Currently. And RIP Jill Meagher.

Thinking about: an article in The Courier Mail entitled 'Why I'll never walk home alone again' caught my eye yesterday. This powerful opinion piece was written by a young girl of similar age and circumstance as Jill Meagher, who just last week walked a short distance home after drinks with friends, and sadly never made it. She's left behind a devastated husband, a family in shock and sadly has perpetuated a legacy of women everywhere now feeling unsafe on our streets. The girl who wrote the article walked home, as she has done many times before, suddenly hyper-aware of her own safety in a way she never had thought about before. Fortunately for the writer, she made it home.

Personally I've been known to walk quite a distance by myself after a few drinks, and consider myself so lucky that nothing of consequence has ever happened to me. Last year after my work Christmas party, in fact, found me wandering the streets of Brisbane's Fortitude Valley, not the safest of places, dressed as Little Red Riding Hood of all things. I had tried to call a taxi, however the taxi service in question refused to pick me up as apparently during a certain window, you can only get a cab from designated taxi ranks. 

WTF?

I recall having a heated argument with the girl on the other end of the phone, which ended in me describing my appearance and telling her to remember that if any misfortune befell me that she could live with that for the rest of her life.

Not my finest moment, for sure, but seriously, I was a woman walking alone in the middle of the night and a company that we PAY to collect us safely basically refused to help me.

Again, I'm one of the lucky ones...I made it to the taxi rank and home safely.

I think the story of Jill Meagher has touched every woman everywhere, and sadly I personally won't be walking anywhere after dark anytime soon. Even sitting outside enjoying the evening last night, I suddenly became hyper-aware myself of every noise, every crunch of leaves, and scared myself into going back inside and putting on the deadbolt.

RIP Jill.

Watching: so this long weekend (long weekend, yay!) has seen me catching up on a lot of my favourite shows which have come back on air after the US summer hiatus. My father picked up E on Friday to spend some time in Tenterfield during the school holidays (where I have heard he has been put to work doing manual labour around the motel...child labour laws, anyone??? haha), so I've had time to spare to just chill.

It's a pathetic display of my life that I can say that I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed watching HIMYM, New Girl, Two Broke Girls, Dance Moms and Puberty Blues in blissful silence, and have now discovered Switched at Birth, which is an intriguing drama series about two teenage girls who discover there was a mixup at the hospital and their families took home the wrong baby. The most interesting part is that one of the girls is deaf, which brings a whole new dimension to the drama. Beautifully done.

Anticipating: unfortunately I'm heading to Brisbane tomorrow for a funeral. Despite the sadness of this occasion I am looking forward to spending some time with my favourite girls while we celebrate the life of someone very special. I'm very lucky to have an understanding workplace to allow me to be there for my friend during this rough time in her life.

Enjoying: a lazy sleep in this morning (nearly 10am thank you!) followed by one of my favourite breakfasts...lactose free vanilla yoghurt (because lactose makes me feel ugh), with gluten free muesli (ditto) and fresh, delicious strawberries. It tastes like dessert. Yuuuummm.

I hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend, for those who get one! Have an amazing day :)

xx

Rihanna, Chris Brown. Hot messes and photobombing.

OMG so the celebrity dweeb-o-verse has exploded this week. I can't restrain myself however I hardly know where to begin with my opinionated commentary.

So in no particular order, because I couldn't decide one, here's my take on the fact that you might be able to buy celebrity, but brains are clearly an optional extra.

• In news that probably matters to no-one except me, apparently Bachelorette Emily is PAYING (yes, paying) winner Jef to pretend to be her fiance. Never mind that he actually has more money than her (ahem, he's a friggen millionaire), and has already upped sticks from the city where his very successful BUSINESS is, to move to HER hometown, and is already helping coach her daughter's soccer team...this is apparently gospel. Right.

• Dina Lohan having the sheer balls to call out Amanda Bynes' parents for not being around. Because you've done such a STELLAR job with your offspring. You certainly have been present, photographed with your 15 year old daughters inside a club at 3am...you're the Mother of the Year, Dina. And at least Mr & Mrs Bynes haven't appeared slurring and totally out of it, commenting on Dr Phil's 'little tie and little shoes' lately. Pot. Kettle. Black, Dina. Pot. Kettle. Black. Oh never mind, have another drink. Can you say hot mess?

• Some dude in Hong Kong wants to pay a man $65 million to woo and marry his daughter. Who's already married. To her wife. Yeah. 

• OK to onto a topic that has progressively made my blood boil and my stomach heave every day over the past couple of years: Rihanna and Chris Brown. So he's going before the judge for a probation hearing to do with HITTING RIHANNA IN THE FACE. And this is the Twitter exchange between the two ahead of the hearing. 'Praying for you baby'????? Um, honey, this is the dude that PUNCHED YOU REPEATEDLY IN THE FACE. THE FACE. YOUR FACE!!!! And now he may or may not be snogging Nicole Scherzinger in public (who wisely, has denied, denied, denied that any such contact would EVER be made with said monster. Well played). 'Remember that whatever God does in our lives, it is WELL DONE'???? Well unless you consider the job that asshat Brown did ON YOUR FACE well done....

