sueeeus

It all began when, shortly after announcing my intention to visit the land of Soup, Bec so graciously invited me to visit Sydney as well. Oh wait. Maybe I invited myself. It’s amazing how presumptuous one can become when under the influence of Zoloft, which so effectively strips away one’s social anxiety. She was most gracious, regardless of how conniving I may or may not have been!

Day 1 (Day 10 overall; Wednesday)

After a wistful adieu to Suse, and a nice short flight, I arrived at Sydney’s airport, to be met by none other than the Prof*. He is a delightful fellow indeed, and I still marvel at myself, somewhat, for being so bold as to throw myself into the arms of a family whom I’ve known only vicariously through the blogosphere. What an adventure!!

From the airport, we went to pick up the children from school. Sparkle truly does sparkle! She cupped my face in her little hands and looked into my eyes with her twinkling aquamarine eyes (eyes like the sea, after a storm**, just like her mother’s –gosh, they have the most incredible eyes) and said, “You’re pretty. You’re nice. I like you.” Now, is that not something to melt one’s heart?

Next came the Gorgeous Boy. Who truly is a gorgeous boy. So full of life and energy. So precise when speaking and sounding out his words. Off he ran to find the Pea Princess. She is a lovely girl, mature for her age, smart, kind, patient, and gentle with her younger siblings. These children certainly are a reflection of good parenting. My three year old points to something on his dinner plate and says, “What the hell is that?” How is that for contrast? (In my defense, I never seldom say WTH. Gadget, on the other hand, uses it quite readily. And yes, we have much work to do in the attitude department with ourselves and with our little guy.)

After the school pickup, we went to the park, then to the train station where Bec was waiting. In the flesh! She’s gorgeous. Big smiles, big hugs. One of the funniest things Sparkle said, about my visit, and me being president pregnant, was that I wouldn’t be able to “drink wine with Mummy.” It still makes me laugh, to think of it.

So there you have it. Family von Sparkle. They truly do sparkle. All of them. The twins are ingenious, making up games to entertain themselves. There is an oblong carpet in the living room with a dark border and a reddish interior with two or three sections of dark contrasting dots spanning the width. The twins run around the border of the carpet as fast as they can, trying not to fall in to the… ….volcano! And once in a while they detour and step very, very carefully on tiptoe, across the dots. Once in a while one will fling him or herself into the volcano and writhe about for a moment before jumping up and starting to chase the other around the perimeter again. All amidst peals of laughter. So entertaining! I loved being able to observe the family in action! And the Pea Princess reads, I suspect, nearly as much as BabelBabe, if that is at all possible. I myself can hardly comprehend it, but in the short time I was there, I know she went through at least 3 books! It dizzies my mind. How do these wonders do it? I read about as fast as I speak (which isn’t all that fast), sounding out each and every word.

Schloss von Sparkle –yes, I know I’m butchering the pseudo German, but being pseudo gives me full license to butcher at will, doesn’t it?– is gorgeous, with it’s high ceilings, crown moldings, long hallway and covered porch. I love the architectural details. And the flowers in the garden.

Day 2 (Day 11; Thursday)

Off to meet another old friend from Adelaide, who I met at a hostel while backpacking in Ireland, many years ago. She’s just had a gorgeous baby girl, now 4 months old and deliciously squeezable. She has relatives in Sydney and scheduled her visit to coincide with mine, so I could finally meet her partner and children. The elfen boy is my new best friend. He’s nearly 4, and warmed up to me quickly. He held my hand all day long, as we crossed streets, boarded the ferry, and explored the city. We had a glorious day.

An amazing didgiridoo player. Boats sailing at extreme angles! The harbor! The opera house! Manly Beach! Bondi Beach! Water, glorious water, splashing and sparkling like diamonds.

Day 3 (Day 12; Friday)

Another adventure! Off to the Blue Mountains to meet Blue Mountains Mary!!

Instant camaraderie and hours of great conversation!

Amazing scenery. I love the tiles in Mary’s bathroom. Souvenirs (and a little disturbance of national park flora***). Another incredible day.

Day 4 (Day 13; Saturday)

A quiet day, meandering through shops with the Family von Sparkle. Food is expensive! Pigs, oh my! Pea Princess, bless her loving heart, gave me a souvenir — mini Australian road signs! I love the way someone took the trouble to decorate the sidewalks. Ours (in my neck of the woods) are less than inspiring.

Later that day… …lunch with none other than Aunty Evil and My Float! Great company. Lovely women, lovely conversation (with the exception of just a teensy weensy instance of TMI, but I’ll leave that for someone else to blog about, should they ever have the inclination). Blue water, blue sky. A delightful setting with an open air view of the beach. Delicious food****. And a peek at Aunty Evil’s sleek new car! I love that new car smell.

Wouldn’t you know, in the excitement of it all, that I completely forgot to wish the Sydney bloggers all the best from the Melbourne bloggers.  (Sorry, everyone.  Please forgive!)  …And so it was another fabulous day.

Day 5 (Day 14; Sunday)

A quiet morning. It’s hard to say goodbye to Australia, and it’s been the best vacation of my life.

But anticipation builds as I look forward to seeing my own boys again. How I’ve missed them! I’ve been on the go and surrounded by warm, beautiful, and loving people throughout this entire journey, but there’s nothing like home, when it’s all said and done. How excited I am to see them once more!

*Is it just me, or is he very (young) Sean Conneryesque? And I mean that in the nicest way. Lucky Bec. What a gorgeous family, all around!

**said Buttercup of Wesley, from The Princess Bride

***Can you believe this gorgeous little scent diffuser (add a few drops of eucalyptus oil) is made from a banksia pod, similar to the strange, other-worldly rodent- with- fuzzy- tumors- looking thing in the background? Mary is just waiting to out me on this! Yes, I snagged it from a tree (stupid, obtuse, oblivious Yank, doesn’t know the difference between National Park and weeds by the wayside), and brought it home, through Customs and all. I DID itemize it on my declaration, but they only asked me if the food I had was candy, and I said yes. Because the food I had WAS candy. I didn’t lie! I didn’t bring up the fact that I had a seed pod in my backpack. They didn’t ask. I know, I know. I blame it on the Zoloft. Lack of social and cultural discretion, and all. Ahem.

****I ended up SHORT when it came time to square the bill. Mortified! Bec graciously covered me. I’m still embarrassed. Honestly.  And I never paid her back.  I feel like such a cad.