My families adventure on the road to oz via Germany

City slickers ...

All things considered, it was a very enjoyable break away from home. We’re pretty much broke, but we did a bit of sleight of hand with the plastic in order to give Jack a break in the big city (which he loves). I love cities too, but they’re not Liz’s cup of tea. Indeed, she’d rather spend some time away in the mountains or the countryside or anywhere that there’s cute wildlife.

As I mentioned earlier, our digs were most excellent - roomy, very well apointed, amazing views, good hotel staff - a winner all round. If you’re ever in Sydney and are looking for somewhere central to stay, then try the Meriton Appartments in Pitt Street. You’re perfectly situated there for Darling Harbour to the west, Circular Quay to the north, Hyde Park to the east and World Square to the south. The monorail station is about 200m away, taxis roll past the front door day and night, you’ve got some of the best shopping in Sydney on your doorstep (David Jones about 500m down the road, the QVB 200m) and enough eateries to keep you busy for a year, let alone a weekend.

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water week

This week has just been one for water, luckily really as the temps have been 35 or more all week.

The girls both had vacswim the last fortnight and Tallulah once more passed her level so is now on level 10. Nakita just missed out due to her breaststroke but she should pass when she has her lessons in the sea when school returns. At least they both got exercise and they love swimming especially as daddy took them as he's still off work and nanny and grandad watched once and so did I !

On Saturday Nakita and Paul had their first surfing lesson. Paul managed to stand a couple of times but not for long and Nakita just enjoyed herself body boarding on the surf board but I hope she has better luck next week. Tallulah and I made it down for support but whilst Tallulah just lounged on the beach with her ipod, I went in the water body boarding. The waves were pretty good and it put a few ghosts to rest as it's the same beach, Pyramid Beach, where Paul died nearly two years ago. I think we've decided that will be our weekly Saturday morning jaunt - at least it'll get us all out of bed early as from 11 onwards the waves get quite strong. The instructor pointed out to us where the rips are, the permanent one where Paul got caught and the temporary ones which start up depending on time of day, weather etc. He also explained to them that surfers use the rips to get further out for the waves which was really scary not only because rips terrify me but also because someone was 'lost' to a shark recently near here and there have been a few sightings since. Whose idea was it to come to Oz ??

The rest of the time it has been too hot to do much, we don't have air con so the pool has been used a lot and, depsite the agro and cost, has been a very worthwhile investment !

Next week it's supposed to be cooler with a couple of days in the late 20s which will be nice as we have a very busy week ahead once again ..... what's new ??

New Year

New Years eve was once more spent on the Mandurah foreshore. Mum and mike had arrived earlier in the day so we all headed down complete with blankets and chairs. The girls hit the english candy store and we just sat around chatting. Karen and her family joined us for the 9pm fireworks and then we decided to give the midnight fireworks a miss and head home for the pool as it was still warm. Karen's family also joined us at home which was nice. So I saw the new year in with unexpected family and a glass of Pimms .......... exactly how it should be !

The rest of the week was spent mooching around and in the pool as it is still pretty hot. Then on Saturday we headed up to Morley for a day of shopping, Mum and Mike headed off after lunch, and after an hour or more spent in the 3 shop because of their appalling customer service ... (don't get me started !!!) .... we had to rush around to get the rest of the school uniform for Tallulah. Not exactly the day I was hoping for especially after it took an hour and a half to get there - never again !!!!!!

Today was much more like it, we were promised a cooler day at 31 degrees (but it was 38 when we got home so no idea what it actually climbed up to) so we headed out to Island Point Reserve on the estuary with Robyn and her family to do a spot of kayaking ... we even took the dog ! Paul and Matt took off first and saw loads of crabs and puffa fish then I went with Tallulah, other than a lot of moaning she did ok, then Lexie took over from Tallulah and did ok paddling out then decided it was too much like hard work. I struggled to get her back but in the end Matt came out and pushed her in as it was fairly shallow !! Next Paul and Nakita went out and finally Nakita and I. Nakita is excellent at paddling and pretty quick too, we did a lengthy run down to nose at some of the houses and she was brilliant, definitely a water babe which is lucky as her surfing lessons start next Saturday ! Only one problem - I'd obviously missed some places with the sun lotion and am a lobster pink in some places !

