Sunday Seven #11

This week was a bit of a funny one - a lot of things I was looking forward to, but also a major disappointment that dulled the tone of the week a little bit. However, enough fantastic things occurred during the week that I can still put a smile on my face - a lesson learned, however a lot of fun was had by me this week too!

1. Seeing The Seals at The Ellington. I'd been looking forward to this gig ever since I first saw the band at Fairbridge and in short, it was a fantastic evening. Read a more in-depth review here if you are interested.

2. Having lunch with a friend I hadn't seen in a year and dinner with a group of friends from school. It's always lovely to catch up with friends (especially over food - just saying), and these two meals were no exception. The food especially deserves a comment - Grilld for lunch, and Nandos for dinner. Don't mind if I do.

3. Having lovely homemade soup made by Mum for lunch on the days I worked this week. So much better than the thrown together sandwich I usually take with me, and really lovely to enjoy with the cold weather we have been having. Mum's an absolute superstar (read more about that here).

4. Watching my cousin play in the second Women's AFL match at Etihad Stadium today (and her team winning - Go Melbourne!) I was so proud of her. Alicia played really well - lots of kicks and marks. I think it's fantastic that girls get the opportunity to play at such a level.

5. Seeing Grease today - it was fantastic! I think I'll be writing a review of it some time this week, but it was really such a great night out. Probably the best closing number I have ever seen in a musical, fantastic music, vibrant costumes: definitely a must see if you get the opportunity. It didn't hurt that my uncle, who worked on the show in its early stages, managed to get our names read out by Bert Newton in a section at the start of the musical. I won't spoil anything, but it was very funny!

6. A spot of shopping during the week. I have been trying to save for a few months, but due to a few changes I don't need to be as dedicated anymore! I hit up Lorna Jane and Mac… oops (but I'm not really that upset about it).

7. Midnight ice creams with one of my good friends last night (early this morning?) Nothing is quite as good as an M&M Mcflurry.

I hope you had a lovely week and that you have a fun week ahead of you. I just wanted to quickly say thank you for the support I have received for my blogs - Laura Robin and Laurables. I really appreciate all the messages, shares and likes that posts of mine have received, and I hope you continue to enjoy my writing as much as I enjoy writing it :)

Evenings at the Ellington #2: The Seals

A few months ago, I attended the Fairbridge Festival (read about it here) and was lucky enough to enjoy The Seals when I was down there. In a blitz of festival hyperactivity, I picked up their CD - and boy, am I glad I did. So glad, in fact, that when the opportunity arose for me to attend The Ellington Jazz Club to see them, I gladly took it.

Firstly, The Ellington. This place is absolutely fantastic, and I enjoyed the same food as I did on my first venture to somewhere a little bit different for my demographic. The wait staff are quick, the table set up is great because it allows everyone to see the musicians, and the food is affordable and tasty (imperative for me). We had a great table - one row from the front and slightly to the right of the stage.

I'm not fantastic at describing music ("They're good, I like the beat, um, it's kind of folky but I don't know if I'd leave it at folky…") so I borrowed a quick biography of The Seals from their website: "With its mix of grit, raw emotion, sweet vocal harmonies, occasionally lewd lyrics and a barnshaking live show, The Seals unique blend of blues, bluegrass, and old time music will hit you like a steam train and have you coming back for more". Perfect.

I don't know what it is about this sort of music that never fails to put me in a good mood - it's very different to what I usually listen to (click here/ here if you're interested in some of my past playlists) and definitely not what is popular with my demographic (music snobs who are turning up their noses beware…I have a post aimed at you!). However, something about the catchy tunes and clever lyrics makes this band very fun and enjoyable for me.

With a plethora of covers and originals, the gig started off on a great note with a very catchy song…that I cannot for the life of me remember the name of. Something about blue eyes and baby dolls? I remembered it from Fairbridge and really enjoyed it. There was a section dedicated to bad songs and I have to say, I really enjoyed these covers. 'Kiss Me' is a beautiful (but yes, very corny song) was sung to absolute perfection vocals and a perfected deadpan expression performed by Rob Tomlin. 'Amazing' by Alex Lloyd was changed up a little and fit right into this segment.

