G’day,

Hope everyone is well and fully recovered from their New Year celebrations, I know I am now but we’ll get to that tale later! So we pick up just after our wonderful Christmas Day with all our goodies devoured and preparing our sad farewell to our ‘home boy’ Paul who had experienced our down-under Christmas with us. Paul left the nest Boxing Day evening, heading back towards sunny Sydney for New Year and his last days in Australia. Before our almost tearful farewell we spoke about the next time we would see each other being back in the mother land and having a drink in the local toasting to the travelling life and swapping tales. Crazy to believe we’re half way through our journey and how many places we’ve visited in the past months.

New Year

We had a couple of new guests joining us for New Year Luke and Anna, Gav’s friends from Perth, were staying with us for a few days. So begin the little drinking session, not being the biggest fans of beer and drinking wine for hours could prove too dangerous, we compromised on Gin and some fizz for midnight. On the way back from the shop we stopped off at our favorite bar, Cookie for a quick Magners as the sun was shining, that was 6.30. We arrived back at the flat to begin our little party and the drinks began to flow. After a few drinks we soon realized that at the rate we were drinking we wouldn’t have enough to last until twelve. Me, Gav and Luke popped the shop to resupply the fridge with beer and that was the turning point for me. After getting changed from the shopping trip, as we got soaked as the storm had arrived, the beer began to flow and didn’t stop for me until 11.45 when I passed out on the bed! (See picture). It doesn’t stop there, after Laura returning back from watching the midnight fireworks by herself and in the rain, I was unfortunately sick in on the bed, in the exact position where Laura sleeps, luckily Laura was still up otherwise I wouldn’t be here typing this! Naturally I had only realized what had happened the next day waking up cold to find that the bed sheets, pillows and duvet missing! Would have loved to have seen my confused face as I woke up and so began the questions, wish I hadn’t asked! So in summary we wanted to have a special new year, one to remember I kept saying, was too drunk to stay awake, was ‘ill’ on Laura’s side of the bed and spent New Year’s day in the launderette….I won’t be forgetting what happened any time soon! Happy 2010!

January

Laura has started her job as a UN charity fundraiser which is going well, signing people up to donate ongoing money to provide emergency aid to area’s affected by disaster, natural and manmade. For me the life as a stay at home husband to tend to the chores is delightful but still looking for work. We’ve been to a charity tennis match organized by Roger Federer to raise money for the Haiti disaster, which was quality as we got to see all the tennis stars playing together. We’ve also been to the Australian Open to watch some proper tennis, which was really fun as we got almost twelve hours of tennis! The whole event was amazing as we got loads of free stuff and there was lots to do. We also enjoyed a lovely picnic in the park with Gav and Jess for Australia Day.

Come on Murray in the Australian Open Final!

Take care, miss and love you

Brian & Laura
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