Australia – The Wrap Up

Because I was having to much fun to take the time to blog here is a quick and dirty wrap up of our final two weeks down under.

When we got back from Adelaide we went for a nice (but ridiculously overpriced) lunch at The Boat with Janne and Glen. As always, Mindarie provided a beautiful location for a drink and some food.

In an attempt to have a “nice meal”, Charlie, Lindsay, Sarah and I thought we would try Hippo Creek down at Hillarys. Unfortunately the wait was over an hour so we went to The Grill instead. We should have waited for Hippo Creek. The food was terrible and took forever to arrive. At CinCin prices I expected better. We still managed to have a fun time though and made up for the lacklustre dinner  with yummy Cold Rock ice cream for dessert.

Finally in our second week we made it to the beach! It was a beautiful hot morning and the sea breeze hadn’t really come in yet. The water was warm and calm and I got to try out my new waterproof Fuji which was awesome.

After the beach we went by and got a wicked kebab at Peter’s By The Sea. Then we drove to South Perth and had a lovely visit with Nanny Irene. The new place she is living is really nice and has lovely gardens you can go and sit in and relax. 

With the intent of going to Bar 120, we met Callum and Erin down at Hillarys. We started out with a few games of pool at Pot Black which was fun but I was reminded of how terrible I really am at pool. After a couple of drinks there we made our way to the line up for Bar 120. This is when Sarah, Lindsay and I discovered that we are too old for clubs. We were officially those old people in the line who everyone was looking at and laughing at. I thought that we would be fine despite this, even though Sarah pointed out that we were almost old enough to be parents to some of them and that it would be believable if we went to the doorman and said we just needed to pop in for a moment as we were looking for our son.

What did it for me was when the hundredth absolutely wasted girl stumbled towards us in a dress half off and heels that were an ankle injury waiting to happen and I had to fight the urge to pick her up put her in a taxi and send her home. That was when we said goodbye to Erin and Callum and drove our old asses home.

I finally got to go to Perth Zoo. Though there weren’t heaps of animals around for viewing all was forgiven when I saw this guy. I officially love Wombats now and want one as a pet. Lindsay has said no. I am working on it. 

Friday night we went for a BBQ at Casey and Bruce’s house. It was so much fun and I miss them so much!!

One of the best meals we had in Perth was with two of my favourite people. Nadia and Sean suggested this new place called The Naked Fig. The setting alone made it an immediate favourite but the food was really good too. I feel I would be a regular there if we ever moved back.

We went for dinner in Leederville with Janelle and Gilly and then to this funky cafe. I loved the atmosphere and it really felt like it could easily be in Mount Pleasant.

Monday evening Lindsay was in Cervantes and Sarah and I met Nathan for a couple at The Queens. After way to many laughs and a jug of water to sober me up we said a sad goodbye to Nath.

We didn’t feel like taking the drive down to Margaret River this trip so we went out to the Swan Valley instead. We found this great little brewery called Mash. I tried a great cider there (not quite as good as Pipsqueak) and had some tasty nibbles. 

Our final night we had one more going away party at the Sovereign Arms in Joondalup. It was a great night with lots of good friends.

Down Under – Week One

I can’t believe we are already a week into our holiday. It seems to be going so fast. We flew out on Christmas Eve on our round about journey to Perth. First stop – Los Angeles. What a shit hole. LAX has never been my favourite airport but the section that we were in was terrible. Thankfully we only had two hours there and then we were off to Auckland.

Thirteen hours after we left LA we arrived in sunny Auckland, New Zealand. We had around a 6 hour stop over in Auckland so we decided to get a hotel room near the airport so we could eat, sleep and shower before our next and final leg. We stayed at the Holiday Inn which all seemed very nice. That is until it was time to leave and my stomach began to gurgle. We had eaten toasted ham and cheese sandwiched when we arrived with chips. I had sour cream with my chips. Not a great idea. By the time we got to the airport I couldn’t stop throwing up. We boarded the plane and by the time we were taking off the vomit bags were in full use. As soon as I could, I made my way to the toilets, where I stayed for the first two hours of our seven hour flight. Then  the crew found me. They gave me 3 seats to lay down on close to the washrooms. The food poisoning lasted for the entire flight and I even had to be taken off the plane and out of the airport in a wheelchair. Very embarrassing but kind of good since we got to skip all the line ups at customs and quarantine and go out with the crew. The food poisoning lasted for another day in Perth but then I was feeling better.

