Tuesday 31st August
Well yesterday was a complete washout. It rained just about the whole day. I'd straightened my hair in the morning but by the time I'd been in and out of the rain, I'd taken Alana swimming, which is like sitting in a sauna, my hair looked like a poodle!!! Was hardly worth the effort and time it took me....note to self - if it's raining, or Alana has to go swimming, don't bother straightening hair!!
Here's a couple of photos of "The Family". These were taken on Saturday, before we had our BBQ (which you can see sitting in the background).
The job that Nick went out on yesterday was pretty crap by all accounts. Think it might be better for him if he concentrates on getting in with a larger company, who have all the proper rules and regulations in place for their employees!!!
Monday 30th August
It was all systems go this morning. Nick decided to check out the company that he had an interview with on Friday, and has gone out with one of their drivers this morning. He had to be at the depot at 7.15am, so was up at 6.00 to get himself organised.
Of course I had had the crappiest nights sleep, so I was already awake when the alarm went off and didn't get any more sleep after that.
I had to get both me and Alana organised...so it was a bit hectic. Did manage to get us both out the door on time, but the weather is horrible this morning. Hasn't stopped raining all night long....which also kept me awake!!
What a contrast in weather to Saturday. It was just the best winter's day. Was about 22 degrees and the sun shone all day We decided to clear the cobwebs off the BBQ and so invited my Sister and her tribe over as well. Very pleasant evening if I do say so myself. Unfortunately the dog next door had been let out and it barked most of the night before the owners brought it inside....how considerate of them - NOT!!
Got my dates mixed up for the Expats Meet up. It's this weekend...oops!! Luckily I'd been reading the forum on Saturday morning and had checked the thread to confirm the time - noticed the 4th September date, so at least I managed to save myself from what could have been a very embarassing moment!!!
So where are you all??? Haven't heard from anyone in ages...what's happening? Is anyone still there????
Friday 27th August
Alana's off on her excursion to the Aquarium this morning, so I had to get her to school 15 minutes early. This meant thad I didn't have time to dry my hair, so I have very fly away, unstyled hair. Not something that I really want to do very often!!!!
Nick's been for his interview this morning. He's going to go out with them on Monday to see if he likes the job. He's also in the process of emailing some of the larger organisations out here with his CV to see if he can get anything.
I'm meeting up with some of the British Expats out here tomorrow. Going to the same pub that we met up at last time, so it looks like it's going to be a good pig out, as it's a buffet style layout...eat as much as you like......not good!!!
Nice weather still....may even get to enjoy it tomorrow.
Have a good weekend all!
Wednesday 25th August
Nick took Alana to the Doctors this morning and she's been given another bottle of antibiotics - a bigger bottle this time though, as she was almost over it last time, but it came back again. Hopefully this time it'll clear the bronchitis right up.
We think that maybe the previous house we were renting wasn't a very good atmosphere for her as it was really cold and damp. We did try to keep the house as warm as possible, but it was just an unnaturally cold house.
Fingers crossed this dose of antibiotics clears it up.
Weather can now be described as "warm". It's 23 degrees today. You forget how warm it can get here after a really cold winter, but walking out of the house this morning at 8.15am and it was already 15 degrees, there was no chill in the air and the sun was shining. Roll on Summer!!!
And of course when the summer does arrive we get to check out the evaporative cooling that's installed in the house. Not sure how it works but I know you're supposed to leave a couple of windows or doors open, which almost seems to defeat the purpose of keeping the house cool!!! Nick will have to read the instructions before the weather gets hot!!
I've had enough of the Olympics now. Seen too much of all the Ozzie stuff and not enough of anything else. There was a big hooha about the Ozzie girl in the 8's rowing who just stopped rowing. Not nice!!
Has the UK started showing My Restaurant Rules yet? Well it's just been advertised that they're doing another one later this year. We were both totally addicted to this show and would make sure that we were sat in front of that TV come rain, hail or shine when it was on.
I've won two free tickets to go and see
Suddenly 30 at the movies, so have invited my sister along....better than going on my own anyway!!
Thursday 25th August
Not much to say today.
It was the warmest winter night in 93 years last night!! Only went down to about 17 degrees. Even the ducted heating didn't cut in at all. That said, I still wore my fleece PJ's to bed.
