Inspired

Yessssss! I did it. I actually booked myself on a six-week art course at The Sydney Art School. It starts in November and I cannot wait. I really am so excited that I've talked about nothing else since I booked it yesterday - poor Phil. It's a very basic painting course where I'll learn the basics of tone, shape, colour mixing and these are all of things that I should know and I'll still end up with a finished piece at the end of it. Once I've finished this course, if I want to continue, I can book the same course again and build on what I've already learnt or try a new course at a different centre. This particular course gets filled quickly by returning students and the tutor's speciality is acrylic. She also has a masters degree in teaching art to adults so I have a very good feeling about this.

Whilst I was looking into the courses I also found a creative writing course. I might look at joining that next term although I'm not sure what I'd be working towards. I'm not sure that I have any aspirations of becoming the next best-selling author so I guess it would just be for fun. Either way, I'm definitely going to look into it.

I've been so inspired by this new enthusiasm that I'm going to practice the Uke over the weekend. Maybe when I'm feeling confident enough I'll post something on here but that might be pushing my comfort levels a little bit too far.

In other news, Phil and I went to the Noodle Market at Hyde Park last night which is part of Sydney's Food Festival. There were at least 50 different stalls selling asian food. We walked around until we found somewhere that did satay chicken (my choice) and got a mixed starter each. Unfortunately, once we'd eaten that we were stuffed and didn't get to try anything else. It's on a few more times over the next couple of weeks so we'll go back a couple of times I think. 

That's all for now. Back soon x

Art Projects

I thought I'd post my paintings on here since I just mentioned them on my last post. I'd never painted before apart from in school and to learn how to use a medium like acrylic is harder than I thought. I was thinking about taking some evening classes to learn some of the basic techniques and in fact, I might look into that right now. We should be heading into a new term in a couple of months so maybe now is the time to sign up. Now I'm feeling inspired!

Port Stephens - the view from our cottage on the beach

Sunset Tree Silhouette

Frangipani

Kangaroo Silhouette

The Hawaiian Islands - we went there on our honeymoon and we swam with wild turtles

The Justice League - a painting I did for Phil's birthday

Lame-O

I recently remembered what one of my biggest problems is; I start something enthusiastically but then my interest wains and I don't bother to do it anymore. Case in point, my blog. I also started painting, learnt the basics of the ukelele (or ukulele if you are from anywhere other than the UK) and I might as well add the gym to this list - many times. The stupid thing is, I'm good at these things so why don't I keep them up? I think it can be attributed to one of two things. Number one, I want to see if I can do it and once I know I can, I lose interested. Number two, I'm a wee bit lazy. No prizes for guessing which is correct*.

We've been in Australia for 9 months now and whilst I miss family and friends, I never have instances where I wish I was back home. I think it's because we know we are here for a short time - four years really isn't that long - and life will be waiting for us when we eventually get back. At the moment, I'm happy just plodding along, enjoying each day.

There is so much going on in Sydney at any one time. Over the next 2 months we've got open-air jazz concerts, The Blue Planet Live at the Sydney Opera House, a short stay in Hunter Valley wine region for our anniversary and of course, in between all of these things, we'll be going out for dinner, drinks and to the cinema with friends.

It's just starting to get warm again in Sydney, although it never really got cold. It's anything between 23 and 31 degrees at the moment and we are only just coming into Spring. Soon enough we'll be heading down to the beach most weekends and Phil will be surfing in his new wetsuit.

For now, I might blow the dust off my Uke and play a couple of songs. Until next time... x







*Yes I know Phil, it's number two, now pipe down because you also fit into this category.

Port Stephens Trip - 8th May 2012

Phil and I went away last weekend to Port Stephens on holiday which is a little surreal since we feel like we've been on holiday since January. Port Stephens is about 2 and a half hours drive North of Sydney and it is such a beautiful place surrounded by beaches. We stayed at Soldiers Point in a small cottage right on the beach. The view of the sea and the distant islands was just perfect and it was so relaxing to sit and listen to the waves lapping rushing onto the beach. 

We hired a car to get us up there and so we could check out the entire place and instead of planning what to do each day, we drove around, found something we liked and just stopped. It made a nice change to just do things on the spur of the moment and we actually found some brilliant things to do. We found a place where you could get into tanks with sharks and stingrays and we fed them squid and prawns. I freaked out a few times as I'm not a big lover of fish but it was fun and I'm glad I gave it a go. We went to a golf place that had putt putt golf and baseball batting cages. Phil beat me at the golf (by one point although I did get a hole-in-one which I believe makes me the real winner) and I got smacked in the hand by a 40mph ball in the batting cage. I was really lucky to not have broken my hand and I have a large and very sore bruise.

