Definately must buy some furniture

... 'cos I'm starting to I feel like a squatter in my own home. Beer and pizza tonight then... :-)

p.s. New house pics are below in case you didn't notice.

The New Gaff

Wey Hey!! Finally, we've found a house!!

As of this Saturday we became the new tenants of a rather nice (well, we think so) pad in Pymble in Sydney's North Shore. It's a twelve month lease so with a bit of luck we won't be going anywhere for a while now. We didn't quite manage to get a place with a pool but it's a still pretty great and in a good location (I can walk to the station and it should be about 40 mins to work). Oh yea, there's about 3 golf courses within a 5 minute drive so here's hoping I like the game once I get a chance to play eh?!

So, what's it like? Well it's 3 bedrooms with a bathroom and office. The living room, kitchen and dining area are open plan and there's also a utility room. All the bedrooms have "built-ins" which I particularly like 'cos it means I'll spend less time winding my way around the Ikea yellow-brick-road trying to remain calm...

Outside, at the front there's a nice garden with lots of established plants and a BIG tree which I must find out the name of. We've got a lockup garage on one side and a covered car port on the other.

Round the back is where the fun begins. There's a big decking area overlooking the back garden which will be perfect for sitting back and drinking G&T's (with lemon from our lemon tree). The garden is also large-going-on-huge with plenty of space for Mr.D to cause havoc in. At the back of the garden is an enclosed reserve with some great trees for us to look out on (as opposed to nosy neighbours) and there's yet more storage space in the form of a cellar. Mad. All coming in for less then you'd get a certain 2-bed flat in Clapham for...

All that said and done, we're still short of a few essentials such as a fridge, washing machine, sofas, TV, bla bla bla but we're getting there.

The Greatest Game!

How about that cricket!!

I simply can't believe that I missed out on watching the greatest ever game of one day cricket this week. My only hope is that it was good enough for them to make a DVD of it. For those of you who have been on the cricket equivalent of Mars, Australia posted a world record 1st innings total of 434... only to lose by 1 wicket with a ball to spare. That's going at nearly nine an over for the WHOLE INNINGS!!*#?%$#! Mind you, I imagine Boeta Dippenaar took a healthy interest in his shoes the following day after opening for South Africa and leaving them on 3 for 1, a mere 431 runs behind. Unbelievable stuff. Bring on the test matches!!
Match Report Morning After

Meanwhile back on earth, it's been a funny week of sorts. We still haven't managed to find a house yet despite surfing the net daily and cruising around the North Shore on the weekend, viewing 5 places. Unfortunately, we couldn't move into any of them comfortably for any stretch of time. Bascially, there's just very little on the market which means we'll have to just soldier on :-(

We did manage our first night out in ages though! Tae (friend we're staying with) kindly baby-sat Dylan while Isy and I went off to Manly to meet our friends Barry and Richard for a couple of drinks. They are living in Singapore at the moment and were in Australia for a few days. It was quite strange seeing them here as we were long time friends in London but it was great to catch up! Small world eh.

Speaking of friends, we've also been invited to our first BBQ (by someone we didn't know when we got here!!). Marcus, a guy at work has his brithday this week so we're off to Shelly Beach in Manly for a bit of a get together on Saturday. Should be fun :-)

On a slow boat to Manly

Welcome to our first mobile blog entry...

I'm in Circular Quay, sitting on the 17:45 ferry to Manly waiting to head home. It is a lovely warm sunny evening so I'm on the open deck at the top. Below, an aboriginal guy is on the quayside, setting the mood, playing a didgeridoo for the tourists.

We're now leaving the dock and the city skyscrapers are fading away. On my left the Opera House slowly passes by and on my right the Harbour Bridge moves into view, the setting sun behind it.

As we head further out into the harbour, the swell picks up a bit and a cool ocean breeze begins to blow. All around are boats of every kind - yachts, cruisers, ferries and even water taxis!

Time for a bit of music me thinks. We'll be arriving in Manly soon.

O Carro

It's been a busy old week I'll tell ya. After some last minute wheelin' and a dealin' on the car front, we finally became the proud owners of a Ford Laser sedan. (I told you cars weren't inspiring). Actually, we're quite pleased with it. It's an automatic so drives easily around Sydney's urban freeways has lots of electric bits and pieces and even a double cup holder! (I think the cup holder will prove it's worth in no time at all...) It's also big enough for getting Dylan in and out and I've been reliably informed that we should be able to get two sets of golf clubs in the boot :-) Dylan has also become the proud owner of a spanking new car seat and can finally see out of the windows shouting 'O Carro!' almost constantly...

As I mentioned earlier, I'm now a proud member of the gainfully employed again. The first few days have gone well and the guys and girls in the office are a good laugh. There's plenty of work to be done and it's all very much hands on (C# web development for those interested...) - ideal as I'm a bit rusty after 3 months of R'n'R.

We also managed (as usual) to find some time for having fun and generally messing about. Dylan had a fantastic time splashing in David & Tina's pool on and the weekend and we all went for a wander around the harbour, Opera House and botanical gardens on Monday just to remind ourselves that we really are here... We were also treated to seeing the Oriana cruise liner docked at Circular Quay which was spectacular to say the least. (You know a ship is big when it starts to make the Harbour Bridge look small!) It was a bit of a scorcher that day and I did that very English of all things and got my first (minor) dose of sunburn. "Slip Slap Slop" kids and don't you forget it!!

Still on the hunt for a more permanent roof over our heads. The rental market in Sydney is reasonably competitive at the moment as property prices have been a bit flat over the past year or so. All the would-be first time buyers seem to be biding their time which basically means, we're gonna have to be quick when we spot a decent gaff!! :-)

Ah well, I'm just waiting for the little guy to wake up from his nap then we're going on a 'expotition' and a look around.

Later.

Putting it all together

It's been a busy week again for those fresh off the boat. Mostly we have been pounding the car lots of North Sydney and Parramatta and mostly it's been in vain. I hate cars. They are 99% uninspiring and you always view them with the constant dread that you're about to embark on a long dark period of untold headaches. Anyway, we are getting there slowly and hopefully we'll be mobile in the next week...

On another key front, things are moving very quickly. The anticipated start of work for mid March has been shunted up the agenda and I'm heading back down the coal mine this coming Wednesday. Almost three months to the day since I last did anything productive it's time to get the old-grey-matter firing again.

We have managed to have a bit of fun as well. On Monday we took a trip from Manly to Circular Quay on the ferry to meet our friends Conley and Lindsay (over from the UK). Good fun but rather dodgy weather...

We also spent a few late afternoons down at the local Dee Why beach. It's one of the quieter beaches and a few minutes walk from where we are staying. All was well, but unfortunately, Isy got zapped by a Blue Bottle Jelly fish (alternatively known as a Potuguese Man Of War. How appropriate...) before she made it into the water and got a big red toe for a few hours. Mr.D however seemed to enjoy himself enormously. Apart from trying to eat the sand at each and every available opportunity, he had quite a time!!

House hunting looms large now. Seen a few on the net we like and thanks to cousin Tina lending us her car for a week, we now know a few of the suburbs. We just need a 5 bed with a pool, double garage and ocean views for $300 a week and we're set... ha ha ha...

p.s. Apologies for the quality of the pics - phone cam.

Sydneysiders!!

Phew.

21000km (12900 miles), a lot of money, too much hard work, some laughter and some tears later, and we've finally arrived in Sydney. No more plane rides for a bit, that much I can tell ya.

Famous for it's sun soaked beaches and gorgeous people with tanned bodies and pearly white teeth, we turned up with our pearly white bodies, tanned teeth and in a near thunderstorm. Marvelous. Collected from the airport by our good friend Mike, we drove up to our new (temporary) home at Dee Why and dumped the suit cases for the last time. Cracked a beer, flopped in a chair on the veranda and thought... "Now what the hell are we going to do?"

Since then we've been busy "achieving". Mobile phone sorted. Bank account sorted. We've got our eyes on a few cars and are starting to figure out where's a nice place to live... However, today is Saturday so it's time to play. Been for breakfast this morning at Curly's cafe followed by a nice walk around Curl Curl and this afternoon it's a BBQ at cousin Dave's where, I've been faithfully informed, we will "Play it by beer."

I'm sure we will.

(p.s. I've added a few more pics to earlier posts)

Australia!!!!

Wahooo!! We're here!!

Arrived in Perth yesterday lunchtime to glorious sunshine and a very pleasant 29C. Had a fantastic flight over from Joburg with Qantas as Dylan slept for most of it. (If anyone from BA is reading this - sort your baby seats out!) Getting through Perth airport was a dream and the nice man at customs even stamped our visas which was a helluva relief :-)

We are now staying with our friends Megan and Michael and their kids in their wonderful house in Sorrento (Dylan has never seen so many toys). After breakfast this morning we walked down the road to the beach, took a dip in the Indian Ocean and watched the kids cause havoc. Might summon up the energy to go for a coffee this afternoon.

A couple of days of this then the final leg to Sydney to catch up with family and friends.

Can't wait.

Lightening, Lions and the odd Lager

It seems blogging in Africa is a full contact sport. A second PC as succumbed to the awesome power of African storms and I'm starting to wonder if I should wear rubber boots when typing. Back to the net cafes it is...

Well, we're now averaging something like 4.5 braii's a week (BBQs) and I'm starting to pine for a egg mayo sandwich rather than flame grilled red meat. Curiously however I'm still Ok with the level of beer consumption. The last one was watching England show Wales how to play rugby which was most enjoyable. (Ronan, fancy another tenner this year on Ireland?)

Having said that, we have managed to venture out a bit more and "do" things this week. First up was our introduction to the wonderful sport of golf at a local 9 hole course. I managed to get round in 46 and one lost ball. Or to put it another way, 18 over. Look out Tiger, I'm coming for ya fella.

On Tuesday, Mr.D was introduced to some of Africa's finest at the local Lion and Rhino park. The males were out and about strutting their stuff and coming very close to the car. I think the little guy was impressed but on first sight of his first lion ever he let out a sort of "huh" and continued to play with the gear stick. Dylan's latest party trick goes something like:

Me: "Dylan what do lions say?"
Dylan: "Grrrrr"

Awesome.

Tomorrow we're heading up to Pretoria for the day for a bit of a look the on Friday it's Sun City and a play in the "Valley of the Waves" amongst other things. Then on Saturday it's lunch with the family and then the short hop (!) to Perth where we will finally stamp the visas and in the Lucky Country and begin our adventure in Oz. Ulp.

Later.

Sunny South Africa

Well, we're on our way. Arrived in Joburg about a week ago. It's fair to say that it's been rather a pleasant experience so far. Our days have typically been a lunchtime appointment with friends followed by one in the evening with a bit of sunning and lounging around in the meantime. These people know how to eat and drink hey?! Eish!

For the first week we stayed with Isy's cousin, Mike and his wife Shim in their "castle" in South Joburg. Dylan thoroughly enjoyed running riot around their garden and even plucked up the courage to pat their two Jack Russells, Jack and Russell :-) This week we're with our pals Marli and Ken and doing some catching up and a fair bit of reminiscing abouth the halcyon days in London Town. (The parts we can remember anyway...)

Tonight's bash is Trevor's 40th birthday party (Fancy dress with the theme of 60's). We're all going as Hippies... heh heh heh.

Anyway, it's lunchtime here and we're off out in a minute. Apologies for letting another week pass without an update but what can you do when your mates' PC gets taken out by a lightening bolt? (I kid you not).

Ciao.

The TV's gone. It's time to go.

Well it sure does feel like things are about to happen. The boxes have finally gone *shudder*. I swear, when I close my eyes, all I can see are boxes, boxes, boxes and it's fair to say I will not miss them. It wouldn't have been so bad if we didn't have to tidy the place up every day so that potential tenants could view the flat. Anyway, job done.

Speaking of the flat, after some hard last round negotiations (Nico would have been proud) we finally have tenants! Yey! They move in two days after we scoot so things couldn't have worked out better really. It's a relief to know we're sorted before boarding the plane but I think I might have been right in my earlier post... Two "proffessional" guys sharing. From Holland. Let's hope they don't burn the place down hey.

Well, as I no longer have the luxury of free internet connection I'll wind up this entry. Next stop Jo'Burg!!! Yee Haa! Got an awful lot of catching up to do with a bunch of people and see some little kids for the first time. Probably find time to squeeze in the odd Windhoek or Castle as well...