Alana now has another course of antibitoic medicine to take. Hopefully this'll knock the cough and cold on the head. Seems that as soon as she got into the doctors surgery she made it very clear that she didn't want an injection by telling him so!! Can you just picture this 5 year old telling the doctor - no injection thanks!!
Nick may have found a job. He's off for an interview tomorrow morning. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it's a good job. Will let you know how it goes.
My parents have now landed in the UK. Hopefully the weather will be good to them. They are going to stay the last night before they leave for Canada with Nick's parents. I'd like to be a fly on the wall that night!!!
Tuesday 24th August
Had an appointment with the Plastic Surgeon this morning so that I could get the results of the growth that they dug out of my nose. Very happy.....both benign - phew that's a relief. The holes are gone now and there's just a tiny little colour on the end of my nose which is hardly noticeable. I await the bill with bated breath!!!
Alana is off school again. She's still not well and it looks like she's going to have to go back to the Doctors to get some more medication. Hopefully they might give her something stronger this time!!
Weather - what can I say - Spring has arrived. It's a beautiful day today and is expected to stay that way for the rest of the week.....of course it's going to rain on the weekend!!!
Monday 23rd August
What a great weekend. I've eaten and drunk so much over the weekend but you can check that out on my
weight blog .
We stayed at this really
swanky hotel which was right in the centre of the city. We had a great view too. There was this amazing thunderstorm in the evening and because we were up high, we got a great view of it.
Yes we went to the casino, and luckily we came out ahead. We played the Electronic Roulette Wheel again, and it's so much more fun than the pokie machines. The place was still very busy. They must make so much money there.
Alana had a great time at her Grandma's house. She did lots of drawing and painting, and totally took over the computer so she could play games.
Well we've had words with the next door neighbour about their dog. It kept us awake all night on Friday Night. Worst nights sleep we've had in the whole time we've lived in the new house.
Anyway before we left to go up town we went over and knocked on the door. The woman who owns the dog was very apologetic and doesn't know what's got into the dog as it's never normally like it!!! We did learn that the previous owner of our house used to babysit it during the day as the people who own it work all day. We realise that it is just so lonely and bored and just needs a bit of attention.
Then the Son came over last night and apologised again for the dog barking. Guess what - not a peep out of it last night!!
Friday 20th August
It's Friday, finally. This week has gone by so slowly. Probably due to the fact that I have stuff all to do at work.....well when I say that, I could create some work for myself, but if I did that I wouldn't have as much time to surf the net and chat on the phone!!!
Margaret is on holiday in Qld this week and the bosses are more out than in the office, so it's easy to just mess about on the computer and do nothing.
That will change when I move roles, but at the moment I'm making the most of it.....slacker that I am!!
I think that someone has complained to the next door neighbours about the dog 'cos it started barking last night and next thing you know it's quiet out there. Think they took it indoors, so another peaceful night!!!
Have you seen the Ladies Beach Volleyball on the TV? Can't believe how small their bikini bottoms are. You can pretty much see most of their bums and it must be so uncomfortable if they fall in the sand. I'm sure all the guys are enjoying watching it though. Not sure how Australia are doing but I know they have won a few matches.
Really looking forward to having a night out in town tomorrow night. Helsy I may even bring the xmas present you sent me along!!
I've requested a room on a high floor so that we can have a great view of the city. Might have to sneak a couple of bottles of champagne in though as I'm sure it's going to cost a small fortune if we buy it in the bar at the hotel.
Have asked my Mum if we can drop Alana off early tomorrow so that we can get up to town early enough to do a good bit of shopping. Nick hasn't really seen much of the town (apart from the casino) so it'll be nice just to wander around the place without having to worry about the time.
Faithless are coming to Melbourne in October and Nick is really keen to go and see them. I'm not a huge fan but I do like their music so it'll be nice to actually get out and see a band live. They're going to be playing at the
Vodafone Arena which holds about 10,500 people, so it should be a great atmosphere. Tickets for concerts aren't cheap over here, so we're going to have to save our pennies for this one!!
Thursday 19th August
Helsy, thanks for sending the photos. Looks and sounds like you all had a fantastic time. Wish I could have been there.
