Happy days make you realise how lucky you are!

I'm getting use to enjoy life without being to stressed about the future...and i kinda like it. Today i had a wonderful day even if i didn't anything special. A little bit of shopping and spending the day with loved people  sometimes can be enough for be happy. The simple things, eventually, are the most precious.

Twenty years from now you will be more

disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by

the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail

away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in

your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

When i was in Australia, this sentence was a sort of inspiration for me. I lived my experience 100 % and i put all my self in whatever i did. But, sometimes, rest in the safe harbors, isn't so bad after all.

A piece of heart

After nearly two months i came back from Tasmania i spoke with my australian family. I'll be honest, i didn't spoke to them yet cause i wasn't sure i could do that. Even though i miss them a lot, in a selfish way i avoid to speak with them because i knew it would hurt.

I think of them every SINGLE day. Whatever i do, i got some memories about them, and it always end up with me crying.
When i listen to the music i think about how we loved to move the table in the kitchen and dance like crazy. Annabelle loved when i lifted her up and danced with her. I still remember her laugh when we did. She was happy, and i was too.

The day before i left, after i pic them up from school i took them to the park. Felix was so happy he couldn't stop thanking me. I remember i was sitting on a bench, he run to me, hugged me and said: "Thank you Sarah, you are my best, BEST friend!!!".

Annabelle is using the toilete, no more nappies.

Lachie got in the older group of the State soccer team and will go to Coff Harbour in October.

And i wish i could always have a friend like Rachel beside me. She always knew what to say, to make me feel better, and i hope our friendship will last although the distance. 

Surprise!

I got the best friends and family in the whole world. The second day home, was a bit sad. I thought all day about the little loves i left in Australia and didn't want to see anybody. Around 7 pm my mum said that she was taking me to the supermarket to buy some stuff i would have needed for London. She said we had to stop somewhere before; i was so confused about everything that i did not noticed anything but when i got to this place we had to stop to, ALL my friends were waiting for me. It was the best surprise ever, because i didn't expected anything and most of all i didn't noticed they were organizing all of this. All the people that make my days happy were there, waiting for me with lots of love ONLY for me. I was so happy i could not speak. When i saw them all there crying and smiling 'cause i was back, i realized that it was the right time to come back and see them. I already can't cope with most of the things here, so it's probably soon time for me to go again but i'm happy i came back to see them.

Tomorrow i'm off to London for a couple of days with friends: it'll be so fun. I've never been in London before (i only stopped over at Heathrow). I'm going we two friends of mine and we are catching up with some friends that live there.

Home Again

Ok, i can finally let you know that i got home safely and with all my stuff. I still feel a bit confused: saturday morning i had breakfast in Hobart, lunch in Sydney and dinner in Singapore; sunday breakfast in London and lunch in Italy.
Saturday morning was awful: i had to say goodbye to my Australian family. Annabelle started crying the moment she woke up and did not stop a minute til i left. It was really sad.

Luckily i got both my suitcases checked in without problems and they sent them straight from Hobart to
Nice. Once i got to Sydney i had only one hour before my flight to London. We had a really old plane, with small (and not confy at all) seats. And of course I didn't menage to sleep anything.

I got to London on Sunday morning. I was late for my flight for Nice so i had to rush to the gate. Once i got in Nice i had my lovely family and my best friend waiting for me. Lots of tears and happiness to finally see them again. But the surprises weren't finished yet. We drove home and there other friends and my brother were waiting for me. And he had a really special pressie for me. He, my little brother (who's only 16 but taller than me), bought me an Iphone. Isn't he lovely? I've never heard about a little brother doing that, i'm so lucky. 

In the afternoon my aunty and uncle came to say hello too. It was so nice to see them.
They kept me awake until 9 pm, then i finally went to sleep.

Now i have to unpack the suitcases. I thought i had emptied my wardrobe before i left, but i didn't so i don't really know where to put the heaps of clothes i bought in Australia.