Seriously. I feel unwell when I even think of these two. The woman beater and the woman who loved enabled him. Ugh. Please just go away. Both of you. I beg of you.

You're off the ipod playlist. Not that you were ever on there, as I think both of you kinda suck, but now you're off SYMBOLICALLY.

• On a lighter note (and to lower my blood pressure which I can feel escalating by the second due to aforementioned topic), is this the best Photobomb EVER????

Love it.

Happy Friday all! Hope you're having a wonderful day. I'm personally looking ahead to a fabulous LONG weekend (3 days...woohoo!) with beautiful sunny weather. Can't wait to get out amongst it.

xx

Time for Botox? And other matters.

Last night I had the strangest dream (also feeling a sense of deja vu as I type haha).

I was at a dermatologist getting microdermabrasian, which isn't all that weird as I get this done every year or two and feel like I'm due for another 'cleanup'.

However, as the dude was microdermabrading (or whatever the hell you call sandpapering my face), out of nowhere he pipes up 'I'll just pop a bit of Botox in there shall I?' as he simultaneously jabbed my scowl marks between my eyebrows with a needle.

No warning. And it HURT.

Scariest dream I've ever had.

I woke up slightly perplexed wondering if my subconscious was trying to tell me something????

Pondering this question whilst staring at my makeup-less face in the mirror this morning (scary enough at the best of times), I have to acknowledge that ye old furrows are starting to become more pronounced. I've always considered myself lucky that ye crows feet haven't hit me too hard just yet (thank you, thank you mother who largely advocated sunglasses at all times) but this eyebrow thing is starting to bug.

It doesn't help that when I'm ferociously concentrating on something at work, it isn't unheard of for passers-by to say something HILARIOUS along the lines of 'cheer up, it could be worse!'.

Now I won't say I'm averse to a bit of a jab, however I haven't gone there....yet. Part of me is afraid that I'm going to look like a more frozen, plastic version of Dannii Minogue (eeek) and I'm not really fond of that super shiny look that often accompanies said Botox. Not to mention a needle IN MY FACE.

My friends and I have often discussed plastic surgery, to the tune of 'if we won the lottery what would we have done?' and the answers range from a total body overhaul to being violently opposed, to once being violently opposed and now not THAT averse when staring into getting-older face in mirror. Especially the morning after a girls get-together.

I sit on the 'whatever makes you happy side' although I don't really have any inclination to change the way I look, I just want people to think I'm WAAAAYYY younger than I actually am.

Nothing wrong with that, right?

So I want to throw out the question...have you had Botox? Would you recommend it? What's the maintenance like and if you don't maintain, does it make you look worse?

This is all slightly pie-in-the-sky seeing as I can barely afford a haircut these days, let alone expensive 'maintenance' but I thought I'd throw it out there.

On completely other matters and unanswerable questions...

Why is it when a colleague tells you they're going home because they just threw up that it automatically makes you feel nauseaus too???

Happy Thursday all! Hope your dreams are not as frightening as mine.

xx

Friendship in the dark days.

So due to a few things that have happened recently to a friend of mine, it's made me really stop and think how I can be a great friend when times are tough for them.

Sometimes it's difficult to know what to do or say to help your friends out when they're going through troubled times. Let's face it, 'cheer up, the sun will come out tomorrow' may work for Annie but when bad things happen, it's basically the equivalent of putting a bandaid on a broken leg.

I find that most friends just appreciate the simple and small things. Letting you know you're there, no matter what, letting them talk if they need to, letting them wallow when they need to, let them cry when they need to, and making them laugh when you feel they need to is more important than any words you can say.

I know I'm being deliberately vague here as the circumstances involved is not my story to tell, however someone close to me is experiencing one of the most devastating things that can ever happen at the moment.

I feel terrible that I'm now living 2 hours away from her as if I'd still been in Brisbane I would have dropped everything to be at her side, no matter what. I just really want to give her a huge hug.

However at a distance I hope I'm still being a supportive friend. I might be out of touching distance but I hope she knows I'm there in her heart and thinking about her and her family.

One day she might have the opportunity to tell her own story, and it's both sad, amazing and inspirational, all at the same time.

Having had a dark day or two myself, I know my best memories of my friends is not what they said, but just knowing they were THERE. Day. Night. No matter the time or the circumstance, I felt comfort just knowing they were just a phone call away if I needed them.

How do you help your friends during the dark days? What do you like people to do when you're going through your own troubles?

Deep stuff for a Tuesday, and quite introspective for me! I promise to stop contemplating my navel soon...I swear!

xx

Welcome Home.

This goes out to one of the most amazing and special families I know. This says it better than I ever could.

