Hello!!!

Thank you so much for all your birthday messages, they were so lovely to read, it really made my day. was really strange being in another country with only one other person that i know, but it was still a great day, although i missed all of you. Thank you to Jenny who managed to get a card out to me (extreme forward planning, she gave my birthday card to lee before he came out. how sweet is that), it was so nice to open.
So the day before my birthday i decided to do the skydive, and waited around for most of the day to do it, only for it to just keep raining, i was told i would be booked on the 7.30am jump on the 1st. great i thought, so whenb they announce my death they will say i am 25 instead of 24. so got up early on the first, and went up about an hour later, just enough break in the clouds. there was about 8 of us that went up in the plane. the night before i had decided to do it, i had got really nervous about it and couldnt sleep, i kept thinking about the who cliff jump situation and being annoyed with myself about how much it affected me, and was worried about having the same feeling. but the nioght before my biorthdsay i slept l**** a baby, then in the morning i was absolutely fine. not to say that i wasnt nervous, but i was fine, not even shaking or anything. we went up in the plane, and i cant believe how high it was, i thought we had got to the point where we were going to jump, for the guy to tell me we were only at 7,000 and had another 7,000 to go. s***. so we kept climbing and climbing, and i couldnt believe what i was about to do, was nervous but was ok considering. i paid extra to have a video taken (yes there is video of my air inflated, g-force distorted hampster face) so there are a couple of messages on it to you mum and gum gum. there were some irish guys on there, and one of the guys who went before me (i was the last to go) at the last minute wouldnt jump, he tucked his legs behind and wouldnt move, so the guy just moved him and didint give him any choice! then when it was my turn to go , we sat over the edge of the open door, had a few seconds to look down, the guy (his name is chopper) asked me if i still wanted to go, then we went!!!! it was absolutely unreal. by far the most scared i have ever been in my life. i had 60 seconds of free fall (14,000 ft is the highest you can go to get the maximum amount of free fall time). did lots of smiling and waving at the camera, even squeezed in some asian hands, some hello mums, then we opened the parachute, and i got the amazing views over the sea, mission beach, and dunk island. i even took the controls for a bit. we then landed on mission beach with lee at the bottom taking my photo as i landed. landedupright on my feet! it was so so much fun, but the scariest thing i have ever done. Afterwards we waited around for my dvd of photos and video (neither of which are very good quality, and the camera steamed up when the parachute opened so the ones at the end are crap, then we went out for a really nice lunch, then after that we deceided to drive to Townsville, as by that time it had started to rain, and there isnt much to do there when it is raining! iw as really lucky to get on the flight i did, as after i went it just started raining again and no one else could go that day. my day was made even better when we were driving to lunch i saw a kangaroo! first time so far so i was dead chuffed. We went out for a nice meal last night, instead of cooking in the back of the van (yes it was pizza) and then we were both so knakered we just went to bed and watched prison break! we had planned to go to the cinema but there was nothing on when we go there, and i think the tiredness had caught up with me. We stayed the night in a BP garage truckers stop by the main highway. again for free (have still only paid to camp once so far, come on). today we just explored townsville, which is a ok town, but so far lee and i are in agreement that we prefer asia to australia. all the towns here are not very pretty in general, the poeple are very friendly which is nice, but up here it is mainly country cowboys, and there isnt that much to do if you arent walking in teh rainforest basically. you cant swim in the sea on account of the stingers and crocs. towns that are listed as big on the map (townsville is the second biggest town in queensland, but it is smaller than weston super mare. and with less to do.) i suppose beacuse there arent that many people in australia. hopefully things will pick up as we go down the coast, i am looking forward to brisbane and australia zoo (i am desperate to cuddle a koala). alos it is very expensive here, and lee may have to cut his trip short and move on soon, which will be a shame.

anyway, will stop banging on now, thanks again for all your messages, they really made my day.

Love you lots (a now little older) rosie xx