Catch up

Holy crap, I can't believe I haven't added to my blog since the 23rd of November, saying my visa application was being processed. Well on 24th November, my 457 visa was approved in one of the most casual phone conversations I think I've ever had....so I'm now allowed to stay in Australia until 24th November 2015! Whether I will or not is another issue, I still have the travel bug in me, so here's seeing whether I can cope that long in one place!

So, what have I been up to over the last few weeks, I suppose it'll just be a bit of a re-cap (yet again, I haven't taken too many photos....oooopsie)

So that weekend I went out and celebrated getting my visa be going to Dub Day Afternoon. Then celebrated even further by crippling my neck the next day pissing around in Kangaroo Point Park. Also, the last Friday in November was my last Friday working at the Groove Train...I've got my Friday evenings back!!!!

The following weekend was MJ's leaving weekend.

Even though it took her a week to actually leave:

This is the following week at Brisbane Airport as she's finally heading off to Melbourne, before Thailand (where she just left today), then onto Norway, before moving to The Netherlands to live early next year. Tom and I also went car hunting that weekend with no great success, so I sadly think that buying a car will be on hold for a while! Also I finally got to watch a full Saints game that weekend (the one home game that they didn't win), and also catch up with Rich who I haven't seen since I left school. I also had a BBQ with Jeremy and Mel later that week as they are both leaving too........They always leave in bundles!

The Friday just passed was work's Christmas party, we had free food and beer on a roof top at the UQ campus.....where I got a $50 David Jones voucher (it's a shopping chain...not the pedophile), but I've been told that $50 in David Jones won't get me anything....ah well. That turned into a messy Afternoon / Evening / Night that later involved early morning tree climbing, roof climbing, and roof top pool jumping...fun times!

And that was followed by more rock pool diving on the Sunday just passed. We headed down to Currumbin Valley to hang out here:

Doesn't it just advertise it all.....And, make it so much more appealing!

Peacock!

And we're all still alive to tell the tales (hence why you can read this!!!)

Finished my weekend with derby day.....Skate were so lucky to get that point! Still, top of the league Saints, keep it up! I still get so psyic up for these games from half the world away!

My next post will be more exciting, I promise, I have two more days at work then I have no idea what I'm doing for Christmas and the rest of my time off yet, but I have manged to get time off until Wednesday 4th January next year, so I will be getting out of Brisbane somehow and somewhere to enjoy my first ever Christmas, New Years, and Birthday in a summer...boom yeah I'm excited! So I doubt I'll be posting before Sunday so I hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas....I'm currently in the process of making my holiday season plans as I type!

Feliz Navidad a todos! (That's Google Translate, my Spanish aint that good yet!)

Only in Australia-Stilllllll

Well, I have been here for a long time, making it easier to notice more things, but they just make it too easy. Like the other day I saw some woman walking home with a scarf on, a scarf, it's like 30 degrees c here, there is no need for a scarf, I know it's spring...but IT'S 30C!!!! They're starting to get all the Christmas decorations up over here, which I can understand (I don't like it this early but I can understand), but I can't understand why they put snow in the displays....Australia, snow, and Christmas really, surely do not go together. Not even to mention the abbrevoooos...oh, that's Australian for abbreviations! I thought I was getting used to the language (cos it is a different language) but over the last few weeks all these new words have come into play, like "Can I borrow a little nicko off of someone"....!?!?....this equals, "Can I please borrow a permanent marker from you"...my spell check is red lining all of these "words"

.... Apparently I am wrong...

Apparently I'm a banana bender then...

That's just WRONG!!!!

Anyways, onwards....

Really exciting...and original!

Scary...

.....Not so scary

What..."New"...how did Aussies ever have a proper childhood!!!!

This is a real place

You've been warned!

In case you forget...I think the people that need to read this, can't

...So don't look up and read pointless signs!

The gate on the left is always closed, and the traffic light man is always red...

Party on

Something to look forward too....

My Australian pension or superannuation...kinda depressing really

Pork and Roo! Yum!

Whata deal

Cos it's hard

Now I really wanna enter

As stylish as I want my poo paper to be!

Translates as!

Helpful

Next they'll be claiming they invented the alphabet

Are you as excited as I am.....this is for a pack of fags!

And finally, to any Canadian or American who has mocked me for having to wear a school uniform, at least we didn't have it this bad back in England:

Right, I am aware there is a lot of photos above, but these have been building up for a few months now. But you'll be pleased to hear that I haven't really taken any photos over the last couple of weeks, so no more to look at in this post....oooooh.

As for me, work's going well, the sun's going even better. The weekend before last I was sailing and kayaking on the Saturday, then went to the Brisbane Roars game on the Sunday, A-League football seems OK, very one-sided even though it finished 1-1. Randomly met some Saints fans there, good to talk to some people who are loving the heights at the top of the league!

Played with fire last Monday (only hit myself in the face once (the other time it just rolled over the top of my head)). Then last Wednesday morning headed to the airport to pick up Tom straight from England, 14 months and one week since I left he's finally joined me on my adventures. We picked him up, along with his mate Mike. So last Wednesday we had a BBQ with Kangaroo Burgers (of course) with the two of them and MJ...I mean Miranda.... Then for the weekend I took them out around Brisbane, then we went surfing somewhere down the Gold cost on Sunday.

Went out for Rosie's last Uni piece last Thursday. Congrats to Rosie for finishing her Music Engineering coarse, and to all other Aussie students have finished they're courses and exams over the last week.

And my visa application finally has a case worker working on it...think I just need to sort out insurance stuff...so getting there!

SIGN OFF!