Three Songs...

....which I cannot get out of my head.

This lush loveliness:

This layered, melancholy:

And this, creepy, menacing and disturbing (song AND video):

And so ends the school holidays....

Sigh. Back to early mornings, rushing, nagging, shortened days, earlier nights, readers and homework. Not to mention the frenzied sandwich making, dodgy and harried hairstyling of unruly locks, the nagging, the mad rush to beat the clock which surely goes MUCH quicker on school days and the nagging. No more sleep-ins, lazy, cruisey days, lunch at two and dinner at eight for another ten or so weeks.

It's been a lovely month and a half, but as with all, time passes and things change. And so for now, the period of rest and rejuvenation ceases and the cycle of new learning (and nagging), begins.

Rain, Rain

"Rain, rain, go away
Come again, another day"

Except today, I'm actually kind of enjoying the soft pitter patter of the rain falling outside. It feels cozy and pleasant to be pottering around the house, while the kids (mostly) happily play together. We have no big plans for today, nothing in fact, and with the busy busy busy of the new school term, swimming, dancing etc looming ahead, that suits me just fine.  

Preparations

Tour paid.

Flights booked.

Accommodation in Bangkok, pre and post Nepal, booked.

Travel insurance booked.

Hiking socks, pants, top and jacket purchased.

Microfibre towel purchased.

Ran/walked, three times this week.

Butterflies of anticipation, nervousness and excitement, commenced.

A million things still to do.

Could it be?

....... that I WILL fulfill a dream I have held for the last 12 years? It has come up, in the most unexpected of ways, out of the blue. Last week, The Husband forwarded me an email about a trek in Nepal. Thus followed 5 days of frenzied research- could I? Couldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I? I thought and researched and researched and thought. And late last night, I decided that, no, it was too much to do on my own, the prospect was a tad too intimidating. Not to mention too far away. And isolated. And scary. And.....insert lame excuse here....

The fact remained though, I felt, that in this 40th year of my life an adventure was needed and I thought I had one sorted out.

Until The Sister informed me today of a deal she had seen, to the same location The Husband had forwarded me 5 days ago.


I looked. I liked. A lot. The old, familiar yearning in me rose again and I half jokingly, in a very round about fashion, suggested to The Sister that we go.

Dear reader, she said would go.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I am going to Nepal.

New Year's Resolutions

Well, it's the 12th day into the the New Year and I have to admit, I have not heard a single New Year's Resolution being bandied about. Has making resolutions fallen out of fashion? Have people cottoned onto the fact that they are often made but seldom kept and realise what a waste of time they are? I myself, have made many a New Year's Resolution in the past and have dedicated whole, earnest, lists to them and yet, the end result is always the same- I achieve NONE of the things on my carefully written lists. So, with that in mind, this year, my New Year's resolutions are:

Zilch. Nada. Nothing. Zero. 

Bring it.

Self Discipline

Two words which brings a chill to the hearts and a heaviness to the souls to those of us who are more naturally inclined to be the exact opposite. Two words which drain the fun out of your day and conjure up flashes of brown, boredom, deprivation and drudgery. Self discipline? Bah! That's for vegans, breatharians and freaks who have nothing better to do, right?

Now, if by self discipline, you mean occasionally visiting the gym, taking a multivitamin four days out of seven (on a good week), eating Maccas only weekly and getting to bed before 1.30am more often than not, then yes, I have self discipline by the bucket load. I am practically bathing in it. If I were any more self disciplined I'd have.....


......finished my midwifery years ago.......

......be running 5k straight.......

.......have lost those last 5kg since having Boy Child......

......be debt free.........

......be a Home Owner, rather than a Filthy Renter......

Ah, hang on. STOP!! This is turning into a list of recriminations and that was not the intention of this post! See! See what simply discussing self discipline does to you? Fills you with regret and shame and guilt and oh my  goodness, I need to go and pour a big glass of wine, sit in front of the TV and forget all about all the things I haven't done.


BUT!!!

I make lists. Often. Whether or not I achieve those things on the lists is another matter. What does matter is that I am self disciplined enough to sit down and write those lists. It's a start, dammit.



The funny thing is though, I actually do feel SO much better when I go to bed earlier, go to the gym or go for a jog, eat well, drink less alcohol, spend less money.....it's just that it's SO much less fun.


Sigh.

Still Hot

I know, I know, it's hardly the most original or interesting post title but hell, like I mentioned earlier,  my brain is addled. With heat. Because it is STILL hot. Stupidly, uncomfortably, nauseatingly HOT.

I have taken to drinking beer in a desperate attempt to cool my innards (not really, I just enjoy enjoy drinking crispy cold beer on hot days. And nights.). I am waiting for the promised southerly to hit and cool this furnace, masquerading as a house, down. I'm half tempted to run to the beach and plunge into the cool, dark depths, but the double threat of sharks

and local village idiots

deters me.

So I sit here, beer on the bench beside me, frozen cloth on my head, ineffective fan at my back and I wait.

Stating the Obvious

So. It's hot today. Like, Hellishly, Devilishly Hot. With a capital H. True Blue, Australiana hot. The kids have flushed cheeks. My eyes are vaguely stinging from the heat. A headache lurks in the far reaches of my skull. I crave icy cold beer. The cat is lying around lethargically. Oh hang on, she always does that...Well, she looks hot. As much as a cat is able to look hot, that is. Because cats always kinda look as though they are in the final stages of Heat Induced Ennui. Perhaps I should dress her in a black beret and turtleneck jumper. Which would just make her even more hot and if she were even more hot, she'd look......dead, I guess. When you're as energetic as a slug, with limited movement, there's not much room for even less movement.

I think my brain is addled from the heat.