Weekenders...

Aussies really know how to make the most of their weekends.
From dress-down Fridays, where people turn up at work in an assortment of fluro surf t-shirts and thongs, to the fact that most 9-5ers are slipping out of the door from 3pm, Australia really does take its weekends seriously.

And living here, its pretty simple to see why.

Because of the almost year-round glorious weather here, people are able to make outdoor plans and get the best of their leisure time. Much like the crush on the M25 on a Friday night in London, the freeway arteries that keep Sydney pumping seem to clog to a grinding halt on Fridays.

But the difference here is that many of these vehicles have boats, jetski and bicycles hooked up to them. Clearly people are leaving the city in droves* (despite the beautiful beaches at Manly, Bondi and Bronte) for a little piece of less hectic beach paradise further north or south of the city.

And for those who stay in Sydney, they seem to be out and about breakfasting, checking out the many museums the city has to offer, or hitting the coastal trails that link the Eastern suburbs beaches.

* I shall be joining the hordes next Friday night as we head to our south coast beach retreat. It's a hard life...

Lady of leisure...

I'm at the tail end of a three week holiday from work - time in lieu that I had to either take or lose.

I was pretty concerned that I wouldn't be able to occupy my time for three weeks without spending any more cash than normal, and with autumn almost upon us in Sydney.
Yet, here I am dreading Sunday, and my first day back at work. In truth, I've done a whole lot of nothing. I've read, sunbathed and cooked. And I've decided that this is what everyday life should be like.
But for the time being - or until the big red ball makes my dreams come true - I've 65 days until my next holiday. I am counting down the days...

We're so bumped...

We're playing the waiting game in my family at the moment, with my sister due to give birth at the start of June.We're a scattered family, with myself in Australia, the grandparents-to-be in Spain, my brother in North Wales and my sister in Devon. But our geographical scattering cannot dampen the excitement we're all feeling as the impending birth looms ever closer.