babblingbandit.me

Monday, May 20, 2013

Day 15: A day in the life of us

Sunday 19 May 2013

From top left to right:

We left the apartment very early for a Sunday. As we were driving out of our building at 8am the Sydney Half Marathon runners were making their way down our street.
After picking up my sister Yolanda and niece Mala we headed to Leichhardt to a great cafe called Ragamuffin. I Googled "best coffee in Leichhardt" and this place showed up. We weren't disappointed.
Ragamuffin serve absolutely divine coffees but their speciality is the steamed then baked muffins. With a couple of dozen flavours to choose from everyone is sure to find one or more that they like.
Yo enjoyed her piccolo latte and Mala had a frothy soy milk.
Ned aka Batman loved his vanilla milkshake but was gagging to leave the cafe and get on with the day.
We arrived at the Italian Forum on Norton Street right on time for the Toddler Proms. Ned scored us the centre position on the back row.
The Sydney Youth Orchestra filled out their seats one section at a time. Both kids were really impressed with just how many instruments came out onto the stage!
Both kids, actually most of the kids, there for the Toddler Proms were pretty fidgety. Neddy and I took some silly face photos while we listened to the nursery rhymes being played by the orchestra.
Yo and Mala look down to the orchestra.
After the show was finished we came out to the Forum to check out the kids' market. Ned had a go on this ancient tank ride which he loved.
After dropping Yo and Mala back home Ned and I went looking for a place to get our filthy car cleaned. We stopped off at Maccas in Waterloo to check Google Maps for the closest car wash. As I looked up briefly from my iPhone I saw a black car jump over the cement barrier in the centre of Botany Road and crash into the oncoming traffic! At first I thought the driver must have been drunk. It wasn't until another witness came and parked next to us in the Maccas carpark and explained that a taxi had veered right to change lanes and hit the black car so hard it pushed it over to the other side. I watched on in amazement as the traffic incident truck turned up as if out of nowhere within minutes of the crash happening. Did someone call them? Or was the accident beamed up to screens in a traffic control centre somewhere via CCTV? Whatever the answer, the whole event was weird.
After discovering the carwash we wanted to go to was closed on Sunday Ned and I headed to another place as informed to us by Google Maps. We got sent on a bit of a wild goose chase around tiny back streets of Rozelle until we got to the joint that was closed and looked only for boat cleaning. We then decided to go for a drive down to East Balmain to see our apartment building from the other side of the Harbour. After that we headed to Gladstone Park for some playground and scooting action.
Batman/Neddy experimented with some scooter tricks while mummy (me) sat down enjoying the warm autumn sun against my back.
Batman was off again in search of fun on the other side of the equipment.
I sat and admired my Duo Boots for the umpteenth time.
By around 1pm I was busting for the loo and hungry for lunch. Ned and I walked up the main road on the hunt for sushi and a toilet. We were delighted to come across this place. Unfortunately I didn't note the name down but I would highly recommend it. Ned was happy to sit by the sushi train while I was just happy he was eating solid food.
All requests for photos get met with either a cranky face or a silly face. Ned has been inflicted with a serious case of four year old bad attitude lately. I wish he'd snap out of it and get back to his delightful self asap.
We stopped off at a toy shop on the walk back to the car. I thought these strange looking walker/ride on bikes looked awesome! Ned would have loved it when he was little.
A lot actually happened between photo 18 and 19 but my phone ran out of batteries. After our Balmain adventures Ned and I came home at about 3pm. My parents were back from their Sunday outing. Dad decided to go back up the Mountains and mum decided we needed to go grocery shopping. I was so buggered but thought I better go along because we still hadn't got the car washed. We ended up back at our favourite shopping centre with the car being tended to while we spent more money upstairs. I dropped another hundred bucks at Kmart. More coloured long sleeved tops to go under dresses and flowy tops and four new pairs of leggings. More money was spent at Coles and when we finally got home at around 7.10pm I was buggered and over it.
Ned watched that new movie Escape from Planet Earth while playing on the new alphabet mat. We played letter naming games where he had to name the letter and a word that started with it. He's pretty good actually but couldn't quite get the letters C, I, K and Q.
It was too late to make a proper dinner so I had a plate of cheese, crackers and strawberries in front of the laptop with a can of Diet Coke.
Ned finally went down at 9.46pm. He was so tired and fought me to stay up later.
This is me in front of the laptop collating photos for this post. I was so tired! On the days Ned isn't in daycare late at night is the only time I get to work on my blog in peace.
My view on the climb up to my loft bed. Neddy sleeps soundly below.
12:50am and I've finally turned the light out to go to sleep.

How was your day today?

