In a fit of boredom this evening (stuck at this office on a worksite) I decided to check in on my blog and discovered with a shock that its been FIVE whole months since I wrote anything... Its not that I havent been doing anything in those five months but I guess I havent taken the time to sit down and let ya's all know what I been up to - even tho I had been reminded several times by my devoted and loving fans (heehee)...
Now, firstly you may have noticed that the first paragraph contained those dirty, dirty words of "office" and "work"... Yes - alas it is true - I have been employed (yuck) for the last four months much to my displeasure... It would seem I enjoyed being a lady of leisure much more than being a slave to "the man"... So, anyways, I've been temping as Admin since April for a company called ARTC (aka Australian Rail Track Corp or something like that) which as the name would suggest has something or other to do with the Railways. Not a bad job if that sorta thing is what floats ya boat but it has been a good learning experience.
And now I have to go again - I'll try and explain more of this craziness next time... :)
Friday, August 15, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Manilla & Dalby
Okay, okay… I been slack… again… its been a few weeks since I last updated anything but as usual I been a little busy… well – except for the days when I wasn’t but just couldn’t be bothered coz there was something more interesting like sleep or shopping or the beach…
Anyways, the last couple of weeks have mainly been filled with driving for some pilots at hang gliding comps in Manilla (NSW Feb 23 to March 1) and Dalby (QLD March 8 to March 15).
Manilla was organised by the delightful Miss Monica and, with a great turnout of 60+ pilots, it was a fantastic week. This was the first comp I had attended as a driver and my ever patient team of Conrad, Mick, Glen and Gary helped me in learning some of the more intricate parts of the role such as reading maps, using GPS’s and mastering the art of driving a manual 4wd. What an adventure!! Most nights we got in at a reasonable hour and almost always in time for a great feed at The Royal.
Anyways, the last couple of weeks have mainly been filled with driving for some pilots at hang gliding comps in Manilla (NSW Feb 23 to March 1) and Dalby (QLD March 8 to March 15).
Manilla was organised by the delightful Miss Monica and, with a great turnout of 60+ pilots, it was a fantastic week. This was the first comp I had attended as a driver and my ever patient team of Conrad, Mick, Glen and Gary helped me in learning some of the more intricate parts of the role such as reading maps, using GPS’s and mastering the art of driving a manual 4wd. What an adventure!! Most nights we got in at a reasonable hour and almost always in time for a great feed at The Royal.
This years karaoke night was another cracker with hits like Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again and YMCA being covered. TNT is clearly Pauly Maggot's karaoke favourite and I'm certain it was Reggie and Keiro who dobbed me and Monica in for Waterloo... Bleeding ears aside it was a load of laughs!!!
Back on Mt Borah the waiting game must have tuckered a few of the pilots out. On most days I still hadn't left the hill until 4pm but there was always something up there to keep us amused like the boys and their whips or Carolina teasing the pilots out of their harnesses with sandwiches or beer. Big thanks go to Monica for organising another brilliant and increasingly popular comp and also to the pilots for making the time to get there.
Dalby was another fun comp. Keiro and I drove up on Friday night (7th) arriving about 4am on Saturday morning. After sleeping in the car for a few hours we went in to find some brekky and found some other pilots before setting up my tent and returning to the airstrip for practise day. If I thought the days in Manilla were long, then I was to soon find out the days in Dalby are much, much longer... 'The weather wasnt as great as it could be for a "Big Air" comp and, as Blaino was quick to point out, the week was to become the Dalby Little Air comp as the tasks were often fairly short and the retrieves were often a lot shorter...
I drove for a team aptly called The Mongrels. This is our team pic and consists of Flocky, Keiro, Ebbs, Blaino and me. Mum - if your worried about why I'm wearing a bikini top here, just be thankful I managed to weasel out of the proposed picture involving the strategic placement of a GPS and Vario...
On the last day of comp, Flocky found this georgous puppy at a local pet shop. She's been temporarily named Rusty, pending Sue-Ellens approval... How cute!!!
We got home safely last night after another long day of driving - on my birthday no less - but it was all cool coz Monica had a yummy roast waiting for me when I got home. TA LUV!!!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Bye Bye Perth...
Well, here I am in Newcastle again, having flown back from Perth yesterday. I really enjoyed being back in Perth, catching up with awesome friends and soaking up the sunshine. A big thanks to the ever lovely Jen for letting me stay with her ad Rob. I'm going to miss living there but I'm sure that Newcastle and the cool folks here will give WA a run for its money...
Below is a pic of one of the little yellow duckies - lets say it was Jose (i havent individualised them yet) - having a little adventure with me in the city while I was waiting for Jen to finish work one day.
On Friday we're off to Manilla (NSW, not Phillipines...) for a while for some hang gliding fun. Fingers crossed for some good weather!!
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Oh... By the way...
