5th June 2009

This week I…….

….saw lots of minis, yay :) (see last blog re Cootha Classic)

….went to work in my own clothes and came home in someone else's

….got wet, again (Queensland = Sunshine State, my arse!!!) - for all those people that will smile knowing that England has nicer weather than Oz!

….got to meet a lovely new Irish lass called Tara that Catherine (my roommate) brought back from Ireland with her on her return last weekend. She is very nice, talks very fast and brought so much luggage with her to Oz that I think even Chrissy would struggle to beat it!!!!!

….am very impressed that technically Australia have not entered a recession after a growth of 0.4% in the quarter up to March

….still wish Kevin Rudd would have included me in his list for a stimulus package of $900

….am seriously bored with swine flu. On the news everyday, yawn. But thankful I'm not in Victoria where I'm sure by the way they waffle and rant on about it they will all be bed ridden or house bound within the month.

….am looking forward to the bank holiday on Monday for the Queen's birthday, and the whole weekend of sunshine that is supposed to accompany it (emphasis on the word supposed!)

….would like to remind everyone it's my birthday on the 29th and would like to receive lots of birthday cards!!!! Pretty, pretty please!

….really need to get the postcards I wrote in March in the post!

….hope Martin and Becky have a lush time in Greece :)

....just saw the pub opposite where I work burst into flames with lots and lots if thick black smoke billowing out of it - scary! Photos to follow (I'll put them in Randoms in Brissie)

….still miss everyone very, very much, but not quite enough to come home yet.

Lots and lots of love

xoxoxox

9th June 2009

Last weekend was pretty good!A couple of weeks ago I found a group on facebook called Brits on the Piss (Brisbane) which, as the name suggests, is for arranging get togethers at the pub for British people living in Brisbane.So last Saturday they had arranged to meet in the afternoon at a pub called the Paddo Tavern and I went along to try and meet some new people.I was somewhat apprehensive going by myself but I thought I can just leave and go home at any point if I don't want to stay around so it was worth giving it a go.And it actually wasn't too bad.That was until they started playing pool.At this point it was only a group of lads and me and I decided it'd be best if I just watched (for those of you who don't know how bad I am at pool - which will be most since I never embarrass myself by trying - I can barely manage to hit the white ball….oh dear).After a few games a couple of them insisted that I double up for a game, obviously thinking I was just being modest - no, really, I'm that bad!I think the guy that was paired with me soon regretted it!!!!! I got moderately better (i.e. hitting the white ball and that actually moving far enough to hit a coloured ball, and the right colour!!!) but I don't think I'll be playing with them ever again!They were all really friendly so hopefully I'll get to see some of them again though.

On Sunday I went back to the Paddo Tavern after spotting some flyers advertising pig races and some of the English guys saying it was worth checking out if I found I had some free time.I went by myself but found it to be really fun, and the pigs were soooo cute!!!They were thoroughbred racing pigs (of course!) and had cute little jackets on so you could tell which one was which, and for each new race they would swop the jackets around so that you didn't know which one had won the last race so couldn't cheat and money raised went to the Australian Liver Foundation so it was all for a good cause.And there was hardly a swine flu joke made!

Monday was a bank holiday and I went to a place called Stradbroke Island, just a train ride, ferry trip and bus journey away (it did take a while) but it was worth it for the pretty beaches.I felt like I was on holiday :) I was a bit of a silly moose though and forgot to put sun tan lotion on and, even though temperatures barely went over 20, I am a bit pink in the face today!

Still can't believe they think it's winter here, winter must be the only season I don't burn in England.They still take the mick out of me at work when I wear a dress or skirt (which is everyday) and they think it's cold, cold at 20 degrees I tell you??????It does get colder at night though, and when I'm walking outside in the clothes I've had on all day I wonder who's turned the heating off…..but from memory it never seemed to be that warm in the summer nights at home either so I don't mind, and can still just get away with going on a night out without taking a jacket.

So now it's Tuesday and I'm back at work….but here's to next weekend!

xoxoxox