Bleeping Back

I am back at work today. Boo hoo. It’s been a full past 10 days. It’s amazing how little time you have to do anything at all when the house is full of people you feel like you should be entertaining and socialising with (not to mention that you want to be entertaining and socialising with). I haven’t read any of my book, played guitar, written a blog post – nothing. All I did was some crochet as we sat about in the lounge room. My niece is still so fanatical about Press Gang, which I gave her for her birthday last year, that she brought the whole boxed-set with her, and we watched a few episodes when at home (which is when I did crochet, and I was also teaching and helping the other niece make a crochet cat). There was one day where they went to catch up with some other relatives, and so I made the most of that time to make a trip to Ikea, which I have been wanting to do for a long time, only because after going to every other shop closer to home with a tape measure, Ikea seemed to be the only shop with the right-sized thing.

We went out every day to see something or other about Sydney. Two things I had never done before as a resident was to walk over the Harbour Bridge and go up Centrepoint Tower. These are just not things you think to do when you live here, but I am pleased I have now done them. My nieces had never been to Sydney before so we did all the basic sights of the city and some other local and scenic ones. Some days the weather was a little less than average, but we managed. My brother-in-law flew back on Sunday, as he had to lecture yesterday, and my sister and the kids stayed on till today because flights were really cheap. This afternoon was going to be an effort, with me trying to leave work early enough, the day before press day, after holidays, to get them to the airport in peak-hour traffic. My sister was stressed about making it on time, I was stressed about having to get away from work, so in the end I had this bright idea that they could catch a taxi (which is cheaper than the train for three people from my house), which I think works out best for all concerned. That’s why I'm having this lunch break. The problem is that I also have to be home early tomorrow for a house inspection. And for the last ten days there has been so much stuff everywhere in the flat, with people sleeping in the living room etc, that I have almost forgotten what it used to look like when it was tidy (sometimes my room is a big mess, but I do like to keep the living area tidy). So I think I have a job ahead of me tonight, hiding the evidence of all these people having been there so the agent doesn’t think I have been sub-letting.

And now I need to go on a diet (there were a few too many “snacks” and desserts consumed, which I don’t normally indulge in, except at Christian events where there are always snacks a plenty) and find something more interesting to blog about.