The Gates

While at work yesterday I striked up a convo with a very interesting elderly man. He was like a nomad - just travelling the world, sleeping under stars and looking for adventure.

I love travelling - so I was instantly all ears and asked about the craziest place he had ever been.

It was The Gates Of Hell, situated in Turkmenistan (I'd never heard of it).

With only a population of 350 (mostly nomadic) and in one of the hottest deserts in the world (The Karakum) is a massive, flaming natural gas pit. People say you can hear the screams and crys from the occupants of hell. Spooky!

There are no fences or safety precautions around the pit and he just camped out the night next to it with his guide - (you can only get into Turkmenistan with one as its pretty new to letting travellers in). He said it was one of the most amazing experiences he'd ever had - and I'm sure he had had a few. So- thankyou Mr. Traveller for having a chat to me yesterday and letting me know about this amazing place and its surroundings.

My plan is to go and explore this part of the world and see this natural wonder before they put it out. Anyone up for it?!

On The Rocks

Zo-Lo is pretty lucky having North Bondi as her back yard. 

You'll probably see her (looking uber-cool) socialising with the crowd on the grassy knoll, cruising down the promenade on her purple trike or having an outdoor shower with all the hot surfer boys.

I managed to catch up with her after her breaky at Porch & Parlour Cafe.  She was hanging out barefoot on the rocks (one of her fav spots) splashing in the puddles, collecting shells and making friends with all the big dogs.

xxx

Additions

The past couple of days I have accumulated quite a few pieces to my wardrobe/accessories. Majority of the purchases were necessities as I didn't have much left after my big spring clean. 

The list: Knitted cardigan, summer dress, 2 pairs of flats, lace skirt, paisley skirt, maxi skirt, set of earrings, straw hat, sparrow necklace, boyfriend jeans, sunglasses and a high waisted polka dot skirt. Wow.... nothing was extremely pricey & it's been AGES since I've been shopping - so I don't feel too guilty.

May the spring/summer festivities begin! I'm decked out and ready to party! 

Mid-week weekend

What is a better way to spend your day off then hanging out with your sister on her balcony? 

We dug into a plate of cheese, prosciutto, grapes, fresh bread, quince paste and washed it down with some chilled rose. The wine went to our heads pretty quickly so we both had to have an afternoon snooze. Was perfectly perfect. I could quite happily live on her balcony and eat what we ate for the rest of my life.

Shcoos Pizzeria

Home made pizza was on the menu last night. We had some 'pizza eating experts' over, who had been waiting 5 days for the event. It was quite the success, although the dough was a little too soft (my fault) -  so Jeff  couldn't show off his pro pizza spinning/throwing skills. He used to work at a pizzeria back in the day so he had a few tricks up his sleeve.

 Toppings included ham, tomato paste with herbs, salami, mushys, capsicum, pineapple, garlic oil, zucchini and of course cheese. Nothing too fancy. 

 I'm actually eating left over pizza right now for breakfast. It's even better the next day.

Early mark

Working from 7:30 - 3:30pm is the best. Start early = finish early....the way I like it. It doesn't happen everyday so when it does, I try to make the most of it. After my early shift ended on this stunning Monday arvo, I decided to go for a surf with Jeff and Paul. It wasn't even 1 foot and the water was icy cold but we didn't care, we just wanted to get wet and have a paddle. 

 Surfing has been apart of my life for the past 3 years. There has been ups, downs, tears, frustration, near death experiences, pure bliss, drop ins, screams of joy and fright, freak-outs, competitions, tantrums, emergency rooms, dolphins, dumpers, blood, bruises, laughter, lightening, head on collisions, gossip sessions with the girls, loss of breath, sharky feelings, rainbows....you name it. It's never the same out there. I am totally hooked and wish that I had started doing this sport since I was a litte one. I highly recommend it! 

  It's pretty tough to get out there in the winter so I'm very, very excited that it's started to warm up and the days are getting longer. I have a few goals to reach this summer with my surfing.....hopefully all goes to plan!

Shcoodaloo....

A-Chew!

The past few years I have had a love/hate relationship with spring. It used to be my favorite time of the year, every part of my body and mind loved the warming-up season. Unfortunately my nose and eyes have decided to go against it. This week I have been none stop sneezing, rubbing my eyes, itching my face and blowing my nose. It is the most frustrating thing ever, especially when you have tried every antihistamine, nasal spray and ointment on the shelf down at the chemist. Looks like I'm just going to have to put up with it for a while. Hurry up and finish pollinating flowers!!

It was a stunning Sunday. Bondi was pumping with daddys and kiddies celebrating fathers day. There was a bunch of us that went down for breakfast on the grassy knoll. The kids & Jeff were drawing pics on the pavement with chalk. This fish was my fav.

I picked up a delicious smelling gardenia soy midnight candle today, it's burning away next to me right now soothing my nose. Good stuff.

Sundays are the best, I never want them to end.

xx Happy Fathers Day Dad xx