10 brave things I will do one day (maybe)...

All of the below make me fearful just thinking about them:


1) Eat a piece of stinky French cheese (it's stinky for a reason, because it's full of mould! Yet the French go mad for it. I must be missing something.)


2) Initiate conversation with a stranger at a party (I'm not good at small talk so this seems near impossible, but perhaps its a social skill I should have learnt by now)


3) Sing in public (I find it hard enough to talk in public, but the thought of singing in front of people is enough to bring me out in a cold sweat. But maybe it would be really good fun?)


4) Audition for a play (ditto above)


5) Learn to dive underwater (it's so unnatural to trust something you carry on your back for oxygen. I've seen the Abyss, I know the dangers. But it must be so amazing down there and I love looking at fish)


6) Walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge (I'm sure the views are magnificent but I probably wouldn't be able to look down anyway)


7) Abseil down something tall (this would have to be as a result of an emergency scenario with abseiling being the only way out)


8) Journey overseas on my own (I've flown a few times now but I still get lost in airport departure lounges and I don't like the thought of being in a plane without Dr X as he obviously has magical properties which keep the plane in the air no matter what.)


9) Wild camp in the Rainforest (I love the thought of being close to nature, seeing the amazing birds and butterflies, but the thought of poisonous creatures sharing my sleeping bag would keep me awake all night)


10) Go on a roller-coaster ride again (I did this once as a teenager and was so scared I started screaming 'let me off, let me off!'. Now when we go to adventure parks I have to wait while others go and have fun. Is it worth trying again?)

A brief interlude

Apologies for the tardiness in blogging. I had the week off work last week to spend with my mum and we spent lazy days walking on the beach, eating cake, visiting the local shops, eating cake (did I mention that already?) and visiting our local gardens, Compton Acres. I didn't take many photos on the actual day as I'd forgotten to charge my camera, but have included the ones above from a previous visit I did in the summer of 2008. Much nicer to see the garden in full bloom.  We were surprised to see so many people out and about on our travels, but I guess the holiday season is never over when you live in a seaside resort location. Back to the grind tomorrow though xx

The 7 Ages of Potato

Photo by anankkml

Whilst eating a yummy mash & black cabbage dish that Dr X whipped up, I got to thinking about all the different ways you can eat potatoes (so versatile!) and how they can almost represent a different stage of life. So without further ado, I present to you, my 7 ages of potato:


1) Mash -  Baby

2) Chips -  Child

3) Croquettes / French fries -  Teenager

4) Jacket -  Student 

5) Gratin Dauphinois -  30's & 40's

6) Roast potatoes -  Mum & Dad

7) Mash - Grandparents

Which potato are you at?

Cheesy jokes

Photo by Stuart Miles

Q. How many immature people does it take to change a lightbulb? 
A. Your mum.


My Bon Jovi Sat-Nav has just started working - we're half way there.


It must suck to be a vacuum cleaner.


We tried to perform a 'Knock knock' joke, but you weren't in. Please collect the punchline from our depot from 7am - 3pm, Monday - Thursday.


I applied for a Poetic License. Turns out they made it sound better than it actually is.


All thanks (or not, depending on your taste in jokes) to James Martin@Pundamentalism 

You're only as old as you're perceived to be...

Photo by Ambrose

Last night, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our first date, Dr X and I had a dinner and movie night. We decided to go to our local complex which offers a plethora of 'fine' eateries, amusement arcades, a candy cabin and a big cinema. The vibe was already kicking off in the restaurant. There was loud trendy music playing so it felt like a nightclub, balloons everywhere and preppy little serving girls bouncing around like Santa's elves overdosed on candy canes. The dinner was a long drawn out affair, not because it was haute cuisine, but because the restaurant (I'm using the term kindly) was either badly managed or it was part of a master plan to make you buy more drinks.

When we got to the paying stage Kelly, our overly helpful serving girl, snuggled up in our booth with us to chat and said... "So are you both going home to bed now?"   It was 20:30. "What?" we both said with quizzical looks on our faces. She gave us a look which implied, aww they can't hear, and repeated her question.  I responded frostily "Er no, we're actually going to the cinema for a movie." Her surprise was evident. You could see her thinking, 'how can these two olds be heading off to the cinema at this time of night?'. Then she remembered her ultimate goal was getting a tip so she made nice and started chatting about the movie we were planning on seeing (Mission Impossible).

That short conversation has been playing on my mind ever since. Do we look like a retired couple who's night has to end before 21:00? Have I not been covering up my grey hairs sufficiently? Does the pain in my right knee signal the beginnings of arthritis? "We are a hot young couple" I repeated on a regular basis throughout the night, sometimes I actually said this out loud, whilst pinching Dr X on the arm to make him agree. 

Dr X has forgotten about the incidence already. But is this because he's male and able to switch to other more interesting topics instead of letting them fester away? Or is it a sign of his diminishing mental faculties...  Only time will tell. I going  to find the Horlicks just in case.