Gaz and i are on day 2 of our healthy eating...the exercise bit hasnt quite happened yet! We have had 2 weetabix for breaky, a pita bread with a bit of flavoured dip for lunch and a piece of meat for din dins. Tonight we had chicken on skewers in satay sauce...delicious! For a little treat we have an ice pop out the freezer...all 48 calories of it! Because we are doing it together, it is making it a lot easier to stick to the diet. Ive found that because im not eating lots of junk food, im drinking a lot more water which is great! My exercise for the past 2 nights has been on the pole which is in the garden...im slowly getting my strength back but i forgot how much fun it was! im nearly able to do all the moves that i used to be able to do...and im getting the calus' back on my hands...the joys!
Gaz is currently looking up a bbq beef recipe. Ive told him its probs easier just to buy the sauce but hes insistent on making it himself...im sure it will taste amazing. n e way, enough about food...
Work is going ok...ive applied for the royal flying doctors just incase i need something to fill the time between ending my contract at the dental clinic and starting my private job in Aura. I told my boss today i had been offered a job somewhere and he is the sort of person where if u have climbed a mountain, hes climbed one ten times higher. His response was " oh ok, we've filled your position any way. Hes had 16 years experience and specialises in peads and ortho." i was like oh ok...i said i was going to try for a place with the royal flying doctors....his response to that was "oh i did that a few years back, you wont get a job in that now. they are looking for their own dentists, they wont recruit you at this stage.plus youve got to be able to cope with turbulence, you can be chucked 50ft up into the air. And theres the stress of not finishing on time and being left behind at whatever place you are in...the plane wont wait for you." ...sometimes you just want to stick your finger up at him but i just nod and smile and imagine him hanging from a tree eating a banana.
Gaz has moved up a level on the computer and the past 2 days hasnt gone too well but im sure he can turn it around!
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Monday, 28 November 2011
Monday 28th November - Another sad day
I woke up this morning and got ready for work leaving gaz fast asleep. It was really sad to not be greeted by ian and chris at the dinner table this morning. Work was ok...had lots of compliments from patients today about my work which was great and the word has got around about Aura offering me the job so everyone is saying 'dont go we will miss you!' Even hannah, my dental nurse for today said..."your a really awesome dentist and ull be missed here"...which i thought was really sweet! Jackie is even planning a farewell party at her house and some big surprise for me that they have all been discussing. I dont see myself staying on at the Hervey Bay Dental Clinic past february. Its been great experience but i am young and it wouldnt be good to get tied into a job so early into my career. Ive actually been doing some research on the royal flying doctors...Liz printed off some stuff for me at my interview about it and said it is well worth doing for the experience. You get to visit outback places where you are the only dentist around for miles...there are a few people who have done it at the dental clinic and have all said how good it was. Something to consider!
Gaz didnt have a good day on the computer...i dont know if he is in the right frame of mind for it today as we are both still sad about ian and chris leaving. I keep reassuring him it wont be long till we are home to see them and we have a lot to look forward to before then!
Oh and gaz was proud of me today...i had a polish patient who came in demanding antibiotics. She was very rude and had had a tooth taken out by another dentist 3 days ago. Since then she says she has been in a lot of pain and was demanding i give her antibiotics. I had a look and she had a dry socket so i explained antibiotics would have no benefit and instead we would rinse the socket and pack with some alvygel (typical procedure for dry socket). She moaned and moaned 'what about the pain' i said well thats what the alvygel is for, just give it a chance to work. I WANT ANTIBIOTICS NOW! ...."umm no. im not giving you antibiotics." ...."SO YOU EXPECT ME TO WASTE MY TIME GETTING THEM FROM A GP?"....."i dont see why your gp should give you antibiotics, this is not a bacterial infection, this is a problem with the healing of the socket. You have bone exposed to the environment which is why it is painful. the blood clot has not formed properly. Antibiotics will do nothing." "BUT IVE HAD THIS BEFORE AND THE LAST DENTIST GAVE ME ANTIBIOTICS!" "well i cant comment on previous treatment as i wasnt there but i still am not giving you antibiotics." "GIVE ME PAINKILLERS THEN!" "no, you are already taking painkillers, you can buy them over the counter, just alternate the ibruprofen and panadine forte...plus the alvygel will take the pain away." *patient continuously rolling her eyes at me* "SO YOUR NOT GIVING ME ANTIBIOTICS? THIS IS STUPID"....i pass the patient the therapeutic guidlines and highlight the line that states "dry socket - antibiotics are of no benefit" At which point she waves her hands in the air and storms out of the room. Stupid bitch...i love being right though! :D
Gaz and i have had our last day of binge eating and tomorrow is day 1 of diet and exercise!
Gaz didnt have a good day on the computer...i dont know if he is in the right frame of mind for it today as we are both still sad about ian and chris leaving. I keep reassuring him it wont be long till we are home to see them and we have a lot to look forward to before then!
Oh and gaz was proud of me today...i had a polish patient who came in demanding antibiotics. She was very rude and had had a tooth taken out by another dentist 3 days ago. Since then she says she has been in a lot of pain and was demanding i give her antibiotics. I had a look and she had a dry socket so i explained antibiotics would have no benefit and instead we would rinse the socket and pack with some alvygel (typical procedure for dry socket). She moaned and moaned 'what about the pain' i said well thats what the alvygel is for, just give it a chance to work. I WANT ANTIBIOTICS NOW! ...."umm no. im not giving you antibiotics." ...."SO YOU EXPECT ME TO WASTE MY TIME GETTING THEM FROM A GP?"....."i dont see why your gp should give you antibiotics, this is not a bacterial infection, this is a problem with the healing of the socket. You have bone exposed to the environment which is why it is painful. the blood clot has not formed properly. Antibiotics will do nothing." "BUT IVE HAD THIS BEFORE AND THE LAST DENTIST GAVE ME ANTIBIOTICS!" "well i cant comment on previous treatment as i wasnt there but i still am not giving you antibiotics." "GIVE ME PAINKILLERS THEN!" "no, you are already taking painkillers, you can buy them over the counter, just alternate the ibruprofen and panadine forte...plus the alvygel will take the pain away." *patient continuously rolling her eyes at me* "SO YOUR NOT GIVING ME ANTIBIOTICS? THIS IS STUPID"....i pass the patient the therapeutic guidlines and highlight the line that states "dry socket - antibiotics are of no benefit" At which point she waves her hands in the air and storms out of the room. Stupid bitch...i love being right though! :D
Gaz and i have had our last day of binge eating and tomorrow is day 1 of diet and exercise!
Sunday, 27 November 2011
sunday 27th November - i hate goodbyes
It was so sad this morning saying goodbye to chris and ian. I had a riding lesson at 9 and we planned to be gone for 2 hours so i hadnt intended on seeing chris and ian when i got back...so when they were still present on my return, we had a second final farewell. Gaz and I have had the best month since being out here and we have done so much with chris and ian....fraser island, moreton island, bbq's by the beach, eating out along the esplanade and of course gaz got to spend quality time fishing with ian and chris who was always present taking photos. Its been lovely having them to stay and i will miss ian and chris' face at the breakfast table when i come down in the mornings before work. Gaz has been really quiet today and didnt play on the computer...instead he slept for a few hours.
I had a great riding lesson. 6 of us went out together on the horses and buddy was great as always. We spotted lots of wild kangaroos but one poor male kangaroo had injured his leg and couldnt skip...he fell over few times with his legs int he air and struggled to get back up so we diverted the ride away from him. Poor thing wont last long out there like that!
As gaz was having a quiet day in the house i thougrht id go buy a little christmas tree. Its fibre optic from 'the reject' shop...cost me £10 in all plus another £10 for all the decs to put on it. Also picked up 2 little stockings for gaz and i and some santa hats which i have told gaz he HAS to wear it on christmas day...he doesnt look too impressed. ive put all our little pressents from the parents under the tree...looks very cute...here is a photo of it!
I had a great riding lesson. 6 of us went out together on the horses and buddy was great as always. We spotted lots of wild kangaroos but one poor male kangaroo had injured his leg and couldnt skip...he fell over few times with his legs int he air and struggled to get back up so we diverted the ride away from him. Poor thing wont last long out there like that!
As gaz was having a quiet day in the house i thougrht id go buy a little christmas tree. Its fibre optic from 'the reject' shop...cost me £10 in all plus another £10 for all the decs to put on it. Also picked up 2 little stockings for gaz and i and some santa hats which i have told gaz he HAS to wear it on christmas day...he doesnt look too impressed. ive put all our little pressents from the parents under the tree...looks very cute...here is a photo of it!
