Well I guess we're overdue an update. Again. Sorry kids. Lots to report. Not all good. Not all bad. Read on...

I left you listless and feeling a bit weird. Part of that reason I guess can be explained by the news that Aaron and I split up on Friday night last. Fortunately so far we're remaining friends and I'm really glad of that. Aaron's a lovely guy and one I enjoy spending time with. So what was the problem? I guess I didn't love him enough. Aaron had very strong feelings for me, and as it turned out, mine weren't reciprocated as strongly. Long story short and to be fair it doesn't do it justice, but that's the reason. I gave it some time hoping and wanting my feelings to be like his. It didn't turn out that way and so from my perspective I'd prefer just to be mates. Good mates. Aaron has one of the kindest hearts of anyone I know and all my mates love him to bits so it's nice he's staying around.

So, that was Friday. Harder too in that Aaron was at that stage staying with me at Pete and Johnno's whilst he house-hunted. Saturday for him was more house-hunting and for me brekky by myself to do some reflective thinking and then over to Potts Point to have coffee with Dave, who I've not seen enough of lately. So had a good old chat to him before heading back to Newtown. Hung out with Aaron a while and had some food. Ended up later having coffee with Pete and Johnno as Aaron went out to catch up with Michael and Costa. Sunday was Fair Day, which I thought might be fun. Given the circumstances, I couldn't have been further from the mark. I headed home after about an hour and just had a good long think about all that had been happening. Hey ho. I actually can't remember what I did later, but it wasn't much. Oh, I ironed my shirts. Joy.

The rest of the week's been pretty average. Work. Aaron got a new place organised luckily for him, so we're moving him this weekend. I had my first training session back with Peter the trainer. I almost threw up and had to stop! And then got soaked in the torrential rain that hit on the way home. I think the gym relaunch may be a little more gradual than first planned. I do however pick up my shoe inserts on Monday afternoon so nothing to stop me running after that. Wednesday met up with the architect and talked houses. Last night met up with Pete and did the same. Hopefully eventually things will be on track... slowly, slowly. It does look like Pete is going to go and live in London a while. I think he needs it. We're certainly in completely different places, the pair of us, since we bought the house together. Yes, sirree. Chatted with Brett last night about the forthcoming Mardi Gras celebrations and allowed myself to get a little excited. The braces going on my teeth in about an hour and a half should dampen that ardour however. Also spoke to Andy from Manchester who arrives on Saturday night. A bit of a weird coincidence with him... but I'll leave that until after the MG celebrations just in case things get out of hand at all...

BBQ tonight at the house as a start off of the MG celebrations. Pete and Johnno, Rich and Russ, Aaron, Cassius, Rich's friend Alan and maybe Pete. Should be noice. Tomorrow moving Aaron as previously described and then Sunday, after David and Brett arrive, is the Azure (Harbour) Party. Let's hope the rain holds off.

Another week, another week of partly getting things done and no blogging. Well not really. Though Tuesday's entry doesn't really count for much. Sigh.

So, what news? Not a great deal to be honest. I remain listless, but with too much to do (but stuff I really don't want to do). I haven't got myself into any sort of routine since living with the boys, though that's partly due to Aaron staying until he finds himself somewhere decent to live. I failed to get to the gym with a number of excuses (some valid, others not very well veiled attempts to cover the apathy). My feet still aren't quite right however, and Tuesday's now booked in gym training session will not be any CV stuff. I really want my shoe inserts to arrive so I can start running again!

Meanwhile... Thursday last week was probably something. Probably. Friday more of the same no doubt. Actually Thursday Aaron and I hit Newtown to buy Mardi Gras tickets and Aaron bought new shoes. Friday would have been my Mum's 72nd birthday, so I rang Dad to see if he was OK. Friday night was spent in, as far as I can recall. Saturday saw Aaron looking at apartments again and then we picked up Pete and Johnno from the airport. We did a bit more running around then joined P+J for lunch before a quick trip to R'n'Rs then home. Saturday night ended up being an impromptu BBQ at home whilst watching Harry Potter and then Gladiator. Sunday we slept late and had previously intended to do the galleries. However by the time we got to Circular Quay we'd run out of time so instead went for a long walk round the Botanic Gardens and finally up to Victoria Street and a beer in the Green Park. Back to Newtown and dinner and then home. Nothing much else to report through the week either. Met Pete for coffee Wednesday night but got no further on firming up house stuff. Pete's still waiting to see if he can get work in the UK so we'll see what happens. Last night we went up to eat with Pete and Johnno in Newtown and that was that.

