Sydney for the footy

This weekend was quite huge, with a second trip to Sydney in the month for me – this time for the footy. Flight up again after work on Friday night, and again I found myself catching up with the lovely Miss Leilah over a bottle of wine, upon getting up to the warmer and busier city.

Saturday I was left to my own devices while Miss Leilah had bridezilla duties to complete, and I decided to wander around the city doing some shopping. What a confusing city! I spent most of the afternoon totally lost, wandering around the labyrinth that is the shopping precinct – I think I found David Jones five times when I didn’t want to! Found a couple of things to buy to add to my tight work wardrobe rotation, but nothing I couldn’t have found at home!! When it was time to head back to Leilah’s I headed down to the Quay for a bit of scenery, and got to see the hideous fence being put in place for the APEC conference happing next weekend.

After a quick regroup, I headed back into town to meet up with Belinda, Bumbles, and Reggie, along with Melissa and Clinton, Jessie and Noodles, Mum, and Steve and Shoo Ling for sangria and tapas at Encasa. Dinner and drinks were great, and catching up with the Flag girls was lots of fun. After dinner we headed to a few pubs around the area, and ended up having quite a large night!

An interstate trip for the footy just wouldn’t feel right without the trip to the ground feeling the brunt of a hangover for me, and Sunday was no exception! Leilah and I were driven to the match, Hawthorn v Sydney for the last round of the official season, arriving to the under-construction SCG, just in time to see Buddy kick the first goal. All seemed good. We made our way to our restricted viewing seats with the rest of the Reid girls…to find a massive pylon in the middle of our view of the ground. Hmmm. The Swans kicked on, and run away with the match early, while we debated about what to do about our view. Eventually moving to the section immediately behind the Hawk cheer squad, our enjoyment of the view was then hampered by the poor display of football from our team.

A beer and a pie with Leilah provided some distraction to the hangover and footy disappointment pain, a little. Shattered at how bad the game was, I made my way to the airport and joined the line to check in. Soon to discover that our flight had been cancelled due to mechanical issues, the rest of the family had already checked in, and I was told “being dealt with down at the gate”. I was checked in for the following flight, and caught up with the gang, to discover that they were being flown much later in the night, and to a different Melbourne airport. Good ol’ Jetstar!!

Accidently Canning Street

Today Jane and I commenced moving in to our new house, after much stress and searching, bidding and hoping, in the house hunt for somewhere to match our now mature tastes and budgets!

After seeing off my boxes and minuscule amount of furniture in Ballarat, I arrived at our new street to await the removalist van. The street has a strip of grass all the way down it, is a designated bike route, and has palm trees all the way down the centre. Waiting as the sun was hitting the terraces across the street, with the city in view, was lovely!

All very Copenhagen, too, with the bike traffic heading to work!

A two bedroom pretty white terrace is now home for Jane and I, who haven't lived together before. Floorboards throughout, and heating, we have a backyard, and even a picket fence!! Great location, with everything within walking distance, even work!

I think we are going to love it here!

Babies

Needing to take a day in Ballarat to arrange the packing up of my things and the pick of these things by removalists, I took the opportunity to visit Andrea and the babies, and saw how much they have grown!

Katie and I went around in a "break" from me "working" from home, which soon ate up the rest of the afternoon. Catch up with the goings on of Andrea, her return to work, her ongoing interrupted sleep patterns, her attendance at mother's group.... And we also got to feed the babies!

Little Cooper and Charli are 6 months old now, and have quite distinct personalities, and are just so cute! Still spewing and noise machines, but very adorable ones!

Red Sydney

On Friday night after work I felt like I was on a trip out to Luton for a cheap cheap fare - Melbourne's version is Avalon! Was reminiscing all the way out on the bus! And then my flight was delayed...very London!!

I finally arrived in Sydney for a weekend of catching up with mates. The lovely Miss Leilah and her Vincent came to pick me up from the airport, and proceeded to lead a wine fueled catch up at their apartment.

