Resolutions for 2017 🎆

Right, I know I do this every year with varying success but humour me, i'm old now and this habit has been formed.

I'm keeping it simple:

1) Eat my '5 a day' and eat fewer carbs.

2) Complete a 5k race ( i'm thinking a colour run in October) and actually train to do it properly.

3) Go back to Roller Derby now that my wrist is mostly ok.

4) Paddle board on the Thames

5) Move my weight back towards my 'hospital target' to avoid being whinged at.

So, I'm off to a good start already. I went for a run. And I ordered a rice cooker and a steamer to help me to make healthier dinners, and hopefully eat more sushi and dim sum.
😁
Here's to a happier healthier 2017.

New year, New car 🚙

Parcels! 🎁

Whilst we've been away we received about 10 parcels.

Poor Ray, who has been house sitting for us had to collect them all from.the sorting office.
They were all exciting but the most interesting of all was a giant box, containing something wrapped in a map.

Helen had made us a hearth rug which currently is in the front room but I.might move it to our bedroom as I think it'll be cosy in the mornings.

I also had boxes from my Nan, Amanda, Lisa and tats, as well as my.order of the outsiders film (I love that book waaayyy too much!).
Second Christmas at 2am with a McDonald's bacon burger. What more could you ask for?

Airport adventure

All our flights were fine, except for the landing bit in London.
It's too foggy to land so we were diverted to Manchester.
And back to Heathrow when the fog clears.

This aircraft is like 3 times the size of everything else here!

Vinnie's paddle boarding photos

Melbourne Day 11

Last day!!
Last sushi breakfast.
Traffs last lord of the fries.
We hit the shops with jenni as,she's off travelling around Australia now and she needed some extra bits and bobs.
(I got 2 nice looking sports bras from cotton on in their crazy sale for 15$ so i'm happy).

It was 32 degrees and really muggy.
We got ice cream on the wharf and slurpees before picking our bags up.
As we got to the hotel the heavens opened and it stormed.

We got a taxi to the bus depo and the airport flyer.
It rained so much that some of the roads flooded and people's cars floated away!

Now it's drinkies in the airport waiting for our flight. Cava and churros.

Melbourne Day 10

We had a lazy day, got up late, started packing. Traff hit the gym and I got my nails done at the nail bar across the road from the hotel.
We had hoped to paddle board but it was too windy.
Instead we (eventually) got the tram to st kilda, got some food ( I had sushi, he had lord of the fries, which is a vegan burger place here) and did some shopping.

Eventually we decided to go to Brighton beach and had a paddle.
We're all hideously sunburnt all over now because the wind made the day feel deceptively.cool.
37 degrees is not cool.

We had dinner with jenni's housemates which was lovely and got back into the city just as the sun started setting.

...just in time to finish packing...

Melbourne Day 9

Today we got the train into the suburbs to meet Hannah at reservoir.
She then took us out to an animal sanctuary and wildlife rescue place for the day.

We got back about 6pm and Traff had a hankering for pizza hun (not Beijing style) so we took a tram out past shrine for pizza.

Jenni was supposed to be going to secret cinema at the park but it's been rained off. So she waited for therese with us in the hotel bar 🍹

Melbourne Day 8- boxing day 🐠🐙🐢🐛

Zoo day!
We got the tram to the zoo with Jenni and Therese.
We spent the whole day there and had a picnic- jenni even brought me turkey sandwiches!

After the zoo Traff and I went for dinner in china town.

Melbourne Day 7- xmas day! 🎁🎄🌴

Today we got up early, treated ourselves to hotel breakfast and took a tram over to the aquarium.
That was an incredible way to spent xmas morning. It was empty!

We had ice cream on the wharf and got the tram on to st kilda.
We spent the rest of the day on the beach.
We ended up having pizza and cheesecake for Christmas dinner. We had the offer of a Turkey dinner at jenni's but it was far too hot for all that.

Melbourne Day 6 -xmas eve 🎄

Today we had a really lazyorning of reading and mahjong.
It was stormy with thunder and lightning until almost 10am. We had planned to go to the beach but decided the weather couldn't be trusted.
(The rest of the day has been 36 degrees and gloriously sunny).

So we got sushi and ate it in the square opposite flinders street station and met jenni off the tram.
Did some vintage shopping then headed to get the train to bounce in glen iris.
Trampolines and free running and a gladiators section!
After heading home from a wash, we headed back out to st kildas beach for a bbq with Jenni and Therese.

Melbourne Day 5

Today is a lazy day. We had a massive lie in, traff went to the gym, I read my book, we moisturised our purple sunburn, did laundry and went to the supermarket.
Tomorrow is xmas eve so most shops will keep sunday hours if they open at all. We didn't want to starve to death!

We saw the news:

Courier Mail: Major raids in Melbourne’s north. http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIwi8_r2TI

So a portion of our morning was spent reassuring everyone at home that we'll be careful. We're in st kildas for the festive days anyway.
Beach christmas!

We met Hannah, her boyfriend Jusztin, and Jenni for lunch (an enormous Australian delicacy called 'parma') and drinkies.

We also visited the shrine in the botanical gardens.

In the evening we went to the vaudeville cabaret which has brilliant.
The headline act was father Christmas strip teasing to reveal the grinch. Hairy bum and all!!

Xmas present from traff 🏊🏄🌺🍍🐠😁

I've been after one of these for ages but I haven't seen them in the uk.
Its a double bed diameter circular beach towel.
With pompoms.

Melbourne Day 4

Paddle boarding at St Kildas beach.
We got up really early to get the tram to the beach for 10am.
Vinnie, who took us paddle boarding yesterday had offered us a deal on.boards, 3 boards for 30$ so paddling on the ocean was cheaper than brogborough!!
But we had to be out before the wind picked up.
And by god was it wavy even at 10!

After paddling we had lunch at abbey road cafe and then headed to the city for 3 for traff to get his tattoo.

After that we mooched and went for dumplings!
Chinese food is a big deal and its amazing here.