Hi Everyone, just thought I would update you all on what we have been up to in Australia for the past month. Chris and I have both been working. Chris has been working in the hospital just outside of Brisbane and I have been doing a bit of fruit picking in Stanthorpe, which was actually not that bad, luckily the weather was cooler and rainy so it wasn't too hot for me. I was out in the orchard picking apricots, nectarines and plums and we got to try all the fruit. For Christmas we had a BBQ in the park, the aussies have free BBQ's in all the parks which is great. We had a typical aussie Xmas lunch, steak and prawns on the BBQ. It was strange, it didn't feel like a real Xmas at all, it's not as big here as it is in England. For New Year we went into Brisbane to watch the fireworks which was really good, it wasn't too busy either so we got an excellent spot right on the bridge to count the new year in. I got a new job at the start of the new year I thought I would do a bit of fruit picking again for a couple of weeks, as its all a bit slow in the job department over the holidays. I went to a working hostel in Forrest Hill ( in the middle of nowhere) and found myself put to work on a construction site making huge chicken Sheds! I really surprised myself and I actually enjoyed it, I was working with a few other backpackers and as we were all girls we got all the easier jobs. I was drilling stuff together and everything, I don't think I've ever had so many muscles before. I saw 2 red back spiders while I was there. One of them was on the end of a metal pole I picked up, I was lucky I picked it up from the other end otherwise my hand would have been right on it! It was a beautiful area of Australia, big fields and hills in the background and no high rise buildings to get in the way of the views, but a bit isolated. All the Australians are really friendly people, they all wear tiny tiny shorts (some even have this as part of there work uniform) and have toned legs no matter how big the beer belly or grey the beard! We went to see England Vs Australia at cricket last week, we lost of course. They have recently banned Mexican waves at the matches because so many people throw stuff. But that didn't stop the aussies, loads of people got thrown out for rowdy behaviour, it was worse than a football match, but all in good humour!Australians are known for their drinking, so we were shocked to find out you can't buy alcohol in supermarkets or even newsagents, you have to go to a bottle shop to get all your drink. And another thing they don't drink Fosters here and most places don't even sell it!We have been to Surfers paradise and Burleigh Heads beach on the Gold Coast since being here. The waves are so powerful you can't go out very far before you get knocked over and sent rolling back to the shore. The water is so clear, haven't come across any jelly fish yet. What's great about Australia is that you can get so much stuff for free, they have free BBQ's by the beaches and free exercise machines on a fitness trail by the beach, you get free public transport in the city with your ticket to a sports event. So far so good, we will be working for a few more months now before we start travelling around Australia, can't wait!