Skydive...easily the best thing I have ever done. Couldn't do it on Sunday afternoon had to do it Monday morning for weather reasons in the end. Definately cleared away the 8am cobwebs though.
You get about a 3 minute instruction of cross your hands over your chest, put your head back on your guys shoulder, when your out of the plane you'll get a tap on the shoulder and then you should stretch your arms out, on landing lift your legs and hook your hands under your knees so that you land on your bum. Oh and because we're diving over water, that yellow thing around your waist is a lifejacket. We'll tell you if you need it. (what like you think I won't notice we're about to hit the water?) That's all your instruction. For a country that is so stupidly regulated and all mental about safety I was really rather surprised, but glad as a long arse safety briefing wasn't high on my to-do list as we had to check out of our hostel by 10am and I still hadn't finished packing. Anyways so I was going to go out of the plane first, wasn't scared until just before we went, but I think that my excitement just squashed anything at all that wanted to freak me out. At 12000 ft the oxygen got a bit thin and I went all light headed and woozy, but got it together eventually. Anyways I was teamed with a guy called Strop who was a bit stroppy at first. Got up in the plane and I was sat right by the door obviously as I was going first and we go up and up and up and up. Took about 20 mins to get up to the full 14000ft, but you have no idea of height and distance because you've got nothing to measure against, it's very strange. The little plane reminded me of when I was a little girl and Daddy put me in a little plane somewhere. First time I ever flew. I'd already doner the whole proud daughter bit on the ground when I was telling everyone how I'd always wanted to do this, just like Daddy used to. Some of the instructors were giving it the big I am and paratroopers are cak etc, but I brought them back to earth when I reminded them of the dangers involved, having to jump out of a plane with all this excess baggage that won't open it's arms when you tap it on the shoulder and won't walk itself off when you land and come rain or shine conditions etc, etc. They soon went quiet.
Anyways...
We're right up there in the atmosphere and they've been trying to freak me out with their little height watches the whole way and I'm still just excited, then it's "I'm just clipping you on" and next thing open the door and my bum is no longer touching anything and my legs are hooked under the plane. Got my googles on and I'm in the position thinking come on let's go, but after about a minute they pull me back in and close the door saying it's to cold! I was a bit freaked out then, was weird to just be hanging over the edge of the plane with your options in someone elses hands, unlike the bungee where jumping was all down to me. So second time hanging out to dry and then...
Nothing. I can't even begin to tell you what I was thinking because I didn't know, I just knew it was amazing. Looking back at the time it seemed to go so fast, but now I remember little things like giving him the thumbs up, trying to scream, trying to breathe, just basic things I did that had nothing to do with what my brain was feeling. Strop called it sensory overload. The ground doesn't even rush up at you, even though you're going at 220kms an hour. I've only ever been that fast on Daddy's motorbike I think. You fall 9000ft in 55 seconds. Intense. It was excellent when he opened the canopy though, if a little uncomfortable. He did it just as we were coming into a cloud so all of a sudden, the rushing in my ears stopped and I was just surrounded by all this white. Like being in a room filled with odourless smoke and your just floating. Kind of like a pure childlike version of heaven, like I was an angel or something. Totally amazing. Then we break through the cloud and the scenery is just mind blowingly beautiful and you're just up there flying above it all. So we have a few minutes of chatter and canopy ride as we descend. It's fun when they pull the leads and you swing out and around and stuff. The whole thing about jumping at Mission Beach is that you land on the beach which I did, but me and Strop did it via a tree. Literally I've got my hands under my knees, which is hard as anything in that harness and we go crashing through the top section of a bare tree and I get a branch in the face. So I fell out of a plane with the Strop and landed in a tree.
Spectacular. I highly recommend it to anyone. Hopefully we're going to do the Frans Joseph when we go to New Zealand which is over a glacier from 15000ft. I didn't get a DVD of this one, but Lauren did. I'm going to get a DVD of the other one I think. Everyone says it's the best and because of the mountains and stuff you really get a feeling of the height which you don't really get on this one.
It was so good though.
Monday, 13 October 2008
Saturday, 11 October 2008
Noa's Ark
Yesterday was our first time on the Oz Bus and i'm glad we've decided to take that down the coast. They took us to a crocodile farm and it was mad to see crocs getting fed up that close. The sound a crocs jaws make when they snap is fantastic. Really hollow and sharp. Got to Mission Beach and we're at a fab hostel called Scottys. The lads we met up in Cairns are here and loads of other fun people. Finally a hostel with a bit of character.
Last night we had a BBQ (I had halloumi and peppers) and a fair few drinks. I ended up in my tutu being calm first aid lady with an Irish girl. There's a yound Welsh girl here who was on our bus and she was skulling goon (really cheap wine that gets you hammered, all the backpackers drink it really) like it was water. She then starts going round the table (not ours I point out) necking other peoples drinks. She's almost sick, then carrys on. eventually her friend gets her off her high perch on the table, down to a chair with a bin in front of her. She promptly falls off the chair into the bin and then attempts to get up and carry on drinking. After her second fall into the bin, she appears to have passed out and so some people take her off to her bedroom and lay her down. When someone goes to check on her a little later these girls all come out screaming for an ambulance and crying and panicking like a bunch of lemmings. Mummy Rabbit gene kicks in and I leg it to this girls room amongst a bunch of idiots milling around crying as she's choking on her own blood. So me and the Irish girl whack her into recovery, clear her airways, try and bring her round, suss out the situation etc, etc. Would appear she has rolled of the bed and lost part of her tooth and smashed her nose. She's also lost the ability to control her bladder as her knickers are soaking and a puddle of urine around her. So here we are covered in this silly girls piss, my fingers are in her mouth clearing out blood and we've had a few too you know. I get her friend to sort out her medicare and insurance stuff etc and a change of clothes plus wash stuff so she doesn't have to wear her manky stuff back from the hospital. We clear all the blood away and realise that her tooth is still in her mouth it's just halfway up in her gum. Don't think she'll be doing that again. Ambulance turn up and I go shower before returning to my convivial evening that ends with me, Lauren and the lads ditching everyone in the pool. I was actually the first to get ditched in by Phil after wrestling with him because he was being quiet. Oh me and Lauren had a tiff and she made me cry because she was a nasty, spiteful little cow. And you all think she's so lovely. She told me this morning she wasn't that drunk so i'm not sure how forgiving i'm feeling about her cut below the belt. Hmmm...
Anyways for the main attraction. Rafting!
We ended up in a boat with 2 Dutch, 3 Israelies and an instructor named Sean. One of the Israelies was called Noa (no H, but who cares) so immediately I christened the boat Noahs Ark. Seans first words after the first rapid we something like, "I totally thought we were going to like flip out there dudes." He promptly got renamed Turtle after Turtle (who i'm sure is called Sean) from finding Nemo. The Dutch woman was tiny and cold and getting thrown around like a jumping bean and I said she should be teddy bear because she was so cute. She said no her partner was her Teddy Bear. His name was Winston AKA Winnie...Winnie the Pooh. So now we have Rabbit, Pooh Bear and Turtle in Noah's Ark and she becomes Piglet because well it works if you see her. And Piglet and Pooh have always been sweet on each other haven't they. Then we call the Israeli boy Kanga and the other Israeli girl Koala because she's all cuddly and Lauren is of course Monkey. I wanted them to be Eeyore and Owl, but they weren't having it. So we have half the cast of A.A.Milnes books and a few randoms chucked in for good measure. I probably should have been Tigger as I didn't shut up the whole time (3 hours of sleep and a load of adrenaline will do that to me, plus I had a bit of a hangover which always makes me nuts) Pooh bear got stuck getting in the boat like he did in Rabbit's hole and we were all heaving like nobodys business to drag him in (should probably cut down on that honey), you can get out of the boat at points and float down this crocodile infested water and me and Lauren were wetting ourselves as we were playing a real live version of Pooh sticks, we went under a waterfall which was the storm, before Kanga pulled us in on a tree AKA The Olive Branch and Turtle kept calling out to us in Hebrew so we litterally were on Noahs Ark. Too funny. The Israelis spoke English, but it's much more fun shouting AKUDA! instead of forward. Paddling was hard work, but I gave it my all, i'm aching that's for sure. The Israelis had all just been in the army, but you would think it the amount of effort they put in. Their paddles spent most of their time out of the water out of time with everyone else and when they were in the water they were half arsed. But it was good. We managed to chuck Turtle out. He was attempting to get me out as I hadn't come a cropper off a particularly viscious rapid, but a few of the others had, he underestimated the strngth of my legs though. See those tree trunks are handy!
It was a good day though, again we've got a DVD. Really, really beautiful, to be going right through the middle of the rainforest and lucky for us there was a good bit of cloud cover so it wasn't to hot. Just a long hard day, but worth it.
Tomorrow sky dive. I hope these clouds clear up. Apparantly you can see the reef really well from up there. I'd guess so if you can see it from space.
Mulu.
x xx x
Last night we had a BBQ (I had halloumi and peppers) and a fair few drinks. I ended up in my tutu being calm first aid lady with an Irish girl. There's a yound Welsh girl here who was on our bus and she was skulling goon (really cheap wine that gets you hammered, all the backpackers drink it really) like it was water. She then starts going round the table (not ours I point out) necking other peoples drinks. She's almost sick, then carrys on. eventually her friend gets her off her high perch on the table, down to a chair with a bin in front of her. She promptly falls off the chair into the bin and then attempts to get up and carry on drinking. After her second fall into the bin, she appears to have passed out and so some people take her off to her bedroom and lay her down. When someone goes to check on her a little later these girls all come out screaming for an ambulance and crying and panicking like a bunch of lemmings. Mummy Rabbit gene kicks in and I leg it to this girls room amongst a bunch of idiots milling around crying as she's choking on her own blood. So me and the Irish girl whack her into recovery, clear her airways, try and bring her round, suss out the situation etc, etc. Would appear she has rolled of the bed and lost part of her tooth and smashed her nose. She's also lost the ability to control her bladder as her knickers are soaking and a puddle of urine around her. So here we are covered in this silly girls piss, my fingers are in her mouth clearing out blood and we've had a few too you know. I get her friend to sort out her medicare and insurance stuff etc and a change of clothes plus wash stuff so she doesn't have to wear her manky stuff back from the hospital. We clear all the blood away and realise that her tooth is still in her mouth it's just halfway up in her gum. Don't think she'll be doing that again. Ambulance turn up and I go shower before returning to my convivial evening that ends with me, Lauren and the lads ditching everyone in the pool. I was actually the first to get ditched in by Phil after wrestling with him because he was being quiet. Oh me and Lauren had a tiff and she made me cry because she was a nasty, spiteful little cow. And you all think she's so lovely. She told me this morning she wasn't that drunk so i'm not sure how forgiving i'm feeling about her cut below the belt. Hmmm...
