aussies are known for a lot of things - friendliness,loyalty, mateship.....and patriotism. we passionately love our nation because it is, without a doubt, the best and most beautiful country in the world, and we are not afraid to be so proud about who we are and what our country represents. my birthday falls 2 days before Australia day, a public holiday in australia...a time for aussies to let their hair down and party....bbqs in the backyard, drinking beer...eating lamingtons and pies....we wear our flag proudly around our shoulders and tattoo it on our cheek....we celebrate who we are...and, as its my birthday, i celebrate who i am as well...
in fact, i've spent the whole weekend celebrating my birthday - well there's no point letting an opportunity to party slip on by....so i went out with my friends on sunday night to the newly renovated fibbers....cocktails and wine and lots of fun with my toowoomba gang...i was the 'international guest' and the birthday girl and my gorgeous friends made a huge fuss of me before slipping home one by one....finally leaving just ann and stace and i to close the bar...in high and tipsy spirits and with an alias or two to match.....in the wee wee hours....
...and the next day, tired but happy and feeling every one of my 21 years....we toddled out to mum and dad's for my favorite lunch and birthday cake....hanging out with a labrador and my family i chilled out for the afternoon before pulling myself together for an aussie day celebration of my very own....The Spotted Cow.....back in my toowoomba days it was the pub where the cowboys went to party in their big hats and big boots, kicking up their heels in a line dance to lee kernigan.....nowadays, apparently, it is THE place to be on australia day....dress code - aussie....aussie flags, aussie shirts, aussie tattoos, aussie....um.....aprons, stace?! if you were feeling particularly australian you would drink bundy rum and coke i guess....or at the very least, a beer...but i stuck to my staple diet of vodka and felt no less aussie amongst my mates - stace, letti, ann, shad, stacey.....aussie, aussie, aussie.....
xx
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
weddings...parties...anything...
i'm one of those people who loves birthdays - anyone's of course (well, it's an excuse to party isnt it!) but particularly my own.....i'm certainly no wallflower who will keep quiet the fact that it's her birthday - i want the world to know and the world to acknowledge it....and the world to celebrate it...!!
for the first time in 4 years i am in australia for my birthday and, since my birthday falls on the Australia day long weekend, i plan to make the most of being close to my family and oldest friends by drawing out the celebrations as long as everyone will let me...
so tonight is a dinner in my honour with my crazy toowoomba-ite friends and monday is lazing by the pool with my family gorging on my favorite mum-made dishes....but last night's celebration was in a whole new ballgame and, dare i say it, a much more important one than my 21st (hehe!) birthday....
Belinda and Scott FINALLY got married!
We have known this gorgeous couple for years - 9 years or so i guess (and now im showing my age!) since Belinda and I went to uni together. We were the three amigos - Katherine, Belinda and myself as we submitted our final year thesis together after working on it for the full academic year....a pressured project that could, and did, break many a mate but which bought the three of us an unbreakable, lifelong friendship. it's another of those special relationships between us all - there's no need to be in touch all the time - we know that they'll always be in our lives and we'll always be in theirs....and having been distraught to miss Katherine and peter's wedding because we lived in england, i couldn't bear to miss scott and belinda's too....
Im so glad i didn't. Certainly one of the best weddings i have ever been to. simple.... so relaxed... so 'them'....a stunning bride and a handsome groom, standing out against the backdrop of her parent's property - real country australia....big bellied cows in the paddock....barbed wire....the corregated shed was the dance floor and hay bales were our seats.....sunset over the gumtrees....pour your own beer from the tap...cheese and crackers.....real aussie blokes in akubras and their boots - buffed up to a high shine for this special occasion....so much laughter....so much fun.....so very australian. it was perfect. and as we ended the night crooning along to garth brooks and at the tops of our voices thanking God we were country boys....i couldn't stop laughing....and neither, i noticed, could the beautiful, beautiful bride....my very dear friend.
congratulations belinda and scott....we wish you every happiness in the world....
xxxxx
for the first time in 4 years i am in australia for my birthday and, since my birthday falls on the Australia day long weekend, i plan to make the most of being close to my family and oldest friends by drawing out the celebrations as long as everyone will let me...
so tonight is a dinner in my honour with my crazy toowoomba-ite friends and monday is lazing by the pool with my family gorging on my favorite mum-made dishes....but last night's celebration was in a whole new ballgame and, dare i say it, a much more important one than my 21st (hehe!) birthday....
Belinda and Scott FINALLY got married!