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Sell yourself, miss something, apologise and be happy

Oh my! We are already well and truly halfway through May. This year is flying just as I expected it would. I wish I could slow down my perception of time to that of a child. Remember when the summer school holidays seemed to last forever? I must admit though that this Sydney summer seems to have gone on a long time. The sun just keeps on shining and we are still in t-shirts so I shouldn't complain.

I am a week behind in the #blogeverydayinmay challenge. Rather than drop out I'm going to attempt to catch up in a couple of posts. Here we go...

Day 11: Sell yourself in 10 words or less

This post seemed way too difficult to write over the last week. Something weird has been happening to me. I've had some pretty full on emotional ups and downs over the last six or so years but the last week takes the cake. I've been spontaneously bursting into tears. Seriously. It happened in the supermarket the other day. Crazy shit is going on in my brain.

I just have to think of something sad and I'll start crying. Or the kids will stress me out and boom! I'm losing it. I'm really struggling with looking after both Ned and Mala (my niece) on Tuesdays. How do you mums with more than one in your brood do it? One kid? No probs. Two? Send me back to the asylum!

My sister offered to put Mala in daycare an extra day but I said no. I really want to be the person that can handle this. I should be able to handle looking after two kids for eight hours on one day a week! I love how close Ned and Mala are. Neddy asks about her all the time and Mala beams when she sees him. When Neddy goes to big school next year they won't be able to have this special day together as often. I really want to make it work.

So ten words to sell me? When I'm feeling so crap about myself?

When I was young and learning to type I used to practice typing this sentence over and over so it is the sequence of words I can type the fastest out of all the others. And it just happens to have 10 words.

Vanessa is the best person in the whole entire world.

It is silly, immature and clearly inaccurate but what the hell! No one is going to mark this shit.

I just aim to get these two home in one piece at the end of the day

Day 12: What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your life...)

What do I miss? I miss living in London and travelling. I wouldn't change my current situation for the world but I do sometimes miss the freedom of living on the other side of it from my family. I miss the freedom of not having a kid, of not having to tell anyone where I'm going to be, of not being accountable. But only for a second.

I miss the trips abroad organised on a whim on pay day. I miss the art, the nightlife and the gigs. Oh how I miss the music! Occasionally I even miss the drugs and the alcohol. But rarely.

Hell, sometimes I even miss the Tube.

Said no one ever!

Ok, maybe I did.

In New York City for my 30th birthday celebration

I really hope one day I'll leave Australia again to visit some places I haven't been to yet. But I never want to go back to the life I used to have. Even if I do miss it just a tiny bit.

Day 13: Issue a public apology. This can be as funny or as serious or as creative as you want it to be.

I want to apologise to my son and my family for not being an easy person to live with. I'm sorry that my moods can be erratic and that I can't handle stressful situations very well. I'm sorry that I'm forgetful and vague sometimes. I'm sorry that my anxiety overwhelms me so much sometimes that I burst into tears in the middle of the supermarket (I clearly can't get over this!) while trying to look after two kids with the help of my mum. (Thank god she was there but seriously? Anxiety attack when mum was even there to help? WTF?)

I'm sorry that I haven't gone back to full time work yet and that I'm shit at cleaning the bathroom regularly. I'm sorry I leave stuff all around the apartment. I'm sorry I don't cook dinner every night. I'm sorry I spend so much time in front of my laptop.

I think that is all I'm sorry about at the moment. I bet there's more though. That's enough for now!

Day 14: Ten things that make you really happy

My son. Occasionally he drives me nuts but 99% of the time he is the light of my life. Seeing Ned smile. Watching his reaction to experiencing something new. Hearing him say "I love you" for the 20th time in one day.
My family. All of them. What would I do without them? They are my everything. They get me. It has taken a long time but I think they finally accept me for who I am - neuroses and all! That makes me happy and sort of nullifies my apology (see day 13 above).
My blog. My lifeline. My 24/7 counsellor. My fun. My mental stimulation. My community.
The warm autumn sun. Not too hot and not too cold.
Looking out onto Sydney Harbour from any viewpoint. Blue, grey or black. Just looking at that deep blue Harbour and the city that envelopes it sends pure joy and love through my veins. I wasn't born here and I've spent over ten years of my life in other cities but Sydney will always be home to me.
Being entertained and/or provoked to think. Watching a great TV series/movie. Reading a page turner or a great newspaper piece. Seeing live music. Viewing amazing art.
Drinking a really great cup of coffee. The smell of it, the taste of it, the feel of it. Coffee I love you. You make me very happy.
Eating food that flavour bombs your tongue and makes you want to close your eyes to enjoy not only the taste, but the smell and texture all at once. Think a freshly made cake, dumplings from Din Tai Fung, my brother's BBQ and his homemade sauces that go with it.
Shopping makes me so happy! Especially if the item is on sale. Purchasing something that I know I will love for a long time. Especially footwear and clothing. I probably have an unhealthy relationship with spending money but still it makes me happy.
Losing weight. Seeing the numbers go down on the scales. I really need to bring this kind of happiness back into my life. Really.