Anyways for the main attraction. Rafting!
We ended up in a boat with 2 Dutch, 3 Israelies and an instructor named Sean. One of the Israelies was called Noa (no H, but who cares) so immediately I christened the boat Noahs Ark. Seans first words after the first rapid we something like, "I totally thought we were going to like flip out there dudes." He promptly got renamed Turtle after Turtle (who i'm sure is called Sean) from finding Nemo. The Dutch woman was tiny and cold and getting thrown around like a jumping bean and I said she should be teddy bear because she was so cute. She said no her partner was her Teddy Bear. His name was Winston AKA Winnie...Winnie the Pooh. So now we have Rabbit, Pooh Bear and Turtle in Noah's Ark and she becomes Piglet because well it works if you see her. And Piglet and Pooh have always been sweet on each other haven't they. Then we call the Israeli boy Kanga and the other Israeli girl Koala because she's all cuddly and Lauren is of course Monkey. I wanted them to be Eeyore and Owl, but they weren't having it. So we have half the cast of A.A.Milnes books and a few randoms chucked in for good measure. I probably should have been Tigger as I didn't shut up the whole time (3 hours of sleep and a load of adrenaline will do that to me, plus I had a bit of a hangover which always makes me nuts) Pooh bear got stuck getting in the boat like he did in Rabbit's hole and we were all heaving like nobodys business to drag him in (should probably cut down on that honey), you can get out of the boat at points and float down this crocodile infested water and me and Lauren were wetting ourselves as we were playing a real live version of Pooh sticks, we went under a waterfall which was the storm, before Kanga pulled us in on a tree AKA The Olive Branch and Turtle kept calling out to us in Hebrew so we litterally were on Noahs Ark. Too funny. The Israelis spoke English, but it's much more fun shouting AKUDA! instead of forward. Paddling was hard work, but I gave it my all, i'm aching that's for sure. The Israelis had all just been in the army, but you would think it the amount of effort they put in. Their paddles spent most of their time out of the water out of time with everyone else and when they were in the water they were half arsed. But it was good. We managed to chuck Turtle out. He was attempting to get me out as I hadn't come a cropper off a particularly viscious rapid, but a few of the others had, he underestimated the strngth of my legs though. See those tree trunks are handy!
It was a good day though, again we've got a DVD. Really, really beautiful, to be going right through the middle of the rainforest and lucky for us there was a good bit of cloud cover so it wasn't to hot. Just a long hard day, but worth it.
Tomorrow sky dive. I hope these clouds clear up. Apparantly you can see the reef really well from up there. I'd guess so if you can see it from space.
Mulu.
x xx x
Thursday, 9 October 2008
Learning To Fly...
Bungee jump today. Not to much detail as I have a DVD for you all. I did 6 jumps in total and no it doesn't get any easier with each passing one. And an interesting fact...
the thing around your ankles that you would assume to be a harness is actually a bunch of towels and they're just strapped up. and it's heavy having three towels wrapped around your feet and 100 foot worth of elastic pulling you over the edge of this 160 foot drop.
So for the jumps...
First was a regular forward swan dive.
Second a backwards jump (which is weirder than jumping forwards, just feels really unatural to throw yourself off backwards).
Third was the pendulum which is where you are lowered by the bungee guys to an 90*-ish dgree angle backwards and dropped.
Fourth was backwards elevator which is where you put your hands on your shoulders, elbows out in front of you look up and jump.
Fifth was bloody scary. You had to hop around the side of the gaurd rail and wiggle along, then lean back and grab a bar a bit away from the platform below your feet, grip youir hands around, take your feet off, smile for the camera, look up at your hands, then 5-4-3-2-1 let go.
Sixth, was the running man. Bungee harness goes around your waist you go up a ladder onto the roof and run along a 10ft-ish platform and throw yourself off like a superhero.
I've never been so scared in my life. I didn't hesitate once though, as soon as they finished the countdown for every jump I went. Not sure I could have done another one after that though, my heart may have exploded. Lauren managed to overcome her fear of heights and do one, but the first 2 times she took an eternity to go which annoyed me because it was taking up time that I could have used to do another jump. we were on a package deal of unlimited jumps, but I ended up having to pay extra for my running man because we went past the 3.30pm deadline for unlimited jump passes. Selfish cow aren't I.
Tonight dinner at the Hare Krishna, good, cheap, vegetarian food and an early night as tomorrow we're off to Mission Beach.
Mulu. x
the thing around your ankles that you would assume to be a harness is actually a bunch of towels and they're just strapped up. and it's heavy having three towels wrapped around your feet and 100 foot worth of elastic pulling you over the edge of this 160 foot drop.
So for the jumps...
First was a regular forward swan dive.
Second a backwards jump (which is weirder than jumping forwards, just feels really unatural to throw yourself off backwards).
Third was the pendulum which is where you are lowered by the bungee guys to an 90*-ish dgree angle backwards and dropped.
Fourth was backwards elevator which is where you put your hands on your shoulders, elbows out in front of you look up and jump.
Fifth was bloody scary. You had to hop around the side of the gaurd rail and wiggle along, then lean back and grab a bar a bit away from the platform below your feet, grip youir hands around, take your feet off, smile for the camera, look up at your hands, then 5-4-3-2-1 let go.
Sixth, was the running man. Bungee harness goes around your waist you go up a ladder onto the roof and run along a 10ft-ish platform and throw yourself off like a superhero.
I've never been so scared in my life. I didn't hesitate once though, as soon as they finished the countdown for every jump I went. Not sure I could have done another one after that though, my heart may have exploded. Lauren managed to overcome her fear of heights and do one, but the first 2 times she took an eternity to go which annoyed me because it was taking up time that I could have used to do another jump. we were on a package deal of unlimited jumps, but I ended up having to pay extra for my running man because we went past the 3.30pm deadline for unlimited jump passes. Selfish cow aren't I.
Tonight dinner at the Hare Krishna, good, cheap, vegetarian food and an early night as tomorrow we're off to Mission Beach.
Mulu. x
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
Dreams Do Come True (kind of...)
Today I got to be a mermaid. Yes a mermaid. Can you even begin to imagine how happy I am?
Awoke from our hostel Bohemia Central in Cairns and wandered down to the marina to board our vessel Ocean Freedom. Straight away we secured ourselves a spot up front kicking back relaxing for the journey out to the Great Barrier Reef. When we get out there we board a glass bottomed boat making sure we take our snorkels, masks and fins, so that when we land on the island (read: tiny piece of sand randomly sticking up in the middle of the ocean) we can snorkel back over to the boat. Driving over the reef wasn't all that good to be fair so I kind of stopped bothering to look and listened to some rather interesting facts instead. Corals optimium temperature is between 24*-29* which is why the GBR doesn't grow any furthur south or north of where it is. However it is versatile and has begun to grow in warmer waters, due to climate change. Coral is given its colour by algae that live within it, but algae can't stand to much heat and so when summer comes and the water gets to warm the algae will get out and leave, so the coral reverts to a white-ish colour, but when it is cooler the algae will return to the same piece of coral.
Anyways we get over to the island, do the old spit shine for our goggles and get ready to have a good look around. Snorkelling is bloody hard work. My legs were aching, fat feet getting pinched by the fins and trying to not bite down to hard on the snorkel and giving yourself copious jaw ache is all a bit much. There wasn't as much colour to it as you are lead to believe down there. Apparantly they photoshop a lot of the images they use for postcards and promotion etc, but it was still pretty cool to see all of the goings ons. Fish queing up next to each other so that the cleaner fish will get them next, literally at the car wash. Eating coral, whole schools swimming all in and out. Pink, green and purple holographic looking fish, NEMO (did you know he's of the pirrana family?), sting rays, black and white fish, big fish, baby fish, blue starfish, sea cucumbers. I've taken pictures so you can all have a look at them when I get back. I'll be doing scrapbooks of my adventures.
So we get across to the boat (I am now being towed along on an orange ring by one of the guides as I can no longer stand the pinching of my fins and have taken them off) we get briefed on scuba stuff and get ready. Weight belts are about as comfortable as a foot up your jacksy, as is the tank when on dry land. One of the lads pouring water on our googles to wash out the spit decided it would be amusing to ditch the bucket of water on me and then it's time to step out over the edge. My guide is a guy called Pete Tong (also the name of a very famous DJ, which impresses me no end to have to hold his hand swimming the reef) and he takes us down. Lauren has a bit of a freak out and has to go back to the surface so we're just hanging about waiting for her to get it together and when she does we're off.
I was a mermaid.
It was a bit annoying having to hold the guides hand, but to be swimming around breathing under water with all of these fish was a dream come true for me. It's a shame about the Darth Vader noise of the oxygen, but it's so quiet and peaceful and, serene, that even that takes on a really nice rythmn eventually and you just feel weightless. Actually weightless is probably the wrong word as even one of the guides said when I came up that she kept having to put air in my jacket because I just sink like a stone and I pointed out to her that'll be because of my solid tree trunk legs dragging me down, but you feel completely different to anything you've felt before.
We get back on the boat after about 30 mins down have lunch and me and Lauren promptly fall asleep on the front deck, being awoken about an hour later to get ready for our second dive. This time we went down just 3 of us with a girl named Hayley and we were allowed to just do our own thing as long as we stayed behind her and within a reasonable distance. This time we went lower and I had an absolute nightmare trying to equalize my ears. I was blowing, yawning, wiggling, the works, but they were just refusing to sort it out. At one point it was getting pretty painful and I thought I was going to have to go up, but I just stuck it out because I really didn't want to miss the opportunity to get pictures of it all. Fully felt like a mermaid then, not having to hold hands or anything. I even put my ankles together sometimes and swished my legs like I had a tail. I love playing pretend.
