What a month!! and Spring is officially here! The flowers are starting to bloom, the evening sea breeze is now warm and you can smell jasmine in the air - ahhhhh. Although winter is not hard to take (especially after Canadian winters!) it’s still a relief to feel the warmth again and to have the days getting longer. After a month of complete and utter gluttony in Canada, I faced the City 2 Surf running race on August 9th. I decided to test my theory that if you hadn’t run for a long time, you could shock your body and finish [View Full Entry]

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Well, this is probably my last blog entry before Canada! Since winter has set in, life has been a little less hectic and a little more relaxed. So, let’s see, April and May....visiting with friends and family, Mudgee Wine and Food Festival in Manly, I bought a sewing machine!!, found a yoga class and a friend to go with, said bon voyage to good friends Dale and Samina who are off on a year long adventure somewhere in Asia-Pacific, I shook the hand of a famous cricket player Glenn McGrath at the Wharf Bar (not that I knew who he was [View Full Entry]

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And the cleanest air in the whole world! Wow. I had to dig out my trip journal to write this part of the blog since we packed so much activity into our 5 days there. WARNING: Lots of pictures (I couldn't bring myself to cut out any more!) Other than where I was going and to pack all my warm clothes, the trip was a complete surprise! I woke up on Thursday morning, in Hobart, as Matt’s grinning face explained that our new adventure was out in the parking lot. With Matt, you just never know and he didn’t disappoint! He [View Full Entry]

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February and March have passed like a flash, as always. I feel like I’m living every day - I just need more days! Some random fun things around at the moment: They are filming Australia’s Biggest Loser - Couples here in Manly, at North Head. I can actually see their training grounds from my bedroom window. Kind of funny to think they are running this TV show a few kms away....hasn’t inspired me to get into a training regime yet though....hmmm. Another interesting/scary news bit is the number of shark attacks seems to have been increasing lately. In March, 3 attac [View Full Entry]

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Ok, application is in! Mine and 33,999 others for The Hamilton Island Caretaker Job - The Best Job in the World! It was really fun making the video application (THANK YOU MATT!!) and someone has to win, right!? And this time here is all about getting out of my comfort zone! Here are the details: The official website is: http://www.islandreefjob.com/#/about-the-job To see my video, go to: http://www.islandreefjob.com/applicants/watch/jQdPIUQXuIs The important bit..... On March 2, 2009 they are shortlisting 50 people. From that list of 50 people, they will take 10. B [View Full Entry]

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I didn’t expect to be starting out this blog entry on such a tragic note but given the events of last weekend, it’s hard to think of anything else. The bush fires in Victoria have devastated families, businesses and whole towns - a complete tragedy. It’s something not many people can comprehend, even if you are Australian, but it’s hard to compare it to anything I’ve experienced. I’m sure the international news is covering the more sensational stories but please send your thoughts, energy and, if possible, your help this way. These people have nothing. [View Full Entry]

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As I sit here on holiday (yes, again) I thought I'd make one last blog entry for 2008. 3M Australia, like many other companies, has asked everyone to take their vacation days for financial reasons. I have no problem with that - it's only a matter of deciding what to do with them! Luckily I received my company car just in time - a brand new Honda Civic Hybrid. She's no 1995 Civic Coupe but I do really like her. She is smaller (easier to parallel park) and way more fuel efficient (fewer experiences at the pumps). I've not driven a [View Full Entry]

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So, it's been pretty much non-stop since my September visit to Canada, then to Vanuatu. In between the trip and returning to real life (work, laundry, groceries) we celebrated Melbourne Cup Day and squeezed a weekend hike on the six foot track. Tuesday, November 4th is Melbourne Cup Day and a big day in the state of Victoria (they get the whole day off!) but also a pretty big day in Australia. We had a betting pool at work - I had $5 on number 14 Gallopin , J Winks, 52kg...but no luck. Next year I think I’d like to wear [View Full Entry]

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(It's almost Christmas and this entry has been sitting in the queue for a while so it's a bit dated....) I only realized today, that it has been exactly one year since I landed on the beach in Australia with no place to live and not knowing a soul. I'll never forget my first 5 days of 'waking up' in the Collaroy hostel (a beach about 10 minutes up the coast from Manly). And so it has been a year. The days have become less of a struggle, more routine and I've adapted pretty quickly. I no longer get stressed out [View Full Entry]

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Vanuatu - not just the a of Survivor! Warning - this entry contains a ridiculous number of photos - I was going to break it up into two entries but, well, whatever... We arrived at the Port Vila airport (on the island of Efate) in the early afternoon and Chris, Matt’s cousin, was there to meet us - whew. Chris is an ex-pat (Australian) works for ANZ Bank and agreed to let us stay with him while the rest of his family was away. After we dropped off our stuff, he took us to get some Vt$ (there are only a [View Full Entry]

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