Phil had a couple of surfing lessons and he is doing really well. I got a couple of videos of him on the board and a few pictures so we have the proof :) We saw a koala on Eucalyptus Road which leads up to One Mile Beach where Phil had his first surfing lesson. We're really glad that we saw one as they are quite difficult to spot. They don't move very much and they camouflage into the trees quite well.

My Dad is coming over to visit in a couple of days and I can't wait!! Oh, and did I mention that it is my 30th birthday on Saturday? Check back for stories of birthday antics x

Double 18 Birthday for Phil - 18th April 2012

I haven't posted for a really long time, I'm sorry about that. I've been trying so many different things lately that the blog seems to have taken a back seat. The thing is, it's important for me to keep this up as when I look back on it in years to come, I'll be able to remember our time in Sydney in more detail than if I was to just try to sift through my memories. To quote many a school report, "must try harder."

It was Phil's birthday a couple of weeks ago. In fact, it landed on the Easter weekend so we had four days of birthday celebrations and the weather was glorious. We ate lots, drank too much and by the end of it I felt like I'd been on holiday and was ready to go back home for a rest and to fall back into my usual routines. I bought him a few presents - chocolate covered strawberries, a book that he wanted (plus two that he already had, oops!) and I also painted him a picture of the Justice League.

It's the third picture I've painted since I started a month ago and despite the fact that I'm a perfectionist, overly critical of everything I do and can find a million things I'm not happy with, it actually turned out ok. I also made him a Mojito cake. Phil loves rum and he also loves cake so a Mojito cake was just perfect. I made a white sponge, admittedly from a packet - I'm a busy girl don't you know, I poked the whole thing with a fork and then poured over a rum, sugar and water glaze that I'd boiled for about 3 minutes. Once it had cooled I whipped some cream with a bit of rum in it and served it with some lime zest sprinkled over it and a sprig of mint. It was so delicious!!

The cake stayed really moist for the three days it took Phil to eat the whole thing because of the lovely glaze.

I'll post again soon x

Our Fantastic Weekend - 29th February 2012

Hi All,

So I wanted to blog about the brilliant weekend that Phil and I just had. We have loads of fantastic experiences over here and we never seem to be short of things to do which is quite different to when we were back home.

On Friday night we made Steak and potato wedges - this part of the weekend wasn't so great as it resulted in me having a really deep cut at the top of my thumb. Lots of blood! Phil took an emergency trip to the chemist on the corner of the street and luckily we didn't have to do a trip to the hospital. Almost an hour after the incident and some butterfly stitches later and the crisis was over. Phew!

We got up early and went to Dee Why beach on Saturday which is in the North of Sydney. Phil tried surfing for the first time and managed to stand up on his third wave, despite the fact that he had a terrible foam board which he hired from a place just off the beach. He was having a whale of a time and I was pretty jealous sat on the sand with my bandaged thumb. I'll be good to try some paddle boarding or something in a couple of weeks though. The sea is much cleaner over here but still too dirty to go in if you have a cut. Plus, I might have attracted the sharks!! :o)

 Da da da daa daaaa daaaaaaa, da da da daa daaaaaaa.

 Sore thumbs up

Body surfing

After the beach we got the ferry back to Circular Quay (next to the Opera House) and headed to Hyde Park for the Cellar Door wine tasting festival. We tried wines from Hunter Valley, Orange County, Canberra and a couple of other places and they were all pretty amazing. Phil was "exceedingly" happy and relaxed, even though he had sunburn on his nose and his cheeks. 8 weeks in and he got his first sunburn. Not bad. We came back to the apartment and had burritos from the local mexican place with a few (ok, more than a few) glasses of lovely wine.

When Sunday came we went to see Soul II Soul at a club called Ivy. It was an amazing venue. We looked at the cocktail list and were dying to try them since they all looked impressive. I was intrigued by a cocktail that said it came in a white paper bag. I was bemused when it arrived and it was literally a beer glass inside a white paper bag - the kind that you used to get a 10p mix in. Whatever, the cocktail was delicious. Yum. We got a taxi home since it we were both a little drunk.