It feels good to be home, strange but good. I've changed so much in those 7 months but here everything has remained the same. Nothing change, and i sort of feel that i can't fit really well in here anymore (not that i did before).
Luckily tomorrow i have to pack again, i'm off to London with the best friends in the world. When i get back i'll start thinking what i'm gonna do with my life. I'm too tired and too confused to deal with that now. I'll be practical for a couple of days and i'll start thinking later.

Friendship

When i just came here, or when i was about to come, i thought how much i would have missed my friends. Friendship is one of the most important reality in my life. I don't like to share my privacy with whoever (i know it might sound silly since i'm blogging, but you know what i mean), so the people i chose to share my "world" with, become like family for me.
Well when i came here, i knew i would have met heaps of people but i never thought i could get some "real friends".
After all i've been through here i can definitely say that i met two of the best people (and now best friends) i ever met.
One of them is Rachel, my "boss". She took me in her house and made me feel at home since the moment i stepped in the first time. In those 7 months we have been sharing past, present and future dreams and fears. She became like a sister for me and i'm so thankful for everything she did for me.

The other one is Stella. I met her a couple of weeks after i arrived. She is one of the most beautiful person i ever met. We became really close pretty much immediatly. It's one of those people that you can't help your self of loving.

Today we both had an hour break so we went for a coffee at Uni. She surprised me with a pressie and one of the best cards ever. I'm so lucky to have her.

 She gave me Vegemite Pyjamas. Isn't it the best gift ever?!

I'm so greatful those two girls came into my life, and i hope we'll always keep in touch,  it would be a huge loss otherwise.

How difficult can it be?!

This trip is driving me MAD!!! I've been trying to book an other baggage for a month now and all the people i've been talking with told me something different. I, eventually decide to go and book it at the airport (still in advance) and they told me they could not do that, don't ask me why. Anyway i went to the Flight Centre and a really kind lady told me to call directly Quantas and make the booking by phone. After i waited 57 minutes, the call finally reached a Quantas operator that told me, paying to the extra baggage at the airport, the day of the flight, is THE ONLY WAY. Wich means that i've got to pay the double and be nervous not to get my both suitcases home until the same morning of my flight. This is so freaking annoying. I'll let you know if i get all my stuff home.

SHOPPING

Why does shopping make you feel so good? I mean, actually there is NOTHING to be happy for. My wallet is still crying indeed.

Ok, now that i told you how sorry i am for spending all my saving i can finally tell you how HAPPY i am with my new gorgeous boots. 

I bought heaps of presents as well. One of my suitcase is full and weight 23 kg and is all filled up with gifts. I'll be the summers Santa for my brother. 

Mothers Day

Finally this day has come. Everybody will probably agree that it should be mothers day EVERYDAY. I'll finally sqeeze my mum in a big hug in exactly one week. I'm actually getting pretty excited, especially because i've got the best mum in the world (of course). I think everything i say about her would sound obvious, the heart of everybody belongs to their mum.
My mum is my best friend. And she's the only person that whatever i've done and i'll do in my life, will always love me.
I can just say that i wish, one day, i'll be a woman like her. The world would be such a better place if there were more people like her.
So THANK YOU mum to be my EVERYTHING (i bet it can be exhausting sometimes).

PARTY TIME

Yesterday it was Felix's birthday. My special boy turned 4. And since i'm leaving in a week we had a double party. One for his b'day with his friends and a "big people" party for me. 

Felix's biggest wish for his birthday was to get a red train-cake. So in the morning we made that, and i'm actually really proud of my self: it was the first time i made a cake like that.

And it didn't look to bad.

Birthday Boy

Happy Kids

Jealous Sister

Later on some of my friends came along to say goodbye. It was great fun.

The party moved to Emily's place and then to town.

It was really nice to bump into some friends in town to so i got the chance to say goodbye. 

I still cannot belive that i'm going home.

Busy days in Hobart

Do kids ever stop? Probably not. It has been a pretty busy week so far (and is not over yet). Yesterday, we had our weekly appointment at Mainly Music. The kids love it and i enjoy it as much as them. They play and i got the chance to catch up with some gorgeous ladies. Some of them actually became really good friends. An other tick on my "GONNA MISS" list.

