Hello Hello!

Last night I did a really fun thing. REALLY FUN! Eldest and I saw The Cat Empire play at The Enmore Theatre! It was such a blast, the place was jumping! And I mean that literally -the old floorboards were bouncing people all over the place! These guys play such a fun brand of music you can't help but groove and bounce. They brought the house down! (not literally but I wouldn't put it past the old Enmore!)



There's the spiritual leader Harry (he sometimes looks like he is praying when he holds the microphone with two hands at his chest, head bowed) with his alternate vocal sounds, amazing magic trumpet, and damn clever lyrics. Felix, does as damn fine job of being the clean cut front man - sexy voice, reggae drums, and fabulously gorgeous! Combine this with the other exceptional talents (drums!! keyboard!! double bass!! DJ dude! trumpet! trombone!) and you can't help but bump and groove with a smile on your face! It was great to see these guys enjoying themselves too. They would smile and nod in time with the drum/keyboard solo admiringly - like they enjoyed making this music! Ya gotta love it.

More smiling, more music please.

I'm alive, I’m alive, Im alive,
and my eyes want to cry,
and the night and the sky is so high
and life is sublime...

They play funky, earthy fun. You can't help but jump... Think I'll get them for my 40th. They'll come wont they??

SM
Going off to ring Felix.

Delightful Mother's Day

This day last year I was stuck in front of this computer screen studying all day long while other mums were surfing in the lovely Autumn sunshine. I hoped next years would be better.

Well, it was! Today I had the best Mother's Day ever! It started off with green eggs and ham in bed this morning. Thank you Dr Zeuss and those guys on tele that inspired my family to prepare this lovely breakfast (well, me really - I had it all organised so that they couldn't go wrong. ;) The green comes from spinach and parsley - not creme de menth as Husband suggested!

Then we went surfing at Crowdy with Acturv and co. Husbands minded kids and mums lolled about in the perfect conditions and leisurely tried our hands at a few right handers. Of course we pulled these off easily and would've pleased the crowd no end - had there been any people there! We almost had the place to ourselves. Its good if you can get it.

It was a classic Autumn day today - the sun warm and the water delightful. I hope all surfermums had a lovely day today whatever they did. And credit goes to the husbands for their contribution to making it possible. They know how we need to be spoiled now and then eh? ;)

SM

Dreaming

Finally got this photo off my silly videocam.This is the place where you walk down all the stairs past the shops/restaurants that have been built on the edge of the cliff for the tourist trade, and eventually you find steps leading down to the inside of a cave. It was low tide when we were and we walked through the cave (sandy bottom) and its like a mini beach - you just paddle out. The best part about it though was looking back up at the white cliffs all around, its awesome. I could see the chapel which I forgot to look for when I was back on land and didn't see again. Silly of me not to take the waterproof camera down and get a shot. Anyway, its in my mind.

Have settled back into regular life and all is going well. Sea is big - too big for me but maybe it will change the shape of the banks and we will get some fun out of it eventually.

Heres hoping.

SM
PS. My thoughts and love go out to our Pommy MOB member and her Mum.

Bye bye Bali

Catching the red eye express tonight and not looking forward to it! 11.15pm flight plus lose 2 hours in time and then drive 4 hours home. Fun.

Hopefully we will be exhausted enough not to notice. We went white water rafting today and it was hell fun! Middle child has found his future vocation - as a white water rafting instructor. You get to have this kinda fun every day!

Bali has alot going for it, there is so much to do - diving, surfing, shopping, eating, rafting, biking and all that stuff. And there are no flies! (mozzies have not been a problem, touch wood) The only problem is the humidity, oh, and the traffic. I won't miss that. And also I am a little sick of nasi goreng and mie goreng and all the other gorengs. But it has been fun...and it will be nice to get home too.

Got lotsa photos but alot are on the other camera and didn't bring the connection... So check out the cheeky monkey from the monkey forest and the Ayung River gorge - Awesome!!

C U soon.
SM

More from Ubud

Went to the Monkey Forest yesterday - those little critters are ferocious when they see a banana! Middle child freaked out with one on his head - it was very funny.

I did a cooking course this morning and we made some amazing food. Husband now has grand expectations about bali food when we return home Small world story - there were only 20 of us in the course but I met someone I know from Wingham with her daughter. We are meeting this afternoon for a drink and swim at an apparently fabulous hotel and amazing pool. Should be fun.

The balinese are such happy people, we have learnt alot about their culture and traditions. I can see why people come here, they have a happy, peaceful aura. We could all learn to slow down and smile like the balinese.

Good to hear from Acturv on the previous posts comment section. I love to hear what the MOB get up to while I'm away. Has Batgirl been out at the Reef? Has Champagnekate moved into the mansion? What about Belbird and her Wave child, are they getting waves? Talk to me.
(Girls - Just sign in with a google account and make a New Post. There are no rules. Post a picture if you like. Have a play.)

SM

Ubud is gorgeous

Had a magic day in the mountains behind Ubud today. We had breakfast overlooking an active volcano (there was steam coming out!) and a beautiful elevated lake layng between volcanoes. Then we cycled down through the villages - 25 km! and then had a gorgeous lunch in the rice paddies.

Two days ago we were in Sanur where Molly and Ned and Bill went out in a boat the the reef and went surfing. After a tour of the reef (there weren't enough boards and after my day of days at Uluwatu I didn't care that I wasn't surfing!) I lay on the beach and had a massage and my nails done. Nice.

Food is fab, the hotel we are in now in Ubud is built into the side of the cliff that overlooks the river. It is truly gorgeous, very old and very balinese.

White water rafting tommorow and maybe some more shopping...

SM
Anyone brave enough to write on the blog?? Someone please tell Franbaby to have a read here because her email keeps bouncing back. Theres more photos but they take too long to download... how do you make em smaller?

Hope you are getting good waves. :)

Ya gotta go there!

Went surfing at Uluwatu yesterday - it was awesome!! It is the most amazing place I have seen so far in Bali. It is off the beaten track a little in the far southern tip of Bali, a mountainous area where the cliff edge drops away into crystal clear water and there are perfect left handers rolling in every moment.

I have never before been up close and personal to such fantastic surfers (except when I have been surfing with the MOB of course). I was alongside these Balinese boys whilst they were inside big barrels and yet I could just paddle a little way out of danger - just like it looks in the surfing films. They would hoot and holler in balinese to each other and were such a physical presence - cutting and thrusting, shooting out spray at anyone who looked like dropping in - that I don't know if it was deliberate to intimidate others (this was after all their break) or if that was just them at play. I have never seen anything like these guys in the surf - they were throwing their boards around like frisbees and shooting 10 feet into the air off the back of the wave when they were finished with it - hooting all the time. And then they grin at you. Cute.

To get to this spot you have to climb down the cliff. There are stairs that take you down through the restaurants that look out over this gorgeous piece of paradise and when you get to the bottom you swim out through a cave and paddle over the reef. Looking back up at the white cliffs is a perspective I was very pleased to have seen. It is quite special. So glad we had Danny and Gillian with us too because they were happy to have a couple of beers in the restaurant with the kids while Husband and I had a surf. And there are guys who take photos and sell them to you -so I had to buy the one of Husband and I on the same wave! What a memory! It was a very special day. When I go to an internet cafe I will try and put it up here.

Now, I would like one of you Mob/Bobsters to get on this blog and post some news of Australia. What is going on over there? Any waves? Come on...tell me.
SM