Settling back into Adelaide life and all it's assets!

It has been over a week since I got home to Australia, and apart from that initial sour greeting of bad news (R.I.P Milly!), I have been really enjoying being home! I have no job as of yet (desperately searching) but am making the most of this misfortune while I can! I have spent the past week doing chores that I know I will never get around to once I start working- like cleaning my room and researching different foods and workouts to fit my new health plan! Apart from that, I have been lounging at the beach catching up on some reading and enjoying the weather (a nice change from Sunderland temperatures!) as well as visiting all my favourite places in Adelaide! At the moment everything is still a kind of familiar novelty for me- I get excited to go to the shops or some other random place I have not been to since being home. Even my wardrobe is exciting again! After months of pretty much wearing the same clothes over and over and OVER again, I have welcomed my old clothes like long lost children!

I was reminded of the vintage bow obsession that I had before I left, and was delighted to
find them while cleaning out my drawers! They are handmade by my talented friend, Jess,
at Trashville Boutique!
http://www.trashvilleboutique.com

I have just been revelling in being able to dress in my own style again- very different to the pair of jeans and jumper that I have been wearing everyday for the past few months... urghh, I was so sick of those clothes I wanted to burn them!

So, with the happy reunion with my wardrobe in full swing, I have used any excuse to leave the house and wear something nice! And what better excuse than the central markets! Mum and I went there last Friday and I honestly couldn't wait to get there! The market is probably one of my favourite things about Adelaide. I love the sights, sounds and smells...just the general busy and bustling atmosphere of the place! Plus the food there cannot be beaten in freshness or quality, and I doubt there is anything you COULDN'T find at the central markets.

So Mum and I have made a little pledge to try and get there as often as possible so that we can get alllll the fresh food- Moahahahahah!

CHEESE= THE LOVE OF MY LIFE?

As I said in my previous post, I want to try and do something that makes me appreciate the place I live in at least once a week. Well, without a job, I have been able to do this much more than once a week. The morning after the central markets I woke up really early to pick up my friend Ashleigh before heading to Mt Lofty! (A special mention to Ash, who I am very proud of for waking up at 6am on a Saturday!)

Good old Mt Lofty provided a strenuous workout and some amazing Aussie views that almost felt like new to me after being away for a while. But the best thing about it, for me, was the smells! Gumtrees! Their smell is so refreshing and I hadn't realised how much I had missed it! Afterwards we went back to Ashleigh's house and devoured a well deserved breakfast of bacon, eggs, avocado and mushrooms- washed down by a banana and strawberry smoothie! Cheers Ash!

I have also been visiting a lot of friends and it has been more than awesome to see them all again. I have no money to speak of at the moment, so I have been going on lots of walk-dates with people- exercising, socialising and not spending any money- works for me!

A visit to Souraya's house at Seacomb Heights. I took this photo because the landscape is just so unmistakably
Australian! Especially with the football stuck on top of the tin shed!

This is Boris! A new friend I made at Souraya's house! He is so cute that he hurts my ovaries...

View from the old drinking spot- Churchy's house! A view I often thought about and missed
while I was away.

I have actually arrived in the glorious city of Adelaide at a particularly glorious time of year- The Fringe Festival is on! I have limited funds at the moment, but thankfully a lot of it is free! The photos below are from the RipItUp Magazine artists' party, which I was lucky enough to get tickets to. The party was held next to the Garden of Unearthly delights, and the night was full of bands, 1950's swing music and even a burlesque strip show!

Sexy Hannah at the entrance

Some old friends and some new friends!

Dr. Piffle and the Burlap Band- always a good time

As you can see I have been pretty busy despite having no job yet! But I want to make the most of it. Apart from all that, I have been sticking to most of my goals- I am eating really healthy, working out a lot and enjoying Adelaide as much as possible. I have also been working REALLY hard on my French, which I am pretty proud of. The tiny bit of French I used at the end of my blog intro has already been corrected by a very reliable source, so I will have to change that soon! The only goal I haven't met yet is to get back into something creative- I have a few art projects in mind and also some sewing missions! Hopefully I will get into these before my next post!

An Adelaide Advocate returns home...

Coming home to Adelaide, in my opinion, is always a good thing...Except this time round. 

I arrived safely on the tarmac of Adelaide airport a little after 9am this Monday after just under eight months away studying and travelling. Naturally, I was excited to see my family after such a long time. As I walked through the arrivals gate I first saw my Grandy waving frantically at me, then I spotted my Mum, Dad and Grumpy. There were some happy tears (or so I thought) as I greeted them all with a hug. It was a very happy moment, and I guess it is a funny thing to think back on in hindsight. This is because about twenty minutes later, during the car ride home, I would find out that my parents had to put my beloved dog to sleep a few days before. My little Milly had become very sick quite suddenly, and she could not hold on.

I was completely in shock and totally devastated. I didn't know what to do with myself- I had been looking forward to seeing her for the entire time I was away! I cried for 12 hours straight until my face muscles hurt and I couldn't cry anymore. 

It is a shame that this is the first thing I have to write about on this blog, but I feel that she deserves a mention. She was a good dog, and an even better friend. I will miss her very much!

I will miss that wet little nose!

After my first day home was spent in tears, I knew that I had to keep myself busy- not only to distract myself from my sadness, but also because I have a lot planned for the next few months! So on that morning (and every morning since) I went for a run in Semaphore. Apart from everything reminding me of Milly, running through my home town has been very gratifying. Being away from it for a while has given me reason to appreciate how lucky I am to live where I do! 

Semaphore Jetty

The walks and runs are part of one of the items on my 'to-do-list' that I have created for myself. As I mentioned in the blog introduction, I want to focus on my health and fitness, so I have been doing a lot of exercise and eating really healthy since I got back.

Semaphore Road

Everyday has started with one of these babies!!!
Green Smoothies always make
me feel good on
the inside but also give me good skin!

Oats with coconut water, blueberries, greek yogurt and peanut butter. Plus one of
the pretty flowers my Nanna gave me as a welcome home present! 

It has been salads galore in our kitchen!
Mostly vegetarian, but also
some smoked salmon occasionally.

I swam twice this week (thanks to Dad for paying for me since I am COMPLETELY BROKE!) and I found that sticking to swimming twice a week while I was away really helped to keep my swimming fitness up. I thought I would not be able to keep up with the others, but it seems I am the same as when I left! 
I also went for my first tennis game with good friend (and sometimes personal trainer), Alex, followed by a weights session. Alex runs his own personal training business called First Class Fitness (FCF), and he is extremely knowledgable about diet and exercise regimes. He has suggested that I start counting my Macros (daily intake of protein, fats and carbs) to see where my diet needs changes. Clearly, a very informed fitness friend to have around! I also love training with him because he pushes me REALLY hard, yet I still enjoy it!
I plan to really stick to my health efforts after my 8 months away- which, of course, was filled with copious amounts of alcohol and 'tasting' each and every place I visited through the wonder of food! I don't regret any of it, but it is time to start getting healthy and looking fit again for my next trip (hopefully in June or July this year!.)In the meantime, I also need to save money like crazy, but I also have an aim of enjoying my hometown as much as possible while I am here. I am, and always will be, an Adelaide Advocate- so I plan on blogging about some of the reasons why!