It's been so long since I've posted in this section of my blog. Over a year! It's become harder and harder to keep up the 'diary style' writing and now given there's Instagram, it's a lot easier to see what Steve and I get up to in 'real time' anyway. So follow me on there if you want to see my misadventures!
I guess it's only right to maybe summarise this past year. And then I think moving forward I will post when I feel there's something to share; passions, opinions, what's going on, that kind of thing but not the regular 'this is what I've been up to' type of writing.
Weather in Melbourne is still very warm - in the thirties this weekend. They're calling it a late Summer and Autumn is showing no signs of arriving. Maybe we'll launch straight into Winter. This also means that there have been spectacular sunsets and sunrises. In spite of the warm sunny weather, we have noticed that it's still dark in the morning at 6am so we wake up to sunrise which sets up the day nicely.
The last post was about a holiday to Noosa. Since then we had a family holiday in Malaysia where we met up with my mum and dad and Amelia. Dad came back to Melbourne with us and stuck around until September! As usual it was a pleasure having him around as he looked after us with plenty of home cooking and left us with a fridge full of dumplings and spring rolls that saw us through until Christmas!
We spent Christmas Day with Kirsty at our place where we ate and drank a lot and called in at the pub for some festive chilled egg nog. We weren't convinced by the thought of egg nog but it was truly delicious. And the Kirsty backed us up with Toblerone cocktails.
Our Christmas holiday was a road trip from Melbourne to the Southern NSW coast; the Jervis Bay area where we stayed in a lovely holiday home for a week but stopped in Canberra on the way there and the King Valley on the way back.
Workwise, I started a new role in the same company at the end of January and have returned to my training and L&D roots which I love. It's been a long and circuitous journey and admittedly it wasn't a destination that I definitively had in mind but I love that I can go back there once more.
For Steve, he completed a secondment in industry as a CFO last year and is in the middle of another secondment now at a much larger organisation. Ironically, he's working with Kirsty again. Another twist of fate that I love!
I'm still keeping up the barre classes and have got over my fear of the reformer machine for pilates so attend some of those when the barre schedule doesn't work. I'm doing 20 sessions a month and have convinced Steve to come with me! I go during the week by myself but he comes with me on a Saturday and Sunday morning. He's been doing it since January and he's kept on at it so he must be enjoying it in some twisted way. I still can't bring myself to admit I enjoy exercise but something must be going the right way given how much money we spend at the studio and how often I'm there! I have a new interest in activewear!
I guess it's only right to maybe summarise this past year. And then I think moving forward I will post when I feel there's something to share; passions, opinions, what's going on, that kind of thing but not the regular 'this is what I've been up to' type of writing.
Weather in Melbourne is still very warm - in the thirties this weekend. They're calling it a late Summer and Autumn is showing no signs of arriving. Maybe we'll launch straight into Winter. This also means that there have been spectacular sunsets and sunrises. In spite of the warm sunny weather, we have noticed that it's still dark in the morning at 6am so we wake up to sunrise which sets up the day nicely.
The last post was about a holiday to Noosa. Since then we had a family holiday in Malaysia where we met up with my mum and dad and Amelia. Dad came back to Melbourne with us and stuck around until September! As usual it was a pleasure having him around as he looked after us with plenty of home cooking and left us with a fridge full of dumplings and spring rolls that saw us through until Christmas!
We spent Christmas Day with Kirsty at our place where we ate and drank a lot and called in at the pub for some festive chilled egg nog. We weren't convinced by the thought of egg nog but it was truly delicious. And the Kirsty backed us up with Toblerone cocktails.
Our Christmas holiday was a road trip from Melbourne to the Southern NSW coast; the Jervis Bay area where we stayed in a lovely holiday home for a week but stopped in Canberra on the way there and the King Valley on the way back.
Workwise, I started a new role in the same company at the end of January and have returned to my training and L&D roots which I love. It's been a long and circuitous journey and admittedly it wasn't a destination that I definitively had in mind but I love that I can go back there once more.
For Steve, he completed a secondment in industry as a CFO last year and is in the middle of another secondment now at a much larger organisation. Ironically, he's working with Kirsty again. Another twist of fate that I love!
I'm still keeping up the barre classes and have got over my fear of the reformer machine for pilates so attend some of those when the barre schedule doesn't work. I'm doing 20 sessions a month and have convinced Steve to come with me! I go during the week by myself but he comes with me on a Saturday and Sunday morning. He's been doing it since January and he's kept on at it so he must be enjoying it in some twisted way. I still can't bring myself to admit I enjoy exercise but something must be going the right way given how much money we spend at the studio and how often I'm there! I have a new interest in activewear!
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 | I just want to share with you this picture. We had a fun Sunday lunch recently with Stef and the Choongs. There are now 4 Choongs. Ling, Noah and Bunty welcomed Dainty to the World in December. Note that Bunty and Dainty aren't the gorgeous girls' real names! So Steve and I borrowed them for a 'family picture' to represent what life could have been for us! It's in good humour as it's a path we have chosen not to take and a decision we have made and not one that has been made for us by health issues or Mother Nature. |
My mum's opinion on this picture is that Steve looks very comfortable and I just look a bit not quite right! I'm not sure what she's trying to say about my maternal capabilities!
It recently struck us just how long we've been here in Melbourne. Items we bought when we first got here have started to break and need to be replace. Boring stuff really like clothes airers and electric fans but it goes to show that our temporary two year secondment has really turned into something more. Although, we still don't call it permanent!
Amelia is 4 now going on 14! The latest is that she doubts Santa Claus because he's too fat to come down the chimney so he can't be real and Mummy and Daddy must buy the presents. It's too soon for her to be growing up! We'll be seeing her this Christmas as my mum, dad, Aunty Danz, Graeme, I-Lin and Amelia all come out for a family holiday! Super exciting.
Before that happens though, Steve and I have a Tassie trip planned and there's going to be a lot of activity as Melbourne Food and Wine Festival kicks off at the end of the month!
I hope it won't be as long until I post next time but I'm also not going to commit to anything! But if you want an in between fix, follow me on Instagram: mindabarley
And I'm not about to break tradition so here are some Amelia photos!
Amelia is 4 now going on 14! The latest is that she doubts Santa Claus because he's too fat to come down the chimney so he can't be real and Mummy and Daddy must buy the presents. It's too soon for her to be growing up! We'll be seeing her this Christmas as my mum, dad, Aunty Danz, Graeme, I-Lin and Amelia all come out for a family holiday! Super exciting.
Before that happens though, Steve and I have a Tassie trip planned and there's going to be a lot of activity as Melbourne Food and Wine Festival kicks off at the end of the month!
I hope it won't be as long until I post next time but I'm also not going to commit to anything! But if you want an in between fix, follow me on Instagram: mindabarley
And I'm not about to break tradition so here are some Amelia photos!
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