what you need

With a show as physical as this one, in a climate this hot, YK and I have taken to measuring the length of trips not in [days] but in [units of dry underpants].

Locomoting

I pow!'ed too soon.  

YK and I have managed to get home to our appointed stop on our appointed bus route exactly once in three weeks -- although we have figured out how to walk home from the interchange, how to hail a special secret bus (and that they won't stop at your stop unless you yell over their shoulder, no matter how many times you say "#44" as you're boarding), and that you can walk through a bottle-o (drive-through liquor stores) at 10:30 p.m.  We've also made a few buddies, including the bottle-o guy and a dude from Queensland who moved to Adelaide for a girl before "things went ass up."

Pretty glad about that secret bus, though.  On one of our late-night slogs home, some yabbo in a ute honked at us and YK snarled, "You could offer us a ride, douchebag."

I love a parade

Welcome to the Fringe!  Roller Derby Girls, parade staging, headless moppets, vain lilies, giant astronauts, new tattoos.  Play hard and go home tired!

in heaven there is no beer

Man, the Aussies sure like their jugs of Cooper's.

Pow!

I got you, Adelaide Metro!

I made it into the city by myself, and am I ever chuffed about it! The driver was a bit surly when I handed him a $20 bill, but he sighed and fished a wad of bills out of his pocket (!) to make change. I took the O-Bahn. I got off at the wrong stop (Adelaide Metro's trip planner is worse than useless). I made it to the Gardens on time.

To all of the relatives I've forced onto transit in the past few years: I'm so, so sorry. I forget how totally non-intuitive and scary buses are in an unfamiliar city. You all survived, but: yeah. This is confusing stuff.

reach for the sun

YK took me out for a jog today.  It was a quiet early weekday morning, sunny and just slightly brisk, and we jogged through the park and along the creek.  As we were walking briskly away from our billet the first song up on my iPod was Polyphonic Spree's Light and Day and I have to say:  breaking into a run during those opening swells of music -- in Australia! -- is now pretty high up there on my personal list of Great Moments In My Life.

(Cockatiels! We saw cockatiels!)

Barossa scouting, day #2

Scouting locations.

Trooping up to Richmond Grove.

Pavilion at Langmeil.

Langmeil shiraz.