Returning to Australia

2006-12-11T10:45:00.000+09:30

visit http://www.unicef.org/voy/to find out more!!!

Whats been happening so far .... Flipper Died!!

2006-12-08T07:56:00.000+09:30

Whilst i was back in the UK, Flipper died!! Not too impressed about that seen as i know Nick should have been feeding him every day which he obviously didnt if he died! Nick swears he looked after him but admitted he did get flushed down the toilet and did not receive a proper burial! To make up for it, Nick bought me another fish yesterday which we named 'Doggy' after our friend, as he had to fly back to Melbourne before he too could purchase a new addition to the Cowling household! Once i have a picture of him i will post it asap! He is beautiful though!

Nothing much has been happening in the last week, Doggy has visited from Victoria and the boys have watched all cricket matches!! (I am now becoming a pro at all the cricket jargon! Not!) and we went in search of a big grass hill on Mt. Sugar Loaf so they could slide down it on pieces of cardboard! Much to their disappointment there was no large grass hill as his mum had promised but i did get to climb the extra 10min walk (Nick can parked practically on top of Mt. Sugarloaf!) to the top which gave some amazing views! We also showed Doggy the delights of the Wineries, which we througholy enjoyed!! Lots of wine tasting and drunkeness! If wine and beer wasnt enough they came home and drank their way through a bottle of 'Morgans Spice' in old Canterbury 'Righteous and True' style. After which they decided that they were to get Rightoeus and True tattoos!! Thank God that passed!!

We are (the Cowling family) heading up the coast to Surfers Paradise for xmas to spend it with Marg and Jim, which will be fantastic! Very excited about it! So i will keep you all posted!!

Love to you all
x x x x

Guess whose back in Australia!!! Trip 3!

2006-12-04T07:43:00.000+09:30

Finally i have made it back to the place i love so much and the one person i love so much in the world!! Its amazing to be back although the weather certainly hasn't made a very good effort!! Its RAINING!! Can you believe that, you travel across to the other side of the world for rain! Apparently it will heat up by the end of the week!!! Fingers crossed!!

My flight was DREADFUL ("Thank you for flying Gulf Air!") so not looking forward to the next one but i have better things to concentrate for the minute!! Nevermind i am sure they will pick up the pace sometime in the near furture and a) not give my requested meals away (im a vege!) b) be so damn rude and c) the turbulence might not be there (Gulf Air cant be blamed for that but im going to) and to round it all over they wont rummage through my suitcase!!!! (they could have at least done it up!) All in all a good flight! NOT!!!

Anyway i will keep you all posted with the antics of this trip!
Love to you all Sian x x xx (&Nick) x x xx

Last post of this trip!

2006-09-08T13:17:00.000+09:30

The time has come that i must leave this beautiful place and the amazing people that occupy and make it the place it! I can't believe come sunday i will be boarding the plane ready to settle back into the manic life that i have in the UK!

I have had a fantastic time here and done, yet again, some things i would never consider doing anywhere else! I intend to come back at christmas so this site will be down for about 12 weeks but i will certainly be posting again will all the antics from yet another trip around the world!!

To all the people who have entertained me whilst i have been here... thank you so much and i will miss you all ... to all the people back home ... Can't wait to see you all!!

Love to you all
Sian x x x (& Nick of course!) x x x x

Feeding the Pelicans at Pelican!

2006-09-05T16:08:00.000+09:30

Thats right i went to feed the pelicans at a place called Pelican... i'll give you three guesses as to why it's called Pelican!?!? Its a lovely place right on the lake! Nicks dad Eric, has been doing a lot of fishing since i have been here catching up to 15 black fish at a time so we had a lot of skin and bones to dispose of... and what better way than feeding the Pelicans! Giving back to nature!!

It was a scary experience for a girl who has been chased by a swan, but i dont think these dumb birds are that dangerous just curious!! Still i wasnt taking any chances and let Nick do most of the feeding... they kept coming to close to me!! Think they could sense the fear!! Still i would certainly do it again!! how often can you do it in the UK!

Something for Kate

2006-09-05T15:55:00.000+09:30

After much discussion we finally got the tickets organised for this gig and managed to persuade some more people to join us at the Bar the Hill at Nicks uni...