Another year over, a new one just begun …

Jingle Bells, Batman smells …

I was casting my mind back to Christmas days of the past, when I was a similar age to the sprog. I can remember well the pre-’santa is actually mummy and daddy’ days - finding it hard to sleep, waking up at the crack of dawn, presents in a pillow case at the end of the bed. So it’s been really funny watching Jack this season. He has his suspicions about the origins of his presents, but he’s not stupid enough to jinx it all by calling fake on the jolly fat man in the red and white suit.

The missus and I got to bed at about 2:00am last night and were awoken by a very excited little boy at 6:00am. As excited as Jack was by the stocking in his bedroom, he still dashed off to the bog for his morning piss - if ever there was a boy that liked his routine, it’s Jack. He appeared at the side of our bed holding his stocking saying, “Santa’s been!” And indeed he had.

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Another Christmas in Oz

So this was our third Oz Christmas and definitely the best, not sure though if I'll ever adjust to a warm Christmas (although the day was cold at 24 degrees as opposed to the last two in the 40s).

Mum and Mike came down Christmas Eve and we went to the 11pm service at the local Anglican church. On the way we picked up Karen and Robyn so it was a tight squeeze with 5 adults in the car but we made it ! Got home to discover Paul had been busy - he'd wrapped all the presents, vacuumed, mopped and prepared Christmas dinner, what a star ! Finally got to bed at 2am.

Nakita hit the lights at 4.55am, she had woken Tallulah at 4.30am but Father Christmas hadn't delivered to Tallulah as she no longer believes so Tallulah went back to bed ! We persuaded Nakita to get in bed with us and after lots of thrashing about and turning we gave up at 6am when Tallulah showed up to discover we'd done her a stocking in our room. Stockings over we tried to keep them quiet until Mum and Mike woke up but the stockings had contained a small foghorn so they were dragged out of bed at 7am. The girls did fabulously well with all their presents, they had presents from Mum and Mike, Brett & Gaynor, Dad and Nanny Pat and money from Debs, Aunty Lynne and Grandpa Joe (well Nakita did but it was 10 pounds so unspendable anyway !) so the tree was heaving unlike previous years and Tallulah and Nakita were a bit overawed !

We had a croissant curtesy of mum for brekie followed by a sausage sarnie for dinner (I never want to see another sausage again !) and then tea was marinated steak with a mushroom sauce, wedges and salads - all done on the barbie. Well done Paul !!

Mum, Mike and Paul spent a lot of the day out by or in the pool but it was a bit cold for the girls and I so they played with all their new stuff and I spent the day on my pc sorting out my new tomtom and then Tallulahs new ipod touch. So we all did what we wanted to and never made it to the beach !

Boxing Day was a bit warmer so we mooched around in the morning and then packed a hamper and headed up to Kings Park, we walked around the botanic gardens then drove to the synergy area for a picnic tea (not a sausage in sight !) and then went into the Moonight cinema - and outdoor cinema - to watch Mamma Mia. Good film and I love the outdoor cinema, we all had blankets and hired beanbags so were nice and cosy when the sun went down, result ! Another great day.

The weather is now starting to heat up, it's back to 35 today and expected to get hotter over the next few days. Mum and Mike are next down for New Year and we'll head off to the foreshore for the fireworks then. Tallulah is off camping (!!!) with a mate and we were going to go kayaking in the sea but a guy was taken by a shark yesterday where we were going to go so Nakita and Paul went on the estuary instead. Scary. Luckily we have life assurance as Paul and Nakita are having surfing lessons in January !!!!!

On the 2nd day of Xmas …

One of the things that takes some getting used to when you live in Australia, is the topsy-turvey seasons. This is particularly noticeable during the festive holiday season. In the UK, Christmas is a rare high-point in the otherwise bland miasma that is the British winter. In the UK, Xmas and the new year enable you to forget, temporarily, that you have another five months of low grey clouds and drizzle to go before it warms up for just long enough to remind everyone that there’s a yellow heat-giving orb in the sky. In the UK, Xmas is the interlude between acts one and two of the school year. In the UK the stores start their sales the nano-second the last late Xmas shopper is ushered out into the drizzle.