Saturday, 26 November 2011
Saturday 26th November - Smoked Pepper/Halloween Party
This was ian and chris' last full day with us in aus. Gaz was up bright and early to go fishing with his dad and chris popped down to join them. I stayed in bed and enjoyed a lie in which i dont get very often! Gaz and ian came back empty handed and gaz fell fast asleep. I went with ian and chris to the eagles nest in point vernon to check it out. the little baby sat snuggled in the nest and poked its little white head out the top whilst the parent perched next to the nest, keeping watch.
Gaz was up and about by the time we got home so ian drov eus over to Toogoom so we could grab a milkshake and enjoy the sunshine. Gaz ordered a quiche lorraine but the first....second....and third quiche delivered to our table all had salmon in. Gaz despises salmon and had to keep taking the food back to the counter, explaining it was the wrong quiche. In the end, it was established that there were no quiche lorraines in stock, instead they were all salmon so gaz settled for a sausage roll...bu was disappointed by the refried beans inside the sausage.
This afternoon i had a belated halloween party at one of the dental assitants (Jackie) house. It was a halloween fancy dress theme so i went as a pumpkin witch and face painted my face to look like a pumpkin (chris has a photograph of me on her blog). Jackies house was stunning. she lives in point vernon where her and her husband designed the house and it is very unique. Gaz very kindly dropped me off there and on the way we spotted 6 kangaroos grazing by the side of the road with a joey feeding from its mummy. so cute! The party was great fun, and lots of people from work turned up, everyone having made a great effort with the fancy dress outfits....infact i won first prize which i was shocked at because everyone had made such a great effort.
Gaz, chris and ian picked me up from the party and we headed to smoked pepper for food (me having washed my make up off first!). The food did not disappoint and we enjoyed an excellent selection of tapas. Afterwards we had a stroll down Urangan pier in the dark at high tide and watched some of the fisherman trying to catch fish. No one seemed to be catching anything! the weather today was very very warm and humid...we really need a big storm...preferabley NOT before/during my riding lesson tomorrow!
Gaz and i are not looking forward to tomorrow when chris and ian leave :( trying not to think too much about it tonight...it will be very sad.
Gaz was up and about by the time we got home so ian drov eus over to Toogoom so we could grab a milkshake and enjoy the sunshine. Gaz ordered a quiche lorraine but the first....second....and third quiche delivered to our table all had salmon in. Gaz despises salmon and had to keep taking the food back to the counter, explaining it was the wrong quiche. In the end, it was established that there were no quiche lorraines in stock, instead they were all salmon so gaz settled for a sausage roll...bu was disappointed by the refried beans inside the sausage.
This afternoon i had a belated halloween party at one of the dental assitants (Jackie) house. It was a halloween fancy dress theme so i went as a pumpkin witch and face painted my face to look like a pumpkin (chris has a photograph of me on her blog). Jackies house was stunning. she lives in point vernon where her and her husband designed the house and it is very unique. Gaz very kindly dropped me off there and on the way we spotted 6 kangaroos grazing by the side of the road with a joey feeding from its mummy. so cute! The party was great fun, and lots of people from work turned up, everyone having made a great effort with the fancy dress outfits....infact i won first prize which i was shocked at because everyone had made such a great effort.
Gaz, chris and ian picked me up from the party and we headed to smoked pepper for food (me having washed my make up off first!). The food did not disappoint and we enjoyed an excellent selection of tapas. Afterwards we had a stroll down Urangan pier in the dark at high tide and watched some of the fisherman trying to catch fish. No one seemed to be catching anything! the weather today was very very warm and humid...we really need a big storm...preferabley NOT before/during my riding lesson tomorrow!
Gaz and i are not looking forward to tomorrow when chris and ian leave :( trying not to think too much about it tonight...it will be very sad.
Friday, 25 November 2011
Friday 25th November - Exciting day!
Gaz's parents have returned today after their long drive up the east coast of aus from Canberra. It is really nice to have them back and its a real shame they are only here for 2 nights. Both gaz and i are really going to miss them...even though they havent been with us the past week, knowing we would see them again this weekend was something to look forward to. It will be really sad when they leave.
This morning i had my hair cut. I am very pleased with it as the guy who cut it didnt take too much off the length as i explained i am trying to grow it. I also went and had my legs waxed as my legs were getting hairier than Gaz's! Gaz spent the morning on the computer and again, he did very well. He has had an excellent month and is very pleased.
I had an interview this afternoon with a private dental practice around the corner from home - Aura dental practice. I knew as soon as i walked in i liked the place and i took an instant like to the practice manager, Matt and his pregnant wife, Elizabeth. They are an english couple and Liz qualified in cardiff and even worked 2 years at the hervey bay dental clinic where i am now. They were a very chilled couple and made me feel very welcome and comfortable and they told me there and then in the interview that they thought i would fit in really well at the practice. They asked what my weak points were in dentistry...i said complete dentures....which was great because they dont do dentures at this practice! they refer :D they like the fact i can do impacted wisdom teeth and i had Liz in stitches when she asked 'what is the most crazy thing you have ever done?'. Being put on the spot, the only time i could think of, which i said i probabley shouldnt be saying in an interview, was when my friend and i stole a trolly from tescos in university, dressed as santa claus (it was christmas) and drove it to the fish and chip shop...Liz found it very funny and it reminded her of the things she used to get up to in Uni. The practice is amazing...its only 2 years old so all the equipment is pretty new...intra oral cameras built into the dental chairs and my surgery would be brand new...and suitable for me being left handed! they have the latest x ray equipment with cone beam imaging so we can get 3D images of teeth/bone. The practice is all about relaxation and as Matt said 'putting the patient first'. It is exactly how i would want my surgery to be...the waiting room is called the 'relaxation room'. They have these comfy black chairs with a big water feature in the corner, soothing music and on a big flat screen tv, they have a video of fish that has been filmed...it was lovely to watch! Overall i was very impressed with the whole atmosphere and lay out of the practice...it was almost exactly how i have imagined i would want my dental practice to look like! They said that they are looking to open the 4th surgery a few months after christmas. they said the first 2 months is when people have paid school fees and after xmas, they have no money so the work load dries up a bit. They said they are deffinately interested in having me work there, but they dont know when it will be. If by the time my contract finishes end of feb they still dont need me, i have a few options to consider if i need to fill some time before starting at Aura.
Gaz, Chris, Ian and I have all just got back from a bbq by the beach in our usual spot. The weather has got very window and even a few spots of rain fell. We need a big storm to clear the air a bit! We are all chilling before chris and ians last full day with us tomorrow which Gaz intends to get up early to go fishing with his dad. i hope the weather is good for them!
This morning i had my hair cut. I am very pleased with it as the guy who cut it didnt take too much off the length as i explained i am trying to grow it. I also went and had my legs waxed as my legs were getting hairier than Gaz's! Gaz spent the morning on the computer and again, he did very well. He has had an excellent month and is very pleased.
I had an interview this afternoon with a private dental practice around the corner from home - Aura dental practice. I knew as soon as i walked in i liked the place and i took an instant like to the practice manager, Matt and his pregnant wife, Elizabeth. They are an english couple and Liz qualified in cardiff and even worked 2 years at the hervey bay dental clinic where i am now. They were a very chilled couple and made me feel very welcome and comfortable and they told me there and then in the interview that they thought i would fit in really well at the practice. They asked what my weak points were in dentistry...i said complete dentures....which was great because they dont do dentures at this practice! they refer :D they like the fact i can do impacted wisdom teeth and i had Liz in stitches when she asked 'what is the most crazy thing you have ever done?'. Being put on the spot, the only time i could think of, which i said i probabley shouldnt be saying in an interview, was when my friend and i stole a trolly from tescos in university, dressed as santa claus (it was christmas) and drove it to the fish and chip shop...Liz found it very funny and it reminded her of the things she used to get up to in Uni. The practice is amazing...its only 2 years old so all the equipment is pretty new...intra oral cameras built into the dental chairs and my surgery would be brand new...and suitable for me being left handed! they have the latest x ray equipment with cone beam imaging so we can get 3D images of teeth/bone. The practice is all about relaxation and as Matt said 'putting the patient first'. It is exactly how i would want my surgery to be...the waiting room is called the 'relaxation room'. They have these comfy black chairs with a big water feature in the corner, soothing music and on a big flat screen tv, they have a video of fish that has been filmed...it was lovely to watch! Overall i was very impressed with the whole atmosphere and lay out of the practice...it was almost exactly how i have imagined i would want my dental practice to look like! They said that they are looking to open the 4th surgery a few months after christmas. they said the first 2 months is when people have paid school fees and after xmas, they have no money so the work load dries up a bit. They said they are deffinately interested in having me work there, but they dont know when it will be. If by the time my contract finishes end of feb they still dont need me, i have a few options to consider if i need to fill some time before starting at Aura.
