Friday 30th September - Toogoom

I lay in till 8am today to be awoken by Gaz who was an excited little puppy about going fishing. We got up and applied the sunscreen before heading over to the urangan pier. When we arrived i was shocked to see just how many people had their fishing rods lined all the way along! it was like some little fishing community all attending high tide on a friday morning. Unfortunately it was looking as though no one was catching anything apart from someone who had caught a sting ray and cruelly had it suffocating in the sun...a slow painful death. Gaz and i headed up the boardwalk towards the top end of the pier but the sea was quite rough. He fished for an hour whilst i sun bathed in my new bikini (courtesy of ASOS!). At 10.30am, having caught nothing and feeling a little defeatist, we piled everything into the car and took a drive up north along the coast. Its been a lovely hot day today with very little breeze so we had the air con in the car pelting. We followed signs to 'Toogoom', not really knowing what on earth we would find there but was pleasantly surprised when the sign lead us to a secluded beach area which had 2 cafes and bbq areas. It was very pretty and nice to see people fishing off the little pier that was there. The sea was so clean and blue you could see the fish swimming around through the water. Gaz and i had a little walk around the area and decided we very much like this spot and it was a good find, away from all the tourists (we are classing ourselves as locals now).

We ate some lunch in 'the salty squid' cafe and enjoyed a vanilla thickshake which was HUGE! yum yum. I took some photos and will put them on facebook later. We drove back to the flat at 2pm and have fallen asleep underneath the air con. Gaz is still fast asleep but ill be waking him up soon so that we can shower and have some food! it is cheat day and Gazs turn to decide where to eat so dont know where we are going to end up yet!

Thursday 29th September

Today Gaz has achieved his goal for the month so he is very happy!

Work was pretty quiet today, nothing very interesting happened other than a patient made me shortbread biscuits but i couldnt have any coz it isnt cheat day and another guy moaned about his denture. The lab technician, Mark, heard i was going to the  Glass House Mountains in 2 weeks and he has given me a map which he says he will sit down with me and show me a scenic route to take. The Glass House Mountains are north of Brisbane and is apparently an impressive Mountain range. The drive down there is meant to be lovely with quaint places to stay.

This evening i cooked Gaz some food and we watched Source Code. Other than that, nothing much has happened. I have the day off tomorrow so Gaz is dragging me fishing. Fun. 

Tuesday 27th September - GYM

I came home from work at 'morning tea break' at 10am to find Gaz had not long got out of bed. lucky thing! Work was OK, the director and senior dentist said it would be nice if i stay on after 6 months. I havent given an answer yet but i know i dont want to do any longer than 6 months but it is nice that they have asked me...i cant be all that bad!

I got home from work and forced Gaz out the door for our first attempt at the gym. We are both so unfit that after 10 minutes on the running machine i thought i was going to die! It is hard to believe i used to run on these things for almost an hour! We both had sweat dripping off us but managed half hour of cardio. Feeling as though the cobwebs have been blown away, we drove back to the house feeling refreshed but very tired! We cooked dinner together and had a chat about what we are going to do when my contract runs out. At the moment the plan is to look for private work around the Hervey Bay area as it has everything we want here. I am also planning our trip to the glass house mountains for 2 weeks time...cant wait! 

Monday 26th September - Cockroach

Min and Suzie woke up and left round about the same time i went to work this morning. They were really grateful to us for letting them stay. Work was slow and tiresome. Gaz and i had planned to go to the gym tonight but again, we didnt. By the time we had been shopping for food, we were both knackered and starving. Not much happened other than i hopped in to bed just now and was looking at my bag on the floor next to me thinking...'hmm that looks like a strange shadow, what part of the bag is that shadow coming from'. I looked a bit harder...couldnt work it out so put my hand out to move the bag when UCH! a cockroach ran past! I gasped for breathe and flew back on the bed....Gaz jumped up from the computer like WHATS GOING ON WHATS WRONG! It took me a moment to catch my breath but i was pointing down into the corner and managed to say 'coackroach!'. Luckily Gaz doesnt mind bugs and he  picked up a glass to try and catch it. This thing was HUGE. I would say almost the size of an iphone but not quite as fat...and it could SPRINT. Poor Gaz had his head underneath the table to catch the thing, then it jumped and he smacked his head, sending my perfume bottle DONK on top of him. Bless him. All to catch this yucky creature. It was faster than Usain Bolt! Eventually Gaz caught the thing in a glass, despite its attempt to start flying away. GROSS! I dont know where it has come from but EWW. God help me when i see a spider!!!

