Victoria for the win!

Banksie's ranch on the Peninsula, a photo by Gypsy Saskia on Flickr.

A quick lazy post before I go to New Zealand tomorrow. Victoria has been good to me! I stayed with friends in Carlton North and West Melbourne, made a trip to the Yarra Valley with Em and spent two wonderful days on my mate's ranch in the Mornington Peninsula. I've been to heaps of wineries and drank some great coffees! Boxing Day test was fun, even more so when we won. And I bought two pairs of shoes today (oops...).

Can't upload pics directly from my iPad but there are a few more on Flickr.

Sleep deprived

We're only three days into the Ashes and I am already so sleep deprived it ain't funny. For many reasons I wish Oz was closer, and this bloody time difference is on top of the list at the moment. And this is only the Brissie test. Starts at midnight UK time. Sydders and Melbs are half an hour later. But man, do I love it.

Take Thursday night. I went to bed rather excited (and rather pissed, but that's a different matter) as our batting was only just underway. Waking up Friday morning to a 220/5 and a wicketless final session (and a sore head) meant I had a slight spring in my step, making my way to work. My English partner and other colleagues were clearly starting to get worried, which only added to my joy.

Come Friday night, I stayed awake on espresso and jelly beans. Close to 2am, when Australia were at 308/5 I couldn't possibly stay awake any longer. Waking up this morning, the first thing I did was to check the score on my Blackberry. 481/10. Bring it on. And now, I am again counting on espresso and jelly beans to keep me awake for another 2,5 hours or so. In 2014 I probably need to take 6 weeks unpaid leave and just go to Oz. For now, I am accepting the fact that I will look like a ghost on valium by early January. It's all worth it.

My friend

Ready to party!
Originally uploaded by Gypsy Saskia

She is larger than life. A total party professional. Drinks champagne like it's going out of fashion but luckily has so many braincells she can afford to lose a few. She inspires me to live life to the max. To drink champagne on other days than NYE. Damn, it even got to a point when her love of latino men rubbed off on me. When she's heart broken, I feel her pain, and vice versa.

Who'd have thought, when we met back in '06 or so, in Cafe Hans en Grietje, that we would hit it off like this. For three months only we lived in the same country. But those three months were the beginning of a special friendship. Despite living about 10,000 miles apart, we manage to see each other once a year on average. And 2010 is a good year. A week in Melbs, a week in Tassie, and now four days in London.

The photo was taken on Queensday 2007. On our way to the boat I hired, we bought two champagne glasses at the vrijmarkt. Hers survived the move down under, mine the one to London. A tangible reminder of the good times we shared in the Dam.

My liver is lined up, the Veuve is in the fridge, the nice restaurants are booked. Bring on miss Brimson!

Next stop: Scotland Island

Same kookaburra?
Originally uploaded by Gypsy Saskia

Scotland Island: 670-odd inhabitants of the human kind, gazillions of the mossie kind and a whole heap of birds, possums and other 'wildlife'. No shop. No Sunday newspapers. No fresh pint of milk in the morning if you forgot to buy some on the mainland. My Irish friend moved there recently after years in Sydney. With husband and bub, she found sheer domestic bliss. I felt trapped and was going slightly nuts already after two days. Yes, the quietness is nice, but the crickets never shut up and make more noice than down town Syndey traffic. Having to plan your shopping, not having access to newspapers, and not being able to just meet a friend at a caf for a latte....it's not my scene. But I saw kookaburras. So for a holiday weekend it wasn't too bad.

Sydney!

Company on my hotel balcony
Originally uploaded by Gypsy Saskia

I've been in Sydney for about 24 hours and it feels home like never before. After a day of browsing through Paddington and doing some modest shopping and getting a pedi/mani, I went back to the hotel. My hotel is absolutely amazing in the most old fashioned way. Plus it has a rooftop pool. After pool and bath, I sat on the grandfather's chair, made some King Island brie and crackers (according to Em this Tasmanian brie was to die for and I wasn't disappointed), had a glass of Moorilla merlot cab and read my book on the Widow Cliquot. Just when I thought life couldn't get any better, the bird (parakeet of some sort?) in the pic decided to keep me company.