Gaz, Chris, Ian and I have all just got back from a bbq by the beach in our usual spot. The weather has got very window and even a few spots of rain fell. We need a big storm to clear the air a bit! We are all chilling before chris and ians last full day with us tomorrow which Gaz intends to get up early to go fishing with his dad. i hope the weather is good for them!
Thursday, 24 November 2011
Thursday 24th November - The Inbetweeners
I have booked the flights for when mum and dad come out in january. We decided to get them booked early otherwise they would be too expensive to book closer to the time. I have managed to get from 7-23rd January off from work which i have had to use my sick leave up for. I have a certain number of hours off for my sick leave and i said to the admin people that i will be calling in sick if they dont let me have the time off any way so to save a lot of hassle, they may aswell just book me off so that they dont have to cancel patients on the day. They agreed to this...yay! When mum and dad come over, the plan is to have a few days in hervey bay and to then fly down to adelaide, drive down to kangaroo island to see the baby seals and wildlife...then do the great ocean road to melbourne...and perhaps drive to phillip island to see penguins. Cant wait!
Work this last week has been so slow. Patients havent been turning up and its been really quiet. I recognised one patient in the corridor today, he had been in to see one of the other dentists. I said "hello, how are you?" and his reply was "pfft, much better now." and he hobbled off....i was a bit like hmm ok? and then i remembered who he was when the other dentist told me what he was in for....i had seen this 80 year old man 2 weeks ago and he had been moaning his metal denture was loose. i followed the protocol and told him a new denture can not be made unless he comes off the waiting list. He asked me to adjust the existing denture and i said no because it is a cobalt chrome denture and from past experiences, adjusting the clasps on a metal denture can 1. make the denture not fit at all or 2. the clasps can break. He was unhappy with this and had been moaning about me to another dentist. the other dentist backed me up and said we cant make him a new denture but she did take the existing denture to the lab, and the lab tightened the clasp which did the trick and he was happy. He walked out to the waiting room and said to the receptionist ..."well that dentist i saw today was marvellous, so much better than that POMMY, irish or whatever the hell she was, dentist!" .....what a tw*t.
This evening Gaz and i went to the Hogs Breath cafe for a steak sandwhich (im sure it was a patient of mine serving us)...afterwards we went to watch the inbetweeners in the cinema. The cinema smelt a bit funny and was full of teenagers, all very overdressed...but i guess this is a big night out for them in Hervey Bay? The film was ok, a bit what we were expecting to be honest...i cant believe mum and dad went to see it!!!
Gaz has played on the computer today and done really well. Gaz has nothing else to report.
Work this last week has been so slow. Patients havent been turning up and its been really quiet. I recognised one patient in the corridor today, he had been in to see one of the other dentists. I said "hello, how are you?" and his reply was "pfft, much better now." and he hobbled off....i was a bit like hmm ok? and then i remembered who he was when the other dentist told me what he was in for....i had seen this 80 year old man 2 weeks ago and he had been moaning his metal denture was loose. i followed the protocol and told him a new denture can not be made unless he comes off the waiting list. He asked me to adjust the existing denture and i said no because it is a cobalt chrome denture and from past experiences, adjusting the clasps on a metal denture can 1. make the denture not fit at all or 2. the clasps can break. He was unhappy with this and had been moaning about me to another dentist. the other dentist backed me up and said we cant make him a new denture but she did take the existing denture to the lab, and the lab tightened the clasp which did the trick and he was happy. He walked out to the waiting room and said to the receptionist ..."well that dentist i saw today was marvellous, so much better than that POMMY, irish or whatever the hell she was, dentist!" .....what a tw*t.
This evening Gaz and i went to the Hogs Breath cafe for a steak sandwhich (im sure it was a patient of mine serving us)...afterwards we went to watch the inbetweeners in the cinema. The cinema smelt a bit funny and was full of teenagers, all very overdressed...but i guess this is a big night out for them in Hervey Bay? The film was ok, a bit what we were expecting to be honest...i cant believe mum and dad went to see it!!!
Gaz has played on the computer today and done really well. Gaz has nothing else to report.
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
tuesday 22nd november
Not much to report from this end. Last night gaz and i went to find a public bbq along the esplanade. we found a quiet spot that overlooked right onto the sea...unfortunately the wind was a bit strong and our attempt at cooking on tin foil was being 'foiled' by the wind.
Gaz was out fishing when i arrived home from work but he wasnt out long as he said it was too windy...any excuse for not catching something! He cooked me some meat in a bbq source which was lovely and i did some cleaning to spruce the house up a bit! ive managed to clean the whole of downstairs but cant face upstairs tonight...its too hot!
Ian...gaz has found ur buttery biscuits uve left here...hes demolishing them as i type! will have to get you some more when you arrive back here!
Nothing much else to report!
Gaz was out fishing when i arrived home from work but he wasnt out long as he said it was too windy...any excuse for not catching something! He cooked me some meat in a bbq source which was lovely and i did some cleaning to spruce the house up a bit! ive managed to clean the whole of downstairs but cant face upstairs tonight...its too hot!
Ian...gaz has found ur buttery biscuits uve left here...hes demolishing them as i type! will have to get you some more when you arrive back here!
Nothing much else to report!
Saturday, 19 November 2011
Sunday 20th November - On call, A and E
Yesterday we enjoyed a bit of a lie in. I have recently purchased an 'x stage lite' as pole dancing is much more widely accepted out here and not thought of as some seedy night club thing but more of a fitness workout. The 'x stage lite' is a pole attached to a base and does not require a ceiling, therefore i have it positioned in the garden! I havent tried any pole dancing for 18months so i was keen to see how much i could still do...the answer is not a lot. It is amazing how much my upper body strength has declined and ive also lost the hard skin in the places that rub like on your hands and feet. It was hard work when the sun came out and it was heating up the metal causing my feet to burn therefore this is something im going to have to do early morning (before work) or late evening, after work. Gaz played on the computer and did well.
In the afternoon we fell asleep...gaz for half hour, myself for 3 hours (oops!). I was going to attempt some more pole moves in the evening but my skin was raw and peeling on my hands and feet. We enjoyed a lovely meal at the boat club but had to wait an hour for a table because it was so busy so Gaz dragged me over to the pokies...i said ill choose the machine and he can press the buttons but in the end i did both and won 9 AUD profit before being buzzed over to get our table. When we got home we watched 'willow'...i forgot how much i liked that film!
This morning i was up early to go riding. My arms and shoulders are in agony from pole dancing yesterday so im going to try some moves this evening when the sun has gone down! I left Gaz in bed and reached Lisas ready for a 9am ride. There were 6 of us going out today. Myself on Buddy and some of Lisa's friends on their own horses. We rode 15 minutes into the outback and were planning to be gone a while. Unfortunately my on call phone went off...a 12 month little boy had fallen and smacked his front teeth on a table. The doctor working at the hospital wasnt entirely sure what needed to be done so i said i would be there as soon as i could. I had to leave the ride early and rode Buddy back to the field. I thought he would put up a fight about leaving the other horses but he was so well behaved, he did exactly as i asked and carried me safely back to the paddock where i quickly untacked him and forced some carrots att him before running back to the car. I drove back to the house, by which point gaz was up and getting ready to play on the computer. I got changed and rushed straight to the hospital. A very anxious mother was holding a baby in her arms and when i lifted up his lip, he screamed the place down. His central baby tooth was lying out of the socket and was being held in by a piece of gum. We ended up having to IV sedate the kid so i could get the tooth out. The poor thing. I reassured the mother that these things happen because i think she felt really guilty as he had been under her supervision and she turned her back for a second to answer the phone. They seemed a nice family...but at least it wasnt his adult tooth!
I will get paid quite a lot for the 2 hours i spent at the hospital so i am going to buy buddy something nice as an apology for ruining his ride! its such a shame, i was really looking forward to it! Gaz and i have been asleep for the past 2 hours so we are slowly waking up so that we can go and have a nice bbq by the beach. The weather again is hot and sunny...i could really get used to this!