Sorry folks... havent been updating for a while but as I'm getting harrassed again by my fans (heehee...) I guess I should mention that I've been back in Oz since about the 12th Jan...
As the entries of the last three months would show, I had a really great time in South America, Mexico and Spain and would go back to most places if I had the money and the time but maybe only after I've been to all the other places I'm dreaming about too...
After giving myself a few days to settle back in to Newcastle, I was once again off travelling but this time it was with 7 other chickys on a weeklong cruise from Sydney to Noumea and the Isle of Pines. Organised by my sister in law Kylie (thanks Kyles!!) we had a great week mostly lounging by the pool and soaking up the sun. Most nights had a theme like the 70's night and the Island Party to keep us amused and our day trips on to the islands were great fun too. Isle of Pines has nothing there but is incredibly beautiful. I'll be putting some pics on soon!
So... Now I've been back for a couple weeks and I'm looking at getting a new house and a job in Newcastle to settle down (eeeek...) but only after I've gone back over to Perth to see Jen and a few others and then head up to Manilla (NSW) til the end of Feb. Some time in there I'll try and upload some more photos from the last four months... :)
As the entries of the last three months would show, I had a really great time in South America, Mexico and Spain and would go back to most places if I had the money and the time but maybe only after I've been to all the other places I'm dreaming about too...
After giving myself a few days to settle back in to Newcastle, I was once again off travelling but this time it was with 7 other chickys on a weeklong cruise from Sydney to Noumea and the Isle of Pines. Organised by my sister in law Kylie (thanks Kyles!!) we had a great week mostly lounging by the pool and soaking up the sun. Most nights had a theme like the 70's night and the Island Party to keep us amused and our day trips on to the islands were great fun too. Isle of Pines has nothing there but is incredibly beautiful. I'll be putting some pics on soon!
So... Now I've been back for a couple weeks and I'm looking at getting a new house and a job in Newcastle to settle down (eeeek...) but only after I've gone back over to Perth to see Jen and a few others and then head up to Manilla (NSW) til the end of Feb. Some time in there I'll try and upload some more photos from the last four months... :)
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Still in Barcelona
It would seem I´m finally getting over this flu. After the last two days of doing pretty much nothing but staying in my room I had to get out today and fortunately my legs held out long enough to get me round for a few hours...
I had a wander down to the port then along La Rambla up to the Sagrada Familia and back. I must say I´m really disappointed about La Rambla. It supposed to be one of the most visited places in Barcelona and loaded with pickpockets but not only was it completely empty, there wasn´t even a dodgy looking character in sight... This was supposed to be where I was gonna do all my souvenier shopping but now I´ll have to find alternatives and I´m fast running out of time if I wanna avoid paying the rip off prices at the airport... Eeek...
Tomorrow afternoon I start the long, boring journey back to Oz which should take around 24hours flying time and god knows how much time wasted at airports... Soooo not looking forward to the snootty nosed gits at Heathrow...
Just one more thing... Mark Carland... Can you please identify yourself??? You´ve left two comments so far and I have nooooo idea what ya on about... Ta :)
I had a wander down to the port then along La Rambla up to the Sagrada Familia and back. I must say I´m really disappointed about La Rambla. It supposed to be one of the most visited places in Barcelona and loaded with pickpockets but not only was it completely empty, there wasn´t even a dodgy looking character in sight... This was supposed to be where I was gonna do all my souvenier shopping but now I´ll have to find alternatives and I´m fast running out of time if I wanna avoid paying the rip off prices at the airport... Eeek...
Tomorrow afternoon I start the long, boring journey back to Oz which should take around 24hours flying time and god knows how much time wasted at airports... Soooo not looking forward to the snootty nosed gits at Heathrow...
Just one more thing... Mark Carland... Can you please identify yourself??? You´ve left two comments so far and I have nooooo idea what ya on about... Ta :)
Monday, January 07, 2008
Barcelona
Just a quick update... I´m still in Barcelona but am fighting off the worst cold of my life... I think my poor body has finally packed it in and is ready for a rest back home... :)
My tour has finished and I´ve switched to a cheaper (but somehow nicer) hotel in the Gothic area but havent ventured around too much yet coz its a public holiday and everything is shut and my poor sore bones dont want me to leave the comfort of my room... Luckily there is free internet at this hotel so here I am coz I just cant watch anymore spanish TV or BBC...
In the last days of my tour we visited a couple cool places like the Gaudi Park (I dunno if its actually called that but it´ll do for now...) and the Picasso Museum. As usual we´ve seen a couple more cathedrals but also took a trip out to Montserrat and had a squiz at the Olympic Stadium too. There´s plenty more things to see yet so hopefully I can go out and wander tomorrow if I´m feeling better...
My tour has finished and I´ve switched to a cheaper (but somehow nicer) hotel in the Gothic area but havent ventured around too much yet coz its a public holiday and everything is shut and my poor sore bones dont want me to leave the comfort of my room... Luckily there is free internet at this hotel so here I am coz I just cant watch anymore spanish TV or BBC...
