The Australia Day Long Weekend In Coffees.

Well, that was a lovely long weekend, wasn't it?  Somehow, Australia Day weekends aren't as stressful to plan for as the other 'major' celebrations on the calender.  You do make plans to get out and about and so on but it's not with the same 'has to be absolutely perfect' sense of urgency as say Christmas or New Year.  A bit special but a whole lot of laid back, that's how I feel about our national day.

Having said that, it was a busy weekend for me.  I had a whole list of errands and little jobs to tackle and there was just enough time over the three days to get them all ticked off.

At the panel beaters.  What else to do while waiting for the person in front of you talks major car remodelling than a random selfie?  Harems - Mix Apparel, Birkis and Mulberry Bayswater.  

I began with a sobering visit to the panel beaters for a quote for Friday's sideswipe.  Um.  It's definitely a case for insurance.  You know how it is with cars, you don't just replace the bit that fell off - there's always some major bit of panel beating involved.

Then there were all these niggly little things that I will bore you with because I'm so glad I finally got around to doing them all.  I put down rubberized mats in the car to prevent me from digging holes into the carpet with my shoes.  A large bag of old clothes went to St Vinnies.  The grout in the shower got a vigorous scrub.  Dead bits on my pot plants got trimmed.  I tracked down descaler solution for my Aldi Expressi machine.  I've yet to actually do the descale but I'm ready for when the urge arises.

It wasn't until late on Sunday that I got to sit down with a cup of tea to read the Australia Day edition of the paper.  Congratulations, Adam Goodes on being recognized as Australian of the Year for 2014.

I know people get a bit iffy when sporting stars get awarded 'serious' awards but I think Adam is a worthy recipient for so many reasons.  Aside from his work in raising awareness of domestic violence and his ongoing crusade against racism, he's a highly visible and respected example of what a man with a commanding physical presence and strength should be.  An athlete and competitor on the field and a decent human being off it.  A man who doesn't use his physical presence to coward punch the innocent outside of the sporting arena.

www.telesport.hu

I didn't follow the Australian Open this year (in keeping with tradition) but even I had to google Li Na's winning speech.  She and Pink are two women who I always think of as honorary Australians.  They are both always in fine form whenever they're here to compete or perform.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Speaking of Pink, she nailed it at the Grammys with an energetic acrobatic sequence in her set.

For me, the other big moment of the Grammys was when Madonna, Queen Latifah and Macklemore took to the stage to celebrate equality in love for us all.

Nothing too groundbreaking happened in my neck of the woods but that's how it's supposed to be on a long weekend staycation.

What's a long weekend at home without a tour of duty of your favourite coffee haunts? Starting with a post gym almond croissant and skinny cap for breakfast on Saturday.

Followed up by a leisurely takeaway after my swim yesterday.

On Sunday, Toddler SSG and I scaled the heights of the play centre at our local Westfield.

As he chomped on Oporto chicken strips and chips (someone tell me that they're a healthier option than Maccas) afterwards, I kept the theme of colour from the playcentre going with this coffee from Chocolateria San Churro.

Eating out with a toddler has its advantages.  Namely a few hot chips to go with your salad from Sumo Salad.

Then it was onto the serious business of finding Toddler SSG some shoes to go to the pool with.  Things didn't go as planned at the Crocs store.  Firstly, being released from his pram was all the motivation he needed to race me to the entrance every time I put him down.  Then we found out that they'd run out of his size.

Not bad for $15!

I wised up by the time we went to Cotton On Kids.  With Toddler SSG firmly strapped into his pram, I managed to find some clogs in his size as well as a couple of long sleeved tops to help me win this battle with the unpredictable summer weather cycle of alternating hot and cold days we're going through right now.

There was one last stop before heading home.  Kiehl's has just released some new body cleansers ($30 per bottle) in a wide range of fragrances.  I love the cucumber version which I think has now been discontinued.  I'm looking forward to trying the Fresh Rose sample I was given.  Toddler SSG wasn't overlooked, possibly because of the racket he was making in store.  We have a sample of Nurturing Baby Cream ($28) to try.  If he'll hold still long enough for me to simultaneously tear open the sachet and squeeze out some product before he grabs the packet off me.


How was your long weekend?  Your thoughts on the Grammys, the Open or our Australia Day honours recipients?