I loved the renditions of 'Ramblin' Man' and 'Ballad of Mary Johnson' (winning Derry Doyle an award for runner up Senior Songwriter at the WA Country Music awards) as well as 'Old Bark Hut'. Plenty of murder songs in their set - gave the evening a nice touch. 'Corn Bread and Butter Beans' was another one of my favourites from the night, lead by Tom Gourlay. There was plenty of banter and laughter between the songs, both from the musicians and the audience. Everyone was hand clapping and foot stamping away… and just when we thought it couldn't get any better, it did.

A Taylor Swift cover.

As a bit of a Swiftie myself, I was absolutely stoked when the familiar strains of 'I Knew You Were Trouble' began playing. With Phil Cilli on vocals, this hit was performed slightly different to how we know it, but it was great for a laugh. The Seals plus Taylor Swift - doesn't get much better than that. The gig finished with 'Cecilia', before the audience demanded (and received) an encore of 'Mary's Kitchen' (a lot about Mary that evening).

I was fortunate enough to speak with the lovely Derry Doyle at the end of the gig, when he revealed that a little bit of Taylor Swift jamming is frequent at their rehearsals - more points from me.

The only downside to the gig is, I would have to say, the lack of "Be There Blue Eyes" - the second song on The Seals' EP and one I really enjoyed. I suppose the song is a bit more chilled and laid back, so not as appropriate for a gig such as this, however I did miss it.

With infectious enthusiasm for the songs they were singing, plenty of laughs and a lot of banter, The Seals are as enchanting in their segways between songs as they are in their music. A raffle of incredibly unusual and tacky  interesting goods was a highlight of the evening, with great commentary by Tom Gourlay and Charlie McCarthy, with a bit of piano from Phil Cilli classing it up. The band members aren't afraid to have a laugh with each other, and at themselves while on stage, and the complete lack of pretence makes it much more intimate and enjoyable for the audience. I think one thing that sets The Seals apart from other bands is that they don't just sing their songs and be done with it - they put on a real show, and that's what will keep people coming back for more.

If you're looking for an evening when you can't stop smiling, The Seals are a must see.

Their Facebook/ Instagram (@theseals)/ Youtube/ Website

Sunday Seven #10

Haze looking very snug in her pjs

I hope you've had a lovely week and that your exams (if you have any) are over or starting to finish up. I finally finished my exams yesterday (feels like I kept going long after everyone else!) and it feels lovely to not have to worry about study. I've been spending the hours since 11am yesterday tidying my room (recycling old exam notes is so refreshing) and catching up with my friend Erin before she goes home to Canada. Here are seven things that made my week special.

1. A friend telling me that "Sunday Seven" makes her week - you know who you are, and that put the biggest smile on my face! Hopefully this week meets your expectations. Another friend also told me to hurry up and update, and a few people told me that they like reading my blog. Thanks guys, it really makes a difference :)

2. FINISHING EXAMS! When I was writing last week's Sunday Seven, I kept reminding myself that "next week you can write that you've finished all your exams" and that's one of the things that got me through. Saturday morning exams are painful.

3. Having the absolutely perfect Vegemite to toast ratio on Monday morning - it really makes a difference.

4. Ice cream with a friend in the rain yesterday - and they had peanut butter cup flavour. It was pretty amazing.

5. Speaking of the rain, the weather the last few days has been glorious. After winter took its time to get started, I have been enjoying the rain as it comes. Studying is so much easier when it's cold and pouring outside - and so is sitting inside reading/ binge watching Heartland (I finally have time to really enjoy it now that exams are over - it's a Canadian TV show about a horse ranch…no shame).

6. Going horse riding with my friend today - it's always so much fun. Today we went on a half trail ride/ half trail walk (it's a challenge when there's only one horse and two people) but she was very generous and I spent a lot more time in the saddle than on the ground. I'll be feeling it tomorrow...

7. Going out for dinner with my family and some family friends. We had such a nice night - joking, laughing, and just having a really good time. It was a great way to end exams and the week. Bring on the holidays!

What made your week special?

Sunday Seven #9 - All about my mum!

My mum has spent the better part of the last few weeks trying to get onto this list, so I thought I would make a special post just for her! She's an absolute super star and makes every day so special. Here are seven things that mum did to make my week special - she does so many more!

1. Bought me Maltesers for the evening I was home alone. A huge packet. And she didn't even ask me to save any.

2. Wrote this note for my exam (my French exam isn't until Wednesday this week but I was so touched!)

3… then sent this text to make sure her plan was working.