On Monday night Caz and Birdie had us over for a BBQ. It was great to catch up with them. Birdie made a lovely lamb dish that was amazing after not really eating anything for two days.

Tuesday we met Nathan for lunch at Little Creatures in Fremantle. The place was packed (what else is new) but we managed to find a table on the back patio. Despite the muggy and humid heat that day we had a nice lunch and drinks.

Wednesday morning we flew out to Adelaide to spend New Years with Carney, Davina and the kids. Gibbo and Louise were also there so with our wolf pack of four (Charlie, Sarah, Lindsay and Me) it was quite the full house. We had two days of 40 while in Adelaide and it was scorching. Of course the usual shenanigans occurred once everyone had a few drinks down them which led to some interesting photos and videos. ;) 

We flew out Saturday morning back to Perth. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 6:30am so we had to be up around 4am. Fun! We got out to the airport with plenty of time only to learn that there was something wrong with our plane and we had to wait for a part to come in from Sydney. A 2 hour delay!! Not happy! We finally made it back to Perth and after a quick Rooster Roll (yummy as always) we all went back to bed.

I am happy that we won’t have to get on another plane for a couple of weeks.  

Jetlag is a Bitch

It is 12:50am on a Friday night...well I guess it is technically a Saturday morning. Though we have been home almost a week my body clock still thinks it is in Perth and doesn't understand why on earth I would want to go to sleep at 5:50pm on a Saturday! Usually I don't suffer from jet lag that bad but this time it has been killing me. So instead of laying in bed staring at the ceiling (like I have done every night this week) I thought I would do a blog entry about our last night in Perth.

For our final night in Perth we went to the Old Bailey in Joondalup with friends. Now personally I think that any time you try and merge two groups of friends it generally will not go well. However this was one of those perfect nights where everything just worked. Caz, Birdie, Sarah, Neale, Paul, Casey, Ed, Janne and Glenn all joined us for drinks and dancing to kick off the night. I think that the main factor for the joining of the two groups would have to be that Casey and Neale were apparently separated at birth. Once those two got to talking the rest just fell into place. Many drinks were had and once the band began to play we couldn't resist getting out on the dance floor. Neale joined the ladies (of course) along with Lindsay for a few songs. Neale was dancing up a storm and even got a shout out from the band. :) We were all laughing that when anyone dances with Neale they all have a look of fear in their eyes as you never quite know if he is going to spin you too hard and you will end up across the room. This tends to be a problem when dancing with a man who is 6'8" and doesn't know his own strength.

We closed out the Old Bailey and then looked at each other in horror as we all remembered that we no longer lived in Joondalup and could not stumble home to carry on into the night. So we did what any drunken group of almost 30 year olds would do...stumbled down the street to Dusk...a club that generally does host anyone over the age of 20. We again decided to give the dance floor a whirl. There is something really cool about getting older and just not caring what people think anymore. The DJ began to play songs from the 90s and of course the 18 year olds having no idea what this music was evacuated the dance floor immediately. It was right up our alley however and we danced along busting out our best 90s moves. We would have looked like dags but we had a hell of a time.

It was a great night that I won't soon forget and does make me wish that I could just move all of them here. I miss them all already.

Countdown

Only a couple of days left of our holiday. In a way I am happy to be going home and back to my things (mostly my bed) but at the same time I don't want to leave. As good as it is to catch up with friends, the more people you see the more you don't want to leave.

Monday night we went over to the Rudrum's for a BBQ and some backyard cricket. The wind was blowing a gale so we all had to rug up but we still had a great time.

Tuesday Lindsay and I went to Hanami, the sushi place we used to go to when we lived here, for lunch. After completely stuffing ourselves we then walked around and I took some photos. I found this amazing wall in Mt. Lawley with all this cool graffiti. For dinner that night we went to Bibbik Chans with Janne, Glenn, Janelle, Gilly and Corey. The food was even better than I remember, especially the sago!!!

Lindsay, Gilly, Janelle, Corey, Glenn, Janne and I at Bibbik Chans

Wednesday Janne, Lindsay and I went shopping at Whitfords and had some lunch. That night we had a BBQ at Charlie's and Lindsay's cousin Casey, Uncle Frank and Casey's finance Adam came round. Casey and Adam are coming over to Canada in about four weeks so it will be fun to catch up with them again then.

Thursday we went down to Mandurah with Janne and visited with Nanny Irene. We went to a restaurant down by the water which was very nice. Then it was back to Irene's for the traditional Mandurah visit "photo shoot" and a comedy of errors as Lindsay tried to fix Irene's VCR and then show her how to use it. :)

Lindsay, Paul, Patrick, Bruce and Ed

That night we went over to Paul and Kelly's house for a BBQ. Bruce and Casey as well as Ed came over. I couldn't believe how big all the kids had gotten!! We had very yummy steaks cooked by Paul and of course lots of laughs.

Kelly, Casey and I

Yesterday was about 43 degrees! I had forgotten how hot 40+ could be. Lindsay and I went into the city as I needed to have my PR visa re-stamped into my new passport. Then we picked up a few things before giving into the heat and going home.

Lindsay and I went over the the Vlahov's for dinner last night. It was so good seeing them all again! Dinner was beautiful and we ended up sitting out back and talking till about 1:30am!! Hopefully they will all come and visit us in Canada really soon. After hanging out with them it really made me want to have a big family. Now to just convince Lindsay.... :)

Danielle, Lindsay, Me, Jon, Az and G

The boys try and break bottles

Holiday Homesick

I love being on holiday. Being in a different location, seeing new things (especially through my camera lens) and generally not having to work. I do find however there comes a point in every holiday where you just want to go home. Sitting here left to my own devices this afternoon I find my thoughts going in that direction. I miss my bed, my apartment, my friends and my life in a way.

Holidays can fall into many categories and mine falls into the visiting holiday. Returning to somewhere that used to be home and catching up with all the people, places and things. I find this to be one of the most difficult holidays. Don't get me wrong, I am having a great time but being in a place where people know you leads to responsibilities not usually found on holiday. You must make time for everyone, everything and make sure people don't feel neglected. You also end up doing things that you don't necessarily want to do. Plans have to change....even when you don't want them to.

Sometimes it reminds you of feelings you had that made you move from there in the first place. I guess though when it comes to keeping other people happy sometimes you don't always get to be.

Life is a Whirlwind

With only a week left of our adventure life is really a whirlwind. Trying to spend time with everyone can be difficult but we are getting it done.


Wednesday we went to Scarborough Beach with Corey. We went to Peter's by the Sea and had kebabs and then went down to the beach. Lindsay could resist jumping in the ocean and riding some waves while Corey and I just enjoyed the sunshine and I took some photos. Wednesday night we went and visited Paul and Brooke at their place and had a fabulous time. Brooke made a really yummy dinner and then we sat out back talking until about 2am! Many a bottle of wine was drunk that night, I think the final tally was 7. :)


Thursday we spent the day with Janelle. We went to visit Auntie Dot and Uncle Vernon. It was hard to see how much Auntie Dot had deteriorated but it was really good to be able to catch up with Uncle Vernon. Then we went for lunch at Little Creatures and shared some nibbles and drinks.
Thursday night we spent we went for dinner at Keith and Wendy's place. It was really good to catch up with them as well.


Yesterday we had one of the best days since being in Australia. We woke up early and went golfing at Marangaroo with Charlie. Needless to say I am not going to be the next Tiger but we did have fun.


I had a very "only in Australia" moment while golfing as kangaroos with joeys kept hopping across the fairway. Now that was a trip even for someone who lived here three years.

After golf we went to lunch with Nadia, Sean, Nathan and Neve. It was really good to catch up with them again after the wedding. We went to the Windsor in South Perth and despite the heat (there apparently was no air conditioning in the restaurant) shared food, drinks and giggles. We then came home for a quick Underbelly session (an Australian TV show which Lindsay and I have to come home everyday and watch!!) and then it was on to round three, drinks at Caz and Birdie's. We went to their house in Kinross which is very nice and they had invited all the old crew round. Many a drink went down and there are many shocking photos!! :) As great as it was catching up with all our close friends yesterday it did make me miss being in Perth.