Once we'd finished that dive we got back on the boat where I stripped off my gear and dived off the back of the boat for a little swim. All around and under the boat were these huge fish that
came up sp close you could touch them. If you stuck your finger out they'd try and nip them like they were food. Was brilliant that they just kept coming up to you and brushing your hand. I got dunked a few times by some of the boat lads (if we'd have been at school i'd have said they were a bit interested...) After my swim that was the trip over and just chilled out on the hour or so back to shore by eating fruit, cheese amd biscuits and cake that the ship provide (stock up on the free food!) and doing a bit of writing. Writing out on the open sea is just something else.
Agreed to meet up with Pete Tong for a few bevvies later on, but instead have opted to stay at the hostel and chill out with a few English lads in the room next to ours.
That's all folks.
Bungee jump tomorrow, wahey!
Mulu x
Awoke from our hostel Bohemia Central in Cairns and wandered down to the marina to board our vessel Ocean Freedom. Straight away we secured ourselves a spot up front kicking back relaxing for the journey out to the Great Barrier Reef. When we get out there we board a glass bottomed boat making sure we take our snorkels, masks and fins, so that when we land on the island (read: tiny piece of sand randomly sticking up in the middle of the ocean) we can snorkel back over to the boat. Driving over the reef wasn't all that good to be fair so I kind of stopped bothering to look and listened to some rather interesting facts instead. Corals optimium temperature is between 24*-29* which is why the GBR doesn't grow any furthur south or north of where it is. However it is versatile and has begun to grow in warmer waters, due to climate change. Coral is given its colour by algae that live within it, but algae can't stand to much heat and so when summer comes and the water gets to warm the algae will get out and leave, so the coral reverts to a white-ish colour, but when it is cooler the algae will return to the same piece of coral.
Anyways we get over to the island, do the old spit shine for our goggles and get ready to have a good look around. Snorkelling is bloody hard work. My legs were aching, fat feet getting pinched by the fins and trying to not bite down to hard on the snorkel and giving yourself copious jaw ache is all a bit much. There wasn't as much colour to it as you are lead to believe down there. Apparantly they photoshop a lot of the images they use for postcards and promotion etc, but it was still pretty cool to see all of the goings ons. Fish queing up next to each other so that the cleaner fish will get them next, literally at the car wash. Eating coral, whole schools swimming all in and out. Pink, green and purple holographic looking fish, NEMO (did you know he's of the pirrana family?), sting rays, black and white fish, big fish, baby fish, blue starfish, sea cucumbers. I've taken pictures so you can all have a look at them when I get back. I'll be doing scrapbooks of my adventures.
So we get across to the boat (I am now being towed along on an orange ring by one of the guides as I can no longer stand the pinching of my fins and have taken them off) we get briefed on scuba stuff and get ready. Weight belts are about as comfortable as a foot up your jacksy, as is the tank when on dry land. One of the lads pouring water on our googles to wash out the spit decided it would be amusing to ditch the bucket of water on me and then it's time to step out over the edge. My guide is a guy called Pete Tong (also the name of a very famous DJ, which impresses me no end to have to hold his hand swimming the reef) and he takes us down. Lauren has a bit of a freak out and has to go back to the surface so we're just hanging about waiting for her to get it together and when she does we're off.
I was a mermaid.
It was a bit annoying having to hold the guides hand, but to be swimming around breathing under water with all of these fish was a dream come true for me. It's a shame about the Darth Vader noise of the oxygen, but it's so quiet and peaceful and, serene, that even that takes on a really nice rythmn eventually and you just feel weightless. Actually weightless is probably the wrong word as even one of the guides said when I came up that she kept having to put air in my jacket because I just sink like a stone and I pointed out to her that'll be because of my solid tree trunk legs dragging me down, but you feel completely different to anything you've felt before.
We get back on the boat after about 30 mins down have lunch and me and Lauren promptly fall asleep on the front deck, being awoken about an hour later to get ready for our second dive. This time we went down just 3 of us with a girl named Hayley and we were allowed to just do our own thing as long as we stayed behind her and within a reasonable distance. This time we went lower and I had an absolute nightmare trying to equalize my ears. I was blowing, yawning, wiggling, the works, but they were just refusing to sort it out. At one point it was getting pretty painful and I thought I was going to have to go up, but I just stuck it out because I really didn't want to miss the opportunity to get pictures of it all. Fully felt like a mermaid then, not having to hold hands or anything. I even put my ankles together sometimes and swished my legs like I had a tail. I love playing pretend.
Once we'd finished that dive we got back on the boat where I stripped off my gear and dived off the back of the boat for a little swim. All around and under the boat were these huge fish that
came up sp close you could touch them. If you stuck your finger out they'd try and nip them like they were food. Was brilliant that they just kept coming up to you and brushing your hand. I got dunked a few times by some of the boat lads (if we'd have been at school i'd have said they were a bit interested...) After my swim that was the trip over and just chilled out on the hour or so back to shore by eating fruit, cheese amd biscuits and cake that the ship provide (stock up on the free food!) and doing a bit of writing. Writing out on the open sea is just something else.
Agreed to meet up with Pete Tong for a few bevvies later on, but instead have opted to stay at the hostel and chill out with a few English lads in the room next to ours.
That's all folks.
Bungee jump tomorrow, wahey!
Mulu x
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Leaving On A Jet Plane...
So...
On the 6th of September Lauren and I booked and paid for our entire East Coast adventure. It's hectic! We are both very excited to be doing even more than we originally planned, but I am rather apprehensive about leaving Brisbane and the Family and also my dance school. It has been amazing to come away here and find Mad Dance and rekindle a passion that has laid dormant in me for far too long now.I have got to try and keep on the straight and narow in terms of eating properly and getting in shape by running/pilates/stretching/sit ups etc. I have hurt my back though so today I am on the hunt for a chiropractor to get him to take a look before I leave Brisbane and see if something can't be done. It appears to be something spinal as I've been doing lots of extra core building activities and trying to stretch my back out. It is at the very base of my spine in between the top of my bum and my hips which is a very hard place to stretch and so this is why we think it could be a boe thing. Fingers crossed it's not really bad because that could be a rather large setback.
Recent events...
7th/8th September - House was burgled. Access door is about 20 foot from my bed, where I sleep and the afformentioned robber will have been in my "room" as I slept. Freaky as. I haven't slept very well since as every noise I hear makes me jump and even pulling the blinds freaks me out as I imagine some rabid druggie (there's a bit of a crystal meth issue in Australia) on the other side all foaming at the mouth. Don't you just love an overactive imagination?
13th September - All day dance workshop. 6 hours of full on feeling like a totally unco-ordinated twat. Being fat does not help me in dancing at all because in a class full of waif bendy types I feel like a frumpy elephant with zero confidence and I want to curl up in a corner and die of shame that I am still lacking in so many areas of class work. Idiot, but as long as I keep at it and get to the required shape to do podium I will be happy. Dance classes are all about fun and i'm improving every week. I don't think I've ever put this much effort into anything!
14th September - Went rock climbing up Mount Timbeerwah. Lauren slept at the top of a cliff and I worked my ass off to get up there. Sooooo much fun. Would have been better if I'd have had climbing shoes, but as it was jazz shoes had to do (climibing shoes or jazz shoes, dancing won of course) I met Jay Jay who is ranked at 19th best climber in the world. Was one of Bens finer moments of keeping it together under ridiculous amounts of excitement and wanting to just be silly. Was pretty amusing actually as Jay Jay comes walking down the mountain towards us Ben looks up and gasps "Jay Jay" like he's Jesus right there before him. Jay Jay of course has no idea who Ben is and just looks rather bemused until Ben introduces himself as "Belayers Nightmare" which is his screen name for some climbing forum. Jay Jay then knows exactly who he is and Ben is doiing really well not to hop from foot to foot, holding himself like he's going to wee and dribbling etc.
On Thursday 18th i'm sad to say that Laurens Grandfather (Stephs Father) passed away and so we spent the evening at my house with Nic and her friend Amanda chewing the fat, staying up late and drinking. Didn't actually have much to drink, but sleep deprivation from the past month is beginning to take it's toll on me. Got up Friday morning took the children to a BBQ at their Dads work and then we all loaded up and drove to Nanna and Pa's. Crashed pretty early, but still up at silly o'clock because children have no concept of a lie in. On Saturday we went to the carnival of flowers which was the whole point of staying with Bob and Jean (Pa and Nanna) as they live in Pittsworth about 30 mins from Toowoomba, as oppossed to coming from Brisbane which is about 2 hours the other side of Toowoomba. So basically I went West for the weekend. I have learnt from my nannying experience do and see evrything you want to before you have children. That way when you do the good parent thing and take them to things you won't mind only seeing 50% of everything because you'll have got to see everything once and that 50% twice. If you're clever about it you'll engineer it to see your favourite stuff twice. I will be clever. I am definately in no rush to have children though, I want to do all the things I want to do first. Of course I'd also have to find my other half, but that will all come. Anyways we managed to see about half the parade and get some lunch and then I took children to the fair part and they went on a few rides and played some games to collect toot prizes and drank some sugary sickliness of an ice drink. It was sooo hot. I am now the proud owner of a knock-off Akuda hat. One of those Aussie hats that they whack corks on. We didn't get around to seeing any flowers.
:(
After that we went to the middle of nowhere so I could see where Jonny was brought up. A farm. Fully in the middle of nowhere. Went and saw Wendy and Aiden who are the next farm down and have known Jonny for almost 30 years. Really felt like I was in the outback then. Dusty fields, creaking old rocking chair on the porch. Big storm hit. Felt like I was in Fantasia when I was driving back to Nanna and Pa's as you could see the whole storm in front of you (2 in fact) lilghtning striking the mountain, huge dark swirling mass of clouds. Was utterly fantastic.
Get back to Nanna and Pa's, where I discover Nanna has made Apple Pie in my honour and she has also patched my blue jeans that had a big hole in the crotch and removed a stain from my t-shirt. I told her if I didn't love my own fantastic Nanny so much I'd trade her in for sure. I keep telling them to come and live in England as the heat gets to them pretty badly now, but they don't seem to be up for it. After that I laid in the front room, listening to my iPod, writing and Nanna and Pa shouted at the rugby (football they'll call it) and me and Nic laughed about them shouting at the rugby.
The next morning we got up, got ourselves and the children ready and loaded in the car to go see Jonnys brother Matthew race his motorbike. The whole Weinert clan (except David) was there and we all had JW Concept t-shirts on which is Jonnys company who sponsors Matthew and were looking pretty swish.
It was hot and dusty at the racetrack and we just hung out under a camping shelter, trying to stay cool, drinking lots of water and eating watermelon watching bikes go round and round. That's bike racing. There were a few big crashes which I luckily missed and so did Nanna! Nic unfortunately did see this guy go circling through the air. Jonny rides a KTM 950 and thinks he's going to start racing, Nic has other ideas for him. Once that was all done and dusted we packed up and trooped on home.
25th September - Lauren and I went down to Kangaroo Point and walked along the river to find a place to let of a balloon for her Grandad as it was his funeral on this day. We ended up getting a a citycat ferry (bus service in the water) and letting him go from the back there. Lauren had attached a letter for him to the string and this was how she said goodbye. We went home and drank a few farewells to him in the form of pink champagne.
Rest In Peace Grandad. My thoughts are with all of you the Toop Troop at this time. I love you very much.
26 September - Loaded up into the car and headed to David and Judys about 6 hours north of Brisbane. David is the eldest brother of Jonnys and moved to Gladstone years ago when he was a police officer and got transferred there. They actually live in a little village/town called Calliope (pronounced cu-lie-p) next dooor to Galdstone. They have lots of space and it's all very pretty. Reminds me of Mums house although the stars are even more pronounced. Basically just spent 3 days hanging out there, drove a UTE (which is an Aussie pick-up truck) to go get some chooks (chickens) which fell over on the highway on the way back. Everyone has chooks for eggs it seems over here. They like their fresh stuff. Learnt and failed to crack a whip. Pretty impressive when somebody does it right though. Saw an acid green spider. Yuk. Oh had a giant moth fly right into my shouldre so hard I thought maybe it was a bird. Freaked out when someone pointed out it was on my shoulder and I turned around to see it staring at me on the bag of my shoulder. I probably moved as fast as Nanny that Christmas with the spider on her plate (sorry Nanny). Leapt across the decking swatting at my shoulder. Everybody thought this was hilarious and wet themselves laughing and tormented me for the rest of the meal, everytime and animal moved I wet myself and they kept sticking insects under my nose etc. Very nice. I also got called a smelly POME (prisoner of mother England, the Aussies all call me it and I find it rather offensive from people who I don't know, kind of like strangers calling a black man a nigger, there's no need is there) by Davids son Chris. It was his UTE I drove and he'd been away and Judy had let me drive it and he said "you let a smelly POME drive my car?". I pointed out to him that every Aussie boy I had met so far had turned out to be an arrogant, bigoted, neanderthal and I could see he was no different. I'm sure he was nice enough, but hey you going to give it then so am I.
Monday 29th - We left David's in the morning and went to the town 1770. Jonny took me on his bike. Fabulous, so very different to be on a bike in that sort of scenery to at home on the A413 with Daddy. But I do love going on the bike with Daddy. I'm pretty keen to get a bike now, but all in good time. Hung out on the beach for a bit and splashed in the Ocean. Went and had lunch at a little cafe down the road before heading straight for Hervey bay, which is still about 4 hours north of Brisabne. Booked into our apartment where we'd be staying for 2 nights and went for a swim.
Tuesday 30th - Today we got up and went Whale Watching. Not as good as when me and Lauren went, but there were a few calves breaching. I did however miss this as I was inside the boat sitting next to Olly to make sure he didn't fall of the seat he'd fallen asleep on. Went for a swim that afternoon, Jonny headed home on his bike and me and Nic watched Casino Royale before crashing out.
Wednesday 1st - Up and out of the apartment. Down the road for yummy eggs benedict and a massive long walk along the jetty. About a mile in length I'd guess. Had an ice cream, in the car and begin heading to home. Make it to the Enoggera pub, which is next to "Aussie World" for lunch and a bit of a rest before the last hour home, where I ran in got changed and off to my last Severe Stretch and Jazz class.
:( Very sad. I almost choked saying goodbye to Michael. Jazz has been the toughest class I do and he doesn't take prisoners so I've worked really hard in it. Thursday I had to say goodbye to my Samba teacher and Meg who is the principal of Mad. She has been a legend in helping me to appreciate putting my body through pain and just coping with it and knowing your actual boundaries and that it's good for you. When it hruts, you're pushing your body furthur than it's gone before and everytime it'll take a little longer to hurt. It's good, she's nuts. Love her. Love them all in fact. Excellent bunch of people.
Friday I babysat and had a pyjama party with the children. We mad Ice Cream "Fridays" and snuggled up on a mountain of duvets and pilows in the front room to watch "The Wild". Nic and Jonny came home late and we stayed up and had a bit of a chat. On the way home from swimming that day (the last lesson I'll see them do) I'd put on Tiny Dancer, turned around in my seat to see Oskar singing "blue jan baby, LA lady" with this huge grin on his face and promptly burst into tears. I have no idea how I will say goodbye to them. You''ll see in our itinary that we stop in Brisbane again for 4 days on our way down the coast. Nic and Jonny are having a party for me so I'll see them again in a month, but after that...goodbye. Not looking forward to it, Tillie and Oskar because they know that i'm going away for a long time, but Olly just won't understand. Nic and Jonny will be a toughy too. I'm beginning to choke just typing it.
Saturday 4th - Went to Parklife festival.. What can I say except amazing! Dizzee Rascal and 2ManyDjs. ALso had to watch this awful Australian Hip Hop act Drapht. Aussie Hip Hop is like nothing you've ever heard. Search it on You Tube. Your ears will bleed. I love the basslines, but as soon as they start rapping...imagine the Aussies accent? And the lyrics, got smashed ona Saturday, wasn't good 'cos we had a show the next day...
DIABOLICAL!
Sunday 5th - Recovery.
Today - We fly out midday tomorrow. Lauren is currently soprting out what to pack so that I can put it in and then we are going to the city to get portable iPod speakers (vital, we both miss being able to sit and share music), a belly bar (mine is now far to big), socks, bikinis, we need to drop in to Peterpans to get all our final details, then back to mine to pack my stuff. Will read the bubbas a story tonight, then go for dinner with Lucy. Take the children to school and daycare in the morning as it will be the last time I get to do it and then Nic will take us to the airport to begin...
7th Oct - Arrive in Cairns
8th Oct - Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef
9th Oct - Bungee jump and Minjin Swing. We have an unlimited day of bungees and various different styles of jumping, from regular "swan dive" to "running man". Fun, fun, fun!
10th Oct - Travel to Mission Beach
11th Oct - Sky dive over the Great Barrier Reef. What was above (well around) is now below
12th Oct - White Water Rafting the Tully River
13th Oct - Travel to Magnetic Island
13th-15th - Hang out at Magnetic Island, catch some rays and see some sights
16th - Leave Magnetic, travel to Airlie Beach
17th - Overnight at Airlie before...
18th Oct - Welcome aboard me mateys. Today we hop onto the Soulway Lass (look it up) and sail around the Whitsundays for 3 days and nights
21st Oct- Return to Airlie and overnight once more
22nd Oct - Travel to Kroombit Cattle Station, see what it's like on a real Aussie Cattle farm
23 Oct - After a morning of rounding up cattle we head on to Rainbow beach
24th Oct - Sea Kayaking with dolphins
25th Oct - Chopper motorbike tour around Rainbow beach and the surrounding area
26th - Safety briefing for Fraser (lots of wild animals including dingoes) and lazing around
27th-30th Oct- Fraser Island self gided tour. We hop in big 4x4 and drive around on the worlds largest sand island. I'm assured it's beauty cannot be measured
31st Oct - Travel to Noosa on the Sunshine Coast. Very affluent and pretty place.
1st Nov - Overnight at Noosa.
2nd Nov - Bush Camp
3rd-5th Nov - Canoeing tour of the Everglades
6th Nov - Overnight in Noosa
7th Nov - Back to Brisbane
8th Nov - Leaving Party
9th-10th Nov - Final farewells and final dance lesson (I especially planned an extra night in Brisbane so that I could attend one last class. Hip Hop with Storm who is a legend!
11th Nov -Leave Brisbane (boo hoo) and on to Byron Bay
12th Nov - Day trip to Nimbin, a little town that was started as an eco project to see what would happen if you were just left to get on with it. It's known as the stoner capital of Australia because drugs are legal to buy and sell here. Apparantly a day trip is enough because all the junkies and little children in the street cutting their drugs can be rather depressing!!!
13th Nov - Small trip to our secluded surf camp, where we attend an afternoons surf lesson.
At this point me and Lauren haven't booked any furthur. There is the option of staying an extra 1 to 5 days at the surf camp, but we will have to see on the money situation as to wether or not we do this. From here it's pretty much straight to Sydney, where hopefull I'll hook up with Gaffy. I don't mean to stay long in Sydney as Lauren has already spent a large amount of time here, it's a s expensive as London and a few days to see the sights will be more than adequate. everyone tells me that Melbourne will be our favourite place so we intend to fly down to Melbourne for a few weeks prior and over Christmas before back to Sydney to fly across to New Zealand on the 28th December. We have hired a campervan until the 15th January and we'll just scoot about in that for a few weeks with Gemma and Fiona our 2 Irish friends we met in Cairns before returning to Sydney and flying to Thailand on the 19th.
After that it's home.
Our bungee jumps will be streamed live from this address. It will probably be at silly o'clock in the morning your time, but I'll text you all and if you're up you can watch it. Otherwise you can watch the DVD when I come home.
http://www.ajhackett.com.au/webcam.html
The Oz experience bus that we travel on features added extras you wouldn't get on a standard Greyhound service so we will still be doing activities on these days also.
All in all we've got a rather insane 6 weeks ahead of us.
Can't wait.
I'll do my best to update as often as possible, but don't expect to much detail as I'll be paying for internet once again and as you can see from the above, my time will be strapped, not to mention I'll be exhausted!
Love you all.
( )( )
( " ,)
x xx x
On the 6th of September Lauren and I booked and paid for our entire East Coast adventure. It's hectic! We are both very excited to be doing even more than we originally planned, but I am rather apprehensive about leaving Brisbane and the Family and also my dance school. It has been amazing to come away here and find Mad Dance and rekindle a passion that has laid dormant in me for far too long now.I have got to try and keep on the straight and narow in terms of eating properly and getting in shape by running/pilates/stretching/sit ups etc. I have hurt my back though so today I am on the hunt for a chiropractor to get him to take a look before I leave Brisbane and see if something can't be done. It appears to be something spinal as I've been doing lots of extra core building activities and trying to stretch my back out. It is at the very base of my spine in between the top of my bum and my hips which is a very hard place to stretch and so this is why we think it could be a boe thing. Fingers crossed it's not really bad because that could be a rather large setback.
