Last Saturday, Sydney put on a beautiful day for this year's No Excuses event, affectionately known as NEVI. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and the temperature was a very lovely 28 degrees. It was a perfect day for a picnic in the park.

No Excuses is a biennial event (well it is now) which was originally started by Natalie and me. Way back in 1998, Natalie and I decided to have a party just because we were in the mood for fun. We didn't have an excuse to host the party and we decided we wouldn't accept any excuses from our friends for not turning up. No Excuses was born! Almost a decade later and we've celebrated at 6 different No Excuses parties. Whether it's a party at a pub, a Halloween costume bash, a masquerade, a picnic or a Frisbee day; it's all about spending time with our friends and having fun.

I'm proud to be part of, what I think is, a very cool tradition. I can't think of a better way to spend a sunny Saturday, then kicking back and relaxing with a few bevies and my bestest friends.

Considering our current infatuation with Ultimate, the photos from the day have a bit of a frisbee flavour.

nine-a-side Frisbee	Donna and Emily pose for a photo	J, Mark, John and Sue (photo care of Sarah)	Let's play "How many people can we fit in a Barina"

Here's a bit of No Excuses trivia for you. There are only three people who've attended all 6 No Excuses parties. One of them is me; can you guess who the other two are? (I'm sure one of them would have been Natalie, if not for her lame excuse for not turning up this year. "I live in London" just doesn't cut it hun!) I thought I'd also put up a few photos from past No Excuses just for old time's sake. (Sadly, no photos were taken at the innaugural No Excuses party.)

1999 - No Excuses 2: Halloween Party
2000 - No Excuses 3: Centennial Park
2001 - No Excuses 4: Masquerade
2003 - No Excuses 5: Tamarama

Hurrah! Nat's back in town. She has been away for 9 months but it's almost like she never left. Since Natalie moved to the UK we've chatted on MSN a few times a week and kept up-to-date with her life via her blog. Isn't technology a wonderful thing! It makes the world a smaller place. Unforunately, Nat is only back for a quick visit; she heads back overseas in a couple of weeks. We'll have to make sure we squeeze in as much Natty goodness as possible.

The sleek geeks had yet another mini-break last weekend. This time we headed North for a couple of days of sun (luckily!), sand and surf. I think our break could be officially classified as the "bad for my diet" weekend. (photos)

Friday Dinner: It started with steak and cocktails on Friday evening at Ribs and Rumps Steak & Grill @ Gordon. While we opted for normal sized meals, we were startled to see the size of the meals being delivered to other tables. Plate sized steaks floated past, always accompanied by a exclamation from our table.. "did you see the size of that!!!". I'm surprised they don't have a "live cow" option on the menu (Bring me a live cow over to the table. I'll carve off what I want and ride the rest home!) Saturday Breakfast: sustain with light milk and a English muffin with jam (not too bad, jess! keep up the good work!) Lunch: a carpet picnic - ham, avocado, tomato, cheese sandwiches, and prawns (another gold star.) Sarah was extremely concerned with getting all the poo out of each prawn. Apparently Canadian prawns don't have poo veins Afternoon tea: Frangelico and lime, hot chips and Cold Rock icecream (oh no!). I finally got a chance to try Cold Rock. They take a scoop of icecream, place it on a cold grill, and then mix in some toppings for you. Sue aptly described it as a "manual McFlurry". I had caramel icecream with a snickers mixed in, yum! Dinner: cocktails, pizza, more pizza, alcohol, more alcohol (danger! danger! will robinson!). The Bartender at the Break Bar valiantly tried to mix Kiwi and Lychee Caipiroskas for the Cocktail junkies. Although, they weren't up to Pyrmont Point standards, we applaud him for his efforts (hurrah!). Sunday Brekkie: eggs, bacon, mushrooms and pancakes. Yes, it was time to give into the cravings. In return, I promised not to eat for a whole week to atone for the weekend's sins. Exercise shopping, very strenuous; frisbee and Canadian football on the beach; reading, I read two whole books, turning those pages is hard work! Walking up and down the hill from the house to the beach and shops. We did this four or five times and it was a very steep hill!

Well, we're in the last week of October, and we've only managed to make it to one Good Food Month Event; the Night Noodle Markets @ The Botanic Gardens. Although, I think it's one of the best GFM events, so maybe that makes up for our lack of participation in the other activites. Finally, the weather came through for us and we were able to make it to the markets last night. We ate scrumptious noodles while we lounged on the grass, mesmerised by a fantastic view of Sydney Harbour. It's a pity it only happens in October, they should make it a regular Spring/Summer event.

I hate to be the one to break the sad news to you but if you haven't yet made it to Noodle Markets this year, tonight is your last chance to get there. Then, no more noodley nights until next year!

Yesterday, we were supposed to attend the Night Noodle Market in the Botanic Gardens, our first Good Food event. However, the horrible weather meant that eating noodles outside was not a very attractive prospect. So, Sue and Sarah decided a fajita dinner party would be a perfect substitute (fajitas made with chappatis, no less.) Sue had also made a Bread and Butter pudding for dessert.

Don't ask me for the logic behind our dinner party decision. It reminds me of the time we went to a German Restaurant for St Patrick's Day and then a Irish Pub for Oktoberfest. (The fajitas were delicious by the way! Thanks Sarah and Duncan, Sue and J!)