five months of catch up

November was a long time ago, We have moved house and been without internet for about 3 months. Also I've been lazy.

I do nice stuff and take nice photos and never get around to posting!
Lets see...

January 6th was Auld Christmas - we went to Tandoori oven on Unley Rd (Now closed as of 16th February, so don't drool over the pictures that much!)


In February I received my Full Permanent resident Visa, The boy bought me a wonderful book on Lighthouses and I bought myself a BBQ to celebrate... I didn't realise it would be flat pack and we would have to build it!


March is Festival time in Adelaide, full of Picnics and BBQ's


Oh and I went fishing and caught a cuttlefish! The boy cooked it up in a green thai marinade (lots of Chilli and ginger) very tasty.


I'll try not to leave it so long next time.

China Trip

From China Trip

I recently returned from a fantastic 5 weeks in China.

We flew into Chengdu and went to see some very cute Pandas!
We got perfect weather for the Eclipse (22 July 2009) and I took far too many photos. We watched it from Tongnan a tiny little village North of Chongqing.
We then took a Cruise from Chongqing to Yichang down the Yangtze river passing the Three Gorges damn, which was very big!
We climbed Wudang Shan Mountain the Birthplace Tai Chi. It had many MANY steps!
Up to Xian to see the Terracotta Warriors and then down to Hangzhou with it's very pretty lake.
Short Train to Shanghai worth it's fantastic futuristic skyline.
up to Beijing for to see Tianamen square and the Forbidden city.
Down to Qingtao for a few Tsingtaos, and a short stop at Shenyang to see a very pretty palace.
Back to Beijing for a few days then Fly to Hong Kong for the most relaxing 3 days of the whole trip!

Fab five weeks!
Just what I needed but it has started that Travel bug gnawing again!

A surprise package

Photo from Amazon

I found a parcel from Amazon.co.uk in my postbox this week. It was so exciting, I spend far too much time lusting after pretty things on Amazon.co.uk. I couldn't remeber ordering anything (I'm usually quite good and only order gifts for me when I'm ordering someone elses Birthday present) but when I opened the wrapper I found Diane Mott Davidson's Catering to Nobody.

I heard about Diane Mott Davidson on Erin Cooks she reviewed her newest book Fatally Flaky It sounded like a wonderful series and I added the first book Catering to Nobody to my wishlist.

After a lot of pondering and discusions with my Sister in the UK I discovered it was my Mum who had bought me a book from my wishlist. Thanks Mum It was such a lovely surprise!! I can't wait to read it, I've just got to finish my current book on China.

Ohhh I forgot. Our China Visas came through Yesterday, we fly out in 3 weeks and almost have organised everything, Flights Visas Vaccines. Now all we need is not to get Quaranined in Hong Kong or we miss the eclipse

Ahhh

A cold wet bank Holiday Monday. The Queens Birthday weekend.

I've spent today Learning how to make link buttons along the top of my blog. I've been wanting to do this for ages and it wasn't hard. the hardest bit was stopping them from being Lime Green.

Just a quick post as Im going to sort out my photos now.

having a bit of a winge!!

I have a cold and I'm feeling rubbish! I dosed myself up with sudafed and slept from 8pm last night to 3pm this afternoon, 19hrs, that aint bad,

I put leek and potato soup in slowcooker before going to work yesterday and it was great to come home to soup!!! Unfortunatly I forgot that water wouldn't magically appear from potatos as it does from meat so it was quite thick.

We have booked flights to China, Fly out on 16th July for the Eclipse on the 22nd July, I really hope it's not cloudy.

off to heat up more soup.

s.x

Weekends in Adelaide

On Friday night I met up with a few friends for after work drinks at the Metro Hotel on Grote Street. the Metro used to be a dodgy TAB bar which was inundated with people for around 10 minutes each evening around 7pm as people going to the theatre across the road had a pre show drink. But otherwise was left to hardened locals. Now it's under new ownership and with surprisingly few changes have made it a fantastic Friday night haunt with Live music and pin ball!

On Saturday we went out for breakfast at e.t.c (East Terrace Continental) which is my favorite Breakfast place in the whole of Adelaide. I had the full breakfast and the boy had the mixed Grill. I love e.t.c. because the first time we went there I managed to drop my untouched full breakfast on the floor whilst cutting my first mouthful of bacon. The waitress whisked it away and replaced with another one almost instantly! I was so impressed with the service and it's been fantastic ever since.