Weather has been glorious the last few days and looks like it's going to continue into next week. It's still quite cold in the mornings (5 degrees this morning) but the sun is normally shining by the time I'm driving to work. The days are getting longer as well now and it's not getting dark till about 6.15pm.
Nick is now actively looking for work, and with his Truck Licence, there seems to be plenty available for him to choose from. Keeping fingers crossed that he finds something that'll fit in with all our wants and needs!!
Okay so I'm not the perfect parent. Alana has a gymnastics competition on Saturday and we had the application form sitting on the fridge. I thought it'd be okay to hand it in last night, but upon reading it, they had to be in on Sunday, and it states in big bold letters that no late entries will be accepted....haven't had the right moment to tell Alana that she won't be competing now.....hopefully I can bribe her with something else.....toy, lollies etc etc.
Maybe taking her over to her Grandma's early on Saturday might make her forget. She loves going over to my Mum's house (no idea why!!) so it might go some way to erasing the competition from her mind.
It was bark free last night. Not sure what they did with the dog but it didn't utter one bark. They might have kept it in maybe???? Given it a bit of attention too!! Poor thing! Ugly but - it's a boxer....slobbering things they are!!
Wednesday 18th August
Nick got out the camera yesterday and took some photos of the house so I've attached a few.
This is the house from the top of the road. We actually live in a court but it goes both left and right. Hardly any traffic coming in or out, apart from first thing in the morning when everyone is leaving for work.
Here's the decking where I'm going to be getting my suntan this summer. It also goes right around the back of the house too. It gets the sun for most of the day, so Helsy book your spot now!!
And of course what house would be complete without the BBQ. We have 2 (of course), one is connected to the gas mains and the other is if we want the real charcoal effect and want to use wood to light it...not likely!!
Me and Alana were playing around with the camera on the weekend and she wanted to take some photos. Think she's going to be a budding phototgrapher as this is one she took of me....not bad for a 5 year old - her that is, not me!!!
Tuesday 17th August
Nick and I have got a child free weekend this weekend. My Mum has offered to babysit so we're making the most of it and have booked a hotel up in town on Saturday night. Can't wait....now what will we do???? Oh I know, the Casino is just over the road....what a coincidence!!!
My parents are off to the UK and Canada for a couple of months. They do this every 3 or 4 years. My Dad was in the RAF and the blokes in his Squadron have a meet up every year. I think it's a big one this year as it's been 50 years since they joined. We also have relatives in Canada so they always stop off there on the way home and visit.
Just trying to get a list together of all the stuff I need Duty Free...perfume, JD, Clinique - you know, just the usual.
Well have you all been watching the Olympics??? Aren't the Aussies doing well. The only downside over here is that all we see are the heats and events that the Aussies are in. We rarely see any other teams competing from other countries, but I suppose it's costing a lot of money to televise and we want to see our own teams when they compete!!!
Alana has a school excursion at the end of the month to the
Melbourne Aquarium . It's the first time they've actually been on an external excursion so it should be a lot of fun for her.....and what a coincidence - it's just across the river from the Casino!!!!!
Monday 16th August
Firstly, Jules it was great to chat to you last night. So good catching up on all the gossip. You really gave me a good laugh.
Secondly, Helsy, I want all the dirty goss on everything that happend at your Hens Night on Saturday night....and I mean ALL the gossip!!!
Weather on Saturday was just awful. It absolutely poured with rain the whole day and night. Hasn't rained that hard and that much since I've been here. I'm now wearing my Sheepskin coat nearly all the time when I'm out.
Then yesterday (Sunday) it was blue sky and sunny all day. Still not warm, but if you sat in the window with the sun streaming through, it was gorgeous.
When I went to the gym this morning it was 2 degrees and there was a bit of ice on my windscreen. Still at least I didn't have to try and scrape it off with the scraper like in the UK. It literally came off as soon as I put the windscreen wipers on.
I think that the end of winter is near though as there is going to be alot more sunny warmer days coming up over the next couple of weeks.....famous last words!!!
Okay I need some advice as to what I'm supposed to to about the dog next door. It barks consistently anywhere from 7.30pm until 1am...as it did on Saturday Night. How do we approach the owners and say "shut the f***er up or else"??? Is there a nice neighbourly way of doing it? As most of you know, we're a pretty passive family and aren't into confrontation, so any good ideas will be considered.
