Yesterday i went to work and had to shadow one of the senior dentists, Regart. He was surprised that Ammit couldnt get my surgery left handed on Monday so he said he would have a go at turning the surgery around for me, which he did successfully. At last, i have a left handed surgery!...so i thought...
The day was long and boring and made me feel like i was a student again doing work experience at a practice where all you can do is watch and not do any thing yourself. The waiting list here at Hervey Bay is 9 and half years to be seen fora routine examination! They say that if you get someone off the waiting list, you are to carry out whatever treatment they require, no matter how expensive, just because they have been waiting so long. I find it quite backward in that if we want a special type of x ray, we have to refer the pt out somewhere else to then come back at a later date to review the x ray, to then come up with a treatment plan so that finally on the 3rd visit some form of treatment can be started. Why not just get an OPG machine on site and cut the three appts into one? ...oh well ill just go with the flow! When i got home yesterday evening, Gaz had prepared a meal and we enjoyed some episodes of the inbetweeners that he has managed to download. I was starting to feel more and more nervous about my first day in work with patients.
Outside was a thunder and lightening storm which Gaz and I watched from the balcony. The lightning strikes were very impressive and kept on coming for about half an hour.
Today i woke up and headed to work early as i wanted a chance to play about with the cair and get used to my surroundings. I wasnt prepared for what happened next...
I entered my surgery to find the head nurse going mental about something. I could sense the tension as i approached the doorway and asked if everything was alright. "No not really," The head nurse began...."Im really angry that the room was changed behind my back to left handed when i was away yesterday, especially when Monday you said you were alright with it as right handed." I scanned the room and saw the nurse had already changed the equipment back to right handed. Can i just point out that they tried to make it left handed on monday but said the chair wouldnt change to a left handed...being new and not wanting to cause a scene, i said i would just have to put up with it....but knowing now the chair actually does go 100% left handed...i dont see why i cant have the left handed surgery i was promised before i signed up for the job?! I pointed out that we didn't do it behind her back as she was stating, she had got the wrong end of the stick. She said it as though I had personally set out to stab her in the back? She said the room isnt a left handed room as all the nurses units would still be on the side for a right handed unit and it would be more work for the nurse to have to keep popping back and for to get stuff. This is ridiculous though as the nurse has a portable cart she puts all the stuff she needs on at the beginning of the treatment any way and all mixing is done on that cart. I was in shock at how i had just been spoken to and just shrugged it off saying ok whatever i didnt realise it would cause problems, just leave it as it is then and ill see how i get on. The head nurse stormed off and i was a bit upset that i had just been spoken to like that. I tried the right handed surgery for the day but i must be honest, it was less than satisfactory. I had to keep leaning over the pt to grab things off my dental cart with my left hand, the cart was positioned right on top of the pt to allow the drills to extend over to the left hand side and the more i thought about it, the more it thought hang on, where am i going to stand for taking impressions and taking out teeth...im going to have to adapt a lot if im to keep the surgery right handed. Gareth was fuming at lunch time that i had been dictated to by a nurse...even if she IS head nurse, she shouldnt be telling me how to run my surgery. In the afternoon i spoke to the senior dentist who is in charge of me, Regart. He is also left handed but 'copes' with a right handed unit. He said if he had it his way, the surgery would be left handed for me " but you must know that the dentists are not in charge around here" he said shaking his head. This head nurse is in charge by the sounds of it! Regart said he would ask the clinical director (who is also a dentist) what should be done with the room. I dont know what the directors answer was but at 4pm i was sitting in the common room and the head nurse stormed past me...she looked as though she had been crying so i know it was to do with me. Regart approached me at the end of the day but the room was crowded so he said "ill have to have a word with you tomorrow about the surgery."
I have gone through the emotions about the whole situation...this morning i was upset about how i was spoken to and now im just angry that i have been promised a left handed surgery...an im IN a left handed surgery but one arsey nurse isnt letting it be anyone elses way other than hers!
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Monday, 29 August 2011
Monday 29th August - First day of work
After snuggling up in bed last night we heard the clucking noise from Bob (the gecko) in the garage.
"Awww yay Bobs back!" i shrieked, rather excited to think the little gecko chooses our garage to carry out his night time shenanigans. "Gaz does Bob eat ants?" i questioned..."probabley." Gaz replied. And then it occurred to us that we have just poisoned the ants and we were gonna have one sick Bob if he went near them. I feared for Bobs safety. But alas, the ants are all gone and we heard Bob chatting away earlier so ants cant be his thing. but if he isnt eating ants...then WHAT is he eating?! And what is in our garage that is so tasty? I dread to think!
Today was my first day in work. 6.45am my alarm rang and i dragged myself out of bed, enviously leaving Gareth cuddled up in the duvet. So jealous! It felt like my first day in school. All these new faces...some people really made the effort to talk to me...others just bypassed me. I did keep getting introduced to one poor girl over and over. Everytime she walked past me someone would go 'hey Marina, have you met Vicky?'. After about the fifth meeting of Marina, we pretended we didn't know each other and just humoured the whole greeting process again. Today in work was very boring...yet essential. I sat in a room with the new director of Queensland Health (Malcolm) and Ammit (Seniour clinician) and we went through all the health and safety, protocols etc etc. It took alllll day and by the end of it i stopped listening and started thinking about dinner. After work Gaz met me on the corner from work and we went to buy the ingredients for tonights spag bol which Gaz cooked for me. He did have bad news for me...it would appear that we have been driving around with the wrong registration on the car! Let me explain...
The car dealer rung Gaz and said the people who rego'd the car had registered it as one liscence number but given the wrong car plates. this therefore means our insurance would not have covered the car so we have more or less been driving an uninsured car for the past few days! The dealer is coming around tomorrow to give us the correct plates and poor Gaz has to ring up the insurance and HOPEFULLY there will be no administration fee to change the reg.
After a delicious dinner, Gaz downloaded planet of the apes film...in less than 35mins can i add! We have 17MB of download speed!
"Awww yay Bobs back!" i shrieked, rather excited to think the little gecko chooses our garage to carry out his night time shenanigans. "Gaz does Bob eat ants?" i questioned..."probabley." Gaz replied. And then it occurred to us that we have just poisoned the ants and we were gonna have one sick Bob if he went near them. I feared for Bobs safety. But alas, the ants are all gone and we heard Bob chatting away earlier so ants cant be his thing. but if he isnt eating ants...then WHAT is he eating?! And what is in our garage that is so tasty? I dread to think!
Today was my first day in work. 6.45am my alarm rang and i dragged myself out of bed, enviously leaving Gareth cuddled up in the duvet. So jealous! It felt like my first day in school. All these new faces...some people really made the effort to talk to me...others just bypassed me. I did keep getting introduced to one poor girl over and over. Everytime she walked past me someone would go 'hey Marina, have you met Vicky?'. After about the fifth meeting of Marina, we pretended we didn't know each other and just humoured the whole greeting process again. Today in work was very boring...yet essential. I sat in a room with the new director of Queensland Health (Malcolm) and Ammit (Seniour clinician) and we went through all the health and safety, protocols etc etc. It took alllll day and by the end of it i stopped listening and started thinking about dinner. After work Gaz met me on the corner from work and we went to buy the ingredients for tonights spag bol which Gaz cooked for me. He did have bad news for me...it would appear that we have been driving around with the wrong registration on the car! Let me explain...
The car dealer rung Gaz and said the people who rego'd the car had registered it as one liscence number but given the wrong car plates. this therefore means our insurance would not have covered the car so we have more or less been driving an uninsured car for the past few days! The dealer is coming around tomorrow to give us the correct plates and poor Gaz has to ring up the insurance and HOPEFULLY there will be no administration fee to change the reg.
After a delicious dinner, Gaz downloaded planet of the apes film...in less than 35mins can i add! We have 17MB of download speed!
Sunday, 28 August 2011
Sunday 28th August - Killer ants!
Gaz played on his computer again this morning whilst i took the car out to take some photos. The photos i took weren't very exciting today as although the sun was shining, the tide was right out. We finally worked out how to use the washing machine only when hanging the clothes out on the line, i was under attack from ants! In their thousands, they began crawling frantically up my leg...i screamed like a typical girl does and ran inside. Being determined i would not be defeated in hanging up the washing, i donned my riding boots and completed the mission! As the ants have started getting in to the garage, we went and bought some ant killer which they appeared to find very tasty so fingers crossed they will fill their bellies and die.
Ive just cooked Gaz a stir fry and will shortly be having a relaxing bath before an early night....work tomorrow! i cant wait! As you can tell from the length of the blog....absolutely nothing has happened today!
Ive just cooked Gaz a stir fry and will shortly be having a relaxing bath before an early night....work tomorrow! i cant wait! As you can tell from the length of the blog....absolutely nothing has happened today!
Saturday, 27 August 2011
Saturday 27th August - Cheat day!
Gaz got up 9ish and played about on his computer. I on the other hand slept in till 11am...oops. Sometimes i think the more sleep you have, the more tired you become and that's exactly how i felt this morning! I forced myself out of bed and thought as Gaz is on the computer, ill leave him to it and i shall go out and take some photos. Gaz reckons we are becoming more and more like his parents everyday as this is exactly what Chris would get up to! I had no idea what i was going to photograph, i went with the intention on snapping whatever looked interesting. I didnt have to look far for inspiration as just over the road from the house were some ducks who let me get quite close. Infact there were quite a few different birds i managed to take pictures of which was perfect as the sky was grey so i figured landscape views were not going to be very appealing in this merky light.
I avoided going on the beach as i didnt want to get sand in the camera so i kept to the cycle path that goes all along the coast and up and around point vernon (where the posh houses are). I had walked aimlessly for 2 hours before gaz rung offering to pick me up to take me for lunch.Whilst waiting for him i managed to spot a kookaburra on a telephone line and a parakeet hidden in the trees.
One thing i do really like about Hervey Bay is how well the government has placed outdoor facilities. There was a beautiful outdoor pool for children with lots of fountains and slides. It is called 'wet side' if you want to google it. I couldnt take pictures of it as it didnt feel right with little kids in their swim suits playing! They also have a wave machine there so gaz and i will have to give that a go at some point! Also along the walk i went on were many outdoor BBQ areas. I saw families cooking away at lunch time whilst the kids played in the many play areas. It was really nice to see!
As it is cheat day, Gaz and i are allowd to eat whatever we like. We were starving at lunch time so headed for the boat house for burger and chips - yummy. We were REALLY naughty and had a chocolate bar aswell. This evening Gaz has been invited out for drinks with the new rugby club he has signed up to. that is where he is whilst i write this blog. It is pouring with rain so ive dropped him up to the hervey bay hotel up the road and am under strict orders to pick him up in 45 mins so that we can go for food. we are dining out tonight at the local italian which always seems packed...cant be any worse than the indian!!!
I avoided going on the beach as i didnt want to get sand in the camera so i kept to the cycle path that goes all along the coast and up and around point vernon (where the posh houses are). I had walked aimlessly for 2 hours before gaz rung offering to pick me up to take me for lunch.Whilst waiting for him i managed to spot a kookaburra on a telephone line and a parakeet hidden in the trees.
One thing i do really like about Hervey Bay is how well the government has placed outdoor facilities. There was a beautiful outdoor pool for children with lots of fountains and slides. It is called 'wet side' if you want to google it. I couldnt take pictures of it as it didnt feel right with little kids in their swim suits playing! They also have a wave machine there so gaz and i will have to give that a go at some point! Also along the walk i went on were many outdoor BBQ areas. I saw families cooking away at lunch time whilst the kids played in the many play areas. It was really nice to see!
As it is cheat day, Gaz and i are allowd to eat whatever we like. We were starving at lunch time so headed for the boat house for burger and chips - yummy. We were REALLY naughty and had a chocolate bar aswell. This evening Gaz has been invited out for drinks with the new rugby club he has signed up to. that is where he is whilst i write this blog. It is pouring with rain so ive dropped him up to the hervey bay hotel up the road and am under strict orders to pick him up in 45 mins so that we can go for food. we are dining out tonight at the local italian which always seems packed...cant be any worse than the indian!!!
Friday, 26 August 2011
Friday 26th August - Got a car!
This morning we called the car dealer who had news that he had brought 3 cars back from Brisbane. We walked the long walk over to the car lot and took a fancy to a holden commador sedan 2001, automatic, 3 year warrenty, full service history, low mileage...6400AUD with 6 months rego. It is poo green colour and reminds me of the colour of my saag curry the other night! As soon as we got in the car we really liked it. It was very smooth to drive and despite its size, i felt really confident driving around in it. We got back to the garage and told the dealer we would take it! Fast and easy sale for him!
