G'day guys!

Im uploading pics as im writing this so you all have another exciting instalment of 'Lone Pommie Down Under' to enjoy over a proper English cuppa and biccie. Funny because actually i think i've drunk even more tea and eaten more biscuits since i've been out here - the laid back, well virtually horizontal, attitude has me doing everything to the extreme - eating and spending in particular! Whoops. Before you know it my pictures will consist of a barely recognisable me unable to fit in the frame of the camera (due to over eating) living in a box on the beach (due to over spending)....come to think of it a box on a beach would be a bad idea, well a cardboard one anyway, so i may have to rethink that idea. For the time being though i am still healthy and happy, able to fit my whole self in the camera shot and still sleeping in hostels.

Had a few stops since i last updated the blog - first off was 1770/Agnes Water which jumps straight on to the favourite stops list. Mostly because we met up there with our Northern lads so had a couple of funny nights sitting round the campfire stargazing, drinking goon and chatting into the early hours of the morning. Initial 2 nights here turned into 4 as we realised that even as such a teeny tiny town there was loads of cool stuff to be done, not to mention sleep to catch up on what with the ape-imitating cockatoo's and the dog's that insisted on exercising their vocal chords either extremely late at night or first thing in the morning. My shushing efforts were to no avail. Had a very active few days there - learning to bomb it down the empty roads on a scooter, attempting to creep up on and spoon wild kangaroo's along the way (they are evidently not as up for a snuggle as the Auzzie Zoo roo's), kayaking down the creek with a hangover and a deadly partner behind me (by the name of Mathilde); i suffered severe drenching, blows to the head and a painfully frustrating zigzagging manoevre the whole way along - most definately the result of both of our hangover's and inability to coordinate paddles. All good fun! It was also in 1770 that i came to the conclusion that i have a subconscious desire to put myself through unnecessary physical challenges, there is simply no other explanation for chosing to walk several kilometres from the shops back to the hostel in the heat of the day with a bag full of wet washing when the free shuttle bus was due to take people back along the same road only 10minutes later. This along with the trecherous bare-foot caving in Laos and mountain trekking on Koh Phangan in flipflops. Why i do it to myself im really not sure; another possible theory is a subconscious desire to create interesting anicdotes and stories for this blog, so really i am doing it all for you guys!

So, next stop from 1770 was Rocky (apparently the worst town/city in Oz for obesity...hardly suprising when every other building is a fast food joint) just for one night before being picked up and whisked off into the (kind of) outback for a farmstay. Had a terrible night in Rocky as i arrived at the hostel about 12pm (due to be picked up at 6.30am for the farmstay) only to have all my mozzie and sand fly bites play up just as i was nodding off - i must have spent at least an hour nursing them all with tiger balm only to have a girl in the dorm start grinding her teeth at a deafening volume. Ipod in and stinking of tiger balm i eventually fell asleep, though felt far from up for any kind of physical activity the next morn. As soon as i was hoisted up into a saddle though for the first time in 5/6 years i was well awake, as was my bot which after 2long rides over 2days had woken up to muscles it had forgotten it had. Had a really fantastic time at Myella (the name of the farm) - beautiful, really stunning setting, fantastic rides through the farmlands with nothing on the horizon but bottle tree's and cattle, a death-defying motorbike lesson, yummy food, lovely people. Was quite an experience actually getting to spend time with people who live such a different life to all those on the East coast. The lovely guy who picked us up, worked there and taught us on the motorbikes was telling us about how good working on the farm has been for his social skills and how he had 'gotten better at talking to girls' - hahaha, he must have been in his late 30's at least and had only been on the farm about 4 years. Made me laugh!

Back to Rocky after my farmstay i found myself with about 5 hours to kill at a Mobil service station, between being dropped back by Myella and waiting for my greyhound. So, super efficiently, i planned my time hour by hour, or maybe even half hour by half hour! What with all the fun i had that evening i found the time whizzed by and before i knew it i was attempting to sleep on an excuse for a 'reclining' bus seat with air conditioning pumping out full blast, waking up every hour with either numb feet or a dead hand from propping my own head up. I then arrived at Airlie at 6.30 to be told i couldnt check into the hostel until 12 midday. So, like the true 'Great Unwashed' i had to trapse around Airlie totally on my todd, unshowered, and with nothing to do. Not normally a problem, but in such a beautiful town with such beautiful people all around i did feel pretty scummy.

We (Mathilde and I) are still in Airlie now after arriving back from our Whitsundays sailing yesterday. The trip was sooo great - really beautiful weather, some great snorkelling on the reef, a lovely group much to our relief after the Fraser let down. At times though our group was a little too friendly, or one couple in particular, or to be fair just the girl in this relationship who acted much like a young puppy unable to entertain itself for longer than 5minutes at a time. There were a few moments when i envied them, wishing i had Joe on the boat with me, but mostly i just wanted to throw them both overboard. Such extravagant and frequent public displays of affection should be against the law; not so much grievous bodily harm to the rest of us as grievous mental torture. Anyhow, it was a great couple of days and last night we met up with a few of the people from the boat and had a night out - a little self-indulgent as we had cocktails and sushi for dinner. FLASH-packers 'r' us! Didn't end up drinking so much though as Mathilde and I went to a club that Jasper had recommended before he left here, Mama Africa's, which was so much fun - we ended up there for about 4hours, until about 3.30, just dancing non-stop. Brilliant fun and the best way to work off all the goon and food we are drinking/eating!

Next stop is Maggy Island (Magnetic) to see Jasper kitted out in his diving gear, to spend a last couple of days with Mathilde before she stays put in Townsville for work and i am once again a true lone Pommie, and most importantly to try and get closer to some wild Koala's than i managed to do with the wild roo's.

So that's the end of this installment...i hope all is well back in sunny England? Joe was telling me that the shops are already starting to get Christmas-happy? Crazy madness, i couldn't feel further from Christmas out here el scorching on the beach everyday, semi-naked tanned bods strolling around everywhere! Sorry, sorry, sorry.

Love to you all as always.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx