News

So it is exciting times....I had written a blog about how not a lot had been happening which was why I hadn't posted anything but I couldn't publish it....clearly the universe knew better than me that something was going to happen!!! I will give you the back dated story and then get to the exciting news (that you have probably already seen on FB but will tell you more about it!).

So since I got back from Moreton Bay I have registered with a couple of recruitment agencies to start the temporary work search. I quite quickly got an 8 day contract with an Insurance company covering someone in their admin dept's holiday. Basic word admin - nice and simple, no stress - not a huge amount to do but if they are going to pay me to read my book then that was there call! Met a really lovely girl (R) who was working there on a long term temp contract (that makes no sense I realise - they keep extending the contract) and we went out for post-work drinks on the Friday and I stumbled home at 11.30pm rather inebriated (if that is how you spell it) - in my defence the cosmopolitans were on a deal for happy hour - 2 for $11 when they are normally $18 dollars for 1! Yeah alcohol is stupid expensive over here!

Anyway, the following week I finished off my 8 days and had the Thurs & Fri off - just as well really as I had picked up a bug from the air con and felt rubbish so was able to relax and chill out etc before we headed up to Murgen, which is where SP's parents live, for the weekend. It’s about 4 hours away from Brisbane and we had a nice chilled weekend. I have never seen the night sky look so amazing as out there - so clear and beautiful - twas lovely!

We got back Sunday afternoon and on the Monday I had an interview with another agency to register with them. With no work planned I was a little anxious to get something and then one of the agencies called and got me some data inputting work. So I have been doing that all week.

Then on Friday I found out I got an Event Co-ordinator position that I had gone for, 2 mth contract, fab pay, working on events to reward the QLD disaster heroes all over QLD. It’s going to be a fab job. I didn't expect to get it because I am away for the first couple of weeks of May and also a couple of the event dates (there are 9 I think) are on the same night as my course that starts in the beginning of June so there were a lot of no's to it BUT they want me anyway - I am so thrilled!!!

I had Friday night cocktails with DG, R and one of her friends last night in celebration - well it would be rude not to, wouldn't it?

Moreton Island

So having been sat round not doing much for the last couple of weeks and with the prospect of starting work on Monday I thought I should get in some sight seeing so I booked myself onto a day trip to Moreton Island just off the coast near Brisbane.

Yesterday I got up super early (half past 5) and made my way into the city to meet up with the tour people at 6.45am! Why everything has to start so early I don't know...was a kicker on the tour in October and I am guessing it is going to be the same when I go to Alice Springs in May.

Anyway, I digress....Moreton Island is reportedly the second biggest sand island in the world, after Fraser Island which is furher up the coast. To get to the island we were taken to a service station on the way out of Brisbane by one guide who was heading off to Fraser Island with another group and we were collected by another guide who took us to the Port of Brisbane to catch the Micat over to the Island. There were four of us who were heading over, me and three girls from Brazil - all very nice but only one of them could speak English so communicating was definitely interesting! The boat took about 1hr and 30mins to get across to Moreton Island which looks like this from a distance....



There are no offical roads on the island, they are all surprisingly enough made of sand so in order to get round it you need to have a 4WD vehicle and luckily enough for us Graham our guide for the day was waiting on the beach with one to take us round with the group who had been on a 2 day tour and had camped there the night before. The boat dropped us off directly onto the beach and we were able to have a look at the ship wrecks there that are just of the coast.



They were pretty cool and if you were there for a longer stay you got the option of going snorking round them.

We all piled into the 4WD vehicle which was pretty basic but could fit the 11 of us in as the back had bench seats and we went across to the desert on the island and went sand toboganning....I don't have any photos of this as it was very sandy and I didn't want to trash my camera! The basic idea though is that you climb to the top of one of the dunes, lie face first on a piece of wood that has been waxed on one side, you pull up the front of it, put your elbows out and go down the dune....great fun but I opened my mouth on the 2nd run and got a mouthful - not helpful when the water was in the vehicle! Would definitely do it again and think I might take Mr & Mrs M if they come over in November!