Sunday 25th September - Whale Watching

Gaz stayed behind to play on the computer which was a shame  but i couldnt convince him to come with Emily and I. Tony didnt come either because he was heading further north to Bunderberg to pick up a limited edition bottle of Bunderburg Rum which he bought for 100 bucks, but apparently in a few years it will be worth a few hundred. Emily and I boarded the Tasman Venture at 8.30am. It was quite a large boat with approximately 50 people on board...one of which was the car dealer, Allan who sold us the car! He came over and had a chat a few times to Emily and I and seemed to be enjoying a good few glasses of white wine. The boat took us at top speed along the Coastline of Fraser Island. Emily and I were only expecting to see one or two whales so the first glimpses of a mother and calf in the distance and i was snapping away at the camera, frantically trying to get some good shots of the whale fins that could be seen above the sea water. The skipper decided the calf was feeding and as they werent very active, we would try and find some more whales so we headed further up the Fraser Island coast. This time we came across another mother and calf. The mother headed straight up towards the boat and the calf followed. Apparently this is called being 'mugged' by a whale. The mother came right up next to the boat and every time the calf moved away, she brought it back to us to show it off. They were humpback whales that we were seeing and i know whales are meant to be big, but it isnt until you are a few metres from them that you can really appreciate the size of these things. They are beautiful creatures. The mother and calf then began circling the boat and the calf bobbed its head out of the water playfully. The crew then lowered the platform at the back of the boat so that people could get level with the whales. It was an amazing site to see these huge mammals swim right up towards the boat. After a good 20 minutes we left the mother and calf and headed further up the side of Fraser Island. I think we had been spoilt too early so then the next 6 or so whales that we saw from a distance were cool but didnt have the wow factor of what we had just encountered. It was great to see the mothers swimming and feeding her calfs...typical that the males bugger off once the baby is born! Just as the boat was being turned around, the battery on my camera ran out. I had taken over 300 photos and hadnt charged the camera up for quite a while. silly me. let that be a lesson to me! and all the spare battery packs that chris gave me i had left at home. shame on me. i wont be making that mistake again! On the way back the boat slowed down to take a look at a few whales breaching right in front of us. As i didnt have any battery left in the camera, i filmed a few of the breaches with my phone. I couldnt belive just how many whales were out there. it was fantastic and is definitely my number 1 best experience so far here in Aus.

On the way back to the Marina, Emily and I sat on one of the benches at the back of the boat. An old gentleman....must have been in his 70's stood in front of us with his hand on the ladies toilet knob. I pointed out to him that this was the ladies toilet but if he wanted to go in, i wouldnt tell anyone if he didnt. The guy said "gentlemen are gentleman and ladies are ladies and i respect that." i said oh ok well the mens toilets are over there" and pointed in the direction to the other side of the boat. When the guy came out of the toilets, he slipped something in my bag which i had open on my lap. "whats this?" I asked. "Its my card." he replied...."what do i want that for?" i questioned...by which time he had already walked off. Emily and I sat disgusted yet in hysterics that some sick old man had just slipped me his number. gross. What was even more funny was the fat bald guy that started hitting on Emily in the last 10 minutes of the journey!

After the boat ride, Emily and I sat and ate fish and chips int he marina and then basked in the sunshine enjoying an ice cream. I kept telling Emily she was burning and she needed sun cream but she kept saying she was ok. I was insistent that she get out of the sun but she dismissed my advice. When we got back tot he flat she took a look in the mirror and resembled the eyes of a possum when she took her sun glasses off to reveal two big circles around her eyes of skin that was not burnt against a red face. Her chest looked raw.


Tony had just got back from Bunderburg and Gaz had not yet eaten so we all went to the Irish Pub down the road, Hoolihans, and they scoffed burger and chips. Emily and Tony have a long drive back to Brisbane so they didnt hang round. It wasnt long after they left that Min and Suzie arrive dback from Fraser Island having had an amazing time. Gaz and I are getting an early night as we are shattered!

Saturday 24th September - Emily and Tony to stay

I woke up in the night in unbearable pain from my stomach which was cramping up as though someone was squeezing it really tight. At 6am Gaz was telling me i had to cancel Emilys trip up to see me and that if i was this bad on sunday i couldnt go whale watching. I feel bad because i told him to shut up, when really he was only trying to look after me. At 9am my stomach was still sore but i didnt want to let on to Gaz how bad it was because i didnt want him to call Emily to cancel the trip so i said it was feeling ok and i sat on the bed drawing doodles whilst he played on the computer. He did really well today so by 1pm  he was finished for the day and i insisted we go to the Hervey Bay historical museum around the corner from us. It is a bit like St Fagans...only in 26 degree heat. The people who worked there we so friendly and were so excited 1. to see soneone actually IN the museum and 2. Because we 'have an accent' as they put it and they want to know the ins and outs of where we are from and what brings us to hervey bay. The museum consisted of a number of original houses, each themed out with original antique items. It was really interesting to see the old dental chair and the foot pedal drill and the box with the gas and air. We were both surprised at how big the place was and it took my mind off the toilet for a little while, even if my stomach was cramping as i walked.

At 3pm we got home and collapsed on the bed from exhaustion. The heat really takes it out of you! By 5pm Emily had arrived with her new bf, Tony (althought not officially bf/gf but they practically are). He is very much like Gareth and i think she will do well to keep hold of this one!

