hay people! Hope you all had a wicked christmas. Mine was certainly very different! Christmas eve was incrediably hot and we spent the whole day walking around town on the hunt for booze criuse tickets for that evening, luckily we found some and went on the cruise. It was really good, random in places and highly funny. We met loads of people from bournemouth uni and dancing to cheese music passing by the opera house made the night for all of us. Christmas day we went to bondi! Ate turkey sandwiches and turkey and stuffing crisps, interviewed by an oz tv station and then partyed the night away in a dj/dance festival at bondi pavillion. Which was wicked! Judge jules came on and some of us took in turns to get on hannah's shoulders, you will find the pictures of me doing that on teresa's website very soon! Phoning home drunk was quite hard, but i think me family found it quite amusing! All in all it proved to be very different unique christmas and one i'll never 4get. New year's eve i think we are going to the botanic gardens opposite the opera house and bridge to watch the fire works and make a whole day of it. Today teresa and i went to sydney zoo and got up close and personal with a koala! Tuesday 3rd, teresa, me and kate (who arrived today and is hannah's friend from home and just as casper like as me) are goin to up to cairns to start our travelling down the east coast. I'll download pictures soon for you all! Take care, wrap up warm! Lots of love Helen xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hello it's Christmas Day and Gemma has been filling us in with all your news and adventures! Were about to sit down to our Turkey dinner - are you having a shrimp barby? Wishing you a very merry Christmas, safe travels and a very happy new year take care Love from the Masons in Locks Heath(!!) x x x

Hey Hellie! Thank you for the Merry Christmas text message! It's strange that you are already in Christmas Day. I am sat at home watching the Karate Kid then I hope to watch another great 80's classic! I guess you will be on Bondi beach soon..... I bet that is amazing. Have a lovely day! We are off to the Talisman tonight - for a change haha! Will email again soon! Missing you! Kara xxx

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year honey!!!! Its officially christmas for you there now! Wow!!!! We still have one sleep to go and feel so excited! Really do hope that you have a great one although it is surreal the sunny summery pics of yours knowing its cold here, know where i'd rather be though, on that beach. Thank you for my christmas card and must say it choked me you sweetie you, i'm so emotional but it was so nice. Well you have a great day and next few days and if I don't speak to you before will speak to you in the new year, can't wait for a whole new year to start afresh. Love and best wishes to all your family and friends that read this and especially to you Honey, thinking of you and love you lots, Jen xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi Helen,Just been reading all your messages. It seems you have been having a whale of a time. I bet your feet haven't touched the ground properly yet. The photos are to die for - I'm so jealous. You'll never forget your time there. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. I know your mum has gone to Cornwall for a few days but I will be phoning her sometime to wish her a Happy Christmas too. Enjoy yourself and keep the photos coming - it makes a great escape from work!
Love Jan xxx

