Oh Happy Day

Robbo, Sammy, Casey, and Sam


Alanna & Alisha - twin sister act before Leticia

Leticia Maher

Leticia with Sophia on percussion and John on didgeridoo

me and Rae amongst the admiring fans

Wednesday was a sublime day. It started with a stop at Keithy's bicycle servicing center (the courtyard of his home) which is midway between my house and the office. I'd been having a myriad of issues with my bike and hadn't made the time to bring it back to where I bought it to have it serviced. My faithful cubemate offered to fix it himself, and I didn't hesitate to take him up on his offer. Part of my problem was a missing brakepad on my rear brakes. Oops. He got me all set up and his girlfriend Caro even prepared a hot breakfast for the three of us. What service!

Keithy and I biked into work (not at all a risk averse route), I took some friends for an introduction to Landmark during lunch, and had a full evening after an uber productive day at work. I started with boxing, then met the guys for dinner in Chinatown with a quick stop by Spleen (one of the usual bars) to meet Sammy's girlfriend Charlotte, then biked up to Clifton Hill Hotel to see Leticia sing. I got there in time to see the act before hers which had amazing lyrics and I was persuaded to buy their CD. My friend Rae saved us great seats right up front, and Leticia's performance was moving. It was one of those days that was really full and satisfying and happy. I love my life.

Belle's Birthday

Mel, Belle, and Les - matchy, matchy!


me, Shani, Kathy, Fiona

Girls at a boys movie?!?!??

This was surely the month of birthdays! One after another. This night was a girls night out in honor of Belle's birthday. We started with a really great dinner at Il Primo Posto on the Yarra River. I had the most delicious seafood risotto and will definitely be going back for that. We had a yummy chocolate birthday cake, then headed to the movies at Crown Casino. Oddly, this group of girls settled on an action flick, Street Kings. Not my first choice, but the company was good.

Casey and I met for lunch Saturday in pursuit of some good old mexican food. Unfortunately Taco Bill's was closed and our craving remained unsatisfied after a stop at the crepe cafe on Degrave's St.

I also dogsat Tyr, the weimereiner in Port Melbourne, once again over the long weekend. It's such a delight to start the morning with a walk along the beach. She always makes me really miss Jack - I think I called home every day of the long weekend.

Night with the Boys

Rocco, Casey, and Dills chatting it up at Bear Brass


Even the bosses came out - here Robbo's chatting with Prouty.

Dills got his groove on at PJ O'Brians - he's in the middle with his housemate Harvey on the left and friend Searles (Nathan) on the right.

Since I began coaching on Friday nights, I rarely get an opportunity to go out for drinks with the work crew. Because of Anzac Day (Australia's Memorial Day), we scored a long weekend with Friday off work. Thursday after work I headed off to meet Hosi for a personal training session, and followed it up immediately with drinks at the office and a night out. At least I countered the effect, right? I ended up being the only girl among the crew, which worked out really well when the guys shockingly took to dancing at our final destination. Perhaps it had something to do with the many shouts that proceeded that or the fact that we shut the place down late, late into the night. Those shouts were once again welcomed in the pursuit of a ride home that evening. It took about a 1-2 km walk out of the city and an hour of searching to finally hail a cab. But at that point, we didn't really care. Ya, ya, ya!

Barkly Barbie

The courtyard all set up for the barbie. Joe's working his magic at the bbq.

Dills and Cass actually arrived while I was down the street picking up beer and groceries for the party. What a host!

What a motley crew we are. That's the back of Aimee's head on the front right. Good pic, huh?!

Sean and I are sporting marshmallow teeth though we just look like we have pearly white smiles!

Brendan, Tammy, and Emma below the string of Thailand lights.

Jade snuck off to a nearby park to collect fallen tree limbs and branches from a recent wind storm to build this raging fire in our backyard furnace.

Tammy and Dan (Tammy also moved down here from Coffs Harbour only a few days ago). This is the outdoor loveseat arranged of cushions from our living room king chairs. Don't put anything past these creative party planners! I must have acclimated a little to the chaos. I scored a free couch from a church friend earlier today. Mhairi and Ian helped me pick it up in his pick-up, but I was almost embarrassed when we arrived because it is the most hideous thing I've ever laid eyes on. I'm not sure it's even worth the cost of a slip cover. We will see!

Jade's sister Aimee moved down to Melbourne from Coffs Harbour (north of Sydney) a few weeks ago. She's been staying with us at the house, so we decided to host a welcome bbq for her to meet a few locals. It's was a very last minute kind of deal with a couple hours notice to our invitees. Woo! That's how we roll. We set up the back courtyard and had a grand ole' time mixing and mingling. We borrowed the barbie from the guys down the street, all of whom came to kick back. I made spinach dip and brownies. Yum!

Yarra Valley Winery Tour

Up for a few tastings???

Mhairi and I kicked Ian and Casey to the back of the van.

Our first stop at De Bortoli include a cheese platter. I was shocked to actually really enjoy the goat's cheese and aged cheddar. I didn't expect to like any of it.


Our second stop at Coombes Farm included a greeting by the family owners who were visiting from France for the weekend (out on the deck behind guide Brian, Mhairi, Ian and Casey)

We were feeling a little toasty by the time we made our third stop at Punt Road.

Stop #4 at Domaine Chandon left a little to be desired. The person serving us was rather snobbish, though our stop for a glass of bubbly was rather enjoyable. We shared a brut, a sparking red, and a rose champagne amongst Mhairi, Ian, and I. Casey gave this stop a miss with his distaste for carbonation.

Mhairi stopped for a quick pose in front of the Chandon vineyards.

Then me...

Casey and Ian mocked our fun in the fields. Joke's on them!!

We were anxious to refuel so we welcomed our lunch stop at Tokar Estate. The roses lining the entry path were lovely, as was the food. The wine was not as lovely as many of the others we tasted earlier in the day, which was somewhat disappointing given the inclusion of a glass of wine with lunch.

The view from Outlook Hill was beautiful. There's a combination of fog and smoke in the background there.

Ian and I were the hard hitters. Casey and Mhairi are white wine drinkers, so dropped out after the rose or first red. Ian and I continued to sample our way through each wine variety, skipping only the very sweet wines, while Casey and Mhairi tended to really enjoy those.

Casey and Mhairi once again on standby at Yileena Park while Ian and I tasted the reds.

One last stop at Crooner's on Lygon St (down the street from my house) for dinner and drinks.

Casey, Mhairi (pronounced Vahree), Ian and I went on a private tour of the Yarra Valley wine region. Mhairi (Scotland) and Ian (England) arrived in Melbourne in October and are on a similar mission to see all of Australian, so they'll be great traveling compadres. A British guy Brian taxi'd us around in a minivan/SUV and provided commentary and plenty of food and wine throughout the day. We departed from and returned to my house, as it is minimally closer to the wine region than anyone else's home.

We started tasting at 10AM - what a bunch of lushes. We visited seven wineries throughout the day including (1) De Bortoli, (2) Coombes Farm, (3) Punt Road, (4) Domaine Chandon, (5) Tokar Estate for lunch, (6) Outlook Hill, and (7) Yileena Park. It was a good mix of large and small, commercial and homey, business and family geared wineries. Outlook Hill included two dogs Chewy and Dash, and we spotted two kangaroos at Yileena Park. We returned to my house around 7:30PM and headed down the street for dinner at Crooner's and... you guessed it, more drinks!

I discovered my tastes have developed a little. I now prefer some of the fuller bodied wines, while I used to prefer the lighter varieties. I'm still dry all the way. The slightest taste of sweet turns me right off! The following are my recommendations if you're ever looking for a good Yarra Valley wine:

(1) De Bortoli: Yarra Valley Estate Grown Viognier 2007 (white wine), Yarra Valley Estate Grown Shiraz Viongnier 2006, Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Emeri Sparkling Shiraz

(2) Coombe Farm: Pinot Noir 2006, Merlot 2006** (really smooth)

(3) Punt Road: Punt Road 2006 Chardonnay, Little Rebel Chardonnay (half the price but still tasty), Punt Road 2006 Pinot Noir

(4) Chandon: Green Point Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2006

(5) Tokar Esate: none really but the most drinkable was the 2004 Tempranillo

(6) Outlook Hill: 2006 Chardonnay, 2007 Pinot Noir*, 2005 Rock Garden Merlot

(7) Yileena Park: MicroMasters Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay, 2003 Merlot, 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon

Dan's Birthday

Eddie, Andre, Dan, me, Jason, Sean, Genevieve, Jade, Amy, and Joe at Veggie Bar for dinner

Me with the birthday boy... what a poser.

Jade gave Dan this beautiful mobile from sentimental items she collected at the beach.

Per norm, me, Dan, and Jade posed for a picture before we left the house - that's Isabel the bunny, Lucy's new partner in crime.

This is Dan - in heaven.

Dan celebrated his 27th birthday at his favorite restaurant, Veggie Bar on Brunswick St in Fitzroy. This funky restaurant offers only vegetarian fare, but is actually one of my favorites as well. The food is yum yum yum! After a leisurely dinner followed by birthday cake and presents, we headed back to the house to watch horror movies - yuck! As it was Dan's birthday, I agreed to watch one, which turned out to be Return of the Living Dead, which was so ridiculous that it was funny rather than scary. Our living room was converted into a sea of mattresses and pillows for lounging and viewing pleasure. Jade and I surprised Dan with a mammoth birthday sundae, one of his most favorite treats.

Oxfam Trailwalk

How much stuff do 4 girls need for 1.5 days of hiking?!

Caz, Alex, Hughie, Duff, and Sam taking a break at CP5.

Teams were required to check in and out of each checkpoint. A myriad of support tents and porta-lou's (better than portapotty, huh?!) were set up at each checkpoint to provide food and drinks, first aid, medical attention, and lots of encouragement.

Duff, Sam, Caz, and Alex left CP5 around 1:45AM for another 9km hike before bed.

Yes, I was a part of this. I actually CAN set up tents.

Sam, Duff, and Caz immediately fell into bed upon arrival at CP6.

Alex looks far too chipper here...


Back to daylight, and off to walk another 37km.

My friends Alex, Duff, Caz, and Sam are crazy (like me) and volunteered to torture their bodies in the name of a good cause. Together they raised over $5,600 to donate to Oxfam to overcome poverty and social injustice in the world. The event consists of teams of four that stick together throughout the completion of a 100 km hike to be completed within 48 hours. There were 2,762 Australians insane enough to take on this massive challenge. Of course, a task of this magnitude requires lots of support. Hughie (Alex's boyfriend) and I were allocated the undersirable graveyard shift from 11PM Friday to 11AM Saturday. We first stopped by Sam's parents' house to load up on supplies and were shocked to find a massive pile. How much could four girls possibly need in a day and a half? A lot. Hughie and I loaded up the back of Alex's mongo SUV and set off toward the Dandenong ranges.

We met the girls at checkpoint 5, which was approximately halfway through the trail. We arrived at 1:15AM with energy, excitement, and motivation to project onto them. I gave backrubs, leg massages, and kept them laughing. They had freshly wrapped feet and were tired but prepared to complete the next 9km chunk before resting for a few hours. We sent them on their way and headed off to checkpoint 6 to set up camp for the evening.

Hughie asked if I had a lot of experience camping. I laughed and said I'd been ONCE. We fumbled around struggling to set up strangers' tents in complete darkness. Mission accomplished. Then we sat around making bets on what time they'd arrive. The last section really took it out of them, and they were completely exhausted when they arrived at 4:30AM. We tucked them into bed for a quick powernap before their wakeup call at 6:45AM. The sleep did them well, and most felt better after resting. Still burning calves, sore joints, aching knees, chaffing, and blisters abounded. In every direction of sight, participants hobbled along winging and strategizing for how they would withstand the next 10 km. We set them up with breakfast then sent them on their way... only 37km to go!

We met the next support crew (Mel and Jojo) en route back to Melbourne to transfer the goods. They asked if we were up for a coffee, but after only 2 hours sleep in the last 24 hours, we were ready to head back home. The things you do for friends...

Jojo's Birthday

The birthday girl got sparkling silver cupcakes in accordance with her daily glitter, sparkle fascination.

Kaz, Duff, Sam, and Jojo by the negative edge pool - lush!

I borrowed a friends' car for the weekend to make my voyage into the burbs. Jojo celebrated her birthday with a greek spit roast at her parents' house in Warrandyte. It was a beautiful sunny drive in a hilly scenic part of greater Melbourne. I loved catching up with all the girls from Perth and the others from Tassie who I hadn't seen in a while. They have such a tight knit group, and I'm squirming my way right into it. I was even a part of the group present - doesn't that say it all?!

From Warrandyte, I ventured to Plenty which was more remote with access via gravel and dirt roads. My friend Kaz was hosting a Postie fashion party. I've now been in Melbourne long enough to get invited to the "tupperware" type at home sales parties. I couldn't make it to the actual party because of Jojo's birthday, but I did stop by afterward to catch up. I was surprised to be granted the most detailed, heavily narrated house tour I never asked for. We're talking 2 hours here!! Granted, that did include an outdoor tour of every tree planted for each child, neice, nephew, etc. I do feel I know a lot more about her after looking at every photo on the wall, understanding exactly how long the couch had been around, and being told about the ion extracting powers of the mineral lamp. She had a dog Jesse that was really sweet and docile and reminded me a little bit of Jack.

Comedy Festival

The social club from work subsidized our attendance at one night of the International Comedy Festival. Around 25 of us went to see Jason Byrne at The Forum. The Irish comic was masterful with improv. He picked on one audience member after another and had me laughing so hard it hurt and for a moment, I wondered if I might stop breathing. Comedy filled various venues around the city for a few weeks. I'm so thankful for the easy access to so much entertainment in Melbourne.