Recent clothing purchases and my new Duo boots

I love these kids! They make me crazy sometimes but I love them and they make me happy.

Phew! Only 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 left to catch up!

Do you want to issue a public apology? Maybe tell me what makes you happy.

I hope you're having a great weekend wherever you are.

V.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

For the love of boots

Unsurprisingly I've fallen way behind in #blogeverdayinmay. I do plan to try to catch up but sometimes I just don't feel like writing. I'm still here online lurking about social media websites, ashamedly rubbernecking on snark forums (I never actually snark but I can't look away from the ugliness) or flicking through page after page of fashion retail sites (think shoes, clothes, handbags - oh how I lust!).

Last night for instance I spent hours looking for long black leather boots for winter. I've been hunting for the right boot for months. I hope I've finally found them because I've paid and am now waiting patiently for my order to come from the UK.

I have the dodgiest feet and legs. I'm knock kneed, pigeon toed and my knees are hypermobile (bend back). One foot is longer than the other and the shorter one is wider than the longer one. Buying comfortable shoes that I know I will wear and that will look good is a huge challenge for me. I hardly ever wear heels. In summer I wear Birkenstocks. In winter, well, I'll tell you all about it...

This year I was going to go for an ankle length biker boot. I've had a picture of these ones pinned up on my wall for weeks:

Oh how I love these

Are these not the most gorgeous biker boots? They are called Ash Tornado Black Studded Ankle Boots. They scream rock chick and would look hot with a short girly dress with leggings or with skinny jeans teamed with an oversized cardi (like I know this shit - sarcasm). The only downfall is that Ash boots are really heavy. Myer stock one style of Ash biker boot which I had a touch and feel of and I was astonished by their weight. After a long day out and about with the kids I reckon these babies would cause a bit of foot fatigue. They are also quite exy being in the $300+ range.

After weeks of looking around I thought maybe I need to go for a long boot this year. Last year I bought a pair of Camper biker boots which are gorgeous but the right one is a little small for my annoyingly longer foot. They are also heavy. I've been a major fan of Camper since I got my first pair in 2002. They were a lovely pair bright tomato red Mary Janes. Oh how I loved those shoes! I've had five other pairs of different styles of Campers since. I love their original look.

Last year's boot from Camper

My most enduring footwear relationship though has been with Dr Martens. I got my first pair of Docs in 1988. I was the second girl at my school to wear them as school shoes. It made me feel pretty damned cool. I've had seven pairs since. From lace up shoes to 6-up romper stompers to ankle boots and mid calf wedge heeled boots. I feel like I have grown up with my feet wrapped in Dr Martens.

I have a pair just like this one below. I bought them in 2003 when I first arrived in the UK. They cost about 60 quid if I recall and I wore them everywhere. I still have them but they have a hole in one of the soles where the seam has split. You can't really tell, but when I wore them on a weekend trip to Latvia back in late winter 2007, icy water seeped in making it pretty chilly down there for my poor little toes.

The most comfortable Doc around - the Wedge

My other favourite Docs when I lived in the UK were the Jenna Ankle Boot. Here they are in blue although mine were deep red. I practically lived in them. The heels had to be replaced several times and I actually wore them down to the leather. Unfortunately they can't be worn any more but I refuse to throw them in the bin. There's just too many memories in those soles!

Jenna - my old best friend

So back to now and my 2013 winter boot decision. I could have bought another pair of Docs and gone for the cherry red or maybe even the brown in the Wedge boot but Docs are so expensive in Australia and I refuse to pay more than the rest of the world does.

I ~~want~~ need a boot that is going to be comfortable, practical, look good with all my clothes and a pair that will keep my legs warm and cosy through winter.

So.... drum roll please... I found Duo Boots. Duo specialise in wide calf boots and have the most gorgeous selection of winter tailored boots I have seen in a long time. I don't know if I am maturing and moving away from my chunkier style rock chick footwear passions or simply just looking for cleaner lines this season but these Duo Malmo Boots are the ones. I haven't received them yet so I can't speak for their comfort but by the looks of those non-slip rubber soles I am in for some long days of easy walking.

Duo Malmo Boots

These boots are actually really reasonably priced too. At only A$180 I reckon they are a steal! They retail online for GBP140 but because they are getting delivered to Australia I don't have to pay the VAT. Plus with the Aussie dollar being so strong and the fact that Duo don't charge for shipping these are turning out to be a really great purchasing decision... and I haven't even got them yet!

If they turn out to be really comfy, I've got my eyes on these lovely tan numbers as well...