Right firstly hello, and yes for those of you I haven't spoken too I'm still alive and haven't been attacked by the many dangers that make up Australia.

Where to start as it has been a long 4 months since my last entry. So i think ill break this blog up slightly and give you something a little different. Not too worry though there will still defo be the usual rants and moans. It is me after all.
So here we go Sydney in topics.

Weather - Bloody hot. I swear the sun in Australia is something else... a two min walk down the road leaves me looking like a burns victim from St Vincents hospital. Arriving at the height of summer the only way to adjust is to whack on the sun cream, a hat and go for it. However when the temp drops it really does. After getting used to the 40 plus heat when it dropped to the mid 20's over night I thought I was in Russia, although those temps are the peak of English summer, it was amazing how cold it felt.

Work - Yes I know everyone thinks i'm on a long holiday but I needed to fund it somehow. So yes my loyalty to Mr R Murdoch landed me back at good old News Corp working for the Daily Telegraph and the Australian. Although I was lucky to get work at short notice and for the time period I was available, I think I made an impact to the point that they wanted me to stay...my answer being I would rather put pins in my eyes. Although it was a department full of some great people I had to rename it the SVU (Special Victims Unit). This being because everyone there had some sort of issue, that I would hear about on a daily basis. Plus what you and I would class as simple and common sense would be like a break through in cancer treatments for them.

Location - Like any major city there are the usual tourist haunts, harbour bridge, opera house etc... which you feel you have to do as you are on the other side of the world. But then you meet people who start to direct you to hidden jewels that make Sydney a tempting place to pack up your life for. (It's ok mum, not enough here to make me move). Back street bars, hidden beaches, beautiful properties etc... But in usual Shenel style I plonk myself right in the centre of it all Darlinghurst (right near good old Kings Cross) for those of you that are not aware it is the red light district....and boy have my young eyes seen something's around there over my 11am coffee break.

House - Now I will make this section short and sweet, but please keep you eyes open for my first book based on my 4 months of renting hell (30 Hardie Street). You might think i'm joking but my god, everything that could have gone wrong did and in a bad way. From the constant partying until 6am daily when I was up at 7am, to the leaking taps that turned the usually white walls into something resembling a tropical rainforest, to the property company openly sending people into the house without our knowledge, to us thinking we had been burgled, to a maintenance worker transferring bed bugs in the house, to me having a battle for compensation with the company and landlord...and all in 4 MONTHS.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Housemates. I have lived with a number of people in this 4 bed house that jack built and run. Sheena and seems from home that of course were fine. The loud Germans, the untidy French, the sex mad Irish boys, the Columbian formally known as Oscar and the mad Irish girls. Which all made this experience fun, helpful, painful and scary.

Friends - One of the best things to come from this trip are the fantastic people I have met. From my mad group of fellow English folk to my second family in the form of Mumma Maria and Rufo. Together we have drank a lot, laughed and cried. Will defo miss them all.

Activities done - As well as the usual partying, we have rock climbed, rocked it at v festival, danced in the biggest street party I have ever been to at Mardi Gras, sight seen, shopped only a little and the rest you would have seen in Facebook pics posted and ones to come.

I know this is a little off as a blog but if I was to try and hit four months in one go it would be like a second university dissertation.
Hope you enjoy the pics to come.

More coming soon
Shenel down under