We have known this gorgeous couple for years - 9 years or so i guess (and now im showing my age!) since Belinda and I went to uni together. We were the three amigos - Katherine, Belinda and myself as we submitted our final year thesis together after working on it for the full academic year....a pressured project that could, and did, break many a mate but which bought the three of us an unbreakable, lifelong friendship. it's another of those special relationships between us all - there's no need to be in touch all the time - we know that they'll always be in our lives and we'll always be in theirs....and having been distraught to miss Katherine and peter's wedding because we lived in england, i couldn't bear to miss scott and belinda's too....
Im so glad i didn't. Certainly one of the best weddings i have ever been to. simple.... so relaxed... so 'them'....a stunning bride and a handsome groom, standing out against the backdrop of her parent's property - real country australia....big bellied cows in the paddock....barbed wire....the corregated shed was the dance floor and hay bales were our seats.....sunset over the gumtrees....pour your own beer from the tap...cheese and crackers.....real aussie blokes in akubras and their boots - buffed up to a high shine for this special occasion....so much laughter....so much fun.....so very australian. it was perfect. and as we ended the night crooning along to garth brooks and at the tops of our voices thanking God we were country boys....i couldn't stop laughing....and neither, i noticed, could the beautiful, beautiful bride....my very dear friend.
congratulations belinda and scott....we wish you every happiness in the world....
xxxxx
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Mamma mia
I do sometimes wonder how i cope without my mummy whilst living so very far away. I miss her terribly of course, and am often quite jealous when my friends in England do little things with their parents - popping round for a 'mum' cooked meal or hitting town for a spot of shopping. So when my mum suggested the two of us creep away for a bit of r&r together on the beautiful sunshine coast, near noosa, there was no way i was going to say no! and after a few days with her I'm not sure that I have ever felt more relaxed. Set up in a lovely apartment only a block from the beach, in a village which had everything we could want - teeny tiny cafes serving the nicest coffee i've had in 'yonks', fancy yet casual restaurants boasting a half price 'oyster hour' from 5-6pm (yes please!)accompanied by rather tangy margaritas, an unpopulated beach........a bottle'o where we could pick up our wines to go with our romantic chick flick in the evenings......what more could we really want? We watched movies, we read books, we went on walks, we swam in the pool, we lay on the golden sand, we took afternoon naps, we ate, we drank.......
It may seem that these luxurious little breaks are all i ever seem to do these days - and i must say I've done rather well on the beachside holiday front on this trip to Australia - my deep brown skin does suggest that i've caught more than my fair share of the aussie sun in the past 2 months! but this holiday was one I really needed. I needed quiet time with my mummy....i needed a(nother) break. This coming week will be crazy. We leave Australia in 7 days and, my, how the coming 3 months in Asia has crept up on us!
I have so much planning to do, much booking of flights, accomodation....bali, singapore, bangkok, koh phangan.....i can't think beyond the first couple of weeks. It will be a crazy whirlwind but I'm excited.....i've been reading about some of the things that lie ahead of us - thai beaches, fake fendis, elephant rides, ancient temples...glorious, exciting, alive, ASIA..............
But we've made a big decision this week - one we've been thinking about for a while....as much as we are excited about Asia, we miss our 'other' home...we miss England - or rather, we miss the people there....and we want to be there. Sooner. We're coming back early - only by 3 weeks, but it's enough for us......and now we fly in on 17th April....I can't wait for the reunions! Who's up for a welcome home party???!!!!
But that is still 12 weeks away and a lot will happen before we reach heathrow....
...stay tuned.... xx
It may seem that these luxurious little breaks are all i ever seem to do these days - and i must say I've done rather well on the beachside holiday front on this trip to Australia - my deep brown skin does suggest that i've caught more than my fair share of the aussie sun in the past 2 months! but this holiday was one I really needed. I needed quiet time with my mummy....i needed a(nother) break. This coming week will be crazy. We leave Australia in 7 days and, my, how the coming 3 months in Asia has crept up on us!
I have so much planning to do, much booking of flights, accomodation....bali, singapore, bangkok, koh phangan.....i can't think beyond the first couple of weeks. It will be a crazy whirlwind but I'm excited.....i've been reading about some of the things that lie ahead of us - thai beaches, fake fendis, elephant rides, ancient temples...glorious, exciting, alive, ASIA..............
But we've made a big decision this week - one we've been thinking about for a while....as much as we are excited about Asia, we miss our 'other' home...we miss England - or rather, we miss the people there....and we want to be there. Sooner. We're coming back early - only by 3 weeks, but it's enough for us......and now we fly in on 17th April....I can't wait for the reunions! Who's up for a welcome home party???!!!!
But that is still 12 weeks away and a lot will happen before we reach heathrow....
...stay tuned.... xx
Saturday, January 17, 2009
the sunshine state
When people think of the 'sunshine state' of queensland they conjure up images of beaches and rainforest....for me, queensland means home...i've been 'home' a week now...darting between brisbane where a lot of my friends are, and toowoomba where my family is. i've been shopping with mum, swimming in my parent's pool, catching up on emails and photos, and playing with the family dogs.
this weekend is a busy one....we are on a countdown with less than 2 weeks before we leave australia to continue on our travels and the pressure is on to see as many people as possible.
Brad is an old school friend...matt's best friend from high school the two were inseperable in their teenage years. now married to Beck, the two live in brisvegas and we caught up with them for dinner and drinks in newmarket on friday night....chowing down on delishious turkish mezze we caught up on the year that's past and went home to play with their gorgeous kitten, stanley....the following day i was in the city again....this time in new farm, drinking wine in very windy new farm park and catching up with some girls we met in greece...em, cat, sarah, jess and bec....they were all there and we got pleasently tipsy together whilst wishing em well in her future travels....i love knowing fellow travellers, i love meeting up with them again all over the world...and, since em is going to be travelling in asia at the same time as us, i have no doubt i'll see her again soon.
recovering with pizza and a beer back in the brissy suburbs last night, i chilled out with gorgeous clare, just hanging out like old times...comfortable and relaxed with my dear old friend....
today will be spent catching up with my old uni friend, katherine, and her two kids, erin and emma....and then to the beautiful sunshiney queensland beaches for just a few more days.
stay tuned. xx
this weekend is a busy one....we are on a countdown with less than 2 weeks before we leave australia to continue on our travels and the pressure is on to see as many people as possible.
Brad is an old school friend...matt's best friend from high school the two were inseperable in their teenage years. now married to Beck, the two live in brisvegas and we caught up with them for dinner and drinks in newmarket on friday night....chowing down on delishious turkish mezze we caught up on the year that's past and went home to play with their gorgeous kitten, stanley....the following day i was in the city again....this time in new farm, drinking wine in very windy new farm park and catching up with some girls we met in greece...em, cat, sarah, jess and bec....they were all there and we got pleasently tipsy together whilst wishing em well in her future travels....i love knowing fellow travellers, i love meeting up with them again all over the world...and, since em is going to be travelling in asia at the same time as us, i have no doubt i'll see her again soon.
recovering with pizza and a beer back in the brissy suburbs last night, i chilled out with gorgeous clare, just hanging out like old times...comfortable and relaxed with my dear old friend....
today will be spent catching up with my old uni friend, katherine, and her two kids, erin and emma....and then to the beautiful sunshiney queensland beaches for just a few more days.
stay tuned. xx
Thursday, January 15, 2009
a month worth of pics
there's a few of them! grab a cup of tea, make yourself comfortable and start flicking!
big cats and cocktails
christmas at the coast
party party party - NSW
big cats and cocktails
christmas at the coast
party party party - NSW
Sunday, January 11, 2009
the 'castle'
I have spent my four remaining days in new south wales in newcastle, 2 hours north of sydney...it's not a pretty town....it's harbour is drowning in cranes and shipping freighters....it's known to be a rough place, fights on the streets....a drug town....a coal town...
but for me it holds some mates that mean the world to me, boys with hearts of gold, and i have come here to take a breath, relax, to just be 'me' amongst friends who know me very very well and to prepare for 2009....
so i've slept in, i've shopped, i've lazed on beautiful beaches watching the boys surf, i've read books, i've cooked, i've taken myself to arty, bohemian movies and i've drunk and danced the night away loads of fun people...
the boys have a lot of friends! this apartment, my latest home, ashman and nikia's place, is a busy one - there's always someone coming or going, laughter, a phone ringing, texts - 'what are you doing - wanna come for a drink???' it's great but it was nice tonight to get away from it all, to have pizza just with ashman at a pub in stockton, overlooking the harbour...talking...it may be a year, maybe more till i'm back in this part of the world and able to spend time with my dear friend again - i feel the pressure to make the most of it...
tomorrow, back to queensland. this time in australia is flying past....3 more weeks in queensland then we hit the road again....
stay tuned. xxx
but for me it holds some mates that mean the world to me, boys with hearts of gold, and i have come here to take a breath, relax, to just be 'me' amongst friends who know me very very well and to prepare for 2009....