Saturday morning, while my hosts were in wedding planning phase, I was picked up by Belinda, who was given the mission of making sure I could watch the footy in Sydney! She came up with the goods too, as we settled into beers and the Hawthorn v Brisbane match at the Doncaster in Randwick. Was good to catch up with her, and especially to see the Hawks win!

Then it was onto the primary reason for traveling up for the weekend - Jess' 30th birthday party. 'Paint the town red' was the theme, and it was at a venue in a suburb of Sydney I will never be able to pronounce (I needed to direct the taxi driver from his own Sydways!). Was good to see the Wilson's in the short trip home, and to celebrate her getting old!!!

Sunday saw sunshine and a 25C day. Leilah, her dad and I headed out to the Mudgee Food and Wine Festival in Balmoral, for gorgeous views in the hills, red wine tastings, and a healthly dose of vitamin D!

Kaiser Chiefs

On Monday, Katie and Mum came down to Melbourne to mark Mum's birthday with dinner...before Katie and I ducked off to Festival Hall. Probably not ranking us highly in the favourite daughter stakes, but the Kaiser Chiefs were playing!

Arrived at the hall, having our bags searched, and finding our spot on the floor after a quick stop at the bar, we readied ourselves for a long stint of standing.

When Kaiser came on, they opened with Everyday I Love You Less And Less, and seemed to build in energy from there. Ruby was huge, as of course my favourite Oh My God. For I Predict A Riot, there was much crowd participation, and even some lead singer crowd surfing - I bet he was sore the next day!

Any band with the lyrics

We are the Angry Mob
We read the papers everyday day
We like who like
We hate who we hate
But we're also easily swayed

and then a reference to "Get a shopping basket wrapped round your head" is going to attract a certain fan base...it was a very laddish crowd. Big tough lads chanting out the chorus of many of the songs like an anthem.

Seeing Sheedy off in Hawk fashion

One of my mates at work was devastated the day Sheedy was sacked/retired (whatever!)...and unashamedly I had nothing to give in the way of sympathy! Sheedy has been a nemesis of everyone who doesn't barrack for Essendon for the longest time, in fact for longer than I can remember!

This weekend it was the second Hawthorn v Essendon clash of the season, and of course the usual big Reid family and extended people organisation of getting to the ground and where to sit started early!

The crew eventually settled on seats in the Olympic Stand at the 'G, and readied ourselves for a big game. Thankfully we were undercover, because despite it being all sunshine and light as we were walking to the crowd, a fierce and floaty rain decended during the first quarter, mixing it up a bit!

Our brown and gold stress turned to joy fairly early, with some big names back in the side, and the running, fast paced strings of play back on the players to do lists! They were awesome!

A 63 point drubbing! A happy team at Hawthorn indeed. And thanks to Freo doing us a massive favour by winning, Hawks moved back to third on the ladder. Sweet.

Sicko

Last night Jenny and I met up with Scott and a couple of his mates for the screening of Sicko for the Melbourne International Film Festival. Showing at the gorgeous Regent Theater, this movie was showing pre-release at the fest, and Jen had hooked us up!

I don't actually think I have seen a Michael Moore film before, but of course, like everyone, know what he's on about. This film is a look at the American health care system, and it's unfair and inequitable ways in regards to their insurance loopholes for getting the treatment one may need.

Funny in parts, and downright shocking, with his anecdotes on people's stories and difficulties, including a batch of volunteer rescue workers from Ground Zero September 11, and their ongoing battles to get access to health care.

Moore looks around the world to the way other countries care for their sick, paid for through taxation - systems in the UK and France got rave reviews by doctors, patients and taxpayers alike. Of course, no mention of the waiting time for the NHS...

After trotting around the world, Moore declared that there was one part of US soil where people got free and accessible health care - Guantanamo Bay. Interesting! he these went on to show how easy it was to access decent medical advice in Cuba.

Harsh, in your face, and a push for the American public fed up with their system to have a think about it all, and actually vote! Preaching to the converted, surely, but quite well done nonetheless.

Drinks and much film and life dissection took place in a bar around the corner, Three Below, before Jenny and I headed back on the train to Essendon.