Trish Code

January 26, 2010 - Australia Day! Just after celebrating Australia Day in Darling Harbour, Sydney it was off to New Zealand!!! We had booked 2-for-1 tickets to a few places about 8 months ago and all of a sudden it was time to go! We flew into Auckland (North Island) and back home from Christchurch (South Island) and had a rough itinerary for the 9 days in between. The trip was going to be a bit different to what we initially were thinking....bungy jumping, zorbing and scuba diving were replaced with dolphin cruises, easy walks and touristy attractions. It was a fabulous time and so good to get away from it all. We arrived into Auckland, picked up our rental car, grabbed the map and made our way to our first destination - The Bay of ... read more

The end of 2009 was a bit of a blur... We had an informal engagement party in Manly with the gang to celebrate over beers, snacks and the harbour. I missed you guys in Canada, and I know you would have loved to be here (even if it is just to believe this is really happening!), but we had a very fun night at the Four Pines Brewery. I'm trying to enjoy the parties before the hard part of planning begins! Crystie arrived on a beautiful, sunny afternoon in late October for a couple of weeks of fun and sun and I was hoping the weather would cooperate! And it did!! The first step was of course to hit the Wharf Bar in Manly and catchup in person! We spend some time relaxing, exploring Sydney and ... read more

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 or anything about cricket!) celebrated happy baby news for Kris and Taryn!! We spent Easter in Coffs Harbour with Katherine, Steve and Matt’s Mom which was very relaxing. The new beachside condo is just beautiful ... read more

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 attacks in 3 weeks - a bodyboarder in Bondi, a navy diver in Sydney Harbour, a surfer in Avalon. Then one week later, a surfer in south NSW was paddling out for a surf and a ... read more

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. But also a wildcard from the website with the most votes. Sooooo, if....no, when!....I make it to the 50 shortlisted you need to please vote for me! I'm not yet sure how it works but voting starts on March 2nd so I wanted to give you a ... read more

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. If you do feel you can contribute to the 'Dig Deep' campaign, here’s one link (there are many but Red Cross is the primary). http://www.redcross.org.au/default.asp How lucky we are. Ok, back to lighter topics. January 2009 got off to a slow, ... read more