Down here though, it’s very different. In Oz, Xmas signifies the end of the year in more ways than one. The start of the Xmas break means the end of the school year and the beginning of the long summer holidays. Xmas is merely an (admittedly welcome) interlude to what, for most people, is at least two full weeks of work. It means six weeks of freedom for the kids and six weeks of keeping ‘em happy for the parents. It means driving south or north with a car stuffed to bursting with gear and a tinnie towed behind.

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Graduation

Tallulah graduated from primary school today and what an eventful day it was !

We all had to go to the first ceremony which was the class book awards. These awards are so prestigeous that the chances of you being awarded one are practically nil. The very top girl and boy get them so they do tend to be the same people every year. This year Tallulah's name was read out which was a massive shock and this is what her teacher said about her :

"Tallulah is a caring, mature and independent young lady. As a student, Tallulah is always open to learning, tackles each task with purpose and ensure she achieves her full potential. Tallulah has built excellent time management and independent skills which will be of great  support in her future. She is always organised in her approach to her school work and with personal and school property. Tallulah is a key inclusion in any group situation as she is a fair leader, is individually accountable and ensures her group works productively and cooperatively. Tallulah is a trustworthy, reliable, courteous, respectful and responsible individual and an extremely worthy recipient of a year 7 class award for 2008"

Is this my daughter ???? The same one who was always in trouble in the UK ???  The teacher also had to pick three words to describe Tallulah and she chose ; kind, imaginative and diligent.  I am so very proud of her.

After that we had the graduation ceremony of all 96 year 7 children - took a while but we got through them all. Tallulah was given a certificate and class picture and then we all (mum, mike, Tallulah, Nakita and I) went off to Doddies beach for a picnic (wedges from the Dome, yum). We then got their end of year reports. Tallulahs was, as usual, outstanding, and Nakita's was the best we have ever received too.

So today I am getting a bit of pay back for the 10 and 12 years hard labour I have so far completed. Well done kids.

Suprising week

This week started like any other. Nakita is being bullied at school, we have been into the school quite a few times but nothing seems to change. On Wednesday evening she had her school disco and she was sooo excited. She had a new dress and I did her hair for her and she really looked lovely.  By the time she got home she was in tears and very distressed. It would appear that the ringleaders spread a rumour around the whole year about Nakita that was humiliating and untrue and this resulted in everyone sniggering at her and avoiding her the whole night. So on Thursday I kept her home and went and saw the deputy head and demanded consequences for those involved. The one who started the rumour did at the end of the night apologize to Nakita and admit it wasn't true but that was one on one and the rest of the year still believed it ! She stayed home Friday too to give him a chance to sort it out and for the others to forget it and move on. Fingers crossed tomorrow goes ok and we get through to the end of term on Thursday without any more incidents !

Then on Friday I went to pick up Tallulah from school and, when we got home, my mum and stepdad were sat out on the front lawn. I had found out the night before but the girls had no clue so their faces were a picture. Mum and Mike have a house up in Subiaco about an hour north so will stay sometimes with us and other times at theirs which is a nice idea especially as the girls are at that 'difficult' age ! Luckily they brought the nice weather with them as it has been 35 degrees or more ever since and we've spent most of the time in the pool !! So long may they stay

Get fresh at the weekend ...

One of our group of friends is moving back to New Zealand soon and her going away party was on Saturday night. Since I had a very early start the next day, we arranged for Liz and Jack to sleep at my parents house. I left the party at 9pm and took Jack round to my folk’s place, tucked him in and then went home. Liz stayed behind and, I later learned, returned to my parents at 2:30am, stopping only briefly to fall over in a flower bed in the school playing field while taking a shortcut back.