We took Emily and Tony for a drive down the Esplanade and sat and had a drink outside at the harbour. It began getting chili as a breeze blew in so we scraped the idea of an outdoor bbq and instead settled for dinner in the local italian restaurant. The restaurant was extremly busy and we took the last free table. The service and the food wasnt as good as the first time we ate there which was disappointing. Its great to see Emily again and we had lots to catch up on. Gaz and Tony were also getting on very well so it wasnt awkward for Emily and I to chat amongst ourselves leaving them two to it. I was going to put pictures of the museum up but the camera is downstairs and i dont want to wake people going to get it so i shall put the pictures up tomorrow when i also have (hopefully) some whale photos to post!

Friday 23rd September - Gastroenteriris

Last night Min and Suzie came to stay for the night before heading to Fraser island. It was nice to meet familiar faces and compare stories of our experiences in Aus so far. Min has been attacked by a 'swooping magpie' but she claims 'swopping' isnt the right word to describe the magpies actions as it was more 'assaulted'. It is nesting season for the magpies and they become very territorial, so if you are to walk by their nesting tree, they will attack you. Gaz and i, when we first arrived in Hervey Bay, thought there were mentalists riding bikes with helmets on that had big long spikes coming out of it...we now find out it is to stop the magpies attacking them...these people are no longer viewed as crazy fasion victims but more...smart people.

I dropped Min and Suzie down the road to be picked up by their tour bus. Today i was being sent half hour away to Maryborough as they were in need of a dentist. All the other dentists in Hervey Bay and Maryborough had been invited to an orthodontic lecture but me being the 'locum' (which isnt what my job title states on the contract), i wasnt invited. I picked up a government car which was very lovely to drive and i found a CD labeled 'kellys songs'. I dont know who kelly is but she had good taste! I managed to find Maryborough hospital easily but the trickey part was finding the dental clinic amongst the grounds. I was so lost, i wondered aimlessly over the lawns and ended up in the blood bank! the lady looked so pleased to see someone who she thought was here to donate blood that her eyes lit up expectantly. Her face dropped a little when i said i was looking for the dental clinic leaving me feeling a little bit guilty.


At the dental clinic i got on really well with all the staff and they said they would take me on any time there (which is flattering but no bloody way will i be heading to Maryborough). Their patients are a special breed...more so than the ones in Hervey Bay. For instance, i had a gentleman with a hole in his back tooth. He was moaning to me that he already had a filling put in the tooth in Gympie and it had since come out. I look at the tooth and no wonder the filling had come out, the parallel walls of the hole would not be sufficient to hold the filling in place. I took an x ray to make sure the tooth didnt warrent extraction and explained i will fill the hole but to allow the filling to lock in to place, i will remove the existing amalgam present next to where the hole was. He agreed and i successfully carried out treatment. the gentleman even signed the consent sticker to say he agrees to the work i was carrying out. Half hour later he demanded to see me again. He was angry and very aggitated. He came in to the surgery, guns blazing (not literally) and wanted answers. "Tell me, why on earth have you removed so much of my tooth? you said you were filling in the hole and the next thing i know, i have a great big filling! you didnt have to put this big filling in!" I calmly replied, "i have not removed any of your natural tooth, i have merely replaced the existing filling you had." He snapped, "I had no existing filling, it fell out!!!". "Please let me show you the x ray i took before we commenced treatment." I offered.
"Pfft, an x ray." He shrugged, rolling his eyes at me. The beauty of amalgam fillings is they show up on radiographs so i pulled out the x ray i had taken prior to drilling out the EXISTING amalgam and there it was....a nice bold white object shown on the tooth NEXT to the hole. I pointed out this is amalgam and was there before. I pointed out the filling he had before was flat and lifeless, it felt different now because i had carved a work of art with anatomy to the tooth structure, giving it fissures and all the morphology a natural tooth would have. He couldnt understand when the previous amalgam filling was done and started blaming his dentist in Alice Springs from 2006 who put the filling in originally, stating she didnt tell him she was putting a filling that size into the tooth! He left the surgery feeling happy i had explained it to him and hopefully a little bit stupid. Patients are interesting creatures.

I was glad to get back to Hervey Bay and get home as for the past 2 days i have had a very sore stomach with painful cramps and diarrhea. I battled through the day trying not to think too much about it but Gaz and I went for dinner at the Hervey Bay boat club and i couldnt eat all my food and the cramps got worse. When we left i was in so much pain walking to the car it brought tears to my eyes....and i have a pretty high pain threshold and am NEVER ill so i knew something must be wrong. Gaz rushed me home, breaking all the speed limits to get me back in record timing. He should be an ambulance driver! He insisted i skype my parents so thats just what i did....dad gave me an over the internet diagnosis of what it could be and from my description and symptoms weve concluded possibly gastroenteritis. Gaz hasnt got any symptoms so i dont know what has caused it...hes drugged me up with paracetamol and gaviscon now and is nursing me in bed (i should make the most of this).

Gaz has had a long phone call from his cousin John in Canberra and we have been invited down there and vice versa. John has never managed to make it to fraser island so we have offered to take them over there for a long weekend..

ps. i have just asked gaz if there is anything he would like me to add to the blog about his day and his reply was..."tell them i correctly diagnosed your illness." Thats as interesting as his day has got.