Unfortunately, the amount of alcohol we drank didn't bode well for my first day at my new job on Monday but I managed to get through it with a lovely cold bottle of Sprite. Thank goodness for Sprite!

Roll on next weekend!!

I'm Online!!!! 23rd February 2012

It's been a really long time since I've blogged but I'm happy to advise that Phil and I now have the internets at home so I'm actually online - woohooo!

So much has happened since I last blogged. I worked for 3 weeks with CBRE and then started working as an Office Manager for a small plumbing company. Both companies have asked me to work for them again so I'm doing 4 weeks with CBRE and then 6 months with the plumbing company. I've been so lucky.

Phil was advised that after working for 4 weeks at his new company, they would be signing off his 3 month probation period as they were happy with how he fits with the company and how well he is doing. Amazing news and definitely a confidence booster. He's had loads of good comments so I'm really proud of him.

The flat is starting to feel a bit more homely now that we've been there for 6 weeks. We've pretty much got everything we need so it looks like we won't be shipping the majority of the things that we planned on having sent over. Out of the 8 boxes and 4 cases I think we can get it down to 4 boxes plus Phil's bike. We don't really have the space for much anyway so it's seems pointless to get it all sent over.

Mardi Gras is coming up and since we are living in the middle of the gay district it's guaranteed to get wild. The town that we live in - Surry Hills - is really lovely. There are so many good places to eat, the streets are clean and the library is great. It's so nice to be able to walk into the city centre each day for work.

We took the bus to Bondi on Friday night to watch Sherlock Holmes 2 at the open air cinema. Armed with the trusty hip-flask, a couple of plastic cups and some Pepsi Max, we had a great time. On Sunday we went to Manly Beach and then went to The Domain, which is the main park for shows and festivals, to see Tropfest - Sydney's short film festival. The judges, along with a few others, were Geoffrey Rush, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette (you're terrible Muriel!) and Nicole Kidman. Unfortunately, half way through, the heavens opened and we were "treated" to an amazing lightning show. We ended putting holes in the bin bags that they give out for rubbish, wearing them and walking home early.

That's all for now. I'll be blogging again very soon, loads to catch up on x

The Stolen Generations

Something that I hadn't heard of before reading up on Australian history was the forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families between the 1890s and the 1970s, in many cases never to see their parents again. Children from as young as a couple of weeks old and up to the age of 5 were taken from their families and placed in girls and boys homes, foster families or missions. At the age of 18 they were 'released' into white society, often scarred for life by their experiences. They are now known as 'The Stolen Generations' as the period covered many decades.

It is well documented that when the Europeans settled, they did not want Aborigines to mix with white people as they were seen as an inferior race and wanted them to die out. Originally, the English were instructed to form a treaty with the Aborigines but since the vast number of colonies were small and each spoke a different language, this was difficult to do and so the land was classed as Terra Nullius (uninhabited). Captain Phillip estimated an Aboriginal population of 1,500 people living in the Sydney Region. The total Indigenous population is believed to be between 750,000 and 1 million speaking more than 250 different languages. The Aborigines were moved away to settlements far away from the European infrastructure where it was thought that they would cause less disruption.

The Europeans believed that the Aboriginal culture would die out within a short time if could not be passed along to the children. In three generations, they thought that the Aboriginal genes would have been 'bred' out' when Aboriginal people had children with white people. Adult Aboriginal people resisted efforts to be driven out of towns and simply returned. With the children away from their families, they were much easier to be controlled. Some of the children were told that their parents had died and most of the mixed race children with paler skin were never told that they were of Aboriginal descent and didn't find out until much later in life.

The children were raised on missions or by foster parents and were severely punished if caught talking their Aboriginal language. The girls were trained to be domestic servants and the boys as stockmen. Both were physically and sexually abused and many babies born to girls raped by white men were taken away from them, often as soon as they were born. The institutions have since been compared to concentration camps.

One source estimates that more than 6,200 children were stolen in NSW between 1883 and 1969 and the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced that one in every ten Indigenous people aged over 25 had been removed from their families in childhood.

On 13th February 2008, the Australian Parliament apologises to the Stolen Generations Some Australians disagree that an apology was required in the first place, choosing to believe instead that the Stolen Generations didn't exist or were rescued as opposed to stolen. Only Tasmania is offering compensation to families affected by the actions of their predecessors.

Many Aborigines are still searching for their fathers, mothers and siblings.

