Still here...!

It has been almost a month since I last wrote. Sheesh. Where did a month go? I remember the days i had time to at least open internet explorer at work. These days? Nuh.

The major thing for me at the moment is work. I'm in a temporary role covering an EXTREMELY busy position working for an even busier bloke. I feel, in some ways, like I am in a holding pattern which at times is fine, especially since the pay rise a couple of weeks ago, but at times is incredibly frustrating and, if I'm honest, a little scary.

I have been looking outside the bank for another position. It seems I'm either too late at finding the role or I am not successful. I am not as bothered by the rejections as I thought I would be. You know me, I don't like losing. I guess somewhere deep down I still carry around that innate sense that everything will come out in the wash. I know that I will find a job I like that will be right for me. I just want it to happen now.

If I set aside the work chunk of my life there is, thankfully, a whole lot more left! The list of things that bring joy to date are thus;

Ian
Nephews & Niece
Siblings
Extended family
Mates
Melbourne
Coffee
Enrolling in 'Learn to Row' classes in July*
A sense of feeling at 'home' in our home
Eating out loads
Weather
The beach
The blue sky in the middle of May
The Fitzroy Gardens I walk through each day
The prospect of folks visiting from the UK
Getting the internet at home
Getting a landline at home
Getting a washing machine
Renewing friendships
Making new friends...
Catching up with work mates from Manchester who have been seconded to Sydney & Melbourne

We had a hectic Saturday just gone as it was Dante & Lucia's "Five / One" party. Dante turned 5 and Lucia turned 1 and, given Lucia can't talk right now Dante decided the theme. It was, of course, a Thunderbird party and as my reputation for baking preceeded me to Melbourne, he commissioned me to make a Thunderbird 2 [T2] cake. Lord help me.

Had it been T1 cake I would have had it easy. No fancy wings or rounded nose. But no, Dante's tastes run into green space craft with tail fins and rounded thingies along the ship which entailed extra pieces of cake. Now I'm not great at details, but thank the heavens Ian is. I basically baked the cake but Ian cut it to the right dimensions, I iced it and again Ian smoothed it down, added the scroll work and even helped me with the extra large marshmellows we used a clouds. It looked fabulous!

Given it was a kids party, and that Dante helped me bake the cake and he is obsessed with colour, we added green to the cake batter. A lovely irridescent green it was. It stained the kids fingers and mouths and it was even reported back the next day the even as it left one child's body the colour remained a vivid green...

I'll post pictures of the party and cake here soon.

* My desk overlooks the Yarra River and the 7 boat sheds that sit along its banks. Each day I see people out on the water, gliding along gracefully. It looks so peaceful from up here. I offhandedly asked a colleague how one gets involved in rowing down there and, as things in life go, she replied that she rows on the Yarra and that she would send me joining instructions. So for 2 weekends in July, an hour and a half each day, I'll be learning to row on the river. And I'm so excited!