Hi friends and happy Monday! It’s great to be back today to recap some weekend happenings. I’m very excited to be on school holidays because term one felt so long! It actually was longer and went on for eleven weeks. We usually only have ten weeks and although one extra week doesn’t sound like much. It sure is in the preschool world! I always think that term one of preschool is a bit like childbirth, you always forget how painful challenging it is! Haha!!
Saturday
Anyway here is what Saturday looked like.
Back to warm and sunny autumn! Earlier last week the temps dropped and I thought that it was goodbye to those beautiful warm autumn days we had been having. Saturday morning I woke up feeling pretty great so I went for a sunny walk and it was fun exploring some new streets around where I live.
But from now on I have made a mental note to pay closer attention to the uneven footpaths instead of getting carried away looking at the beautiful trees and the flowers in people’s front gardens. I almost tripped over, but fortunately, I managed to pull off one of those miraculous saves where your legs go everywhere, and you somehow manage to land on your feet. Phew! It must have been a funny sight and although I gave myself a good scare, I almost burst out laughing….almost.
I got home around midday and I was hungry so I made some scrambled eggs and a banana, walnut and honey milkshake.
Steve went to work and Sam was competing in a weightlifting contest. I was all excited to be at home without having to spend any time thinking about the next working week. I got comfy in a beanbag with some snacks and started binge-watching a new series on Netflix called ‘Bonus Family’.
In between the end of an episode and the beginning of another. I checked my phone and saw on my newsfeed that there was a tragedy unfolding at Bondi Junction Westfield. Then about a minute later my phone rang and it was Luke. He was asking me if I was OK and if I was home. He knows that I like to shop there, especially during the school holidays.
I turned off the series I had been watching and turned on the regular TV. Sure enough, every channel was covering the stabbing that had just occurred inside the shopping centre. Then my family started checking in on the group chat, making sure everyone was ok. Bondi Junction is only about a 20- 30 minute drive away. It’s a great place to shop and there is always a possibility that one of us could have been there. One of my cousins used to work there a couple of years ago.
My warm, fuzzy and carefree mood ended and I sat there talking to Luke, texting my bestie and messaging on the family group chat while I watched the news. We were all equally shocked to learn that a man had just randomly stabbed people in the shopping centre and by the end of the night we heard that six people had died. There are victims still in the hospital including a nine-month-old baby. It’s just so sad and the sentiment is the same everywhere – these things just don’t happen in Australia. But sadly, I guess they can.
Sunday
On Sunday morning, I woke up with a sore neck and a headache. I have this annoying habit of slouching in front of the computer for hours on end and watching the news with my body all tensed up for most of Saturday evening didn’t help. A while ago I decided to stop watching or listening to the news. It’s the right decision for me because constantly hearing about the state of the world is just so depressing. I’m pretty sure I’ve more than made up for it now!
I did some stretching on the yoga mat and took some Panadol and Neurofen. In the afternoon, I started to feel better so I made a quick trip to the shops.
Steve and I enjoyed some seafood for dinner.
We weren’t celebrating anything but it’s been such a crazy and busy last couple of weeks. So a relaxing Sunday evening is exactly what we needed. We watched the latest episode of Survivor and went to bed at 10.30 which is early for me. I have been burning the candle at both ends and my body has been yelling at me to stop. So even though I am in full school holiday mode and don’t have to worry about getting up early, I’m going to listen and go to bed at a decent time. Pinky promise!
Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have an amazing day!
Linking up with Holly and Sarah
I did think about you on Saturday and hoped that none of you or your family were amidst all that chaos. I’m glad you are all safe but sorry your cosy afternoon was interrupted. I turn the news off a lot lately it’s really depressing. I get the bare facts and leave the details. I’m glad you had a more relaxing Sunday x
Thanks, Anne.
I am so sorry to read about the tragedy. How scary. Hope you are feeling better and able to enjoy that beautiful weather.
Thanks, Holly.
It sounds like a lovely weekend. Your food looks so yummy! #MMBC
I was thinking of you too, and I thought it was somewhere that you like to go. But I remembered you saying you wanted a relaxing weekend so I thought “surely Ruth is not there!”. And I’m glad you were home safe. Yes, these thing can happen anywhere, sadly.
Hope your neck and back are better this week and you can enjoy your holidays.
Thanks, Sarah. You’re so sweet š
Oh wow! That term was a long one, our terms are about 12 weeks but we usually get a week off half way through.
I am glad you are still getting some sunshine. It’s hit and miss here. Today was gorgeous as long as you were out of the wind, that was icy.
I saw the news about the stabbing and did think of you. It was awful to read about it. I am glad everyone you know was safe. No wonder you didn’t feel great on Sunday after all of the stress. x
Thanks, Kim xx
I’m so glad you and your relatives weren’t in the shopping center when the stabbing happened. I read the headline here but purposefully didn’t read on as the news can totally depress me. That being said, I feel you about thinking it can’t happen in Australia, but sadly these things happen everywhere. It reminds me of the shopping center shooting we had back in 2011 in a town called Alphen aan den Rijn. This wasn’t a terrorist attack, the man doing it was just a random guy, maybe he was struggling with mental illness but I’m not even sure about that.
Anyway I’m glad the rest of your weekend was okay. Glad the sore neck and headache improved with painkillers and stretching. #MMBC
Thanks, Astrid š
Here in the United States we either have year round pre-school (if it’s run through a daycare) or they run the entire school year (if they are part of a public school). Now public school schedules vary depending on where the schools are located but here in New England they run from the end of August to mid- July with just a week off at Christmas and one in April. Having worked in a public preschool for a few years sometimes it seemed literally endless! It is such a fun age but can be so exhausting.
I am so sorry to hear about the stabbing; that is so scary!
We have long daycare centres that run year-round as well. I honestly don’t think that I could have survived working in early childhood education for so long if I worked in one of these centres. Thankfully ours is a community based preschool and we follow the same term calendar as the NSW public school system.
I think I briefly heard about that stabbing but didn’t realize it was near you. I unfortunately know how it feels when these things happen close by! I am glad you are ok.
Thank you xx