 

 

 

 

Busy Busy Busy - 24th January 2012

24th January 2012

It's been such a busy week! There is so much going on at the moment and we're trying to fit in as much as possible without wearing ourselves out.

On Friday night we met up with Phil's friend Elizabeth and her boyfriend. We went out for dinner and then went to a club called The Beresford. They played some good pop music so I was happy but Phil wasn't loving it. He was fine though.

On Saturday we went to Symphony in the Park where The Sydney Symphony Orchestra played some classical pieces. It was a free festival which is really common in Sydney. Just as it started to get dark, hundreds of giant bats started to wake and fly from the trees. Not only were they huge, they also flew really low. I'm not afraid of bats but I know some people who would have been really freaked out. For the final piece of music there was an amazing firework display and it just ended the concert perfectly. The only downfall was that family and friends weren't there to experience it with us but then that just means that you will all need to save up as best you can and get your butts over here.

Sunday was spent with Phil's family friends Pam and Fred plus their Daughters, Husbands and Grandchild in North Sydney. We had a BBQ, some drinks and some delicious fruit for dessert. The fruit tastes amazing over here - it's almost like it drinks in the sun making it more juicy and sweet. The melon over here is amazing.

It is Australia Day on Thursday and we are planning on seeing the ferry boat racing and the 21 gun salute. After that we'll head to The Rocks for (another) free outdoor music festival. I've been told that there will be fireworks everywhere so maybe we'll head home and watch them from the roof terrace with a couple of beers.

The Chinese New Year Festival continues this weekend and on Sunday we are hoping to watch the parade and the building projections and then go to Cockle Bay to watch the firework display. You can't buy fireworks in Sydney - probably due to the risk of bush fires - so they have public displays all of the time. It's like my own little piece of paradise *sigh*.

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It's Been a While - 19th January 2012

19th January 2012

It's been a while since I've blogged as we moved house recently and we don't have internet access at our apartment yet. I'm using my work internet at the moment. Shhh, don't tell them.

We moved into the apartment on Tuesday and apart from having a nightmare with the pre-tenancy cleaning (you don't want to know), it's really nice. We'll put some pics on very soon but in the meantime, here is the website where it is listed:

Phil & Nicola's New Apartment

It has a nearly-new kitchen and bathroom and whilst it's small, it's big enough for the two of us. The apartment block has a pool, hot tub and a roof terrace that has amazing 360% views of Sydney. There is a BBQ up there and toilets so if we want to hang out with friends, we've got a really cool place to go.

I started my new job on Friday 13th and despite the date, everything went well. The people are nice and the work is fine. Phil has had to work late a few times so I'd better find something to keep me out of trouble in the evenings. He's settling in too though.

I've been hearing lots of stories about spiders which makes me none-too-pleased but I'm going to have to get over that I suppose. If you get a chance, put 'Huntsman Spider' into Google. These are one of the most common spiders in Australia and they are completely harmless. Still, you wouldn't want one running over your face in the middle of the night would you?!?! They are named after their speed and mode of hunting and they are pretty good jumpers. Can you think of anything worse? Whilst the Redback spider is quite rare in the centre of Sydney, Huntsmans are quite common. As soon as I see one, I may just be on the next flight home!

I'll do a proper update over the weekend when I'm not skiving :)

Working, Apartment Hunting and Chinese New Year - Wednesday 11th January

Wednesday 11th January

A lot has happened in the last couple of days. Phil started his new job and has been working long hours plus, he has loads of reading to do when he gets home in the evening. I've been playing Housewife whilst looking for work and sorting out a place to live. I went to Hays agency and they've offered me a 3 week contract starting tomorrow for CRBE in the heart of the city. They are going to look for a permanent position whilst I'm there.

We applied for an apartment on Boomerang Place. The place is small and cluttered but it's within our budget and has a good balcony and a nice view which is more than can be said for a lot of these places. We did look at one in Chinatown but the Chinese smell in the gym was a little overpowering - we should have expected that but still... Besides, how are you expected to concentrate on working out when you can smell delicious Chinese food? The apartment on Boomerang Place is on hold for us whilst they get approval from the landlord so hopefully we'll hear that we've got it today.

We're hoping to go and see a Dixieland band called Tuba Skinny at a place called The Basement tonight. We saw them at the Sydney Festival and they were great.

