Sunshine, sleep ins and some word nerdery

What stunning spring weather we've had the last few days, with the mercury hitting the mid-20s. Mid-20s! Even a mere 20 degrees would have been cause for glee. It's been such a cold winter that I'm having trouble remembering when it was last warm enough to walk to and from work without a jacket. 

Luke bought a new car last week and we took it for a cruise down the Mornington Peninsula on Sunday. We stopped at The Royal Hotel in Mornington for lunch and it was mild enough to have our meal on the veranda just across the road from the sparkling bay.  The tide was out and the water was a beautiful shade of turquoise. 

I'm enjoying my 10.00am starts. I'm not doing a very good job (by which I mean I'm doing a very bad job) of getting up early enough to have breakfast at home and walk to work, but it's so nice to have a weekday lie in.  I also don't feel quite the same feeling of "UGH, I have to get up for work in the morning" knowing I don't need to get out of bed before 8.30. Today I got up at 9.00am and sat down at my desk at 9.55. WIN!  (The 6.15 finishes are less enjoyable, but that's partly because I'm not at all busy.)

Here's some stuff I've been hoarding for when I got around to blogging again:

Ten of the best collective nouns. Surprisingly, an implausibility of gnus doesn't make the list. 

Are you a smellfungus? Find out in this list of 101 Bizarre English Words. A lot aren't really that bizarre, but most of them are splendid and should be used more often. 

I found another time-related word to add to my list: nychthemeron, which means a full period of a night and day; 24 hours. It's a pretty cool word. it sounds like the name of a planet or something from a sci-fi novel.

I love the idea of a playground for adults, like this one in Boston. Not one of those ones that are designed for sedentary grown ups to get some exercise, but a playground that's just for fun. 

Check out these photos from the Reykjavic Police Instagram account. Puppies, kittens and fairy floss, oh my!  (Have I mentioned my fixation with Iceland?)

Ghost signage

Here are some ghost signs I photographed today in Hawthorn East. I spotted them last Sunday when Luke and I were out and about, but I didn't have my proper camera, so I got him to take me back this afternoon.  

All are within a 100 metre stretch near the Burwood and Camberwell Road intersection, and they all look as if they've been uncovered by construction works. 

 Hard to decipher - a two in one? 

 Wridgway B  (Auburn) Ltd

 Dunno what the WB. 1234 means

Champion spark plugs 

I have loads of photos of other old signs I took while I wasn't blogging, so I will endeavour to post them and remember where I took them (obviously I haven't got around to creating that dedicated ghost sign blog...).

  

Return of Luke, you never know unless you ask, more crunch

Footpath rainbow (from refracted sunlight)

Luke is home! He got back last Tuesday night.  He had lots of photos, some presents for me (including a glass octopus) and a beard.  I quite like him with face fuzz, but it prickles me when we kiss. He shaved it off before going back to work anyway. 


Later starts

You might have got the impression that I'm not a morning person because I stay in bed as late as possible on work days and I'm always in a rush to get to work. You would be right, but that might be about to change. No, I'm not becoming a morning person - I'm starting work an hour later!  My working hours are now 10.00 am to 6.15 pm. THIS MEANS I DON'T NEED TO GET UP UNTIL AT LEAST 8.20. EIGHT-TWENTY!

I'm hoping the later start will have me getting up early enough to eat my breakfast at home, getting ready at a leisurely pace and resuming my habit of walking to work...but we shall see.  

I didn't even have to ask for the later start. I had thought about it earlier this year, but discounted it because I didn't think it would win support, but last week my boss suggested it to the other secretary and me. (She's starting earlier and finishing earlier so there will be a secretary on deck from 8.00 am to 6.15 pm.) I guess it just goes to show you never know unless you ask, eh? 


Added crunch

There's a new variety of gluten-free Weetbix on the supermarket shelves and it's tasty. I only found out when I opened the box I bought yesterday and it looked different. I thought I'd bought a gluteny variety by mistake, but not, it's just got rice puffs and sunflower seeds added for a pleasing bit of crunch. 

Spring, birthday, reunion

Yay! Spring has arrived! Officially, at least. The last two days of winter were warm and sunny, but today the grey skies and drizzle were back. 

September 1 is also the birthday of this blog. I thought it was five years since I started Gleeful, but it's actually six. 

Luke is due to arrive home tomorrow around dinner time. I'm excited to see him and hear all about his holiday. 

Foggy, sunny, foggy

 The fog clearing on my way to work this morning

On the city fringe...the sun reflecting off 

Eureka Tower onto a wisp of fog

Around 5.15 this afternoon

The fog returns as I return home

No debate, coriander love, zebra pups

I went to the gym tonight and I didn't even spend all afternoon debating with myself whether I would or wouldn't go. Will I? I should...but I'm tired. Nah, I won't...but it will do me good. Yeah, I'll go. Tonight I just went. I wish that happened every time I intend to go to the gym.

Have I mentioned how much I like fresh coriander (cilantro for any Americans reading)? I used to dislike it - the smell and the taste - but now I can't get enough. I had a handful of it on my green curry for dinner last night and tonight. Coriander is good for you too, which is nice. Usually the foods I can't get enough of aren't nutritious.  Mmm...chocolate. 

My zebra plant is having lots of babies. I just googled zebra plant for that link back there and apparently the babies are called pups! PUPS! Or offsets, but henceforth I shall call them pups. I need to move the mother plant and pups into a bigger pot or plant the pups in their own pots.  A job for the weekend. 

Winner!

I won a DVD on Twitter! Who says Twitter is pointless, eh? Last night I entered a competition to win a copy of the acclaimed documentary Searching for Sugarman, which tells the story of two South African music writers' attempts to track down an enigmatic American folk musician who was a superstar in their country in the 1970s. The musician, Rodriguez, was rumoured to have died after setting himself on fire on stage or from a drug overdose and these two guys set out to see if the stories were true.  

Luke and I had wanted to see the movie since it was first released, but somehow never got around to it, so when I saw the promo for it on SBS the other day I set myself a reminder to watch it. I kept thinking, "It's a shame Luke's not here to watch it with me", but now I've won myself a copy - just by retweeting a tweet by the distributor - we can watch it together when he gets back from his trip. (He returns in just over a week.)

I'll put the DVD on the shelf with the book I won on Twitter ages ago. 

Bargains, compliments, muffins

I love these facades on Bridge Road

I did a spot of shopping on Bridge Road in Richmond this afternoon. Nearly everything I tried on fitted and everything was a bargain. That's shopping nirvana, that is. 

The shop assistants were very chatty and complimentary. One liked my boots, another liked the print on my dress and another one liked my "style". (I was 'girly with an edge' today: a B&W sort of floral/paisley/damask print dress and full-skirted red trench, with boots and studded bag. This isn't a fashion blog so I have no photos.) 

I had a conversation with one shop assistant about the sorry state of retail on Bridge Road, which used to be Melbourne's mecca for discount fashion shopping, but it's verging on being a ghost strip these days. Every time I go, it seems as if more 'for lease' signs have gone up. I feel like I'm doing something to help by shopping there when I could find the same shops elsewhere...which helps me justify buying stuff I don't need! 

English muffins...why are they so tasty? I had them grilled with cheese and Vegemite for dinner. 

Sunshine, botox, bridal binge

Yesterday's golden hour 

The last two days have been filled with glorious sunshine. I walked the 40 minutes to my osteopath appointment this morning for the first time in aaaaages to make the most of the warmth. I bared my pasty white arms and gave my vitamin D levels a boost. Aaaah...spring. The smell of jasmine is everywhere and magnolias are blooming, even though the trees are still bare of leaves. 

I had my neurologist appointment yesterday. I'm gonna get botox! As well as its cosmetic and other therapeutic benefits, the toxin is effective at preventing migraines in many sufferers. I have to keep a diary to show that I have 15 migraines a month before the government will subsidise the treatment, so for the first time ever I'm willing my head to ache! Fifteen seems like a lot, but I think I'll get there. The treatment costs $1,200 and lasts only three months so it's not an option if I don't qualify for the subsidy.  

It's weird that being injected with the most deadly toxin known to humankind feels preferable to taking medication every day. (No one has ever been poisoned by it during a treatment.) I didn't ask about whether the treatment will have cosmetic benefits, if you're wondering! 