After the important drink of water and the recovery from walking across the dunes (painful on both the calves and the lower back!) we headed down to the eastern beach which we drove all the way along and then went across the island to the Western Beach where we chilled out and rinsed off the sand whilst Graham organised our picnic lunch. There was a creek of some form running through the middle of the beach which had brown water in - yes I know it sounds disgusting but it was from the tea trees apparently so we rinsed off in there - weird as it was really warm on the top but cold on the bottom...very refreshing though! We then had our lunch before heading back across the island to Cape Moreton lighthouse which is apparently Queenslands oldest lighthouse...you can also look out over the ocean where we saw dolphins and turtles playing in the waves!





We then headed back to the campsite where the group had stayed the night before to get their kit and have a bit of a cool off in the Blue lagoon - which again was brown because of the trees but was a lovely freshwater lake that was nice and cool and we needed it the cooling down - so hot! I have a nice red mark on my back to prove it!

We then headed back across the island to get the boat back to the main land before us all heading in our separate directions...

It was a fab day but I was glad to get home to get rid of the sand and where we had a lovely meal of spaghetti bolognase made by matty and then a little St Paddy's day drink before I had an early night....nice jugs SP!



Its going to be a quiet couple of days before I start work on Monday!

Joining the Australian rat race!

I start my first temporary work assignment on Monday. I have no idea what I am going to be doing but I am sure it wil be fine. Central Brisbane for 8 working days, better pay than the UK which is always an added bonus. I am quite looking forward to it to be honest, will be nice to be out and about and meeting people.

I had an interview with a agency today who I was in touch with at the end of last year about a job that fell through in the end but he wants to approach them about my CV anyway to see if there is a possibility of contract work in the near future. I am kind of in 2 minds about it all, firstly I have just registered with agency 1 and they have a few bits and pieces coming up which could fill my time and earn me some A$ (I really only want work at the moment to cover living expenses so I can use my savings for the more fun bits!). Secondly, I have only been here a couple of weeks and I am not sure if I want to get a permanent job yet....I am still getting to know stuff about the area and whether I like it or not. I am happy to do some short term contract work but I'm just not sure yet on the permanent side of things and I don't think I will be for a while.

I think if I stick to my plan of temping for the next few months and doing my event course to get an idea of things then I can either start looking for a permanent job or I can do more temping/travelling before heading home at some point next year.....

All these decisions to make.....but not really needing to make any at the same time....god I love being a pisces and not being able to make decisions easily for myself! Give me someone elses problems and I can suggest things to do but when it comes to my stuff I really struggle to decide what I want! Ah well I am not in any rush, am loving this take things as they come lifestyle!

To do nothing or to do something...that is todays question!

So I have been here for a little over a week and have done pretty much nothing...it has been absolutely fantastic although I do feel a bit guilty about my lack of activity!

Its a welcome change to how my life was in the UK and when I think about it even though I officially finished work at the end of January I was then running around boxing up my house, saying goodbye to my peeps and then travelling over here! Maybe taking a couple of weeks to relax and just enjoy the rest isn't so bad!

I wake up when I want to, eat when I want to, pop over to the shopping centre which is near the house for a little meander (and to enjoy the air con!) and I have been into the city for a bit as well. I know at some point that I need to start looking at what I am going to do on a day-to-day basis with regards to work but so far I have just been enjoying planning the year and working out what I am going to do and when.

The first planned bit of travelling is in May when I will be back on the Contiki bus for 11 days travelling from Alice Springs to Darwin (via Ayers Rock/Uluru) and getting a feel for the Northern Territory. I just hope it can match up to how much fun I had on the tour in October! I am sure I will meet some lovely people and who knows I met people on the last tour that I hope will be friends for a good old while...its all about enhancing the old social community after all....you never know when you can go knocking on their door!

I am doing an event management course for 10(ish) weeks in Brisbane starting in June and then I have found a bus ticket that will take me from Brisbane to Adelaide over a 30 day period where I can stop over in places when I want to and move on when I want to (timetable obliging of course!). I think I will probably do this in September and then fingers crossed Mr & Mrs M are coming out November time.

And somewhere in all of that I am hoping to get some work in to help pay for life!

hmmm maybe I shouldn't feel too anxious about not doing anything...it is only the first couple of weeks after all!

