In the not so quiet of the night

I've been loving VIVID, as you know and I'm loving the pending soccer (1 more sleep! kind of). Though not loving the time of the games...husband will be very cranky with me at the end of the three weeks.

Sydney gearing up for the soccer! Go Aussies!

Last week, the Wednesday Club picked the Romeo & Juliette dance party. I would never have gone but I was SO glad I was coerced into giving it a shot. To quote another patron 'I didn't know how good a theme it was until I got here and saw everybody'. It was fabulously festive. Everyone got into the swing and there was exceptional enthusiasm in the outfits.

The concert itself had different performers sing each song - most in costume. It was so much fun and the crowd really made it an exceptional night. I was on a high for a few days afterwards.

Monday night I went to DMAs with a friend. I'd never heard of them, but when she mentioned she wanted to go, I had no concerts lined up so I said 'Sure, I'll go'. I listened to their new album but turned it off after a couple of songs as it wasn't really my type of music....however, on the night, they were great! I was dancing and singing (proof that songs are pretty easy to learn, and choruses are repetitive) along with everyone else.

Hands up if you love Sydney!

Tonight I'm off to the theatre, and last Friday I snuck in the ballet. All in all, while the days are dull, my nights are a visual delight.













Sometimes the rain makes the sunset brilliant.

Absolutely loving life at the moment...

(Reminder, blog will be silent until late July)

I've no idea why I find the camera shots so funny...but I do.

 Linking with #SundayBest & #OpenSlather

A little light Housekeeping

With the World Cup pending, I will need my 6-7am writing time for watching soccer, so I will be shutting up shop early and not returning until after the school holidays, late July.
I will be around on Insta but probably little else. So if I'm MIA from the link ups, that's why.

Hopefully, I will sneak in a last #ShareMySnaps at Denyse's next week and a #lovinglifelinky for this week, as I do like those posts, but who knows. Come Saturday, I'll be 'on holidays'.

Enjoy the silence, have a safe and happy holiday and enjoy the football! I leave you with still the best soccer ad ever...




Linking with #IBOT

VIVID Gardens

The Botanic Gardens are gorgeous this year. The installation on the pond is just mesmerising.

With one week to go, make sure you check out this pocket of perfection

I ducked out in the break in the rain on State of Origin night so avoided the crowds. You really only need an hour if you do it bit by bit, so don't let the rain hold you back.

Make sure you cut across the Cahill Walk too - the city is so vibrant from that vantage point.

Linking with #BlueMonday

The M - Z of me

This is where my format of the previous half of the alphabet comes back to bite me.
I am a Writer who hopes to produce something more than the short fiction that is all I've had published so far, just not so good at the focus and dedication needed to get a book out.

I am an amatuer Photographer, and I love creating series for my own amusement - longtime readers will remember #Haunted and the #LittlePrince. I tend to do quite well in #SnapSydney, wining a camera once, and regularly published in it over the years. But of course, I have far greater ambitions. Good thing I've already used D as Deluded might be fitting - anyone noticing a pattern so far?

I love to Travel - pretty much everywhere, and indeed have a sporadic travel blog.

I am an avid Reader and of pretty much all genres. I like to research a destination by reading fiction and non fiction stories set in the location I'm heading to.

I love Music and am often at concerts or seeking out new artists.


I love festivities of any kind, and Vivid is one of my favourite times of year, like a three week celebration of the city for no reason!

I am Old but thankful to be getting older still.










These last letters are difficult.
I hope I'm Not Simply Using them all up by Questioning Your patience in this exercise. I don't have Xenoglossy but I do like to learn languages. I do it with Zeal rather than skill.

How would you have filled those tricky letters in the M-Z of you?


Linking with #Dreamteam #TwinklyTuesday #GlobalBlogger #Stayclassymama & #KCACOLS

Empty Streets

Every year I plan to head to VIVID on State on Origin night, and this year was no exception. However the deluge of rain was making me think I'd miss my chance, and as I looked at the diary, I realised I wasn't going to make it to the Botanic Gardens this year. And I was sad.

I kept peering at the hour by hour weather as I took the kids to their activities, and on our return at 8, I decided to shoot over for a quick visit.

I was, as expected met with NO CROWDS. No lines, and virtually no people. The Gardens are spectacular this year, so my heart literally sung (to a tune that celebrated how lucky I was to live close to such a beautiful, magical city).

This week I'm loving breaks in the weather and opportunity.

What are you loving?

Linking with #RubyTuesdayToo for the last 3 shots.

A sucker born every minute...

We went to a very expensive dinner on the weekend - close to $200 a head. The word Michelin was thrown around, so in my head I imagined intricate, imaginative dishes, only to be met with salami on a bread board.

I know this is a fashionable thing, and have even been to a $950 a head (I won the tickets) party where salami on a bread board was the offering.

I am not much of a cook, and I know little about food, but even I can manage salami on a bread board - hell, sometimes I even extend to Jamon Iberico de Bellota (not really because I don't like it - that's for school lunches). However, it's usually to nibble on while waiting for the meal, not the meal itself. It's what you order in a bar before heading to the restaurant.

It is certainly not part of a dinner in the $200-$950 category.

I am not a food blogger, and you can admonish my ignorance, but I'm calling Emperors new clothes on this fashion and asking for it to stop! By all means, have it on the menu, but for meals set as a lavish gourmet extravaganza with a hefty price tag to match, it should be banished unless it's sitting on the table for us to pick on while we wait for the food to arrive.

Linking for #OpenSlather #StayClassyMama, #Dreamteam

Sydney Rocks at VIVID

Do you get the scale of it? Boomtish!

VIVID's 10th birdthday

It's pretty obvious that I love Sydney and I am mad for VIVID, tearing all over the city at night lured by the lights. I am amazed at the negative press. We hit the Rocks on Tuesday and I expected to crowds to be overwhelming given the media, only to be met with none. Near empty streets, ease of view at the railings, no queues for food or drinks. I have no idea what everyone is talking about?!

So ignore the complaints and see for yourself.

 There is beauty in the darkness, awash with colour, the city dazzles.

In the laneways at the Rocks there were barely any people at all!

No people at all outside the MCA

Crowds? What crowds?

 Linking with  #SundayBest #MondayEscapes  #WednesdayAroundtheWorld #PictorialTuesday #ThruMyLens #TheRandom #TwinklyTuesday #PointShoot #WordlessWednesday & #GlobalBlogger