The Girls Night Out last night was a blast. There were over thirty chattering, bubbling women there and I think that everyone had a marvellous time together. From my point of view, I loved the opportunity to get together with some old friends, some more recent friends, some people that I've only ever known via emails (lovely to finally meet you Helen and Karen!) and to meet some new people, all in a fun and relaxing environment.

I had been racing around all day like a blue arsed fly and it was a tight squeeze to get to the venue on time. Well, I was a little late, but not really excessively so. Still, by the time I arrived at Spirit of Oz in Vasastan, the tiny shop was jammed full of laughing, happy women.



I said a quick hello to those I knew and we all caught up with the inevitable "How was your summer?" questions. The noise level inside was incredible - we likened it to the noise of a flock of galahs at a waterhole. But it was a happy, joyful noise. We all looked around at the funky bags on display and several people bought bags and accessories. It is a lovely, bright, colourful shop and Rob is really helpful, so if you are looking for something a little different for yourself or as a gift (and isn't Christmas coming upon us like a speeding freight train!) you should take a look at the shop on Gästrikegatan 16 (just around the corner from St Eriksplan T-bana).



I fought my way through the throng, deposited my coat in the back room, grabbed a glass of Aussie wine (kindly supplied by Mark from The Australian Wine Club) and stood talking to various people. It didn't go all smoothly for me, though, as I had another of my (not so) funny moments. I've had a couple of these lately and these cause me some concern. While talking to Chrissy and Ruth, I suddenly began to see dark spots before my eyes and to feel that there was no oxygen in the room. I thought it must be because I'd been running around all day and not eaten since breakfast. Here it was 7.30pm and I was drinking wine on an empty stomach, in a crowded, noisy room. Perhaps, in retrospect, not the smartest thing I've ever done.

I thought I was about to pass out, so I tried to sneak quietly to the doorway, hoping to slip outside and get a breath of fresh air. But Beth, a really kind and caring friend saw that I was turning white and vaguely green, so she stayed with me as I sat by the open doorway. I was trying to tell her that I was fine (not wanting to make a fuss and all that), but she was smart enough to see that I was anything but fine! It took me about 15 minutes or so to recover enough to be able to stand and another 5 or 10 minutes before I felt well enough to go on to the restaurant for dinner. In the next picture, you can see me (the only one sitting!) by the door, with Beth hovering around the door making sure I'm okay. You also get an idea of how many of us were jammed into the tiny shop!



One funny moment, and so typical of the spirit of the evening, occurred when one of the girl's patrners turned up to pick up the baby on his way home from work. As this rather young, handsome man entered the shop, someone yelled "Yippee! The stripper is here!" and we all cheered (much to his embarrassment). Rob asked him if he couldn't just take off a few layers to please the ladies, but sadly, it was not to be. I wonder what he thought of it all?

Soon we were setting off for the short walk down the road to the restaurant. I had no idea how hard it was to book a restaurant for the night. The idea was to get one close to the shop where we had the pre-dinner drinks. However, poor Kylie (who did a super-human job of organising all of this) could not get a restaurant to take a group so big. Can you believe that they didn't want thirty guaranteed customers? I was shocked. In the end, it was only the Dining Club that said okay as long as we pre-ordered our main course.

We had a great time there and I was delighted with my meal - a galantine of eggplant, zucchini, roasted capsicum and pecorino cheese with a rich mushroom sauce. The menu choices were very classy and everyone I spoke to thought the food was fabulous. Here you can see a few of us, with the super-efficient and smiling organiser, Kylie, on the right.



I sat at a table with Beth, Jacinta and Ulla and you can see us here - well, I'm partially hidden behind someone else. Can you tell that I hate having my picture taken?



The company was perfect. There are certain people who light up a room when entering it. They are smart, fun loving and genuine and these are the kind of people I respond to and enjoy being around. All of the people I sat at dinner with are people with such positive energy, who despite setbacks and teething problems still manage to smile. I really do try to be a nice person though sometimes I am obliged to interact with expats who make it very, very hard for me to be nice. They are negative, pessimistic and really don't try to see Sweden as a country with possibilites. Thankfully, the Australians I interact with over here are not in that "downer" group and a night like this, celebrating friendship and being together as women is a real tonic for me.

I returned home in the wee hours, tired but very content and so looking forward to the next dinner in November.