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!!