In the last days of my tour we visited a couple cool places like the Gaudi Park (I dunno if its actually called that but it´ll do for now...) and the Picasso Museum. As usual we´ve seen a couple more cathedrals but also took a trip out to Montserrat and had a squiz at the Olympic Stadium too. There´s plenty more things to see yet so hopefully I can go out and wander tomorrow if I´m feeling better...
Friday, January 04, 2008
Granada, Valencia
The Tapas dinner in Seville was soooo good. I´m gonna have to introduce a Tapas night back home so you all get to have an idea why these folks love it sooo much...
Tonight we´re in Valencia after staying in Granada last night. Both cities seem really nice but we only really saw them in the evening before dinner and the sun wasnt even up when we left in the morning.
As soon as we arrived in Granada we took off to a place called Alhambra which our guide claims is Spains 8th wonder of the world. It was like a palace with beautiful gardens and was certainly very pretty but I´m getting kinda church, cathedral and gardened out... Ducky had a great time there tho as it was raining and there were some pretty fountains for him to drool over...
Then after dinner we were taken to another part of there city where we watched some Gypsy cave dancing. These Gypsies aren´t the same as what you´d see in Rome begging on the streets but rather they are hardworking, honest people with strong traditions and family values. Their dancing is quite similar to the flamenco dancing we saw on New Years Eve however there is a kinda of chanting/singing accompanying the guitar as well as a constant but varied kind of speed clapping to the beat and matching the dance. Very cool.
Today was mostly driving altho we did stop to have a look at the cave homes that the Troglodyte (yup... thats right...) people live in. Very small and cosy but I dont think I could handle having a room without a window...
Tomorrow we are off to Barcelona via a town called Pensicola and once again arent expected to get in until its dark altho we have some activites planned for dinner and a night tour. I cant wait to get to barcelona. I´ve heard so much about it, I hope it lives up to my expectations... :)
I dont think I´ll get a chance to update tomorrow and since we´re like half a day behind here I´ll say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Azza now. See ya soon Bro!!
Tonight we´re in Valencia after staying in Granada last night. Both cities seem really nice but we only really saw them in the evening before dinner and the sun wasnt even up when we left in the morning.
As soon as we arrived in Granada we took off to a place called Alhambra which our guide claims is Spains 8th wonder of the world. It was like a palace with beautiful gardens and was certainly very pretty but I´m getting kinda church, cathedral and gardened out... Ducky had a great time there tho as it was raining and there were some pretty fountains for him to drool over...
Then after dinner we were taken to another part of there city where we watched some Gypsy cave dancing. These Gypsies aren´t the same as what you´d see in Rome begging on the streets but rather they are hardworking, honest people with strong traditions and family values. Their dancing is quite similar to the flamenco dancing we saw on New Years Eve however there is a kinda of chanting/singing accompanying the guitar as well as a constant but varied kind of speed clapping to the beat and matching the dance. Very cool.
Today was mostly driving altho we did stop to have a look at the cave homes that the Troglodyte (yup... thats right...) people live in. Very small and cosy but I dont think I could handle having a room without a window...
Tomorrow we are off to Barcelona via a town called Pensicola and once again arent expected to get in until its dark altho we have some activites planned for dinner and a night tour. I cant wait to get to barcelona. I´ve heard so much about it, I hope it lives up to my expectations... :)
I dont think I´ll get a chance to update tomorrow and since we´re like half a day behind here I´ll say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Azza now. See ya soon Bro!!
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Seville
FELIZ AÑOS NEUVO to everyone!!!
Well, here I am in Seville recovering from a reasonably big night and its frekking freezing!!! Who´s idea was it to go to Europe in the middle of Winter anyways???... :)
Seville is super georgous. Its got very typical spanish architecture and gardens but its also very modern and theres a new photo to take around every corner. I know I say this for lots of places but I really could live here but would have to improve on my Spanish first...
We´re off to Granada tomorrow but first - we have a Tapas dinner tonight... Should be awesome!!
By the way, my group seems pretty cool. There´s 49 of us so the bus is completely packed and at least 40 of the passengers are Americans!!! Eeeek... But really, they´re not that bad...
Well, here I am in Seville recovering from a reasonably big night and its frekking freezing!!! Who´s idea was it to go to Europe in the middle of Winter anyways???... :)
Seville is super georgous. Its got very typical spanish architecture and gardens but its also very modern and theres a new photo to take around every corner. I know I say this for lots of places but I really could live here but would have to improve on my Spanish first...
We´re off to Granada tomorrow but first - we have a Tapas dinner tonight... Should be awesome!!
By the way, my group seems pretty cool. There´s 49 of us so the bus is completely packed and at least 40 of the passengers are Americans!!! Eeeek... But really, they´re not that bad...
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