mosquito hell

We are meant to be off out on a fun Sunday marauding adventure BUT all has turned to misery. I sat on the balcony last night for barely 5 minutes when I felt a tingle on my foot. Looking down, I saw a MONSTROUS mosquito, about the size of a 50p, hopping happily around and treating my foot like a soda fountain.

This morning my foot and ankle were super swollen and I could barely walk properly. Mark went to the chemist and got me superstrength anti-histamine, and it's gone down a bit, but I still have a big fat foot and it looks like I'm stuck on the couch for the day :(

whinging pom

Oh hello there.

I am so fed up of winter! It feels so odd complaining so much about it since it still hits 17-18 degrees most days which for most Englishy types in England is lovely and warm. BUT it is just SO COLD?? Things don't really get a chance to warm up properly because of the short winter days, so 18 degrees in wintery Australia feels significantly cooler than the same temperature in summertime UK. The house is freezing because all the older houses here are just made to not get too hot in summer, rather than stay all warm in winter. Mark has taken to wearing two jumpers, a dressing gown, gloves and a blanket whilst working at home, which is an amusing sight to behold. No washing dries and consequently everything just smells of damp the whole time. It doesn't help either that we are now well into our FOURTH WEEK OF RAIN. EVERY DAY. I can't actually remember what the sun looks like? Not good enough, Australia, not good enough. The house is dark and depressing all the time because, like most houses in Australia seem to be, it is built in a way that no direct sunlight comes into the windows (presumably again to prevent excessive summer overheating). WA WA WAHHH!!!!

Ok enough complaining.

We have mostly been sitting in and getting over our colds and watching DVDs. Last night watched Charade, a 1963 thriller with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, that Mark's parents got me on DVD when I was in Paris, cus it's set in Paris. It's a good, silly film. Good but silly. I wish they'd remaster it or something though. The sound quality is quite poor, particularly in the first 30 minutes and in the scene on the boat, and the picture quality varies throughout. It's a shame cus it's a good film, I bet there's lots of good, forgotten classic films out there that could be rereleased quite successfully with a bit of polishing up.

Bank holiday weekend this coming weekend, for the old Queen's birthday, would you believe! I intend to do gardening - we acquired a passionfruit vine that needs putting out. I'm pretending it's Bank Holiday for My Birthday. One week tomorrow and I'm 25, officially a bit old. I suppose nothing much changes. I suppose I might have to finally accept the fact that I'm not going to grow out of my bad skin. I've been living for years in the mistaken belief that my greasy, blotchy visage will soon develop into nice, normal, smooth adult skin, and that I'll be able to gander about in public all fresh-faced without a layer of oil-control foundation coating my face for security. But no. Oh well. For any miserable 14 year olds reading this who are currently battling the terrors of adolescent skin, here's a bit of news: IT MIGHT NEVER END!!!!

failure to be sensible, ill, too much rain

Not much has happened recently that has been particularly conducive to bloggery as of late. I apologise once more to those people (all two of you?!) who may or may not have been on tenterhooks awaiting the next exciting installment of my life.

Mark and I are both currently ill with colds. Mark with his second cold in only a couple of months. Mine is not quite as bad as his, although I fear that since he had it first and I may therefore be a couple of days behind in the cold timeline... To be quite honest I think I deserve lifelong immunity from colds after the horrific, almost-3-month-long cold I had starting immediately after we arrived in Australia, which included a period of almost a solid fortnight during which I could not breath through my nose at all. Not even slightly, not even with all the decongestants money could buy.

Mark had his birthday t'other week. I got him RayBan Wayfarers, crème brulée tea from T2 and the two Yeah Yeah Yeahs EPs ('Yeah Yeah Yeah' and 'Is Is'). He also has some books, including David Starkey's Monarchy which arrived from Bristol which he has already finished and which I am now reading - it's really exciting! And I now understand the Wars of the Roses which would have been helpful *before* I went to see the plays. Gah. We went to Ice and Slice in Newtown for dinner with USyd phil dept. (usual wednesday night dinner). Some of them didn't realise it was Mark's actual birthday until near the end of the meal, then started singing Happy Birthday and the WHOLE restaurant joined in!! Mark looked like he wanted to die a bit, it was so funny.
After food Mark and I went for cocktails in Madame Fling Flong, then had to head home because it was a school night.

Not much else has occurred. It is torrentially raining. Has been for a few days. Some towns in Vic/NSW are flooded.....this country seems to be permanently on fire or underwater....hmm. I am trying to save a lot of money, but keep failing by shopping. Had 17 minutes to wait for the train home from work last night and instead of waiting patiently in the station I went and bought another new top and new skirt! Aghh. Sense, pie. Sense. *shakes head*