Today It was finally a sunny day (still cold though). So this morning we went off to the park. We had a lovely time and the kids wanted to be my models so i got to get some good shots of them.

I'm happy though the day is about to finish. I actually would like to go to sleep and wake up in September. There's to many stuff i have to deal with and i wish somebody else could take care of them. And all this "going back home" thing is stressing me much more than what i thought it would. I just would like to shout to everybody "GIMME A BREAK".
The only thing i'm looking forward to, about going home, is the travel. I'll finally be alone in an airport (probably one of my favorite places) with THIRTY hours for my self. Oh yes, that's going to be awesome.

I CAN DO THIS

It's raining here...again. Rachel is away so i've got the kids. I've got the worse cold ever as well, so managing two toddlers, is not too easy. Although we found several fun things to do today, i understand they get bored to stay home all day. Unfortunately we haven't got any other choices. But we still have something really exciting to look forward to: tonight we are having a movie night and a sleep over in the lounge room all together. I'm prepared not to get a lot of sleep but they are at school on Monday so i can recover.
This morning we played and went to holiday to Italy. After Annabelle had her nap, we made coconut macaroons (yum). 

Here's the recipe if someone would try it:
- the white of 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup coconut
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Beat the whites of the eggs until stiff, add the sugar and beat in the coconut and salt. Drop by spoonfulls on a try covered with baking paper. Bake in a moderate oven for 30 minutes.

Even though staying home all day is not easy, most of the times they are really good playing together. Certainly they have fight moments, but they use to settle down themselves. Yesterday we were playing on the deck and they were keeping turns on the bike; once it got Felixs turn to have a ride Annabelle didn't want to let him go. So Felix got closer to her and said: "Get off my bike, you, little piece of rubbish". I couldn't stop laughing. I was trying to tell Felix that it was not something kind to say to his sister but coudn't help my self at laughing.
Sometime it can be really difficoult to manage kids. But looking back at those 6 months, and how close they have gotten to me, i think i did a pretty good job.
This could be both positive and not. Well, i've got a second family here in Australia now that i will always keep in my heart and in my memories. And now comes the negative part: they live at the other side of the world (literally). Next time i get here, Annabelle might have forgotten me, even if now she says that i'm her SpecialSarah. And Felix, will remember me but he will remember that i left him too so i probably won't be his "best friend" anymore. I can't help my self thinking about all those things. This has been such a wonderful experience but now, at the end of it, i have to face the difficul part.



Well, about this experience i won't miss only my family; i will miss Hobart too. It's such a beautiful place and it's a perfect city to live in. It has got all the facilities of a big city, but the people are still friendly and relaxed as the people of a county village. It's a really lovely place. 
And since i've got just one Saturday left here, yesterday i decided to go to the very own, Salamanca Market. I bought lots of stuff and i have no idea how i'm going to bring them back home. Anyway, i got lots of presents to my dears home and i got and old map of Tasmania that i'm going to hang on the wall of my future place, wherever it will be.
I always get a bit excited when i buy presents, especially when i know they are gonna love them. 

I was just surfing on youtube, when i ended up on Britain's got Talent page. I love that show, it's so funny. But tonight i actually found something really good, this guy has an amazing voice. Loved it, i almost liked it more than Adele's version (and she is one of my favorite singers). 

The couch is waiting for me now, good night everybody.

East Coast

Even though i've been in Tasmania for 6 months, i just started lately to do the "tourist stuff". Last week i went on a trip on the east coast. We reached Wineglass Bay, but stopped by a lot of beautiful places on the way.

Orford Beach

Honey Moon Bay

Wineglass Bay is one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world, and i haven't seen the other 9, but this was AMAZING.

After i went to Bruny Island and had heaps of fun i decided that it was worth to see a little bit more around Tasmania before i headed back home.
The tours are organized really good: the staff is friendly and the groups are not to big so you get to know everybody. I thought that it wouldn't be very fun to travel alone but it actually is. Is relaxing and you always get to meet some new friends and i LOVE hearing people stories, especially old people's.
When i went to Bruny Island i met, a lovely man in his early eighties that told me a lot about him and about his life. I loved to listen to him and i love the way his eyes was talking, he reminded me when my grandma told me stories about her life.

MONA

After my "mylifesucks" mood of the last couple of days, today i woke up happy and went to MONA, the museum of old and new art. After i took the kids to school i rushed home, quickly did some jobs and got ready. I was stepping out of the door when i noticed that it was raining. I thought:"Oh well i'll just take the umbrella, not a big deal". I took the umbrella, put the headphones in my ears and played some good music. After 5 minutes i was walking i stepped into a HUGE (it could have been a swimming pool) puddle, i said to my self:" Sarah, it's just water go on". Still my mood was great. When i got to the bus-stop i had to wait a half  an hour under the rain. Eventually the bus arrived. It took 40 minutes, in wich i was paniking 'cause i thought i had taken the wrong bus, but i finally did it to MONA. I had heard a lot about it, people use to describe it as....weird. And yes it is weird but i LOVED it.

My absolut favorit was "Funeral song" by Daniel Mudie Cunningham. When i saw the title, i thought it would have been some boring "depressing" stuff, when the music started i was shocked. It's a video of Cunningham dancing on the tune "Proud Mary". He got obsessed by Tina Turner since he saw her when she was in tour in Australia. Since then he decided to make a video every 5 years. He made one in 2007 and one this year, i'm actually looking forward for the 2017 one..this guy is pure genius.

Funeral Song by Daniel Mudie Cunningham

Snake by Sydney Nolan

I'm really happy i went to this museum, it's really unique and i think is a must-see. So, people, if you ever get to Hobart, go visit MONA it's worth to see.


When i got out the rain had stopped, it was still freezing though but luckly my bus came as soon as i got to the bus stop: sometimes thinking positive really helps your days to get better.

Wasn't it always summer in Australia???

Winter is coming: Hobart is freezing and today it's raining too. These rainy, short, cold, sad days put me in a terrible mood. I guess that i should not complain since i haven't have a winter since 2010, but still i wish it was 40 °C. Probably, i have not to blame only the weather for my terrible mood. Lately i find it hard to deal with a lot of stuff in my life. I can't make my mind up about so many thing that i feel completly hopeless. The only thing that makes me feel better today is Paolo Nutini's music: oh, that man know how to do that. I love music, i listen to music whenever i can and i listen a bit of everything. But, this Scottish singer has got the right song for every SINGLE moment of my days, of my life. Well i would say that Paolo Nutini's albums are the soundtrack of my life. If i fancy a dance, he makes me dance; when i feel for crying he makes me cry. I feel such a deep connection with his music it's amazing. He's in tour in Europe this summer, would be awesome go and see him. The new album is soon coming out as well, so excited.

Anyway, i haven't got any other reason to be in this terrible mood. Actually i had a pretty good day today. This morning i went with the kids to Mainly Music: we spent all the morning there and had a lot of time together wich at the moment is the most important thing. Now i'm getting the dinner ready (pasta, is the favorite) and then we are going to have a big cuddle all together on the couch.

Yesterday, after school i took them to the play ground; on our way home Felix hugged me and said:" You are my best friend!" The tears came straight away up to my eyes. What can you say?! I'll be such a disappointment for them....

Autumn

Autumn leaves under frozen souls,
Hungry hands turning soft and old,
My hero cried as we stood out there in the cold,
Like these autumn leaves I don't have nothing to hold.

Handsome smile, wearing handsome shoes,
Too young to say, though I swear he knew,
And I hear him singing while he sits there in his chair,
While these autumn leaves float around everywhere.

And I look at you, and I see me,
Making noise so restlessly,
But now it's quiet and I can hear you sing,
'My little fish don't cry, my little fish don't cry.'

Autumn leaves have faded now,
That smile I lost, well I've found somehow,
Because you still live on in my father's eyes,
These autumn leaves, all these autumn leave, all these autumn leaves are yours tonight.