Recent events...
7th/8th September - House was burgled. Access door is about 20 foot from my bed, where I sleep and the afformentioned robber will have been in my "room" as I slept. Freaky as. I haven't slept very well since as every noise I hear makes me jump and even pulling the blinds freaks me out as I imagine some rabid druggie (there's a bit of a crystal meth issue in Australia) on the other side all foaming at the mouth. Don't you just love an overactive imagination?
13th September - All day dance workshop. 6 hours of full on feeling like a totally unco-ordinated twat. Being fat does not help me in dancing at all because in a class full of waif bendy types I feel like a frumpy elephant with zero confidence and I want to curl up in a corner and die of shame that I am still lacking in so many areas of class work. Idiot, but as long as I keep at it and get to the required shape to do podium I will be happy. Dance classes are all about fun and i'm improving every week. I don't think I've ever put this much effort into anything!
14th September - Went rock climbing up Mount Timbeerwah. Lauren slept at the top of a cliff and I worked my ass off to get up there. Sooooo much fun. Would have been better if I'd have had climbing shoes, but as it was jazz shoes had to do (climibing shoes or jazz shoes, dancing won of course) I met Jay Jay who is ranked at 19th best climber in the world. Was one of Bens finer moments of keeping it together under ridiculous amounts of excitement and wanting to just be silly. Was pretty amusing actually as Jay Jay comes walking down the mountain towards us Ben looks up and gasps "Jay Jay" like he's Jesus right there before him. Jay Jay of course has no idea who Ben is and just looks rather bemused until Ben introduces himself as "Belayers Nightmare" which is his screen name for some climbing forum. Jay Jay then knows exactly who he is and Ben is doiing really well not to hop from foot to foot, holding himself like he's going to wee and dribbling etc.
On Thursday 18th i'm sad to say that Laurens Grandfather (Stephs Father) passed away and so we spent the evening at my house with Nic and her friend Amanda chewing the fat, staying up late and drinking. Didn't actually have much to drink, but sleep deprivation from the past month is beginning to take it's toll on me. Got up Friday morning took the children to a BBQ at their Dads work and then we all loaded up and drove to Nanna and Pa's. Crashed pretty early, but still up at silly o'clock because children have no concept of a lie in. On Saturday we went to the carnival of flowers which was the whole point of staying with Bob and Jean (Pa and Nanna) as they live in Pittsworth about 30 mins from Toowoomba, as oppossed to coming from Brisbane which is about 2 hours the other side of Toowoomba. So basically I went West for the weekend. I have learnt from my nannying experience do and see evrything you want to before you have children. That way when you do the good parent thing and take them to things you won't mind only seeing 50% of everything because you'll have got to see everything once and that 50% twice. If you're clever about it you'll engineer it to see your favourite stuff twice. I will be clever. I am definately in no rush to have children though, I want to do all the things I want to do first. Of course I'd also have to find my other half, but that will all come. Anyways we managed to see about half the parade and get some lunch and then I took children to the fair part and they went on a few rides and played some games to collect toot prizes and drank some sugary sickliness of an ice drink. It was sooo hot. I am now the proud owner of a knock-off Akuda hat. One of those Aussie hats that they whack corks on. We didn't get around to seeing any flowers.
:(
After that we went to the middle of nowhere so I could see where Jonny was brought up. A farm. Fully in the middle of nowhere. Went and saw Wendy and Aiden who are the next farm down and have known Jonny for almost 30 years. Really felt like I was in the outback then. Dusty fields, creaking old rocking chair on the porch. Big storm hit. Felt like I was in Fantasia when I was driving back to Nanna and Pa's as you could see the whole storm in front of you (2 in fact) lilghtning striking the mountain, huge dark swirling mass of clouds. Was utterly fantastic.
Get back to Nanna and Pa's, where I discover Nanna has made Apple Pie in my honour and she has also patched my blue jeans that had a big hole in the crotch and removed a stain from my t-shirt. I told her if I didn't love my own fantastic Nanny so much I'd trade her in for sure. I keep telling them to come and live in England as the heat gets to them pretty badly now, but they don't seem to be up for it. After that I laid in the front room, listening to my iPod, writing and Nanna and Pa shouted at the rugby (football they'll call it) and me and Nic laughed about them shouting at the rugby.
The next morning we got up, got ourselves and the children ready and loaded in the car to go see Jonnys brother Matthew race his motorbike. The whole Weinert clan (except David) was there and we all had JW Concept t-shirts on which is Jonnys company who sponsors Matthew and were looking pretty swish.
It was hot and dusty at the racetrack and we just hung out under a camping shelter, trying to stay cool, drinking lots of water and eating watermelon watching bikes go round and round. That's bike racing. There were a few big crashes which I luckily missed and so did Nanna! Nic unfortunately did see this guy go circling through the air. Jonny rides a KTM 950 and thinks he's going to start racing, Nic has other ideas for him. Once that was all done and dusted we packed up and trooped on home.
25th September - Lauren and I went down to Kangaroo Point and walked along the river to find a place to let of a balloon for her Grandad as it was his funeral on this day. We ended up getting a a citycat ferry (bus service in the water) and letting him go from the back there. Lauren had attached a letter for him to the string and this was how she said goodbye. We went home and drank a few farewells to him in the form of pink champagne.
Rest In Peace Grandad. My thoughts are with all of you the Toop Troop at this time. I love you very much.
26 September - Loaded up into the car and headed to David and Judys about 6 hours north of Brisbane. David is the eldest brother of Jonnys and moved to Gladstone years ago when he was a police officer and got transferred there. They actually live in a little village/town called Calliope (pronounced cu-lie-p) next dooor to Galdstone. They have lots of space and it's all very pretty. Reminds me of Mums house although the stars are even more pronounced. Basically just spent 3 days hanging out there, drove a UTE (which is an Aussie pick-up truck) to go get some chooks (chickens) which fell over on the highway on the way back. Everyone has chooks for eggs it seems over here. They like their fresh stuff. Learnt and failed to crack a whip. Pretty impressive when somebody does it right though. Saw an acid green spider. Yuk. Oh had a giant moth fly right into my shouldre so hard I thought maybe it was a bird. Freaked out when someone pointed out it was on my shoulder and I turned around to see it staring at me on the bag of my shoulder. I probably moved as fast as Nanny that Christmas with the spider on her plate (sorry Nanny). Leapt across the decking swatting at my shoulder. Everybody thought this was hilarious and wet themselves laughing and tormented me for the rest of the meal, everytime and animal moved I wet myself and they kept sticking insects under my nose etc. Very nice. I also got called a smelly POME (prisoner of mother England, the Aussies all call me it and I find it rather offensive from people who I don't know, kind of like strangers calling a black man a nigger, there's no need is there) by Davids son Chris. It was his UTE I drove and he'd been away and Judy had let me drive it and he said "you let a smelly POME drive my car?". I pointed out to him that every Aussie boy I had met so far had turned out to be an arrogant, bigoted, neanderthal and I could see he was no different. I'm sure he was nice enough, but hey you going to give it then so am I.
Monday 29th - We left David's in the morning and went to the town 1770. Jonny took me on his bike. Fabulous, so very different to be on a bike in that sort of scenery to at home on the A413 with Daddy. But I do love going on the bike with Daddy. I'm pretty keen to get a bike now, but all in good time. Hung out on the beach for a bit and splashed in the Ocean. Went and had lunch at a little cafe down the road before heading straight for Hervey bay, which is still about 4 hours north of Brisabne. Booked into our apartment where we'd be staying for 2 nights and went for a swim.
Tuesday 30th - Today we got up and went Whale Watching. Not as good as when me and Lauren went, but there were a few calves breaching. I did however miss this as I was inside the boat sitting next to Olly to make sure he didn't fall of the seat he'd fallen asleep on. Went for a swim that afternoon, Jonny headed home on his bike and me and Nic watched Casino Royale before crashing out.
Wednesday 1st - Up and out of the apartment. Down the road for yummy eggs benedict and a massive long walk along the jetty. About a mile in length I'd guess. Had an ice cream, in the car and begin heading to home. Make it to the Enoggera pub, which is next to "Aussie World" for lunch and a bit of a rest before the last hour home, where I ran in got changed and off to my last Severe Stretch and Jazz class.
:( Very sad. I almost choked saying goodbye to Michael. Jazz has been the toughest class I do and he doesn't take prisoners so I've worked really hard in it. Thursday I had to say goodbye to my Samba teacher and Meg who is the principal of Mad. She has been a legend in helping me to appreciate putting my body through pain and just coping with it and knowing your actual boundaries and that it's good for you. When it hruts, you're pushing your body furthur than it's gone before and everytime it'll take a little longer to hurt. It's good, she's nuts. Love her. Love them all in fact. Excellent bunch of people.
Friday I babysat and had a pyjama party with the children. We mad Ice Cream "Fridays" and snuggled up on a mountain of duvets and pilows in the front room to watch "The Wild". Nic and Jonny came home late and we stayed up and had a bit of a chat. On the way home from swimming that day (the last lesson I'll see them do) I'd put on Tiny Dancer, turned around in my seat to see Oskar singing "blue jan baby, LA lady" with this huge grin on his face and promptly burst into tears. I have no idea how I will say goodbye to them. You''ll see in our itinary that we stop in Brisbane again for 4 days on our way down the coast. Nic and Jonny are having a party for me so I'll see them again in a month, but after that...goodbye. Not looking forward to it, Tillie and Oskar because they know that i'm going away for a long time, but Olly just won't understand. Nic and Jonny will be a toughy too. I'm beginning to choke just typing it.
Saturday 4th - Went to Parklife festival.. What can I say except amazing! Dizzee Rascal and 2ManyDjs. ALso had to watch this awful Australian Hip Hop act Drapht. Aussie Hip Hop is like nothing you've ever heard. Search it on You Tube. Your ears will bleed. I love the basslines, but as soon as they start rapping...imagine the Aussies accent? And the lyrics, got smashed ona Saturday, wasn't good 'cos we had a show the next day...
DIABOLICAL!
Sunday 5th - Recovery.