The summer surf lifesaving season means there’s often a chance for the club to earn a bit of extra cash doing water safety at various public events. The event in question on Sunday was the Callala Triathlon, about 20km down the coast from here. I left the house at 6:00am and, pausing only to buy a couple of sausage and egg muffins and a latte in maccers, drove over to Byron’s house for the drive down with the boat.

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Orthodontist - part 2

New definition of slow ...

On my way back from my spin classes, I regularly drive down a stretch of road called the Princes Highway which, whilst it is the main road between Sydney and Melbourne, is often just single lane. This has caused me to learn new coping techniques on account of the fact that you often get learners doing 80kph (50mph) down there - or worse still, some ignorant twat who just loves holding people up for no good reason.

The speed limit on that stretch of road is 100kph (60mph) which is the national average speed limit on main roads outside towns. It often feels painfully slow to travel at that speed on roads that are often straighter than anything the Romans made. So when you get some old twat doing 70kph, you either shrug in a Buddha like way or - if you’re like me, you swear a lot and bide your time until there’s an opportunity to overtake - at which point you lower the window and flip the bird as you drive past Miss Daisy.

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Summer time ....

And the living is, ermm, considerably compromised by the credit crunch, thanks for asking. But that's the fringe benefit to living in Oz - you put up with all the same shit you endure in the UK (or indeed any other country) - but at least there's usually a nice warm sunny day round the corner to take the edge of things.

Yes, summer's arrived down under, the temperatures are in the mid '20s, the skies are blue and the Pacific ocean is a lovely 19 degrees. Jack has just three weeks left of his second year at Broughton Public, before the long summer holidays unfold and we have the pleasure of his company for six weeks.

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Trip away - Cervantes - day 3

We didn't fancy another day at the beach, well I didn't anyway, so on Monday we headed up to Geraldton stopping in Dongara on the way.

We met up with the emus again but one look at Paul and they were off and were fascinated with the landscape of massive sand dunes in the middle of bush and turquoise waters on the other side. Every now and again there would be a tin shack 'house' which looked incredibly isolated and that was it !

Dongara was definitely touristy but we didn't stop for long as it was about a three hour drive to Geraldton. When we got to Gero we wandered down the high street with the girls stopping in every tourist shop and then tried to find the shopping centre as we had promised them we would. After a long walk we gave up and headed for a cafe near the beach. The girls then ran through the water fountains before having a game of baseball with Paul before we headed off back to Cervantes.

Paul hated the driving and I have decided that I am not keen on these types of 'holiday' so we have now decided that weekends will be spent much closer to home and that we need to go for longer and have more flexibilty if we go further afield. A caravan it is then !

After a very early start the next day (6am) as workers were building right outside our unit we headed home. I never thought I'd ever be so pleased to see Mandurah. It no longer seems 'small town' in fact it seems practically cosmpolitan now !! Won't last long though !

Trip away - Cervantes - day 2

On the second day we called into Lake Thetis on our way out as it was so close. They are part way through building a boardwalk to the stromatolites so we followed that and checked them out. They are the oldest 'living' thing in the world although they didn't seem to be doing a lot of 'living'  but what do I know.

We then headed off to Jurien Bay which was gorgeous. We will definitely be going back there that's for sure. The beach was beautiful and there were little cafes and shops dotted around, in fact we have decided to go back there for a week at some point and hire a house. The aussies don't really 'do' hotels favouring caravans, tents and chalets and it's not any wonder when you see the prices hotels charge. However I am not someone who can sleep in a tent so we are going to save really hard when we get a chance and get a caravan. Never thought I'd ever say that !!

We spent a good few hours battling the flies and then popped into Leeman (why ?? There was nothing there) and Green Head which looked like it may have a bit of life in tourist season before heading back to Cervantes and a bbq. On the way Paul had to brake to avoid two wild emus which he then chased down the road roadrunner style before they went off into the bush. Nakita was worried Paul was going to hit them but I think he was more worried about the damage they'd do to his ute !

Trip away - Cervantes - day 1

Well I finally managed to persuade Paul to take some time off work to get away. In the two years we'd been here he's only had two days off !! So  booked a few nights in a hotel in Cervantes, a few hours north of Perth.

