How to explain my nervous excitement?Like I was going on a blind date. With all the fear of being judged and being found wanting.
I was off to meet a fellow blogger IRL!
Fiona from Declutterer is holidaying in the Gold Coast. And I was flying into the GC airport on my way to visit family. Dare I? Dare we?
Well, we hit it off. And I could have stayed for hours more. But I fear Dar, we would have consumed much alcohol. Indeed we did talk about your latest post, Dar. And our conflicted emotions about our alcohol consumption. Our resolution? Blow it! Open the bottle.
Then we went for a walk along the beach. Fiona is staying right on the beach! Right on it! Oh the view!
It is funny to say, when someone is explaining something, “Yes, I know. I’ve read your blog.”
Our anonymity has to be maintained. Work. But especially small world and less than 6 degrees of separation.
You know how you are always warned that people pretend to be someone else online? Well I don’t think you can sustain that in a blog. Fiona struck me as someone I’d like. And I was right.
I do find it funny how people make assumptions, though. Fiona offered me parking in the underground parking in the complex in which she is staying. I declined. She thought it was self-protection – as in not going into a locked area with a “stranger”. No, it was that the car hire place had upgraded me from the smallest car I booked to the largest 4WD available. I was worried I couldn’t park it in an unknown car park.
Upshot. A parking fine! Fuck it. I’ve never had a parking fine before.
Visitors to the GC beware. They don’t have signs but use painted lines on the road. Don’t think it has anything to with visual pollution; there are advertising hordings and road work signs everywhere. I think it is another way to claw money from unsuspecting southerners.
Oh well! I’ll consider it a tax revenue for beach maintenance. I don’t mind paying tax. It’s breaking the law and paying something through stupidity I hate.
And how sweet is Fiona? She offered to pay half. My mistake, my fine.
I will just have to get down to Melbourne one day!
lucinda sans 
I haven’t had a chance to write my post yet (the Xtrovert Inlaws!!) buut…thank you so much for setting aside holiday time to visit. It was awesome. A few hours wasn’t long enough.
I still feel terrible about the parking fine. No signage, nothing. Definite revenue raising from southern tourists! Many swears need to be sworn for marring an otherwise great afternoon!
You have picked a beautiful spot. A perfect place to spend a week; thoughts of which can sustain you through Term 4. And you can mock the GC mockers with a tan& a relaxed body and hopefully return to Melbourne with some colourful accessories. Avoid the sacks. Being in colour with a bangle and handbag. Keep the clothes Melbourne subdued.
It is truly beautiful. I am hoping to do lots more walking, lose a few kilos and kick-start a healthy summer. Definitely on the hunt for some colour accessories. Will need Life Coaching though to make further progress into coloured clothes lol!
And probably several sessions of life coaching before you work up to sequins!!!
Arrgh! No!!!! I may make some progress but sequins are not going to happen! Funny though – i took a photo of sequinned ugg boots that I found in Surfers a few days ago. Will have to upload it. Hilarious!
What’s wrong with sequinned uggs? I don’t get it!
Only joking. I do get it.
Ha – I just saw this! I did have a soft spot for them. I mean – sequinned uggs!!
Fun fun! So glad you two could meet in person 🙂 I have met “online friends” in person before and I have to agree with it feeling like a blind date (and I was super glad we’d made plans to go out to eat because I’d been too nervous to eat much earlier that day, ha!).
That sucks about the parking fee. Hopefully they do use it for beach upkeep!
I forgot to mention the amazing spread Fiona put on. Colourful fruit platter, cheeses, dips, salad, toasted fancy bread rolls with choice of toppings: chicken, avocado, ham, cheese. Offers of Tim Tams. Huge choice of drinks, alcoholic and non. Quite the hostess!
Sounds like a wonderful meet-up! I regret that you felt any need to mention my post 🙂 In real life, I have never seen a beach bordered by skyscrapers and I like the look. What was the temperature that day? I was involuntarily upgraded from a small car to an SUV once. The rental agency thought I would be pleased but I was not happy about the difficulty parking and the extra gas needed! I could probably use your coaching services to move up from clothes-with-colours to clothes-with -patterns 🙂
I think your post hit a raw nerve with our knowledge about our alcohol consumption. Temp was warm. 26, I think. But the air is balmier and the sun much stronger.
Happy to give life coaching for patterns. Patterns are trickier than colours. Actually think sequins are easier to do than patterns.
I have a non-tacky holiday sweater with sequins!
PS – How are you enjoying being a redhead so far?
Mmm. Not sure. Forget about it until I look in a mirror. Pink or purple streaks (not both at the same time) in blonde suit me better. (See I don’t reserve colour just for clothes and accessories.)
How daring for an administrator 🙂
Hrmph. I did a post. The computer ate it. Long story short – contemplating the Gold Coast for a conference in a few weeks time – plus is no kids and a flash hotel for 2-3 days. Minus is organising all the people and things before I go and getting home at 2am via a scary cab (and most likely still have to do the sport run the following morning).
I’ve met a couple of my imaginary friends. They’re generally quite nice. And you should totes go to Melbourne.
This is SO cool that you guys met up! I went to Melbourne a long while back, and Fiona semi suggested I could stay – I was already being put up by work and a friend, so it wasn’t needed. But then part of us both went ‘but we’ve never met’ – but it’s true, blogging really does feel like a window into someone’s life. And unlike you two, I share my face, and blog, with the real life – it really helps to keep those who are interested updated in ‘me’!
Maybe you me AND Fiona should arrange to all be in the one place (you know me, I’ll go anywhere, anytime!) Though I sometimes feel like the young’un old too soon :p
Sounds like a good idea. Don’t worry. We won’t hold your youth against you.