OMG! I think this is the first time I have posted two days in a row! Well, I had a great day yesterday and I couldn't wait to share it with you guys.
Spring has sprung in the Valley - This weekend Perth celebrated "Spring in the Valley", an annual spring winery event tailored around the wineries and breweries in the Swan Valley, just outside of Perth to the north of the city. As you may have guessed, there are several wine regions around Australia and the Swan Valley and Margaret River are the two main ones in Western Australia. If you remember, I also attended a wine fest in MR earlier this year with SM. However, SITV is a big piss-up as they say here in Oz. This means you pay $15 to get a sexy, fluorescent green, paper wristband to ride a hop-on hop-off bus to all of the wineries/ breweries you want in the Swan Valley. Basically, it's a GIANT, miles-long, pub crawl... which also means it's polluted with Perth's 20-somethings.There were large groups of people who hired personal buses and vans to take them around. Some people pulled out all the stops in their fancy frocks, others wore scanty club wear, while some groups came in themed costumes. We saw everything from neon-colored 80s Flashdance attire and Christmas elves to bumble bees and 1920s flappers. Don't ask me what it is about Australians and their love of theme parties that they can't even go to an event without showing up dressed as an action figure or cartoon character. I guess when you live in a country that doesn't offer much more than kangaroos and red dust you have to come up with some way to entertain yourself. I'll admit it made things more interesting and one girl was having her hens "do" at the event - that's what the bachelorette party's t-shirts read, "Sara's Hens 'Do'". The weird thing about Hens (implying that women cackle like chickens) parties is that the male equivalent or bachelor party is called a Studs night/ party. Since when did chickens and horses mate? Why isn't it called the Rooster night or a Mare's party? Things that make you go hmmm... I think I'll just stick to the classic American names - bachelor/ bachelorette - that way at least there aren't any unfair animal comparisons.
But I digress, our party of six dressed smartly in semi-casual spring apparel: jeans, sleeveless shirts, cardigans, sultry sundresses, and sandals. Or for the one guy in the group - khaki cargo shorts and a striped, cotton, button-down shirt. Don't we look like a stylish bunch. Here we are getting our "taste" on at Little River winery. L-R my four Dutch friends: Debbie, Elina, (in back) Brent and Fleur and the lone Norwegian, Ida front and center in floral print.
We only made it to two wineries in the course of a few hours. As the afternoon wore on each of the venues became more and more packed and the breweries had huge queues. We waited half an hour to get into Ambrook Winery, where it was one in one out entry. One guy kept coming over to the fence and "feeding" us sips of his wine because he felt sorry for us having to wait to get in.
We enjoyed our day of slow inebriation as we polished off a few bottles of vino and ate bratwurst while sitting in the grass listening to live music in the late afternoon sun at Ambrook Winery.
We thought we would beat the rush and leave a little early to get a bus back into Midland and catch a train into the city from there. We stood at the bus stop, watching as one bus after another passed us by, too full of people already to pick up an
y others. This winery was unfortunately one of the last stops along the route, so, of course it was a lost cause to get a ride back. So we walked...
and we walked...
and we walked some more... on the road to Guilford.
It was probably only 5 miles into Guilford, but God, it seemed to take forever and there wasn't a sidewalk half the way. Halfway along our trek me and my girlfriends got that unfortunate urge to use the restroom and without a toilet in site. Finally, we made it to a servo/ convenience store only to find out that they didn't have public restrooms! After much cajoling we convinced the kids (seriously, they looked about 12 and 14) to let us use their private restroom if we bought something and by telling them that no one would find out.
This is a view of the Swan River in Guildford. It was the first time for any of us to walk across it - most of the time you are driving across it. We got to Guilford train station just in time to catch the train back into the city and, thankfully, get to sit down. When we got back to the city, we were all hungry from walking and grabbed a bite at the 50s diner-style Moon Cafe (more walking), where I indulged in a caramel latte and strawberrry pizza. We then continued our intoxication at a post-party at Brent and Elina's house in West Perth (walking again) where I relived my earlier college days playing drinking games and cards. I learned to play Texas Hold-Em, but only won one hand. Guess I'll just have to practice with my brother sometime. At midnight, Debbie and I called it quits. We had been drinking for nearly twelve hours... eek! Walking again, we dragged our sorry asses, with me hiccuping all the way, a few more blocks to our house. These boots are made for walking, but my flat sandals aren't and my feet were in blisters by the time we made it home at half past midnight :( I think I will give them a good foot scrub and some cream in a bit.
