Such a long week

I came down with a cold on Monday - not sure if it was too much time spent in planes, which are FILTHY WITH GERMS - or just the shock of landing back in Canberra's winter. I really didn't have time to be sick this week because Parliament is back sitting again, so I just kind of hung on until Friday lunchtime, when I coughed so much I vomited, and decided to call it quits. And it must have been the end of it, because it's Saturday and I feel so much better. Too much information? Sorry.



After India we had three days in Jakarta, which was lovely - so nice to be back there! Most of my photos are very boring, so this is the view from my hotel room on the 25th floor. It looks like I'm standing quite near the window .... I'm not.

I like Jakarta because whenever I got there I get to stay in fancy hotels and eat in nice restaurants, which is a terribly shallow reason to like a city. At least this visit there were some more interesting meetings with business, industry, agriculture and even the arts; so I got to see way more of the city than I've seen before. It was very busy but very much fun ... and the food was wonderful. We had one free evening without an official dinner so I snuck off and went shopping and ate gado gado. Awesome.



I had my birthday when I was away so on Sunday number two son made me a chocolate and ginger cake! It was awesome, and they very kindly didn't put the full amount of candles on. Also on Sunday I went to the annual Canberra quilt show which is always fun. As ever, some of the quilts were amazing, and some were not, and there were a few that I thought I might like to make, and many that I would never even attempt. The best in show was a real puzzle though, it was very ordinary. Normally the best in show blows me away, but not this year. Oh well, quilt judging is not a science, which is all part of the fun.