I’d be surprised at how long it’s been since we last did this, because I enjoyed it so much last time. I’d let you know that no, I still don’t like coffee, so I’ll maybe go for a fruity somethingorother or, if it’s been a bad day, a diet coke. Yes, I’m still trying to cut down but what can you do? At least I’m not turning to hard drugs. I suppose we’ve been catching up in other ways, via my expat updates, but those focus mostly on expat type stuff (at least they’re supposed to anyway) and there’s now more other-stuff than expat-stuff going on with me right now to talk about. So I’ll take a deep breath, and…

~ I’d ask you whether you’ve been to Newcastle (NSW, not UK…!) before, and what you think of it. We went this last weekend, tacked on to a visit to the Hunter Valley, and I was very impressed by the beach situation*.

I know I talk about beaches a lot but you can’t move to Australia and not.

Anyway, it was kind of a whistlestop tour but I feel the need to go back and investigate more. Where are your favourite spots in the city? Anywhere I need to check out?

*There are no beaches in Newcastle, UK. At least, none that look like this.

~ I’d tell you that this new project at work is totally kicking my arse. You’ll have heard a little more about the situation if you subscribe to The Ugly (you can do that on my expat update posts like this one) but that’s really all I can say about the matter, because I don’t talk about my work on here. I’m not trying to vagueblog, I just don’t want to make public where I work or for whom – but I do like talking about careers, work life in general, being a woman in the workplace, all that stuff. So if you also like to talk about those things then please email me, and we’ll talk more on there.

~ I’d tell you that I might be a bit quiet around here for a while, not just because of hideous work but also because we’re just about to enter an epic phase of visitors, stretching from Easter until the end of June. I’m really excited about it and want to give my visitors as much attention as I can, so the blog will take a bit of a step back. I’ve already fallen behind on replying to comments and…well…everything, so please bear with me.

~ I’d talk about the suburb exploring we’ve been doing recently. We’ve had a good nose around Newtown (on Mardi Gras weekend, no less) and found street art, gluten free dumplings and lots of people looking parade-ready.

~ I’d laugh that 18 months later, that new recipe I mentioned in the last of these posts is now my firm favourite, and had a starring role in the list of apps I love right now that I shared last week. Funny seeing what changes and what stays the same over time.

~ I’d ask you whether I should try and squeeze in a haircut before I do a big talk presentation thing in a couple of weeks. Am I just asking for a terrible hair cut? Or will it give me the confidence and gravitas I need? I’m thinking long bob again, because I’m unimaginative and I like it, but considering whether this is really the Professional and Mature Haircut I need to stop being mistaken for the intern?

~ I’d share that I’ve totally gone off Instagram lately, and I’m not sure why, but I think it might be something to do with being bombarded with articles and emails about Things I Need To Be Doing On Instagram Right Now. Anyone else noticed that or have I just been put on some super special mailing list? Unfortunately this has achieved precisely the opposite and completely put me off the whole thing. I think this might be because I’m a rebel? Basically I’m just watching some stories and then peacing out of there. I’m sure I’ll be back at some point. Maybe when I have a little more time and energy.

~ I’d tell you that even though we’re technically in autumn here now, it’s forecast to be 38°C (100°F) on Sunday because apparently I still can’t stop talking about the weather here.

If we went for coffee, what would you tell me?

-Rachel

A pin in case you really like the look of Mereweather beach