so i've slept in, i've shopped, i've lazed on beautiful beaches watching the boys surf, i've read books, i've cooked, i've taken myself to arty, bohemian movies and i've drunk and danced the night away loads of fun people...
the boys have a lot of friends! this apartment, my latest home, ashman and nikia's place, is a busy one - there's always someone coming or going, laughter, a phone ringing, texts - 'what are you doing - wanna come for a drink???' it's great but it was nice tonight to get away from it all, to have pizza just with ashman at a pub in stockton, overlooking the harbour...talking...it may be a year, maybe more till i'm back in this part of the world and able to spend time with my dear friend again - i feel the pressure to make the most of it...
tomorrow, back to queensland. this time in australia is flying past....3 more weeks in queensland then we hit the road again....
stay tuned. xxx
Thursday, January 8, 2009
city chic
I've seen a lot of cities...ok, there's so many more i still need to drop in to...but i think it's fairly safe to say that i've seen my fair share....and i'm really not being at all biased when i say that sydney, beautiful sydney with its bright blue harbour dotted with little white sailing boats, big green trees and red roofs....is the most gorgeous city i've ever seen. no matter how many times i visit sydney, and i don't think there's a year in my life i haven't been there, my breath is taken away as i travel over the harbour bridge and look at the opera house, centerpoint tower, the sun playing on the water like a fairy dropping sparkly dust. i love it here.
one of my favourite things to do in sydney is to catch the ferry from circular quay near the opera house to manly beach....and on tuesday i did exactly that with my dear friend dougie and his girlfriend sam....i met dougie four years ago on that fateful contiki trip and, like 'my' other 'boys' we have been firm friends ever since, despite the fact he lives in melbourne and we live in england. we always try to catch up when in aus and this time he came to me....playing in the water round manly we finished a gorgeous arvo with a cocktail in one of the cafes on the foreshore before heading to star city casino for dinner and a flutter....
the next day i was back in town for lunch with my cousin Bee...in a plush 'food court' where mcdonalds is replaced by homemade pizza and fresh salad we surrounded ourselves with corporate suits and i had an insight into what it must be like to work in the city of sydney...i loved it....and i loved having bee all to myself...well, with the inclusion of the little one who is due in only a couple of months....my cousin looks so gorgeous and happy and as we chatted over lunch i did find myself wishing we could do this more often....
little social butterfly that i am, i soon found myself on sydney's northern beaches meeting up with our close family friend, jan, for dinner...with a house litteraly on the beach i am always content to just stand on the patio and watch the waves from this house that i practically grew up in....but this time we walked down to town for a yummy curry...talking non stop and then coming home to call alex in london....i felt torn....i love sydney....i love the beaches....but, in a way, i wanted to be with alex, scarf around her neck and a big winter jacket....snow falling outside....
today i'm back in newie....i'm back from a lunch date with the gorgeous jbot....a few glasses of wine later and a really good chat...i'm content...
stay tuned...xxx
one of my favourite things to do in sydney is to catch the ferry from circular quay near the opera house to manly beach....and on tuesday i did exactly that with my dear friend dougie and his girlfriend sam....i met dougie four years ago on that fateful contiki trip and, like 'my' other 'boys' we have been firm friends ever since, despite the fact he lives in melbourne and we live in england. we always try to catch up when in aus and this time he came to me....playing in the water round manly we finished a gorgeous arvo with a cocktail in one of the cafes on the foreshore before heading to star city casino for dinner and a flutter....
the next day i was back in town for lunch with my cousin Bee...in a plush 'food court' where mcdonalds is replaced by homemade pizza and fresh salad we surrounded ourselves with corporate suits and i had an insight into what it must be like to work in the city of sydney...i loved it....and i loved having bee all to myself...well, with the inclusion of the little one who is due in only a couple of months....my cousin looks so gorgeous and happy and as we chatted over lunch i did find myself wishing we could do this more often....
little social butterfly that i am, i soon found myself on sydney's northern beaches meeting up with our close family friend, jan, for dinner...with a house litteraly on the beach i am always content to just stand on the patio and watch the waves from this house that i practically grew up in....but this time we walked down to town for a yummy curry...talking non stop and then coming home to call alex in london....i felt torn....i love sydney....i love the beaches....but, in a way, i wanted to be with alex, scarf around her neck and a big winter jacket....snow falling outside....
today i'm back in newie....i'm back from a lunch date with the gorgeous jbot....a few glasses of wine later and a really good chat...i'm content...
stay tuned...xxx
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Australia's most wanted
usually, when we enter the New South Wales state lines, we begin to feel like australia's most wanted...and this time is no exception...
we have had a very busy week catching up with some of our dearest friends and family, who all just happen to live within the 2hr radius between sydney and newcastle.
