Your Land, My Land, Our Land, QUEENSLAND!

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Well now I know it's been a long time but don't fume - I have an excuse. I wrote a long and hilariously funny entry about a month ago, just before I left Cairns, and the computer crashed and I lost a whole heap of genius that will never be recovered.

So stop your irritation and mourn.

MOVING ON! And so I have. I finally gave up the ghost in Cairns. It was getting me so so down, I was almost grumpy! So I thought "enough of this, I can't be anywhere close to approaching bitter, it's just not right! I have to sort my sh*t out and get a god damn job". And since there were none (for me) in Cairns, I thought I'd head down south and try my luck here in BrisVEGAS! However, it all sounded a bit gloomy here too, as Queensland relies heavily on the mining industry which has undergone a lot of difficulties recently. So I made myself a PoA, if there was no whiff of a job in Brisbane within 2 weeks (or more like 1.5 weeks, and Becky, with whom I'm staying, was heading off on a week's holiday and so I had to vacate MY room!), then I would move on to Perth, where I have more friends.

A couple of complications - Kat and Graeme, the Perth friends, were actually in the UK, enjoying record-low temperatures (I know how you feel, homies, it's getting down to about 20 degrees celsius here!!), I didn't get a chance to see my family within the allotted time.... oh yeh and I got a whiff of a job!

However, before THAT job started, I got another job, which pays less but is full time and lasts for.... (I'm really sorry people at home) 6 months. Meaning, it finishes in August. Meaning, I won't be back until October.

THERE. I've told you. I've been hiding it from you but there you go. Sorry.

ON THE PLUS SIDE, if I scrimp & save, I will get to: New Zealand, Fiji, RARATONGA, TAHITI, the US, and possibly, given the odd route home that STA.com.au came up with for me, Iceland.....

Another plus side, I might get some occasional work as a diving instructor with a local dive school

A third plus side (how many sides to this complex geometric solid that is my outlook?) is given that I am a little settled, I am getting back into a fitness routine, making more friends, seeing family - the world is a place that is full of singing for me at the moment.

I thought of yet another plus side. Matt & Becky have a MASSIVE telly and a brilliant DVD collection.

This is a travelblog though so I should talk more about travel....... Seriously this telly is huge. I've never watched a telly so big - except when I've been to the cinema.

(note to self: ENOUGH ABOUT THE TV!) Brisbane is lovely - Cairns was laid back and I walked everywhere with no shoes, Brisbane is not like that at all. It's not too hectic though - the city centre is a little Isle-of-dogs-esque, skinny-as women wearing high fashion, lots and lots of bars, backpackers and foreigners everywhere... But out in the 'burbs life is a little slower. I'm staying in a lovely old Queenslander (they're those wooden houses on stilts - they are elevated to create updrafts to cool the house down, though in practice people usually have air-con so most of them have a ground floor added in around the stilts these days). There is a sports ground at the end of the cul-de-sac, where Becky and I will be doing circuit training come the weekend. The weather is hot in the day and nicely cool at night - just cool enough when I set off for work....

I will be doing some local diving soon, so I'll write about that, and we've got an easter holiday coming up to Mount Warney in Northern NSW. I'll be heading back to Cairns to catch up with my (Swansea) Aunty Judy & Uncle Allan and my various Cairns Crew ("When are you coming HOME Ang?" as Hollie asked me the other night). And hopefully, being in an admin job as I am, though ridiculously busy (brilliant!) I will probly update you guys more often.... lucky monkeys.

Things worth a mention:

• I turned up to the interview to my current job absolutely soaked to the skin, having walked through nigh-tropical rain for about 40 min from the train station. I was so wet, the receptionist didn't even know i was wet, because my entire shirt was a darker colour and my hair just looked slicked down. They must have liked it - they gave me an umbrella and the job.
  
  
• Before I started cycling to work, I had to allow about 1.5 hours for my commute, meaning that I was getting up at 0530 if I wanted to shower.
  
  
• I cycle about 10 miles a day.
  
  
• I tried to play tennis the other day and I looked like some manner of marionette.
  
  
• My job involves lots of numbers, and cakes.
  
  
• I go swimming every week but last week I got kicked out of the pool because there was a lightning storm
  
  
• The local shopping mall is called Indooroopilly (Indr'pilly) and it's massive.
  
  
• I get up early every Saturday morning to go to the fresh fruit & veg market - it makes me oddly happy to be there
  
  
• I have started making scones, and banana bread, really really well ;-)
  

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