Keith, kids and Ita

Well, it’s been quite a weekend. Weekend-plus-a-bit actually.  I’m a bit weary and all over the shop… brace yourselves for the review.

I did the whole 36-hours visit to BrisVegas and back thing again – jamming 11 hours of driving, meetings and birthday-boy shopping and flying catch-ups with a some great mates, and seeing the fabulous Mr Keith Urban.  I think I have spoken before about my little (very little) Keith connection – he was relaxed and at his entertaining best in his ‘home town’.

I may or may not have had a little issue with security, which I may or may not blog about.  Suffice to say it shook me a little, made me a teensy bit cranky, but (in the end) failed to dent my enjoyment of a rare girls’ night out.  Keith gave us an extended show and sang past 11pm.  Then, after saying farewell to my Country Music-lovin’ buddies, including the one and only Leonie, pictured beside me below, by the time I found my car it was 11.30pm (can anyone say ‘directionally challenged’?).

Then I drove for two hours, dashed into a motel for 3 1/2 hours sleep and a shower, before hitting the bitumen again for the remaining 3 1/2 hour drive home.  In the rain…

I only offiicially missed two hours of our son’s ninth birthday. With the help of my Ma, we whipped the house into shape and prepared for a celebration for Dash with a couple of little mates.

(Yes, he has a holiday haircut again!)

There was chocolate cake AND mud cake (can too much chocolate EVER be enough?) and an impromptu game of backyard cricket.

And my ovaries got all tetchy because THIS little one visited… (as well as THIS little one)…

That degree of cuteness just AIN’T fair to a girl…

Is it?

Then yesterday my sister and I hit the bookwork (and continued to feed a hungry horde). I adore having extras in the house but, OY, the washing and washing up!

I am also facing a couple of major photo shoots this week (one of which is a wedding of a dear friend – and if I stay true to form I shall no doubt make myself ill over it!).

Tonight, after everyone was packed off to bed, I indulged myself and switched on the ABC.  I am replete, have just finished watching Paper Giants (the Ita Buttrose/Cleo story) and am feeling deeply reminiscent of my adolescence.

Ita was (and is) my hero.  So cool, so collected, so good at what she did… she never let a little thing like a speech impediment slow her down.  She fearlessly brought the sexual revolution to the masses through Cleo magazine, was voted Most Admired Woman in Australia at least twice, and of course, Cold Chisel wrote a song for her.

Makes me feel like a serious under-achiever.  Right now though, I have just enough energy and ambition to want to listen to the rain on the roof… and sleep.