No Pain No Pain

some of you may want to be seated for this but... i have joined a gym. i have always been one of those people that snickered, chuckled and gaffawed at those little freaks in their lycra-clad outfits with their obligatory water bottles and i-pod strapped arms. I'm not into working out. My philosophy is no pain, no pain. i come from a long line of pasty-white skinned indoorsy types (albeit greatly revered for his mushroom + feta cheese foccacia). not only does no one in my family play sport, but they don't even watch sport.

it facinates me how fitness-fanatics love to go on about it as well, they somehow manage to throw it into any conversation. "while i was on my 12k run this morning...." my dad summed it up so well the other week; he couldn't understand why someone would drive to the gym, try to park as close as possible to the entrance and then get on a machine and walk or run to get fit. it's all psychological i s'pose.

why did i join you ask? i wanted to know what all the damn fuss was about. but to be completely honest, i am actually enjoying it. (watch this space to hear all about my 12k run...)

Apparently Not...

what?

I'm forever blowing bubbles... Or am I?

firstly i would like to point out that i don't really follow footy (soccer for you non-poms, they invented it so who am i to argue?) but the FA Cup final is on this weekend and apparently it is a HUGE DEAL. i suppose one of the disadvantages to being married to a pom is having to pretend to care about stuff like this.

hubby is a MASSIVE west ham supporter, having grown up in east london/essex. he owns a vast array of claret and blue t-shirts, jumpers, shorts and various other paraphernalia. the suckiest part of living on the other side of the globe to where the game is actually being played, is that the game doesn't start until midnight tonight. like i said, i don't follow footy but i especially don't follow footy at that time of the night!

but all in all, i suppose if i had to pick a team, i might end up in the divorce courts if i didn't say west ham. so...

C'MON YOU IRONS!!!

omigosh, they're so cute aren't they? not to mention witty, intelligent, brave and resourceful...

Insane Cleverness

it is time to pay credit where credit is due. after renting for the first 5 years, i must confess that i did have my doubts about hubby's around-the-house-handy-man abilities. we bought our first house 18 months ago and i am now officially impressed... this is the result of many a sunday spent painting, swearing, dripping sweat, plastering, cursing, tiling and using a fair bit of foul language... but it was worth it.

Sandcastles + Steak 'n' Kidney

what a great couple of weeks! mum and dad just came to visit us on their way back to queensland, after easter in coober pedy. following a long weekend here in melbourne, shopping, dining out, shopping, sandcastles, shopping, the melbourne comedy festival and shopping, we headed up to sydney with them for another long weekend.

one of the displays at the rye sand sculpting exhibition (the bag-lady is mum). very talented sculptors. unfortunately some morons jumped the fence the night before and vandalised most of the displays.

such detail! hubby had to pose for some time so they could get this one just right...

amongst other things, i am a very talented sculptor...

my beautiful nephew (tate) and niece (mieke); story-time with grandad and grandma (who strangely looks more interested than the kids...)

sydney's centrepoint tower. oh, and hubby.

this is why my arms hurt for weeks after i see tate & miekles... (and the opera house in the background for those of you that grew up in the sixties)

i don't care what anyone says, melbourne is better than sydney. sydney is rather beautiful though, eh?