Welcome Home

To those I love and those who love me

When I am gone, release me

let me go, I have so many things to see and do

You mustn't tie yourself to me with tears

Be happy that we've had so many years

I gave you my love, you can only guess

How much you gave to me in happiness

I thank you for the love you each have shown

But now it's time I travelled on alone

So grieve a while for me, if grieve you must

Then let your grief be comforted by trust

It's only for a while that we must part

So bless the memories within your heart

I won't be far away, for life goes

For if you need me, call and I will come

Though you can't see or touch me, I'll be near

And if you listen with your heart you'll hear

All of my love around you soft and clear

And then, when you must come this way alone

I'll greet you with a smile and 'Welcome Home'

Anonymous.

xx

Fabulous weekends and Monday boredom.

So custom-ordered sunshiney days this weekend, followed by a rainy and sometimes downright scary stormy Monday! The organisers of the Carnival of Flowers must be so happy, not to mention relieved. It would totally suck to spend six months (and a zillion gardeners) gearing up for a special event to not only have it rained out but completely flattened by hail, rain and wind.

Yesterday all the best laid plans and all that...

Woke up crazy late (aaahhh just when I thought the days of the lovely lie-in were behind me) yesterday morning to a glorious, and quite hot, Sunday.

Summer dresses and thongs! Quite a contrast to the trackie/jacket combo I was sporting...ah...just last week???

My stepsister had announced the day before that she and the kids were driving through Toowoomba on their way to her parents place in Central Queensland and we arranged to meet up while she was here. She was due at 11am, however (as can often happen when you throw 2 kids, a dog and a rabbit in the mix), they didn't actually get on the road until about 11am so we didn't see them until nearly 1pm.

A lovely lunch at Jilly's later, we hit the shops for a bit of much-needed therapy (in advance of Sandy's long solo drive with 2 kids/dog/rabbit and a partridge in a pear tree) and by that stage the day was practically gone...

So we didn't end up making it to the Food, Wine and Flower Festival after all.

Oh well, the gardens are showing until the end of the month so we will make sure we check them out. I think I can smell them anyway - I sit in my backyard and can inhale the aroma of jasmine or some such intoxicating scent...yummy.

Speaking of backyards, is it time to mow the lawn when #1 son says 'mum, soon I'll be able to lay down in the grass and you won't be able to find me' ??????
So today has been a bit of let-down, hearing the rain thundering on the building roof, looking out onto the grey, stormy vista and occasionally having the shit scared out of me by some errand thunder that honestly seems so much louder in Toowoomba than it ever did in Brisbane???

Oh one highlight of the day - my new iphone cover. It's for work so I thought I should probably not lower the tone like I would for my personal one. So pretty though...

Speaking of iphones, what's your take on the new connector for the iphone 5???? Seems like a blatant cash grab to me, yeah?

Hope you're all having a wonderful Monday. Let me know what you did on the weekend! I'd love to know.

xx

Life is a sideshow...and all that...

A lovely bit of downtime today after a hectic week!

Yesterday was a bit of a debacle from the word 'go'. Couldn't prise myself out of bed with a can-opener, we were out of coffee and the day was going pear-shaped before it even began.

I was sent on an errand to deliver something and got a vague address and name, and walked the street searching in vain. A few phone calls later, I ended up at the council asking for assistance, waiting more than 1/2 hour just to find out I was literally METRES away from my location in the first place...d'oh.

Then along came the heaviest storm I've experienced in years - it was rain but felt like hail and as I was driving a company car, and I know how particular my boss is about his vehicles, I ran for cover to wait it out.

Then on my way back to the office, I had to collect some gifts for people and promptly got lost...halfway to Dalby later I managed to find my way back in time to collapse at my desk and realise I probably really, really need to invest in GPS.

Double d'oh.

It all gets put into perspective however when I heard that our housewife Cathy is dealing with some personal stuff and hence was not particularly inspired to do her regular 'housewife' update yesterday. Thinking of you honey and hoping you'll get through this tough situation xx.

So this weekend is Toowoomba's Carnival of Flowers and you can absolutely smell it in their air, despite being probably about 10kms from the action. The heady rush of spring flowers mingled with the mouth-watering tang of BBQ'd meat...delicious.

We're definitely heading over there tomorrow to check it all out. There's colour everywhere and even the flower displays in the middle of the main streets of Toowoomba are ablaze with colour and the most gorgeous scent. What a lovvely moment in time for my hometown, which is feeling more and more like mine every day.

So in addition to this, it's school holidays! It's hard to imagine that my little boy is going to enter his very last term of primary school in just 2 weeks...then off to high school! Crazy. A friend of mine posted a photo of her wedding the other day on Facebook. It was so evocative (and an amazing picture to boot) because I vividly remember being pregnant at that particular wedding (I'm still sure that's why I scored the invite, because I wouldn't drink the bar dry lol). In some ways that day feels like yesterday however it's also hard to imagine life before E. Whew, nostalgic moment # 6,596, huh???

So I'm anticipating a wonderful day tomorrow, checking out our first ever Carnival of Flowers. The weather, despite yesterday's flash storms, is perfect today, warm and sunny and perfect for strolling around some lovely gardens (and of course checking out sideshow alley, which is where I know E will be making a beeline).

So wishing you all a lovely weekend and hoping you're enjoying it as much as me.

xx