I just watched Sydney Zoo TV, and man, it was nice to see Bono's eyes... it seems an age since I saw them last. The boy within the man. I simply CANNOT stand the excitement, waiting for November 10th (and then some!)

And New Year's Day just does not grow tired. Oh, how i love this band....

I decided to take the day off today - woke up with a nasty, sore throat and a drippy nose and a teacher's tool is her voice, so I knew I wouldn't be much good in the classroom.

Our cleaner was due to come today and when she arrived I thought I'd get out of her way so I took off for a shopping centre not far from my house. I live right across town from the school where I teach, so I certainly didn't expect to bump into anyone that would know me from school, but I literally walked...

The countdown begins. Bring it on....

:shock:... and so I had SEVERE withdrawal symptoms today! The wretched Dept of Education decides which sites I can and cannot visit, with many being blocked, including this one and hotmail. Waaaaa! I've only ever used hotmail, so now I have to transfer my address book to a new work one and it pisses me off. I got a lot of work done, though

They've also limited the students' access to google, including blocking google.images in its entirety, citing there to be...

... my fitness regime is back on track - HOORAY!! How bloody hard is it getting motivated after the winter hibernation period?! But I am so proud of myself, I did an hour at the gym yesterday afternoon and a 25 minute swim this morning. The pool is heated to 24*C, warmer than the air temp. first thing in the morning, so it's lovely getting in. I am so unfit though and was spluttering and chugging my way down the pool... must have swallowed about a litre of water gotta keep...

We had our first REAL taste of spring this weekend and so the b/f and I end up spending most of the day inside a shopping centre. We didn't plan it that way, we just popped in to collect his new glasses and some 3 hours later found our way out into the brilliant sunshine, thinking, 'what a waste of a day!'

In actual fact, we both had raging hangovers from a rather boozy, celebratory dinner the night before with friends that we hadn't seen in ages, so a quiet little...

... and it ain't a good idea. Let's just say things are a bit breezy around here today!!

But enough of the fruit banter.

I watched the Best of the Muppet Show DVD with my 4 year old cousin yesterday. It was great teaching her about all the characters and trying to get her to remember their names. I can't believe how much of an impact that show had on my childhood and while I don't think it has the same impression these days (the yoof of today...

... since a cyclone hit Northern Queensland (the major banana producing state of Australia) some 6-ish months ago, the price of bananas has been PROHIBITIVE. Like, $13-a-kilo-prohibitive. That works out to be $2-$3 a single banana! Not surprisingly I haven't been buying them and BOY, DO I MISS MY DAILY BANANA! (!)

Some people, who obviously have a much larger disposable income than me, are still buying them and maybe it's just my paranoia, but they tend to flaunt them in...

It's just days away from our southern hemisphere Spring and time to get a-movin' again after too much winter comfort food and little/no exercise. I feel disgusting, quite frankly, and have been seeing a physio for my back pain, which I KNOW is a symptom of my lethargy, so it's time to hit the gym again.

I'm listing this here to keep me motivated and hopefully kept in check:

* NO alcohol. Not a drop. Not even a wiff. The only way I seem to be...

I feel like I've been hibernating of late, when in fact I've just been running around like a headless chook. It's Week 7 of an eleven week term and I'm fretting that I won't get through the work I have planned for the kids and the kids themselves are going FERAL, which I've been told is perfectly normal for Year 6 at this time of year. Normal it may be, but it sure is exhausting. I even staged an intervention-style class meeting last week because I was so over their 'tude in class and towards...

... as mentioned in previous entry, there was a Food & Wine soiree in my neighbourhood yesterday, down at the beach, some 7 minutes walk from my house. Bad idea....

Well I could think of a worse way to spend a gorgeous, sunny Sunday. It was divine. We met up with Andrew's parents for awhile and then found some of our friends, who also live locally and then REALLY hit the juice. Drinking wine in the sunshine is just a recipe for disaster, ain't it?! I think...

... for the third Sydney show and I'm a little baffled that it hasn't sold out yet... After all the hoo-haa when the first two shows went on sale last year and sold out literally in MINUTES, I am surprised that this one hasn't sold so quickly. Admittedly, it wasn't hugely publicised outside of U2 circles (not that I saw anyway) so maybe it's yet to leak out. I hope the momentum isn't waning, because I sure am excited. And I get to and with my new...

Well it has just been be-yoot-i-ful in Sydney the past couple of days (I was out of town all weekend, so can't vouch for then). It's forecast to be 21*C today (veritably BARMY!) and it's the school's athletics carnival, so what a perfect day to be outside.

In other news, I have most certainly gained at least 3kg since announcing my engagement: coupled with friendly drinks to celebrate with friends and my mother's hospitality all weekend ("Here, eat. Eat. Eat...&quot...

Well this really is panning out as the best week of my life (so far!). I 've just read that there's an extra show scheduled for Sydney, which is just TOO, TOO good to believe. After all the wait, November is going to be THE best month of the year.

I guess this cements me NOT having my wedding in November, as I was slightly considering yesterday. It really would have been a stretch to get organised and I just wouldn't want to be stressing with so much good...

Seriously, I am still on my love-buzz high, but the social whirlwind of engagement "duties" is exhausting - and we're only in our first week! What HAVE we signed up for?!

We had dinner with Andrew's parents and sister/brother-in-law last night, which was lovely, but as it was a "school" night, we were all by 10.30. I keep getting the most beautiful bunches of flowers from people - makes me feel very special indeed....