Having not heard much of Something for Kates music, only a really old album, all of us decided that we would hope and prey they played just one old song.. Monsters... so that we could all have a sing song and Jimmy and I could have our special hug ... didn't happen though!! They played a couple of songs we all recognised and we all decided we would be purchasing the new album but we all left a little disheartened!! Oh well Jimmy and I still managed a hug!!

The night was filled with a lot of laughter and a lot of alcohol... poor Nick was drunk when we arrived at the Bar on the Hill, after drinking only a couple of beers that the Mary Ellen (where we all had tea) and a glass of Red that he just had to have with Jimmy to show off the new wine from the wineries! And was also filled with a lot of random, not so good dancing which kept everyone entertained!! All in all it was a fantastic night because it was spent with fantastic people!!

I jumped out of a plane from 1400ft!!

2006-09-05T15:44:00.000+09:30

OMG so I have been talking about this Sky dive since I set foot on the sunny shores of Australia and I did it!! I cant believe I actually let myself throw my body out of a plane and the best part is I did it with a SMILE!! Maybe it was to cover up the sheer fear but still it looks better than a frown!!

It was an amazing experience that Nick didn't get to do with me as he refused!! But hey he did do the sky swing in NZ so he had his adrenaline rush!! I think I would have been more nervous had Nick been in the plane ... I feel everything for him! My tandem master was a guy called Nick, lovely man who has been jumping for 8 years!! The jump suit was an interesting look which I don't think I pulled off all that well!!

As we reached the point of no return (14000ft!) and the door was open I didn't even have time to think about the fact that I was now going to be hurtling towards the ground at 215kmph!!! Nick, flipped us out of the plane so that we were the only tandem who did a forward roll out of the plane .. thanks!! made the stomach turn!! and down we went ... panic stricken because I couldn't catch my breath that well I tried to smile at the girl shoving a video camera in my face and look like I was actually enjoying myself!! after a couple of breathless minutes, I relaxed and enjoyed the ride whilst being spun round and round in the air over the most spectacular view I had ever seen! At 5000ft or what felt like less the parachute was open and with a sudden jolt we were flung back up in the sky to come down with a gentle glide!!

After stupidly asking "the parachute is open," Nick led us down, letting me steer the parachute (not good for anyone who has experienced my driving!) and we played on some thermals for a while before making our way to the landing spot. We were the last down after a good 10-15mins in the air (a lot longer than the others had) and didn't I come down with a bump! Not the best landing but still I made it down alive!!

I don't know whether I would do it again some time soon but it is seriously something people have to experience at least once!!

Hunter Valley = A LOT OF WINE!!!

2006-08-25T17:47:00.000+09:30

Nick and I finally managed to get up to the Vineyards to spend Emma and Jono's present/voucher -having stayed up till 3am to finish Nicks essay off!! I even did some of the Vertical Analysis! (Worked out percentages! Sounds posher the other way!) so not too sure whether the essay will be as good!!

The accommodation was beautiful....much to Nicks amusement on arrival the name 'Chez Vous' was written in Love hearts....tickled Nick the whole time! and the place had an obvious Paris/French theme which Nick found even more amusing! Still it was nice to have a really nice place to stay with a very nice spa bath!! The owner was a little strange...had a rather large top lip which was made obvious by the bright pink lipstick! but still nice none the less!!! They had a wonderful King Charles Spaniel called Louis who kept me entertained when checking out!

The wine tour we went on was soooooo much fun!! I tried really hard to find a nice wine I actually enjoyed drinking....as per usual I pulled a face for each time I didn't like it...I tried not to but it just didn't happen!! Finally settled for the dessert wines which as per usual are more expensive and you only really get 1/2 a bottle but still I will savor every moment of the 2 bottles I bought! We had a nice bunch of people on the tour especially Vanessa and Dave (a guy from Cumbria) who were celebrating Dave receiving his permanent residency visa!! Ended up having drinks them in the Irish Pub (Harrigans - how many Irish pubs are they in Australia!)! Really nice! We spent lots of money in the wineries but got some real good deals including 12 bottle os Shiraz (for Nick of course) for $30 which makes it $2 a bottle (one pound!) couldn't believe it! We also go 24 bottles of wine for $100 instead of $260!! Don't you just love it when people produce more wine than they can sell!! Seriously though we couldn't believe it!!