Have a listen here: Tuba Skinny. They have a guy playing the washboard - I'm thinking about learning to play it :)

I have to wait until tonight to find out if we're going though as it will depend on Phil's tiredness and stress levels. I've found out that Aretha Franklin is playing at the same place on 24th March so I'm going to speak with him tonight to see if he wants to go to that. That would just be amazing!

Sydney gearing up for Chinese New Year now. There is a free open-air movie in the park on Monday about the life of Bruce Lee as told by his brother. Then next weekend we'll be attending the parade with the Chinese Dragon and finishing it off with the firework display. I can't wait!!

Chinatown in Sydney

Sydney Opera House - Sunday 8th January

Sunday 8^th January

Today we went to see the Sydney Opera House and Phil won the competition of who could touch it first. We never agreed on the prize so I think I got off lightly. It was up about 40 steps so I never really stood a chance. We found out that Erykah Badu is playing a concert on 8^th and 9^th February and we’re going to see if we can get tickets. The only seats left are on the very back row of the highest tier and the tickets are 79 dollars each but since we both love Erykah Badu, and since it is the Opera House, we’re going to splash out. Besides, we’ll have been together for 5 years on 4^th February and it’s coming up to Valentines Day so we figure that it’ll be a good joint celebration.

In case you haven't heard of her, here is my favourite song featuring Erykah Badu:

Phil has found a comic shop around the corner that sells all of the DC comics that he usually reads so he’s gone back there with the regular reading list that his Farnborough comic shop, Dark Star, put together for him – he’s such a geek! I’m trying to rest my feet after the stupid amount of walking that we’ve done in the last 5 days. Without exaggeration, we’ve walked over 20 miles and my feet are killing me. I’ve told Phil that he has to give me a foot rub but he’s not really taking any notice. Sad face.

Tomorrow is Phil’s first day at work and I have to knuckle down and find myself a job. I’m amazed at how much money we have spent already and it’s starting to hit home that if we want a good lifestyle, I’m going to have to get out there and start working ASAP. They pay well out here but it’s all relative. I’d love to do something to do with writing but my experience doesn’t lie in that field. Looks like I may have to go back to FM which I really don’t want to do. I’d take any admin job if I had the opportunity. If all else fails, I know that KFC are hiring down the road ;o)

Sydney Festival and Fireworks - Saturday 7th January

Saturday 7^th January

We started the day off by walking to Pyrmont and I’ve decided that that’s where I’d like to live next. We’re currently applying for a place in Woolloomooloo; the is small and cluttered but it’s convenient for Phil’s new workplace. Pyrmont is next to Darling Harbour, which has a fantastic shopping centre and an array of great restaurants, including an IHOP-style pancake house, much to Phil’s delight. We walked through the shopping centre (actually, we’ve been there about 3 times already) and saw an O2 bar. It’s a bar that sells scented oxygen that is delivered through a hospital-style cannula that hooks over your ears, and two jets of air are sprayed into your nostrils. The oxygen content is around 90% compared with the normal levels of around 20%, which is in the air we breathe everyday. Apparently, it is good for hangovers, jet-lag and general well-being and it’s supposed to be the next big thing in the US and Europe. I’ve never seen anything so peculiar! My Mum says that if we are going to try it and post pictures on Facebook then we should give people notice first to prevent unnecessary panic that one of us seriously ill in hospital.

Read about it here: O2 Bar, Sydney

Even if it is good, they still look stoopid

We spent the afternoon in Hyde Park at the first day of the Sydney Festival. Norman Jays was playing a set in his big red bus and the music was mellow and soulful – really relaxing. We also saw a Dixieland Jazz band who we loved so we’re hoping to go and see them at a proper gig this Thursday. Whilst walking behind the bus on the way back from the toilets we bumped into Jay Kay from Jamiroquai dancing around. All Phil could say to him was “Oh my word!!!” He looked a bit sweaty, drunk and bewildered so I pulled Phil away and we had a laugh about it on the way home.

That evening, we headed back to Darling Harbour for the free fireworks display that is taking place each Saturday in January. Anybody that knows me well will know that fireworks are my all-time favourite things and we were grinning and laughing at how spectacular they were and how long they lasted. The display was immense. We walked back home and had a couple of beers whilst watching The Big Bang Theory before Phil fell asleep on the sofa and we called it a night.

Jet Lag :o( - Friday 6th January

Friday 6^th January

I suffered a bit of delayed jet lag today. After waking up at 6am, I lay there until around 8am when I fell back to sleep. Phil woke me at 10.30am but I was so disorientated and tired that I got weepy. I perked up after an hour or so though.