Saturday morning we left home at 9.30am and after a quick stop for a Body Shop delivery (and picked up a recruit !!) we prepared ourselves for the long drive.

We had to stop off at Gingin, one of the BS consultants had done a party though so I had to be nosy and check the place out. It was pretty with a lovely little church and set of shops and a cafe but the flies were bad so we didn't stop too long.

Next stop was the Pinnacles. These are wierd. They are like staligmites but made from limestone and rising up out of the sand. It was a very yellow sand. For $10 you can drive round them all and stop and have a look around. The girls chose to stay in the car but Paul and I wandered around for a bit swatting flies and battling the wind. Having sand blown in your face is a very good exfoliator I have found !!

We then stopped at Hangover Bay which was lovely - beautiful white sand and turquoise water (you can see why they call it the turquoise coast !)  and also Kangaroon Point (but not for long at the latter - between the dragonflies and the flies you could barely see anything !!)

We finally arrived at our hotel in Cervantes at 4.30pm, very hot, tired and hungry. The restaurant there was fabulous with lovely food but the pool was out of action for our stay - argh !!! Worse still, the social club across the road had a 21st birthday party which started at 8.30pm and lasted until 4.30 the next morning and came complete with the odd firework every now and again. 3 hours worth of sleep later Nakita woke up !!!

Alarming …

The teachers at Jack’s school were on strike for two hours this morning and we were instructed not to take the kids in before 11:00am. Liz had a doctor’s appointment and she left the house at nine leaving me to get Jack to school. Mornings are always a rush, but she when returned she was surprised to discover that things were much as she left them. She wondered how it was that Jack was able to go to school two hours later than normal today and I still managed to not have his lunch box ready, to not get him into socks or shoes, to not have his teeth cleaned, to not have this his hat on his heed and to not having packed his bag.

Truth is we’d been working on his school project which, for reasons known only to Jack, involved constructing a cuboid from paper, wrapping this cuboid in Xmas paper, tying a ribbon to said wrapped cuboid and sticking a teeny tiny little gift card to it all. I forgot about lunch, hats and teeth in all the excitement. So we left the house, in time honoured fashion, exactly 10 minutes before school was supposed to start, despite having an extra two hours to do it all in.

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In at the deep end …

Couple of weeks ago I noticed that our pool was smelling a bit, ermm, different. Instead of the usual chloriney smell, it had taken on this rather more pungent odour - musty if you like. But we were swimming in it to no ill effect, so I just assumed it needed a bit more salt for the chlorinator.

However a couple of days ago, Liz, Jack and myself were in having a splash about and we all commented on the fact that it really was not pleasant to open your eyes in that water. I suggested we all got out until I had the water tested. So I took a sample of water down to our friendly neighbourhood pool shop and had the bloke test it.

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Back to life, back to reality …

So, with the in-laws having safely re-entered their lives in blighty, we have been free to return to ours here in sleepy South Coast, NSW. Jack’s back at school, I’ve got my head buried in misbehaving PCs and Liz has got stuck into her graphic design work. The weather has been consistently improving over the last couple of weeks and the number of tourists passing through our little town of Barefoot Bay has been increasing steadily.

The American election has been in the news here and for once, the time difference on this side of the planet was a useful thing. While the rest of the planet slept, over here in Oz we got realtime updates on all the counts coming in from the voting stations in the states, during our daytime. So, finally the yanks have voted in someone with an IQ greater than your average pot plant. Hurrah.

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Happy families …

The torture is at an end. After nearly 7 consecutive weeks of in-laws, we have waved the last of ‘em off at the airport. It started, as I’ve previously mentioned, with the PILs, but for the last two weeks, we’ve been entertaining the SIL and her sprog. I’m not saying my family’s perfect, or indeed that I am, but dear god they’re hard work.

So. Last time I blogged, the SIL had not long arrived. Well, we have now dropped her and her sprog off at the airport on Saturday evening, putting an end to what has been a very painful two weeks. I thought that the PILs stay had been eventful, but the SIL out-did them in pretty much every way.

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