Financially Independent, Retired Early(ish) at 57.

Wednesday W’s #71.



What’s top of my mind:
Travel to North America.

Corey, one of the teachers at work, knows that I’m thinking about going to Canada next year. He told me that as of yesterday, airfares had dropped from 3K to 1.8K.

I have no idea when I want to go, but I’m thinking that maybe I should get organised and book a ticket???

Where I’ve been: Evan26 and Jenna’s place.

Yesterday Ryan28 had an appointment in the same street that Evan26 and Izzy live, so I thought I’d go with him and drop in for a coffee while I waited. I tried to contact them the day before, but they didn’t answer their phones.

When I got there at 9:30AM, no one answered the door. In the end, I sent a photo of their front door to them both and waited in the car for Ryan28 instead.

Turns out that they were at a wedding in Healesville and the guests’ phones had all been taken off them!

Where I’m going: David29 and Izzy’s place.

All of us are going over to the apartment for dinner to watch the wedding video and see the photos.

Mum wants me to order a photo to put in a frame for her, and I’d like to have one of those too.

It’ll be lovely to have us all together, particularly as it’s the last time we’ll see Evan26 before he flies off for Clown College in France.

What I’m reading: Tales from the Cafe; Before the coffee goes cold – Kawaguchi

I picked this up at the library from the ‘Quick Reads’ shelf, which is a selection of popular books that you only have 2 weeks to read – no extensions! It”s a collection of short stories, all set in a cafe in Tokyo where, if you are very lucky, you can travel through time from.

As the title suggests, you only have the duration of when your piping hot coffee is poured until it goes cold. I thought this was a stand-alone, but it turns out that it’s the middle of three. I’ve ordered the other two, happy that I’ll get to spend more time in this world.

What I’m watching: A class of year 9s working in silence on a poem.

They have to write a 16-line poem, using at least 5 poetic devices and relating it back to a poem they’ve studied in class. They then have to do an oral presentation on their poem, reading it aloud to the class and then talking about why they’ve chosen the words they have.

I used to teach this unit when I was a real teacher and some of the poems the kids came up with were extraordinary. Definitely a favourite Learning Task for the year 9 course.

What I’m listening to: ‘Fight Like a Girl ‘by Clementine Ford.

I’m late to the party with this one. This is the first book written by Ms Ford, a feminist content creator from Melbourne. It’s fair to say that she’s known for not taking prisoners and definitely for not putting up with patriarchal crap.

I’m about an hour into this audiobook so far. Am I enjoying it? I’m a little on the fence. She undoubtedly has extremely valid points to make. I’m just a bit worried that it’s going to be a bit repetitive. Anyway, time will tell!

What I’m eating: Takeaway pizza.

Apparently, this is on the menu for tonight.

What I’m planning: London activities.

Now that I’ve stopped working so much, I’ve started thinking about what I’m going to be doing on my trip away in a couple of months. I’ll be spending a couple of days on my own in London while Corinna’s at work, so I’m starting to mull over what I could be doing.

Who deserves a thumbs up: This class I’m in front of.

They are almost totally silent, working away. This class was one of the ones I taught Geography to last year, when they were naughty little year 8s.

Maybe maturity has started to settle in?

What has made me smile: I got my Wool& dress yesterday!

Ryan28 and I came home from a morning away and there it was, waiting by the front door! I was so excited, and a little bit nervous. This is the one outfit I’m planning to take with me to the UK and I was petrified that it wouldn’t fit properly.

Thankfully, it all looks good. I’m now deciding whether or not I’ll do the 100 Days Challenge or not. If I do it, I’ll have to start on July 1 in order to finish it on the day I get back from the UK.

I chose the Sierra dress in grey. I figured that it would be easier to dress in such a neutral colour when I was away. Anyway, nobody cares what I wear, anyway!

Dad joke of the day:

15 Comments

  1. Bethh

    Ooh I have one of those dresses! I haven’t done the challenge but it did travel quite well. I mostly wore the dress + leggings on flights. It’s quite comfy.

  2. Frogdancer Jones

    That’s good to hear.

  3. FIRE for One

    I’ve just read the first of the three Before the Coffee Gets Cold books! I picked up the three at Big W recently. I hope you enjoy the rest of the series.

    • FrogdancerJones

      I’m just waiting on the library to work its magic.

  4. Josie

    I may have given this suggestion in a previous post, but touring Parliament was excellent and not as well-known as the many museums and other sites. I hope you have a sunny day in that area as Big Ben is spectacular in its renovated glory!

    • FrogdancerJones

      I must have seen Big Ben back in its grungy, unrenovated glory back in 2015.

      • Cedar

        If you’re in London you could take a few day trips outside the capital. Head to the seaside, Canterbury for its cathedral, and maybe even Wales if you can budget for it!

        • FrogdancerJones

          I’ve already been to Canterbury – loved it! and I’ve skirted around Wales. I’d love to do a tour based around the two Llewellyns (spelling might be off!) but there’s no Welsh royal houses left standing. 🙁

          • Cedar

            Sounds like a plan! I recommend Dartmoor too if you haven’t been (I may be biased here).

  5. Debbie

    Glad to hear you are thinking of coming to Canada next year – the West Coast (Vancouver & Victoria) are beautiful.

  6. Sheila

    If tickets are cheap, you could book something to Vancouver (or San Fran, or Lax) and you can figure out the details later. I usually take this approach to fly into lax from Melbourne, and fly to other cities with separately purchased tickets. It may take a bit longer, but saves a bundle.

  7. Katie from Q

    I couldn’t imagine wearing the same dress for the whole trip. I’d spill beetroot on it on day one. Even if I wasn’t eating beetroot. I’ve just finished Michael Atkinson’s book (Mike from Alone Australia) and loved it. I’d avoid LAX if you can – I’ve heard so many stories about dramas with baggage and long distances between arrival and departure gates. We flew Air NZ when we went to the US. Had to fly to Auckland but then to SFO and it was great.

    • FrogdancerJones

      “Even f I wasn’t eating beetroot.” Hahaha!

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