Jan 28 - Brekkie, Bus and Buffy

  A lazy morning, Pizza Cat was grateful to be allowed back into the bedroom and jumped up and settled with me while I drank my coffee.  I read a little more of my book while patting her as Mr Smart built yet another Sim City.  Apparently the beta version doesn't let you save and limits game play to an hour at a time.  Seems a little silly to me if they actually want useful feedback.
  Eventually I got up and ready to face the day.  Mr Smart and I decided to go and have a late breakfast or 'elevensies' so we walked down to Tasties.  We found it closed for the public holiday (without any notification to the effect in their windows) so we changed direction and walked to Pomona Cafe instead.  Mr Smart had tried it before but I had yet to experience it.
  Pomona Cafe has a beautiful atmosphere.  It has its own veggie and herb garden and some tables sneakily set within, but we remained under the shade of the umbrellas.  Service was slow but friendly and nothing was mucked up other than a slight over-poaching of eggs, they do make their own hollandaise though so that can be forgiven.  It's not a place to go every week as it's on the higher end price wise at about $17 for a breakfast, but it was definitely an enjoyable way to pass the morning.
  We walked back and Mr Smart drove me to the bus stop at Keon Park.  There are closer bus stops to his place of course, but Keon Park gets me straight on to the bus that passes the end of my street.  I had never caught the bus home from Mr Smart's before so I thought I'd give it a shot.  I don't think I will do it again.  It took slightly more than two hours and reading on the bus appears to make me feel incredibly ill.  It did not help that I forgot to grab a water bottle before I left either.
  There was however, one advantage to having caught the bus, I made two new friends.  The bus arrived at Westfield Doncaster and a young couple heavily laden with backpacking gear got on, being sure to check the final destination of the bus first.  They were speaking German to one another and sat down on seats adjacent to me.  Eventually I got the courage up to say hello and ask why they were headed to Chelsea of all places.
  They were happy to have someone friendly to chat to so we talked about where they were headed and what they had done so far.  They turned out to be Austrians spending three months in Australia.  We chatted about Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide.  I suggested they try Healesville Sanctuary and wrote down the name for them.  They asked for my email, which I gave, and I sent a text to their friend to let her know that they were on their way but running late.

  It may seem odd, to be so friendly to perfect strangers, but when I travelled in America, I experienced this same wonderful friendliness from no less than three Americans who generously lent me their phones before I had managed to get on of my own.  That wonderful generosity of spirit has only encouraged me to be the same.  My new found friends were obviously quite touched and they searched about and found an Austrian coin to give to me for good luck as a thank you.  It is a two Euro cent piece and features the Austrian mountain flower, edelweiss.
  I departed their company at my stop and walked the remaining distance home.  I was still feeling very very queezy so I lay down in bed and at last finished my book.  I loved it, though the lead up to the end worried me substantially.  I was very invested in the characters and I wasn't sure I would like how things turned out for them, but I did in the end.  I would thoroughly recommend The Seventh Sword trilogy by Dave Duncan to anyone who wanted an enjoyable fiction read.
  With my books finally complete I got up and found I still felt lousy.  I took a Panadol, ate a little fruit, and settled myself on the couch with a bucket and a box of bag seal clips to snap up for Bertie and a stand up comedy special on TV, Thoroughly Modern Millican by Sarah Millican.  It was very funny and I got through the whole box of strips and found myself feeling slightly better afterwards.
  It was about 8pm by this time and I logged on to my computer, thinking I might start the blog a little early when I was greeted by the following conversation: 
     Mr Smart:  How did your buffy'sworth go?

     Jess:        I didn't do a buffy'sworth?

     Mr Smart: Get to it then!

     Jess:        Lol.. I walked into that didn't I....

                     Ok, I'll pay that one, be back in an hour-ish xoxox

  We had in the morning, been talking about how hard we were both finding it to get back on track after Christmas and with the continuing events and functions that were still coming at us unceasingly.  He was once again cleverly cajoling me to make the right decision for myself, so off I marched and on Buffy went. 

 

  Today's food and exercise were:

• Pre-breakfast was a Nespresso Dulsão do Brasil pod coffee.
• Breakfast was Green Eggs & Ham at Pomona Cafe in Preston; two poached eggs on spelt toast, smoked virginia ham topped with basil, pine nut & parmesan pesto; served with roasted beetroot & ricotta on rocket.  I also had a 375ml Sunzest organic orange juice.
• Afternoon snack was a yellow-flesh peach and two small plums.
• Dinner was three Vita-Weat soy, linseed and sesame lunch slices, each with Vegemite andone slice of Bega So Light tasty cheese.
• Dessert was 20g Lindt 85% Cocoa dark chocolate.
• Exercise was 42 minutes at load 2 on the cross trainer with Buffy and two Zanders, neither of which turned out to be a demon.

  That's all for today folks.  It's a little early yet so I shall go to bed and start a new book.  A paper book this time, one borrowed from the library at work, Drive by Daniel H. Pink.  It's a book about what motivates us as people.  Hopefully I'll learn a few new things about myself from its pages.  I doubt I'll read late tonight though.  I may only have two days work this week but they must be started earlier in the morning than usual.
  Sleep well all and have a nice week.
  Jess