The weather was cooler and the month was long but busy. There were lots of events and gatherings planned, in spite of the cold weather.
The month kicked off celebrating a wonderful boy turning 18. Having seen him grow to be a handsome young man has been a privilege and it was apt to have a party as he steps into adulthood. It was a fun night, dancing and making merry with friends I have now known for over a decade.
The following week was busy. I went to watch this brilliant show at the Opera House – a satirical spoof on my beloved novel Pride and Prejudice. It was laugh a riot and we had such a good time watching it, even though the weather did not play nice with rain.
Sunday was celebrating friendship day with Saree Club. We created tea cups with our favourite designs. It was a fun activity run by our very own Rupa Parthasarathy and exchanging the cups at the end showed some interesting human characteristics. I wore my favourite Bahubali Saree, a gift from a friend.
I changed my working hours to 9 day fortnight from this month and it has been so good for my mental health. That Friday holiday every 2 weeks is a bliss. It is me time and I have already planned salon visits, catchups with friends and indulge in small pleasures of life like unhurried reading and walking. A slower pace of life is a luxury that so many of us crave for but forego it for other luxuries in life that can be bought.
One such slow Friday, I went for Christmas in July with my best friends. As we celebrate Christmas in summers here in Oz, with prawns and salads, July is our month to celebrate the Christmas seen in movies with egg nog, mulled wines, roast and apple strudel. We attended one such event at the local winery, with all the trimmings including a functioning fireplace. It was a great afternoon and Poornima and I had an amazing time chatting and enjoying the food on this slow winter afternoon.
The last week, my friend and I decided to go to this play that was getting rave reviews from everyone across our circle. Both of us are fond of theatre; in fact she even acts in plays regularly. So we decided to go on a cold weeknight to watch this play. We had never been to Belvoir theatre before and were impressed. It is a wonderful community theatre in a nook in Surry hills and I was imagining the artists that may have grown through plays from this place.
The play was based on the impact of the civil war in Sri Lanka that lasted decades. While we loved the subject and the actors, the play was too long. At 2 hrs 50 minutes run time and 2 intervals, there were parts that were stretched and the play could have certainly be of a shorter duration and crispier. That was a bit disappointing but we had a wonderful evening coming back home at midnight on weeknight, for which I paid the price the next day.
Last Friday of the month is a dinner date with someone I met as colleague but who is now like a younger sister to me. She is one of the finest human beings I have met and i look forward to our catch ups. It was a night well spent.
August is my birth month and I am looking fwd to all the things planned for the month. Here is a snapshot of July.