Things Are Looking Up

I have had an epiphany, of sorts. I have realised it is mid September, which means that life is taking a turn for the better. Let me explain why:

1. The days are getting warmer and longer. It is therefore a matter of mere weeks, if that, before the daily tradition of wandering up to the park after work with several beers resumes. Sitting in the twilight with a bunch of friends as the mutts run amok/ sweet talk* picnickers and killing a few coldies (that last bit is me, not the dogs) is absolutely THE best way to wind down after a day at work.
2. Feastability - the Newtown food and wine festival - is on this Sunday. A day of sitting in the sun, eating too much yummy food and drinking too much. Then somehow transporting myself to basketball and either playing completely out of my skin or out of my tree, one of the two.
3. Oktoberfest. Yes, in September - don't ask me, they are German after all. Sure, efficient - whatever. Get the month right. Anyway, the only thing better than friends having Oktoberfest parties, complete with a plethora of wurst, is going to the Concordia Club. A former bowling club, mere metres from Tempe station. Not much beats chowing down on a pork knuckle in a giant tent on a bowling green and shooting vile corn schnapps. What I want to know is, how big are the hands of those freakin German pigs, and who thought of making corn schnapps? OK, I can understand it is probably an old, old recipe with the schnapps, but, er, people have now invented alcohol that actually tastes ok. German people, are you listening? Hallo? Keine schnapps bitte!
4. Last long weekend before Christmas. Suck it up guys. Oh, and it is my birthday too, which is sadly an increasingly numerically irrelevant excuse to have a few drinks.
5. My house is no longer like an icebox when I get home. Just threw that one in there as it has nothing to do with drinking, and I don't want anyone implying there was a pattern emerging.
6. Newtown Festival is only a month away. A day of sitting in the sun... er, eating too much yummy food...... um, ... drinking maybe too much... and bands playing. That's right, there are bands and all that. phew.

I love September...

*"Sweet talking" usually happens when said mutts realise picnickers have a cold chicken, cheese platter, packet of chips, Ok, any old damn bit of vaguely edible stuff. It MAY involve sitting up like the epitomy of well-behaved dogness, in the hope that picnickers will throw the whole damn chook your way. Failing this, continue to sit up, but with an obviously increasing degree of difficulty as the excitement of uneaten poultry causes barely contained oscillation of the muscular tissue. If this doesn't work, circle around the picnic blanket hoping another picnicker will drop a plate full of salami. Most importantly, be aware of the location of your owner at all times, as getting caught begging means getting seriously busted and pinned on the ground while all your mates dance around doing the canine equivalent of pointing and sniggering while chanting "You're in trouble. You're in trouble". Hey, at least they don't actually nick the food. Almost never.