Jan 20 - To The Park!

  This morning Mr Smart and I awoke, had a coffee, watched the match highlights for Liverpool v. Norwich (we slaughtered them 5-0) as we had failed to stay awake long enough to watch it last night.  Then watched the first episode of a new British television series called Utopia.  Eff me but that shit is weird as hell but engaging nonetheless.  Looking forward to the next episode next week!  After that I had a quick shower and got dressed for a day of babysitting!

  Mr Smart's sister had asked if we could take his nephew out for the morning so that she and her partner could get some of their renovation works done in peace.  He's such a cute little man so how could we resist such an opportunity?  We loaded him into his pram and grabbed the toddler essentials bag (water, clothes, nappies, wipes, sunscreen, hat, toy cars) and headed off.
  We took the Merri Creek Trail for about 3.2 km, arriving at the CERES Environmental Park about an hour after we set off.  Mr Smart and I both normally walk a bit faster than that but with a pram and toddler we did find we were stopping a bit more often, partly due to the toddler in question and partly due to our apparent ducky fixation.

 
  CERES seems to be a great place.  Community gardens, community chicken coop, a bike fixing and recycling workshop, sculptures, a stage and lawn area, meeting rooms, a plant and garden market and a tres chic hipster eatery.  We couldn't get a seat anywhere in the eatery so we found ourselves preparing to settle ourselves on some steps.  As we did so, Mr Smart, who was wearing his Liverpool top, received a hug from a passing man.  "Great game!" he cried.
  I went to order us some food while Mr Smart stayed with his nephew who had fallen asleep halfway on the walk.  The wait in line took forever!  When I finally returned with sustenance I found that Mr Smart's new friend had visited with him for quite a while, discussing the match with him until his nephew groggily awoke and wanted attention.
  We ate lunch and then Mr Smart's nephew had a small play on the playground but it was perhaps a little advanced for him yet (he's only two) so we went on to peruse the surrounding grounds.
  We saw a large wooden and car tyre depiction of a goanna which Mr Smart's nephew enjoyed saying hello to, we had a drink at the aquabubbler, we saw some amazing sunflowers ranging from saucer sized right up to dinner plates and a beautiful flowering thistle that I suspect was actually an edible artichoke, we watched and listened to a bunch of chickens buck-buck-buckawing and spied wild rat carrying a baby rat disappearing under the chicken coop!
  We saw all sorts of artwork, murals on walls and stones, a decorative Mongolian Ger, mosiac benches and sculptures, a giant wooden scarecrow and a pair of sacred kingfishers fashioned out of wire and beads.  It was a really interesting and eclectic place.
  After an hour or more exploring the grounds Mr Smart's sister rang to see if we wanted collecting, but we weren't yet exhausted so we opted to walk back home again roughly the way we came.  It was a long and hot walk but luckily Mr Smart is very good about making sure his nephew and I both have our sunscreen on, so I didn't get burnt.  We did forget to take any water for grown ups though, so we'll have to remember that next time.
  With his nephew thoroughly tuckered out, back home and ready for a nap, we had a few big drinks of water then headed back to Mr Smart's place to watch a full length 3D movie, Frankenweenie!  Fortunately today we had two pairs of 3D glasses at our disposal as Mr Smart's BIL had lent us a pair of his.  It was a fun movie, silly but fun, if a little dark but then that's Tim Burton for you.
  I could have happily stuck around and enjoyed an afternoon nap with Mr Smart after the movie had finished, but much as he tried to convince me, I knew I had things left to do before I would be ready for work tomorrow.  I set off home, happy at having had such a wonderful day.
  I stopped at the supermarket on the way home.  I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted for dinner but I knew I fancied something slightly junky.  It was when I saw pita breads on special that I realised homemade pizza was the answer.  I grabbed enough to have it a couple of nights in a row (the pita breads need using pretty quick) and went home to get on with the remaining drudgery.
  I did laundry, one load in, one load out, then made and ate dinner, watched one of my favourite movies, Oscar, and then some standup comedy while I tackled the first of three boxes of bread bag tags.  A mundane task, but it helps Bertie and keeps my hands busy.

  Today's food and exercise were:

 

• Breakfast was a Nespresso Dulsão do Brasil pod coffee.
• Exercise was approximately 7km of walking along the Merri Creek Trail to CERES Environmental Park and back with lunch in the middle.
• Lunch was a baguette spread with pesto and topped with roast pumpkin, onion jam, feta and salad.  I only ate the bottom half of the baguette itself as it was a bit too bready.  I also had a 330ml Parker's Iced Tea (Green Tea with Moroccan Mint flavour) and one sixth of a very small vegan banana cake which was actually rather yummy.
• Afternoon snack was 12 salted cashew nuts.
• Dinner was two small pita bread pizzas.  Both were spread with Leggo's Pizza Sauce, then one was topped with approx 50g shredded ham, approx 44g kabana, two sliced mushrooms and Bega So Light grated tasty cheese, the other was topped with approx 50g shredded ham, dried basil flakes, two vine-ripened cherry tomatoes and two bocconcini.
• Dessert was a 160g tub of Gippsland Dairy Twist mango and blood orange yoghurt with slivered almonds and pumpkin seeds, and two dried peach halves and 20g Lindt 85% Cocoa dark chocolate.

  So that's it, another weekend bites the dust.  Sigh.  And it's back to work tomorrow morning.  A full week this time, and one of those days will be receptionist-less (groan).  Still, the week after I only have to work two days, so it's not all bad!  And now, to escape once more into the "pages" of my kindle book.
  Goodnight, and have a lovely week all.
  Jess