New housemates - The house is filled with the smell of cooked meat, some delicious-smelling concoction the new Iranian couple made. Muhammed and Marian moved in on Friday when one of the Korean guys moved out. They are nice, but hard to talk to and they don't appear to be Muslim, not that it matters, but I'm sure you would all be wondering. He studies accounting at TAFE and she seems to be a housewife, which would now make her a roomwife. She told me an Iranian recipe today - spinach, yogurt, garlic, salt, and pepper makes a nice sauce for meat dishes. She also said that in Iran only Friday is considered the weekend. People and children go to work and school six days a week from 7a.m. until 4p.m. Saturday through Thursday. It's the most interesting thing I've ever learned from anyone I've lived with in Oz.
The Malvern Star - SOLD I sold my bike today. The old Aussie icon Malvern Star went to the caring hands of my friend Anne who will probably get a lot more use out of it than I have in the last year. The money from that sale will pay for my groceries this week or maybe go towards a much-needed and long-awaited haircut. Stay posted for pics of that - I think it's time for something drastic. I haven't had much work in the last few weeks, but feel that it's not something to stress about because I need all the time I can get to work on my thesis and another essay over these last THREE weeks of the semester. I will be working again this week, but have been lucky to have a little income from things like the sale of this bike and a medical refund from an exam I had done a month ago. Also I am getting fit for the summer. I just joined a pilates class for 10 sessions and have been swimming and walking/ jogging as well. I just need to stop drinking like I did this weekend and I will be sweet! The day Debbie and I turn our completed theses in we are getting in the car straight after and literally heading off into the sunset. We are taking a celebratory road trip to Esperence (beautiful beaches and surfing) and Kalgoorlie (gold mining), two towns south and southeast of Perth. Then it's back to Europe, family, Christmas and Ruairi for Debbie and my life turns into a great big ?
My memoir - One thing I am planning on is writing my memoir: My first 30 years and some unexpected secrets from a smalltown girl! What do you think of the title? My brother (and his big ideas again) planted the seed a few years ago at Thanksgiving. I can remember the very moment he suggested it. He was reclining in my mother's armchair in the living room while watching football and preparing for his pre-Thanksgiving dinner nap. Little did I know the reason behind his suggestion at the time and perhaps I still haven't quite figured out how or why he came up with it, but I suppose he perceived that I have had my share of the seedy and scandalous for a smalltown girl. The second suggestion came today over a late night (for her) instant messenger chat with a good college friend of mine. She simply told me I could write a book and that was all it took to convince me that it's meant to be. I could write a whole chapter on the misadventures I had with her.
There's also my whole experience in Australia. How and why exactly did I end up here, not only in Australia, but at this point in my life? Maybe I will finally truthfully fill in the blank and answer these questions. Curious? Maybe you are someone who thinks you know, but do you really? What would I say? How would I say it? How far am I willing to go? How much am I willing to spill and who will I take through the journey with me? Wouldn't a lot of people (I won't say everyone because I can see Teagan objecting to this, although she knows most of my secrets), especially my family, be interested in the secrets I'm harboring about my life? Isn't that why people read memoirs anyway? There are plenty of memoirs out there about little known people who simply have interesting stories to tell about their lives. For instance, one of my favorite bloggers and an inspiration for my own memoir, Christine Coppa, is publishing her memoir Rattled! about getting knocked up which is due out in April 09, but is already available on Amazon.com. I would love to release some of my issues out on paper and having people read it would cleanse my soul, removing the dirt and filth from the early chapters in my life while validating and establishing my career as a writer! It makes perfect sense. Maybe that was my brother's point all along!? How am I just seeing it now?
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