random ramblings: going down the checklist

I wrote in my earlier post, 20 reasons why I wanted to move to sydney. I'm happy to report that quite a few of the checklist are being fulfilled and becoming our way of life here:

1) My herb garden

I'm never one with green fingers but I do like the IDEA of having plants even though they don't survive very long under my torment, erm I mean, care.

However, I couldn't resist starting up a herb garden in our courtyard. (with a herb plant, in the event it starts to die on me, I can quickly snip up the leaves and use it to cook....well at least the plant won't die in vain) So far I've gotten myself a pot of Rosemary, Basil & Lemon Thyme. The scent from just touching the leaves is heavenly. My heart still gives little flutters of joy whenever I snip a few fresh herbs in the midst of cooking, there's just something really earthly & wholesome about it.

Here's a pic of my modest herb garden:

basil and rosemary (notice Raindrop, in the corner of photo, sniffing at my basil plant. she's been taking little nips at it without me knowing)

Lemon Thyme

2) The best things in life are free (almost)

On weekends, we derive much pleasure from doing simple things like packing a simple lunch and having it by the rocks facing the sea, walking along the nearby beach, having a beer at the local pub or just fiddling around the house.

a simple lunch of chicken-salad sandwich with steaming hot cappuccino

nearby beach

our regular beer garden. booze's cheap there but food sucks.

3) Going to the flea markets & festivals

There's always something going on in Sydney. In fact every weekend, there's a whole 20+ page section of the Herald Tribute called the "Weekend" devoted to all the wonderful leisure & entertainment stuff going on that weekend. Eg. We went to the Surry Hills festival which happens annually in support for fringe activist advocating Eco-values, Organic-living, and some rather hocus-pocus stuff like "No-more dollies (basically anti-cloning)".

Just today, we went to another festival called "Bark in the Park", basically a fair devoted to the pooches. There were all kinds of funny looking dogs, some normal looking ones dressed up to look funny. Like this one here: