Manly Beach

So now you know what the view is like from our unit, I thought it appropriate to take a few pictures of Manly Beach (which is actually made up of Queenscliff, North and South Steyne and Manly). I took them whilst walking to this very internet cafe this morning. Isn't it a shame when clouds ruin the picture?

Queenscliff.














Across the road.














Looking towards South Steyne and Manly.














Surf!














Beach volleyball?














Shelley Beach is in the distance, just across the water (Sam, you can Scuba dive there).














Looking towards North Steyne and Queenscliff.

Our Shipment Arrives

On Tuesday (23rd) our shipment of goods arrived from the UK. Well, it actually arrived in Sydney on the 7th but it had to go through Customs clearance and then Quaratine. As Steve Irwin says on a TV advert that seems to pop up every five minutes, quarantine is "what makes Auuuussstraaaaliaaaa greeeeeeat". Or something like that. He is a legend. I want to go to his zoo.

Anyway, all 22 boxes turned up in excellent condition and thankfully I didn't have to pay any quarantine fees (AQIS normally charge you if they suspect there is a danger to the countries "ecoooosyyyyystems and enviiiiironment" and have to open up any boxes to inspect the goods). It was a wise moving leaving my football boots and shin pads in the Hope FC kit bag. There was no sign of water damage (always a danger when shipping goods in supposedly water-tight containers half way around the world) and none of the boxes looked like they had smashed into each other (always a danger when not having enough stuff to fill our own container and having to share with others).

The delivery guys did all the hard work and lifted and shifted all of the boxes into the unit.





























It didn't take us too long to unpack most things, although a lot of stuff has been put in our garage as we have no shelving for books and cds etc. However a few DVDs didn't turn up, and we are trying to find out if they were half-inched, or if they were mistakenly put into the "Charity Shop" pile before we left. Anyway, given the stories I have heard from others, I think we were lucky with the shipping. Mind you, I had done a lot of research into what company to use and the company I went for did have one of the best reputations.

I have still got to set up a couple of things and check that they still work, but so far so good. Given the fact the IPOD and laptop have been drained of life for more than three months, it's a relief to see that they still work.

Now that we have unpacked most things the unit is beginning to feel more like our own place. We still need to get a couple of bits though, like a wardrobe and a sofa bed for Mikey Roberts and Ella, but it is taking shape nicely.

Oh yeah, big news in Australia. Rex Hunt has been paying for sex with three different women for years and years (allegedly). Puts a whole new meaning to the saying "give it a little kiss and throw it right back". He is still a legend though.

Settling In

Well compared to the madness of our first week in the flat, last week was relatively calm. Having put up all the bits of furniture we had bought we were left more or less in limbo as we were waiting for our shipment to be delivered by the shippers (and it still hasn't arrived although the latest news is that it is being delivered tomorrow, which means another week of living around and out of cardboard boxes). But it did mean I had time to get on with other things, like getting my Medicare and Tax File Numbers which were in the bag that got half inched in Bolivia. Oh, and I bought and read a book. Yes. A book. And get this. In the space of five days I had finished it. Mind you, some may say it is a children's book. I really enjoyed it though. And having travelled around South America without one (apart from the Anthony Keidis book which I began to read after H had finished it, and then it got knicked), I made it a challenge to myself to try and read more when I got to Australia. So as you can see, I have got off to a flyer. And I have now started my second book. Mikey Roberts will be pleased.

Anyway, another challenge of the week was to buy myself and H some surfing attire. And I succeeded here as well. Kind of. By the end of the week I hadn't bought a surfboard (ok, perhaps that is the most important part of surfing equipment) but I had rinsed the bank cards and bought both H and myself a quality wetsuit each (top of the range, naturally, and because they are relatively cheap over here) as well as a boogie board each. I hadn't intended to get myself one of these but shopping over here is great. The more you spend, the cheaper everything is, so it would have been daft not to buy myself one. And flippers (scuba divers take note, fins are the things that go on the back of surfboards, not on your feet), and flipper boots. And leashes. We look the part in our spandex. I had made some enquires about getting a surfboard and was told that I didn't need a big 8'6" board, which was a surpise to me as I am a beginner and beginners usually start on huge boards. "You'll be fine on a 7'6"' mate" the guy in one of the shops said. I got the fear. To help me make up my mind, on Wednesday (17th) I hired an 8' board and went for a surf. I caught about 3 waves, or rather the white water that they create, and this gave me the confidence to at least decide that I could learn on one of them. I then had to decide what board to buy. Should I go for a cheaper board made by the surfers who work in the shop just down the road from us, or a slightly more expensive, old skool Rip Curl beauty? I'm not the best at making many decisions so this played on my mind for a while.

Last week I also made the conscious effort to try and get fit again. 10 weeks backpacking has taken it's toll on the old fitness so I decided to start running. I managed to run along the beach on two separate occasions. You have to start somewhere I suppose. I should really be doing it every day.

Another highlight of the week was sorting out our telephone line and ordering ADSL internet. Fingers crossed, it should be up and running next week. And now that we have a landline you can call us if you like.

Even more of a highlight was getting up at 4.30am on Thursday (18th) to watch the European Cup Final. Ok, Arsenal were unlucky I guess (although Lehmann should've known better) but I am sure every Gooner would rather have Terry for another 4 years than their hands on the cup for a year. I can't see he would have stayed if they had won it. We are treated to the joys of Andy Gray and Martin Tyler on the SBS coverage over here. One of the Aussie panelists said that he was very unhappy with Andy Gray's bias-ness......ha ha, I loved it. And that his comments about the referee, Et'o and Ronaldinho were disgraceful. Brilliant.

Anyway, this weekend was quality. H and I went for a couple of drinks in Circular Quay on Friday night. Now this may be the first time I post pictures of these little beauties but it certainly won't be the last.





























On Saturday (20th) H and I were invited by Will to go to the Surry Hills festival. When I was last here all it consisted of was a couple of road blocks, lots of hay bails and street performers. Now it has taken over the whole of Prince Alfred Park. It went on from 9-5. We arrived at 5 (we'd had a lazy day in Manly). Even though it was finishing when we arrived, we met Will and were introduced to quite a few of his mates. Our social circle was growing (thanks Will). From there we went drinking in Surry Hills and then to a House Party in Darlinghurst. It was a top night and everyone was really friendly and took time out to chat to the two if us. The tequilla and goon helped, I'm sure. We crashed at Wills, and then made the mission back to Manly for a couple of hours on Sunday (21st) morning for some r'n'r before heading over to Bondi that evening. Whilst back home we went for a swim. It was a bit parky in just boardies but all thoughts of being cold disaappeared when lots of seagulls started bombing the water next to us. Suddenly this school of fish jumped out of the water, closely followed by a PENGUIN!!! It was unbelievable. Rather obviously I have never had a penguin darting around my feet before, and it was great to see. It's things like that that make this place so good.

And that takes us to Sunday evening. We headed over to Bondi where one of our new chums, Vans, made us and a few others a roast dinner. Oooh, it tasted so good. It's been a long time since we have eaten a meal like that. And the view from her balcony is sweet, overlooking Bondi. It was just a shame I got there 5 minutes too late to see what really happened in the photo shoot that was going on on a roof top a few streets down.

When I woke up this morning I had pretty much made my mind up about what surfboard to get, so I went out and bought it. Yep, I now own a rather nice old skool surf board. Once I'd got it there was only one thing for it...to get out in the surf. I kind of stood up a couple of times but more often than not I'd be too tired to push myself up. It's bloody hard work paddling all the time. Still, it should get easier with practice.

We will probably be pretty busy again this week, especially when the shipment arrives tomorrow, and it will take a while trying to get everything sorted. I dare say we'll be back to IKEA at some point to buy some shelves. Great!