Still we had a fantastic time...shame it was only a couple of days...

Are they winning or loosing!?

2006-08-22T07:43:00.000+09:30

I just had to show you this picture from the Trots....can you tell whether Peno and Nick are winning or loosing their bets....i'll give you 3 chances!!!!

Everyone meet Flipper....Flipper meet everyone!!

2006-08-22T07:35:00.000+09:30

I have finally got a pet!!! A gorgeous googly eyed fish called Flipper!!(He's the black one!) All i need is another one to call Flapper and then i will be complete!!! Flipper has to stay here in Australia though...i dont think customs will let me take him on the plane!! So Nick is going to look after him for me until i return!!! I certainly will miss him ( the fish that is!hehe)

The Trots and my addictive nature!

2006-08-14T15:34:00.000+09:30

Well we hit the first of the numerous 21st birthday parties we are attending before i come home and believe me it was an interesting experience! To celebrate Steves birthday Teona his girlfriend, had organised a night at the 'Trots' (shown in the picture!) with a buffet meal and free bar tab!! Nice!! Of course me not knowing what the 'Trots' actually meant other than something to do with horses had questioned Nick and was told it involved a horse, chariot and spears!! quite dangerous apparently! well after the whole 'shopping centre under the sydney harbour bridge' (which of course there isnt for those who think there is!) episode i didnt take my chances and asked around his friends who also told me the same, so there i was with this image of a Roman style chariot race!! nah nothing of the sort but still a good experience!

After watching 2 races and trying to work out how the hell you place a bet with all the odds etc i decided i would have a go and my betting theory was to go with the flashing lights (the lights which flash to show the 'favourite') so off i went and put a $1 (approx 80p!! spending the big money!!) on a horse....first time i've bet in my life and i WON!!! hehe!! loved it!! i think i won about $5 back which was impressive for me! So that got me started and the bets kept coming 7 in total and i only lost 2!!! Pleased i finished on a looser though as i think i would have got carried away!! I didnt spend too much money either keep the boundary at $5 at that was usually spilt over 3 horses rather than on one!! As you can tell i know nothing about betting! Nick lost $30 but won $40 on one race (the only one he won!) and Steve (birthday boy) lost $500!!!! Seriously i think he has a gambling problem!! Poor Love!! Once the racing had finished we hit the town to be confronted by a whole bunch of chavs - the usual people out on a saturday night! Not good so we hit the road home after about an hour!! how lame....

The trip home was an experience that i shall bore you with.... we were picked up by a friend of Alans whose car smelt of gas the whole trip, which gave me the giggles, whose passenger seat was broken so it remained in the 'laying' position! Poor Peno who was sat in the back seat behind it had an uncomfortable trip and her driving well lets just say people think i am a bad driver! Seriously this girl changed lanes without looking and her eyes were too busy staring at the McFish burger she was trying to eat 90% of the time!! Not Good!! All in all it was a funny experience!!

Volunteering Work!

2006-08-11T12:33:00.000+09:30

Volunteering work is amazing and i am loving every minute of it! I know i should be kicking back with the pimms and a lemonade (not exactly the weather for it but one can wish!) and enjoying my time here but i need something to keep the brain active and challenged!!! Dont want the cobwebs to form!!!

I am currently volunteering in two schools: the Hunter School for Children with Autism (5 boys in an early intervention class ranging from 3 1/2 - 5yrs old) and Plattsburgh Public School!! Two completly contrasting places with a lot to offer!! I am working with the 7's and under as i realised it would be good practice ready for the not so daunting final KS1 placement!! Truth be told i was pretrified to start of with, only with the age, but now i am loving it and can see why people love early years teaching!! I have a lot of stories to tell but to keep it short here are some points about what has been happening to during my work:

i have been spiderman, batman, a pirate, catwomen, mr.x and called 'darling' on several occasions
built a house, a ship, a castle, been in a boat (actually a climbing frame but the imagination was there) and dug for treasure in sand, found worms, had worms thrown at me and seen children eat worms
watched a little boy eat shaving foam, eat sand, dirt and chalk
had a chair thrown at me (several times), been kicked, punched and slapped, been told to f**k off, been called a b**ch!!! All by a 4 year old!!
Been cuddled by children who hate contact with people (1st person he has ever cuddled!!!!!!)
Read endless books, been asked whether we have PC's in the UK, whether Singapore is next door and asked if i have met the Queen!!!
Been told i have a weird accent and been told 'your not from around here are you?' in an FBI manner!!