Friday 13th August
Well nothing bad's happened so far today....but then it's not even half way through the day yet, so there's still time!!!
We're off to Alana's cousins place this afternoon. It's his 8th birthday. Gonna be lots of women there so should get in a good bit of gossip....although saying that my Mother's going to be there, so maybe not!!
Haven't got anything planned for the weekend yet, apart from doing the food shopping tomorrow. We may go for a drive up to Stevensons Falls on Sunday. There's a beautiful waterfall there and this time of the year it won't be very busy at all.
Weather has taken a turn for the worse today. Yesterday it was nice and went up to 17 degrees - today cold, very windy and the likelihood of thunderstorms!!
I see that the Opening Ceremony for the Olympic Games is being televised. You guys in the UK get to watch it at a normal time - 6.30pm - for us we have to stay up till 3.00am!!! I'll probablly get Nick to tape it and we can watch it tomorrow while also watching it chuck it down with rain outside!!!!
Thursday 12th August
I'm feeling a bit low today. Think it's an accumulation of my cough (which I still can't get rid of) my early mornings at the gym and the boredom at work.
With regards to the work thing, things are going to change soon, and I'll be moving roles just after school holidays, with more hours.
Alana will have to go into after school care 4 days per week, but it'll only be from 3.30 until 5.30ish and she's already asking if she can go into after school care anyway. When questioned why she says that a couple of her friends in her class go and she wants to as well!!
I've been to the gym 6 days in a row now. I'm going to have Sunday off though.....ooohh the thought of a lie in really appeals to me right now....that's if the stupid dog next door doesn't start up or those noisy crows that squawk at 6am continuously for hours.
I'm going to photograph another bag of Alana's clothes this weekend and put them on Ebay again. See if I can make some more money.
I LOVE EBAY!!
Wednesday 11th August
I now have a lovely clean car to drive. Nick even peeled off all the stickers that Alana had plastered over the window, so I can now see out the back too!!
Not really much to tell at the moment. Weather is starting to improve a bit, but looks like showers again on the weekend. Hopefully it'll stay dry enough today for the washing to dry outside instead of having to hang it over a clothes horse and put over the ducts.
Done a bit of a dodgy thing yesterday. We bought a couple of small table lamps for the bedroom and one of them has broken already...something to do with the transformer Nick thinks. Anyway we didn't keep the receipt and you need your receipt to take anything back over here. So last night I pop into the same store and buy another one.
When I got home, we basically did a swap and Nick is going to take the faulty one back today but make out it was the one I bought yesterday. Hopefully we'lll get our money back....worst case scenario is that they won't give us our money back and we have to swap it for another one...thing is that we don't really need another one and don't really have anywhere to put it. Is this being deceitful????? Too bad!!
Tuesday 10th August
Nick picked up the car yesterday afternoon, and then came and picked me up in it. Alana was so excited as we hadn't told her that we'd bought it, so she didn't realise it was Nick picking her up from school until he drove right up next to her. She loves the car, and couldn't wait to tell me everything about it!!!
I was allowed to drive it to work this morning. Had to do a bit of quick internet work before I drove off so that I could insure it. It's so easy now isn't it??? Just log on, put in all the details of the car, they give you a quote, you then purchase the insurance over the internet with credit card!!! Has it made us lazy??? God Yes!
And the reason I have the new car today is that Nick has offered to wash and vacuum and clean my car. I can't recommend highly enough getting one of these special people. They are very hard to find, so you have to be really good at finding them. Couldn't live without mine now though!!!
Thankyou all for your concern about my cough. Happy to inform you that it is now improving and I didn't cough once at the gym this morning. I really only started once I got into work and I think it's because it's a warm environment and I think it aggrevates it a bit.
Jules, here's a tip for you to help you sleep in the heat. Get a wet towel and wrap it around your feet when you get into bed. You'll have to place a dry towel underneath though to keep the bed dry!!
Monday 9th August
So I should be feeling better by now shouldn't I??? Well I'm not. This cough is really starting to get to me now. Just can't seem to stop. Everyone was looking at me like I had the plague when I started hacking on the train this morning. I could visibly see people moving away.
Maybe I should have taken another day off work until I am totally better??? But then I'm not being paid for days that I don't work as I'm only a casual. Oh what to do???
