Lost in Translation

Last night was the Mexican themed dinner party.  No sombreros or maracas and some of us were feeling far too delicate for tequilas. Mexican music and food. Sarah cooked enchiladas, one dish with a mild chilli sauce (for Mummy) and one fiery hot. We were joined by the bearded one’s sister, Tor, and her partner Nate.  Nate is Canadian (more lumberjack than mountie) and like Andy wears his hair long and has a beard.

At the end of the meal it was time for games. Karaoke or cards? Cards.  Phew, lucky escape. But no ordinary cards.  Cards Against Humanity – described as “a party game for horrible people.”  One player asks a question from a black card, and the others answer with their funniest white card. It’s the type of game that is only funny when you’ve had a few drinks. All went well until it was Nate’s turn.  A combination of his strong Canadian accent, my deafness and the fact I couldn’t lip read him because of the beard meant that I couldn’t quite catch the question.  Needless to say my answer was hilariously inappropriate but everyone just thought I was being witty.  I gave up in the end and took the dog for a walk.

(The answer card that I gave was “a cute, fuzzy koala, but it has chlamydia”.  I’m sorry, I still don’t know what the question was.)

Please Speak Quietly

Please speak quietly.  I am feeling somewhat fragile this morning.  Yesterday I drank far too much wine.  We opened the case of Foxground 2013 that we bought last weekend from the Crooked Valley Winery.  This red Cabernet Shiraz is one of my most favourite wines in the world. I just couldn’t resist that extra glass (or two) last night.

This morning I am paying the price.  (Tonight Sarah and Andy are hosting a Mexican theme dinner party; is there somewhere I can hide?).

 

Heatwave

It’s hot. Sydney is sweltering under a heatwave with temperatures in the 30’s today.  We took Buddy out early this morning but we have now crept back indoors where it is still cool.  It was too hot to eat lunch outside, even in the shade.  I made some olive tapenade that we ate with fresh crusty bread washed down by some red wine.  Important to drink plenty in this heat!

It would be pleasant swimming in the sea today but travelling to a nearby beach by public transport is not that great when it’s this hot.  So we are having a lazy day, eating, reading, snoozing and spying on the neighbours.

The two bedroom garden apartment next door was sold at auction last weekend. The owners had evicted the tenants and then paid a company to come in and ‘dress’ the property prior to the open day viewings in order to get top dollar.   Show home designer pieces were carried into the apartment and some expensive contemporary art fixed to the walls. Gardeners came and transformed the grounds. (It’s amazing what you can see through the gap in a fence.) It must have worked because the property sold for about 1.5 million (Aussie dollars).  Today a van arrived and removed all those fancy designer pieces.

Chilli for dinner tonight.  We found one pre-cooked in the freezer! 

The Men In My Life

Paul has had a bad back ever since we arrived in Oz.  It might have been due to the long flight or the fact that he thinks he can climb trees or clamber up ladders like a ten year old. He adopts this position in the afternoon to get some relief from the pain while listening to the likes of Donna Summer or Alicia Keys.

Buddy is not too keen on the music

I'm a sucker for big brown eyes

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Last night Sarah was on the telephone to her bank while I was speaking to Paul and she apologised for the disturbance saying “it’s just background noise”.  I’ve never been called that before.