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.