Going away for the Easter double long weekend is something of a tradition here in Oz. What did everyone do? Did you stay home or did you go camping?

We went down to the south coast of New South Wales near Canberra. We stayed at a friend's beach house in a secluded forest near Rosedale Beach which is a few kilometres south of Bateman's Bay. The house was built in the 1950s and they have kept it pretty much how it was back then - no electricity (gas lamps instead), tank water and a big wrap around verandah. The place is surounded by forest and you can hear the waves crashing on the beach below. Beautiful spot . The area is gorgeous and I can see why Nicole Kidman bought a house there.

However, the drive back up the Clyde Mountain was horrible with bumper to bumper traffick for over one hour

Worked:
13 hours on Friday
12 on Saturday
13 today

Booked a visit back to the UK for Christmas and New Year with holiday stopovers in Paris and Singapore.

Hiked/tramped in the hinterland - Lamington NP.

Friday: Redcliffe Festival of Sails
Saturday: Mooloolaba
Sunday: Seaworld
Today: getting over the weekend!

M

Sat at home, alternated between the pile of work I brought home, a pile of job application forms, and BE.
Did someone mention the Australian lifestyle?

Watched my house fill with dust as OH knocked holes out all over the house for new windows to go in the new extension

Cleaning up said dust and half freezing to death !!!

I know it has to be done but...

Every cloud has a silver lining ...I now have 2 weeks with all the kids off school

Haven't left home all weekend, it's been great, the occasional bit of parenting, climbing trees and watching sport.

Watched the OH clean the car too ... she seemed to enjoy it

Caught the pics of people in bumper-to-bumper traffic and confirmed why we live a few k's further out ... given some time off we don't feel the need to escape to anywhere.

And tomorrow I'm working from home ... so, the cricket will be on 'in the background' ... mmmmarvellous.

If you're doing unpaid work at home, I'd suggest you concentrate on the job application forms!

M

actually have just witnessed a fire right at the back of our houses. The summer has been so long and dry there has been 3 fires in the last two weeks.

Thursday evening - got on a big plane.
Friday morning - landed in Sydney. Vegged a bit in our serviced apartment in Chatswood then went for a wander. Felt relieved we had chosen to stay in Chatswood as at least the Asian restaurants were open. (and we feel quite at home here )
Saturday daytime - walked our feet off on the Lower North Shore, exploring residential areas.
Saturday evening - met a friend for a meal in Woollahra, not realising it was the races and full of women in cheap dresses and scary fascinators, falling down drunk.
Sunday - had brunch with another friend in Crows Nest, then were driven around that side of the Lower North Shore and then the east side, looking at residential areas.
Monday - walked our feet off in the Eastern Suburbs, exploring residential areas.

(Do you see a trend here?)

Currently in the apartment, having just eaten sushi, nursing aching feet, and wondering if I can take ten days of this. It's not really what I call a holiday...tomorrow and Wednesday we are going out with our relo agent, Thursday it's meet the colleagues time, then maybe we can make a bit of a holiday of the rest of our time. Before going home and having all hell let loose as we start to pack up.


Oh man, still in shock over a $60 taxi fare. For that in Singapore you could buy the driver.

Like Fluffy i worked, only 8 hour shifts though !!

Maria

I've been asleep because I feel drained, or I've been sat watching TV because I have had no energy to do anything else. To the docs to have more blood tests I think as my Iron levels seem to be gone again.

I'm trying to resist the urge to have chocolate because I don't want to put on the stone I lost, and I am trying desperately not to have a cigarette (which I know will stop me from eating!) which could end up killing me - decisions, decisions.

But then I'll have to work late every night this week to get the files up to date......I'd rather work from home than work late in the office, as both would be unpaid!!

Flew down to Melbourne and then drove to Ballarat to visit the very elderly MIL. Friday it was freezing in Ballarat - thank goodness I brought the fleece but should have brought the scarf as well! Took the MIL for a drive out. Saturday took her for another drive - weather much warmer. Watched the ducks on the lake at Daylesford then had coffee in Clunes but as we were just minutes from her nursing home she had a "turn" and started hallucinating, went clammy and white as a sheet and couldnt get out of the car. We ended up in A & E with her and they kept her in - we had to fly back on Sunday but BIL took over the MIL management. She will be there a few days. Not quite the Easter any of us wanted!

Next week is going to be h*ll - two and a half days of disaster management training and two days of mindfulness training. I thought retirement was supposed to be easy!

Drove for 7 hours in bumper to bumper traffic from Surrey to North Wales, sat in a FREEZING (3-6 degrees) caravan for 3 days whilst the rain and wind battered the outside of the van now watching loads of recorded Wanted Down Unders and dreaming about our new WARM life in OZ that we will have next year!!!!!