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What a Lady of Leisure Does

3/8/2012

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I started my new job on 1st August which was Wednesday. Lucky for me, week 1 was only 3 days long so being broken in gently. Thank you for all the text, Facebook, Linkedin, Skype messages and phone calls wishing me luck and all the best. Really appreciated the love, care and concern.

Just as a quick update the first three days went really well. Everyone seems extremely friendly and welcoming. I feel self motivated and positive and although the job is not without its challenges, I'm excited about it all. So it's a good start and I'll keep you posted about week 2.

So whilst in between jobs I had a week and a half off. I had plans to sleep a lot and recharge the batteries and the one big job I wanted to get done was do a wardrobe sort out. So my goals for the week weren't too onerous and I envisaged I would have a lot of time to potter about and spend time with Karly who is on maternity leave.

Things actually got pretty busy...and at one point I wondered if the wardrobe would ever get sorted...

So here is how I spent the last ten days without work...
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Monday was a Karly day and after a suitably long lie in (11am!) we met for lunch in the Winter sunshine by the water.

We followed up lunch with a little bit of shopping.

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Shopping was rounded off with a cupcake and cuppa.

By the time I got home, there wasn't long until Steve was home so I didn't want to start on the wardrobe. Besides it was only Monday so plenty of time...

Tuesday was my shopping day and after another long lie in (midday!) I spent the day browsing the shops for some new goodies! Nothing better than shopping mid week as it's less busy and it doesn't impinge on weekend time.

And after shopping I had to fulfil my promise to my friend Greg. I'd promised him lemon cake ages ago and never had time to make it so had said it would happen when I was off so I had to deliver.

After baking and dinner, I really had no motivation to clear out the wardrobe. Besides it was only my second day off...plenty more to come...

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Wednesday was spent with Ling. No lie in as I had an appointment for a hair cut (much needed as it's been almost 6 months since the last one!) and straight after that I headed to Box Hill to meet Ling.

We enjoyed Asian cuisine in Box Hill starting off with dumplings and then followed by congee and Viet sandwiches (banh mi). And of course we had egg tarts for dessert.

We then headed to Richmond as Ling had an appointment there and I went with her and we met up with Steve, Noah and Stef for dinner at Pacific BBQ later on.

By the time Steve and I arrived home I was too tired for anything more than sitting on the sofa and the wardrobe lay untouched.

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Brief interlude - see my beautiful flowers given to me as a leaving gift from my former colleagues. They opened up by about Thursday and were so gorgeous. Thanks guys! And I also drank the wine which was delicious. The chocolates are still in the fridge but not for long!

Thursday and Friday was one big baking bonanza. Thursday morning I shopped for ingredients and also headed to Camberwell to a coffee shop there where my friend Christine works. I'd promised to go see her in her workplace as she loves it there and wants to share it and also to try out her coffee making barista skills.

Thursday night I started some of the baking prep work and made the filling for the curry puffs. Yep you guessed it, no progress on Project Wardrobe. And now I was beginning to wonder if I would have time as I still had other things to do in the coming few days...

Friday came bright and early. After Tuesday's mammoth midday lie in I'd pretty decided I couldn't continue like that so began waking earlier..9am starts instead. Hey, I'm on leave so there has to some indulgence. I headed to Williamstown and met up with Karly and we spend the whole day baking goodies for her non baby shower the next day. It was a non baby shower as it wasn't very traditional as we had partners and husbands, kids and friends all there. So it was more a celebration for the parents to be and an excuse to get together.

In the Barnes' kitchen we made curry puffs, cupcakes, a lemon drizzle cake. We also shopped for other buffet items and enjoyed a good fish and chips lunch.

I was home about 5pm and continued the baking with a celebration cake and Tanya came after work to make sausage rolls and quiches. So yep there was a whole lot of baking and not enough time for a wardrobe sort out.

Steve helped me out with icing the cake. I was a touch too heavy handed with the food colouring so pale pink icing became hot pink icing.

Saturday was baby shower day and time to eat all that was baked. Was great to see people again and Jacqui brought Pete and Tom who just wanted to eat Cheezles. No to the sausage rolls, mini pies (they call them party pies here and they're very popular), curry puffs and all the other delights just a plate of Cheezles. Cheezles are like Wotsits in the UK but are ring shaped.
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Sunday was market day and Steve and I spent the rest of the afternoon cooking a Sunday roast for the Demerys, Chris and Katherine who came over.

We'd been to Chris and Katherine's previously on a Sunday evening and we felt that it was a success meeting relatively early, having some food together and then finishing early enough so that Monday school day is not affected.

And that was my first week of leisure time and my wardrobe was still a mess.

I treated myself to a little lie in on Monday and followed that up with a jaunt to the city and after that I couldn't really put off wardrobe tidying so I started on that.

Tuesday I had lunch plans with Stef and yes, finished off the wardrobe work all in time for work on Wednesday!

So ten days of leisure, ten days of pleasure? For sure! But glad to be a working woman once more. I can't enjoy the leisure if I don't have work to compare it too!

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    We are Steve and Minda and we've been given the opportunity to move to Melbourne for two years. We arrived November 2010 and passed that two year milestone and are now Australian citizens! This is a blog of our experiences as we move to this new country, settle in and have fun!

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