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Well this one goes out to all you neighbours fans.
Where do I start? where Gary left off I guess. So we were in Byron Bay the last time we wrote and now we're in Melbourne. In the time that has passed we have tried our hand at surfing in Byron Bay where Gary booked it behind my back and had to drag me kicking and screaming as I had bad memories of the last time I tried to surf where I couldn't even get close to standing up. So there's me telling Gary i'm going to kill him when we get back to the hostel as to start with I was swallowing enormous amounts of Sea water and finding it really hard BUT then it all changed when I managed on my third attempt to actually stand up and ride my first wave. It was from that moment on that Gary wanted to kill me as I was so much better than him by the end of the session and the fact that I hadn't even wanted to go added salt to the wound.
I guess I should also mention the hostel we were staying in as
Verity sniffing the flowers
In Sydney's botanical gardens it was one of the coolest ones we've stayed in so far. The Arts Factory is it's name and it lives up to that name with all the hippy-esque things going on there as they have yoga, thai chi and poi lessons. They also have the best Cinema I have ever been in as the first three or so rows have sofa/beds for seats which are so comfy that Gary even managed to fall asleep for a while until I had to nudge him and tell him he was missing the best bit of the film. We loved this cinema so much we went back the next night to watch the Australian made film Bra Boys which is a documentary on the infamous surf gang from Maroubra beach. The last night at this hostel was a pretty hairy experience though as when it came to bed time Gary pointed out that I might want to remove the great big Spider above my head on the wall, at which point I swiftly jumped off my bunk and started hunting for a spider catching device. Not having one in our room I was instructed by Gary to go and ask reception for
a cup as there were none in the kitchen. Having done this Gary was rather surprised to see that I wanted him to remove the spider and our friend Frenchy from Fraser island who was staying in the Tee Pee next door wouldn't remove it either. So who had to step up to the challenge I wonder? All I could think to myself is where was dad when I needed him. So the moral of this story is don't believe what they tell you about men being all tough and Macho because it sooo isn't true.
So from Byron Bay we got another overnight Greyhound to Sydney where we spent the next few days doing very touristy things like going to see the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House. We also went on a walk through the Botanical Gardens, went to see an art and photography exhibition and even got to go to the Aquarium where I finally got to see Nemo, unfortunately he wouldn't stay still long enough for a photo.
After Sydney, yes you've guessed it we got another overnight Greyhound but this time to Melbourne where we were greeted by some friendly faces in the
form of nama's old school friend Anne and her husband Rob. We were so thankful to be taken back to their gorgeous and rather large house where we were able to sleep in a proper bed. The only problem with this was that we never managed to get out of bed as early as we should have as it was such a comfy bed and we never wanted to leave it.
Whilst staying with Anne and Rob in Emerald, which is about an hours drive from Melbourne City, we went on a few road trips to various places among which we came across an amazing sculpture garden in a place called Marysville. The owner Bruno was even there to answer any questions we had about his work which i can only describe as "quirky" but fantastic. We were also lucky enough in our time in Emerald to be introduced to Rob's daughter Elissa, her husband AJ and their daughter Aaliyah ( I think that's how it's spelt). They had just heard the news that their house had successfully been sold and so they were in the mood for celebrating and we were invited to go into town with AJ
Shark!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's ok it was in the aquarium and one of his friends while their better halves were attending their work's ball at the Aquarium. We couldn't resist an offer like this so ended up out in Melbourne that evening and not getting home until 04:30 the next morning. Anne and Rob also had two gorgeous dogs, a Golden retriever called Angus and a Pug called Max, it may sound like an odd couple but they were a great combination. A big thank you goes out to Anne and Rob for giving us a place to recharge our batteries and being so hospitable, we hope one day we can repay the favour.
So then on to Melbourne for the next couple of days to do all things Neighbours. Monday night being the first, known as "Neighbours Night"where we got to meet not one but FOUR cast members and two of them performed. We met up with our friend Steph from Middlesborough who had just arrived in Melbourne too and she also had two friends in tow. We all got there early to make sure we got good seats for the evening and to our amusement we were actually the first group to arrive so got seats right
at the front, a prime viewing spot for the festivities which included an opening musical performance from old cast member Libby, then along came Janelle Timmons, Connor, Dr Karl and most surprising of all MADGE BISHOP!!!! for a Q and A session followed by a photo oportunity for all us fans when each of the cast members visited each table to make sure everyone got photos and autographs. It was rather funny when Connor tapped me on the shoulder and I turned round with a look that said "what the hell do you think you're doing" and then obviously clicked who it was. Seeing Karl's band perform had to be the highlight of the evening, especially hearing them perform songs by bands such as the Foo Fighters and the Kaiser chiefs. Woops I almost forgot to mention the best part of all and this was that when I called Mum to tell her where I was, Janelle Timmons walked up behind me and asked who I was talking to and so I passed her the phone and she was able to just about say hello to mum with all the noise in the background. I hope you appreciated it anyway
mum, well as much as I did anyway. Our other Neighbours adventure took place only this morning when we went on the official tour which took us to Erinsborough high, the studio complex where many of the sets are and then finally to Ramsey Street (real name, Pin Oak Court) to take some pics of the famous street which is a lot smaller than you would imagine. Oh and while we were at the studio we bumped into one of the new cast members, Frazer who is going out with Rosie, carmella's sister so watch out for him.
Well we're now at the end of our Oz experience and will be moving onto Singapore tomorrow to start the next stage of our trip so next time you hear from us we'll probably be complaining about the humidity.
Until next time ........
V&G
x x
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