Yum Cha & Sparkling Sharaz

hello blog regulars and any secret blog readers we may have... Funny i thought not many people were reading this and then when i dont do it on sunday night i get loads of emails saying 'where's the blog!' How will you cope without the blog when we leave?? I dont think the 'Mooney's in Loughborough' is worth blogging about..

So its been a little quieter this week so I dont think I have so much to report. Following on from last week my sunburn at the cricket was a little worse than i thought, got to be better with the sunblock i think. On the plus side we got away with the bump on the hire car so no £1000 bill thank god. The middle part of last week was a little non-eventful as Saoirse and I were working pretty hard and Dylan and Emma were busy with their usual activities. Dylan was in great form until the end of the week when the blasted teething returned for a few days again. He has had three main new words this week, firstly, 'flower', this took some practice, secondly, 'cheese' or as he pronounces it 'cheeeeeeeeeeese' (in fact he sounds a bit like Harry Hill when he says it). The other, and our current favourite, is his word for Father Christmas which is 'Mick-me'. Gods knows where this came from but it makes us laugh every time he sees a Santa and starts shouting 'mick-meeeee'. He is also especially enjoying his chocolate advent calendar so thanks to grandma for that.

The main event of the week was thursday when Emma and I go our first night out in ages when Saoirse babysitted for us. It was great to see Adelaide by night and we really enjoyed going out for a thai meal and then on for a few beers. Dylan slept the entire time we were out but unfortunately he woke up crying on our return and continued to do so until 3am which rather took the shine off things. Still it was good to go out. Unfortunately Saoirse has flown back to the UK today so that maybe the last one for a while. On Friday night I got another night out this time with the guys as i went to see Adelaide United v Wellington Phoenix in a football match. It was a really good night out and quite different to a game in the UK. You could pay on the gate and it was only £8. You could choose where you wanted to sit and drink a beer from your seat. I was also lucky to see Adelaide's highest ever win (6-1). The other guys werent really footy fans so I was in my element explaining all the tactics and highlighting the best players. They found it funny that the one player I identified as being the weak link went on to score a hatrick and get man of the match. I'll shut up next time!

So on to the weekend, and unfortunately saturday like most of the week was a little dull and overcast so the beach was off. Instead we just hung out around Adelaide. We went out to an authentic chinese (nobody spoke english) restuarant for lunch and had yum cha. Not sure what the wikipedia definition of this is but essential there is no menu, no price list, they bring you lots of little dishes, sort of tapas like, and you decide if you want it or not. None of the food resembled anything we have had back home even if it sounded the same. Anyway we had a good laugh eating all sorts of things mainly in the form of dumplings and buns although we did draw the line at the salt and pepper chicken feet. Sadly we both agreed at the end though that we preferred the non-authentic chinese food. It doesnt bode well for my planned trip to China next summer!

The best day of the week was Sunday (yesterday). As it was Saoirse's last day we hired a car and headed out of Adelaide to the Barossa valley, the famous wine region (in the top ten best places to visit in the world according to trip advisor). Anyway you can go round all the wineries, some famous, some not so (see pics) and taste all the wine for free. And then the best bit. You can buy a bottle really cheaply, they give you free glasses and you can then go and use the free BBQ's in the picnic area, which is exactly what we did. The Barossa is most famous for Shiraz and i had the tasted one of the best red wines i have ever had, pity i was the designated driver! Anyway the weather was great and we all had a fab day. Although our sausages on the BBQ looked a little sad compared to all the aussie ones who had shrimps, steak, calamari etc.

So that's it really. We are thinking about a road trip to the Yorke Peninsula for a few days next weekend although the forecast isnt great - cloudy again - so we arent sure. Emma and Dylan have lots on this week as a few of the groups they have attended are shutting down for christmas so its party time. Emma even has a girls night out next week with some of her friends so that good. It still doesnt feel much like christmas here, not sure it will, although Emma has decorated the flat thanks to the $1 shop.

Rightyho, hope you are all keeping warm, I heard there was snow last week, sounds fun! Many thanks to all those who have sent cards and pressies too. Love The Mooneys x