Back! Had an excellent time. I am going to write out my whole trip here as much as possible. I meant to keep a diary but it frankly felt like too much work and ate into precious novel reading time and sunbaking time.

Day 1. Drive to Holbrook
Quite uneventful, just mooching in car. Had our first introduction to The Russian Enigma. We got to Holbrook just north of the NSW border a little after 8pm, had dinner and just crashed out really.

Day 2. Drive Holbrook-Gundagi-Goulbourn-Katoomba
Got up early (this was a theme of the trip, I was most impressed with myself). Drove down the road and found.........

A Submarine! Yes, miles from the coast.


Mum and Dad on submarine


A mini-model


Why it is there.

From Holbrook we drove to Gundagi to see dog on tuckerbox and drink some overpriced, overmilked coffee in a mug, a rural Australian speciality.



Dog on box.



Would you eat at that Picnic Area?


FRom there we went to Goulburn for lunch and I was excited to add the first BIG landmark to my collection.

Behold the BIG MERINO WITH DOUBLE CHINS SYMBOL OF GOULBURN!!!!




I am afraid.

THere was a nice fountain though

I lay in the sun and read the paper (I can never move to sydney as the SMH doesn't have a general knowledge crossword on saturday).

THen we dove to Katoomba, I last went there absolutely years ago, it is so beautiful.


That evening we decided to eat out and went to the local RSL, which was fun, I had fish and chips and beer, and got beer for one dollar! I forgive the RSL its eye blindingly bad carpet for my $1 beer.

So excited, don't have to come back to this damned hellhole (uni) for nearly 2 weeks, and in meantime will have some sunnin up in Queensland, mostly in some rainforest with parents and sis. Will be like a family holiday :yikes: hopefully though with less hairpulling and fighting over the coco pops in the variety ceral pack that so characterised earlier such trips.

Before that I have to hand in a full draft of thesis, around 70 000 words at present. I have no idea how it will happen, but I will just try my best.

I love my students on wednesday, one today said I was very stylish 8) and the others just laugh at my jokes about 17th century architects.

God I am so tired, thank goodness it is semester break soon, though I have masses to do before then. Don't how it will happen, but I just have to try. Had a good weekend. Friday mark and i went for drinks then got chinese and watched dvds. Saturday we were meant to be going to an opening in Prahran but got a message it was off but decided to go to the gallery anyway as we were looking forward to our excursion to the other side of the yarra, looked at some second hand books. Though I couldn't get past the fact they all smelt like cats but I want to collect some kind of books, I am always just looking for art and architecture books, and gardens but they are generally shit in second hand shops, so it hought maybe travel diaries, hmmm. Then we mooched and got some spanish food and some Godello, I love spanish wine so much. But mostly I had to eat as last time my friend had an opening I got plastered on cheap wine and was sick and made mark walk me home from Prahran. So we hung out at the gallery and drank some of the booze that was meant for the exhibition that never turned up, Jarrod just put up a ladder and printed out the email from the artist and that was the exhibit, ha. Then we went back to his place and had pizzas and I played with their dog and we all just chatted and hung out and tried some proper sake, god amazingly delicious. Got drunker and drunker and sleepier and sleepier, evenetually worked out that this woman there wasn't actually known by any of us, she had just tagged along, Then sunday I got up and ran to market, ran home and went out for coffee with lizey and ro, which turned into an 8 hour drinking session as ro was quitting smoking and drinking and wanted to go out with a bang. this is to symbolise what she is leaving behind, except for the rose that is just for decoration, and for her birthday. So both ro and I kept ringin mark and trying to make him come to the pub, but he wouldn't so I went home and yelled at him these things must be debated when sober. Then decided to do some cooking and watch buffy.

Me and Mr Hamish McGoo



I actually look as shaggy as him which is a worry.

Oh my friend tried on ^^ dress. Wow was amazing, so gorgeous, is 9k but then it is for a wedding and one of those crazy bouffed up meringues can cost that. She wouldn't even need it altered. She looked like Botticelli's Venus (well if Venus had clothes one that is). It is so meant to be, she first saw it in Venice but felt too hot and gross to try it on, then just popped into Belinda in GPO rabndomly and it was there, the only one in Australia and in her size!!

Went to Alice Euphemia opening with lizey last night, had some champagne chatted and I very very want a Kate Moss lampshade



then went to an opening at Blindside, anti-Heide apparently, great b&w photos recreating photos of the Boyds from the 50s, and a little dancing version of Nolan's Ned Kelly. Loved it so.

Fashion show with Carla, was fun, but Lexington bar sucks, all shiny and blergh. Reminded me a bit of Milan but lacking the ultra groomed almost scary beautiful people.

Now trying to work in the state library after spending the morning chatting to mum, making batter for madelines and dancing to Etta James.

Going to look at a dress for Zoe's wedding tomorrow at GPO am jealous, she is 6ft+ so it will look gorgeousness

I am so tired, and grumpy, blergh.
I am going home.
I want a holiday.
I hate uni.

The state library has wireless and it is just a hop skip and a jump from my apartment. Very good, plus have found a room with groovy comfy orange chairs that do clash a little with my new purple dress from KinkiGerlinki but I think it is going to be ok.

Annnyways had fun with Carla boo yesterday, bought another dress that was two yesterday, I love love love my one from CJ though, is black and floaty with gold sequins, so good, though is the hardest dress ever to put on, I was in the changeroom for quite a while.

Hung out at home with marky mark last night, was very relaxing, we had a long discussion about how to turn our rsearch into popular fiction so we can loads of cash and buy an apartment in Rome (well I say rome he says Venice).

Have been to the market and bought delicious fresh fruit and vegies, this warm weather is making me psyched about being more healthy, want to tone up for warmer weather.