We did a V check on the car just for peace of mind and everything looked in order. It is very exciting to finally have a car though gaz is putting a dampener on it by constantly turning the engine on and off saying 'i can hear something wrong with the engine'. It all sounds fine to me and he doesnt know what hes lisetning for n e way so he needs to RELAX.
This evening we picked up a desk for Gazs computer and a very uncomfortable looking chair for him to sit on. I managed to pick up the most expensive meat in the butchers and we shared another excellent healthy meal with some strawberries for desert. As its friday night, we headed over to the RSL club. Unfortunately i was wearing 'thongs' (flip flops) so like a criminal, i was told i couldnt enter the building. Gaz drove me back to change and i slipped on the tiled floor with my wet flip flops and hurt my toe...ouchy!
After a swift change of clothing attire, we headed back to the RSL club and joined up. We had a hot chocolate each then hit the pokie machines. I made an excellent winning on 70AUD! then Gaz jumped on my machine and won 30AUD. Overall a great night!
We did a V check on the car just for peace of mind and everything looked in order. It is very exciting to finally have a car though gaz is putting a dampener on it by constantly turning the engine on and off saying 'i can hear something wrong with the engine'. It all sounds fine to me and he doesnt know what hes lisetning for n e way so he needs to RELAX.
This evening we picked up a desk for Gazs computer and a very uncomfortable looking chair for him to sit on. I managed to pick up the most expensive meat in the butchers and we shared another excellent healthy meal with some strawberries for desert. As its friday night, we headed over to the RSL club. Unfortunately i was wearing 'thongs' (flip flops) so like a criminal, i was told i couldnt enter the building. Gaz drove me back to change and i slipped on the tiled floor with my wet flip flops and hurt my toe...ouchy!
After a swift change of clothing attire, we headed back to the RSL club and joined up. We had a hot chocolate each then hit the pokie machines. I made an excellent winning on 70AUD! then Gaz jumped on my machine and won 30AUD. Overall a great night!
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Thursday 25th August - Catch up day on blog!
Yesterday we got up early to get to Harvey Norman electrical store so Gaz could pick up a computer monitor before we had to give the car back. Unfortunately they didnt have the specific one he wanted so he has to go back next week to pick it up when its ordered in. We drove the car to the Hertz garage and took a ride to our place in a taxi that smelt like a cattle market.
Gaz spent the rest of the day waiting in on telstra to come and fix up the lines for the internet...annoyingly they said they would come between 1-5pm. They turned up at 4.40! I had ventured over to Target to pick up some smart work trousers and a top. I dont know where people here get their clothes from as there doesnt seem to be many clothe shops around...or maybe ive been looking in the wrong place.
In the evening we went for a romantic walk along the beach and had a drink in one of the pubs along the esplanade. We got home just as the downpour of rain started! Gaz cooked a nice healthy meal...again the naughty jar remains empty!
This morning we strolled over to the 24hour gym to check it out. Its got a decent number of machines and all the free weights etc so we are keen to sign up, we are just going to wait to get a car first. Gaz has been on the computer all afternoon and i have been indulged in my Jackie Collins book 'Drop Dead Beautiful'. Its so good i cant put it down! This evening we had another walk on the beach...not so romantic as i stood in dog poo :( Feeling hungry, we headed back for a tasty feast of fajitas....still no money in the naughty jar! Gaz and i appear to have lost weight from all the healthy eating! yay! Now to snuggle up and watch tv on the sofa...
Gaz spent the rest of the day waiting in on telstra to come and fix up the lines for the internet...annoyingly they said they would come between 1-5pm. They turned up at 4.40! I had ventured over to Target to pick up some smart work trousers and a top. I dont know where people here get their clothes from as there doesnt seem to be many clothe shops around...or maybe ive been looking in the wrong place.
In the evening we went for a romantic walk along the beach and had a drink in one of the pubs along the esplanade. We got home just as the downpour of rain started! Gaz cooked a nice healthy meal...again the naughty jar remains empty!
This morning we strolled over to the 24hour gym to check it out. Its got a decent number of machines and all the free weights etc so we are keen to sign up, we are just going to wait to get a car first. Gaz has been on the computer all afternoon and i have been indulged in my Jackie Collins book 'Drop Dead Beautiful'. Its so good i cant put it down! This evening we had another walk on the beach...not so romantic as i stood in dog poo :( Feeling hungry, we headed back for a tasty feast of fajitas....still no money in the naughty jar! Gaz and i appear to have lost weight from all the healthy eating! yay! Now to snuggle up and watch tv on the sofa...
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Tuesday 23rd August - Moving in day!
This morning we were up early and keen to get the keys for our new house! We handed in the keys to the lovely lady at Whale cove. She was surprised we were moving out all of a sudden as we failed to inform her last week we had found somewhere. I mentioned we needed to settle up the Internet bill but she refused any payment and let the 25AUD go. I thought that was really nice of her so gaz and i had a subway at lunchtime on Whale cove lady!
It was very exciting being given the keys to OUR place. We moved our cases in, full of energy about making this place our own and a place to call home for at least the next 6 months. A trip to woolworths was in order to get the essentials! Gaz pushed the trolley up and down each isle until nothing else could be balanced onto the mound of stuff we had accumulated in the 30 minutes spent shopping. It was great fun putting it all away when we got home - Gaz insisting the cereal be left on the counter, myself insisting it gets put in the cupboard...then we couldnt agree on which cupboard the cereal should go in...argh stressful! but its done now and we are both happy. I guess living together is all about give and take.
I popped in to work to get some documents sorted. The lady there in charge of sorting me out commented that she was very impressed at how organised i am being and appreciated that i have come over in good time, allowing myself time to get all relevant documentation sorted. She said most people come out a day before they start and it is one mad panic!
Gaz and i made yet another trip to the car dealer. He seemed to have another car that looked interesting. We had a long chat with him and he informed us the police car was a patrol car and would not have been used in chases. We assumed her would say this whatever the truth was about the car. He did however say that on Friday he will be going to a car auction in brisbane and is going to look for a car with us in mind. Preferabley i would like a hatchback...especially having seen gaz try to reverse the small hire car we have at the moment into the stupidly narrow garage here!
Whilst Gaz has been browsing the internet, i have cooked a turkey mince chili...it was yummy but as always, ive made too much and we will have to freeze the rest! oh and we have another tennant here in our townhouse. His name is Bob and he is a 2 inch gecko! He lives on the garage wall and is very cute!
It was very exciting being given the keys to OUR place. We moved our cases in, full of energy about making this place our own and a place to call home for at least the next 6 months. A trip to woolworths was in order to get the essentials! Gaz pushed the trolley up and down each isle until nothing else could be balanced onto the mound of stuff we had accumulated in the 30 minutes spent shopping. It was great fun putting it all away when we got home - Gaz insisting the cereal be left on the counter, myself insisting it gets put in the cupboard...then we couldnt agree on which cupboard the cereal should go in...argh stressful! but its done now and we are both happy. I guess living together is all about give and take.
I popped in to work to get some documents sorted. The lady there in charge of sorting me out commented that she was very impressed at how organised i am being and appreciated that i have come over in good time, allowing myself time to get all relevant documentation sorted. She said most people come out a day before they start and it is one mad panic!
Gaz and i made yet another trip to the car dealer. He seemed to have another car that looked interesting. We had a long chat with him and he informed us the police car was a patrol car and would not have been used in chases. We assumed her would say this whatever the truth was about the car. He did however say that on Friday he will be going to a car auction in brisbane and is going to look for a car with us in mind. Preferabley i would like a hatchback...especially having seen gaz try to reverse the small hire car we have at the moment into the stupidly narrow garage here!
Whilst Gaz has been browsing the internet, i have cooked a turkey mince chili...it was yummy but as always, ive made too much and we will have to freeze the rest! oh and we have another tennant here in our townhouse. His name is Bob and he is a 2 inch gecko! He lives on the garage wall and is very cute!
Monday, 22 August 2011
Monday 22nd August
Today it rained non-stop all day and when it rains in aus...it pours! The locals all seem really grateful for the downpour as the grass was starting to look a little dead. Gaz and I went to the bank first thing this morning to take out some cash to put the deposit down on the house we are getting. We also managed to pick up our Westpac debit cards so we officially have a joint bank account now! We then headed straight to the estate agents to sign contracts for the house and by 11am everything was complete. We strolled to the car dealer around the corner and took 2 of his cars for a spin. One car we knew straight away when we sat in it that it was not the car for us...the second car i was drawn to on the forecourt and it seemed ideal - 2002, 84,000km, full service history, 3 year warranty which covers everything and for only 6 grand...the catch? it used to be a police car so we dont know how well it was treated. My mum did point out that all police do around here is sit around STOP signs eating cake and pull people over who dont pull to an obvious halt (reference to my brother who got fined for not completely stopping at a STOP sign). This could be why the car has done hardly any miles! nevertheless, there was something about the car that gareth and i had a negative gut feeling on which stopped us putting a deposit down there and then.
My horse riding lesson got canceled due to the bad weather which i was gutted about as im itching to get back in the saddle! I popped in to work to make sure everything was in place for when i start on monday (sooner than previously anticipated) just because we are getting settled here rather well.
In the evening Gaz and i sat in the jacuzzi before heading out for our celebratory meal on signing for the house. As Gaz left it to ME to decide where to go, it was obvious from the start the meal was going to be rubbish. We tried to go to the Hervey Bay boat club but it was so busy in there, people were quing for tables! We felt it rude to walk straight back out so we grabbed a quick drink, had a play on the pokies....lost on the pokies...and left. I drove in the pouring rain to the Esplanade where we stopped at an Indian restaurant. There were only 2 tables of people in there but we thought we would give it a try.
What a disaster! firstly we could hear the packets in the kitchen opening and the starters being placed in the microwave and then when the curry came (which Gaz reckons tasted like a warmed up curry he used to have in school), i looked at mine in disgust. I had ordered a lamb saag...something i often have back home so i am fully aware it is cooked with spinach...what i didnt realise was that in Aus, they puree the spinach into the sauce so it came out as a dark green cow pat looking monstrosity which tasted of metal. I managed to eat half of it but tried not to regurgitate it onto the table. What topped the meal off was i said to Gaz, "my coke tatstes strange?" he tasted it and agreed. His coke was fine (it was within the sell by date) my coke had lost the sweetener taste (it went off in June 2011!). We mentioned to the waiter he had given us a gone off can only for him to apologise, go back to the fridge and pull out another can, place it on our table...only that one was gone off too!!! We brought this to his attention and he said they were all going to be like that so we had to settle for a can of full fat coke. He did it as though we wouldnt notice the second can tasted gone off aswell lol.
I dont think Gaz and i will be heading for any indian restaurants in a hurry.
My horse riding lesson got canceled due to the bad weather which i was gutted about as im itching to get back in the saddle! I popped in to work to make sure everything was in place for when i start on monday (sooner than previously anticipated) just because we are getting settled here rather well.
In the evening Gaz and i sat in the jacuzzi before heading out for our celebratory meal on signing for the house. As Gaz left it to ME to decide where to go, it was obvious from the start the meal was going to be rubbish. We tried to go to the Hervey Bay boat club but it was so busy in there, people were quing for tables! We felt it rude to walk straight back out so we grabbed a quick drink, had a play on the pokies....lost on the pokies...and left. I drove in the pouring rain to the Esplanade where we stopped at an Indian restaurant. There were only 2 tables of people in there but we thought we would give it a try.
What a disaster! firstly we could hear the packets in the kitchen opening and the starters being placed in the microwave and then when the curry came (which Gaz reckons tasted like a warmed up curry he used to have in school), i looked at mine in disgust. I had ordered a lamb saag...something i often have back home so i am fully aware it is cooked with spinach...what i didnt realise was that in Aus, they puree the spinach into the sauce so it came out as a dark green cow pat looking monstrosity which tasted of metal. I managed to eat half of it but tried not to regurgitate it onto the table. What topped the meal off was i said to Gaz, "my coke tatstes strange?" he tasted it and agreed. His coke was fine (it was within the sell by date) my coke had lost the sweetener taste (it went off in June 2011!). We mentioned to the waiter he had given us a gone off can only for him to apologise, go back to the fridge and pull out another can, place it on our table...only that one was gone off too!!! We brought this to his attention and he said they were all going to be like that so we had to settle for a can of full fat coke. He did it as though we wouldnt notice the second can tasted gone off aswell lol.
I dont think Gaz and i will be heading for any indian restaurants in a hurry.
Sunday, 21 August 2011
Sunday 21st August - Hervey Bay Boat Club
Today we got up and got ready for a day on the beach with a nice picnic for lunch. VJ even had her little bikini on ready for building sandcastles...alas the clouds turned grey and it started to rain! Beach plan abandoned. I went back to bed (at 1pm) and slept through till 3pm. Gaz stayed awake and read his book.
Before dinner we sat in the communal hot tub until it got dark. It was toasty in there only the bubbles were a bit too energetic for our liking as they splashed up into our faces and up our noses and in our eyes. After an hour in the water Gaz insisted AGAIN on cooking me food! i could get used to this! The Naughty Jar is still empty and we both enjoyed teryaki chicken, onions, red peppers (called capsicums out here), wholemeal fraghitta wraps and salad. Delicious! Gaz and i are both doing really well and are very keen on loosing weight still.
After dinner we showered and got ready for the hervey bay boat club - which apparently (judging by the full car park) really IS the place to be on a sunday night in Hervey Bay. We had walked in to Gods waiting room but never the less, these people were having a great time bigging it up on the dance floor busting their moves. By moves i mean this was country and western music, each song so similar it all could have been the same song, and everyone knew the exact moves...it was very serious. It was the older generations version to the mackeraina.
The boat club wasnt all that bad, infact it was a really nice atmosphere. there was a restaurant next door that did cheap food and even a sports bar with television screens so Gaz's thirst for the world cup can be satisfied in there. Looking at the social club board, theres some interesting clubs to be a member of but i think we will steer clear of the line dancing! After we drunk our drinks, we headed to the pokie machine room. The bright lights drew me in! Gaz gave me 5AUD to play with....i won 20AUD! Gaz kept telling me i may aswell put the money back in the machines but i pocketed it :D When we got home we curled up on the sofa and watched Star Trek the movie - im not a trekie but i really enjoyed it! AND i didnt fall asleep before the end!
Before dinner we sat in the communal hot tub until it got dark. It was toasty in there only the bubbles were a bit too energetic for our liking as they splashed up into our faces and up our noses and in our eyes. After an hour in the water Gaz insisted AGAIN on cooking me food! i could get used to this! The Naughty Jar is still empty and we both enjoyed teryaki chicken, onions, red peppers (called capsicums out here), wholemeal fraghitta wraps and salad. Delicious! Gaz and i are both doing really well and are very keen on loosing weight still.
After dinner we showered and got ready for the hervey bay boat club - which apparently (judging by the full car park) really IS the place to be on a sunday night in Hervey Bay. We had walked in to Gods waiting room but never the less, these people were having a great time bigging it up on the dance floor busting their moves. By moves i mean this was country and western music, each song so similar it all could have been the same song, and everyone knew the exact moves...it was very serious. It was the older generations version to the mackeraina.
The boat club wasnt all that bad, infact it was a really nice atmosphere. there was a restaurant next door that did cheap food and even a sports bar with television screens so Gaz's thirst for the world cup can be satisfied in there. Looking at the social club board, theres some interesting clubs to be a member of but i think we will steer clear of the line dancing! After we drunk our drinks, we headed to the pokie machine room. The bright lights drew me in! Gaz gave me 5AUD to play with....i won 20AUD! Gaz kept telling me i may aswell put the money back in the machines but i pocketed it :D When we got home we curled up on the sofa and watched Star Trek the movie - im not a trekie but i really enjoyed it! AND i didnt fall asleep before the end!
Saturday, 20 August 2011
Saturday 20th August - Lazy day
This really was a lazy day. Not much to report although i have found somewhere that does horse riding lessons so i have my first lesson on monday. Not sure how good the lady is (she hasnt mentioned any qualifications which instructors must have back in the uk) but as she is the only lady that does lessons nearby, i dont see the harm in giving her a whirl!
Gaz and I are eating healthy and The Naughty Jar has remained empty! We have come to an agreement that whoever eats any junk food first will have to put 50AUD in the jar (this is to hopefully stop either one of us from being the first to place a fine in the jar). The nice thing about Aus is unlike back home where tescos has taken over pretty much every small company, over here there are still the local butchers and other small businesses which is great for buying ready marinated meat. Gaz cooked for me again tonight (commenting he has officially cooked more since being in aus than he did when he was in his flat)...we had mint marinated lamb and because we couldnt decide on which meat to get, we also got honey roasted pork.
After stopping at the butchers, we went to a second hand book shop. Gaz picked up 2 dvd's and i picked up a jackie collins book - this should keep me occupied until i start work!
After dinner we skyped our families which was a nice oppertunity to catch up on what everyone is up to. We attempted to watch a film - Talladega Nights, but as usual, i fell asleep half way through.
Gaz and I are eating healthy and The Naughty Jar has remained empty! We have come to an agreement that whoever eats any junk food first will have to put 50AUD in the jar (this is to hopefully stop either one of us from being the first to place a fine in the jar). The nice thing about Aus is unlike back home where tescos has taken over pretty much every small company, over here there are still the local butchers and other small businesses which is great for buying ready marinated meat. Gaz cooked for me again tonight (commenting he has officially cooked more since being in aus than he did when he was in his flat)...we had mint marinated lamb and because we couldnt decide on which meat to get, we also got honey roasted pork.
After stopping at the butchers, we went to a second hand book shop. Gaz picked up 2 dvd's and i picked up a jackie collins book - this should keep me occupied until i start work!
After dinner we skyped our families which was a nice oppertunity to catch up on what everyone is up to. We attempted to watch a film - Talladega Nights, but as usual, i fell asleep half way through.
Friday, 19 August 2011
Friday 19th August - House day!
Omg, i woke up and had breakfast only Gaz pointed out that the milk was gone off. I smelt it and it was like smelly feet... cant believe i ate my cereal with that on and didnt notice - gross!
We drove to woolworths and did a shop for the day picking up FRESH milk and some stuff for Gaz to make a spag bol in the evening. Today 'The Naughty Jar' aka a tub that i found in the cupboard has made an appearance. If Gaz or I eat anything bad (such as chocolate, cake, ice cream, crisps etc) we must put 10AUD into the naughty jar as a fine. The aim is to not have any money i there at all! This is all in the attempt to loose some weight...which at the moment we have both lost a little bit of weight according to the scales int he bathroom!
On the way back from woolworths, gaz thought it would be interesting to see how far the house we had a viewing for on tuesday was from my work. We walked into the gated complex (which was open). He asked what i thought of the place. Must admit, i wasnt entirely fussed on it. It was on a busy road which was noisy and it wasnt all that to look at. We hoped it would be better inside! We even accidentally drove passed the property place that was meant to be showing us around on tuesday. We decided to go in and ask if they could show us around the place any sooner but they werent going to budge. We got back in the car and Gaz turned to me and said 'shall we take a gamble and just go for it?' I replied, "well i know what your dad would say so no, if we are meant to have that house, it will still be there for us on tuesday. If its gone, something else will come up." Gaz agreed. Less than 20 seconds down the road we spotted another estate agents that we hadnt seen yesturday. We went in and picked up the rentals list but just as we were leaving, the gentleman in charge asked what we were after. We explained something fully furnished (which we appreciate by now these are few and far between) with air conditioning in the Pialba area so that im close to work. He said he had one property and we said we would call him if we were interested int aking a look. Gaz was marching off down the street when i had read over the bunff about the townhouse this gentleman was talking about. It was one of those compulsive feelings but i explained to gaz this house would be worth checking out. He didnt seem to fussed but i urged him back into the estate agents. Without hesitation, the gentleman was up and finding his car keys. Withing 2 minutes we were in his car and at the property.
I believe that when you have found the right place (a bit like finding the right car) you can feel it. This place certainly had the 'wow' factor that i felt last year when picking my flat in Swansea. It is a townhouse that is a stone throw away from the white sandy beach. The place has 3 double sized bedrooms, a balcony off one of the guest bedrooms. the master bedroom is HUGE and has an on-suite. The main bathroom has a shower and a bath and there are 2 toilets upstairs, one toilet downstairs. There's even a nice garden (which gets mowed every 2 weeks) for gaz to sit outside in and burn. We knew as soon as we walked in there that this was the place. The only thing stopping us was not knowing what the internet connection would be like. We explaiend if we are interested, we would ring back asap. Fortunately, gaz rung telstra and 1. the internet is very fast (10-20MB) as we are close to the exchange and 2. Although the flat isnt set up with internet yet, it will be done on wednesday for us. Result!!!
After sorting the house, we headed to the apartment for some lunch and then had a nosey around town. We drove up to point vernon where there are great big houses (some modern, some old) that overlook the water. The climate was getting cool so our romantic stroll on the beach turned into me taking a photo then wanting to go back to the car lol.
We drove to woolworths and did a shop for the day picking up FRESH milk and some stuff for Gaz to make a spag bol in the evening. Today 'The Naughty Jar' aka a tub that i found in the cupboard has made an appearance. If Gaz or I eat anything bad (such as chocolate, cake, ice cream, crisps etc) we must put 10AUD into the naughty jar as a fine. The aim is to not have any money i there at all! This is all in the attempt to loose some weight...which at the moment we have both lost a little bit of weight according to the scales int he bathroom!
On the way back from woolworths, gaz thought it would be interesting to see how far the house we had a viewing for on tuesday was from my work. We walked into the gated complex (which was open). He asked what i thought of the place. Must admit, i wasnt entirely fussed on it. It was on a busy road which was noisy and it wasnt all that to look at. We hoped it would be better inside! We even accidentally drove passed the property place that was meant to be showing us around on tuesday. We decided to go in and ask if they could show us around the place any sooner but they werent going to budge. We got back in the car and Gaz turned to me and said 'shall we take a gamble and just go for it?' I replied, "well i know what your dad would say so no, if we are meant to have that house, it will still be there for us on tuesday. If its gone, something else will come up." Gaz agreed. Less than 20 seconds down the road we spotted another estate agents that we hadnt seen yesturday. We went in and picked up the rentals list but just as we were leaving, the gentleman in charge asked what we were after. We explained something fully furnished (which we appreciate by now these are few and far between) with air conditioning in the Pialba area so that im close to work. He said he had one property and we said we would call him if we were interested int aking a look. Gaz was marching off down the street when i had read over the bunff about the townhouse this gentleman was talking about. It was one of those compulsive feelings but i explained to gaz this house would be worth checking out. He didnt seem to fussed but i urged him back into the estate agents. Without hesitation, the gentleman was up and finding his car keys. Withing 2 minutes we were in his car and at the property.
I believe that when you have found the right place (a bit like finding the right car) you can feel it. This place certainly had the 'wow' factor that i felt last year when picking my flat in Swansea. It is a townhouse that is a stone throw away from the white sandy beach. The place has 3 double sized bedrooms, a balcony off one of the guest bedrooms. the master bedroom is HUGE and has an on-suite. The main bathroom has a shower and a bath and there are 2 toilets upstairs, one toilet downstairs. There's even a nice garden (which gets mowed every 2 weeks) for gaz to sit outside in and burn. We knew as soon as we walked in there that this was the place. The only thing stopping us was not knowing what the internet connection would be like. We explaiend if we are interested, we would ring back asap. Fortunately, gaz rung telstra and 1. the internet is very fast (10-20MB) as we are close to the exchange and 2. Although the flat isnt set up with internet yet, it will be done on wednesday for us. Result!!!
After sorting the house, we headed to the apartment for some lunch and then had a nosey around town. We drove up to point vernon where there are great big houses (some modern, some old) that overlook the water. The climate was getting cool so our romantic stroll on the beach turned into me taking a photo then wanting to go back to the car lol.
Thursday, 18 August 2011
Thusrday 18th August - Pootling around town
Gaz and I had decided that we hadn't done any relaxing in Aus since we arrived a week ago. Therefore, the plan was to have a quiet day of doing nothing...this however turned into a not so quiet day of doing lots. We took the hire car back to the Hertz garage in Hervey Bay but realising we needed a run around to get us places in the town, we have spent a fortune hiring another car until monday. The lady that owns whale cove where we are staying is very lovely and has pointed us in the direction of Fraser Street (just down the road) where there is a little used car salesman. We stumbled across it and we told to come back tomorrow as he will have his stock replenished.
We found woolworths (which is also just down the road from us) and did some food shopping. Luckily i am also insured to drive the new car we have. Although it is not half as nice as the Toyota Aurion that Gaz was driving, it is a lot smaller and an automatic that i am comfortable driving. We must have distracted the guy in the Hertz garage because he should have charged us extra for me being under 25. Oh well!
The weather has been a bit overcast today and parts of the east coast have been experiencing a thunder storm. we didnt get it quite that bad but did have a little showe. Gaz and I marched all down the Esplanade picking up information on properties to rent. We stopped off for a bite to eat in a pub parallel to the beach before returning to the apartment to flick through all the houses. Out of the hundreds of houses for rent, we want one that is furnished WITH air con. this narrows the search down to about 3 houses...1 of which had already gone so thats....2 houses. Its a shame the internet is so rubbish out in the rural areas...there was a house for rent, 4 bedrooms with 10 acres, a menage and stables to keep horses. Didnt have air con though :( The plus side is in the centre of Hervey Bay, the Internet is very very fast (Gaz rung telstra and wa sinfromed by the guy that works there) so one of the houses up for rent, Gaz checked and it has got Internet that could potentially be faster than back home. The only bad point is the house can not be viewed until Tuesday at 2.30 so it might already be gone by then!
Having not got very far with house hunting, i cooked gaz a meal of Y bone steak in bbq sauce fromt he local butchers and roast potatoes with salad. Nice and healthy :) I fell asleep at 6.30pm and Gaz followed not long after. I think mum may have rung me on skype but i was out of it...i will ring you back later i promise! x
We found woolworths (which is also just down the road from us) and did some food shopping. Luckily i am also insured to drive the new car we have. Although it is not half as nice as the Toyota Aurion that Gaz was driving, it is a lot smaller and an automatic that i am comfortable driving. We must have distracted the guy in the Hertz garage because he should have charged us extra for me being under 25. Oh well!
The weather has been a bit overcast today and parts of the east coast have been experiencing a thunder storm. we didnt get it quite that bad but did have a little showe. Gaz and I marched all down the Esplanade picking up information on properties to rent. We stopped off for a bite to eat in a pub parallel to the beach before returning to the apartment to flick through all the houses. Out of the hundreds of houses for rent, we want one that is furnished WITH air con. this narrows the search down to about 3 houses...1 of which had already gone so thats....2 houses. Its a shame the internet is so rubbish out in the rural areas...there was a house for rent, 4 bedrooms with 10 acres, a menage and stables to keep horses. Didnt have air con though :( The plus side is in the centre of Hervey Bay, the Internet is very very fast (Gaz rung telstra and wa sinfromed by the guy that works there) so one of the houses up for rent, Gaz checked and it has got Internet that could potentially be faster than back home. The only bad point is the house can not be viewed until Tuesday at 2.30 so it might already be gone by then!
Having not got very far with house hunting, i cooked gaz a meal of Y bone steak in bbq sauce fromt he local butchers and roast potatoes with salad. Nice and healthy :) I fell asleep at 6.30pm and Gaz followed not long after. I think mum may have rung me on skype but i was out of it...i will ring you back later i promise! x
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
Wednesday 18th August - Drive to Hervey Bay
Last night after I wrote the blog, Gaz and I took a taxi ride to Wilston (somewhere in Brisbane) to see the car of the dude that cancelled the viewing earlier that morning. He was a Pakistani guy who unfortunately couldn’t speak much English. He wanted us to see the car at 6pm after he had finished work…so we were there…at 6pm. No sign of the owner! Infact, no sign of the car. Gaz rung the guy and he said he was stuck in traffic but his mate would show us the car. His friend came out and pointed to a white sporty looking car…we said that was not the same car we had come to see? It turns out the car we wanted to see was stuck in a traffic jam. We left.
We both felt extremely annoyed at the time wasted in trying to find a car but we are both on the same wavelength that we would hire a car and drive it up the east coast to Hervey Bay. At least that way, we would have a nice safe care guaranteed to get us up there. My friend from dance, Emily, joined us later in the evening for some drinks on Elizabeth street. It is so warm in Brisbane we were able to sit outside and enjoy a glass of wine.
This morning we were packed and ready to head up to Hervey Bay. We got a taxi to the Hertz office to pick up the car. The lady behind the desk in the office was very friendly. We managed to get a Toyota Aurion which apparently is a 30 grand car?!!! I didn’t trust myself driving it as the thing is HUGE so Gaz kindly drove the whole 3 hours 45 mins to Hervey Bay.
The drive was pleasant and we used my trusty sat nav which I have on my smart phone. Gaz tried to download the same app but its £50’s worth…I seemed to get it free with my Samsung? We stopped at subway for a quick bite to eat and then carried on the long, boring Bruce Highway. The only kangaroo or koalas I saw were dead ones L
We have now arrived at Hervey Bay and the apartment is adequate. We have a nice balcony which overlooks the BBQ area and the parakeets can be heard in the surrounding trees. The Internet is very slow here so hopefully tomorrow we can pick up some brochures from the letting agencies around here to get looking for somewhere else to stay asap. We had a relaxing stroll down to the marina and were in awe of the nice big boats. Dad would be in his element! Gaz and I sat in a restaurant overlooking the harbour and enjoyed a very nice steak and chips. I thought it was like being down Cardiff Bay but Gaz pointed out 1. It is hot and not raining and 2. the people here are all old and not chavs. I agreed. The owner of the restaurant (Dom) overheard our conversations about the Internet over here and gave some good advice that the best Internet connection is down in the centre of town. It looks as though Dom may be our first friend we have made here! Having left Brisbane for Hervey Bay there is definitely a noticeable difference in the type of people here….they are a lot older and a lot fatter.
Monday, 15 August 2011
Tuesday 16th August - Car Hunting (day 2)
Where do i begin? Gaz and I were up last night, agitated by what to do for the best about a car. It dawned on us that if we went for a private sale, how would we cough up enough cash to pay for it? We only had 1590AUD in our Westpac account and were concerned we wouldn't be able to get enough money out using our cards. It was 3.30am and i gave my parents a call on skype. Unfortunately my brother had already transferred all of his money from AUD into GBP so we couldn't rely on him for an instant transfer of cash into our Aussie Westpac account. Gaz came up with the idea of getting up early so we could transfer money before and after midnight in the UK. Any way, Mum and Dad started by saying pretty much the same thing as Gaz's parents. We should be aiming to spend a little more on a car not older than approx 6 years and make sure it has service history etc. and we shouldn't rush into it. They also offered to transfer any money needed. Dad then spoke to Adam who explained a relatively new car in Aus is going to cost a LOT of money (as cars are really expensive over here) but we dont want to spend TOO much as we are only here for a year. Gaz and i had 2 cars lined up to see and if all else failed were considering just getting the Daewoo Matiz from the dealer.
At 8am we were up and showered and marching down Queens Street to the nearest ATM. Gaz got a mazimum of 400AUD out....myself however...."card declined". I had told the bank i was coming out here and they had told me there were no blocks on the card. Things got worse as i rung the bank and they told me, "i don't know why it was declined, there are no blocks on the card, try a different bank." This is what i did but again, "Card declined, contact bank." I rung the bank again and they fobbed me off to someone else who again said there is no block. Don't know what was going on there! Gaz's card also got blocked then. DISASTER!
Unfortunately by the time we got back to our hotel room, the owner of one of the cars we were interested in (which DOES have full service history) cancelled on us, saying he had been given a job somewhere and couldn't keep the appointment Gaz and I were still adamant we would see the second (and last) car we had on our list. In the bank, the lady behind the counter dished out the full funds in cash and bound the 100dollar bills with an elastic band. Gaz was sorting out the wireless Internet that my brother has given us (which has proved very handy) on a chair in the bank. I stood by Gaz, clinging tightly to my bag to make sure no one grabbed it when the lady that served me came running up to me calling, "Victoria, im so sorry, how much money did i give you, i think i gave you too much!!!". The look of horror spread over the other Westpac assistants faces and everyone watched as i dived into my bottomless bag and managed to rake out the wade of notes. The lady counted them and yes, she had overpaid me by 400AUD. Her ass would have been in the sh*t had i walked out with that!!! Oh well, as they say - easy come easy go!
We caught an expensive taxi ride to somewhere in Brisbane to test drive a ford festiva. The owner was in work but said we could have a drive of the car while he was out so he kindly left the keys in the ignition so we could have a spin before he got home?!!! The 13 year old son, Trent, was inside the house and came out to say hello. He was happy for us to disappear in his sisters car to test it. When driving the car, it felt a lot more powerful than the Matiz but there was a bubbling noise coming from the aircon when the engine was turned off. Also the fan belt made a squeaky noise. We were interested in the car as we had been told the daughter had owned this car for the last 7 years and they did have some history for the car. However, when speaking to the 13 year old son whilst waiting for the father to return, he let slip that his sister had not had the car long. We thought it was a bit suspicious but thought maybe it is because she likes changing her cars a lot (as she had 2 other cars on their drive). When we met the father, we explained we were interested and asked a little about the cars history. He said it had been in the family for the past 9 years and been passed around. He couldn't give us any documents to show the service history as he said, "with cheap cars like this i don't tend to keep history about them." Hmmmm. Next thing was before we came to look at the car, i had made a note of things the Queensland government trading standards website suggested car buyers look for before purchasing. One of them was a Vcheck (to check the odometer, number of previous onwers, if the vehicle had been stolen in the past etc.) and a VERs (to make sure the car was not being paid off as debt by the current owners). Gaz explained to the owner we would like to do this check. He seemed happy for us to do it but did make comments such as 'oh i cant afford to pay for this, i only have 20 dollars in my bank account" and also "i don't know if it will show much as i only registered the car on friday." We whipped out the laptop and did the check irrespective of what the guy was saying. This is where the wireless internet came in handy! we paid 40 dollars for the vcheck but in the long run its saved us 3 grand! the car has had numerous owners in the past and whats more, the odometer has been tinkered with! a few thousand miles knocked off here and there between new owners. The owner made out he didnt know how that could have happened (of course he would say that) but my concern was if it had been passed around in the family, then you would KNOW about the odometer being put back. he was blatantly lying. Gaz and I made the right decision...Gaz being more sceptical than me (which is a good thing) pointed out we wouldnt be able to sell on a car like this as the odometer has been messed with so much. He broke the news to the owner that we were declining the offer and that was that. We decided to catch a train back to fortitude valley where we grabbed a coke. The stations in Berlin could learn a thing or too from Brisbane! There was a button would could press and it told you what platform and when the next train would be coming. Very clever!
Gaz and I have had a chat and we don't want to get the Matiz from the dealer as we feel we should know a bit more about a car before we go and buy it. We are waiting to hear from the gentleman who cancelled the viewing this morning to see if he can do it later tonight. If not, we are going to higher a car to Hervey Bay. No stress, No hassle. Will keep you posted on what happens later!!!
At 8am we were up and showered and marching down Queens Street to the nearest ATM. Gaz got a mazimum of 400AUD out....myself however...."card declined". I had told the bank i was coming out here and they had told me there were no blocks on the card. Things got worse as i rung the bank and they told me, "i don't know why it was declined, there are no blocks on the card, try a different bank." This is what i did but again, "Card declined, contact bank." I rung the bank again and they fobbed me off to someone else who again said there is no block. Don't know what was going on there! Gaz's card also got blocked then. DISASTER!
Unfortunately by the time we got back to our hotel room, the owner of one of the cars we were interested in (which DOES have full service history) cancelled on us, saying he had been given a job somewhere and couldn't keep the appointment Gaz and I were still adamant we would see the second (and last) car we had on our list. In the bank, the lady behind the counter dished out the full funds in cash and bound the 100dollar bills with an elastic band. Gaz was sorting out the wireless Internet that my brother has given us (which has proved very handy) on a chair in the bank. I stood by Gaz, clinging tightly to my bag to make sure no one grabbed it when the lady that served me came running up to me calling, "Victoria, im so sorry, how much money did i give you, i think i gave you too much!!!". The look of horror spread over the other Westpac assistants faces and everyone watched as i dived into my bottomless bag and managed to rake out the wade of notes. The lady counted them and yes, she had overpaid me by 400AUD. Her ass would have been in the sh*t had i walked out with that!!! Oh well, as they say - easy come easy go!
We caught an expensive taxi ride to somewhere in Brisbane to test drive a ford festiva. The owner was in work but said we could have a drive of the car while he was out so he kindly left the keys in the ignition so we could have a spin before he got home?!!! The 13 year old son, Trent, was inside the house and came out to say hello. He was happy for us to disappear in his sisters car to test it. When driving the car, it felt a lot more powerful than the Matiz but there was a bubbling noise coming from the aircon when the engine was turned off. Also the fan belt made a squeaky noise. We were interested in the car as we had been told the daughter had owned this car for the last 7 years and they did have some history for the car. However, when speaking to the 13 year old son whilst waiting for the father to return, he let slip that his sister had not had the car long. We thought it was a bit suspicious but thought maybe it is because she likes changing her cars a lot (as she had 2 other cars on their drive). When we met the father, we explained we were interested and asked a little about the cars history. He said it had been in the family for the past 9 years and been passed around. He couldn't give us any documents to show the service history as he said, "with cheap cars like this i don't tend to keep history about them." Hmmmm. Next thing was before we came to look at the car, i had made a note of things the Queensland government trading standards website suggested car buyers look for before purchasing. One of them was a Vcheck (to check the odometer, number of previous onwers, if the vehicle had been stolen in the past etc.) and a VERs (to make sure the car was not being paid off as debt by the current owners). Gaz explained to the owner we would like to do this check. He seemed happy for us to do it but did make comments such as 'oh i cant afford to pay for this, i only have 20 dollars in my bank account" and also "i don't know if it will show much as i only registered the car on friday." We whipped out the laptop and did the check irrespective of what the guy was saying. This is where the wireless internet came in handy! we paid 40 dollars for the vcheck but in the long run its saved us 3 grand! the car has had numerous owners in the past and whats more, the odometer has been tinkered with! a few thousand miles knocked off here and there between new owners. The owner made out he didnt know how that could have happened (of course he would say that) but my concern was if it had been passed around in the family, then you would KNOW about the odometer being put back. he was blatantly lying. Gaz and I made the right decision...Gaz being more sceptical than me (which is a good thing) pointed out we wouldnt be able to sell on a car like this as the odometer has been messed with so much. He broke the news to the owner that we were declining the offer and that was that. We decided to catch a train back to fortitude valley where we grabbed a coke. The stations in Berlin could learn a thing or too from Brisbane! There was a button would could press and it told you what platform and when the next train would be coming. Very clever!
Gaz and I have had a chat and we don't want to get the Matiz from the dealer as we feel we should know a bit more about a car before we go and buy it. We are waiting to hear from the gentleman who cancelled the viewing this morning to see if he can do it later tonight. If not, we are going to higher a car to Hervey Bay. No stress, No hassle. Will keep you posted on what happens later!!!
Monday 15th August - Car Hunting
This morning we took a trip to Westpac to activate our bank accounts. "Its simple you go in and show your ID and they activate it there and then for you. Simples." This is what we had been told...unless you called victoria lane and you like to complicate matters! My single account was activated with no problems but the trouble was, when i made the joint account, I also made a second ID...so for a while, victoria lane was 2 different people. It gave the bank assistant a challenge then to merge my two different identifications into one. We got there in the end!
After a bite to eat, we headed in a taxi to Gympie road to the 'cheap car company'. I guess it is what it says on the tin. There were some piles of junk...and others that looked ok. Gaz and I were drawn to a gold Daewoo Matiz. It was so ugly i liked it, but the sort of car you would imagine a little old lady in Britain driving 20 miles per hour in on a sunday. The car dealer approached us as he could see us eyeing it up. "Whats the history about this car then?" I asked. "Well i don't know, i can make one up for you if you like?". Oh dear. We test drove it but it didnt have much GO in it. Still, it was the nicest car on the for-court and for 3500AUD, we could have a car and have it registered for a year. The trouble was, there was no service history about the car and although the odometer showsed 104,000KM, this could easily have been changed. The dealer gave us a Vcheck on the car so at least we know the car hadnt been stollen. I was all for getting the car but then i think the world is rosey...its Gaz who has to keep me on a tight rein and point out all the 'issues' with things. He was very skeptical that the car has no service history, so we decided we would have a chance to think about things and check gumtree to see what else is on offer.
In the evening we were so tired, we grabbed a hungry jacks (which is Aussies equivalent to Burger King) and slogged away, ,looking at cars to go view. We chatted to Gaz's parents on skype and they wisely pointed out service history is important and we shouldn't rush into getting a car. Finding a car is proving very stressful at the moment!
After a bite to eat, we headed in a taxi to Gympie road to the 'cheap car company'. I guess it is what it says on the tin. There were some piles of junk...and others that looked ok. Gaz and I were drawn to a gold Daewoo Matiz. It was so ugly i liked it, but the sort of car you would imagine a little old lady in Britain driving 20 miles per hour in on a sunday. The car dealer approached us as he could see us eyeing it up. "Whats the history about this car then?" I asked. "Well i don't know, i can make one up for you if you like?". Oh dear. We test drove it but it didnt have much GO in it. Still, it was the nicest car on the for-court and for 3500AUD, we could have a car and have it registered for a year. The trouble was, there was no service history about the car and although the odometer showsed 104,000KM, this could easily have been changed. The dealer gave us a Vcheck on the car so at least we know the car hadnt been stollen. I was all for getting the car but then i think the world is rosey...its Gaz who has to keep me on a tight rein and point out all the 'issues' with things. He was very skeptical that the car has no service history, so we decided we would have a chance to think about things and check gumtree to see what else is on offer.
In the evening we were so tired, we grabbed a hungry jacks (which is Aussies equivalent to Burger King) and slogged away, ,looking at cars to go view. We chatted to Gaz's parents on skype and they wisely pointed out service history is important and we shouldn't rush into getting a car. Finding a car is proving very stressful at the moment!
Sunday, 14 August 2011
Sunday 14th August - Met with Emily
We both woke a few times in the night and i was wide awake from early hours of the morning but kept forcing myself back to sleep. At 6am i dragged poor Gaz down to the shop with me to buy some milk and cereal for breakfast. It is surprising how high the cost of living is out here - 5GBP for a litre of orange juice...ouch!
After breakfast, Gaz jumped in the shower and played on the laptop, i went to the gym. It was nice and quiet in the gym (thankfully) and although i ran a marathon 3 months ago, i seem to be back to square one. I ran less than a mile which took me 9.5 mins and felt like i was dying. I then attempted the cross trainer, but after 7 minutes i felt really light headed. Maybe the fact there was no air conditioning in the gym was the problem...but more than likely just the fact i havent done any exercise since the marathon and instead been indulging on endless meals out and take aways....things are going to change!
Once showered and dressed, Gaz and i headed over to fortitude valley which is less than a 10 minute walk from our hotel. It was the place to be on a sunday moring with a convenient row of restaurants set for those wanting a big greasy fry up to cure a bad hangover from the saturday night out. By the time we had a wonder around the market place, it was nearly lunch time so we settled for a steak sandwhich and chips. Gaz said to me, "Is that Emily sitting over there?" i turned to look...and there she was. Sat with 2 other girls, my friend from dance class back in Cardiff sat eating a greasy fry up. We both went over to greet her and she invited us to join them so we spent a good hour chatting to them and were invited back to their house which was a 5 minute walk from fortitude valley. She lives in a very very blue queenslander. It is in a quiet part of Brisbane (Spring Hill) which used to be THE place to live. I must say some of the houses look a bit run down now but never the less they are still huge! Emilys house was made entirely of wood, with extremely high ceilings but NO air conditioning! Apparently in the summer, it's warmer outside than it is inside! This is something neither Gaz nor I would be able to bare...air conditioning in Hervey Bay will be a MUST!
We planned to meet Emily later that evening, but to give her and her housemate some space for the afternoon, we went to buy a laptop. Gaz has paid a lot of money for the laptop but in the long run it will worth it. He likes it because its powerful...i like it because its white and silver appearance is pretty : )
In the evening, our familys managed to skype us. Was a bit of a pa lava from my parents who had the microphone turned down and then telling me to add the wrong screen name but we got there in the end! It was really nice to hear from our parents and hear what they have been up to. After speaking to parents, we curled up and fell asleep on the sofa....again....and at 7.30pm it was time to meet Emily in Chinatown but we were so comfy, we begrudged getting up...but it was worth it. We ate in a restaurant called 'The Red Lotus' which specialised in Vietnamese and Chinese food - it was yummy! We said our goodbyes to Emily who we will see again on Tuesday for some drinks and headed back for a well earnt sleep at the hotel.
After breakfast, Gaz jumped in the shower and played on the laptop, i went to the gym. It was nice and quiet in the gym (thankfully) and although i ran a marathon 3 months ago, i seem to be back to square one. I ran less than a mile which took me 9.5 mins and felt like i was dying. I then attempted the cross trainer, but after 7 minutes i felt really light headed. Maybe the fact there was no air conditioning in the gym was the problem...but more than likely just the fact i havent done any exercise since the marathon and instead been indulging on endless meals out and take aways....things are going to change!
Once showered and dressed, Gaz and i headed over to fortitude valley which is less than a 10 minute walk from our hotel. It was the place to be on a sunday moring with a convenient row of restaurants set for those wanting a big greasy fry up to cure a bad hangover from the saturday night out. By the time we had a wonder around the market place, it was nearly lunch time so we settled for a steak sandwhich and chips. Gaz said to me, "Is that Emily sitting over there?" i turned to look...and there she was. Sat with 2 other girls, my friend from dance class back in Cardiff sat eating a greasy fry up. We both went over to greet her and she invited us to join them so we spent a good hour chatting to them and were invited back to their house which was a 5 minute walk from fortitude valley. She lives in a very very blue queenslander. It is in a quiet part of Brisbane (Spring Hill) which used to be THE place to live. I must say some of the houses look a bit run down now but never the less they are still huge! Emilys house was made entirely of wood, with extremely high ceilings but NO air conditioning! Apparently in the summer, it's warmer outside than it is inside! This is something neither Gaz nor I would be able to bare...air conditioning in Hervey Bay will be a MUST!
We planned to meet Emily later that evening, but to give her and her housemate some space for the afternoon, we went to buy a laptop. Gaz has paid a lot of money for the laptop but in the long run it will worth it. He likes it because its powerful...i like it because its white and silver appearance is pretty : )
In the evening, our familys managed to skype us. Was a bit of a pa lava from my parents who had the microphone turned down and then telling me to add the wrong screen name but we got there in the end! It was really nice to hear from our parents and hear what they have been up to. After speaking to parents, we curled up and fell asleep on the sofa....again....and at 7.30pm it was time to meet Emily in Chinatown but we were so comfy, we begrudged getting up...but it was worth it. We ate in a restaurant called 'The Red Lotus' which specialised in Vietnamese and Chinese food - it was yummy! We said our goodbyes to Emily who we will see again on Tuesday for some drinks and headed back for a well earnt sleep at the hotel.
Friday, 12 August 2011
Saturday 13th August - Arrived in Brisbane
Wow we thought this day would never come. Gaz and I don't even know what day it is any more. We are totally shattered. We landed safely in Brisbane at 6am Aussie time and made it smoothly through customs, being asked no questions. Once our passports were stamped we had our crotches sniffed by a cute beagle sniffer dog but it missed the drugs up Gaz's bum (only joking!). As we walked out of the airport, although it was 6am, the sun was shining and there were just a few clouds in the sky. An expensive taxi ride (35 AUD) took us to the front door of our hotel which will be home for the next 4 nights - the Oaks Aurora. Unfortunately, the friendly gentleman behind the desk said it was too early to check in and we were to come back later. Gaz and I had a few errands to run around Brisbane so we didnt mind waiting.
We had a quick bite to eat in starbucks as the plane food makes me feel queezy and i hadn't eaten much. We strolled through the shops but the banks are closed on weekends so we need to wait until Monday to activate our Westpac accounts. We strolled over to the Southbank where Brisbane has its own man made beach and lake. It was very quiet (as we were forgetting it was only 9am) but the sun was already beating down on us.
After a short rest at southbank, we went to buy a mobile phone each. I have a new Samsung Gi0...not sure ill be able to work it after having had my current samsung for the last 5 years - it is very basic and only just about has colour screen! Gaz has also bought a cheap pay as you go phone to tie him over until he gets his iPhone unlocked.
At 11am, having had a mooch around some shops and Gaz almost having a heart attack over the prices of laptops and monitors out here, we sat downstairs in a food court (where it was cool) and had a drink. We have eaten lunch and now checked in to the oaks aurora hotel. Our room is amazing! We are on the 49th floor (almost at the top) and have stunning views from a large balcony overlooking Brisbane city and some mountains in the distance. The apartment has a large leather corner sofa and a decent sized kitchen so we can sort our own meals out if needs be. The bedroom backs onto the balcony so the spectacular views can be enjoyed from the comfort of our bed!
Having written this blog, gaz and i curled up on the sofa at 2pm (Aus time) and feel asleep right through till 8pm. We got up and headed straight to bed where we have carried on sleeping. I've just woken up now...its 2am. My bodyclock is really messed up! I have just been informed that Wales beat England in the rugby...whats going on there? Well done Wales.
Ive added some pics to the previous posts but i wont upload all pics to flickr until we are in Hervey Bay.
We had a quick bite to eat in starbucks as the plane food makes me feel queezy and i hadn't eaten much. We strolled through the shops but the banks are closed on weekends so we need to wait until Monday to activate our Westpac accounts. We strolled over to the Southbank where Brisbane has its own man made beach and lake. It was very quiet (as we were forgetting it was only 9am) but the sun was already beating down on us.
After a short rest at southbank, we went to buy a mobile phone each. I have a new Samsung Gi0...not sure ill be able to work it after having had my current samsung for the last 5 years - it is very basic and only just about has colour screen! Gaz has also bought a cheap pay as you go phone to tie him over until he gets his iPhone unlocked.
At 11am, having had a mooch around some shops and Gaz almost having a heart attack over the prices of laptops and monitors out here, we sat downstairs in a food court (where it was cool) and had a drink. We have eaten lunch and now checked in to the oaks aurora hotel. Our room is amazing! We are on the 49th floor (almost at the top) and have stunning views from a large balcony overlooking Brisbane city and some mountains in the distance. The apartment has a large leather corner sofa and a decent sized kitchen so we can sort our own meals out if needs be. The bedroom backs onto the balcony so the spectacular views can be enjoyed from the comfort of our bed!
Having written this blog, gaz and i curled up on the sofa at 2pm (Aus time) and feel asleep right through till 8pm. We got up and headed straight to bed where we have carried on sleeping. I've just woken up now...its 2am. My bodyclock is really messed up! I have just been informed that Wales beat England in the rugby...whats going on there? Well done Wales.
Ive added some pics to the previous posts but i wont upload all pics to flickr until we are in Hervey Bay.
Friday 12th August
We are sat in Singapore airport writing this blog. We had no problems boarding the plane at London, Heathrow, but we did sit in someone else’s seat by accident. Oops. The Singapore Airline A380 airbus was amazing. The leg room was ample, the chair went back considerably and the horizontal part of the chair pushed forward when the vertical portion reclined, making sleeping on the plane a whole lot more comfortable. The Air hostesses were petite, very beautiful Singaporean women (and some men) but they smiled throughout the whole flight (a bit different to easy jet!). The entertainment was brilliant as we each had our own screens that had a good selection of films, games and you could even make a playlist of songs to listen to. I started watching Midnight in Paris but it bored me so I watched ‘Water for Elephants’. Enjoyed this film and even managed to stay awake to the end! Gaz watched Thor. To my excitement, there were even episodes of The Inbetweeners! The food was OK, both Gaz and I were too tired to really eat. I did get excited when they dished out the Haagen Daz ice cream though!
Gaz slept through most of the flight and the old lady behind him said to me, “I wish I could sleep like that on a plane!”. I gazed over to see Gaz looking comatosed almost dribbling out of his mouth. I commented, “hmm yeh, looks like he’s been drugged.” Both Gaz and I were groggy with one another when getting off the plane. We looked for the pool but it is about a 20min walk away in Terminal 1. Unfortunately we are in Terminal 3 but I did have the chance to pay for a well needed shower to freshen up. I felt much better afterwards (and smelt better too). The airport is renound for being the best airport in the world in terms of what there is to see and do here. The showers were right next door to a butterfly garden. It was boiling in the butterfly house but I managed to get snapping lots of pictures…Gaz waited outside for me after a while as I had got carried away.
We are now sat side by side opposite the boarding gate, waiting patiently to board so we can go back to sleep!
Thursday, 11 August 2011
Thursday 11th August - Leaving day
I write this blog whilst sat at Heathrow airport with Gaz. We have 4 hours to kill so i thought this would be a good oppertunity to write the blog.
This morning i stayed in bed for as long as possible, enjoying the last few hours in my own bedroom as i know it will be the last time im there for a while. Gaz text to say his brother, Huw had left around 11pm. I got up, showered and sat around for most of the morning, watching day time television with mum in the kitchen. Theenie pottered through the kitchen from time to time making her transitions from the sofa in the play room, through to the window in the extension, back through to the sofa in the playroom and then to the kitchen to be fed.
Gaz came over with his parents around 1.15 and we loaded their car up with the suitcases before having a quick cup of tea at nine. It was then time for the goodbyes to mum and dad which was very difficult and tears were shed. i was very sad to be leaving theenie but at least had the chance to spend a lot of time with her over the past few days and was able to give her a loving goodbye. I waved mum and dad off in the car and couldnt help but feel sad that this is the last time i will see them till January - the longest time i have ever spent away from them.
Gaz's parents treated us with a meal at the toby carvery not far from Heathrow airport. Chris took a few photos of us outside and i have put on so much weight now. my double chin got caught in a few of the shots....you can delete those pics Chris! One thing im looking forward to is the healthy lifestyle in aus. Fortunately their chocolate isnt as nice as over here - the chocolate is made in Tasmania and has an additive to stop the chocolate melting. It makes the chocolate taste very dry.
Gaz said his tearful goodbyes to his mum and dad at the airport and we waved them off as they drove away in the car. Although both our parents are sad that we are going, they have all been positive about this being a great oppertunity and it is nice leaving knowing they are proud of us.
We checked our bags in and luckily chose the check in lady who didnt really know the full protocol of what she was meant to be doing. I didnt see how much Gaz's bag was but mine was 21.5kg...luckily she didnt charge me the extra weight. She didnt weigh our bags but as we were walking off, the lady in charge walked over to her and i heared her saying...'If their hand luggage looks heavy, you should be weighing it'. Oops!
We have made it through security successfully having undressed and emptied everything as you do. Such a fuss! And trust Gaz and I to be stuck behind some old fella who took years emptying his pockets, taking off his belt, then setting off the alarm and getting searched.
Ive left Gaz in charge of the bags behind me, he looks very board. As Chris and Ian didnt let us pay for the meal, we are going to go have a drink in a bar using the £20 dad kindly slipped me this morning.
Message to mum, dad, chris and ian - thankyou for letting us spread our wings and fly far away from home. we will miss you but we love you all dearly and as the world is a smaller place these days, you will never be too far apart. Just think of us and smile, we know we make you proud. love you all lots xxx ps, tell theenie and huw we miss them already xxx
This morning i stayed in bed for as long as possible, enjoying the last few hours in my own bedroom as i know it will be the last time im there for a while. Gaz text to say his brother, Huw had left around 11pm. I got up, showered and sat around for most of the morning, watching day time television with mum in the kitchen. Theenie pottered through the kitchen from time to time making her transitions from the sofa in the play room, through to the window in the extension, back through to the sofa in the playroom and then to the kitchen to be fed.
Gaz came over with his parents around 1.15 and we loaded their car up with the suitcases before having a quick cup of tea at nine. It was then time for the goodbyes to mum and dad which was very difficult and tears were shed. i was very sad to be leaving theenie but at least had the chance to spend a lot of time with her over the past few days and was able to give her a loving goodbye. I waved mum and dad off in the car and couldnt help but feel sad that this is the last time i will see them till January - the longest time i have ever spent away from them.
Gaz's parents treated us with a meal at the toby carvery not far from Heathrow airport. Chris took a few photos of us outside and i have put on so much weight now. my double chin got caught in a few of the shots....you can delete those pics Chris! One thing im looking forward to is the healthy lifestyle in aus. Fortunately their chocolate isnt as nice as over here - the chocolate is made in Tasmania and has an additive to stop the chocolate melting. It makes the chocolate taste very dry.
Gaz said his tearful goodbyes to his mum and dad at the airport and we waved them off as they drove away in the car. Although both our parents are sad that we are going, they have all been positive about this being a great oppertunity and it is nice leaving knowing they are proud of us.
We checked our bags in and luckily chose the check in lady who didnt really know the full protocol of what she was meant to be doing. I didnt see how much Gaz's bag was but mine was 21.5kg...luckily she didnt charge me the extra weight. She didnt weigh our bags but as we were walking off, the lady in charge walked over to her and i heared her saying...'If their hand luggage looks heavy, you should be weighing it'. Oops!
We have made it through security successfully having undressed and emptied everything as you do. Such a fuss! And trust Gaz and I to be stuck behind some old fella who took years emptying his pockets, taking off his belt, then setting off the alarm and getting searched.
Ive left Gaz in charge of the bags behind me, he looks very board. As Chris and Ian didnt let us pay for the meal, we are going to go have a drink in a bar using the £20 dad kindly slipped me this morning.
Message to mum, dad, chris and ian - thankyou for letting us spread our wings and fly far away from home. we will miss you but we love you all dearly and as the world is a smaller place these days, you will never be too far apart. Just think of us and smile, we know we make you proud. love you all lots xxx ps, tell theenie and huw we miss them already xxx
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Wednesday 10th August - The Last Supper
Not much to report today!
Gaz dropped his suitcase round my parents house at 11am before he dropped his car over the road to Harry. Dont worry though Gaz, i haven't put anything in your suitcase...apart from a few grams of crack and a hand gun but u'll be fine. Ian picked him up and moved the last of the stuff out of the flat. Sad times for Gaz as he has lots of memories from that flat.
I spent the day packing, then weighing the suitcase...then repacking....then weighing....repacking....im finally down to 20kg in my suitcase and 6.5kg in my hand luggage. If my bags do end up being over, i have the jewelery at the ready to bling myself up for the plane ride. So much for Gaz saying he would have loads of room in his case! His hand luggage is 7kg and his suitcase is 19kg. I dont think he has heard of packing...its more CHUCKING things in where there is a space lol. I'm chuffed though because i have been able to fit my horse riding hat and boots into my case (yay!).
I wrote a few farewells on facebook. I have had the nurses from my work place texting me saying they were in tears reading the nice message i wrote them. I also took Theenie for her last walk with myself and dad. Was nice to spend a bit of quality time with her, watching her limping around the fields, sniffing occasionally at the sporadically located dog scents. Her hearing may have gone a little but her sense of smell certainly hasnt! Going to miss Theenie...a lot. She's my pal.
In the evening Mum, Dad and I went to the pub for a meal. The first pub we drove to had a wake going on. I didn't particularly want to spend my last meal with a load of mourning people dressed in black. Instead, we headed up the road to the Travellers Rest. A traditional country pub where i had a piri piri chicken and chips. Dad had the usual - beer battered cod (which he alternates with scampi and chips) and mum chose the healthy dish on the menu - fish cakes with salad. After a lovely meal, we returned home and watched a film. It was called 'the ugly truth' and it was cringe worthy! Dad couldnt even sit through it all and occupied himself with his laptop and i sat blushing next to mum as naughty things were happening on the screen that one should not really watch with parents!
I spoke to Gaz on the phone and he said he had been to see his nan, Enid. She has given gareth a very generous sum of money which he really appreciates as it will come in very handy. He has had his last supper with Chris, Ian and Huw (his Mum, dad and brother) which was a chinese...yummy! He said its been lovely having just the 4 of them in the house together, just like old times, and it will be a nice memory for him to go away with.
We are both not looking forward to tomorrow. It is possibly going to be the worst day of our lives saying goodbye :(
Hmm, considering i said not much to report...i seem to have reported on a lot!
Gaz dropped his suitcase round my parents house at 11am before he dropped his car over the road to Harry. Dont worry though Gaz, i haven't put anything in your suitcase...apart from a few grams of crack and a hand gun but u'll be fine. Ian picked him up and moved the last of the stuff out of the flat. Sad times for Gaz as he has lots of memories from that flat.
I spent the day packing, then weighing the suitcase...then repacking....then weighing....repacking....im finally down to 20kg in my suitcase and 6.5kg in my hand luggage. If my bags do end up being over, i have the jewelery at the ready to bling myself up for the plane ride. So much for Gaz saying he would have loads of room in his case! His hand luggage is 7kg and his suitcase is 19kg. I dont think he has heard of packing...its more CHUCKING things in where there is a space lol. I'm chuffed though because i have been able to fit my horse riding hat and boots into my case (yay!).
