It's been two weeks since the relaxed affair that was Easter and #auditwidow is still going strong! Steve has tried to make up for it though and last week sent through a box of gourmet doughnuts from Short Stop to keep me company when he couldn't! Don't worry, I didn't eat them all though and my colleagues were more than happy to take on the burden and help ease the pressure!

This week, Stef and I had an early celebration for her birthday and had dinner followed by a show at Crown Rooftop.

Yep it's definitely Winter now and there's a chill in the air especially at night but night views in Melbourne are still beautiful.

The spiegeltent on the rooftop provided an intimate setting for this variety show and we were enthralled by some really enchanting and impressive circus acts that form this show, Absinthe. It was an exhilarating 90 minutes as we watched performers lift, swing, balance, tightrope, spin, climb and tumble. Oh and we laughed a lot too at some outrageous and very politically incorrect jokes made by the MC and his sidekick. Definitely an 18 plus show but very entertaining.

The rain started late Friday night as Stef and I headed home and it really hasn't stopped for long. It was wet all of Saturday and we've had showers today.

We were invited to an engagement party for one of Steve's colleagues and Steve also works with her fiance as he is employed by one of Steve's clients. 


Other than that, we've stayed in really. Steve's been working and I've either been on the sofa watching Netflix (that was yesterday) or pottering around the apartment (today,) I enjoyed some time outside today in between the rain and went to a few shops close by on Brunswick Street Our trip to UK is in less than 6 weeks so we do have to think about preparing for that so I went to some present shopping mainly for Little Fox! I did think of Steve and I though and combined it with a grocery shop and came home and made a dish of no pasta lasagne (pasta is replaced by aubergine and courgette slices (zucchini and eggplant for the Australians and Americans) for lunches and dinners next week. This is a Stef dish that I tried and whilst I would have preferred pasta I thought it would be nice to have a change. Let's see if it goes down well with Steve.

Whilst we have been quiet and low on the activity front, Little Fox has been pretty active stroking animals at a local pet farm and it's good to see that at 2 and a half, her liking for shoes has already started! Here she is trying on her mummy's new high heels which she gave her seal of approval for. And also coincidentally, I sent her some sparkly slippers I'd picked up a few weekends ago from a gift shop in Yarraville. I still recall her opening the Christmas gift of a Cinderella fancy dress gown and demanding to know where the matching shoes were! 

Life as an audit widow continues into this 4 day weekend. I've had this bunny since Saturday to keep me company though which Steve brought back after a day in the office. Guilt offering methinks!

Hippety, hoppity, happy Easter!

Whilst it's been quiet, it's also been fun and a chance to rest, spend time with my sofa and strike up a friendship with Netflix!

Whilst my Facebook feed tells me all about the joys of Spring captivating the UK, I'm still not used to it being an ode to Autumn here on this side of the World.

Having said that sometimes Autumn here feels like a UK Spring. There are days of blue skies, white fluffy clouds, sunshine that isn't scorchingly hot but more a warm glow and fresh air.

Even the flowers look more Spring like than Autumn. I spent Saturday with Stef and ventured to the Western suburbs where she moved to at the end of last year. It was the first time I'd been to her places so I took with me these flowers for her new home.

It was whilst I was in the florist that a Frenchman tapped me on my arm to tell me that my perfume smelt like leather and roses and was amazing. Except when he said it sounded more like "parfung, lezzurrrrrrr, rrrrrroses and ehmezzing!" That was a little random but good to know I was fragrant!

We had a yummy lunch in Footscray although we did get lost driving there but lunch was very satisfying which made up for the confusion. We then had a stroll around Yarraville, another inner West suburb which has some cute shops and has a pleasant villagey feel to it. There's also an independent cinema there which was originally built in the late 30s so has these very lovely art deco features to it and we decided to watch a film.The impromptu afternoon plans were really relaxed and pleasant and just a great way to while away the day.

In the last week, there has been the odd cloudy day and it's definitely showing signs of becoming less shorts weather and more covered legs and a cardigan temperatures. This makes it much more pleasant to walk around though and I've encountered some really pretty sights just from the comfort of the bedroom balcony.

The cathedral picture was taken on my Thursday walk home. The sky was just a beautiful colour and a lovely way to start 4 days of no work!

On Wednesday I caught up with Kirsty after work and she very very kindly took me to see Paolo Nutini at the Palais in St Kilda. We had a pre performance Japanese dinner and then were entertained by the very talented Scottish Italian musician. Sell out crowd and a wide range of sings performed from the toe tapping, bottom wiggling to the heart pulling and goosebumping!

The show finished at 11pm and it seemed that the easiest way home was by tram so it was after midnight that I got home. Yes, and on a schoolnight! But luckily Thursday was the last day before Easter break. Thank you Kirsty for the ticket.

Possible most exciting of all was a girls' trip to the cinema with her mummy, paw paw and goo goo where she enjoyed popcorn, pick and mix and Cinderella. So spoiled and at one point with one hand in the sweetie bag and the other in the popcorn she told goo goo, "no more hands!" Apparently she sat through it all which I'm impressed by given she's not even 3 but was a little restless by the end and asked to switch the channel to "Peppa Pig!"