The last days in Tassie were fab by the way. An incredibly relaxing holiday on an incredibly beautiful island. Will have to come back and see the parts we've missed.

Wineglass Bay

Wineglass Bay
Originally uploaded by Gypsy Saskia

Tassie, day four. We're back in Hobart, before heading to Cradle Mountain. The east coast was stunning. Freycinet NP, where the photo was taken, is just this magical place. The smells, the sounds, the views.... Loved it. Oh, and the seafood. I od'd on mussels and other stuff. Outside Hobart we've found virtually no internet, had no phone reception on other providers than Telstra, and saw few people on any of the beaches we went to. Loving it.

Brighton Beach

Colours
Originally uploaded by Gypsy Saskia

Jetlags suck but on the upside: thanks to the jetlag I was out and about at 7.30am this morning. Off to Brighton Beach, to see the cute beach huts. Not surprisingly, I had the beach to myself bar a few locals walking their dogs.

After Brighton, I managed to fit in South Yarra and Prahrad, the botanical gardens, little Vietnam (yummmm pho) and the city. I am now properly sunburnt and my feet properly hurt.

On the way to little Vietnam, an old dude by a tram stop looked at me and said 'You're sunburnt, you're a pom?'. When I told him I was Dutch, the first association was not drugs, cheese or tulips, but airplane bombers for a change. He made up for calling me a pom, by calling me a 'youngy' later. and for telling me the cricket score.

Melbourne!!!!!

Bloody hell what a journey. A broken plane engine meant my Wednesday noon flight was delayed til Friday midnight. So rather than arriving in Oz on crimbo eve, I arrived this morning. Having missed the first day of the boxing day test at the G. In good old Emily style, she was still intoxiacted from last night's party and had to ask a friend to drive her to the airport to pick me up. On the upside, I managed to catch up with my bro who was in the Dam for a few days as well as with friends from NY who were in town.

But all's well that ends well. I am sitting on the couch in Carlton North, along with Em and her flatmate, each with our laptop on our laps, watching the cricket on a ridiculously big television. Just went out for brunch and hell it is good to drink a fantastic latte in the sun.

Oh, and Em's mum got me a christmas present, how sweet is that?! Three bodybutters that I am sure I will need after days in the sun. Life is good. Sas is happy!

Breath in, beath out

My word, my to do list just doesn't seem to get any shorter. Two weeks at home seems a lot, but if you reduce for days spent sleeping and working, there is not much time left. However, I am getting there. My birthday dinner yesterday was brill, and I got loads of great pressies. Managed to go to the gym twice this weekend (discovered cardio machines are not too bad if you can read or watch cricket while exercising), and my backpack is more or less packed. It better be good weather in Tassie as I brought very few warm clothes. Few clothes at all really. With the camera, lenses, and tripod there is not too much space left. Christmas cards have been posted, house is cleanish, to call list is slowly coming down. Admin is more or less done. One more day tomorrow at the Scottish bank, a day at the office on Tuesday and then.....Melbourne here I come!

Australia weekend

Priscila Queen of the Desert and Ashes. Jason Donovan (who ages very well, I might add) and Ricky Ponting (who I would love to lynch right now). A night at the theatre with friends. A day in the stadium in Cardiff with fellow cricket fans and a day at home glued to Cricinfo. Ah, and don't forget that glass of Australian viognier I had this arvo. A great weekend full of Australianness, but damn....that draw against England hurts.

Speed dating

Never done it, never will. It sounds like an odd acitivity to me, but each to their own of course. London saw an interesting speed dating event last week I must admit. Apparently, Adelaide (South Australia) has a shortage of single females, and a surplus of jobs. So the local government decided to find some yummy South Australians (home to the mullet, let's hope they found some guys with proper haircuts), and 40 single pommie girls, and bring them together in a speed dating event in London. Haven't heard or read of any emigration of those yet, but will keep you updated of course. ;-)

In the news

Sydney magistrate before banning a man convicted of his seventh drink-driving charge from buying beer for 12 months: "Poor judgement on two counts there: drinking that much and drinking Melbourne bitter".

English newspapers publish so much non-news, it's fantastic. This one made me laugh for sure, can totally see an aussie judge make such a statement.