I’ve only been back at work for a fortnight and I’m already saying it. Gee, the weekends get away from me these days. I’m sitting here at 5pm for a late afternoon tea – steaming cup of tea to the left of me and a couple of quadruple chocolate brownies to the right of me. It’ll be dinner time soon but the winning combination of chocolate, carbs and tannins is what I currently need in large amounts.
My life as an inner city train commuter has drawn to a close. I’m back in the suburbs, getting used to driving, parking and fiddly things like blue toothing my temperamental Nokia work phone that’s just holding it together thanks to metres of sticky tape with the fancy system set up in the car.
I’ve said goodbye to coffees (from hole in the wall cafes) on the sidewalk next to chalk boarded menus
and returned to old haunts with table service and those killer almond croissants.
My daily cardio hit of running along train station promenades
and through parks that are home to both a memorial to fallen soldiers and the much loved Rabbitohs
have given way to gym based work outs.
In some ways it feels like I’ve never been away but in others, it feels like I’ve missed some major developments.
My local post office is now considered busy enough to have it’s own bank of 24/7 parcel lockers. Yes I’ve registered and I’ve got a fancy new postal address for my next online purchase. The more depressing development is that our local Video Ezy has shut. Just when I got a new DVD player and managed to get it to work after having to read the instructions only once.
I gave myself cabin fever this morning. Mainly because I spent yesterday doing an industrial strength declutter. I went through my entire wardrobe and the good news, it’s now more streamlined and my wardrobe is now full of clothes hung by type and colour. The bad news is that I fit most of my work clothes so I no longer have the legitimate excuse to shop that I thought I’d have.
Undeterred, I took myself to the Bermuda Triangle that is Rhodes (it’s as treacherous as Costco, I’m telling you) and found some happy news at Target.
Which is how I ended up with three brown eyeliners. I’ll report back once I’ve tested them out.
Then it was off to Ikea. Along with the half of Sydney that wasn’t at the beach today.
Christmas has arrived already at Ikea. Seeing the Ikea straw reindeer on display never fails to get me feeling festive. I think I might invest in one this year.
It was lunchtime by the time I got through my shopping list (and found even more things that weren’t on it). The menu at Ikea has gone all fancy. There’s ribs, cannelloni and calamari on offer these days. I settled for some hot smoked salmon and a fruit salad.
The major reason for my Ikea trip was to get the house set up for a more grown up Baby SSG. He’s fascinated with furniture and the magic of being able to pull himself up on it. This chair and table are just his height and best of all did not require any assembly on my part.
The reason for my gladness is that I’ve spent far too much time with Allen keys this weekend.
Job 1 was dropping the base on Baby SSG’s cot. Not as easy as it sounds. Especially that moment when the last screw for the base came out and the storage drawer beneath the cot dropped. Loudly and heavily.
Job 2 was less complicated but a bit more frustrating. The mission was to convert the Stokke high chair from baby to infant mode via adding some new bits and pieces to the base. We got there in the end.
And then there was the quality time spend with a screw driver setting up this DJ turn table and percussion unit. Oh the beats we’ll be bopping to in coming weeks. Thank goodness for that off switch.
Throw in some grocery shopping, ironing and restocking of the linen cupboard ($79.95 1000 count sheet sets are back at Costco, spread the word and get a set or two for your mum while you’re at it) and I’m ready to find the remote for the telly and settle in for the night.
But before I go, these are some of my favourite Instagram photos I took in Redfern.
The day the sky went cotton wool hazy and the moon went red.
A semi secret inner city garden at the international school just up from Central station.
And of course, Prince Alfred pool, my home away from home.
Have a lovely evening and an even better week. It’ll fly by for all of us, I just know it.