In the afternoon we fell asleep...gaz for half hour, myself for 3 hours (oops!). I was going to attempt some more pole moves in the evening but my skin was raw and peeling on my hands and feet. We enjoyed a lovely meal at the boat club but had to wait an hour for a table because it was so busy so Gaz dragged me over to the pokies...i said ill choose the machine and he can press the buttons but in the end i did both and won 9 AUD profit before being buzzed over to get our table. When we got home we watched 'willow'...i forgot how much i liked that film!
This morning i was up early to go riding. My arms and shoulders are in agony from pole dancing yesterday so im going to try some moves this evening when the sun has gone down! I left Gaz in bed and reached Lisas ready for a 9am ride. There were 6 of us going out today. Myself on Buddy and some of Lisa's friends on their own horses. We rode 15 minutes into the outback and were planning to be gone a while. Unfortunately my on call phone went off...a 12 month little boy had fallen and smacked his front teeth on a table. The doctor working at the hospital wasnt entirely sure what needed to be done so i said i would be there as soon as i could. I had to leave the ride early and rode Buddy back to the field. I thought he would put up a fight about leaving the other horses but he was so well behaved, he did exactly as i asked and carried me safely back to the paddock where i quickly untacked him and forced some carrots att him before running back to the car. I drove back to the house, by which point gaz was up and getting ready to play on the computer. I got changed and rushed straight to the hospital. A very anxious mother was holding a baby in her arms and when i lifted up his lip, he screamed the place down. His central baby tooth was lying out of the socket and was being held in by a piece of gum. We ended up having to IV sedate the kid so i could get the tooth out. The poor thing. I reassured the mother that these things happen because i think she felt really guilty as he had been under her supervision and she turned her back for a second to answer the phone. They seemed a nice family...but at least it wasnt his adult tooth!
I will get paid quite a lot for the 2 hours i spent at the hospital so i am going to buy buddy something nice as an apology for ruining his ride! its such a shame, i was really looking forward to it! Gaz and i have been asleep for the past 2 hours so we are slowly waking up so that we can go and have a nice bbq by the beach. The weather again is hot and sunny...i could really get used to this!
Friday, 18 November 2011
Firday 18th November - Its a Boy!
Ive been a bit slack writting the blog these past few days for which i apologise!
These past few days have been great. Chris and Ian have sadly left gaz and i now and flown down to Canberra for the weekend before driving up the east coast to spend their last few days in Aus with us at Hervey Bay. Gaz and I have really enjoyed having them both to stay and it was so sad this morning when i woke up for breakfast and the kitchen table was empty! Gaz has been a little quiet and says that he is missing them so much already. Hes enjoyed having a fishing buddy and its been really lovely to come home and have dinner cooked for me and the shopping all done!
Yesterday whilst i slaved away in work, the three of them went off on a boat that they hired out. Ian managed to catch a flat head, squid, whiting and a sole. Gaz caught a squid and a reef fish. The guy that rented the boat out to them was very impressed that they managed to catch things and admired their knowledge on boating that he has offered to take gaz out fishing with him on his boat...this is great coz it means i dont have to go! In the evening we treated Chris and Ian to an Italian down the esplanade as a thank you for being here.
This morning Gaz dropped them off at the air port and i received the exciting news that Gemma had just given birth to a baby boy (8lb 2oz). It is very strange seeing a picture of adam holding a baby! I am now auntie toria...and uncle gaz.
Work went smoothly today and my dental nurse was very impressed with how well i handled an extraction on a 9 year old kid (even though i HATE treating kids) and with the ease at which i got this lower wisdom tooth out on some woman. I did have some idiot from yesturday back in moaning about his denture rubbing where i took some teeth out...he asked my dental assistant if she was training me?! and she said 'no vicky is my boss' and he said...so shes training you? and i turned to him and said 'WE HAVE NO TRAINEES HERE, WE ARE ALL HIGHLY QUALIFIED;....and he shut right up!
Oh and i handed my CV in to Aura dental clinic 2 days ago...today they rang me to ask if they could meet me next friday to chat about how long im in Aus for etc. and to let me know the maternity leave position had been filled but they are opening up a 4th surgery. Finger crossed for next friday! This private job is just around the corner from where we live at the moment and would be so ideal!
Gaz and i have just been out for dinner at the irish pub and we are going to settle down for the night and watch some tv. missing chris and ian lots already!
These past few days have been great. Chris and Ian have sadly left gaz and i now and flown down to Canberra for the weekend before driving up the east coast to spend their last few days in Aus with us at Hervey Bay. Gaz and I have really enjoyed having them both to stay and it was so sad this morning when i woke up for breakfast and the kitchen table was empty! Gaz has been a little quiet and says that he is missing them so much already. Hes enjoyed having a fishing buddy and its been really lovely to come home and have dinner cooked for me and the shopping all done!
Yesterday whilst i slaved away in work, the three of them went off on a boat that they hired out. Ian managed to catch a flat head, squid, whiting and a sole. Gaz caught a squid and a reef fish. The guy that rented the boat out to them was very impressed that they managed to catch things and admired their knowledge on boating that he has offered to take gaz out fishing with him on his boat...this is great coz it means i dont have to go! In the evening we treated Chris and Ian to an Italian down the esplanade as a thank you for being here.
This morning Gaz dropped them off at the air port and i received the exciting news that Gemma had just given birth to a baby boy (8lb 2oz). It is very strange seeing a picture of adam holding a baby! I am now auntie toria...and uncle gaz.
Work went smoothly today and my dental nurse was very impressed with how well i handled an extraction on a 9 year old kid (even though i HATE treating kids) and with the ease at which i got this lower wisdom tooth out on some woman. I did have some idiot from yesturday back in moaning about his denture rubbing where i took some teeth out...he asked my dental assistant if she was training me?! and she said 'no vicky is my boss' and he said...so shes training you? and i turned to him and said 'WE HAVE NO TRAINEES HERE, WE ARE ALL HIGHLY QUALIFIED;....and he shut right up!
Oh and i handed my CV in to Aura dental clinic 2 days ago...today they rang me to ask if they could meet me next friday to chat about how long im in Aus for etc. and to let me know the maternity leave position had been filled but they are opening up a 4th surgery. Finger crossed for next friday! This private job is just around the corner from where we live at the moment and would be so ideal!
Gaz and i have just been out for dinner at the irish pub and we are going to settle down for the night and watch some tv. missing chris and ian lots already!
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Tuesday 15th November
Im shattered! Ive had enough of weirdo patients today. They all seem to have appeared out of the woodwork coz its a full moon. One patient was telling me how she is disgusted that queensland health have put fluoride in her water. "look at the african kids you see on tv and look how great their teeth look...they dont have fluoride". This was coming from a lady who has 5 teeth in her whole head...maybe something to do with her not using fluoridated toothpaste! She wasnt listening to any of my argument about how beneficial fluoride has proven to be for you teeth so i handed her a leaflet that we have been given for patients about fluoride. Flicking back through her notes, she has Glass ionomer restorations (which contain fluoride) and someone coated her teeth in duraphat (which is FULL of fluoride)...would be funny to point that out to her!!! Every patient i had today seemed so...uneducated. On the medical history form under 'what language do you speak at home', someone put...Australian. Another person wrote ANTIBODICS for antibiotics...Another patient on bisphosphontes didnt even know what she was taking was a bisphosphonate and thought i was nuts talking about antibiotic cover for her to prevent osteonecrosis of the jaw. I explained to another guy i would be taking his denture off him at the next appointment so the lab could make a copy and i would do this that and the other to his top denture. He nodded and smiled. When he got to the desk the receptionist told him to make sure he has his top denture with him next time....and he said rather confusded..."but i havent got a top denture". Another patient in her 50s walked in in bright fluorescent pink socks up to her thighs and brought a sheep skin rug to sit on to "make it more comfortable"...she was only in the chair for 5 minutes! Patients keep telling me they are pulling teeth out after extractions and ignore me telling them its bone...i even show them the tooth after i extract it just to point out IT IS ALL THERE, NOTHING HAS BEEN LEFT and i inform them there may be bone present after multiple extractions...but they dont listen. I did a filling on a guy, replacing an existing amalgam he had and he said to me 'i dont like what youve done'. i said " what do you mean?" he said "youve put a great big groove into the tooth, the previous filling i had was flat." I tried pointing out i had carved a lovely amalgam restoration with the grooves showing the morphology of a natural tooth...he said "well i dont like it, do it again." I saw red at this point and almos tlost my cool. i said i wouldnt do it again as it was a good filling that will serve its purpose. "im not leaving until you do it again." i went to speak to the senior dentist to explain what had happened but he told me i must sort it. I walked back in to the surgery, whacked a great mound of amalgam into the fissure i had made and said "there, hows that." he felt it with his tongue and moaned there was still a groove in the filling. "well i cant get any more amalgam in there for you, its packed." and with that he said " it will have to do." and walked out. TWAT. I CANT WAIT TO GO PRIVATE.
