Urban Kayaking!

Saturday was simply gorgeous - a little windy in the morning, but just as Leah predicted, the winds died down in the afternoon and it was the perfect time to get out and splash about.  Rob, Leah and I rented a couple of kayaks and paddled up the Swan River into East Perth where we found some very cool houses and neat public art.  We then lazed our way back down stream to return the boats before it got too chilly to stay out.  Heaps of fun!  Go Team SuperFun!!

The Wonderful World of Wheels

She's not perty, but she rolls…  Finally, finally, finally I have some wheels.  My daily commute has gone from a 30 minute walk each way to a 10 minute ride, a much more efficient use of my time.  It's also allowing me to get out and explore a bit more and running errands at lunch is now a viable option.  Yay!

Impatience

It's been one of those weeks - started out strong, got lots of analytical work done Mon/Tues, then everything kind of went to crap.  I'm not sure if I've actually accomplished anything since 2 p.m. Tuesday (it's now Friday morning).  I've been fighting with computers and fielding calls to repair the one that bit the dust, waiting for green lights to change all my plans to stay here longer, and generally feeling that everything is pretty much out of my hands for the moment.  I keep trying to figure out what I can do instead of focusing on what I can't, but keep coming to the same conclusion: very little.   Hrmmmm…

I'm bound and determined that I will not succumb to the same dreary state of hopelessness related to my work today.  I will be productive and have something to hold up and say, 'hey, this is what I managed to do this week!'  How's that for a positive attitude?

The weather here is perfectly gorgeous and the outlook for the weekend shows much of the same.  Hoping to get in some running, a little kayaking, a touch of yoga, and a lot of loving and living in!!

King's Park

The sun set…
The moon rose…
And it was a perfectly lovely day for a picnic…

New Horizions

It feels like spring.  Beautiful blue skies, birds in the air, sniffing and sneezing, and a heart and head full of love.  It's wonderful.  I've never felt so loved, so cared for, so cherished.  It's so easy to love back when I'm getting so much.  Mmmmmm…

The only way it could get better is if I get one of these jobs I'm applying for.  Very cool opportunities here - sea floor exploration geologist, low-temperature geothermal geochemist - I'm so excited at the prospect of getting a real job that I'm blazing through work here.  This is such an inspiring work environment.  It's fun to come to work!  Life is good.

Fun! Finally! In Freo!

I've been hearing nothing but good stuff about Freemantle since I first decided to come to Perth.  It has, however, proved more difficult to get myself there than I expected.  I decided this weekend that the time had come - no more mucking about and making arm-waving plans that never pan out - get there, eat some good food, have a bit of a shop around and see the sights.  Or something like that…

In the end, it was more like a beautiful day for a drive, a lovely time drinking tea with my new beau, a pretty crappy brunch, leading to a tummy ache that made the rest of the day a wee bit less fun than it should have been.
But, it was a stunning day and I found numerous reasons to head back for more Freo in the future.  I can't complain one little bit about the company either…  he makes me pretty darn smiley, even when I feel like crud.

Ladies' Nights

  Everyone loves a good girls' night, but two in a row is simply outstanding!  Friday night, Megan and I met up in Northbridge to have dinner 

with several of my female co-workers.  Getting everyone in one spot where we could actually eat was a bit like herding cats, but we ended up with a fantastic group and delectable

 food.  It was the first time Megan had ever found herself to be the only Aussie in a group on her home turf - we were a motley crew of Brits, a Canadian, a Bosnian, an Italian, a Pole and yours truly.  Man we had some great conversation and warm company after the initial ice breaking.

   To keep the good times rolling, we all headed to the Brass Monkey for drinks after…

  

 Much of Saturday was spent in pleasurable pursuits - yoga, sipping tea and reading the Ester Republic on the porch, food shopping at the Swansey St Markets, running with Simb

a around the neighborhood, wandering through shops and central Perth.  I finally made my way to the gorgeously appointed apartment of my newly minted friend Jana for dinner after several hours of mindless meandering.  She prepared a mouth-watering and simply elegant dinner of kangaroo, ratatouille, and broiled potatoes.  This we washed down with plenty of Australian wine and digested with rounds of raucous laughter.  Leah provided ample entertainment for the evening with her unparalleled story telling skills and arsenal of 'wicked' tales.  If a more unusual mix of women could be found dining together in the city that night I'd be amazed: four accountants from England, South Africa, Scotland, Germany/U.S. and two geologists/geophysicists from the U.S. and U.K.  Wow - but damn, did we have some good laughs!!