All in all had a barrel of laughs and cant wait to go back tomorrow!!

P.s if anyone can support this cause it would be really appreciated: visit http://www.aspect.org.au/fundraising/bandtogether.asp

Whats up in Aussie Land!!

2006-08-01T13:50:00.000+09:30

Hey guys,
Well we have been back in Aussie Land over a week and everything is pretty much back to normal after our jet set to NZ! Nick is back at uni (not working hard!) and work and im being lazy at home!! Finding the laziness hard!! So to overcome it i am doing some volunteering work (havent got a working visa!! dont wanna be deported!) in a couple of schools! I start tomorrow in a school for children with Austism which should be an interesting experience and something more to add to the CV ready for the manic job hunting next term!

Nick and i are planning a couple of days away in the Hunter Valley - thanks to Emma and Jonno (Nicks sister and brother-in-law) for the gift voucher! Should be nice in a spa villa, sampling wine!! Believe me i wont be drinking too much white wine after my experience in Canterbury and we all remember that!! Also hopefully going to be doing my sky dive then!! aaaaah!!!! loving it!

Got a couple of 21st birthday parties to attend as well!! One at the race course! should be interesting! Dont think i will be betting on the horses though! Got an addictive nature!

Anyways i will keep you updated with more interesting stuff as and when it happens!!!
Missing you all (you lucky so and so with the flipping heat wave!!! Typical!!)

Sian x x x x (&Nick) x x x x

New Zealand (5) - Lake Tekapo and returning Henrietta / Betsy

2006-08-01T13:23:00.000+09:30

Well the trip finally came to an end with us having to trek back to Christchurch from Queenstown - a 6hour trip so we thought! We decided to break the trip up and head to Twizel near Mt. Cook (highest mountain in the NZ Southern Alps) straight after Nick completed his jump and we had Luged it back down to the gondola!! The drive to Twizel, as with all the other drives, was beautiful and full of snow!! Arriving in Twizel was a little disappointing in that it was dark and we couldn't see the amazing scene that had been depicted in the travel book and after driving around we realised that there was no point in staying there so we headed to Lake Tekapo which meant we had less to drive the next day - the day Henrietta / Betsy had to be returned!!

Lake Tekapo was interesting to say the least...You could drive through it without even realising you had!! We stayed at the only camp site / motel / campervan site it had to offer which transported you back into 1970's!!! But with waking up to this view it made the cold shower and ancient facilities worth while! Seriously you didn't want to say in the toilets to long for the smell and the hundreds of mirrors which made it feel like a scene from 'I know what you did last summer!' Nice!! After giving away what little bits of food we had left (peanut butter, pumpkin soup, weetabix and tea bags - should keep them fuelled for a while) to a couple of girls from Kidderminster (madness!) we hit the frog and toad, leaving the snow capped mountains, across the plains into Christchurch, which took no more than 2hours!! A lot less than anticipated!!

Handing over Henrietta / Betsy was a sad occasion, although you couldn't feel a little pleased that you were sleeping in a proper bed for the night and she wouldn't be taking any more petrol money out of us! Seriously how much petrol does a 2person campervan need - she drank through it like water!!! Bless her!!

We had a night to kill in Christchurch before the flight home at 6am the next day so we hit the shops - spending quite a bit of money on some stunning Jade jewellery for me! Well Nick did get to swing from the top of a mountain! It was only fair!! And after getting separate take-aways we hit the hay for a couple of hours before heading to the airport at 430am!!! Only to discover the plane was delayed for 2 hours due to FOG in SYDNEY!!!! How often does Sydney get fog for Christ sake!!

Waving good bye to New Zealand as the sun finally rose at 8am, we began to plan the next trip.....

New Zealand (4) - Adreline Junkie Town (Queenstown)

2006-07-28T18:33:00.000+09:30

After 6 harpins on the side of a mountain we pulled up at the campervan site in Queenstown ready to sample the lifestyle of the 1000's of adreline seekers! Not meaning to repeat myself but seriously every place you visit in the South Island is beautiful and especially on the west coast, is surrounded by more snow capped mountains!! Although one down fall for this picture post card down is how busy it is...after settling into the quiet lifestyle of places like Wanaka, the hussle and bussle is a little off putting but grows back on you!

We explored the centre for the 1st day and thought about what adventure we were to seek, initally thinking we wouldnt do anything as the Glacier walk would be all we would talk about! After a few beers we decided we couldnt leave without doing something (would hate to have regrets!) so after searching through some brochures and speaking to the 'I;Site' people Nick decided he would do a sky swing over the town! I chickened out and believe me i think mostpeople would! We headed up the mountain side of the gondola (an adventure in itself) and heading towards the platform and watched as a man weighing 111kg took the leap!!! Not a nice sight and sound and didnt put the confidence in me for Nicks turn!!

I won't go into too much detail about the whole swing but lets say i was more nervous for him and he througholy enjoyed it!!! Skipped his way back to me when he was unattached and would certainly consider doing it again!!

After he recovered from the excitement we made our way to the 'Luge' - a go-cart kind of thing which you steer down a track! and of course over cautious Sian came last! Loved it though!!!! we then made our way down via the gondola to be attacked by photo people trying to sell us a picture of us on the gondola....seriously who would want a picture like that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once again we realised we were running out of days before our return to cold Australia and had to hit the road back towards Christchurch.....

New Zealand (3) - Wanaka

2006-07-28T18:20:00.000+09:30

After reaching the ground after an amazing Glacier walk we hit the road again to Wanaka - Queenstown little brother! Yet again another beautiful place surrounded by snow capped mountains and little cafes to please even the fussiest of coffee drinkers!!

Wanaka is such 'restfull' place...you can seriously relax and enjoy the slow pace of life within the centre but for the more adventure seekers head to Mount Aspiring for the adventure you could possibly digest!

Nick and I decided that we wouldn't hit Wanaka to hard with the adventures but just soke up the atmosphere and challenge the brain in 'Puzzling World' - the only place with a Labryinth Maze! Kept Nick entertained or should be say lost for a good hour or so! Seriously this place was weird! One room was full of faces which followed you where ever you went...creepy!! I got tot experience life at 7ft, as we played in a room similar to what they used in the Lord of the Rings! Nick experience being a Hobbit!!! very funny! Nick also experienced what it feels like for me when i scream out i feel sick in the car! This room was fascinating to say the least...the floor was slanted but all the pictures etc made the room feel like it was normal...very diorientating!!! Can a pool ball really fall upwards???!!!!

After challenging the brain and giving up on many of the puzzles we headed back to 'Henriette / Betsy' (the name of the campervan!) to hit the frog and toad (road) to Queenstown - adreline junkie heaven!

New Zealand (2) - Franz Josef and my birthday!

2006-07-28T17:08:00.000+09:30

After some 6hours on the road we finally reached the little moutain side village of Franz Josef - made famous for the Franz Josef Glacier and its brother the Fox Glacier (shown in pic)!! It was a beautiful little place full of hostels, backpackers and activity centres ready to feed the adventure junkies full of fun thrilling and dangerous experiences!! Something Nick and I thought we were ready to grab hold of!! We booked ourselves in for the 'Full day Glacier Walk' on the Franz Josef....yes that right 8 hours walking on a glacier (fully made of ICE in case people didn't know) that moved a couple of metres as and when it felt the need to!! Dangerous isn't the word!! Even better we decided to do it the day of my 21st birthday...guess i would have died doing something enjoyable!! Certainly wont be forgetting that birthday!

It was all exciting and nerve racking as we arrived at the centre at 8:15am with the peanut butter sandwiches and thermals! We were made to dress up in nice walking / hiking gear!! Very trendy blue!!! Complemented the eyes! Which would keep us warm and cosy through out the hike! I had to wear 2 pairs of thick socks and gloves just to keep the fingers and toes from freezing!!

After a 5min bus trip to the start of the 2.5km walk to the glacier we walked in the rain for 40mins to the face of the monster we were about the climb! Splitting our group of 40 in to groups of 10 we were placed in group 3 (not the advanced but not the dorment people!) with our guide 'Roar' (yes thats right 'roar' like a lion!!! He was a Danish man!!!) and headed forward to greet the first part of the climb (shown in pic below!) A little daunting to say the least but with the ice talonz "for superior grip in snow / ice" we walked one step in front of the other, holding on tightly to the hand rope up the face of what was to be the best experience of our lives!!!

Seriously there are no words to describe how amazing it was walking on something purely made out of ice!!! It wasn't even that cold because of the sheer amount of walking and climbing you had to do it!!! Good form of exercise!!

As we walked up the glacier, stomping the feet into the loose ice to ensure we didnt fall face first into a carvass 60ft deep Roar told us to prepare for our 1st carvass!! Seriously it is amazing how the body can bend and fold to fit through some pretty tight spaces (not for the faint hearted!!)!!

The 1st one (not the one in the pic)was the scariest as you had to slide in and then bend down to crawl on your hands and knees through thesmallest space ever!! After screaming "IM STUCK!!" and backing out arse 1st I made it through to be pulled out by an Irish Guy!! (Life saver!) After that you kind of got used to your face rubbing up against the ice and your ribs feeling crushed! Still its something i certainly won't forget...the ice was so beautiful, turqiouise in colour and so 'natural'.

It was such an outsounding' landscape something that could not be replicated!!! After a couple of hours of steep step climbing and walking we stopped for lunch with 3 or 4 other groups whilst Roar and Andrew carved out the final cravass...to be known as the 'Cherry' as it was Andrews 1st ever own carved cravass!! An hour later and after hearing pommies (British women!) whinging about the cold...we walked apprehensively towards the 'Cherry!' Amazingly no-one had ever walked through it and only a couple more people will before the glacier moves and covers it over!!! Truely amazing!!

Once we reached as high as we could go the landscape was even more 'unreal' it was so mind blowing to imagine that the ice had craved itself into the beautiful shapes we were seeing and how we were able to walk on it!! Almost made you feel guilty for actually being there....thought you were ruining it or damaging it!

As the rain began to fall (again!) we made our way back down the glacier, walking over ice rock pools and down some more steep stairs, which most people slide down!! Reaching the bottom was an overwhelming (no tears though!) moment when everyone realised exactly what they had just done and how even if they did it again they wouldnt see the same cravass or ice sculptures they had just seen! Certainly everyone realised they wouldn't be forgetting the experience in a hurry!

New Zealand - Christchurch and Hitting the Road

2006-07-28T16:52:00.000+09:30

What a 21st birthday present to recieve!! Couldn't believe Nick had organised this trip!!! He managed to keep it quiet up until a couple of days before! People even kept it quiet throughout the party even when they were intoxicated! Very impressive!!We flew out from Sydney mid-morning to land in Christchurch, in the South Island for early afternoon and it was COLD!! 10degrees or something stupid like that!!!! Tad chilly!!

Christchurch is an interesting place in that there seemed to be nothing orginally New Zealand in it! The shuttle bus driver from the airport to the hostel filled us in on all the details - Very British place, all the street names are Britsh (Hence Worcester St.!), based on the grid layout of Adelaide (South Australia) and most of the churches were American themed!! Still it was a pleasant place with lots of places to enjoy the local beer and dance the night away! Plenty of Irish Pubs as is always the case!!!

The 'Old Country House Hostel' was an amazing, very looked after hostel (my choice of course!) which served as the bed for the night before collecting the campervan from 'Backpackers' early the next morning! Well it would have been early had the beds not been so comfortable and the showers so nice and HOT! Lovely little place! The campervan was an interesting choice of accomodation but for $40 a night (20pounds!) and on wheels it was superb and the only way we would have been able to see all that we did!!!

