Yesterday was my birthday. First in Sydney for awhile and it was fun. At work we had lunch and cake. It was our monthly team meeting and my boss is always looking for excuses to have lunch a cake after so I am not sure how much it was to do with me but it was nice anyway. And the cake was seriously the nicest in the whole world. Ricotta chesse cake from Haberfield. Divine.

In the evening 19 lovely friends joined me at a local Vietamese restaurant. It was fun. I always enjoy having many of my wonderful friends around me.

I turned 26. I didn’t think that was a particularly significant age but then my mum informed that I was oficially no longer youth and would therefore not be able to access any youth services or whatever else. I don’t ever do this, I don’t think so that is not significant but it has hit me the idea that I am not youth anymore. I mean I have probably been doing moving over to this idea slowly over the years but this is really my life now. No more talking about what I am going to do when I grow up. I am grown up.

Today I am sick. Went to bed last night feeling fine and then woke up an hour later with the scratchiest throat, throbbing head, running nose and a really sore nose too. I have never actually had a sore nose before but it sucked. I am not very good at being sick. I really am not one of those people who just gets on with life when they are sick. I just stay home and get better. Some may see that as a weakness but I choose to see it as a positive. Anyway I slept in til 11.30 and then got up and went to the shops for some juice. I picked orange and ginger juice and boy o boy was it good. I felt so much better almost straight away. I also bought some mushrooms, garlic, chilli, leak and am making a super healthy, flu curing soup. And I think it might be yum too. In fact when down at the shops I bumped into Geoff and then Jo came and bumped into us. So Geoff said we should have lunch but I refused. I said no I am sick and nothing I could buy would be as good as this soup and another lie down. So now I am going to eat my soup and lie down.

At the intersection where Bridge Rd meets Parramatta Rd there is a massive advertisement for the NAB that says in giant letters “Know your enemies.” It goes on to say in slightly smaller letters that this is how one succeeds in business. It made me realise that Jesus statement about loving your enemies, that scandalised people 2000 years, is as radical now as it was then. In todays world where everyone is striving for more money, more power, more fame the idea of “love your enemies” is still incredibly counter cultural. Yet how much I would rather succeed at that, succeed at love, at life, at truth than in business.

To finish my two weeks in Hornsby I went to the gym with Lesley. I went on the walking machine and the bike and did some stretches. Not heaps but enough to work up a bit of a sweat. The one thing I do like about gyms is that it tells me how many calories thaht I have burned but I have to say Lesley and I were so busy chatting that I forgot to note.

Being a fun two weeks in Hornsby. Growing up here I don’t think I appreciated enough how pretty it was. Hannah has also continued to be a lot of fun and very well behaved too. I am tired I do confess and very much looking forward to a sleep in on Monday. And in my own bed.

I am reading a book at the moment called “God’s Politics, how the right it got it wrong and the left didn’t get it”. I have to say none of it is that new and it is a little bit repetitive at times but it is interesting enough and I am enjoying it. When you only ever hear Christianity and politics together when it pro Bush it fills me with a little bit of hope (not a heap but a little is all you need) to know that there are prominent American, Christian leaders who are fighting for the core moral issues of poverty and war. In fact it was written in 2004 and the author was already quoting Barak Obama.

So in that spirit congratulations Barak Obama. I have to say I don’t really know much and I was quite excited about the idea of a woman president but from everything I have heard you do seem like a pretty inspiring man really who is interested in change and trying to engage in a more bipartisan style of politics in order to get some things done.