New beginnings..

So I have finally made it to Australia, I can't quite believe that I am here yet and that I am not going home at any point soon...is a bit weird but is also a great feeling of freedom!

The journey was a long old trek...first flight on the beast that is the A380 was awesome although 14 hours and no sleep was a bit of a kicker...I managed to watch 6 films although I don't think that I could tell you which films I watched now! It wasn't too bad though as I had a spare seat next to me so could spread out a bit although sleep evaded me for the whole flight so by the time I arrived in Singapore I was wiped out...managed to stumble across to a shop and buy a bottle of water and a bagel before getting to the gate to wait for the next flight...Flight 2 not so bad as I had a whole row of seats so could stretch out and sleep....I normally can't sleep on flights but that didn't appear to be a problem this time round!

I finally arrived in Brisbane to zip through customs and meet up with the DG and SP who brought me back to my new home for the forseeable future....a nice couple of glasses of vino and then bedfordshire!

Since then I have been trying to limit the jet lag and get the first bits and pieces done...

Mobile phone....check
Bank account....check

now I just get to plan what I am going to do over the next few months before my event course starts in June.

Oh and BTW it is blooming hot!

Love it!

I've got a feeling...

Tonight is my leaving do....aarrgghh I think there will be quite a large number of glasses of alcoholic beverages...might need to be a vodka night to last though!

I leave Buckingham a week tomorrow and fly a week on Monday (staying with Mr and Mrs M for the last night so Mrs M can take me to the airport!).

I have done pretty well so far with the goodbyes, no tears yet but I have a feeling these are all to come as none of the goodbyes have involved alcohol....to the boys that are coming tonight I am sorry now!

I have had a lovely day of clearing out my understairs cupboard today which has involved 2 trips to the tip and 1 to the charity shop and I still have a load of boxes in my sitting room - although I do actually want to keep them! Its a bit weird, as because I am leaving the furniture it doesn't look like I am moving out but there is still quite a lot to do...

1. Three mornings at work training new person
2. Finish packing sitting room
3. Start packing kitchen - argh!
4. Decide what I am doing with clothes - take, store or charity
5. Pack
6. Deliver items to my Mum's house (Thursday afternoon)
7. Pack van and deliver items to A&JB's garage (Friday)
8. See Auntie C (this is hopeful depending on how item 7 goes!)

So I am just hoping I can get this all done in time...going to have to really but hey ho...last minute and I go hand in hand.

I basically have 5 days to do this all in as tomorrow is pretty much a write off from leaving do tonight but I might be able to get some packing in....bloody better really!

All very exciting - sooooooo looking forward to going now although don't think it is going to hit me until I actually get there that I am there for a year!

It is SO going to be worth it though!

3 weeks today....

At this time in approximately 3 weeks I should be (if all goes on time) tucked up in bed in my new Aussie abode! Exciting! Can't believe how quickly it is coming round now!

The next three weeks are going to be rather busy. My diary is as follows:

This week: Pack up the house in preparation for the arrival of Mrs M on Thursday or Friday (still to be confirmed) with the estate car to start moving my stuff down to my grandparents house.

Saturday morning travel to my grandparents house, deliver stuff to garage, take grandparents to aunties to celebrate JB's birthday with the whole family. Spend the night at my Auntie and Uncles house before travelling back to Buck for Sunday lunch with the girls and an evening of putting stuff on Ebay (well maybe I will pre-do this as I know how the sunday lunch normally ends up....messy!)

Monday & Tuesday of next week continue to box up the house, Tuesday afternoon/evening travel down to Chelters to see Dad and sMum for a few days (with a trip to see my Sister and family) then back to Buck for my leaving do on the 19th...recover and breathe on the 20th.

I then have three mornings at my old job training up my replacement when not there I will be completeing the additional packing etc and the related trips to various places to deposit more crap!

Drop car off on the Friday/Saturday to the buyer (all sorted- yay!) and then the last couple of nights in Buck before heading to London on the Sunday for flying out on the 28th....foof this is going to go quickly!

I will be in Australia before you know it! Woohoo...