Anyway, rant over...ive posted my CV to one of the private practices in the area because the woman is going on maternity leave. i dont know if me not being able to start till february will make me less favourable for the job but its worth a go anyway!
This evening Gaz, Chris, Ian and i all went over the road for a bbq next to the beach. Ian didnt disappoint with the food...all bought from the butchers he rustled up a great feast. Chris got a photo of a toad (i think it might be a cane toad) on the way back to the house. The weather has been hot hot hot today.
Anyway, rant over...ive posted my CV to one of the private practices in the area because the woman is going on maternity leave. i dont know if me not being able to start till february will make me less favourable for the job but its worth a go anyway!
This evening Gaz, Chris, Ian and i all went over the road for a bbq next to the beach. Ian didnt disappoint with the food...all bought from the butchers he rustled up a great feast. Chris got a photo of a toad (i think it might be a cane toad) on the way back to the house. The weather has been hot hot hot today.
Monday, 14 November 2011
Friday 11th - Sunday 13th November - Loan Pine/Tangalooma resort
Friday morning we were up early and i kicked off the first half of the drive down to Brisbane. Chris and Ian, like well behaved children in the back seats of the car, played quietly on their ipads. Our first stop was Loan Pine Koala Sanctuary. I visited this place when i came out to Aus 5 years ago so i was excited to see it all again. Ian admits he wasnt too sure if he was going to enjoy it...but was pleasantly surprised! When we entered the sanctuary, we went to watch the bird show which had some very cool birds which swooped around the audience. There were lots and lots and lots of koalas here and it was fascinating to watch them all. Luckily we arrived at feeding time so they were all very active...but even the ones that were fast asleep on the branches were great to watch. I held one and had my photo taken with it...i wanted to take it home with me! There is also a kangaroo feeding section to the sanctuary which we had lots of fun photographing the kangas. I had found a bag of feed on a bench so i used this to feed the roos. I must admit, they all looked very full and appeared to be eating for the sake of it. At 4.45pm it was time for the lorikeet feeding. Porridge was put into bowls and wild lorikeets flew down to feed from them. People were allowd to pick the bowls up and carry a few lorikeets in the process...this was a great oppertunity to snap pics of gaz holding some birds.
After the sanctuary Gaz drove us to our apartment for the night. It was very snazzy! We had a nap before filling our bellies with an Indian. I had booked a table at a specific restaurant...but being awful at choosing nice restaurants, we passed by the window and were put off at the fact there was only one other family eating there. Gaz and i know from experience on a friday night, the good eating establishments are busy and there is a reason why it is empty! There was another indian down the road that ian had spotted so we went there instead. The place was fully booked but the nice waitress rustled up a table for the four of us. The food was amazing. We have managed to find a great curry house in Australia! It was called Kadishka (i think?).
The next morning we were heading for the ferry at 6.30am and as usual, were the first to arrive. We had a 75minute ferry ride to Tangalooma resort on Moreton island. The island is the only 100% Australian owned island in australia. It is another island similar to fraser island only a quarter of the size. We stayed in the Tangalooma resort...our apartment was average but it didnt matter as we werent spending much time in it. There are 15 ship wrecks off moreton island that were purposely sunk to make a man made harbour to shelter the boats from the wind and have now become home to coral and fish. All four of us took a snorkelling tour of the wrecks and we got to see lots of different fish. There was a big group of us, approx 20 people with lots of japanese tourists...most of which couldnt swim and had never been snorkelling before so it was quite amusing/annoying to hear these little screams and heads bobbing about in the water, arms flapping when stepped off the boat into the water. Chris spotted an octopus which was a really good spot because it was camouflaged with the barnacles on the ship..you wouldnt have known it was there...until some japanese bloke kicked it (accidentally) with his fin. The octopus quickly moved to a deeper location. I was so angry i started telling the guy off for kicking it...the fact he swam into me had sparked my temper off!
Ian, Chris and I went to watch the kookaburras being fed and poor gaz had a dicky tummy so stayed in the room. At 6.30pm it was time for the dolphin feeding. 8 wild dolphins swim into the shore of tangalooma resort to be fed. Whilst we were waiting for the dolphins we saw a 'wobby gong' shark, sting ray and a few fish. Ian didnt feed the dolphins as he has caught it all on film.
Sunday was a day of rest. It was a bit windy so we decided not to go out on the kayaks which we were going to hire. Gaz and i strolled in the water which was so clear. I said " Gaz whats that?" he said not to worry, it was a rick. I put my food out to kick it............and a sting ray came out of the sand and swam away! that was close but it scared me and made me shriek like a typical girl.
We spent most of the day relaxing by the pool but did watch 2 of the wild pelicans being fed. They were huge! Gaz drove us all the way home. We had another fantastic weekend and i am shattered!!!
After the sanctuary Gaz drove us to our apartment for the night. It was very snazzy! We had a nap before filling our bellies with an Indian. I had booked a table at a specific restaurant...but being awful at choosing nice restaurants, we passed by the window and were put off at the fact there was only one other family eating there. Gaz and i know from experience on a friday night, the good eating establishments are busy and there is a reason why it is empty! There was another indian down the road that ian had spotted so we went there instead. The place was fully booked but the nice waitress rustled up a table for the four of us. The food was amazing. We have managed to find a great curry house in Australia! It was called Kadishka (i think?).
The next morning we were heading for the ferry at 6.30am and as usual, were the first to arrive. We had a 75minute ferry ride to Tangalooma resort on Moreton island. The island is the only 100% Australian owned island in australia. It is another island similar to fraser island only a quarter of the size. We stayed in the Tangalooma resort...our apartment was average but it didnt matter as we werent spending much time in it. There are 15 ship wrecks off moreton island that were purposely sunk to make a man made harbour to shelter the boats from the wind and have now become home to coral and fish. All four of us took a snorkelling tour of the wrecks and we got to see lots of different fish. There was a big group of us, approx 20 people with lots of japanese tourists...most of which couldnt swim and had never been snorkelling before so it was quite amusing/annoying to hear these little screams and heads bobbing about in the water, arms flapping when stepped off the boat into the water. Chris spotted an octopus which was a really good spot because it was camouflaged with the barnacles on the ship..you wouldnt have known it was there...until some japanese bloke kicked it (accidentally) with his fin. The octopus quickly moved to a deeper location. I was so angry i started telling the guy off for kicking it...the fact he swam into me had sparked my temper off!
Ian, Chris and I went to watch the kookaburras being fed and poor gaz had a dicky tummy so stayed in the room. At 6.30pm it was time for the dolphin feeding. 8 wild dolphins swim into the shore of tangalooma resort to be fed. Whilst we were waiting for the dolphins we saw a 'wobby gong' shark, sting ray and a few fish. Ian didnt feed the dolphins as he has caught it all on film.
Sunday was a day of rest. It was a bit windy so we decided not to go out on the kayaks which we were going to hire. Gaz and i strolled in the water which was so clear. I said " Gaz whats that?" he said not to worry, it was a rick. I put my food out to kick it............and a sting ray came out of the sand and swam away! that was close but it scared me and made me shriek like a typical girl.
We spent most of the day relaxing by the pool but did watch 2 of the wild pelicans being fed. They were huge! Gaz drove us all the way home. We had another fantastic weekend and i am shattered!!!
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Thursday 10th November - BBQ
Gaz took his parents up to the 'snakes down under' reptile park that we had been to on our way to bundaberg. His parents loved it! they got to see the owner of the place (whose from wales originally) handling some of the most venemous snakes in the world. They also got to see the crocodiles being fed which ian has captured on film. They had a great day out but were a little exhausted from the heat. It got to 30 degrees yesturday and a always, no air conditioning in work! Luckily most of my patients didnt turn up!
