Monday, Aug. 22, 2005
sand in my shoes
Well we’re back. And I had a lovely weekend.I wasn’t sure how it would go out. Friday we’d come home from work and I was exhausted. (Work isn’t exactly a whole ball of fun since I was hauled into the director’s office last Wednesday and had to listen to her vitriol for 20 minutes. I’m going to have to leave soon) So anyway, come 6 o’clock I was in the middle of preparing dinner while keeping an eye on the load of washing I was doing and readying the sink to do the mountain of dishes I had to wash and the Abbott comes in from picking up his jeans from ma and pa’s country house, gives me a swift kiss on the cheek and declares he’s going out to play pool with Pete.
I was fuming. I was so angry I couldn’t speak. In fact, I was still so angry 20 minutes later I was flinging my laundry across the room at the clothes horse in the corner. Sure, I could be a house frau, but it was Friday night, I’d been wanting to go out for *weeks*, and here I was, stuck making his dinner and washing his dishes. So I did the dishes, finished the laundry, cleaned the kitchen, tidied the nunnery then sat down to a block of chocolate, half a bottle of red and an urban family summit to charlotte. Felt *marvellously* better after the chocolate, wine and phone call and tottered into bed at 9:30 in a forgiving and benevolent state.
The Abbott didn’t even bother coming into bed when he got home, and I woke up midnight-ish to find him asleep on the couch.
It seems he and Pete had gone to a pub which makes you cook your own pork ribs. Poor boy was so ill I plied him with rosewater (cures everything) and sat up with him until 3. Because I am a fabulous girlfriend. With mood swings. Needless to say, he didn’t get much sleep at all, so when we were on the road to Sydney the next morning he was tired, ill and quiet.
Still, he perked up after the KFC at 12:30. And despite feeling icky and having me almost get us lost once (highly debatable, as the map clearly indicated we could turn right, even if the actual road didn’t. The Abbott called me ‘mate’. He only does that to me (and Abby) when he’s annoyed), I got to go shopping and spend my birthday money. Ended up in Quick Brown Fox and bought a gorgeous pale green lacy wrap dress with a dark green slip, and half an hour later I found the matching shoes.
We made use of the hotel’s complimentary health club and hung out in the sauna until I had trouble breathing, then sat in the spa until a heavily pregnant woman came in (to the SPA) and struck up a conversation with some other woman who also turned out to be pregnant. What is it with pregnant women assuming the rest of us care about the aching and the swelling and the issues. I. don’t. want. to. know.
So we fled the spa, had a dip in the cold cold pool and got ready for Mac’s Jane’s dinner. It was lovely to see mac and jane again. These wonderful people got me through what would’ve been a terrible Sydneysider episode, but ended up being a really, really lovely Sydney stay, and I’m forever grateful for their hospitality and loveliness. (Wish I’d thought to check I’d brought Jane’s present BEFORE we got to New South Wales. The Abbott put the suitcase in the car but left the pressie bag on the bed, and I didn’t think to check.)
Then lady veej got there and we all slipped into the comfortable banter (read: bagging the crap out of Ophelia at every given opportunity). Lady veej bought me the prettiest birthday present ever (a jewelled butterfly box. So so perfect) and for the first time ever the Abbott and I actually mentioned my present. Although I think I told him about the time I ended things with B over the body shop white musk pack *cringe*. It was much fun, despite the fact the Abbott and I couldn’t eat much. I drank enough to make up for the shortfalls. The Abbott had never seen me Party Tipsy (official term) before. I’m not sure what he made of me. (anyone else who was there care to let me know? ;p) Still, halfway through dinner he sent me a smessage... "love you... :)". I was so sleepy after the Night of No Sleep we bailed on the after dinner pub and Veej, the Abbott and I ended up driving across Sydney in Veej’s dad’s Subaru. It was so cool. Veej got the sunroof down so I got to lie back and stare up at the bridge. There was a panel of glass between me and the sweet sweet Sydney air, but I guess it was all for the best. Still, one of those moments with two of my favourite people, warm with wine and singing along to dave mccormack in my favourite city. Love it.
Back at the hotel, and I’m not sure if it was the maccas chicken nuggets I’d had for breakfast that morning. Or the bit of KFC chicken I was picking at when the Abbott had enough lunch. Or the several glasses of very good merlot I’d consumed over dinner, but my stomach rebelled. It was still gurgley when we got home last night, and I cursed the revolting hungry jacks burger (loosely termed ‘lunch’) that I ate at 4:30 in some country town somewhere.
So I was feeling a little fragile come Sunday morning but I’d promised the boy a seafood lunch at the fish markets so we were up and ready by 10. The Abbott
surprised me with a trip to the tea room in the Queen Victoria building, and I sat there, grinning stupidly at him over jasmine tea and finger sandwiches. From there we walked to darling harbour, enjoying the sunshine on our backs. It was so good to feel the warmth of spring-like sunlight, as opposed to the icy, bone chilling winds usually associated with the sun in Canberra. The Abbott decided he wasn’t hungry after all so we caught the ferry to circular quay (my first ferry!) and walked around the rocks markets. Purely for my benefit. But the boy had corn on the cob, so everyone’s happy. We walked back down to our hotel (still enjoying the sunshine) and settled in for the three hour drive back to Canberra. We took another scenic route and drove around rich, leafy townships, picking out houses to buy.
All and all it was lovely. I still have a gurgley stomach (stoopid crappy junk food), but the Tea room business card is perched under my computer screen, and if I try hard enough, I can still imagine the warmth of sunshine on my back and the feeling of friends around me.