Happy New Year! I can't believe we are in January already!. Thanks for all the blog messages, it's great to hear from everyone. Had a very busy December, lots of socialising (also spelled d-r-i-n-k-i-n-g), work (tried to keep that to a minimum) and sun worshipping. Since being in Manly, which has been over 3 months, we have both been working at the same jobs we were doing the first time round in Sydney. Fuz put in rakes of hours with e*trade and I tried my hand at a couple of things (working on a deli counter, working in a bar), but found it easier to get back into the work with the little children and it paid more. I more or less got full time with them, but 'unfortunately' had one or two days off, which forced me to hang out at the beach and generally laze around (someone had to fly the traveller flag...!). Fuz had one or two very 'specail' nights out with his work, which has led us to the conclusion that they re-employed him for the entertainment value. He was known company-wide after his previous employment with them as a bit of a party boy, and sufficient to say, he did nothing to dispel his reputation. Nights out included stag-do's, footie matches, apres work drinks, the races and general piss-ups. Most of his nights ended up with him being either ejected from pubs or not allowed into pubs, getting a taxi home, spending a fortune at the local 7-11 (every time vowing to never go back), falling down the 7 stairs we have into the living room and waking up the next day with a headache and messages on his phone from his work colleagues filling in his blanks, or looking for blanks to be filled in. I am obviously jealous that I didn't have work mates to do these things with!! He grew a moustache for November in aid of mens health and obvioulsy had to go out and celebrate the growing of and shaving of 'the Mo" (see photos!) We've got a lovley one bed unit in the heart of Manly with a gorgeous sea view (see photos!) and central to everything. Fuz took up beach volley ball and continued with his surfing and I took up yoga and pilates. Unfortunately, since the arrival of other Annanites, all the good work has fallen by the wayside and bad habits such as over eating/drinking/ and general indulgence has crept back in. Guess what my new year resolutions are.... James and Ange arrived in Manly the first week in December and occupied our sofa bed for three weeks. It has been great to see them, swapping travel tales, drinking tooheys (Aussie lager), eating out (lots) and planning for the festive. Not to mention fighting over the very small sofa, forming an orderly queue for the bathroom (which was also in our bedroom...) and lots of comparing sun tan progress/lines. They have now moved into their own unit, which is just upstairs from us, so just as cosy but without the bathroom sharing! Annanite Ally (Clumpf) Clark contacted and met up with us as well (he is now on James and Ange's sofa), so the numbers are growing by the day. You can't go anywhere...! Fuz finished up work on the 15th December, in prep for Scott and Susan's arrival. They arrived on Decmber 17th and we got them from the airport, threw them in the back of the van and drove! We decided that as they only had a limited time in Australia, we would squeeze as many activities into a short period of time as humanly possible! We headed up the coast, with our first main destination being Coolongatta. We had an over night at a small site in Grafton and this was S&S first taste of Aussie camping, which was great. The next day we hit Coolongatta and it did not disappoint. We stayed at the same site Fuz and I had stayed at previously and it was just as nice as we remembered. It is in a fairly quiet town but is accessible to Surfers paradise and the theme parks. Scott and Susan were absolutely shattered, but they soldiered on, even though the heat was at risk of pushing them over the edge. Because we had headed up the East coast to the Gold Coast, it was even warmer than it had been in Sydney, and a tad warmer than Scotland I would imagine! Coolongatta is beautiful and held the essential ingredient to the holiday - good surf! Fuz was delighted that he had a play mate and Scott was like a wee boy struggling to contain his excitement at getting out into the surf! He got a lesson for the following day and even turned up an hour early for it (mainly because we forgot the gold coast is an hour ahead of NSW..!) Susan and i managed to catch a few rays, shop and generally mull around while the boys did their best imeprsonations of action man. The week up the coast with Scott and Sus was fab though and we covered alot of ground. we went to wet 'n' wild and I actually went on the water rides and even enjoyed them. It was a gorgeous day too, so lots of factor 30 slathered on all over the shop. The next day we went to Dreaworld which is a theme park (not really my thing) but there was also a safari park so enjoyed that. fuz and Scott went on as much as they could, Scott opted out of a giant drop thing and me and Sus opted out of most things apart from the log flume, which was the wettest one in the world and am sure I took in about a litre of water mid scream!! The gold coast was really enjoyable and it is so quiet. The Aussies compare it to European destinations, in that it is over crowded, but the beaches are beautiful and deserted (see photos!), yet they all say it is too busy. They should try Ibiza! After the gold coast we headed down to Byron Bay, a favourite spot of Fuz's due to (you guessed it) the surf! He and Scott got in surfing most days and the last day in surfers, Fuz had a rare time in a little bay that the surf was great in. There was a bit of a hairy moment when he nearly got taken out by a girl on a board and from where we were it looked like she had scudded him on the head, but in true 'man from atlantic' style he emerged unscathed from the sea! After 3 days at Byron we headed back South, stopping at a a place called Port McQuarie overnight before heading down to Sydney for Christmas! However, I will save the Christmas story until my next postcard, because I am running out of internet time! Hope everyone is good, and not too hung over from the festive. Take care, Em and fuzXXXXX