It was a gorgeous day and we walked into the CBD to sort out our bank account and 3G dongle. We had to hang around for around 45 minutes until we could be seen at Telstra, the phone company from where I got my new mobile, so we looked around the shops. We discovered that there is a whole shopping centre underneath the CBD. It’s ridiculously huge. We headed to the food court and got the best Mexican food. It turned out to be a really good morning and we got loads of things sorted out.

We hadn’t had any alcohol so I don’t know whether it was Sydney, the jet lag or the extremely hot sauce that I had on my nachos but I was feeling very drunk that morning…

Divided We Fall...

I’ve decided to temporarily change the name of my blog as a tribute to the time that Phil and I will be spending in Australia. Although we are on an amazing adventure, there are times when it will be stressful, particularly when we get really homesick. We’ll be there to support each other and help each other through because we really are in this together.

Our First Day in Sydney

We arrived at the Medina Grand Hotel and checked in at around 9am. We’re staying in a serviced apartment, which means we have a separate bedroom, a fully equipped kitchen and a laundry room. We promptly got ourselves out to the supermarket to buy the essentials – no, not beer and wine but cereals, fruit and juice. We got a couple of mangoes and some cherries, which is great as they are obviously not in season in the UK at the moment and they are my two favourite fruits.

At 2pm we did the 30-minute walk to the Circular Quay. We got the ferry to Manly to meet up with Phil’s friend Tony plus his Wife, Mother in Law and Daughter. Tony is the person that encouraged Phil to go for the job and set up all of the interviews. There is a running joke between Phil and me that he idolises Tony a little bit and, whilst they were working together in the UK, most of Phil’s sentences began with “Tony said”. After meeting him properly I can confirm that he is a fantastic guy and his family are just as lovely. The ferry ride over was great with brilliant views of Sydney Opera House, and the Harbour Bridge. We walked down and met them at Shelly Bay and they’d brought a picnic and loads of drinks for us. We snorkelled in the sea and although my Mum made me promise that I wouldn’t go more than 6 feet into the water, we ended up pretty far out and followed a 3-foot long reef shark. Amazing.

Later, the ladies sat, talked and drank whilst the men barbecued us some sausages on the beach BBQ. Later still, we went on a short walk through the bush and had to duck so that we didn’t touch the masses of spider webs and ridiculously large spiders hanging from there. I’m not exaggerating – they were massive and there were loads of them. We also saw a Water Dragon, which is a protected species in Australia and very cute.

We headed off home at about 8pm and had the most difficult time trying to stay awake on the ferry ride back. We saw the bridge and the Opera House again but this time it was dark and they were all lit up. Just magical.

We’d been planning on drinking the bottle of champagne that we had bought at the airport, but we were so exhausted after being up for nearly 48 hours that we went straight to bed.

What an amazing first day.

The Journey

Firstly, thank you to everybody that took time out to come and see Phil and I on our last day in the UK – it really meant a lot to us.

We were finally ready to leave after packing and re-packing our suitcases and hand luggage 3 or 4 times. Did you know that you are only allowed 23kg per person on an international Qantas flight? Don’t they understand that some people are moving to Oz instead of just going on holiday, therefore require more than a pair of flip flops and a swimsuit? Grrrr! I digress…

At the airport, the goodbyes were difficult and tearful – yes, even the people you wouldn’t expect. That was the last hurdle though and with Phil and I supporting each other, we set off on our journey. The first flight was 11 hours long and Phil slept for about 8 of those, making it a long ol’ journey for me. After a small delay in Hong Kong, we set off on our final 9 hour flight to Sydney. I’d like to take the time here to say that we drank within reason – no, really – and it was the calmest I’ve ever been whilst flying. Phil is so proud of me. Flights can be a nightmare for him with my panic attacks but it seems like I’ve cracked it – yes!!!!!

Customs was a dream with cheery and polite staff and we got through with our jellybeans, Lily O’Brien’s and salted Lindt chocolate no problem. The cute lil’ sniffer dog checked our bags and we were through in no time at all. Justine picked us up with baby Braden and took us straight to the hotel.

That’s it. Drama free. Amazing.

A Short Note

I have so much to write which is difficult because I’d like my blog posts to be short and punchy so that people don’t get bored. Well, it looks like you may have to hang in there because with this much going on, it’s difficult not to end up with a literary throw-up.