Get out of the office and into springtime*

What a lovely sunny weekend I returned to this weekend in Oz. That reallly clear winter sun that around 4pm becomes breathtaking, like unwooded chardonnay pooling on people, everyone golden and warm one one side and shadow on the other. Beautiful.

I realise I posted in the middle of the night Friday with a culmination of jet lag and random vodka slushee contributing to unneccessary candour, but c'est le vie, done now, not going to discreetly edit and pretend it didn't happpen, just be kind and remember those drunken conversations you've probably had with taxi drivers, or regrettable texts, or whatever, late at night full of strongly felt positions and light on sense. Same kind of thing.

But, that aside, where were we? Oh that's right, I was in Vietnam. And then I came back.

Press fast forward and imagine this in blurry fast jagged CTV footage:

Airports. Ha Noi to Ho Chi Minh then Ho Chi Minh to Sydders.

In amongst that there was a blissful cosy few hours sleep on the plane, no one sitting next to me, 3 seats to lie down on, my thermal blanket in pale puple to snuggle under. Slept so deeply, so enjoyed it. Funny isn't it how contenxtual everything is? If I were normally to try and sleep surrounded by strangers in what is essentiallly a public place, 2 rows from the toilet, my face near a walkway, my worldy goods in a handbag shoved under a seat, I imagine I wouldn't sleep well. But there, on the plane, my relief palpable (really? actually palpable? - Ed) at coming home, feeling tired from lugging bags around ('would you mind taking these 4 sets of hard copy reports back to the office?' 'ah, erm, ah.. ok yeah sure, that will make it a total of 3 large bags as hand luggage, but hey, who's counting...').

Remembered to get vegetarian meals on the flights this time. Can't tell you (err, but am about to) what a difference that made. Usuallly I completely forget till on the plane, and let's face it, on domestic flights it hardly matters now that the old skool aeroplane company serves nuts and muffins and the nu skool service does a 'pay as you eat' arrangement off the menu. But for 8 hour flights you plan to eat a meal, and I just get a sinking feeling as my meal arrives and I realise it's a something stroganoff, and I'm either going to have to pick the morsels of veggies out of the meat and gloop, or pick the morsels of my personal moral code from in amongst the meat I've just eaten that I feel unhappy with. So vegie meal is very exciting!

Oh, except, one thing to bear in mind - your meal arrives early. As in, hand delivered to you, while the dinner cart is still just making it's way from business to cattle class way up there rows in front. Fine if you have an aisle to yourself (as in trip home), less fine when you are sitting next to one other person (as in my trip there). Actuallly on the way there I found it very painful because the scene went like this 'Ms blah blah?' 'yes?' 'special meal?' 'oh, yes, yes thank you.' 'Do you have your boarding pass?' 'errr' (looks pained and gestures at bag which is under seat, which is below tray table which is out with special meal now deposited on it). Ahuh! brainwave, ask middleageish lady sitting next to me to accomodate meal temporarily while I phaff about in bag looking for boarding pass. Yes, works fine, she looks happy to help. Very happy in fact, grateful even. Oh. Now she is removing the foil cover from the hot bit. 'Er, um, no, you see, that's mine, it's vegetarian' (curse lack of bilingualism to explain myself on international flights. Grab meal back. Feel bad at her slightly pained look, as if I repreesnted all chivalry, and chivalry is in fact now dying in front of her eyes). Show boarding pass. Read book. Read book and let meal go almost cold while waiting for meal cart to come by and give my neighbour her dinner. Curse my families bizarrely strict etiquette rules about not eating before everyone at the table starts. Get very excited when finally commence meal at the complete absence of pork chunks. Yaah!

Oh, anyway. So yes, got back to Sydney Friday morning. Grinned my face off. So happy to be home.

My cat was very happy to see me, and after putting on a load of washing, heading out to stock up for supplies and ghaving coffee with my housemate then came home for a lovely all afternoon nap. Until evening. Out like a light! Cat under doona and very happy for company.

Then Miss B came by and we cooked and prepared snacks, drank wine. Chatted, it was great.

Then party - see it all comes together.



* Yes, don't ask me why but I've had a whim to go back to naming posts after random snatches of song lyrics. This could be a scary insight into my listening tastes, although, realistically if you recognise the words you probably listen to the same stuff too :) I thought this one was from a song by polyphonic spree, but, like derr, it was Bella and Sebastian so Meri Risa tells me, on a mixed CD that she and C-chan made me which I enjoyed while away recently, chasing those hotel room blues.