I wrote a few farewells on facebook. I have had the nurses from my work place texting me saying they were in tears reading the nice message i wrote them. I also took Theenie for her last walk with myself and dad. Was nice to spend a bit of quality time with her, watching her limping around the fields, sniffing occasionally at the sporadically located dog scents. Her hearing may have gone a little but her sense of smell certainly hasnt! Going to miss Theenie...a lot. She's my pal.
In the evening Mum, Dad and I went to the pub for a meal. The first pub we drove to had a wake going on. I didn't particularly want to spend my last meal with a load of mourning people dressed in black. Instead, we headed up the road to the Travellers Rest. A traditional country pub where i had a piri piri chicken and chips. Dad had the usual - beer battered cod (which he alternates with scampi and chips) and mum chose the healthy dish on the menu - fish cakes with salad. After a lovely meal, we returned home and watched a film. It was called 'the ugly truth' and it was cringe worthy! Dad couldnt even sit through it all and occupied himself with his laptop and i sat blushing next to mum as naughty things were happening on the screen that one should not really watch with parents!
I spoke to Gaz on the phone and he said he had been to see his nan, Enid. She has given gareth a very generous sum of money which he really appreciates as it will come in very handy. He has had his last supper with Chris, Ian and Huw (his Mum, dad and brother) which was a chinese...yummy! He said its been lovely having just the 4 of them in the house together, just like old times, and it will be a nice memory for him to go away with.
We are both not looking forward to tomorrow. It is possibly going to be the worst day of our lives saying goodbye :(
Hmm, considering i said not much to report...i seem to have reported on a lot!
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
Tuesday 9th August
Apologies for the boring blog...i'm half asleep writing this one!
This morning Gaz and I found it difficult to get up. His alarm was set for 10 minute snooze intervals but in hindsight, we may as well have set the alarm for an hour later than originally planned. When we got up, Gaz took me to 'Cash Generator' so that he could sell his play station as none of his friends seemed to want it. Gaz didn't realise he needed ID in the form of a letter (dated within 6 weeks and with an address on) but luckily, as i was heading to photocopy important documents (which i took with me into the shop incase the car got broken in to) i had my australian work contract letter dated JUST within the 6 week margin - i come in handy afterall! The shop gave me the creeps so we were straight out of there once the deal was done. Gaz then drove me to Dad's surgery so i could do some photocopying of all my important documents so that i can keep a copy at home incase (for whatever reason) i should loose the originals (this is me being organised).
Gaz came to pick me up after having had his hair cut (where he was bored for half hour by the hairdresser talking AT him about politics) and we proceeded to his flat where we spent the rest of the morning/afternoon cleaning. We must have disposed of at least 10 bags which were filled mainly of Gaz's clothes, combined with a moldy pizza from the fridge - uch a fi! As sad as it was clearing out Gaz's flat, it was also reassuring at how well we worked together. We don't get stressed at one another and we don't argue. Instead we help pick each other up when we feel down.
The original plan was to sell his car to Harry across the road for £100. The car is worth more but Gaz appreciates all the work Harry has done for him with the car over the past few years. Harry explained he was going to be doing the car up and giving it to his friend who would be using the car for his charity work with troubled children. Gaz being the softy that he is decided he would give Harry the car and only charge to cover the registration fee. That was his good deed for the day, and a very kind one at that!
Gaz dropped me home and came to the garden where mum was sat on her own and we had a little chat about things. When he left, i was left with mum and i got upset at looking at Theenie, knowing she won't be around when i come home so 'goodbye' on Thursday, really IS goodbye. I hope Theenie understands i won't be coming back...i did try telling her, i think she knows something is up. We mustn't under estimate just how much animals sense things which may explain why she has been following me around a lot these past few days (unless she sees me with the camera, then she avoids me!).
This evening i went for a meal in the Grape and Olive with my best friends from Dental School - Sarah and Kate. Unfortunately Alison couldn't make it back from west wales. They cheered me up a treat and it was lovely to hear their stories about what they have been up to and how work is going now as associates. They are very excited for me and would not allow me to be upset and reminded me that this is an exciting new adventure and they are only a phone call/email away if i need them or fancy a chat. This was comforting.
Gaz has spent the evening with Neil for a meal at the mackintosh pub. I have text Gaz to break the news to him...we have officially checked in online to our flight on Thursday. I have also managed to change the seats so that one of us has an isle seat...preferably Gaz who informs me he gets up continuously for a pee. So this is it. countdown begins. Feeling very very sad to be leaving friends and family but very very excited about what lies ahead. A new chapter in our lives is about to begin.
This morning Gaz and I found it difficult to get up. His alarm was set for 10 minute snooze intervals but in hindsight, we may as well have set the alarm for an hour later than originally planned. When we got up, Gaz took me to 'Cash Generator' so that he could sell his play station as none of his friends seemed to want it. Gaz didn't realise he needed ID in the form of a letter (dated within 6 weeks and with an address on) but luckily, as i was heading to photocopy important documents (which i took with me into the shop incase the car got broken in to) i had my australian work contract letter dated JUST within the 6 week margin - i come in handy afterall! The shop gave me the creeps so we were straight out of there once the deal was done. Gaz then drove me to Dad's surgery so i could do some photocopying of all my important documents so that i can keep a copy at home incase (for whatever reason) i should loose the originals (this is me being organised).
Gaz came to pick me up after having had his hair cut (where he was bored for half hour by the hairdresser talking AT him about politics) and we proceeded to his flat where we spent the rest of the morning/afternoon cleaning. We must have disposed of at least 10 bags which were filled mainly of Gaz's clothes, combined with a moldy pizza from the fridge - uch a fi! As sad as it was clearing out Gaz's flat, it was also reassuring at how well we worked together. We don't get stressed at one another and we don't argue. Instead we help pick each other up when we feel down.
The original plan was to sell his car to Harry across the road for £100. The car is worth more but Gaz appreciates all the work Harry has done for him with the car over the past few years. Harry explained he was going to be doing the car up and giving it to his friend who would be using the car for his charity work with troubled children. Gaz being the softy that he is decided he would give Harry the car and only charge to cover the registration fee. That was his good deed for the day, and a very kind one at that!
Gaz dropped me home and came to the garden where mum was sat on her own and we had a little chat about things. When he left, i was left with mum and i got upset at looking at Theenie, knowing she won't be around when i come home so 'goodbye' on Thursday, really IS goodbye. I hope Theenie understands i won't be coming back...i did try telling her, i think she knows something is up. We mustn't under estimate just how much animals sense things which may explain why she has been following me around a lot these past few days (unless she sees me with the camera, then she avoids me!).
This evening i went for a meal in the Grape and Olive with my best friends from Dental School - Sarah and Kate. Unfortunately Alison couldn't make it back from west wales. They cheered me up a treat and it was lovely to hear their stories about what they have been up to and how work is going now as associates. They are very excited for me and would not allow me to be upset and reminded me that this is an exciting new adventure and they are only a phone call/email away if i need them or fancy a chat. This was comforting.
Gaz has spent the evening with Neil for a meal at the mackintosh pub. I have text Gaz to break the news to him...we have officially checked in online to our flight on Thursday. I have also managed to change the seats so that one of us has an isle seat...preferably Gaz who informs me he gets up continuously for a pee. So this is it. countdown begins. Feeling very very sad to be leaving friends and family but very very excited about what lies ahead. A new chapter in our lives is about to begin.
Monday, 8 August 2011
Monday 8th August - Lane family meal
Today Mum and I went in to town so that I could pick up some last minute items for the trip to Aus. I thought i would do my good deed for the day and pay in the huge pot of coins my brother has had on his windowsill for the past few years only to get to the bank to find the paying in coin machine was broken! I ended up lugging a very heavy bag around town for the next hour. I managed to post a present to one of my best friends, Kirsty. I had given her a 'me-to-you' bear on our goodbye visit a few days ago saying 'special friend' on it but she had gone one step further and made me a lovely collage of pictures of us both and given me 2 neclaces - one that broke in half saying 'best friends' (i have the half saying friends, she has the other half with best on). The other necklace was sterling silver with a little horse shoe and a tag that reads 'may love, luck and happiness be with you always'. I was touched by these gifts and wanted to give her something more sentimental as i really will miss her a lot. Before my horse died 5 years ago, the last time she was shod, i asked to keep her set of iron horse shoes. Kierra (the name of my horse), as sad as it sounds, was my best friend through high school and i miss her to this day. I had an idea to paint one of the shoes (using my nail varnish) and write KIRSY on the shoe to symbolise luck and to give her something that meant a lot to me.This is exactly what i did. In town, I also managed to find an earphone splitter so that gaz and I can both listen to my laptop and also some airplane adapters so that we can use our own earphones on the plane instead of the rubbish ones they give you.
Mum and I stopped off in Sainsburys to pick up the food for the roast dinner she was cooking later in the evening. When we got back, she handed me an envelope...inside was 400AUD from her and Dad. Very unexpected but very much appreciated.
The food was delicious and had all the trimmings! It was a good opportunity to exchange some more helpful tips from Adam and Gemma about the whole Australian experience as this was them this time 2 years ago. They said it was the best thing they had ever done and they are sure we will love it too.
As the meal drew to an end, Gaz decided he was going back to his flat as he has lots of stuff to sort. Not wanting to be on my own, i asked if i could go too. As i stood up to leave it hit me that this was the last time i would see Adam and Gemma before i go, and next time i see them i will be an auntie and Gaz will be an uncle. I have been really strong in front of people up until this point but suddenly the emotions hit me and i burst in to tears. Gemma gave me a really meaninful hug - the tight sort of hug where u know the person is really showing their affection. Adam did the same and handed me some AUD. I didn't want to hang around much longer, mum was in tears and i could see dad holding back the flood so i left the house in all of a tizz. Gareth comforted me but i couldn't stop the tears streaming down my face. I will be really sad to not see Adam and Gemma again for so long and im dreading Thursday when i have to say goodbye to mum and dad.
Mum and I stopped off in Sainsburys to pick up the food for the roast dinner she was cooking later in the evening. When we got back, she handed me an envelope...inside was 400AUD from her and Dad. Very unexpected but very much appreciated.
The food was delicious and had all the trimmings! It was a good opportunity to exchange some more helpful tips from Adam and Gemma about the whole Australian experience as this was them this time 2 years ago. They said it was the best thing they had ever done and they are sure we will love it too.
As the meal drew to an end, Gaz decided he was going back to his flat as he has lots of stuff to sort. Not wanting to be on my own, i asked if i could go too. As i stood up to leave it hit me that this was the last time i would see Adam and Gemma before i go, and next time i see them i will be an auntie and Gaz will be an uncle. I have been really strong in front of people up until this point but suddenly the emotions hit me and i burst in to tears. Gemma gave me a really meaninful hug - the tight sort of hug where u know the person is really showing their affection. Adam did the same and handed me some AUD. I didn't want to hang around much longer, mum was in tears and i could see dad holding back the flood so i left the house in all of a tizz. Gareth comforted me but i couldn't stop the tears streaming down my face. I will be really sad to not see Adam and Gemma again for so long and im dreading Thursday when i have to say goodbye to mum and dad.
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Sunday 7th August - Lane leaving party
Gaz returned from the casino at 4am this morning having wisely confiscated money off Huw to make sure he didn't loose too much. I'm so glad im with the sensible brother! His alarm went off at 10am but neither of us could bare opening our eyes so we snoozed for another half hour, as though it would make the world of difference.
I got home and mum had been shopping for food to make sandwiches for the guests arriving later. The BBQ had been called off as the weather was awful (typical). At 1pm, my cousin Alexander, his wife Steph, their two adorable little girls - Amelie (3 years old) and Freya (1.5years old) and my Nan had all arrived and we were enjoying watching the girls play with their toys in the lounge. Amelie had chicken pox so unfortunately Adam and Gemma didn't come over (as Gemma is pregnant). It is very cute watching Amelie playing 'mum' to Freya - showing her how to play with the toys and bossing her around like older siblings do. Dad was caught feeding them chocolate buttons which Steph had already said they weren't allowd! He was crouched down, shaking the bowl of buttons at them as though coaxing a timid little lamb closer and closer to their feed. The girls are not used to dogs so fortunately Theenie sat patiently whilst they stroked her and even laid down to let them give her a brush. Although they were trying really hard to be gentle, Freya did stand on Theenies tale a few times so although Theenie may not have been completely loving the attention from the youngsters, she tolerated it very well. Gaz joined us and Mum and Dad commented on how good he was with Amelie and Freya who he chased around the garden pretending to be a big angry giant. Any excuse for Gaz to behave like a big kid!