In the evening we had decided to pop across the road to the outdoor bbq area where there is a free gas bbq and a table and bench next to the beach. Ian was in his elements cooking up meats they had bought from the local butchers and chris enjoyed taking pictures. Gaz and I had a little kick around on the grass with the football but the novelty soon wore off. It was a warm evening so was nice to be outside. The food was cooked to perfection! Everyone was shattered after a busy day so it wasnt long before we all retired to bed. This weekend we are off down to brisbane to visit the loan pine koala sanctuary. We are staying in 'essence apartments' which gaz stayed in when he went to pick his parents up from the airport. Saturday morning we are getting up early to catch a ferry to tangalooma resort where we are going to feed dolphins and stay the night. Soooo excited!!!
In the evening we had decided to pop across the road to the outdoor bbq area where there is a free gas bbq and a table and bench next to the beach. Ian was in his elements cooking up meats they had bought from the local butchers and chris enjoyed taking pictures. Gaz and I had a little kick around on the grass with the football but the novelty soon wore off. It was a warm evening so was nice to be outside. The food was cooked to perfection! Everyone was shattered after a busy day so it wasnt long before we all retired to bed. This weekend we are off down to brisbane to visit the loan pine koala sanctuary. We are staying in 'essence apartments' which gaz stayed in when he went to pick his parents up from the airport. Saturday morning we are getting up early to catch a ferry to tangalooma resort where we are going to feed dolphins and stay the night. Soooo excited!!!
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Wednesday 9th November - Trauma patient
I didnt make it to the gym this morning. I was going to get up but i rolled over at 5.30am to see gaz sleeping peacefully and i thought hmmm i dont want to move! so i rolled over and went back to sleep.
One of the dentists was ill in work so i was given 5 of his patients...just what you need in 29 degree heat (the air con is broken in work). At 4.30pm the receptionist approached myself and one of the other dentists, asking to speak to a doctor at A and E. apparently a 12 year old boy had fallen off his bike and chipped his 2 front teeth. I looked at the other dentist who has worked at the dental clinic for 3 years and she wanted nothing to do with it. She said 'its the senior dentists job to talk to the doctor'...but the senior dentist was in a meeting....so she said 'well whoever is on call must deal with it'....but the guy on call is working in maryborough half hour away and wouldnt be able to leave there until he finished work. I told the receptionist i couldnt give advice as i havent seen the case and therefore to just tell the boy to get down to the dental clinic. By the time the boy got to the clinic at 4.45pm everyone else had buggered off to sit in the staffroom so i dealt with the case by myself.
This evening we all went out for a meal in the hervey bay boat club....another enjoyable meal! gaz and ian are getting up early to go fishing tomorrow morning so i think i might try hitting the gym before work!
One of the dentists was ill in work so i was given 5 of his patients...just what you need in 29 degree heat (the air con is broken in work). At 4.30pm the receptionist approached myself and one of the other dentists, asking to speak to a doctor at A and E. apparently a 12 year old boy had fallen off his bike and chipped his 2 front teeth. I looked at the other dentist who has worked at the dental clinic for 3 years and she wanted nothing to do with it. She said 'its the senior dentists job to talk to the doctor'...but the senior dentist was in a meeting....so she said 'well whoever is on call must deal with it'....but the guy on call is working in maryborough half hour away and wouldnt be able to leave there until he finished work. I told the receptionist i couldnt give advice as i havent seen the case and therefore to just tell the boy to get down to the dental clinic. By the time the boy got to the clinic at 4.45pm everyone else had buggered off to sit in the staffroom so i dealt with the case by myself.
This evening we all went out for a meal in the hervey bay boat club....another enjoyable meal! gaz and ian are getting up early to go fishing tomorrow morning so i think i might try hitting the gym before work!
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Tuesday 8th November
Yesterday i ventured to the gym at 6am but was driving home, minding my own business when out of nowhere, a police car started flashing their lights and the siren went. I pulled over and tentatively wound down the window. "can i see your license" the police officer asked. Gaz had taken my license out of the car whilst we were on fraser island and i hadnt put it back in...oops. I pleaded with the police officer "my house is just over there (pointing a few hundred metres up the road) can i run in and get it please?"...the officers agreed to this and followed me in their car. I ran inside and grabbed the license, waking Gaz up in the process and sprinted back outside. Everything was fine, i wasnt speeding...i think they were doing random breathalising checks because he had the machine but he said he could see i had been to the gym - no make up and sweaty red face was a big give away!
Work has got no air conditioning so it was an absolute nightmare when i took over an hour to get a tooth out on one poor guy...i had sweat dripping down my forehead...it wasnt a good look. Gazs parents had spent the day doing odds and sods...they had been out and bought food for an evening meal and chris even did our washing which was great! After work chris was preparing food whilst the boys went down to do some fishing at the beach. Chris and i joined them for a while and saw ian catch his first fish out here...a swallow tailed dart. After a beautiful dinner (thankyou chris), we discussed plans for the coming weeks. It would appear Gaz and i realistically would not be able to get to sydney as the flights are so expensive and accommodation even more so. Instead Chris and Ian are going to drive from canberra up the east coast back to Hervey Bay where we will spend the last weekend together before they fly back down to sydney. This weekend we have planned a trip to Brisbane to the Loan Pine Koala Sanctuary and then over to Moreton Island to have a night at Tnagolooma resort so that we can feed the dolphins and snorkel around some wrecks.
This morning i joined ian at breakfast before heading off to work. The weather has been fabulous ever since chris and ian arrived...and today was another hot one! When i got home for lunch, Gaz had taken his parents out for a meal in Toogom where they had food by the sea. Gaz had cooked me tacos for when i got home but everyone else was still full from lunch! Chris and I have just been to watch Gaz and Ian do a bit of night time fishing down on the beach...they both have managed to catch some whiting! I am now going to get my CV written so that i can get it sent around the private dental practices here in Hervey Bay in the hope of a private job in March.
Work has got no air conditioning so it was an absolute nightmare when i took over an hour to get a tooth out on one poor guy...i had sweat dripping down my forehead...it wasnt a good look. Gazs parents had spent the day doing odds and sods...they had been out and bought food for an evening meal and chris even did our washing which was great! After work chris was preparing food whilst the boys went down to do some fishing at the beach. Chris and i joined them for a while and saw ian catch his first fish out here...a swallow tailed dart. After a beautiful dinner (thankyou chris), we discussed plans for the coming weeks. It would appear Gaz and i realistically would not be able to get to sydney as the flights are so expensive and accommodation even more so. Instead Chris and Ian are going to drive from canberra up the east coast back to Hervey Bay where we will spend the last weekend together before they fly back down to sydney. This weekend we have planned a trip to Brisbane to the Loan Pine Koala Sanctuary and then over to Moreton Island to have a night at Tnagolooma resort so that we can feed the dolphins and snorkel around some wrecks.
This morning i joined ian at breakfast before heading off to work. The weather has been fabulous ever since chris and ian arrived...and today was another hot one! When i got home for lunch, Gaz had taken his parents out for a meal in Toogom where they had food by the sea. Gaz had cooked me tacos for when i got home but everyone else was still full from lunch! Chris and I have just been to watch Gaz and Ian do a bit of night time fishing down on the beach...they both have managed to catch some whiting! I am now going to get my CV written so that i can get it sent around the private dental practices here in Hervey Bay in the hope of a private job in March.
Monday, 7 November 2011
Friday 4th November - Sunday 6th November - FRASER ISLAND!
Everyone was up at 6am on Friday morning. A strong feeling of excitement filled the air as we all looked forward to the weekend that lay ahead. Gaz and Ian had already picked up the four wheel drive vehicle on thursday evening so we spent friday morning packing all of the food into the back of the car. We left the house as planned at 7am and Gaz drove us over to the barge at River Heads where we arrived in good time before the barge was due. The weather at this point was cloudy and mild and we were uncertain as to what the weather would be like over on the island. With the four wheel drive successfully reversed onto the barge and crammed amongst the 16 other four wheel drive vehicles, we were off to fraser island!