Alana is much better than she was last week. She still has a bit of a cough and her cold has now moved a bit, so hopefully she'll be fit again this week. We're not going to take her swimming tonight though as I don't think it'll do her any good.
We had my Sister and her family over on Saturday night. We bought Chinese take away for the adults and pizza for the kids.
I was really disappointed with the chinese food. It was so bland. We'd ordered Mongolian Chicken, Satay Beef, Chicken with Crispy Noodles and Pork something or other. Nick put a bit of each on our plates and I just could not tell the difference. It all looked the same!!! Definitely won't be buying from them again. I didn't get to sample the pizza but it looked quite nice from what I saw. Saying that, it would've wanted to be nice as it cost enough.....$18.95 (delivered). What a rip off. Won't be going to them again either. I'll just have to make it all myself instead. At least I know it's going to taste nice!!
We went and did the shopping on Friday night at a different supermaket to where we normally go. Anyway I just can't get over how empty the supermarkets are over here. We went at rush hour - 5.30pm on a Friday night. I still have horror memories of queuing at Sainsburys for 15 minutes before I got to the checkout at that time of the night. It's totally different over here. We just walked straight up to the checkout as there was nobody around.
I even remember Xmas Eve last year I went to the supermarket for something last minute and the place was almost empty. Can you imagine that at Sainsburys....not bloody likely!!!
Oh and I didn't forget:
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JULES & MATT
Friday 6th August
Nick & I have been very productive today and we've gone out and bought a car. It looks like this one:
Had lots of fun haggling with the poor sales guy. He'd only been in the job 2 weeks and didn't really know how to sell a car, and we ended up paying $1600 less than was advertised. One less worry now for Nick.
My cough isn't getting any better still. Might need to take myself off to the Doctors to get some antibiotics to help clear it up.
Weather has been a bit up and down today. Sunny one minute followed by torrential rains. I'm never going to get the washing dry that I put out this morning!!
Thursday 5th August
Thought I'd be getting better by now but I seem to be getting worse. I think I'm starting to lose my voice too. That'll keep Nick happy anyway, not having to listen to me nagging him!!!
I really wanted to go to the gym this morning, but when the alarm went off at 5.45am I couldn't even consider it as I couldn't stop coughing. I was going to go to work today and got up at 7.15 to jump into the shower. Realised that I just wasn't up for it so went back to bed.
Haven't been to the gym since Saturday last week. So much for my free 2 week trial. I'm going to sign up anyway so at least I got a taste of what it's like.
We went to the
butchers today and bought $80 worth of meat. For that $80 we got 2kg chicken fillets, a huge bbq plum shoulder roast pork, 5 broccoli & Cheese filled Chicken patties, 5 BBQ Chicken Skewered Kebabs, 2kg lean mince steak and a HUGE, and I mean HUGE leg of lamb.
Alana has another birthday party to go to tomorrow. This time it's at the local bowling alley so I know she's going to enjoy it. Wouldn't mind having a bowl myself!!
Looks like the UK is finally having some real summer weather. Just enjoy it while it lasts - 'cos you know it wont!!
Wednesday 4th August
Still not feeling great and I sound like I smoke 300 cigarettes a day when I start coughing!!! Have taken today off work today to recoup from this and also to give another day for my nose to heal.
I've managed to take the tape off my nose now and I have 2 round little red holes which are very noticebale at the moment. Not sure whether makeup will cover them or not??
Took Alana to the Doctor's this morning as she is still unwell. Doctor has diagnosed Bronchitis and she is now on a liquid antibiotic. Since taking it this morning, she has stopped coughing as much.
I think I might have mad a minor error with the Doctor's surgery. When I came out from seeing the doctor, the receptionist kindly mentioned that I should make an appointment to see the doctor in future. This confused me a bit as I'd rung on Monday to make the appointment, then rung yesterday to change the time, and then again this morning to confirm the time as I'd forgotten it. I did explain to the woman that I'd rung 3 times and she seemed really confused by this as she couldn't find Alana's appointment anywhere.
So when I got home I double checked the phone number and the address.....oops - I'd made a small mistake and had made the appointment with another surgery in Kilsyth......silly me!!!