One week to go *tear*.....

Beauty by Mistake?

I posted the above photo to my facebook profile yesterday. It was taken by mistake with Lindsay's webcam when I was moving the computer and I thought my hair looked kind of cool in it so I posted it. The funny thing is as I didn't even think it was that great of a picture yet the response on it has been huge! People have been talking about how hot it is and telling me how great I look. I thought I just looked tired and my hair wasn't done as I had just gotten back from the beach, not exactly what I would normally call a glamour shot. Ahhh well, I guess it is mistaken webcam shots of me from now on. Just a case of beauty by mistake.

We went down to Scarborough Beach today with Corey. We had a yummy kabab at Peter's By The Sea and then took a walk down to the beach. I took photos while Lindsay couldn't help taking a quick dip in the ocean. I am feeling the heat today even though it is only 35....listen to me, only 35!!! I think it is going to hurt when we have to go back to 2 degrees!

Relaxation and Sunshine

It is day 9 of our Australian adventure and relaxation has fully kicked in. We had a wonderful time during the rest of our stay in Adelaide. It was hard to leave Carney and Davina and especially two of the cutest kids ever, Rylee and Jake. Rylee definitely took a shining to Lindsay, they were inseparable the whole time!! Hopefully it won't be too long before we all get to catch up again.

Me, Jake, Lindsay and Rylee

Saturday was a scorcher here in Perth! I think it must have been in the high 30s and not a lot of wind. We went to our good friends Nadia and Sean's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony at the Scented Gardens in South Perth with the birds singing and butterflies fluttering in the trees. Nadia looked absolutely beautiful and Sean wasn't too bad himself. It was also great catching up with Nathan who was down from up north for the ceremony. After the ceremony Nathan, Lindsay and I went to the Windsor for a quick drink and to cool down as sitting in the sun during the ceremony had wilted us a little. Then it was on to the Esplanade Suites for a lovely reception. Even the speeches were great and we loved catching up with Nadia and Sean.

Lindsay, Nadia, Me and Nathan

We caught up with the family on Sunday afternoon. Nanny Irene didn't know we were in town so it was a nice surprise for her, once she realised we were there. :)

Went to the beach today for the first time. I didn't realise how much I missed swimming in the ocean till I was in it again. It is about 34 today with a light wind and the beach wasn't too busy as it is a Tuesday and most people are back at work now after Christmas holidays. I went in the ocean for a little while but couldn't stay in too long as it was a bit rough. Lindsay had a great time body surfing though.

After the beach we made our way to Joondalup and had a spot of lunch at Corey's restaurant, the Grand Boulevard Tavern. The food was wonderful as usual and walking back to the car with the sun on my back and the wind blowing my dress I couldn't help but think, I could get used to this.

A Griswold Start to Our Adventure

Holiday roooooaaaaad, Holiday roooooaaaad.....

Well we are on day four of our visit to the sun burnt country and things are beginning to look up. We flew into Perth on Monday morning and within a few hours made an unfortunate discovery...food poisoning is the shits. No laughter please.

Within a few hours of getting to home I began to feel nauseous and threw up. At first I figured it was just the long flight and lack of sleep. But it continued. Two hours later I couldn't be away from the toilet for more then a couple of seconds. That is when it hit Lindsay. I will spare you the gory details but by 8pm that night we were both worse for wear. Off to the after hours GP we went, we were given a quick shot and told to stick to ice cubes and nothing else. It continued through the night. By the next morning I could barely sit up. At 7am Lindsay felt it was time to go to emergency. Two hours later (trying to get comfy lying across three plastic chairs and keep everything in) I was admitted and put on a drip. In the end I needed two full bags of fluid to bring my heart rate and blood pressure back to normal. A fun start indeed.

Yesterday we finally made it on the plane to Adelaide, due to our stomach "trauma" we had to cancel our original flight the day before. Needless to say it was a quiet New Years for me but I fun one catching up with good friends, Carney and Davina.

My stomach has settled now and hopefully the rest of the trip will go well....fingers crossed.