I had a lovely dinner with the girls last night - a farewell dinner for a friend from my old work who is leaving to for an extended stint of travel, the lucky thing. The food was tasty and we had a lot of laughs.  

I've had a huge wedding show binge this afternoon. I've lost track of how many hours of wedding programs I watched*. I'd be watching Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta right now if I hadn't already seen the episode earlier in the day.  So annoying! 

(*Yeah, I know I should have been outside enjoying the late winter sun, but I didn't have the energy for it. I still enjoyed the sun shining in my big lounge room window and the gentle breeze blowing through my flat.) 

Day 1 of my long weekend

Look at that furry tail! LOOK. AT. IT

First day of my extended weekend and I did very little. I didn't leave the house at all (unless you count taking a few steps onto the fire escape to water my pitiful herb garden). 

I had a sleep in, did a few domestic things, pottered about on the internet, indulged my guilty pleasure (wedding shows), made and ate some cookie dough (eggless, Dina!) and that's about it. 

Oh, I achieved perfection in folding a fitting bedsheet. That was pretty thrilling. 

I'm looking forward to leaving the house tomorrow for my neurologist appointment in the city at 11.00am.

 

Fake Friday, sunshine and pavlova

Today was the last day of the working week for me. I now have four days off. Yay! I don't have any special plans; I'm just worn out and need a rest. I've had a pretty full-on year and haven't had a week off since Christmas. (I'm not taking a week now because I went into negative leave at Christmas and it's taken months for me to catch up.  I don't want to use too much of what leave I on resting at home.)

I probably will leave my bed/couch/house though. I have an appointment with a neurologist about my migraines, and dinner with the girls on Friday night. I might get a massage, maybe an eyebrow wax and tint. Thrilling stuff, I know.

Happily, the weather is on the improve from tomorrow, with sunshine and milder temperatures than we've had for the last month or two. Good timing, me! 

I've had delicious mini-pavlovas for dessert the last two nights. Makeshift pavlovas, anyway - pre-prepared meringue nests with whipped cream and berries, no cooking skills required. I did whip the cream though.  I have enough for the several more serves too. It's pavlovapalooza. 

I've worn different pairs of new shoes to work the past two days and have no blisters or tender spots.  

24-7 girl stuff

Luke left for the airport tonight for a two-week trip to the UK to visit his daughter, so I have two weeks of solo living ahead of me. I'll miss him, of course, but I really like having the place to myself. Is that bad? 

Tonight I've watched an episode of My Fair Wedding on Foxtel's You Channel...watching wedding shows on You has become my guilty pleasure. And they screen SO MANY of them. Obsessed with the Dress, Don't Tell the Bride, I Found the Gown, Four Weddings, Say Yes to the Dress and on and on and on. I'm not even that interested in weddings; I just enjoy scoffing at the bride-to-be's entourage (and critiquing the dress choices). The bride usually brings a crowd of friends and family with her when she tries on dresses  - some even bring their groom! What is with THAT? - and there's always one in the crowd who is just awful. Brutally honest, selfish and/or domineering. And then there's the super conservative Southern parents who want their daughter to walk down the aisle with every inch of skin covered. "Sweetie, ya'll cannot go to church dressed like A WHORE!" 

Anyway, with the place to myself for a few weeks I will probably overdose on the wedding shows. I'm currently watching The Nanny Diaries and I've made and eaten a bowl of cookie dough for one. It was yummy. I'll be having that again. 

I have a friend visiting for the weekend and we're hitting the shops. It's 24-7 GIRL STUFF round these parts for the next two weeks! Woooooh! 

Spring, possum, plover

Twilight tonight

Luke and I left the house tonight to go for dinner and I could smell spring on the air - that lovely sweet blossomy scent. I spotted a spray of jasmine among the greenery on a neighbour's fence on the weekend too, and buds have started to appear on the still-bare branches of shrubs I pass on the way to the tram stop. It feels too cold still for buds to appear, but it makes me happy. It's one of my favourite times of the year. 

I saw a possum on the way home the other night. It was sitting at the bottom of a tree, watching me pass by. 

I haven't been working to work lately so I haven't seen Mr and Mrs Plover beside the river, but I did see a lone plover on the oval when I was walking to the tram on Monday. It was a manic little creature - it would take half a dozen quick steps then stop and look into the grass for insects, then, finding none, it would run off again. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. If 'd had the time, I would have stopped to video it.

Friday, surprise mandarin, Babybel

It's Fuh-ridayeeeeeee! This working week has gone quickly, but today dragged on. I've had a pleasingly productive week at work and cleared piles of filing off my desk, which is always a nice feeling. 

I ate a deliciously sweet mandarin for morning tea. It was small so it was down the hatch in no time. Just as I was wishing there were more, I looked down and there in front of me sat two more segments of juicy mandarin. Score!

I also had a Babybel cheese for my morning snack. I only had Babybel for the first time this week.  I bought some for after-gym snacks, but so far I've eaten them before setting foot in the gym.  I really enjoy peeling the little strip that splits the wax coating in two.   

Three types of ordinary happiness

As I crossed the footbridge over the freeway this morning, a woman approached with a miniature schnauzer on a leash. The dog stopped and, resisting its owner's tugs of the leash, poked its head through the railings and paused to watch the traffic surging towards the tunnel.

A little further along, a black dog ran towards me with a big stick in its mouth. It stopped and looked back for its owner. It waited, stick still in mouth. Then when its owner caught up, it started wagging its tail and took off again.

Not long after I got to work, an online friend posted this Leunig cartoon on Facebook:

(I tried to make this bigger but it didn't work. Sorry.) 

Three minutes of happiness borrowed from a dog! 

I also experienced the happiness of both partners in my team being away. It was even more relaxed than yesterday.

And the joy of arriving home to the aroma of corned beef. Luke had it bubbling away on the stove. We had it for dinner and it was delicious, especially with a scrape of zesty dijon mustard. We have leftovers too. 

Holidaying at work, marshmallows, cereal love

My boss is away this week. He's in Fiji, and we're having a little holiday as well. He's a good boss and a nice guy so it's not as if we can't stand having him around, it's just more relaxed when he's away. 

My other boss brought in a cake for the team today and some homemade marshmallows for the few of us who can't eat the cake. How thoughtful. 

I sneezed in the lift as I left work tonight and the other woman in there said "Bless you". 

I am loving the gluten-free Weetbix. I thought about them as I neared home tonight and it put a spring in my step.  I had a bowl for a snack when I got home. Yum. 

Yum, sun and lots of leaves

The anticipation of my first taste of gluten-free Weetbix got me out of bed a little earlier than usual this morning and it was worth sacrificing some of my Sunday sleep in. As gluten-free substitutes go, these are a triumph. Just as good as the original. Yum. I had them for breakfast and for an afternoon snack with cold milk. Next up, mooshed up with warm milk. I think I might need to stock up on them (especially as my local supermarket doesn't sell them). 

It was another beautiful winter's day - one of those ones that starts off icy cold and clear (so they said on the weather report; I didn't get up that early) and turns into utter perfection: blue sky, barely a cloud and sun warm enough to coax you into baring your forearms (even if only for a little while when I was out walking). 

I made the most of the sunshine with a lengthy stroll in the Botanic Gardens. I took some photos, of course. 

 Reflections

 Blue sky and bare branches

 In the herb garden. 

 Heart-shaped leaves

Enormo-leaf in the glasshouse

 More bare branches

 Fern Gully 

 Upside down fungus on the Fern Gully Rest House

 Spring is coming! 

Leaf

 I don't know what this is - the beginnings of some kind

 of flower. And leaves

More leaves

Weetbix, cracking, sunshine

Mission accomplished! I haven't tried them yet. I'm making myself wait for breakfast, even though I'm the "breakfast cereal is anytime food" type.  I almost can't wait to get out of bed in the morning. I bought them at Coles in Prahran, which has a pretty good health food section, although these are in the normal cereal aisle. 

I saw the osteo today. He cracked my neck on both sides, which hasn't happened for a while. I like having my neck cracked...well, not so much the cracking, but the way it feels afterwards. The release. 

Today was a beautiful, blue sky winter's day - a vast difference to yesterday, which was our coldest day of the year, with rain and hail and even snow in parts of the state that don't often get snow.  