On Sunday I met a friend at the goodwood markets Kuhl Kooking cafe. The Cafe makes Breakfasts with Market produce and fantastic Robe butcher sausages. We had tasty B.LT.'s (mine was no T and add avocado) We picked up a few things from the Norton Summit venison stall and decided a BBQ was the order of the day. We went for a bit of a bike ride to Waterfall Gully with a few friends to work up an appetite. The Ride was challenging... the boy got a puncture, then my chain came off, then his chain came off, I was promised that is was flat... it wasn't... it was very uphill but I made it! We got to the car park admired the waterfall (which was flowing as there has been lots of rain here recently) and made directly for the bar at the restaurant. A coopers pale hit the spot... Ah beer with bits in! And we set off home, which to be fair was all downhill, having earned out BBQ tea.


View Weekends in Adelaide 04.05.09 in a larger map


Susie's first attempt at adding a google map!

April

Wow how fast April is flying past.

I was offered the job I went for but decided to stay where I am. It was only part time and it wasn't really lab work and they weren't sure how many hours a week or which hours they would be for the first 3 months so I decide to stay in my Full time office job.

I'm having quite a good April, Last weekend my old flatmate from Edinburgh and his girlfriend came to Adelaide for a visit, It was great because usually when people visit from the UK i have weeks to worry and tidy and what not but they facebooked from Melbourne and I just got the happy happy joy joy of having friends over, yes the house was a tip but they have lived with me they know what I'm like.
















While they were here we went to Roller Derby. It's the 3rd time I've been and I love it. There are 3 teams in Adelaide and 2 of them compete every 2 weeks, Last weekend it was the 2 old teams Mile Die club v Salty Dolls. I'm definitely a Mile Die supporter and they Won!

If you don't get there early you have to sit on the concrete floor so bring a big thick jumper for sitting on! It's got cheep beer and girls with short skirts on roller skates what more can i say.

My friends are off in there Spaceship to travel to Sydney for the flight to New Zealand. Oh how i wish i was going.

We are thinking about a trip to China in July for the Total Solar Eclipse work has given me leave without pay so now all I need is to book some flights!

It's raining in Adelaide again but properly this time it's windy and has been raining since Thursday meant to continue till Monday, It's nice yesterday we spend all day watching Buffy and eating tasty food staying inside out of the rain! It almost feels like Scotland

Reading: Cures & Curiosities about the Wellcome library that my mum gave me for Christmas
Working: Too much and it's started to get dark after work so i can't cycle home.
Drinking: A big pot of tea (just brewing)
Moods: Up down but mainly up until I get sleepy.

Interview

I have an Interview Today so I've taken a day off my current work to prepare. But ssomehow instead of updating my CV and researching I'm on Blogger.... GO... do some work. Arrrrgh.

Rain

It's raining in Adelaide!

Proper rain that actually makes things wet! not long sustained showers but at least it's trying.

I'm working again now, Office job doing lots of admin and trying to remember how to spell received, it's a tricky one.

It's saturday morning and I think i need poached eggs for breakfast.

S.x
Reading: Black Chicks Talking by Leah Purcell and Cures & Curiosities about the Wellcome library that my mum gave me for christmas
Working: In an Office 9-5 although it always ends up being 5.30 and I don't get paid extra.
Drinking: Water stright from the fridge with a little bickfords lemon cordial in it.
Moods:Finding the Monday to Friday grind a little tricky.

Unemployed

So

I'm now Unemployed.
It's a little strange to think I won't be going to work on Monday.
I was let go because I was on a casual contract and the work load dwindled
on the positive side if and when the work picks up again they would love to have me back.
I'm trying to look at it as an opportunity to put my self out there and try out new things.

Hoping to get a hospitality job over the festival which starts next week but it's getting very close and I haven't heard back yet.

I've been having a great time since I became unemployed though!
Friday was my last day at work so we went to the pub for lunch, and when i left Mandy and Debbie gave me a huge bag of lollies toblerone and chocolate pictionary! Ah they know me so well.

Friday night we had slow cooked goat for tea, mmmmm, put it in the slowcooker before i went to work so it was so tender it was impossible to cut, had to just pull it apart. A couple of friends came over and helped us demolish it and licked the cauliflower cheese bowl clean!!

On Saturday it was Debbies birthday so I'd arranged to go rock climbing at Vertical Reality an indoor rock climbing place in Holden Hill. Liam hurt his shoulder so directed me from ground level. On my first climb I wondered why i was doing this as the height made me feel shaky and scared but on my 5th climb I was thinking right just put my leg there and straighten, when Leg responds to brain with "Errm No way!" I knew my muscles had had enough and gave up.
It was a really good day but not something I would do every weekend.

We came home and chilled out with a nice Giesen Sav Blanc. and threw together a salad from the leftovers and hot chicken from the chicken shop across the road.

Must check if our lottery tickets won the 14million!

Here's hoping

s.x

Breakfast

Sometimes it nice to sit in the garden for breakfast.

Booze free

Boozy Susie is off the booze!
I decided to do it as a delayed new years resolution.
5 weeks no alcohol, (perhaps with the exception for Australia day as there will be bubbles and i'm a sucker for bubbles!) so 6 days down. It's not really that hard as I'm working night shift so can't drink in the evening anyway. It's amazing when I tell peope that I'm doing this how many of my friends are joining in, mainly they are doing from the 11th till the 26th, 2 weeks off to detox after christmas and before Australia day.

Reading: The Cannon - Natalie Angier
Working: Night shift
Drinking: Water stright from the fridge
Moods: Saw a parrot on my ride home this morning and nearly crashed as it was so pretty I wasn't looking where I was going. That lifted my mood.

Christmas in Adelaide

Merry Christmas

I spent Christmas with Liam's family and up in the Adelaide hills, we opened a few bigger presents at home and then took the car up the hill to have more present opening and a scrumptious lunch. We had Turkey AND roast pork with roasted stuffed pumpkin, beer bread, roast vegies, purple cabage and the most important cauliflower cheese. after all that food we went for a cooling dip in the pool and I tried out my new rashie (top so stop you getting sunburt when swimming). we chilled out in the evening with the corpse bride dvd, I do love that film.

On boxing day we headed back up to the hills but this time we took our bikes on the train, it's great bikes travel free if there is space. We had lunch with Liams family, amazing chick pea patties but I didn't get the recipe, followed by a bit of wine blending. Liams' sister and her husband were flying out today so we waved them off and set off on our bikes, soon we were going down Shepards hill road past Marion and on to Brighton beach, the beach was really busy and I felt free wheeling was cheating so we followed the coast around to glenelg and took a wiggly bike path back to Richmond rd in the city. All up we rode more than 20km and I am thinking of investing in bike shorts with some padding!!

December

So December is here already. wow.
This week I have mainly been trying to get Christmas presents posted to the UK before the last post on Friday.

So a few weeks ago me and the boy bought bikes. It's great Adelaide is so FLAT!!! there are very few slopes and nothing you could call a hill in the city. I've been riding to work even on night shift as there are so many great Bicycle paths. I got really groovy bike lights which go on the tyre valve so cars can see you from the side mine are mulicoloured. It's only about a 20 minute ride, but I'm feeling so much healthier for it.

Also, having a bike makes me go and do little things like popping to the supermarket on my bike to pick up a few things rather than taking the car or putting it off till we need loads of stuff as riding is so easy!!

We rode to Henley beach where we saw 22 Kite surfers. It was amazing. I'm not sure if it was a competition or something but so many all the way along the coast between west beach and Henley. we stopped for an ice-cream at Henley as we felt we had earned them. After the Henley ride we fitted out cycle computers which are great as they tell you how fast you are going and how far you've ridden which really pushes you to go that little bit further or try a little bit harder.

Yesterday we played Laser tag at zone 3 on South Road. It was great I haven't played since I was at Uni. I ended up 9th out of 20 and our team won 1 out of 3 games. I'd forgotten how much fun and how much energy you use up playing this will have to do this again.

Reading: The Kite Runner
Work: Going on to Afternoon shift
Wine: $2 Cleanskin white Chardonnay from dan Murphy
2star
Moods: on the rise.