I had another orthodontist's appointment yesterday and now am sporting groovy small blue elastic bands between my back teeth. This is in readiness for next week's braces fitting. :o( And today completely my round up of all things medical and so I think that's about it for a while. Of course the next thing is researching getting my eyes lasered...

So what does the weekend hold? Not much. Aaron's house hunting again tomorrow. No plans tonight. No plans tomorrow night. Possibly Mardi Gras Fair Day on Sunday. And then another week begins.

I feel a bit like I'm in a rut without actually being in any sort of routine. How does that work??

I've just spent my spare moments trying to work out this incredibly addictive game - Grow. You can eventually, given the right circumstances, get to a top score of 20000. See how long it takes you. And yes, I did in the end have to resort to pen and paper to help!!

February 12th. I haven't blogged for over a week and keep wondering exactly where the time goes. Not that I've not been busy... it's just I used to seem to have more time. Hey ho. Maybe I'll get myself sorted out in such a way that I can bring regular blogging back into my days.

Don't hold your breath.

Meantime you'll have to cope with the odd snatch. As it were. I left you last Wednesday arvo, pre-BBQ at Tim and Ross's. It was a really lovely, social evening. I got to catch up with Adrian and Shane's news - which is that they're moving to Brisbane. I guess it's another reason to head up that way... but I do feel bad that Adrian and I have drifted apart somewhat over the last year or so. Still - I do know how to right that wrong so I'll try and be a little more communicative (though it works both ways). Thursday was work and then a doctor's appointment. It looks as though the family history of high cholestrol/triglycerides hasn't skipped a generation (funny that). So it's time to start and get back on track diet and exercise-wise. I've not been to the gym since December and properly (i.e. more than once a week!) since sometime in November. The good news is the injury that I've been carrying since after the City to Surf - which I thought might be a broken bone in my foot - is actually treatable with foot orthoses. I've recently been to the podiatrist and have had assessment and castings done and am now just waiting for the inserts to arrive. Then there's no excuse!! I should be able to run long term with no damage - the inserts will push the ball of my feet up which will in turn redistribute the weight I'm putting on my feet back into the right place. Of course there's been nothing stopping me doing non-CV exercise at all, other than my own apathy - but my rapidly expanding belly should now give me all the incentive I need to get back. I was doing fantastically well in October - probably the most muscled I've ever been. Hopefully those couple of extra kilos that I'm carrying will translate back into muscle with a bit of effort. Watch this space. Gym return scheduled for next week...

Anyway I digress. Thursday night was food in with the boys followed by a little telly. Friday was more work and another quiet night in I think. Saturday was brekky after a good sleep. Aaron went looking for houses and I went off to meet Gary and Peter to help set up George the Staffordshire terrier's birthday party in the park. It was fun! Beer and social interaction under the trees in the sun. Noice. Later... we hit Rich and Russ's with the boys for Steve Atkins' farewell BBQ. Also good and a reasonably early Saturday night with us hitting the sack around midnight.

Sunday - ah, Sunday. :o)

Sunday was ToyBox - a dance party at the Metro in town following on from the great tradition of Frisky parties - except this one starts at midday and goes til 8pm. Our first real venture out since New Year saw us ready for some fun. And fun it was!! We hit there shortly after 1pm and initially it was a little quiet. However by 2pm it was going off - and so were we! The party was fun and friendly - and although the music was a little too trancey to be completely up our alleys we didn't seem to mind too much. In the end the gang was all there - us two, Pete and Johnno, Rich and Russ, Tim and Ross, Steve... and various others drifted in and out of the fray. Of course by 8pm we couldn't say no to kicking on and so we did. The Shift via McDonald's :o) The Shift was also fun, though less so when Aaron started to feel unwell. We were home by midnight after a fine afternoon and evening. More please.

