Holiday memories fade fast don't they? It's been just under two weeks since our visitors left and we've had some quiet time just cooking in the apartment and mooching around the neighbourhood even during the long weekend just gone.
It was relaxing up until the Monday evening when I unexpectedly felt a dry tickle in the throat. Well that has since turned into a chest infection and a loss of my voice so I've been resting and recovering at home. It's the usual aches and pains and fatigue and fuzzy head and many people go through so much worse but it's still pretty miserable.
I had sick person food yesterday (congee). I think it's pretty common to crave the comfort food of childhood when ill and although it's not as good as mum's home cooked dishes, I'm grateful that in Melbourne. it's pretty easy to pick up this kind of stuff. So as I sleep and take two days to write this post as everything seems to take twice as long as I'm operating on what feels like low battery or power save mode, it's comforting to think back on the fun and happy times of the last month...
It was relaxing up until the Monday evening when I unexpectedly felt a dry tickle in the throat. Well that has since turned into a chest infection and a loss of my voice so I've been resting and recovering at home. It's the usual aches and pains and fatigue and fuzzy head and many people go through so much worse but it's still pretty miserable.
I had sick person food yesterday (congee). I think it's pretty common to crave the comfort food of childhood when ill and although it's not as good as mum's home cooked dishes, I'm grateful that in Melbourne. it's pretty easy to pick up this kind of stuff. So as I sleep and take two days to write this post as everything seems to take twice as long as I'm operating on what feels like low battery or power save mode, it's comforting to think back on the fun and happy times of the last month...
Steve's parents and brother arrived early on a Wednesday morning and it was fortuitous that our citizenship ceremony was on the Thursday evening. It was so nice to be able to have them there. I'm not sure if we'd have invited anyone had they not been in town! The ceremony was at Richmond Town Hall and it was pretty long. The addresses weren't so long in themselves but it was more the number of people having to get up and receive their certificates and given we were second and third in line admittedly waiting for everyone else wasn't as entertaining as it could have been. But still it was a great occasion; photographs and cheering were encouraged, flags and stuffed koala toys given out and a Chinese choir who sang the many songs in their repertoire including Waltzing Matilda but their version was Watching Matilda.
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And what do new Australians do post ceremony? Go eat a souva aka as Greek food and we all enjoyed dinner at Jimmy Grants which was quite apt given Jimmy Grant was what they used to call immigrants in Australia.
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We went to the Ai Wei Wei and Andy Warhol exhibition during the first weekend of the Barleys' visit. It was pretty interesting but for me, and I think I'm in the minority, whilst the political strands of the exhibition were clear and thought provoking, a lot of it lacked craftmanship or artistry. Maybe I'm more of a traditionalist and the art I like is about technique and pretty pictures but I fully admit to being far from an expert. Neverthless it's a a very worthwhile exhibition and a good way to spend the morning. We followed that up with pre dinner cocktails at 1806 where Dad Barley enjoyed a rare and apparently wonderful whiskey followed by dinner at Lee Ho Fook.
Our week in Noosa was filled with sunshine bar the first night when there was heavy rain. Noosa is beautiful and we enjoyed the house we'd rented on the river; sitting on the balcony looking out on the water or on a lounge by the pool. The boys went out on the river in kayaks and we had a few meals out as well as trips to the Eumundi Markets and the local farmers' market. Blessed with so much sunshine, the coastal areas were beautiful and water temperatures perfect for paddling.
We spent two days on Fraser Island with a small tour group which was such an incredible experience. We swam in beautiful clear water lakes including the breathtaking Lake McKenzie and because we made the effort with an early start, we were there before the crowds and it was a once in a lifetime experience. Even at 8:45am the water temperature was so pleasant.
We saw dingoes strut along the beach, saw the Maheno shipwreck, walked through a rainforest, climbed a mini cliff for oceanic views, bounced along endless sandy tracks and were grateful we chose to go with a tour group and expert driver rather than self drive! We were so well looked after and really got the most of the two days on the island. Seeing the sunset at the end of the first day on a jetty with a bottle of bubbles was pretty magical too.
We saw dingoes strut along the beach, saw the Maheno shipwreck, walked through a rainforest, climbed a mini cliff for oceanic views, bounced along endless sandy tracks and were grateful we chose to go with a tour group and expert driver rather than self drive! We were so well looked after and really got the most of the two days on the island. Seeing the sunset at the end of the first day on a jetty with a bottle of bubbles was pretty magical too.
After we returned from Noosa, the remaining week the Barleys were here just sped by. Steve and I were at work and returned on an evening to lovely home cooked food which was a treat. We saw Matilda at the theatre which was a very professional and slick production.We also took the opportunity to take a walk by the river through Yarra Bend Park which Steve and I had always driven past and always talked about doing but never did. It was a lovely sunny day and we could see the leaves begin to change and welcome Autumn even if the temperatures didn't feel like it!
And our last night dinner was at Dinner by Heston. Steve and I had planned this as a bit of a treat and surprise but on the day of our booking, I received a call to confirm the table but also to see if we would like to dine at the Chef's Table in the kitchen as they'd had a cancellation. Such a rare opportunity so we felt we couldn't turn down such an event and we had a great time. And enjoying the tasting menu meant I didn't have to share a Tipsy Cake. We had one each!
Since the Barleys have left, as I said it's been pretty quiet for us. The apartment feels huge and a little bit empty! The long weekend was pretty calm although Steve had to work unexpectedly through some of it but mainly it was all pretty relaxing. Well up until the stealth chest infection crept up on me!
And as each blog post isn't complete without a few snaps of Amelia, here she is! She loves her mummy and paw paw (my mum) so much!
And our last night dinner was at Dinner by Heston. Steve and I had planned this as a bit of a treat and surprise but on the day of our booking, I received a call to confirm the table but also to see if we would like to dine at the Chef's Table in the kitchen as they'd had a cancellation. Such a rare opportunity so we felt we couldn't turn down such an event and we had a great time. And enjoying the tasting menu meant I didn't have to share a Tipsy Cake. We had one each!
Since the Barleys have left, as I said it's been pretty quiet for us. The apartment feels huge and a little bit empty! The long weekend was pretty calm although Steve had to work unexpectedly through some of it but mainly it was all pretty relaxing. Well up until the stealth chest infection crept up on me!
And as each blog post isn't complete without a few snaps of Amelia, here she is! She loves her mummy and paw paw (my mum) so much!
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