kate's leaning

Bacon ‘n eggs, juice, several coffees, the delicious trash of Sunday papers and idle chat. Then relocating to the comfy chair with book to disappear for a little. The day feels long and full of promise and opportunity. I LOVE Sundays.

Writing this listening to new Leonard Cohen – what a divine experience! thanks to Prueberry thoughtfully sending it through. Thanks #1.
Thanks #2 = my birthday – so thanks to my beautiful mum and dad, my divine family!
Thanks #3 = my lovely friends calling and sending cards, love and thoughts.
Thanks #4 = glorious lunch with my greatest loves – Bruce, Bec, Lexie, Elise and Jan and Gail.
How lucky am I!

Silly really, not always easy to access the computer – a bit of a nuisance, but really a great thing! The reason I can’t get to it is because the girls (27 and 24) are back staying with us for a little while, which is absolutely lovely. They’re smart, funny, kind, and hard working, and hard playing – a great combination of the assets of youth! Love them to pieces.

I LOVE getting book vouchers as gifts. You have the initial pleasure of the kindness of the gift. You have the great pleasure of trawling through the bookshop searching for the next treasure. You have the delicious joy of the read. You have the lovely memory of the gift. How good is that?!

I already know what today’s post will be – Lexie home at last. A difficult time for her away, having tried hard to come back sooner but no flights available – so overbooked I was worried she’d get bumped off. Still obstacles and frustrations – her flight was delayed, couldn’t even get into Buennos Aires airport for several hours. Nonetheless, home in a few more hours.
Bec received uni offers last night – off to Wollongong – Law/Communications. Happily, a friend is also going – quite unexpectedly as he didn’t think he’d get the marks. Exciting times, and good to have someone to share the shock of the new.

Yesterday – a long planned boat day with friends. Woke up in middle harbour, very cloudy and grey – half thought about ringing and cancelling/postponing. We persevered. Checked the forecast. Bleak, but what the hell. Fish markets, picked up the perfect lunch – sesame rolls, prawns, avocado, champagne and divine fresh orange juice. Darling Harbour for pick up. Still some doubts about the wisdom of the excursion. Arrived at Clontarf – sprinkling. By the time we’d unloaded all the lunch goodies and nibblies, the sun was out opening up an absolutely picture perfect sparkling summer’s day. Water temperature = perfect. Sun = perfect. Hot glorious day. Lots of fish swimming in close to shore. Beach not busy at all. Does it get much better?

Love that Bec’s friends come here to hang out – love hearing them laughing, all talking at once, cooking and just hanging out. Happily, yesterday Kayla came to teach us to make dumplings – a very happy experience!

I love how we don’t really plan – an idea emerges and then we’re doing it, often in a bit of a serendipitous way. We decided yesterday that in the April holidays we’d go to WA, visit Elise and swim with whale sharks!!! A couple of problems of course – I can’t swim at the moment, (frozen shoulder) but what the hell as Mehitabel would say, I can flap my feet in flippers, it’ll be right. What an incredible adventure – not one I’d ever even thought about, which makes it all the sweeter. One minute we were ‘planning’ going to Vietnam later this year, and Northern Lights at the end of next, now we’re getting up close and personal with 16 metre fish! Awesome. Booking tickets today.

Access to the desktop is a little tricky at the moment, our daughter has moved back in for a while till she goes to WA to work as a dive guide with whale sharks. This is not a whinge about accessing the computer, rather, a plus that she moves in and out as need takes her. We love having her with us, her energy is infectious. She’s a thinker and a doer. Interesting times this week – at some stage, we’ll have all three with us – for a while, just as we’re looking down the barrel of being empty nesters. Times they are a changing.