The sun was shining on fraser. Gaz drove us off the barge (we were one of the last vehicles to get off) and we began to follow the cars up ahead along the sand track. There are no tarmac roads on fraser island, it is purely a sand island hence the roads all being made of sand. At times the sand is very soft making driving conditions difficult with the risk of getting stuck but the wet/compacted sand did not appear too much of a hinderence to drive on (i personally cant comment on the difficulty because only Gaz and Ian drove the car...and very well they drove it too!). When we reached a junction, the 2 cars in front (and the car behind us) stopped and one of the guys got out and approached our car. He said they had stopped to check we werent following them down a road we didnt intend to go down. It turns out they were going to be doing the same route we had already planned which was perfect as the road we had chosen was a lot quieter than the main road and it meant if we got stuck or broke down, there would be people there to help us. Gaz drove the car really well along the sandy road and eventually we left the cars in front to take a detour down a separate road. We arrived at Lake Boomanjin. It was a little disappointing as the water level was high and we couldnt get on the walkway around the lake because it was flooded.
After a few minutes at Lake Boomanjin, the horse flies got the better of us and we retreated to the vehicle. Further on we travelled to Lake Birrabeen.
At this point we found a nice picnic spot and enjoyed a spot of lunch. Afterwards we cooled off in the lake...myself edging into the water slowly only to be splashed by Gaz who insisted i get wet ASAP! Ian and Chris were like fish to water and swam deep into the lake whilst Gaz and I sat in the shallow water basking in the sunshine. Once we had dried off and applied more fly repellant to try and rid of those pesky horse flies, we drove forth to Central Station (an area of rainforest on fraser island...it is very impressive to see a rainforest on a sand island!).
(I couldnt work out where the rotation button is but you need to turn the picture 90 degrees!)
We walked along the designated footpath through the trees and stood in awe at the river below. So pure you had to double take to see if it was water there at all because all that was visible was the sand below. It was so peaceful amongst the trees...the sound of running water and birds singing. No cars, no annoying man with a lawn mower, no music blaring...just the sound of nature....beautiful!
Having had a busy day, we headed to our accommodation at Eurong Beach resort. We were pleasantly surprised the resort. Our apartment had a view of the beach and overlooked the swimming pool. It was spacious and had all the basic amenities for cooking which was perfect as we had taken our own food for the weekend. Once we were settled in to the apartment we had a relaxing swim and chatted to the families that we had met coming off the barge. Gaz and I cooked dinner and at 8pm we had all hit the hay.
6am we were up and dressed so that we could be out of the resort by 7am for the long drive along the beach up to Indian Head rocks. We left so early because we had to work by the high and low tides in order to get access to driving along the beach. By 9am Gaz had shot us across the beach towards the north of the island. We spotted a dingo trotting along gracefully next to the sand dunes who ignored us as we passed.
We changed drivers halfway to Indian Head and Ian took over the driving, managing to get us stuck in the sand right next to our destination....it was a great photo opportunity...getting stuck is what fraser island is all about...its all part of the experience!
The view from Indian Head was spectacular. The sun beat down on us and we had timed it perfectly so that the tour group left not long after we had arrived. Indian Head is supposedly where the aboriginals spotted captain cooks ship all those years ago. As the sea was a little rough, we didnt managed to see much sea life but Gaz did spot a sting ray which was very visible amongst the clear blue ocean.
After indian head, we took a turning off the beach to Lake Allom. I had visited this lake 5 years ago on my travels to fraser island and was impressed by the turtles that pop up out of the water. 5 years ago there was a jetty out into the water that enabled you to get a closer look at the turtles...and from what i remember, the water was a lot clearer making photographic opportunities a lot easier! I was a little disappointed to see they have taken the jetty away and the water was a lot darker so the turtles less visible. Nevertheless, as expected, they popped their little heads up out of the water to see what all the commotion was about from the sound of our voices. The horse flies had caught up with us here although they seemed a lot more interested in Gaz than the rest of us.
After the lake, we got back on the beach, driving past the Maheno ship wreck...of which there is a lot less of it than 5 years ago when i passed by.
We waded up Eli Creek and just about managed to float down it, having to crawl like crocodiles in the shallow parts. At the bottom of the creek, a group of men on a stag party were playing volley ball...dressed in fluorescent wigs and with the stag dressed in a 'mankini' from the film Borat. They encouraged all of the passers by to join in the game...Gaz was very good at volleyball but i, however, was useless....they stopped asking me to play after they saw how bad i was!
Because of the tides, we had to head back to the resort at 1pm. This was not a bad thing as we were all getting tired! We had lunch back in the apartment before having another relaxing swim in the pool....again chatting to families that we had met on our trip earlier that day. In the evening, Chris and Ian treated us to dinner in the resort restaurant...it was an all you can eat buffet with an australian theme. It wasnt really australian but more....a british roast. Whatever it was, it hit the spot and it wasnt long before we were all fast asleep.
Sunday morning we had a bit of a lye in and didnt leave the apartment until 9.15ish. We checked out and were back on the beach heading for Lake Wobby. We parked up on the beach and took the 40minute walk to the sandblow. It was a strenuous walk...especially in the 28degree heat and horse flies that wanted to eat us. Australian horse flies, like everything else in australia, are twice the size of the horse flies back home and have very nasty bites! We finally made it to the sandblow and took a short trip across the desert to the Green shimmering Lake...that is Lake Wobby.
It is amazing to have a Lake amongst a desert! Ian was first in....it felt so refreshing to have the cool water touch your skin. The lake is also home to cat fish that swim past you if your still enough. We all agreed we could have spent all day here...but unfortunately our lunch was back in the car! On the walk back, we spotted a monitor lizard on a long which i managed to get a nice shot of.
The last place on the list to visit was Lake Mckenzie. This lake is renowned for its white sand and crystal blue water. It is a popular tourist spot because it is so beautiful. We lay on the beach in the shade and guarded ourselves from the giant black ants that were patrolling the area.
Chris had a dip in the sea but the rest of us didnt feel like getting wet again before getting on the barge back to hervey bay. A dingo to the right of where we were sitting had worked out how to open some ones cooler...flicked the lid off and attempted to steal some food before being yelled at by some bloke so it scampered. We didnt know how long it would take to get back to the barge so as usual, we were there in plenty of time! Chris and Ian spotted dolphins swimming past the boat on the way home. I was inside asleep with Gaz, heads resting on one another. It was nice to get back to the house and have a shower but it was also a shame to leave the island behind. We had beautiful weather, great company and a nice place to stay. Will definitely go back again!
The sun was shining on fraser. Gaz drove us off the barge (we were one of the last vehicles to get off) and we began to follow the cars up ahead along the sand track. There are no tarmac roads on fraser island, it is purely a sand island hence the roads all being made of sand. At times the sand is very soft making driving conditions difficult with the risk of getting stuck but the wet/compacted sand did not appear too much of a hinderence to drive on (i personally cant comment on the difficulty because only Gaz and Ian drove the car...and very well they drove it too!). When we reached a junction, the 2 cars in front (and the car behind us) stopped and one of the guys got out and approached our car. He said they had stopped to check we werent following them down a road we didnt intend to go down. It turns out they were going to be doing the same route we had already planned which was perfect as the road we had chosen was a lot quieter than the main road and it meant if we got stuck or broke down, there would be people there to help us. Gaz drove the car really well along the sandy road and eventually we left the cars in front to take a detour down a separate road. We arrived at Lake Boomanjin. It was a little disappointing as the water level was high and we couldnt get on the walkway around the lake because it was flooded.
After a few minutes at Lake Boomanjin, the horse flies got the better of us and we retreated to the vehicle. Further on we travelled to Lake Birrabeen.
At this point we found a nice picnic spot and enjoyed a spot of lunch. Afterwards we cooled off in the lake...myself edging into the water slowly only to be splashed by Gaz who insisted i get wet ASAP! Ian and Chris were like fish to water and swam deep into the lake whilst Gaz and I sat in the shallow water basking in the sunshine. Once we had dried off and applied more fly repellant to try and rid of those pesky horse flies, we drove forth to Central Station (an area of rainforest on fraser island...it is very impressive to see a rainforest on a sand island!).
(I couldnt work out where the rotation button is but you need to turn the picture 90 degrees!)
We walked along the designated footpath through the trees and stood in awe at the river below. So pure you had to double take to see if it was water there at all because all that was visible was the sand below. It was so peaceful amongst the trees...the sound of running water and birds singing. No cars, no annoying man with a lawn mower, no music blaring...just the sound of nature....beautiful!
Having had a busy day, we headed to our accommodation at Eurong Beach resort. We were pleasantly surprised the resort. Our apartment had a view of the beach and overlooked the swimming pool. It was spacious and had all the basic amenities for cooking which was perfect as we had taken our own food for the weekend. Once we were settled in to the apartment we had a relaxing swim and chatted to the families that we had met coming off the barge. Gaz and I cooked dinner and at 8pm we had all hit the hay.