It was sad saying goodbye to everyone, especially Nanny who looked teary eyed at me as she said her fond farewell. My Nan is a battle axe and at 86, she is wall papering the house and on her hands and knees scrubbing floors. I have no doubt i will be seeing her next christmas when Gaz and I intend to return for a visit.
In the evening Gaz and I were invited to his parents house for a paella dish that Gaz's Dad has boasted about since he bought his new paella dish a few months back. He did not let himself down as the dish was beautiful - its just a shame Gaz had to pick out the hundred peas and sweetcorn mixed amongst the rice. Chris even managed to knock over a bottle of wine that flew all down the chair and all over the rug. Luckily the rug is machine washable and fingers crossed the wine should come out! On the plus side, there was still some wine left in the bottle! We all piled into their lounge after a delightful strawberry and cream dessert and watched a story about Lisa Kudrows family tree. Her last words were that no matter what happens in life, life goes on. On leaving Gaz's parents house he became a bit emotional at the thought that wehave only a few days left here in the UK. As hard as it is going to be leaving our friends and family behind on Thursday....life goes on.
The photograph was taken with my compact camera quickly before Freya ran off again and in the 15 mins of sunshine we had outside! (Freya - left, Amelie - Right)
I got home and mum had been shopping for food to make sandwiches for the guests arriving later. The BBQ had been called off as the weather was awful (typical). At 1pm, my cousin Alexander, his wife Steph, their two adorable little girls - Amelie (3 years old) and Freya (1.5years old) and my Nan had all arrived and we were enjoying watching the girls play with their toys in the lounge. Amelie had chicken pox so unfortunately Adam and Gemma didn't come over (as Gemma is pregnant). It is very cute watching Amelie playing 'mum' to Freya - showing her how to play with the toys and bossing her around like older siblings do. Dad was caught feeding them chocolate buttons which Steph had already said they weren't allowd! He was crouched down, shaking the bowl of buttons at them as though coaxing a timid little lamb closer and closer to their feed. The girls are not used to dogs so fortunately Theenie sat patiently whilst they stroked her and even laid down to let them give her a brush. Although they were trying really hard to be gentle, Freya did stand on Theenies tale a few times so although Theenie may not have been completely loving the attention from the youngsters, she tolerated it very well. Gaz joined us and Mum and Dad commented on how good he was with Amelie and Freya who he chased around the garden pretending to be a big angry giant. Any excuse for Gaz to behave like a big kid!
It was sad saying goodbye to everyone, especially Nanny who looked teary eyed at me as she said her fond farewell. My Nan is a battle axe and at 86, she is wall papering the house and on her hands and knees scrubbing floors. I have no doubt i will be seeing her next christmas when Gaz and I intend to return for a visit.
In the evening Gaz and I were invited to his parents house for a paella dish that Gaz's Dad has boasted about since he bought his new paella dish a few months back. He did not let himself down as the dish was beautiful - its just a shame Gaz had to pick out the hundred peas and sweetcorn mixed amongst the rice. Chris even managed to knock over a bottle of wine that flew all down the chair and all over the rug. Luckily the rug is machine washable and fingers crossed the wine should come out! On the plus side, there was still some wine left in the bottle! We all piled into their lounge after a delightful strawberry and cream dessert and watched a story about Lisa Kudrows family tree. Her last words were that no matter what happens in life, life goes on. On leaving Gaz's parents house he became a bit emotional at the thought that wehave only a few days left here in the UK. As hard as it is going to be leaving our friends and family behind on Thursday....life goes on.
The photograph was taken with my compact camera quickly before Freya ran off again and in the 15 mins of sunshine we had outside! (Freya - left, Amelie - Right)
Saturday, 6 August 2011
Saturday 6th August - Leaving Party
I woke up at 3am this morning having previously drifted off in Gareths arms watching The Inbetweeners on the laptop in bed. So very often do we cwtch up in bed watching films on the laptop and only a handful of times have i ever stayed awake to catch the end! On the way back from the toilet i walked into the drawers, making a loud racket thus waking Gaz up. I told him i had had a bad dream and he told me everything is OK and cuddled me like a little baby, and i soon fell back to sleep again.
We slept right through till 11am and then Gaz got up to play poker so i had some cereal and then left to go back home. Mum was busy cleaning the house and Dad was mowing the lawn so i took the oppertunity to photograph Theenie again with the SLR camera. Poor Theenie hates having her photo taken but she had no choice as i followed her around the garden, clicking away. She was not best pleased!
Although i wasn't particularly tired having spent most of the morning in bed, i still felt inclined to have an afternoon nap. I woke up at 6pm and got ready for the leaving party Gaz and i were having later in the evening. The party consisted of mainly Gaz's mates as i have a meal planned on Tuesday with University friends and have already celebrated with my Swansea friends. At 7pm i got to Gaz's house where Neil was sat comfortabley on the sofa in the same spot where he always sat when he was Gaz's flatmate. Was just like old times walking in and seeing him there with a beer in one hand and the friendly salute he does with the other. Huw (Gaz's brother) and Mel (Huw's wife) turned up not long after i had arrived with Mike Peters (who i remember seeing in Cardiff High as he has an uncanny resemblence to the lead character off American Pie) and Mikes brother, Lex (the crazy wanderer). After a few drinks in the flat, we headed to the bar across the road from Gaz's flat - Karma Lounge.
Heather (a lovely girl Gaz stalked home one night), Elise and Helen (Gaz befriended in a que to a club on another night) soon joined the party. It was a nice relaxed atmosphere where we all exchanged tales of the past and had a laugh whilst enjoying a few beers/cocktails. Jack Peters (Mikes dad) also made an appearance to wish farewell to his forth son (Gareth). After the Karma lounge those of us remaining headed back to the flat for some more drinks. Huw has been desperate all night to go to the casino and although Gaz was not really up for it, i've insisted he goes to spend some quality time with his brother, Lex, Mike and Neil because it is the last night he will have with them before he goes away. I also thought if i get rid of him then i can write this blog whilst it pours down outside! Don't know what time he will be home but i hope he enjoys every minute with his brother and best friends.
We slept right through till 11am and then Gaz got up to play poker so i had some cereal and then left to go back home. Mum was busy cleaning the house and Dad was mowing the lawn so i took the oppertunity to photograph Theenie again with the SLR camera. Poor Theenie hates having her photo taken but she had no choice as i followed her around the garden, clicking away. She was not best pleased!
Although i wasn't particularly tired having spent most of the morning in bed, i still felt inclined to have an afternoon nap. I woke up at 6pm and got ready for the leaving party Gaz and i were having later in the evening. The party consisted of mainly Gaz's mates as i have a meal planned on Tuesday with University friends and have already celebrated with my Swansea friends. At 7pm i got to Gaz's house where Neil was sat comfortabley on the sofa in the same spot where he always sat when he was Gaz's flatmate. Was just like old times walking in and seeing him there with a beer in one hand and the friendly salute he does with the other. Huw (Gaz's brother) and Mel (Huw's wife) turned up not long after i had arrived with Mike Peters (who i remember seeing in Cardiff High as he has an uncanny resemblence to the lead character off American Pie) and Mikes brother, Lex (the crazy wanderer). After a few drinks in the flat, we headed to the bar across the road from Gaz's flat - Karma Lounge.
Heather (a lovely girl Gaz stalked home one night), Elise and Helen (Gaz befriended in a que to a club on another night) soon joined the party. It was a nice relaxed atmosphere where we all exchanged tales of the past and had a laugh whilst enjoying a few beers/cocktails. Jack Peters (Mikes dad) also made an appearance to wish farewell to his forth son (Gareth). After the Karma lounge those of us remaining headed back to the flat for some more drinks. Huw has been desperate all night to go to the casino and although Gaz was not really up for it, i've insisted he goes to spend some quality time with his brother, Lex, Mike and Neil because it is the last night he will have with them before he goes away. I also thought if i get rid of him then i can write this blog whilst it pours down outside! Don't know what time he will be home but i hope he enjoys every minute with his brother and best friends.
Friday, 5 August 2011
Friday 5th July 2011
When asking Gaz how we should start this blog, he called in from the computer room, "HERROWWWWWW!" (hello) in a little japanese accent. Not racist at all. So...HERROWWWW!.
We are 6 days away from our new exciting adventure to Australia and have spent the day tying up loose ends for the trip. Gaz was woken up with a startle to a loud banging on the front door at 10am. "SH*T sorry Vicky i completely forgot the guy was coming to measure the window today!"...I was fast asleep and so deep in slumber that I hadn't heard anyone knocking but was rather impressed at the speed at which Gaz was up and out of bed. I didnt know Gaz could move so fast! Window Man wasnt long measuring up but in return for keeping him waiting at the door, he left a squashed slug from the bottom of his shoe on the floor. Gross.
I drove in to town and left my car to get valeted as i wanted Betty Boo (thats the name of my Mini) sparkling before i hand it over to Dad to look after whilst im away in Aus. I took some cash out in Natwest and the cashier was questioning why i was taking out so much money. I was explaining about having a job in Australia. "Oh thats wonderful." She replied, "I would love to have done that but never had the guts!". Ironically, the woman in the post office said exactly the same thing when i went to exchange the cash for AUD. Hearing the way people talk about Aus over here makes me sure im doing the right thing. It is going to be very hard leaving family and friends behind but Gaz and i both know we have each other and as you only live once, we want to fulfill our dreams and never be regretful about anythin we wished we had done in life but didnt ever do.
After running a few more errands in town, i headed back home where i caught an hours kip before Gaz rung to say his parents were meeting at his around 7.30pm to go for a meal. We went to Chimichangas (a mexican in St Davids 2) which has been mine and Gaz's favourite place to eat since we discovered it before christmas. We had a delightful meal and Gaz's mum, Chris, gave me some more helpful tips on using the new SLR camera Gaz and I have. Unfortunately i have hogged the camera so Gaz hasn't had much of a look-in. As Gaz kicks up a fuss and hates being in any pictures i take (misery), i have bought a little teddy to take to Australia who is to be photographed as a 'Gaz replacement'. Meet Vicky Junior. So named because she is in a little hoody (like what i often wear 99% of the time)...nothing to do with her hairy bum and facial hair!
We are 6 days away from our new exciting adventure to Australia and have spent the day tying up loose ends for the trip. Gaz was woken up with a startle to a loud banging on the front door at 10am. "SH*T sorry Vicky i completely forgot the guy was coming to measure the window today!"...I was fast asleep and so deep in slumber that I hadn't heard anyone knocking but was rather impressed at the speed at which Gaz was up and out of bed. I didnt know Gaz could move so fast! Window Man wasnt long measuring up but in return for keeping him waiting at the door, he left a squashed slug from the bottom of his shoe on the floor. Gross.
I drove in to town and left my car to get valeted as i wanted Betty Boo (thats the name of my Mini) sparkling before i hand it over to Dad to look after whilst im away in Aus. I took some cash out in Natwest and the cashier was questioning why i was taking out so much money. I was explaining about having a job in Australia. "Oh thats wonderful." She replied, "I would love to have done that but never had the guts!". Ironically, the woman in the post office said exactly the same thing when i went to exchange the cash for AUD. Hearing the way people talk about Aus over here makes me sure im doing the right thing. It is going to be very hard leaving family and friends behind but Gaz and i both know we have each other and as you only live once, we want to fulfill our dreams and never be regretful about anythin we wished we had done in life but didnt ever do.
After running a few more errands in town, i headed back home where i caught an hours kip before Gaz rung to say his parents were meeting at his around 7.30pm to go for a meal. We went to Chimichangas (a mexican in St Davids 2) which has been mine and Gaz's favourite place to eat since we discovered it before christmas. We had a delightful meal and Gaz's mum, Chris, gave me some more helpful tips on using the new SLR camera Gaz and I have. Unfortunately i have hogged the camera so Gaz hasn't had much of a look-in. As Gaz kicks up a fuss and hates being in any pictures i take (misery), i have bought a little teddy to take to Australia who is to be photographed as a 'Gaz replacement'. Meet Vicky Junior. So named because she is in a little hoody (like what i often wear 99% of the time)...nothing to do with her hairy bum and facial hair!
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