Holiday Slump

At the moment I am on school hoidays but not for much longer.

Due to my Beau being away with college still I have no one to go away with as everyone else who I would like to go away with (and those that could out up with me) are working.

I feel like I haven't really done anything at all these hols -  although I know I have.  I haven't just been doing "nothing".  So in the interest of making myself feel like they were worthwhile, here is a list of things  have done:

• Booked a wedding venue (more on this later)
• Spring cleaned the kitchen - although you can't tell anymore
• Spent a day driving around an area I may be moving to at the end of the year (depending on the placement that we get) to decide where we might like to buy our first home together (and the first house I will have ever lived in).
• Done my tax return for last year
• Eaten about a million pieces of nougat.
• Cooked some lovely food
•  Done a few days of thrift shopping with my Mum and Grandparents
• Designed a wedding website
• Gotten my car fixed (someone crashed into my while it was parked - in a car park -  and didn't leave a note).
• Done some Christmas shopping and made some present idea lists.
• Caught up with a few friends I haven't seen in ages.
• Had my hair "done"

To make this post a bit more interesting I thought I would do a list of all of things that I am in love with at the moment:

• Nougat as previously mentioned.  My favourite is Massam's honey and almond.

• Sleeping-in while everyone else is getting up.   I love my Tempur mattress.  My bedroom feels very calming in the morning.  This isn't my bed but kind of has the same colours and head board.

• The ocean temperature - it's about 20 which is the same as out.  I know because my brother made me go for a swim.

• Champagne - I'm averaging a bottle every two days!

• CD player in my hire car - my normal car doesn't have one - I can listen to jazz all day!

Holidays

I am now officially on holidays!  This feels like it has been the longest term ever (11 weeks) especially as I had my practicum in the middle of it, Eisteddfod and the Beau is away.

This weekend, my brother is on a surfing trip up North so I have the apartment to myself for the whole weekend.  I also do not have to do anything tomorrow apart from a reading a Church  but that finishes at 9.30 am.

Here is a list of all the things I want to get done these holidays:

• Paint some part of our apartment - except no one likes the colours I do
• See Harry Potter  and the Half-Blood Prince
• Pass me DET interview with flying colours
• Spend some time with my Beau
• Get my tax-return done
• Get all my AMEB notes for students done (I have 13 doing exams - my most ever)
• Finish my reading for university next semester - one subject to go!!!!
• Have my 50s Fair outfit planned
• Spend some time driving wherever I like and looking at Op Shops
• Document through photographs different vintage-inspired outfits I can put together.
• Do all the mending in my mending basket
• Finally complete the curtains for my little brother and sisters playhouse (we're into the second year).
• Have decided on somewhere to have our wedding
• Try a different cocktail every day from my Hollywood Cocktail book.
• Document everything and post about it.

I remember when I was younger I would always keep a journal and a mood board with pictures that inspired me or wrappers/postcards/coasters etc from things I did that I wanted to remember.  When I started at uni, studying music composition and got my first apartment, my creativity was channelled into decorating and composing music.  It is only now (3 years after finishing uni) that I a feeling the need to keep track of inspiring things and ideas.  

I know my blog is a bit all over the shop about what it s about - but I guess that is what life is like at the moment.  I have school, personal life, wedding plans, vintage interests, dreams about the future and they don't quite all seem to mesh yet.  I know that I do try to keep most of them apart (for example teaching and my personal life) but it would be nice to feel like I can be myself all the time at work.

Holidays

Here are some happy snaps from our holidays in Queensland.

This photo was taken at the Tambourine Mountains Botanic Gardens

Compared to the rest of Mt. Tambourine this place was lovely and quiet.  It is all run by volunteers and they have done a great job of making different areas of the gardens into features.  There is a Japanese Garden, a Rose Garden, A Camellia Garden etc.

This was also taken at the botanical gardens

This is also taken at the botanical gardens overlooking their Lily pond.

This is a something possum from the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.  

We saw quite a few animals there.  We thought it was a it like Australia Zoo only more down-to-Earth and not as expensive.  We took our lunch that I made (sandwiches) bought a coffee and had a sort of picnic lunch overlooking the lake they have there.  I hadn't visited there since I was a litlle girl so I was glad to see that it is still popular.

The Beau got some great pictures of kangaroos, wombats and koala's.  I thought the best thing was the aviaries you can walk through.  It was amazing to sit still in there and after a few minutes to spot all this life moving around you.  It felt very special.

Here we are both at the Bird Sanctuary on the train that takes you around the park.

This is the view from the Q1 tower.  

This view is facing South and you can actually see where we stayed.  The photo is taken from the 77th floor.  It doesn't feel that high when you first look out but when you move to the edge and then look straight down it did make e feel a bit dizzy.  Visitors are able to walk up to the 78th floor where there is a mesh window and you can feel the wind up there.  It wasn't windy when we went up but as it faces West, we watched the sun set over Mt Tambourine.

This photo is on the train at Tropical Fruit World

This is the big Avocado at Tropical Fruit World.

This is the most organized tour of a park I have ever been on.  I love nature and wanted to stroll around looking at plants and smelling the fruits - but- you are not allowed to walk and have to get towed around by a tractor.  The you go on a boat.  The you go a mini-train.  Then you go on the tractor then you go to a fruit tasting and you're done!  I couldn't believe how fast it went.

It was quite expensive here ($75 for both of us).   Lucky I bought lunch and there was the fruit tasting.  We did buy some souvenirs here for our family and ourselves but you do feel that you are being ripped off a tad.

My hair for the races

On Doncaster Day we went to the Gold Cast Races and it was one of the best things we did on our holiday.  It was a beautiful day and there were not too many people about.  We both came out about even and had fun dressing up.

But now for the sad part - it's over!  Back to work on Wednesday!

Countdown

Only a few more days until school holidays and I can't wait. I am very ready to be able to focus on my university work and then going on holiday with my Beau.

We are going to the Gold Coast and i have a sneaky feeling that this might be the place to find mounds of vintage stuff. I'm hoping that they aren't into vintage too much there. The same hopefully can be said of all the towns we will be stopping at on the way there and back. Which means I will pobably have spent all my money before we get there.

We have taken an apartment that is self-contained so I will still be able to plan my menu and hopefully post some photos.

Before we head off though we are heading to the Sydeny Royal Easter Show. It is one of favourite events of the whole year. last year i won a ribbon for my Dark Plum Jam (Highly Commened). This year I have entered a Savoury Pesto (new category), 2 dessert sauces (a light plum and a mocha - these add up to one category) and a plum jam again. However this year there is no seperation between light plum jam and dark plum jam so I don't know how I'll go with more competitors. I would love a place ribbon. Even a third!

I got the Beau to take some photos on his new camera so I will post them before we go on hols. i have an assignment due on April 13th so I'm sure that will be a great way to procrastinate!

Mercury Rising

I cannot believe how hot it is!

However I am coping a little better now I have been for a swim and had a Champagne!

Alas, I have no photos to post from my holiday at Jindabyne because the beau decided to go and take the camera to Big Day Out and lost it!  He had fun though.

Over the next few days I'm hoping to get ready for back to school and actually be excited about about going back to work.  Like I was when I was little and just dying to get back to school and have homework to do.  No surprise I am a teacher!

The things I want to do before I go back to work are:

• Send out engagement party invites
• Have all my uni materials ready to go 
• Have my timetable sorted out and have confirmed all lessons for week 2 of term.
• Have the apartment perfect so I don't have to feel guilty about that.
• I wanted to have the ironing done but that will never happen in this heat!
  

In the next few days I will take some photos of everything that's happen so my posts look a little more interesting!