Slacker Sasch

Well here we are, another month gone by and no post by me. My friends who are all doing the 'photo blog a week/day/month' have me well and truly beat.

Part of the reason for my slackness is the computer I'm currently using. Pulled together through various means, it has lasted Brad well for the last 9 years (well most of it anyway). However lately it has been dying an excruciatingly slow, painful, tortuous death - and really doesn't work for posting large pieces of data, let alone trying to connect up a camera to include photos. Many a time have I been busily putting together resources for tutoring or work or some such 'important' activity, only to find it crash at the most inopportune times. I would say I threaten to throw it down Downfall Creek at least once a week - if it's a good week.

But never fear - hope is at hand! Thanks to Mr Rudd, we have on order a brand new, super dooper, high falooting IMac that will greet our household (hopefully) in the next week. I shall be taking many photos and gloating madly over the whole event. (I should also plug the 'Cute Tech Guy' - who I now know has the name 'Ben' - who we ordered it off at the Apple counter in the Myer Centre. Believe me - HE IS CUTE. But I digress...)


So, seeing that it's been over a month since my last update - here is what happened over the end of March, and all of April...


March

I started tutoring our Sudanese refugee family. They are the loveliest family, and although it requires quite a bit of preparation every week, I'm so glad to be doing this. The girls I tutor with are absolutely lovely, and it's a nice way to spend a couple of hours on Tuesday and Sunday afternoons.

Brad went to a conference for three days up the coast. This is going to sound so awful - but I didn't miss him as much as expected. I think that all the trips overseas without him have made me immune to the whole thing. I feel REALLY bad about this, as I think it's very different for him when I go for such long periods of time.

I had the most marvelous birthday weekend (27-29 March; birthday being 29th March) this year. Started off on Friday with an evening picnic in the Botanic Gardens, watching the Queensland Ballet with Brad and Mum. Simply superb and would highly recommend the free evening when it occurs again next year.

Then on Saturday drove down the coast and stayed at my parents' apartment for the night. Had a light dinner up at QBar - the top floor of Q1 (tallest building in Australia, and was the tallest in the world for the first few months of its existence). Indulged in a very nice cocktail and chowed down on some yummy bruschetta.

Sunday was a nice drive through the Gold Coast Hinterland before heading to my parents for dinner with them and my stepsister Amy.

I was very spoilt gift-wise by all. Highlights include the new Guess purse to match my handbag from B; the very nice top and 'Lost in Austen' DVD from mum; and 2 very nice dresses and giraffe sculpture, again from B. And that's not even HALF of what I received!


April

April was an absolutely wonderful month. We were kept so busy through most of it that we barely blinked and it was gone.

After finishing nights on the morning of the 3rd, we spent that night driving in one hit to Sydney to visit with Scott and Karen and the kids again. Arrive early Saturday morning, and spent most of the day just resting and playing with Lindsay and Joseph. Scott and Karen went out for the night, so we had lots of fun babysitting the two littlies.

Sunday we got up early and took the train into the city. A quick walk through QVB and out came Sasch with a new cardigan that is deceptively warm but very smart. Then down to George St and a major perve fest in the new Apple Store (caveat: perving on all the pretty Apple things - nothing else!). Then over to The Rocks for lunch and a leisurely walk down all the little alleyways and immersing ourselves in Australia's convict and settlement history.

Monday was another train trip but this time over to Paddington for a nice walk down Oxford St, and hopefully getting to the best little cafe we've ever found (Mickeys). On arrival, however, we were bitterly disappointed to find it closed, so continued on to Wollahra and went to the 'stand in' - a nice little pasta bar where Sasch could indulge in her Risotto cravings.

Tuesday was the end of our journey through Sydney - but we still had the journey home, which I will dissect in my next blog post.