JBPM: the final day

And the clouds moved in

I just realised today is the last day of the month and thus the final day of JayBloPoMo. It's kind of a relief to be honest - it's been hard some day to come up with stuff to write about - but I don't intend to stop now.

The most gleeful thing today: I discovered Sanitarium - the makers of Weetbix - are now making a gluten free and FODMAP-friendly version. I love Weetbix and am thrilled that I can eat them again. My mission this weekend will be to find some. 

I thought I'd lost my favourite work pen, but I found it today near the photocopier. Woo!

Taken on my way home

Today's the first day in ages I have walked to and from work. The weather was so mild both morning and evening I had to take my jacket off after about five minutes of walking.  

I looked at of my office window at around 5 o'clock this afternoon and noticed how much lighter it is at that time of day. Spring's only a month away now. Yay! 

I like the silhouette of bare tree branches against the sky, especially if it's cloudy like it was when I walked home tonight. (This obviously isn't what the sky really looked like. I fiddled about with the photo a bit.)  

JBPM: day 29

I set a new personal best in the bed-to-desk event. I got up at 8.06 and sat down at my desk at 9.02. Fifty-six minutes. It would have been even less than that if I had known I couldn't get off the tram at King Street because of construction work. I had to go a stop further and walk back.  I'll know better tomorrow. 

I went to the gym tonight  - one of the few times I've been this year. I've been very, very slack. I didn't feel completely unfit, which was pleasing. I wore the Billy Idol T shirt I bought at a sale for $5. I was a HUGE Billy Idol fan in the 80s. 

I spotted two Nankeen Night Herons standing like statues on the edge of the river on the way home.  Here is a really bad photo of one of them (my phone camera takes lousy night pictures). 

Luke made yummy crumbed chicken drumsticks for dinner tonight. Juicy inside and a little bit crunchy on the outside. The corn on the cob we had with it was delicious too.  

JBPM: day 28

A seal was spotted frolicking in the Yarra River not far from my house this morning! A seal! Unfortunately I was at work at the time. Dammit.  

Photo by Joe Armao, from The Age

It swam 14 kilometres from Port Phillip Bay and caught and chowed down on a couple of fish before heading back the way it came. I've seen seals in the wild plenty of times, but never in my neighbourhood. 

It was a lovely mild day today so I made the most of it by going for a walk on my lunch break. The sun was so warm I had to unbutton my jacket a little. 

I made it from bed to desk in under an hour today - 58 minutes, to be exact, beating my 59-minute effort last week.  Go, me!  

JBPM: (belated) day 27

This song, Tommy Rockwood by The Little Willies, is reminiscent of Muppet music, don't you think? When I listen to it (which is often lately), I imagine Rowlf playing the piano with his ears flapping about his head. 

JBPM: day 26

I had a gluten free raspberry muffin from the place in the city where I go for my almost daily gluten free muffin fix on week days. I'm so regular that I don't have to ask for what I want. Today's muffin was still warm from the oven. Scrrrr-umptious.  

I got my hair cut and coloured today. Just the usual, but I love that "just left the salon" feeling. I almost didn't get into the salon because the section of street it's on was blocked off by the police and fire brigade. The firemen were cleaning up an oil spill and no one was allowed to pass because it was slippery. I loitered around waiting for 45 minutes and then my hairdresser managed to sneak me in the back way. Phew. I really needed that hair cut. 

We had take-away kebabs for dinner. I put them inside my jacket and zipped it up to keep them warm on the drive home, which made me look pregnant...pregnant with a kebaby.  

JBPM: day 25

Hmmm. I'm struggling to think of something gleeful that happened today. It wasn't a bad day, but I'm so tired I think the highlight will be getting into my comfy, cosy bed.

 

JBPM: day 24

I'm a few chapters into Lost & Found and still enjoying it. I can't remember the last time I read a novel - I've mostly read non-fiction for the past few years -  but it's nice to feel the anticipation that comes with being in the midst of a story and wanting to know what happens next.   

I bumped into my friend Bertie on the way home tonight...almost literally. She saw me first and jumped in front of me. I work across the road from her office now and she was on her way to a work dinner. I walked most of the way there with her.  