We left Christchurch mid afternoon on the friday in hail, rain and snow and after hitting the PaknSave (Chav supermarket) for numerous tins of soup and beans we hit the long and winding road across the island through Arthurs Pass to Hokitikia!! Arthurs Pass was amazing....driving through snow capped moutains (the setting of Lord of the Rings!) - a little hairy at times with steep drops either side but Nick got us through safely!!! We stopped at Arthurs Pass Village for a well earned Hot Chocolate for the map reader (ME!!!) and watched as Kea's (sadistic parrots) ripped the rubber of cars and grown men run out like babies and brush them away with sticks!! Very funny! After heating the frost bitten toes and trying to find a radio station we hit the road and arrived in Franz Josef and settled the night in the 'Rainforest Retreat' - caravan/camp/hostel/motel site with sauna's and spas inclusive of the price!!! NICE!!

21st Birthday Party - 15th June 2006 (late blog sorry!!)

2006-07-27T17:53:00.000+09:30

Well guys i apologise for the late updates! been a tad manic in old aussie land! Jet setting to New Zealand has put me a week behind!!!

What can be said about the 21st birthday party.....well a lot of organisation from the girls of course!! Nothing new....nick sat back and did the music (that no one could really hear all night! Beer blocked ears!) The drinks flowed as quickly as the people arrived....more than 70 people!!

I can only name about 10 of them!!! how bad is that!! As the cake shows Eric and Cheryl (Nicks mum and dad) arranged a joint birthday party which was amazing!! Guess who embarrassed herself with 'oooooooh my name's on the cake!!" in front of everyone before Eric could start his speech!!!! A think a few to malibu / vodka and cokes mixed with some terrible cowboy shots were too blame for that!!!

It was a brilliant night enjoyed by all and in true Nick style he hugged the toilet bowl before falling into the middle of bed...feeling as crook as anything!!! Poor love couldn't move without being sick not only throughout the night but the next day too!!!! heheheh ones own fault!! he did insist on drinking what ever people handed to him!!! Not much can be said for me either...the minute i stopped concentrating on making sure he was ok did the stomach start flipping and the head start pounding!! Think that means a good night was had!!!

Well guys thank you all for the birthday texts / cards and pressie i really appreciated it!!!! I had a fantastic birthday as the continuing blogs will tell you!!!!!

Back in Australia July - September 2006

2006-07-17T15:12:00.000+09:30

Well i finally made the long trek back to the other side of the world to spend what is turning out to be a cold summer with the boyfriend (Nick!). Can't believe somewhere where it is always considered 'Hot' can be so cold!!! Admittedly the cold is like the british summer but with a crisp wind but the Aussies like the think either something is better or worse than England, so i have to say this is cold!!!

This the longest trip i have made to australia as i am here until the start of term in September!! We have lost of things planned so there will be plenty to write about and bore people with! hehe!!

The flight out here was pretty good....i actually managed to sleep 9 out of the 12 hours from the Uk to Malaysia which was influenced by a couple of herbal sleeping tablets! and for those who know me i was petrified i wasnt going to wake up but hey you were all right!!! I then spent 3 hours with Daniel and Nikki whom i met on the plane....lovely people a little alternative but nothing wrong with that!!!! Sipping coffee and hearing how they were heading to Brisbane for a conference on diabetes!!! interesting!!! The final leg of the flight was tiring due to the sheer excitment of seeing Nick after 6months!!!! Met Orla, an irish student who had never been away from her parents (she was 21!!!!) so she decides to do a year study here in New South Wales - wont be too hard for her i hope.,....not like she can hop in the car home....way to do it though! Dive straight in at the deep end!

Seeing Nick at Sydney airport, after being told off by customs for thinking i had to declare 50 double deckers (choco bar!), was amazing....hadnt seen his beautiful smile for ages...was the best thing since sliced bread!! Spent a magical couple of days in Sydney catching up before returning to Tingira Heights to see the family with whom i shall be staying with until september!!! Lovely people who make it harder to go as much as nick does!!!

Anyway i shall post througout the trip especially when i return from my birthday trip to New Zealand for a week!!! exciting!!!!