241 - 260 Bit of focus on my surgery this week!

241. Getting to the end of Monday and thinking "Wow, I had a really good day!"
242. New hair
243. Nina
244. Bottles of red from a grateful friend
245. Judy taking me and collecting me from hospital.
246. Flowers from Judy
247. The very caring nursing staff at Sportsmed
248. The sandwich that I ate after coming out of anaesthetic - food is good after fasting and a big sleep!
249. My anesthetist for making sure I remembered nothing
250. My surgeon for fixing my silly knees
251. Andy dropping me off and picking me up from camera school in the city, late on a wet Tuesday night
252. My very understanding boss
253. That I am usually able bodied enough to do my own housework
254. Mum bringing pumpkin soup and homemade bread for lunch
255. Andy's Dad popping in, making me a cuppa and doing my dishes
256. Nicola popping past for a chat
257. Watching a bad 70's sci-fi movie (on VHS!) with Andy on a Saturday night
258. A good nights sleep (something that is taken for granted by many!)
259. My next door neighbour dropping over a bunch of fresh veggies from their garden
260. My idiotic budgie entertaining me

221-240 of Awesomness

221. Dinner at Ky Chow with the Butlers
222. Grooving to the Waifs at the Gov
223. My new lens, a very generous gift from a very wonderful friend
224. Lisa sympathetically letting me vent about my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day
225. The fresh new day following the above mentioned day
226. People who finish off emails on Friday with "Have a great weekend!"
227. Perspective
228. Getting up at 5:30am on a Saturday to take photos
229. Ducks
230. Chatting with people in my photography class, like old friends, despite not actually knowing each others names
231. Discounts on already discounted items
232. Playing Spicks and Specks with hilarious friends
233. Falling asleep the moment my head hits the pillow
234. Lovely June at church. A person who asks how you are, and really wants to know
235. Little people
236. The safe arrival home of my Dad-in-law after another motorbike trip
237. Long Sunday lunch
238. Chili, tomato and prawn spaghetti, a new recipe!
239. Apple & Cinnamon muffins
240. Early nights

The Waifs - A rambling, badly written review of a gig.

On Tuesday night, I hit the Governor Hindmarsh to hear one of my favourite bands play for the 5th time! The Waifs formed in the early 90's when Donna and Viki Simpson hopped in a camper van with a couple of guitars and started playing pubs up the west coast of Australia, going by the name of 'Colours'. They reached the Kimberly and met Josh Cunningham, who knew a thing or two about music, so they squished up in the van and Josh joined them on the road, thus forming 'The Waifs'.

Nearly 20 years, several studio albums, a couple of live albums, a swag of singles, 3.5 children, a move to the USA and a couple of Arias for good measure and the Waifs still pack a punch.

I was worried that the gig would be a bit lacking. I thought that after living apart for so long as well as the vastly different directions their lives have taken (Viki is expecting her third child, Donna has struggled with substance abuse and had a stint in rehab and Josh has recently married as well as becoming a Christian), that they might have lost some of that old spark. Thankfully, I was wrong! They opened with a couple of slow bluesy songs, keeping the crowd fairly subdued initially. Things revved up when they belted out their very popular singles 'Lighthouse' and 'London Still'. Viki teased the crowd with her harp skills in 'Fisherman's Daughter', letting us all believe that they might just launch into 'Crazy Train', a crowd pleasing favourite. Unfortunately, it was not to be. They did however, bless us with one short encore before heading backstage and letting the lights brighten and the house music cued the crowd to shuffle out.

Josh shared some of his new found faith with a couple of strong gospel themed songs. The girls backed him up beautifully. As a special treat, he sang part of Gillian, apparently one of the first songs he ever wrote. I thought Josh was a bit quieter than usual this time round, but what he did contribute was perfect. I think his latest songs are his best work, maybe because they're coming from such an intense source.