I had a toasted ciabatta roll with my dinner tonight. It was chewy on the outside and deliciously soft and squishy on the inside. (No, it wasn't gluten free; sometimes I just suffer the consequences.)

It's Fridayeeee tomorrow! 

JBPM: day 23

I've just seen the promo for the return of Masters of Sex on SBS on 31 July. Hooray! I've missed it. It's the first TV drama in years that I have mad the effort to watch every week.

  

I started reading Brooke Davis' debut novel, Lost and Found, last night after finishing Mark Forsyth's Elements of Eloquence the night before. I only made it through the first chapter of Lost and Found before my eyelids got droopy, but I like it already. I hope I can keep my eyes open long enough tonight to get through another chapter. 

Back to sushi for lunch today, but I have finally found a good sushi place near my new office. It's called Macchiato. Not your usual name for a sushi place.  Yes, they  do coffee. Sushi and coffee.  

JBPM: day 22

The city disappeared today

Today was super foggy. The city was hidden when I left for work and I couldn't see the bay from my office until the afternoon, but most of the metropolitan area remained shrouded in fog all day. In fact, the fog is forecast to linger in some parts of Melbourne until tomorrow afternoon. I like fog. 

For lunch today I had a bowl of the lamb and vegetable soup from Sue Shepherd's new(ish) range of FODMAP friendly products. It was nice to have a hot meal instead of my usual lunch of sushi rolls. I can't eat onion, garlic or gluten so sushi is the easiest quick meal option for me, but it's not the ideal winter repast.  

I made the avocado and lime rice again tonight, but this time I didn't measure anything and it was even better. It's so quick and easy to make too.  

Have a look at these pictures of a gorgeous 144-year-old wisteria tree in Japan. Stunning. 

Here's a song from Norah Jones' other country band, Puss N Boots. 

JBPM: day 21

I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm obsessed with citrus, especially lemon and lime. Eating citrus, drinking citrus and smelling citrus.  I can't get enough. It's so fresh and zesty and zingy. 

My obsession intensified recently when my osteo put a citrus blend in the oil burner in their waiting room and the scent made me feel good (well, better. I rarely feel good physically). I know citrus oils are said to be uplifting and energising, but I assumed that was marketing bunkum. Maybe I was wrong...

Since that day I've been on a quest for smelly stuff for my flat so I can be uplifted and energised in the comfort of my own home, and today I found Glasshouse's diffuser with lemongrass fragrance and it's divine. Fresh, zesty, zingy.  It's only been on my mantelpiece for a brief time so I'm not uplifted and engergised yet me.

I like saying "zesty". And "pudding" or "puddin'" or just "pud". I've been using pudding words more than usual today in reference to last night's cobbler. Pudding is actually one of my favourite words. It's so warm and comforting, and kind of silly too.  

I have been listening to Norah Jones' two country music side projects for the last day or two after an online friend mentioned Norah was in an all-girl country band call Puss n Boots. And while looking up Puss n Boots I found she had another country band called The Little Willies (teehee). I really like both bands. I don't own any of Norah Jones' music though. I love the twangy stuff. 

Here's The Little Willies' cover of Diesel Smoke and Dangerous  Curves. 

JBPM: day 20

Dan the nursery cat

He looks stern, but Dan was friendly and enjoyed my pats. His owner at the Glasshaus nursery in Richmond said a lot of people take his photo and post it to Instagram, so maybe he's tired of posing for the snaparazzi. It must be tiresome being a celebrity. 

I think it's funny and a bit odd when people give their pets human names. My family had neighbours once who called their dog, a collie, Kirsty. I wondered if they had a child would they call it Lassie. (They didn't. They had three boys.) 

I cooked three recipes from Pinterest for dinner tonight. Three! New dishes I haven't made before, too -  lime and coconut chicken, avocado and coriander rice, and a mixed berry cobbler. The cobbler wasn't quite right - it didn't rise much, for some reason, and it was a little well done around the edges  - but it was yummy, especially with a generous dollop of whipped cream.  

Speaking of food, I had the blueberry pancakes with lemon curd and creme fraiche at Moth to a Flame for brunch again today. SO good. It was accompanied by the perfect hot chocolate too.  