Finally, many congratulations to Jonny Bonnett who got married to Lauren on Friday (19th). I was thinking of you both, and I hope the day went really well. I'm really sorry that I missed it. All the best for your future together.

Setting Up Home

H and I picked up the keys to our flat last Monday (8th) and we haven't really stopped sorting the place out since. In fact I don't think I have ever worked so hard. Having spent the first few days here in temporary, budget accommodation we were very relieved to be moving out into our own place. As you can see from the pictures below, we barely had any room to move as any spare floor space had been taken up with stuff for the new place. And beer.





























The lease started on Tuesday and as soon as we had dropped all of our stuff off at the flat we went and picked up a van we had hired for the day. My driving licence is still in the UK so H was the sole driver and did a great job as we tore our way around the streets of Sydney visiting various furniture places. Most of our time was spent in IKEA - in fact I have been there three times in the last week, and it is an hour and a half away from home by public transport (ferry and train). The last visit was on Friday (12th). I had been building a flat-pack bed and was doing a great job, even if I say so myself (I do not do DIY), when I noticed the bed was missing a mid-beam. Now it is in the shop assistant's remit to make sure we had all the parts before leaving the store on the Tuesday, but as we were the last customers to leave, after the store had closed, I don't think they could be arsed to go through the trolley and two pallet jacks worth of stuff to check. Stupidly I had thought a $20 mid-beam would have been included in the flat-pack boxes! So I had to go back.

By the end of Tuesday I had bought half of IKEA, a fridge-freezer, a TV and a digital receiver (I had been worried about not being able to get a reception in the front room but didn't realise that digital is over here so it is no problem at all...thank God for SBS who showed the UEFA Cup Final and the FA Cup Final, and who are showing the European Cup Final this week as well as all 64 games of the World Cup - I watched the FA Cup Final with H and Will, who both fell asleep for the penalties. I do have to ask the question why Bobby Z took his penalty with his left foot?). I had also bought a sofa from a furniture place. It was on the shop floor and I had been told that it had been treated with "Scott Guard". I asked the guy how I knew it had been treated with Scott (Scotch!!) Guard. He disappeared, then came back with a bottle of water and poured it over it. Sold!

There was only one place to put everything...on the floor!















The flat had been leased to us as a two-bedder but we have turned it into a sweet one bedder. The lounge is at the front of the flat, and it has, as Will described it, "the best balcony in Sydney" all around it. The view is stunning.















Even when it rains.....















Anyway, to cut a very long week short, we have been very busy lifting and shifting and building stuff. I don't think I have ever come so close to busting my back, but by Saturday (13th) arvo we were ready to finally unpack the backpacks, and that was a great feeling. We rewarded ourselves with a walk along the beach - I hadn't been on the beach up until that point. Will came over in the evening and we ate great steak, drank wine and watched the footy. All three of us hired surfboards yesterday and went for a surf which was great fun before heading into the City and enjoying Sunday afternoon drinks in Darling Harbour (I'd best not mention the terrible IMAX 3D film that Will suggested we all watch before hand). It is nice being able to walk to the beach, and see where you live from the surf.

So, after nearly two weeks here we have come a long way and can now start beginning to enjoy what Sydney has to offer. I found the whole "setting up home" business a bit overwhelming. I didn't enjoy looking for the big things like beds or the sofa but didn't mind getting the smaller, more fun things, like a TV or running around the IKEA warehouse with a yellow bag, throwing things in. H has done a great job choosing what to buy and although we are not home owners, we now own just about everything needed to go into one. And that feels preety bloody good. Now all we need to do is find jobs, although I am in no rush. I plan to take the World Cup month off.

Sydney, Australia

So here we are in sunny Sydney, after more than two years of paperwork and waiting, and a nice jolly around South America. We arrived last Tuesday (2nd) at 7ish and were treated to THE view of the harbour as we flew in, which was great. It made a nice change arriving in a country and knowing what to do and where to go.