Today - We fly out midday tomorrow. Lauren is currently soprting out what to pack so that I can put it in and then we are going to the city to get portable iPod speakers (vital, we both miss being able to sit and share music), a belly bar (mine is now far to big), socks, bikinis, we need to drop in to Peterpans to get all our final details, then back to mine to pack my stuff. Will read the bubbas a story tonight, then go for dinner with Lucy. Take the children to school and daycare in the morning as it will be the last time I get to do it and then Nic will take us to the airport to begin...
7th Oct - Arrive in Cairns
8th Oct - Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef
9th Oct - Bungee jump and Minjin Swing. We have an unlimited day of bungees and various different styles of jumping, from regular "swan dive" to "running man". Fun, fun, fun!
10th Oct - Travel to Mission Beach
11th Oct - Sky dive over the Great Barrier Reef. What was above (well around) is now below
12th Oct - White Water Rafting the Tully River
13th Oct - Travel to Magnetic Island
13th-15th - Hang out at Magnetic Island, catch some rays and see some sights
16th - Leave Magnetic, travel to Airlie Beach
17th - Overnight at Airlie before...
18th Oct - Welcome aboard me mateys. Today we hop onto the Soulway Lass (look it up) and sail around the Whitsundays for 3 days and nights
21st Oct- Return to Airlie and overnight once more
22nd Oct - Travel to Kroombit Cattle Station, see what it's like on a real Aussie Cattle farm
23 Oct - After a morning of rounding up cattle we head on to Rainbow beach
24th Oct - Sea Kayaking with dolphins
25th Oct - Chopper motorbike tour around Rainbow beach and the surrounding area
26th - Safety briefing for Fraser (lots of wild animals including dingoes) and lazing around
27th-30th Oct- Fraser Island self gided tour. We hop in big 4x4 and drive around on the worlds largest sand island. I'm assured it's beauty cannot be measured
31st Oct - Travel to Noosa on the Sunshine Coast. Very affluent and pretty place.
1st Nov - Overnight at Noosa.
2nd Nov - Bush Camp
3rd-5th Nov - Canoeing tour of the Everglades
6th Nov - Overnight in Noosa
7th Nov - Back to Brisbane
8th Nov - Leaving Party
9th-10th Nov - Final farewells and final dance lesson (I especially planned an extra night in Brisbane so that I could attend one last class. Hip Hop with Storm who is a legend!
11th Nov -Leave Brisbane (boo hoo) and on to Byron Bay
12th Nov - Day trip to Nimbin, a little town that was started as an eco project to see what would happen if you were just left to get on with it. It's known as the stoner capital of Australia because drugs are legal to buy and sell here. Apparantly a day trip is enough because all the junkies and little children in the street cutting their drugs can be rather depressing!!!
13th Nov - Small trip to our secluded surf camp, where we attend an afternoons surf lesson.
At this point me and Lauren haven't booked any furthur. There is the option of staying an extra 1 to 5 days at the surf camp, but we will have to see on the money situation as to wether or not we do this. From here it's pretty much straight to Sydney, where hopefull I'll hook up with Gaffy. I don't mean to stay long in Sydney as Lauren has already spent a large amount of time here, it's a s expensive as London and a few days to see the sights will be more than adequate. everyone tells me that Melbourne will be our favourite place so we intend to fly down to Melbourne for a few weeks prior and over Christmas before back to Sydney to fly across to New Zealand on the 28th December. We have hired a campervan until the 15th January and we'll just scoot about in that for a few weeks with Gemma and Fiona our 2 Irish friends we met in Cairns before returning to Sydney and flying to Thailand on the 19th.
After that it's home.
Our bungee jumps will be streamed live from this address. It will probably be at silly o'clock in the morning your time, but I'll text you all and if you're up you can watch it. Otherwise you can watch the DVD when I come home.
http://www.ajhackett.com.au/webcam.html
The Oz experience bus that we travel on features added extras you wouldn't get on a standard Greyhound service so we will still be doing activities on these days also.
All in all we've got a rather insane 6 weeks ahead of us.
Can't wait.
I'll do my best to update as often as possible, but don't expect to much detail as I'll be paying for internet once again and as you can see from the above, my time will be strapped, not to mention I'll be exhausted!
Love you all.
( )( )
( " ,)
x xx x
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Where to start...
I've posted this as being the 1st of September, when it is in fact the 24th, but it's taken me 3 weeks to get around to finishing it and I wanted to post another so i'm trying to keep them in oredr. Not that it matters, I suppose you'll all just be glad that I've got around to writing something.
Anyways...
Firstly sorry I know it's been a while. This has been for a few reasons, but in the main just because I have been busy, busy, busy. Although still not much to tell you because it's all pretty mundane at my end. At least for me it is.
Secondly, thanks to all three of my Fathers loves for your continuous updates even when you have no new news to read.
Well your about to get an influx, because it has been about 3 months since I did a real blog and a lot has happened all be it not amazingly interesting. So I'll try and start where I left off, but chances are it's going to get messy and confusing. It just wouldn't be my life if it didn't now would it.
I'm still in Brisbane, fly out of here back to Cairns on October 7th. I'm still working as a Nanny. Everyday I spend with these children just brings home how hard it is going to be leaving them, how much I miss my family and how much I'm desperate to really enjoy them once I'm home.
I'm no longer living with Lauren, I moved out of our flat and in with my "urban family" about 4 weeks ago. It just wasn't working out with us both in each others pockets. My homesickness coupled with a few things I have come to realise since being here meant that it was time to cut loose and just get out of the headspace I was in. It's hard living where you work, mainly because i'm still in someone elses home, but Nic and Jon have made me feel so like a part of the family that I don't really notice. Of course that means there's no differentiation between work and play, but of course there never is with children. Nicoles knee is better. She can drive and wander around ok now. She still has hydrotherapy and physio and things, but in the main she's good. Will be a long tiome for a full recovery though I think.
So the last thing I told you about...
I went to Sydney for a weekend. Whale Beach. Beautiful. Not a lot to tell as I was working and din't really get to see a lot. Flew in over the city and was breathless at the view. Stunning when the sun is reflecting off the harbour and the boats look like toys. However when we got there we drove straight to Nicoles sister Simones house, who'd just had a beautiful little girl "Indy Willa" where we spent the weekend between a B & B and this lovely little cottage type house overlooking a magnificent view of Whale Beach. I was working so I spent the weekend with very little sleep, feeling a bit out of sorts because as much as Nic and Jon make me a part of the family was a little weird because no-one else seemed to know what to do with me. I did however meet Almy, Nicoles Grandmother. Amazing woman. She came to Australia as a refugee in the Second World War and has some of the most phenomenal stories to tell. As you should all know war and how people coped just fascinates me and this woman had me welling up with tears at her troubles. I'd also just recieved an email from Nanny Pam that said how English schools would no longer teach about the Holocaust because of a bunch of twats who don't think it ever happened and so being ridiculous and so typically British we're trying not to piss anyone off. Got pretty het up about it as you can imagine. I am still disgusted that my children will never be taught at school about one of the most attrocious acts of human fear and hatred and...oh I just can't believe it. Anyway...on our last day drove back into the city and saw the bridge and the opera house. View was better up above. Sydney Harbour Bridge is...well it's a bridge and the Opera house...dated and needs a bloody good wash. Sorry, but that's the truth. There was no godsmacking beauty about any of it when my feet were firmly grounded.
Next up...Nic had her knee operation, was in agony but she's a bit of a soldier and so was walking around without crutches after about 3 weeks and at 5 weeks the doctor said ok, no splint, no crutches, crack on.
Next up after this would probably have been the Ekka. Basically the Brisbane equivalent of the Middlesex Show, but larger. I took Tillie and Oskar for the day. Had a Dagwood Dog, which is basically Toad In The Hole on a stick, but it's amazing! Had our faces painted (facebook) was snapped for a newspaper, went on plenty of little childrens rides and saw a fair few animals and a dressage show. The children were dying by the end of it, especially as we spent an eternity walking around the Showbag Pavillion trying to decide on a bag for each of them and their little brother Olly who stayed home with Mummy because trying to take all three of them would have been a feat beyond even supernanny, who I am not! "Showbag Pavillion?" I hear you ask. My Mummys nightmare. A huge warehouse filled with bags and bags of tut for sale cheaper than you'd pay for the entire contenets normally. So, so, so many bags. The Fairies, High 5, The Wiggles, Batman, Superman, Bob The Builder, Cadburys, Nestle, you name it they had a bag for it and of course the choice is far to great for a child and so we spent about an hour wandering desperately trying to pick something. I could have died. I bought a hoody that had a smoking Rabbit on it. Allow the tut...almost. After taking the children for a day I realised that Lauren and I would have to go back so that I could do the grown up rides that I din't even sniff with the children. We bought Ninja showbags and had our faces painted. Video on facebook of us in "The Slingshot"...amazing. Lauren looks like she's facially constipated. Basically it was a giant funfair and of course I couldn't get enough of it. Lauren went on next to nothing because she's a giant wuss. I ended up bored of being the only one into it and we went home to bed as tired as the children had been.
Next...
About 3 weeks ago the Weinerts (that's Jon and Nic's surname, everytime I say the family I feel like i'm married to the mob or something) took me to the Noosa hinterlands. Ninderry it's called. The hinterlands are the mountain ranges set back from the coast of Oz. Hinterlands are the middle part and the tablelands are the tops of the mountains. Anyways went up there for a weekend. Jons friend Jack was turning 50 and they all went dirtbiking (Jonny is huge into motorbikes, dirtbiking in particular.) Jonny organised a huge ride on the Friday and then there was a massive party at the most amazing house afterwards. The Cubby House (facebook) Went on until the wee hours and I was feeling pretty rancid the next day. But no rest for the wicked and certainately not with the three sprockets whom I take care of. Saturday we went to the beach and just hung out around the place, having a much quieter evening before heading off early doors Sunday morning. Nicole and Jonny went off to see some garden show thing, so Itook the sproglets with moi. They were so puffed out they immediately fell asleep for the hour long journey back.
So I believe next in line for a storytelling would be the weekend just gone, which of course was Laurens 21st. She was pretty down and gutted that she'd be spending this birthday here with no-one, but me and that she couldn't have a big party because we don;'t really have anyone to invite and so it was up to me to do something. So I did. Planned it all in advance and everything. Hired a car (KIA, RIO we named him Ryu after the Street Fighter dude) spunky little thing that I did not want to have to give back.. He was just like a go-kart! Anyways so I collect Lauren Wednesday night after my dance classes and take her back to my house. We end up on a late night cruise to MacDonalds for munch. Australian MacDonalds at 1am. Interesting experience. I'm pretty sure the Australians got more than their fair share of freaks and weirdos, but that's only to be expected from a land full of convicts and pot heads. Anyways we went home and crawled into bed, me knowing full well that we had two full days ahead of us. Happy birthday singing total at this point - 1.