Luke is watching funny videos on YouTube and roaring with laughter. I have been laughing at him laughing. He has one laugh that goes "HAAA-HAAAH!" that I find particularly amusing. 

JBPM: day 19

Luke and I got quite a few chuckles from this map of "vaguely rude" place names of the world. Imagine telling people you come from Shitterton or Anus or Vagina or C**t (that's in Sweden. It's not at all vague in its rudeness.). Oh, how we laughed, like the middlescents we are.   

I took a few photos on my walk home this afternoon. I never get tired of these views. 

Corner Chapel Street and Alexandra Avenue

The city from the Caroline Street landing on the river bank

And from the Hoddle Street bridge

JBPM: day 18

Whoopsie. Forgot my Friday post and now it's Saturday afternoon and I can't remember what happened yesterday.  

Here, have a furry calf:

JBPM: day 17

I really love having my back scratched. Luke just gave my shoulders and upper back a good scratching and it was amazing. I reckon I could have my back scratched for an hour the way most people have massages. 

It was a cold day today and it started to rain at lunch time. Bad timing, rain. My boss came back into the office and declared that it felt like 5 degrees out there and we should avoid going out if we could. I hadn't had lunch and I was hungry so I had to go out. I dithered in my warm office for a little longer then got up to get my jacket. And the rain had stopped and the sun was out again! Good timing, me.  

As I walked back to work with my sushi a pair of women came out of a restaurant on to the rain-slicked path. One looked up at the clear, blue sky and exclaimed, "Where did that rain come from?" Her friend said, "It's Melbourne, Chris."  (Melbourne is commonly said to experience four seasons in one day.)

I went to the pantry for the peanut butter when I got home after work and was disappointed that it was gone. Luke must have finished off the jar, I thought. Before closing the door, I moved the sugar to a higher shelf and there was the PB, hiding behind it! Yay! (I wonder if Luke put the sugar there in an effort to save the last of the PB for himself? Ha!)  

JBPM: day16

I've had a migraine for two days, but several glasses of sparkling wine and natter with the girls after work helped to get rid of it. Good riddance!

We're still having a rather chilly winter round these parts, but today the sun was warm on my back  as I strolled along William Street at lunch time.

Several people complimented me on my dress today (another recent bargain purchase), although we couldn't agree whether it was blue or green. I and the tag say green, everyone else says blue.

Oh! I nearly forgot! My friend Gillian shared this adorably amusing animated video on Facebook today. The bit with the plungers is my favourite, particularly where the pig marches off with the plungers stuck on it, and its head held high.

JBPM: day 15

I saw a Nankeen Night Heron  fishing from one of the jetties along the river on my way home tonight. I always walk as close as I can to the water's edge to increase my bird-spotting chances. 

We watched a David Attenborough's Life of Mammals on TV tonight. I'd never heard of this funny little creature, the sengi or elephant shrew, before. Look at their noses! Look at them run! The most remarkable thing is that the baby is nearly fully grown in just a week.

I had heard of the pangolin, which also featured in the same episode (about insect eaters), but I cannot get over what a bizarre creature it is. And look at it run, pootling along on its hind legs.  The world is a strange and amazing place. 

JBPM: day 14

We have replaced our doona (duvet/quilt) with blankets because it was too warm. Sleeping in a too-toasty bed isn't conducive to good sleep and can have negative health impacts.  The temperature is just about right now with one wool and one cotton blanket, but it's too soon to say it's making a difference (particularly if I'm less fatigued). The blankets aren't as snuggly as a doona, but they do stay well tucked in compared to a doona with a top sheet, and I like that.  It feels secure and comforting. When I asked Luke if he was tucked in too tightly, he said no, he likes that feeling.  I think another bonus will be less huffiness with each other over doona-hogging. 

The Oxford Dictionaries word of the day is 'middlescent' - middle-aged but still maintaining youthful interests and activities.  That's me! I usually describe myself as a 'kidult' or 'adultescent', but middlescent seems more fitting these days. 

Have I told you about the The Emotionary - a site with made up words for real feelings? Some are quite clever. I like 'feignderstand' - to pretend you have finally heard what someone said after asking them to repeat themselves more than three times.