6am we were up and dressed so that we could be out of the resort by 7am for the long drive along the beach up to Indian Head rocks. We left so early because we had to work by the high and low tides in order to get access to driving along the beach. By 9am Gaz had shot us across the beach towards the north of the island. We spotted a dingo trotting along gracefully next to the sand dunes who ignored us as we passed.
We changed drivers halfway to Indian Head and Ian took over the driving, managing to get us stuck in the sand right next to our destination....it was a great photo opportunity...getting stuck is what fraser island is all about...its all part of the experience!
The view from Indian Head was spectacular. The sun beat down on us and we had timed it perfectly so that the tour group left not long after we had arrived. Indian Head is supposedly where the aboriginals spotted captain cooks ship all those years ago. As the sea was a little rough, we didnt managed to see much sea life but Gaz did spot a sting ray which was very visible amongst the clear blue ocean.
After indian head, we took a turning off the beach to Lake Allom. I had visited this lake 5 years ago on my travels to fraser island and was impressed by the turtles that pop up out of the water. 5 years ago there was a jetty out into the water that enabled you to get a closer look at the turtles...and from what i remember, the water was a lot clearer making photographic opportunities a lot easier! I was a little disappointed to see they have taken the jetty away and the water was a lot darker so the turtles less visible. Nevertheless, as expected, they popped their little heads up out of the water to see what all the commotion was about from the sound of our voices. The horse flies had caught up with us here although they seemed a lot more interested in Gaz than the rest of us.
After the lake, we got back on the beach, driving past the Maheno ship wreck...of which there is a lot less of it than 5 years ago when i passed by.
We waded up Eli Creek and just about managed to float down it, having to crawl like crocodiles in the shallow parts. At the bottom of the creek, a group of men on a stag party were playing volley ball...dressed in fluorescent wigs and with the stag dressed in a 'mankini' from the film Borat. They encouraged all of the passers by to join in the game...Gaz was very good at volleyball but i, however, was useless....they stopped asking me to play after they saw how bad i was!
Because of the tides, we had to head back to the resort at 1pm. This was not a bad thing as we were all getting tired! We had lunch back in the apartment before having another relaxing swim in the pool....again chatting to families that we had met on our trip earlier that day. In the evening, Chris and Ian treated us to dinner in the resort restaurant...it was an all you can eat buffet with an australian theme. It wasnt really australian but more....a british roast. Whatever it was, it hit the spot and it wasnt long before we were all fast asleep.
Sunday morning we had a bit of a lye in and didnt leave the apartment until 9.15ish. We checked out and were back on the beach heading for Lake Wobby. We parked up on the beach and took the 40minute walk to the sandblow. It was a strenuous walk...especially in the 28degree heat and horse flies that wanted to eat us. Australian horse flies, like everything else in australia, are twice the size of the horse flies back home and have very nasty bites! We finally made it to the sandblow and took a short trip across the desert to the Green shimmering Lake...that is Lake Wobby.
It is amazing to have a Lake amongst a desert! Ian was first in....it felt so refreshing to have the cool water touch your skin. The lake is also home to cat fish that swim past you if your still enough. We all agreed we could have spent all day here...but unfortunately our lunch was back in the car! On the walk back, we spotted a monitor lizard on a long which i managed to get a nice shot of.
The last place on the list to visit was Lake Mckenzie. This lake is renowned for its white sand and crystal blue water. It is a popular tourist spot because it is so beautiful. We lay on the beach in the shade and guarded ourselves from the giant black ants that were patrolling the area.
Chris had a dip in the sea but the rest of us didnt feel like getting wet again before getting on the barge back to hervey bay. A dingo to the right of where we were sitting had worked out how to open some ones cooler...flicked the lid off and attempted to steal some food before being yelled at by some bloke so it scampered. We didnt know how long it would take to get back to the barge so as usual, we were there in plenty of time! Chris and Ian spotted dolphins swimming past the boat on the way home. I was inside asleep with Gaz, heads resting on one another. It was nice to get back to the house and have a shower but it was also a shame to leave the island behind. We had beautiful weather, great company and a nice place to stay. Will definitely go back again!
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Wednesday 2nd November - Hogs Breath Cafe
It was nice waking up this morning and having someone downstairs to talk to. Ian was wide awake and enjoying a cup of tea and his ipad in the kitchen when i went down for cereal. Chris wasnt long joining us leaving Gaz in bed fast asleep.
Chris and Ian were going to go whale watching today but when they turned up for it, it had been cancelled but the woman had failed to ring them to let them know...so annoying! Ian has bought a fishing rod so that he and gaz can go fishing tomorrow.
Work went well and i managed another surgical of a horizontally impacted wisdom tooth on a guy...did it all by myself so i am very chuffed. After work Gaz and i joined chris and ian out on the esplanade and strolled over to the beach and Chris took some lovely photographs of the lorikeets in the trees. It wasnt long before we headed out for some grub at 'the hogs breath cafe'...this is the same chain restaurant that gaz and i went to in noosa where the service was awful....but i have to admit, this was a completely different atmosphere at the one in hervey bay. They are famous for their slow cooked steaks (18 hours of cooking) and the meat was beautiful. The staff were friendly, service and food both excellent and the company top notch. Full bellied we rolled home (not literally) and settled on the sofa. Gaz and I are tired so have come up to bed but chris and ian have coped very well with the jetlag and are still awake downstairs!
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
1/11/11 - Gaz's parents arrive!
I had to write the date like that because ive been writing it all day in work and it feels really strange to write all those 1's.
Yesterday Gaz drove down to Brisbane and stayed in some really nice apartment nearby the airport so that he could be at the airport bright and early to pick his parents up this morning. I spent the evening decorating a cake i had made for ians birthday but accidentally left the blue food colouring bottle on the granite worktop only to realise when clearing up half hour later that it had leaked and there was a permanent blue rim left which i cant get off! I was so worked up over it but when i spoke to Gaz later in the evening, he just told me not to worry.
At 7.30am Gaz's parents arrived in Brisbane and were driven up to Hervey Bay. It was Melbourne cup day today so in work we had an hour and a half off for lunch and each put in a bit of money so that one of the girls could go and get us all a banquet of chicken thighs and salads. We watched the race in the waiting room and couldnt believe how close the finish was! For 3 minutes after the race no one had a clue who had won and it was so close, it came down to which horses NOSE passed the line first, each being an inch from each other. So close! I had a bit of time after the race before my next patient so i popped home to find Chris wide awake downstairs and poor Ian was woken from his slumber upstairs by my girlie shrieks of excitement.
After work i walked back to the house to be greeted by Chris and Ian sitting on the balcony, basking in the afternoon sun, enjoying a cold bottle of ginger beer. We headed to the Marina to show them the boats and to give Chris a chance to snap a photo for the day but the wind was chilly and the sun was going down so it wasnt long before we went into the boat club for some grub. Chris and Ian have done very well staying awake...it is 8pm and they have just hit the sack. Gaz and I wont be far following!
Yesterday Gaz drove down to Brisbane and stayed in some really nice apartment nearby the airport so that he could be at the airport bright and early to pick his parents up this morning. I spent the evening decorating a cake i had made for ians birthday but accidentally left the blue food colouring bottle on the granite worktop only to realise when clearing up half hour later that it had leaked and there was a permanent blue rim left which i cant get off! I was so worked up over it but when i spoke to Gaz later in the evening, he just told me not to worry.
At 7.30am Gaz's parents arrived in Brisbane and were driven up to Hervey Bay. It was Melbourne cup day today so in work we had an hour and a half off for lunch and each put in a bit of money so that one of the girls could go and get us all a banquet of chicken thighs and salads. We watched the race in the waiting room and couldnt believe how close the finish was! For 3 minutes after the race no one had a clue who had won and it was so close, it came down to which horses NOSE passed the line first, each being an inch from each other. So close! I had a bit of time after the race before my next patient so i popped home to find Chris wide awake downstairs and poor Ian was woken from his slumber upstairs by my girlie shrieks of excitement.
After work i walked back to the house to be greeted by Chris and Ian sitting on the balcony, basking in the afternoon sun, enjoying a cold bottle of ginger beer. We headed to the Marina to show them the boats and to give Chris a chance to snap a photo for the day but the wind was chilly and the sun was going down so it wasnt long before we went into the boat club for some grub. Chris and Ian have done very well staying awake...it is 8pm and they have just hit the sack. Gaz and I wont be far following!
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