Hey Helena, just want to wish you (and whoever else reads this!) a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR. Hope you have a fantastic time, take loads more photos of us especially you on the beach on christmas day. Off in a bit so may not be able to write until the new year when i get home. I'll do everything except the drinking part, duty driver for new years ever. It'll be different but i'm sure i'll have an amazing time. Dad says you should go to coney island under sydney harbour bridge on new years eve!! Take care of yourself (you know my motto!! won't write it though) look forward to some more photos in the New Year. Missing ya, love ya loads, Jules xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hay, Merry christmas everyone and a happy new year! Not too sure if i'll be able to email during the festive period as places will be shut, so i'll be back on board in 2006! Well its been just under a month now and 4months to go till i'm back! From the Jan 2nd ish me, teresa and kate (a new gal awaiting to arrive in the next few days) will be flying to cairns and then travelling down the east coast, doing the great barrier reef, whitsundays and fraser island etc etc. We maybe doing some of it via bus and hiring a camper van for the rest of it. I'm really looking forward to it as sydney is proving to be very expensive! But i'll let you all know whats going on as and when. In the meantime, dont eat to much, drink lots and wicked festive season! Big and hug and lots of kisses. Helen xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Well my love, another amazing set of fabulous photos - getting made redundant was a blessing in disguise for you as you can clearly see you are having the most wonderful time and while I'm sitting in this dump I am extremely jealous! I'm all sorted for Christmas, got a few more presents to wrap and put under the tree, I'm getting all excited, especially for Kira and Josh. I'm upset I can't spend any of the day with Scouse though, I'm missing him like mad but only 6 more sleeps till I get to see him again. I'm looking forward to tonight, I hope it's as succussful and scrummy as my works do was there but you are going to be missed very much, as it's the 1st time in I don't know how long that we will all be together-so it'll definately be good to get to chat with you and get your little messages in our cards. I may not get a chance to write tomorrow so I hope you have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR, I have no doubts you'll be celebrating in style. I'm looking forward to logging on and checking out your incriminating photos next year (how wierd does that sound!)! Missing you. Take care. Love and hugs, Me.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hey Helena, just had a quick look at your photos and it all looks so amazing I'm so jealous. Looks like you've got a little tan coming on there, really impressed!! As you know it's our Christmas meal tonight at frankie & benny's, hopefully it'll be better than my work one! I've still got all the Christmas cards, not given them out yet as you told me to wait until tonight. I'm sure those of us that gave you your cards won't mind if you open them tonight as well, unless you want to wait until Christmas day. I'll take some photos on my phone tonight try and download them tomorrow if not I'll do it while I'm away and e-mail them over to you. They probably won't be as impressive as your photos but we'll try. It'll be great to speak to you tonight, we'll text and let you know when we're ready for you!! Hope you are well (you look it), take care. Love ya, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hay guys! Well i've been to the Blue Mountains! Very mountainous but only blue at certain times when the sun hits the dust particles from the mountains which makes the air turn blue....check me out!! It was good to see something other than skyscappers, i'm getting excited now about goin up the east coast in January and experiencing the great barrier reef etc. I have minimised the pics of the mountains as i know most of you will get bored or even fall asleep. I hope the funny ones will keep you awake! Slowly coming up to xmas and we are in the process of trying to decide what to do for the best. Bondi on xmas day is certain, its xmas eve is a bit of a tricky one. One choice is to do a harbour booze cruise with food and drink included, already that sounds better than the talisman.....sorry gals!! Anyway hope your all ok? Big hug to you all. Love Helenxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dear Helena, Your photo's are fantastic, I see you are working on your tan. Sorry I havent posted a message sooner but I was off work all last week with bird flu !!! Things at work are very quiet and I am extremley bored. Me and C are still fine. He took me to London for 2 days last week (when I was poorly). We had a fantastic time. I had a hearing test done on Monday (work made me have it down) and the Doctor confirmed that I am slightly deaf !!! so I got really upset. I have to have a hearing test every 6 months now to make sure it doesnt get any worse. Apparently it has been caused by the whopping cough I had as a teenager. Some goods news now - I have lost half a stone since you have left (check me out) but I think I will probably put it back on over the Christmas period. Well I had my work Christmas party 2 weeks ago which was really good. I wore the corset that C brought me. Lets just say my breast were very much on show, so I decided to get drunk so that it didnt worry me. Me, Evelyn, Julie and Jenna went out on Friday was the lads from HMS Mersey. I cant remember all the night as I was drip fed alcohol. However, Julie has some classic photo's of my snogging Joe !!!! Speak to you soon. I hope you have a lovely Christmas and we will have a drink for you tomorrow night hun (you will be missed). Lots of Love Holly Olly xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hay guys, Alot of people have been emailing me about the riots out here, well last week they were about an hour away in a suburb in sydney, but this weekend beachs including bondi were band and it looks like they maybe this weekend too. Which is sods law as it xmas! This morning on the news a man was arrested taking a full petrol can on a bus to bondi. Nice! I think Judge Jules on Bondi beach on xmas day may be called off. Anyway we are all fine, i'm quite happy to stay away from the beach, as i may come back a roasted helen! Anyway, this weekend was rather random! Went out friday night for fun and frolics and sunday was one of the lads birthday's and so we had a bbq at the park near us overlooking the sydney bridge and then in the afternoon a childrens christmas concert started and santa arrived by water ski, mmmmm a typical aussie party! Slightly random! Then people came back to ours to carry on the party and then the carnage started on the flat. So this moring teresa and i tidied up! Nice! Anyway, Kara good luck for your first day at work, let me now if you work with any hotties!! Eve, remember i want that tape back in 4.5 months!, Jules you have let me down with the whole mouth of steel thing! Tash i hope you went to the gym to burn off the food! Jen well done you for going to the gym! Good work ladies! I went for a run yesterday........a park on sydney harbour! Ha, Ha, ha!!!
Off to the blue mountains for a couple of days 2mox so may not email for a few days. Hope your all ok? Love Helen xxxxx