Monday I fought bleary eyed to work, and survived the day. It helped leaving early to go first to the podiatrist's (as described earlier) and then the orthodontist to investigate braces on my teeth. My teeth aren't too bad - at least the top ones, but the bottom ones are crooked and overcrowded and it's causing gum disease where it's difficult to floss. So, it looks like it's all going ahead. Yikes. Assuming all goes according to plan I'll have the braces on the top ones first, followed two or three months later by the bottom ones. The top ones will go on just in time for Mardi Gras - woohoo. Oh well - the end result will be straighter teeth and ones that (hopefully) will have less chance of falling out on me. I then met up with Charlotte and her new man Marcus - I'd not seen Charlie since 2003 in England and it was great to catch up. Those regular readers may remember Charlie as the girl I shared with in Bondi September 2001-January 2002. Bless her. She's back for good so she now becomes the person I've officially known the longest here in Oz - 9 years!! Back home to bad news - Johnno had flown up to Lennox as his Dad was in hospital again. By the time we were almost ready for dinner Johnno called to say his Dad had died. It's so hard to know what to do or say in situations like that - except I just think back to when Mum died and remember that it didn't really matter what people said as long as they said something. There were a couple of friends of the family who didn't say anything - through embarrassment of saying the wrong thing, or fear or whatever... and that for me remains what stands out. We looked after Pete as best we could and then hit the sack. Sad end to the day. As I write this it's the funeral and my thoughts are with the boys.

Tuesday was more work and then another leaving early day. I've been working really well at work and am completely on top of everything which is great. Yay me! Anyway, I left to meet the new architect at the house to discuss plan submission again. Jim seems nice - old and knowledgeable and fair. I'll know more from him in a week or so. Home and dinner out - sushi with Aaron and Pete in Bondi then coffee in Newtown. Nice.

Yesterday Aaron took Pete to the airport early and then it was work once more. These five day weeks are so hard! Dinner was veggie pasta after a trip to the supermarket then telly and bed. Rock and roll lifestyle! No plans for tonight or Friday either, though lots of sleep could well be on the agenda. More news as it happens!!

January, February, don't you come around?

Well apparently you do, and all too bloody swiftly for my liking. All I seem to do, each time I update this thing, is berate the passing of time. Hey ho. It would seem I am that whingeing pom after all. OK, down to business. I left you with a weekend of humping on the cards. Matron. Pete and Johnno were in Melbourne for the weekend, leaving me rattling around in their palatial abode. Aaron was busy packing and refusing offers of help, so I did the next best thing and hit the supermarket to buy provisions. I was in the mood for bacon and eggs, and so that was what I had. A small mountain of bacon and eggs in fact, with tomatoes and toast for good measure. Enough for two people, but I troughed it all myself. Tonight Matthew, I'll be... mostly lardy. Aaron toyed with the idea of sleeping at mine, but piked, leaving me to fall into bed after some internet chats and telly.

Saturday was also meant to be a humping fest. Missus. However it didn't really work out like that. Aaron delayed coming to get the truck as he continued packing, cleaning and arguing with his ex. So I hung around for him to call. And waited. And waited. Getting slightly restless I ate, watched some Buffy and some of the tennis too. Aaron dropped off some stuff on two occasions but actually didn't arrive for good until gone 9pm. Bit of a wasted day in some respects, but you get that. Buffy was good. We ordered in Thai, watched Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and went to bed post midnight.

Sunday. Quick brekky. Aaron upped and offed and continued to pack. We finally humped. Vicar. Most of his stuff was finally in Pete and Johnno's gargage by 4pm. He shot off (!) to go clean his carpets and I watched the end of Series 6 of Buffy. This means that I have now watched every episode of Buffy ever made. All within the last 10 months. Fantastic!! I know there were seven series, but I watched the last one in real time last year. Sad there's no more. Sigh. After we went up to Newtown and had dinner and finally got back around 10pm. Chat to the boys then bed.

Monday onwards: not much to report. Work. No gym (though I will be back tomorrow). Podiatrist's appointment, to find out that I've got something a bit wrong with my feet which will result in me needing inserts in my shoes before I can run seriously again. Nice dinner at home with us all on Monday. Out for a cocktail and pizza last night with Aaron. BBQ at Tim and Ross's tonight. Johnno's flown up the coast to spend some time with his family as his dad was rushed to hospital on Monday night. Fingers crossed that all is OK up there.

Right then. Time to go. Oh, and the only other thing of interest is that I cashed in a policy from an old endowment policy in the UK, and transferred the money over here. I can report I'm officially currently debt free. How long it'll last is anyone's guess, but it's a nice feeling!!