We've been out this afternoon looking at cars. Have no idea what to buy, or what price is a good one, so I'm going to leave it to Nick to choose one that he likes. Means that I don't get stressed out trying to make the decision....good or what!!
We've decided that we are only going to use the open fire for special occasions as the house now smells like an ashtray!! I've had to light lots of my smelly candles around the house to get rid of the smell, and we opened all the doors and windows this morning to air the place out....it was nice though!!!
Tuesday 3rd August
I'm in shock!!! Well not exactly shock, shock, but I'm in alot of pain!!
Woke up feeling really horrible due to this flu thing that I've got. My throat is quite raw now due to all the coughing......you get the picture!!
Okay so I go along to the Plastic Surgeon this morning for my consultation. Sit down, how do you do, what can I do for you type introduction. Show him the end of the nose with the little blob thing on it, mentioning what my doctor had said about maybe basal cell thing. He has a good look at it. I point out that there's another similar looking little lump on the other side just next to my nose.
So he decides on the spot that he's going to dig both of them out there and then!!! No, No, No I'm thinking, I'm not ready for this yet.
So I jump up on the bed in the little surgery that he's got tucked back behind his desk, lay down with very bright light in my face. He then manages to make me snivel and moan by sticking 2 needles in my face and nose....are you all cringing yet???? Then he gets this instrument that looks like a hole punch but is hollow, and proceeds to push it into my nose and pull said bump out. By this time of course I can't feel a thing as my nose is so numb that I can't even breathe properly. Then he proceeds to tell me that I'm going to bleed heavily for about 10 minutes and just to hold this gauze against the holes he's just made in my face!!!!
I'm so glad that Nick came with me, even if he did sit in the car to wait. I'm sure that he was very glad he didn't come into the office with me, as he's not very good with needles!!
Anyway once the bleeding slows down a bit, I get this clear sticky tape stuff stuck over the holes to stem any more bleeding. It did bleed a bit more once the sticky was stuck on my face and as it's now dried, it looks totally disgusting. I'm hoping to be able to soak it off with some warm water soon. Just a bit paranoid that I'm going to make it start bleeding again.
Nick has had his first attempt at doing the fire!! Here's the evidence - as you can see he's looking pretty happy with himself!!
Monday 2nd August
God I feel like crap! I'm starting to get some kind of bug, fluey thing. It started on Saturday. Didn't feel quite right, but thought it was just my muscles aching from being at the gym.
Then yesterday I felt really lethargic and had no energy whatsoever. Even though my head wasn't hurting with headache, it was hurting inside. Any kind of exertion and it hurt.
I've also developed this horrible cough. My throat feels really horrible and I can't stop coughing.
But being the reliable person that I am, I've come in to work only to find out that there are lots of people off sick with this flu thing.
I went to the football on Saturday with Margaret and her friend Chrissy. Had a nice time and we had fantastic seats, so we could see all the action. We were sitting next to the Essendon Members area, so we got to have a giggle at all the toffs who were dressed up to the nines just to watch the football....you just wouldn't would you???
Anyway my beloved Essendon won by 40 points, so that finished off the evening well, even though I was feeling awful.
We went out yesterday to find some furniture. I've found my dream
dining setting . It seats 8 people and is just to die for. Only problem is that it costs over $1,000 and that's just for the table.
We bought a couple of bedside tables and a couple of coffee tables for the lounge too. I really wanted to go looking for cars, but by the time we'd been round the furniture shops I could hardly stand up any more, so Nick is going to go looking during the week.
Have found a great place to
shop for brand name stuff. Haven't actually shopped there yet, but I know it's one place that I want to take Helsy when she's here. Make sure you've got some spare room in your suitcase girl!!!
That stupid ducted heating. I thought I'd got it sussed out with the timings for it coming on and going off, but it has come on at 5.30am for the last 3 mornings. As above, Nick is going to have a look at it for me......He's good to have around. Everyone should have one!!!!
Weather over the weekend was gorgeous. Sun shone on Saturday and yesterday. Got all the washing done and dried too. It's supposed to rain for the next 3 days now.....that's Melbourne though.
I've got my appointment for the Platic Surgeon tomorrow morning, so I'll update you when I get into work, that's if I'm feeling better, otherwise I'll be at home trying to get better.