See you all sunny side.

Happy New Year!!

Ok, Ok... yea, I know. It's over a month since I've posted anything but what can I tell you!!? Life's a blur at the moment. The only way I know a week has passed is when we watch the next episode of "Lost" on Wednesdays...

So, a quick catch up is in order.

Pre-Christmas saw plenty of partying mainly by our resident Christmas Elf. Dylan went to see his old friends at the nursery for his Christmas party and apart from being scared into a crying fit by Santa seemed to have a great time eating junk and generally making a mess. Santa completely missed the obvious and failed to award Mr.D the "Best Fancy Dress Costume" prize but as I said, they weren't on speaking\babbling terms by then anyway...

Next up was Dylan's first birthday!! Not too much in the way of a big bash at our place but grandma, grandpa and 'vovo (Portuguese grandma) all put on a heck-of-a-do with plenty of cake, party hats and balloons! As you can see, some of the balloons really did go down a treat with the little guy.

Christmas week was spent with my folks (Hi ma & pa!) in Kirkham and for the most part we indulged in a great deal of eating and drinking with occasional winter walks. Our young elf was again the star of the show and took it upon himself to start walking properly for the first time. This was no doubt due in some small part to the fact that he actually had space to walk in for once :-)

After Kirkham we spent a couple of days with my sister and Dan in Manchester catching up and talking about our previous trips to Oz. Flicking through her old photo album of backpacking days in Sydney got us pretty fired up... We also managed a quick visit to Angie and Mal's new gaff just down the road but unfortunately didn't have time for a VIP tour of Angie's carpeted allotment. I'm led to believe this time of year is not great for growing veggies anyway.

New Year saw us zipping over to Lisbon for a week and staying with Estela. The weather was a very palatable 15C with sunshine and we enjoyed a few strolls along the beaches of Estoril and surrounds. I have to say that the Christmas lights in Lisbon we very good indeed. None of that "These Lights Are Sponsored By Birdseye" tat that I saw in Oxford Street a few years back. Just nice, twinkly Christmas lights. Cool.

Well, that's it for now. 7 days to go. Must phone Dangerman tomorrow to find out how the hell he managed to break both his big toes over New Year...

Unemployed and nearly homeless

Got an email from (ex) work today asking how the retirement was going... Pretty well I thought! So far, have been Christmas shopping and actually bought something, got a haircut and been "out" for a coffee and it's all taken me just over four days. Yea, winding down nicely.

As you may have guessed, we are now both officially unemployed (Again! For those of you who remember our famous camper-van excursion...) and are putting the final pieces in place for the big move. Isy had a rather fancy work Christmas party to go to the evening of her departure which she liked to think of as her personal leaving do. I on the other hand stuck to the traditional curry and a couple of beers with the chaps in the office during a slightly less productive Friday afternoon. (This to be followed by one or two more sherberts next week. Nice.)

The flat is now on the market and every Saturday around 1:00pm we get kicked out by the estate agent while potential tenants come round to check the place out. No takers yet but it's early doors and all the signs are we'll have a couple of fresh-out-of-college mental alcoholics with more money than sense living in the place soon *shudder*

We've also had our T-cartons delivered for shipping our stuff over. How on earth we're going to fill 45 cubic feet and approx 350Kgs worth of boxes I don't know especially as we're leaving all the furniture behind (Read next weeks posting to find out how no doubt). I'm sure it will be a very strange feeling writing Sydney, Australia on the side of each :-) Question: When it says this way up, is that in England or Australia? It's got me all muddled...

Anyway, the dinners on. Gotta go.

Destination Oz.

Welcome

Hi and welcome to our blog on the big move to Australia!! Only a couple of months to go now before we board the plane and leave the shores of the UK for who knows what adventures may lie ahead in Sydney. At the moment, we're up to our necks in card board boxes, TODO lists, estate agents, shipping companies and a never ending stream of paperwork but hopefully the chaos will end soon and it will be time to don the shorts and t-shirts and start slowing down...

Keep up to date with us on our journey and find out what we're up to, how stressed we're getting and most importantly, Dylan's latest antics.