulging myself. So off I went to Tarts Cafe (one of the more reasonable cafes in town. Lunch can sometimes cost more than $10 if I go to the wrong shop.) in the main street and bot my lunch. It was yummy. Had to be for $8.50 but perhaps it was more than enough for lunch. But cos it was so tasty, I finished it all and had a cappuccino with it too. Yum! Satisfying and hit a spot!

Rehearsals

I went for my play rehearsal earlier.

We had 2 readings of the script and boy, the other actors were very good, the way they emote and enunciate. I have heaps more to learn and go. I hope I don't let the team down. The director is a pretty much straightforward, funny and direct kinda person.

She said in the course of doing the play, we may fall in love with our co-stars and she assured us its natural cos she fell in love with her co-stars too and once, when it was even a lady playing the other part.

I said I won't fall for Steve (who plays my boyfriend in the play) cos in the play, I'm supposed to be mad at him....hahaha!

Everything went well and I enjoyed myself until I had to drive out of the high school's car park and all the way home, abt 5 mins drive, I keep hearing this really loud noise and thought I had scrapped my undercarriage. When I drove home, I asked Phill to help me check it out. He backed it out of our driveway and then drove it back, alighted, and then saw my punctured tyre. Aarrggghhh! Another unexpected expense.

Women's talk

Steve was on leave today so it was just D (who left the office already but is filling in for Lynn who is on vacation), Sian (pronounced "Shan"...its a Welsh name) and I. And with the afternoon to ourselves, we talked about many things - love, our past, gossip.

One of the things that was queried was: do you think there's a brothel or working girl here in Mansfield?
Then Sian said most country towns do. I commented that Phill had joked with me previously when we saw this particular house with different cars on some days that there's a working girl in there. Sian laughed and said they're probably having a party.

Then it was onto men and relationships...
Sian told us how her first few boyfriends cheated on her and she didn't even know. D told us about how she had to plan her getaway for nearly a year before she could eventually leave her husband. And how she once successfully picked up her son at his kindergarten before her ex could get to him cos he hadn't paid maintenance and then when he saw her driving out of the school, he chased her all around Melbourne, which freaked her out. Her ex was abusive and an alcoholic and she couldn't see herself being with him. She thought he was a bad influence on the son too.

It's nice just the 3 of us in the office and sharing our lives....

Back to school

It was back to school for most schoolchildren yesterday. However, the preps (usually 5-6 year olds) only started today at Phill's school.

When he arrived home, I asked him how was their first day since he told me the day usually begins with the preps bawling their eyes out and their parents quieting sobbing away.

Surprisingly, he told me the preps didn't cry but the grade ones (primary 1) did. But...but...they have already had a year at the school so what were they crying about?

I reckon its cos nobody cried so they decided a long held tradition cannot be broken and the floodgates were opened....(hey, did that rhyme or did it?....hahaha.)