The Awesomeness

This is coming to you *live* from Dee Why. Our early Saturday morning conversation, pre-coffee.

Me:   Do you want coffee? Or is that a stupid question?
Him:   I’m going to the bathroom.
Me (news broadcaster voice):    Woot Woot, Bramman is going to the bathroom!   ***CENSORED CLUE***
Him:    That’s how you will know if aliens have ever replaced me.
Me:    
– He goes to the bathroom –
– I run after him –
Me (exasperated):   If aliens ever replaced you? Why? Have you read my book? Are you giving me spoilers? Are aliens replacing Billy?
Him (serious):   No, I just think about that sometimes.
Me:    About what?
Him:    How I would know if aliens had replaced you. And how you could know if they replaced me.

He then proceeds to list, in detail, the ***CENSORED*** clues as to how we would find out. While I crawl hunched over the floor. Laughing. Like, seriously writhing in pain from laughing.
That, my dear friends, is the awesomeness of being married to Bram.

PS: Sorry guys, I am under strict instructions not to list the clues. They are censored for ‘security purposes’.

Home

Home can be a feeling (sand between your toes), a song (‘Gorecki‘ by Lamb), the first thing you see in the morning (he’s asleep next to you) or the sound of wood against wood (those Balinese wind chimes). Home is in between places, traveling from one to another. The warmth of the sun on your skin. Hearing laughter of friends and loved ones. Waves crashing to shore. Writing. Piano keys. A hug.

We are always home. Whether we anchor down or roam about. Whether we are vagabonds or wrap ourselves in a villa. Like turtles and snails, we carry home with us, on our backs, in our heads. Truth is the compass that points us there. Between perfect and now.  There truly is no place like it.

What does home feel like to you?

Christmas in July

I still don’t know if the toilet flushes the other way, but sometimes I do wonder if Australia is on the opposite side of everything. For example, we celebrate Christmas in July(*).
In case you were wondering why, well, because that’s when it gets REALLY cold here. And by really cold we mean day temperatures that go down to 14 degrees Celsius aka FREEZING time. No really, I get blisters. The doctor said I’m allergic to cold. See, I’m medically proven to be a wuss.
So a few weekends ago we went on a hot Christmas date. High tea at our Favourite Things. Not being British by nature or heritage it was our very first high tea, very posh darling!  The thing you need to know about this place is that the moment you step inside it will truly be your favourite. Sweet light, soft music, smell of fresh coffee and cakes, a fluffy sofa and it has a store so if you forget your book there’s plenty of other things to browse in. Best thing of course is that it’s right around the corner, woop woop!!! Good for us, bad for our bellies.
Suffice to say we got stuffed. See pictures below. Our bellies were SO SO SO happy with their christmas present!

(*) Christmas was also celebrated on December 25th last year. However it involved hiking in 40 degrees through eucalyptus forests and cooling off in the water on our own private little beach. We frolicked around like two 6 year olds. I’ll spare you those pictures so 😉