Thursday 28th August - Laurens 21st
The children come and hop into bed with me and in the loudest whisper ever Tillie sits on my head as she does most mornings, pokes me and say "aren't you going to get up and make Lauren her breakfast". There goes that surprise. I rolled over and told Lauren that I had planned on bringing her breakfast in bed, but what with the lack of sleep and recent stomach filling of McBurger I was going to wait until we were both awake and kicking-ish. We get up and make our way up to the lounge where the children dump a pile of presents on her lap. She was spoilt rotten by the Weinerts. Board shorts, t-shirt, little water boucning ball, hooded towel and some other bits that I can't remember. I got her a star to mirror what she bought me for my 21st. Eventually we'll get round to choosing them and then we'll have 2 stars in the sky together to commemorate 5 years of friendship and of course this trip. After that me and Nic begin brekkie. Jonny has decided that today he will returf the back garden. So Lauren gets a ride on Grants lap up and down the garden in a bobcat. The video is brilliant. If my stupid phone wasn't buggered it'd be on facebook already. Then we had eggy bread, sausages, bacon, bucks fizz and I almost poisoned Lauren with a raw fried egg. I don't eat fried eggs and I never make them so how am I supposed to know about this splashing oil stuff. Give me a recipe book and I can make a gourmet meal, but I can't fry an egg. Typical me. After brekkie we got dressed and loaded up the car dressed like a couple of fairies. Good look. Lauren has no idea what is going on and has to pack for a few nights away so in my quest to sort her our I end up just throwing a few bits in, something I'll later regret not taking more time over.
We drive along merrily and listen to the cd's that Laurens Mum made her. I sing at the top of my lungs and behave like a nob to try and cheer up missy as she is obviously a bit homesick at this point. She has a bit of a cry and then we just chat crap for a bit. We finally arrive at...
DREAMWORLD.
This is a theme park located about an hour from Brisbane. We trundle inside and begin rides. I'm not going into much detail because basically it was a bit cak and also my memory is rather lacking after eating a special cookie that we aquired for Laurens birthday. I do remember that this resukted in a 6 scoop ice cream sundae though and also some rather funny facial expressions from Lauren on some of the thrilling rides looking as though she's on the teacups on their way to lalaland or some such other totally unadventurous place. So once we've had our fill of Dreamworld (and some rather yummy fudge) we hop back into Ryu and bust a groove North for almost 3 hours. Lauren is still unawares as to where we're going.
Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast for your information. I've booked us into a lovely 2 bedroom apartment right near the beacj for 2 nights. We arrive and we feel as though we're on holiday. It was a good feeling that i'm looking forward to recapturing. We book in, get changed and bust a groove to The Surf Club where our friend Lyndsey (Northern Irish girl we met in Cairns) is working. When she gets off we sit outside having a few ciggies and a drink and end up meeting a mental Aussie called Lizzie and a girl Sarah who also works there. We go back to our apartment where Lizzie ends up turning into a nightmare and insisting upon wrestling me because ":that's what we do in Queensland, we wrestle." I took her down...3 times. She even bodyslammed me onto the arm of a chair and I stioll got up and kicked her arse which she bitched about and pissed me off basically so that in the end I just had to ask her to leave and Sarah obligingly took her. However before Lizzie became a nightmare we presented Lauren with a cake and 21 candles and sang Happy Birthday at least 3 times. I was shouting to passers by in the street three levels down to sing also. I'd had a fair amount of Amaretto to be fair.
Friday we wake up and we feel a bit cak. I get up early and head off to the Patisserie to collect laurens secong cake (still no idea) and then drop in down at The Wharf, where we will later be meeting up with Steve Irwins Whale Watching boat for the third part of Laurens birthday surprise. I go back to the apartment collect Lauren and return with her none the wiser to whats going on until she sees the actual boat. We hop on get tea find a seat and away we go to the open sea.
We spent about 4 hours watching tops of fins bobbing up and down, but nothing spectacular and then suddenly we found this pne whale that breached (jumps up out of the water and turns 180 degrees onto their back) over and over again. Then we kept coming across more and more pods flipping and slapping their fins and all sorts of acrobatics. A few came really close up around the edge of the boat (which they call mugging) and the water is so crystal claer and you can see these beautiful huge creatures moving gracefully right past you. We had an awesome spot at the helm and...it was amazing. Lauren took videos, I'll post the link when she puts them up. After about an hour of this the Captain says ok we're heading back in now. As if they knew these 2 whales leapt right up out of the water and flipped opposite ways. Was an amazing finish. Captain turns the boat around heads back in and then announces over the PA that there's a birthday on board. Out comes the cake from one of the Crew and the whole boat sings Happy Birthday to Lauren. In the middle of the Ocean after seeing all this awesomeness and this cake was AMAZING! Chocolate Mud Cake (a real Aussie cake) with massive belgian chocolate decor on the top. No candles because I figured the wind would blow them out, but it was spectacular. Tasted good too, although in the main everyone else on the boat ate it.
Get back in to port and go driving up through the hinterlands of Noosa. I realise that we'r e right near "The Giant Cubby House" and stop in to show Lauren and say hi to Jack and Noeline who own it. We then head back to the apartemnt order Thai, I have a massively bubbly spa bath (first bath i've been able to have since leaving England!) and my friend Beck whom I met dancing in Brisbane came over for a catch up. After she left I ended up pretty drunk and collapsed into bed at some point.
Had a late checkout the next day so got up late, monged out on the balcony and then packed up and went home. Pretty depressing that was as it was back to the grind feeling. Went to my house to pick up my outfit for the birthday shennanigans and Nic suggested we take the car down to Byron and keep the holiday feeling alive. The original plan had just been to go out clubbing in Brisbane, but me and Lauren liked teh idea of a secind road trip so went to her house grabbed Ben, Shaun and Donal, (Laurens flatmates) got into our fancy dress outfits (facebook pictures) and hopped in the car. We checked into a hostel that told us we looked like trouble and we better not trash the place or vomit everywhere and then went out drinking. We got stopped and thoroughly checked over to get in a few places, but in the main wee were ok and just got drunk and had a laugh. At some point we lost the boys, but we ended up at pretty much the only club in Byron Bay with a nice guy from Essex called Martin. He left after a while and me and Laurnen were ready to call it quits so went back to the hostel and crashed. Had a fair amount of giggling in the process thanks to the boys snoring and Donal dreaming of Shaun.
Anyhow we woke up the next morning rolled down to the beach were the Aussies thought we were all mad swimming in the ocean, before loading back in to the car and heading homeward. Stopped on the way and got BBQ and more alcohol and had a BBQ at Laurens before crashing into bed and sleeping like the dead.
All in all a good weekend.
Anyways...
Firstly sorry I know it's been a while. This has been for a few reasons, but in the main just because I have been busy, busy, busy. Although still not much to tell you because it's all pretty mundane at my end. At least for me it is.
Secondly, thanks to all three of my Fathers loves for your continuous updates even when you have no new news to read.
Well your about to get an influx, because it has been about 3 months since I did a real blog and a lot has happened all be it not amazingly interesting. So I'll try and start where I left off, but chances are it's going to get messy and confusing. It just wouldn't be my life if it didn't now would it.
I'm still in Brisbane, fly out of here back to Cairns on October 7th. I'm still working as a Nanny. Everyday I spend with these children just brings home how hard it is going to be leaving them, how much I miss my family and how much I'm desperate to really enjoy them once I'm home.
I'm no longer living with Lauren, I moved out of our flat and in with my "urban family" about 4 weeks ago. It just wasn't working out with us both in each others pockets. My homesickness coupled with a few things I have come to realise since being here meant that it was time to cut loose and just get out of the headspace I was in. It's hard living where you work, mainly because i'm still in someone elses home, but Nic and Jon have made me feel so like a part of the family that I don't really notice. Of course that means there's no differentiation between work and play, but of course there never is with children. Nicoles knee is better. She can drive and wander around ok now. She still has hydrotherapy and physio and things, but in the main she's good. Will be a long tiome for a full recovery though I think.
So the last thing I told you about...
I went to Sydney for a weekend. Whale Beach. Beautiful. Not a lot to tell as I was working and din't really get to see a lot. Flew in over the city and was breathless at the view. Stunning when the sun is reflecting off the harbour and the boats look like toys. However when we got there we drove straight to Nicoles sister Simones house, who'd just had a beautiful little girl "Indy Willa" where we spent the weekend between a B & B and this lovely little cottage type house overlooking a magnificent view of Whale Beach. I was working so I spent the weekend with very little sleep, feeling a bit out of sorts because as much as Nic and Jon make me a part of the family was a little weird because no-one else seemed to know what to do with me. I did however meet Almy, Nicoles Grandmother. Amazing woman. She came to Australia as a refugee in the Second World War and has some of the most phenomenal stories to tell. As you should all know war and how people coped just fascinates me and this woman had me welling up with tears at her troubles. I'd also just recieved an email from Nanny Pam that said how English schools would no longer teach about the Holocaust because of a bunch of twats who don't think it ever happened and so being ridiculous and so typically British we're trying not to piss anyone off. Got pretty het up about it as you can imagine. I am still disgusted that my children will never be taught at school about one of the most attrocious acts of human fear and hatred and...oh I just can't believe it. Anyway...on our last day drove back into the city and saw the bridge and the opera house. View was better up above. Sydney Harbour Bridge is...well it's a bridge and the Opera house...dated and needs a bloody good wash. Sorry, but that's the truth. There was no godsmacking beauty about any of it when my feet were firmly grounded.
Next up...Nic had her knee operation, was in agony but she's a bit of a soldier and so was walking around without crutches after about 3 weeks and at 5 weeks the doctor said ok, no splint, no crutches, crack on.
Next up after this would probably have been the Ekka. Basically the Brisbane equivalent of the Middlesex Show, but larger. I took Tillie and Oskar for the day. Had a Dagwood Dog, which is basically Toad In The Hole on a stick, but it's amazing! Had our faces painted (facebook) was snapped for a newspaper, went on plenty of little childrens rides and saw a fair few animals and a dressage show. The children were dying by the end of it, especially as we spent an eternity walking around the Showbag Pavillion trying to decide on a bag for each of them and their little brother Olly who stayed home with Mummy because trying to take all three of them would have been a feat beyond even supernanny, who I am not! "Showbag Pavillion?" I hear you ask. My Mummys nightmare. A huge warehouse filled with bags and bags of tut for sale cheaper than you'd pay for the entire contenets normally. So, so, so many bags. The Fairies, High 5, The Wiggles, Batman, Superman, Bob The Builder, Cadburys, Nestle, you name it they had a bag for it and of course the choice is far to great for a child and so we spent about an hour wandering desperately trying to pick something. I could have died. I bought a hoody that had a smoking Rabbit on it. Allow the tut...almost. After taking the children for a day I realised that Lauren and I would have to go back so that I could do the grown up rides that I din't even sniff with the children. We bought Ninja showbags and had our faces painted. Video on facebook of us in "The Slingshot"...amazing. Lauren looks like she's facially constipated. Basically it was a giant funfair and of course I couldn't get enough of it. Lauren went on next to nothing because she's a giant wuss. I ended up bored of being the only one into it and we went home to bed as tired as the children had been.
Next...
About 3 weeks ago the Weinerts (that's Jon and Nic's surname, everytime I say the family I feel like i'm married to the mob or something) took me to the Noosa hinterlands. Ninderry it's called. The hinterlands are the mountain ranges set back from the coast of Oz. Hinterlands are the middle part and the tablelands are the tops of the mountains. Anyways went up there for a weekend. Jons friend Jack was turning 50 and they all went dirtbiking (Jonny is huge into motorbikes, dirtbiking in particular.) Jonny organised a huge ride on the Friday and then there was a massive party at the most amazing house afterwards. The Cubby House (facebook) Went on until the wee hours and I was feeling pretty rancid the next day. But no rest for the wicked and certainately not with the three sprockets whom I take care of. Saturday we went to the beach and just hung out around the place, having a much quieter evening before heading off early doors Sunday morning. Nicole and Jonny went off to see some garden show thing, so Itook the sproglets with moi. They were so puffed out they immediately fell asleep for the hour long journey back.
So I believe next in line for a storytelling would be the weekend just gone, which of course was Laurens 21st. She was pretty down and gutted that she'd be spending this birthday here with no-one, but me and that she couldn't have a big party because we don;'t really have anyone to invite and so it was up to me to do something. So I did. Planned it all in advance and everything. Hired a car (KIA, RIO we named him Ryu after the Street Fighter dude) spunky little thing that I did not want to have to give back.. He was just like a go-kart! Anyways so I collect Lauren Wednesday night after my dance classes and take her back to my house. We end up on a late night cruise to MacDonalds for munch. Australian MacDonalds at 1am. Interesting experience. I'm pretty sure the Australians got more than their fair share of freaks and weirdos, but that's only to be expected from a land full of convicts and pot heads. Anyways we went home and crawled into bed, me knowing full well that we had two full days ahead of us. Happy birthday singing total at this point - 1.
Thursday 28th August - Laurens 21st
The children come and hop into bed with me and in the loudest whisper ever Tillie sits on my head as she does most mornings, pokes me and say "aren't you going to get up and make Lauren her breakfast". There goes that surprise. I rolled over and told Lauren that I had planned on bringing her breakfast in bed, but what with the lack of sleep and recent stomach filling of McBurger I was going to wait until we were both awake and kicking-ish. We get up and make our way up to the lounge where the children dump a pile of presents on her lap. She was spoilt rotten by the Weinerts. Board shorts, t-shirt, little water boucning ball, hooded towel and some other bits that I can't remember. I got her a star to mirror what she bought me for my 21st. Eventually we'll get round to choosing them and then we'll have 2 stars in the sky together to commemorate 5 years of friendship and of course this trip. After that me and Nic begin brekkie. Jonny has decided that today he will returf the back garden. So Lauren gets a ride on Grants lap up and down the garden in a bobcat. The video is brilliant. If my stupid phone wasn't buggered it'd be on facebook already. Then we had eggy bread, sausages, bacon, bucks fizz and I almost poisoned Lauren with a raw fried egg. I don't eat fried eggs and I never make them so how am I supposed to know about this splashing oil stuff. Give me a recipe book and I can make a gourmet meal, but I can't fry an egg. Typical me. After brekkie we got dressed and loaded up the car dressed like a couple of fairies. Good look. Lauren has no idea what is going on and has to pack for a few nights away so in my quest to sort her our I end up just throwing a few bits in, something I'll later regret not taking more time over.
We drive along merrily and listen to the cd's that Laurens Mum made her. I sing at the top of my lungs and behave like a nob to try and cheer up missy as she is obviously a bit homesick at this point. She has a bit of a cry and then we just chat crap for a bit. We finally arrive at...
DREAMWORLD.
This is a theme park located about an hour from Brisbane. We trundle inside and begin rides. I'm not going into much detail because basically it was a bit cak and also my memory is rather lacking after eating a special cookie that we aquired for Laurens birthday. I do remember that this resukted in a 6 scoop ice cream sundae though and also some rather funny facial expressions from Lauren on some of the thrilling rides looking as though she's on the teacups on their way to lalaland or some such other totally unadventurous place. So once we've had our fill of Dreamworld (and some rather yummy fudge) we hop back into Ryu and bust a groove North for almost 3 hours. Lauren is still unawares as to where we're going.
Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast for your information. I've booked us into a lovely 2 bedroom apartment right near the beacj for 2 nights. We arrive and we feel as though we're on holiday. It was a good feeling that i'm looking forward to recapturing. We book in, get changed and bust a groove to The Surf Club where our friend Lyndsey (Northern Irish girl we met in Cairns) is working. When she gets off we sit outside having a few ciggies and a drink and end up meeting a mental Aussie called Lizzie and a girl Sarah who also works there. We go back to our apartment where Lizzie ends up turning into a nightmare and insisting upon wrestling me because ":that's what we do in Queensland, we wrestle." I took her down...3 times. She even bodyslammed me onto the arm of a chair and I stioll got up and kicked her arse which she bitched about and pissed me off basically so that in the end I just had to ask her to leave and Sarah obligingly took her. However before Lizzie became a nightmare we presented Lauren with a cake and 21 candles and sang Happy Birthday at least 3 times. I was shouting to passers by in the street three levels down to sing also. I'd had a fair amount of Amaretto to be fair.
Friday we wake up and we feel a bit cak. I get up early and head off to the Patisserie to collect laurens secong cake (still no idea) and then drop in down at The Wharf, where we will later be meeting up with Steve Irwins Whale Watching boat for the third part of Laurens birthday surprise. I go back to the apartment collect Lauren and return with her none the wiser to whats going on until she sees the actual boat. We hop on get tea find a seat and away we go to the open sea.
We spent about 4 hours watching tops of fins bobbing up and down, but nothing spectacular and then suddenly we found this pne whale that breached (jumps up out of the water and turns 180 degrees onto their back) over and over again. Then we kept coming across more and more pods flipping and slapping their fins and all sorts of acrobatics. A few came really close up around the edge of the boat (which they call mugging) and the water is so crystal claer and you can see these beautiful huge creatures moving gracefully right past you. We had an awesome spot at the helm and...it was amazing. Lauren took videos, I'll post the link when she puts them up. After about an hour of this the Captain says ok we're heading back in now. As if they knew these 2 whales leapt right up out of the water and flipped opposite ways. Was an amazing finish. Captain turns the boat around heads back in and then announces over the PA that there's a birthday on board. Out comes the cake from one of the Crew and the whole boat sings Happy Birthday to Lauren. In the middle of the Ocean after seeing all this awesomeness and this cake was AMAZING! Chocolate Mud Cake (a real Aussie cake) with massive belgian chocolate decor on the top. No candles because I figured the wind would blow them out, but it was spectacular. Tasted good too, although in the main everyone else on the boat ate it.
Get back in to port and go driving up through the hinterlands of Noosa. I realise that we'r e right near "The Giant Cubby House" and stop in to show Lauren and say hi to Jack and Noeline who own it. We then head back to the apartemnt order Thai, I have a massively bubbly spa bath (first bath i've been able to have since leaving England!) and my friend Beck whom I met dancing in Brisbane came over for a catch up. After she left I ended up pretty drunk and collapsed into bed at some point.
Had a late checkout the next day so got up late, monged out on the balcony and then packed up and went home. Pretty depressing that was as it was back to the grind feeling. Went to my house to pick up my outfit for the birthday shennanigans and Nic suggested we take the car down to Byron and keep the holiday feeling alive. The original plan had just been to go out clubbing in Brisbane, but me and Lauren liked teh idea of a secind road trip so went to her house grabbed Ben, Shaun and Donal, (Laurens flatmates) got into our fancy dress outfits (facebook pictures) and hopped in the car. We checked into a hostel that told us we looked like trouble and we better not trash the place or vomit everywhere and then went out drinking. We got stopped and thoroughly checked over to get in a few places, but in the main wee were ok and just got drunk and had a laugh. At some point we lost the boys, but we ended up at pretty much the only club in Byron Bay with a nice guy from Essex called Martin. He left after a while and me and Laurnen were ready to call it quits so went back to the hostel and crashed. Had a fair amount of giggling in the process thanks to the boys snoring and Donal dreaming of Shaun.
Anyhow we woke up the next morning rolled down to the beach were the Aussies thought we were all mad swimming in the ocean, before loading back in to the car and heading homeward. Stopped on the way and got BBQ and more alcohol and had a BBQ at Laurens before crashing into bed and sleeping like the dead.
All in all a good weekend.
Sunday, 20 July 2008
Eager Beaver
So this is a weird post, but i'm tired and I just had to tell you because this just about sums up Australian humour.
I just saw a feminine hygiene product advert that basically tailed a woman living her life, out at a restaurant, on the beach, hailing a cab, carrying a beaver.
The end line...
Because you only have one.
I just can't imagine it happening on English television.
Or has it?
I'll do a proper blog soon I promise.
I just saw a feminine hygiene product advert that basically tailed a woman living her life, out at a restaurant, on the beach, hailing a cab, carrying a beaver.
The end line...
Because you only have one.
I just can't imagine it happening on English television.
Or has it?
I'll do a proper blog soon I promise.
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