Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi

So we have arrived in Australia. Our lovely friend Brad and his lady Lara picked us up from the airport drove us to see the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House and then we moved north to Newcastle, land of the O'Haras and Silverchair. Our first night was pretty tame and involved going to bed.

Christmas Eve was a different story altogether. Brad and his amazing girlfriend Lara picked us up at 10:30 took us to the Chrissy Surf Comp (I did not compete as I felt that it was unfair to the other surfers). Brad did manage to score us some free gear which was a bonus. Then it was back to the O'Haras for lunch, a change of clothes and then onto one of the swank new bars the Dockyards where we were introduced to Pure Blonde, the low carb Australian beer. Brad being the gracious host made sure that our glasses were never empty. We partied on till close and then moved on to Alex's nightclub where Jagerbombs were consumed and dance party Newcastle began. For Tess and Amanda, I did jazz splits like they were going out of style and have the bruises to prove it. The night ended with opening Brad and Lara's Christmas present - tickets to Silverchair for New Year's - and our second sleep where we weren't afraid of what was in the bed or the pillows, and it was altogether delightful.

Christmas morning had a rough start for me, but Tim took me to the beach where a dip in the 17 degree Celcius water cured whatever hangover would have ruined my Christmas. Then it was onto Christmas presents where the O'Hara's gave me the greatest gift ever: an inflatable Kangaroo. It will be very useful on the trip and you will be seeing a lot more of Skippy in months to come. Kaye and Dave had 18 for dinner from 4 countries: Australia, Fiji, Scotland and USA. I can't even express how fantastic it was to have a homecooked meal and Christmas crackers. It really made my day. After Christmas lunch we moved onto coits (a term that Dave informed me also means asshole literally not figuratively). I didn't make it to the second round. Alex was the only O'Hara that didn't either. The losers had more fun. Moria succeeded into making it to round three, but lost her form. In the end it was between Kay and the reigning champ. It was a good competition but the reigning champ did succeed in ringing a coit where Kay didn't. As the Christmas celebrations were dwindling, we went over to the O.C. of Newcastle and saw the ultimate bachelor pad. Five lads live in a house that has a view of the ocean from 3 sides along with 3 porches and a lovely swimming pool. There is a room available January 1 if any of you are interested in moving to Newcastle, I can put you in contact with them. Then Alex showed us his bachelor pad. The view from the roof shows you the Pacific Ocean, Newcastle's cathedral and basically provides you with the best skyline of the city. It was nice to see him all grown up. By 9:30, we were all exhausted, went back to Kay and Dave's, raided the fridge and called it a night.

For my first celebration of Boxing Day, it was a proper celebration with a dip in the ocean, beach cricket - I have finally figured out the game- and a barbeque. All in all, it was a perfect way to celebrate, and we got to celebrate in style at the surf club with Tim. The sunset was gorgeous, the food was delicious and the beer was cold.

Our first few days here have been awesome. A few more days here, a trip to the Hunter Valley for some wine tasting, then Silverchair and then we head up to Queensland. These next few weeks should be fantastic.

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