Living vicariously

My wings have been clipped by my hip bursitis and a work project, so I spent most of the weekend holed up indoors.

I travelled vicariously through my neighbour Jenny, who was off to Adelaide, and DD, who headed to London after a few days in Japan.

Jenny left a spare key for me in case of an emergency. I found at my front door under a plastic bag filled with bits and pieces of veggies. I thought she’d accidentally left her rubbish behind and threw it in the bin.

She sent a message a little later saying she was enjoying delicious mango and coconut bread in Adelaide but had forgotten to put her rubbish out … could I help?

No problem, I said, you accidentally left it at my door and I’ve thrown it away.

No, no, she said, those were veggies for you to use … the rubbish is on my dining table.

Eeeeeeeeeek. (Hastily extracts foot from mouth and retrieves the actual garbage from Jenny’s apartment …)

Meanwhile, DD has been visiting his son, who is having an extended working holiday in Japan. They hung out together in a seaside town called Kamakura, which DD said I would have enjoyed.

I am sure I would have, as I had a little weep at my desk on Friday because work was far too intense last week.

When I think about Japan I envisage geishas and temples and mountains, but there are lots of lovely seaside towns dotting its coastline.

Kamakura (location shot above) is one of them, with the added bonus of Mt Fuji towering over it (pictured main). DD had a delicious lunch by the sea during his visit and set me some happy snaps.

Meanwhile, I am dreaming of returning to the Kimberley so I can be out of mobile range and far, far away from my laptop.

Scenic also sent me their cruising calendar from now to 2027. I have a soft spot for them because the company was founded in my hometown of Newcastle almost 40 years ago.

Scenic has six-star expedition ships filled with fancy restaurants and bars and various other all-inclusive luxuries … sailing in the South Pacific or Indonesia on the Scenic Eclipse is on my bucket list. The cruising calendar cannily didn’t include pricing, which is no doubt gasp-inducing.

Actually, I did squeeze a little trip into my weekend – I travelled up to the Northern Beaches yesterday for a sleepover at DD’s on my lonesome. I thought it would give the dogs a garden holiday and make it easier for me to get to the skin specialist near DD’s place for my 11.45am appointment.

I am not looking forward to hearing what the skin specialist has to say about whatever it was he biopsied on my back. I expect there is a scalpel in my future.

I planned on getting lots of work done at DD’s, but I was enticed by his sofa and Netflix. After dinner I curled up and mainlined four or five episodes of the new season of Bridgerton … up to the climactic carriage scene … Ooooh I loved the glorious costumes and sets and escapism.

Oh and I tried the most fascinating thing yesterday – a cookie croissant.

I ostensibly bought it for the eldest, who kindly offered me a slice. It was deliriously, evilly good: a croissant filled with custard with a choc-chip cookie baked on top and chocolate drizzled over it.

I have no idea why someone would create such a thing and it must contain the equivalent of three people’s daily recommended calories, but it was delicious.

I am less keen on the arctic conditions that have settled over Sydney. Is it outrageously cold in your neck of the woods too?

Brrrrrr … time to brave the elements … wish me luck at the skin specialist …

Song of the day: Cutting Crew “I just died in your arms”