4. Popped a hot water bottle in my bed so it was warm when I came home.

5. Snuggled with me (and the dog) on the couch while we watched the footy.

6. Made a lovely soup for me so I was warm when I came home from work

7. Mum's excessive use of emoticons in text messages always makes me smile

Also making my week special was a barbecue with Erin the lovely Canadian exchange student today (so much food, I don't think I will ever recover, all prepared by mum!), as well as finishing one of my exams - one down, two to go!

What made your week special?

Sunday Seven #8

I was considering letting this post go for the week considering I haven't really done much and I've been under the pump with exam preparation, but I figured that it's always nice to appreciate the little things in life, even if most of my week was spent with my nose stuck in a textbook. Here are seven things that made my week special.

1. Italian food with one of my friends on Friday night. Lately I haven't been amazing at organising a catch up with this friend, so it was lovely to see her for dinner on Friday night.

2. Getting a visit from one of my friends at work - she told me she was coming but I thought she was joking! It was a nice surprise :)

3. My dog wandering around this morning with a leaf stuck to her beard (she's a miniature schnauzer). She has such a solemn little face but it's quite hard to take her seriously when half the garden is stuck to her fur.

4. Spending the day at the library studying today (I never thought that would make this list) with one of my friends and one of her friends - I was (surprisingly) productive and we had lots of snacks (as well as an extended lunch break) so it wasn't at all horrific.

5. Making it to a circuit class at the gym this morning and actually not dying.

6. Discovering a new TV series and becoming hooked - probably not the best thing to happen during exams but hey, you get that.

7. Spending a lovely morning with another one of my friends during the week - we sort of lounged around, enjoyed toasted sandwiches for breakfast and some tea, and it was lovely and relaxed. I hadn't slept well the night before but after sitting around, having a chat and stuffing our faces, I felt so much more energised. It can't have anything to do with the amount of chocolate I scoffed. 

Looking back, my friends made my week really special. Sorry for the lack of posts at the moment - exams are killing me - but I'm sure most/ all of you are studying hard at the moment as well. Best of luck if you are - the holidays are just around the corner! I hope in the midst of hitting the books, you had some special moments during your week as well :)

Sunday Seven #7

University finished up this week, and with a week of study and then two weeks of exams to go, a nice long break is in sight! This week was quite good - my exams don't start for awhile so I'm still feeling nice and relaxed about them. Give it a few days and I'm sure I'll be a bit more stressed (and dealing with this through my tried and true methods of procrastination…read about them here)

Here are seven things that made my week special.

1. A post I wrote on my other blog, Laurables, was shared around on Facebook and viewed more times than anything I have written before has been. I received some wonderful feedback and it was really touching and quite exciting. Thank you for the support, really, it's so exciting to have lovely feedback and get an important message out there. Read the post here if you are interested.

2. More horsey things… I did a bit of horse shopping with one of my friends yesterday and she is SUCH a bad influence and such an enabler! I came away with some jodphurs (riding pants) and some boots to wear as well. Yes, I needed them…sort of…

3. My family had some people over for dinner last night and we had some amazing pizza…so amazing, in fact, that mum was shouting up the stairs for me to "COME DOWN AND INSTAGRAM THE PIZZAS!" Thanks mum.

4. I headed to a bar close to my house with some friends on Friday night and it was really nice. I managed to have 3 dinners that night - one at home, one at McDonalds (we didn't think we'd be able to afford the food at the bar), and then some pizza and chips at the bar - because it wasn't as expensive as we initially thought. Oops (but not really regretting it that much).

5. Turning up to a French exam and thinking that I had to write a paragraph and freaking out about this a lot (French is not my forte) but then finding out it was just a listening comprehension. Not (as) bad.

6. A long weekend this weekend has made me very happy - it will be nice having my mum and dad around tomorrow, even if my brother and sister are studying for their final year exams (things are a little tense around home at the moment, as you can imagine…)

7. My dog has a red blanket on her bed, that is covered in pictures of dogs and bones. Whenever she goes to bed, she's wrapped up in this (very cute). The other day I went to the laundry, where she sleeps, and Elsie was not visible but her red blanket was halfway out the doggie door - she'd obviously gone to go outside wearing a massive cape!

What made your week special?