The flight here was pretty dull. There isn't anything to see when you fly for twelve hours over the pacific, but the three hour leg from Auckland was cool. Qantas are so much better than LAN Chile who were very shy with the free booze. Oh, and Auckland airport was a good place to stop. We both waxed the credit cards. I bought myself a new camera :-).

Before we left the UK we had decided that we wanted to try and set up a home in Manly, which is on the North Shore, so we had to make the mission there from the airport, which is some way south of the city. This involved getting a minibus from the airport to Circular Quay, and then a ferry across the harbour to Manly. It was a great feeling seeing the Bridge and the Opera House close-up again, and it actually felt like we hadn't been away. By the time we got to our temporary digs in Manly we were both pretty exhausted and we crashed out. The duty-free champagne was put on ice.

We hit the ground running on Tueday and sorted out bank accounts and a mobile (H has got a new SIM card so you can all call us if you like ;-)). We also had a look at a few rental lists as we both wanted to get somewhere sorted to live a.s.a.p. and on Wednesday we had a look at five different properties. I think that most of you now know that we have agreed to sign up for a place on the beach front in Manly. It's not the biggest flat (or unit) in the world, but it does have one of the best views, and is in a perfect location (especially as I want to learn to surf and now I can see what the surf is like from my bedroom!). It's about ten mintutes walk from the wharf, and then a thirty minute ferry ride into the city. And it is cheap for the area. And you don't have to pay a TV licence, water rates or Council Tax over here, so it doesn't cost much more than living in Bedmo. The only draw back that I can see so far is that I can't get Foxtel installed yet because all of the flat owners have to agree to it (or something like that). I have been told I should be able to get it in a month or so, but I'll believe it when I see it. Hopefully I'll get it in time for the next Premiership season, but at least all 64 games in the World Cup are on free-to-view SBS TV over here. I must buy a TV. As for internet connection, we should be up and running in a few weeks, once our shipment arrives. Anyway, we are due to sign the lease on Tuesday.

Since we agreed to go for the flat we have been really busy trying to "sort fings out". We seem to have spent most of our time looking at beds and sofas and, to be honest, I have found it all a little overwhelming and very tiring. I guess I underestimated how much stuff we actually needed to fill a flat. So far I have bought a fridge/freezer, and put a holding deposit on a sofa from "Fantastic Furniture" which will probably be too big for the flat, so that will have to be cancelled. We went to IKEA today (7th) and that was great fun! We carrried two huge bags full of kitchen stuff all the way back to Manly from the Olympic Park. We need to get a bed sorted for Tuesday so I think we are going to hire a car and go back there then.

Bloody hell, I guess you lot don't really need to know all this do you. Sorry.

On a more social note, H and I went into the city and met Will on Friday (5th) night. We haven't seen him since we were here last year so it was great catching up. We went to Kings Cross and revisited an old haunt of mine, The Green Park.

Aside from all of the running around we are both really glad to be here, and are looking forward to enjoying Sydney when the dust settles. I haven't even been on the beach yet!

I'll update the blog soon with more pictures and less writing.

And The Winner Is.....

H.

133-128.

Anway, moving swiftly on, we are now in Sydney.....

We will both reply to your emails and update our blogs (as well as catch up on your own if you have one) as soon as we can, but as you can imagine we are pretty busy at the moment trying to sort a lot of stuff out, not least finding somewhere to live in time for the World Cup ;-)

Delay!!

We got a delay, and a 12 hour beauty at that. LAN Chile had no choice but to put everyone up for the night, so we enjoyed our last night in South America in the 5 Star Sheraton Hotel, which was nice! I´m writing this from Santiago airport and we are now due to fly at 10am local time (two hours from now), which now means we get into Sydney at about 7.30pm on Tuesday 2nd May. As for May Day not existing for us this year, well that´s now been blown out of the water as it´s May 1st as I type this. And we haven´t played anymore Shithead yet.....