Donna's voice was the main centerpiece for the opening track, belting out in her iconic bluesy tone. She's an extremely honest performer, telling us a rather sad story about a sweet love song on the new album, "The guy left 2 weeks after I sang that to him, must have been a bit too much!" She also told us, when someone requested 'Haircut', that she "don't do that song no more". Sounds like she's had a rough trot of late, but she gets my utmost respect for keeping on for the sake of her fans.

I confess, Viki Thorn is my favourite Waif! She's got a brilliant versatile voice and her harmonica skills are mind blowing! I love her banter with the band and the audience. She's the kind of girl I can imagine having a drink and a great laugh with. And any woman who waddles onto stage 6 months pregnant night after night has my full respect. That baby will be born tapping it's toes!

It was a different energy to the other 4 Waifs gigs I have been to, but it was an energy none the less. A little voice inside tells me that we might not see too much more of the Waifs, given their different directions and changing circumstances (although they said on Facebook that this isn't goodbye!). It would be sad if that is the case, but at the same time, they've contributed so much to the Australian folk scene. They are and always will be up the top of my list!

201-220

201. My orthopaedic surgeon reassuring me he is going to do his very best to make my knees better
202. Seeing Andy get all spruced up for his first day of his new job
203. A big fat sleep in on a weekday - because I can
204. Crazy drenching rain
205. Scones, jam & cream, good coffee and long chats with Mum - a winning combination
206. My lovely friend Amy being a great sport and modelling for me and my class mates at camera school
207. Playing in the sandpit with Oliver
208. Surprising Angus by picking him up from school
209. My awesome brother and sister-in-law
210. Getting to Friday on my week off and realising that I still have 4 full days before I have to go back to work, thanks to the long weekend
211. The tangy smell of home made barbecue sauce bubbling on the stove
212. Choosing to stay home on a Saturday night, getting take away, watching a DVD and having an early night
213. Seeing Andy so happy in his new job
214. Jetty walks
215. Our local koala sitting still long enough for me to get a great photo
216. Sam & Max for a cheap laugh
217. Soup made from a giant zucchini
218. Poached eggs with runny yolk on grainy toast
219. That I was born into such a fortunate life
220. Waking up late on a public holiday to find Andy in the lounge room, having done all the folding and half way through the ironing with the Mountain Goats playing softly in the background. <3

181 - 200

As I sit here with a whole week of holiday stretched out before me, I am feeling most grateful! Andy and I had a night away on Friday. We left home in the car at 3:30 and stopped at Stirling for a beer and a bowl of wedges. While we were happily munching and sipping, a cunning plan was being hatched. My Mum had driven up to Stirling in their MGB. Earlier in the week, keys had been exchanged, so while we enjoyed our relaxing little beverage, Mum took our luggage out of our boot, popped it in the MG and drove off in our car. When we got back to the car park, our car was gone and in a nearby parking space, the MG awaited us, top down, ready to go! Andy was speechless. It was the coolest thing ever! Anyway, that is just a bit of context for some of the number below!

181. Home made yogurt from Judy
182. Being well again after being so ill (although it was a little short lived)
183. Mum and Dad willingly loaning us the MG for the weekend
184. And pulling out all stops to make it a surprise for Andy
185. Spontaneous date night
186. Fairy floss, ferris wheels and Fringe-ness
187. My new cubicle buddy
188. The optimism of a weeks leave
189. Best laid plans pulled off without a hitch
190. Andy's face when the plan came together
191. Beer and wedges in the sunshine
192. Crisp white linen
193. Drinking a cup of tea, overlooking paddocks and bushland at a B&B in Woodside
194. Melbas Chocolates
195. The very generous tasting samples at Woodside Cheese Wrights
196. Driving in the sunshine with the top down
197. Breakfast cooked by someone else
198. Being a kid at the Big Rocking Horse
199. A sparkling clean kitchen
200. The pile of dishes that reminded me that my house had been full of loved ones last night.