In reality, though i sometimes claim queensland roots due to the fact i grew up there in the main, I am, in fact, sydney born and bred. My aunt and my 3 gorgeous cousins, their husbands and children, still base themselves here...but on the 27th we found them all at thier favorite holiday spot, their waterskiing cabin on the scenic banks of the hawksbury river...my family have always been keen waterskiers but somehow matt and i have, until now, missed out....however, that day matt gave it a go (i was happy to sit in the speedboat driven precariously by my cousin soph...!)...matt, being the talented sportsman he is managed to stand up and ski 3 times before calling it quits in utter exhaustion...
the next day we headed up the coast to newcastle...a working town, gritty and tough...but with some of the most beautiful beaches and, therefore, keen surfers, on this part of the east coast. newcastle is home to some very good friends of ours...'the boys' whom i've written about before...ashman, dane, bundy, toad, jbot....and their assorted mates...many of whom i've met on past trips. They are all hard working tradies, surfers, hardcore partiers...and some of the most genuine and caring guys ive ever met. NYE began quietly...breakfast with ashman, mitch and elise at nelson bay...overlooking the yaghts at the marina followed by a swim at secluded box beach....heading back to ashman's apartment - smack bang in the centre of town with amazing views of the harbour - we found that the party was already well underway by 12pm...more and more people kept arriving until the apartment was well and truely pumping...many drinks and much banter later we wandered downtown to the 'brewery' and danced the night away to some talented aussie bands...
The following days have been a bit of a blur...catching up on much needed sleep back in sydney at my aunt's house on the north shore, pizza at a local italian overflowing with celebs in newport with my cousins jane and bee and their husbands, kids and a very beautiful pregnant belly!...brunch at our friend mel's apartment in manly, overlooking the harbour there with our close family friends the smiths...back to newcastle for drinks out last night with the gang and down to the beach this morning to watch ashman go fo his morning surf....it's no wonder that i'm quite happy to be sitting here, in his apartment after popping matt on a plane bound for queensland...taking a deep breath and catching up on emails and blogs....! it's been crazy but so much fun...I love being in NSW...I love our friends and family here...and I love being australia's most wanted...
stay tuned...xxx
we have had a very busy week catching up with some of our dearest friends and family, who all just happen to live within the 2hr radius between sydney and newcastle.
In reality, though i sometimes claim queensland roots due to the fact i grew up there in the main, I am, in fact, sydney born and bred. My aunt and my 3 gorgeous cousins, their husbands and children, still base themselves here...but on the 27th we found them all at thier favorite holiday spot, their waterskiing cabin on the scenic banks of the hawksbury river...my family have always been keen waterskiers but somehow matt and i have, until now, missed out....however, that day matt gave it a go (i was happy to sit in the speedboat driven precariously by my cousin soph...!)...matt, being the talented sportsman he is managed to stand up and ski 3 times before calling it quits in utter exhaustion...
the next day we headed up the coast to newcastle...a working town, gritty and tough...but with some of the most beautiful beaches and, therefore, keen surfers, on this part of the east coast. newcastle is home to some very good friends of ours...'the boys' whom i've written about before...ashman, dane, bundy, toad, jbot....and their assorted mates...many of whom i've met on past trips. They are all hard working tradies, surfers, hardcore partiers...and some of the most genuine and caring guys ive ever met. NYE began quietly...breakfast with ashman, mitch and elise at nelson bay...overlooking the yaghts at the marina followed by a swim at secluded box beach....heading back to ashman's apartment - smack bang in the centre of town with amazing views of the harbour - we found that the party was already well underway by 12pm...more and more people kept arriving until the apartment was well and truely pumping...many drinks and much banter later we wandered downtown to the 'brewery' and danced the night away to some talented aussie bands...
The following days have been a bit of a blur...catching up on much needed sleep back in sydney at my aunt's house on the north shore, pizza at a local italian overflowing with celebs in newport with my cousins jane and bee and their husbands, kids and a very beautiful pregnant belly!...brunch at our friend mel's apartment in manly, overlooking the harbour there with our close family friends the smiths...back to newcastle for drinks out last night with the gang and down to the beach this morning to watch ashman go fo his morning surf....it's no wonder that i'm quite happy to be sitting here, in his apartment after popping matt on a plane bound for queensland...taking a deep breath and catching up on emails and blogs....! it's been crazy but so much fun...I love being in NSW...I love our friends and family here...and I love being australia's most wanted...
stay tuned...xxx
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