WITH the first anniversary of Black Saturday almost upon us, we've been reflecting on our first year Down Under. Yes, time flies, but I didn't think it did that quick.
We left Manchester Airport at a jaw-juddering -7C temperature last February and arrived in Australia just in time for one of the most infamous days in Australian history.
With temperatures soaring to a blistering 43C, bush fires ravaged across parts of Australia, taking in their paths the lives and properties of people who never thought it would be as bad as it actually was.
Prince William was in Melbourne last week spending the morning of his third day in Australia visiting bush fire victims. Two thousand homes were destroyed and 173 people killed in the fires that swept through Victoria, fuelled by 100mph winds. And it seems like just yesterday.
The Prince talked to people who'd been affected by the fires, met with John Brumby, the Premier of Victoria, and was shown a book with pictures of the disaster.
Prince William then went on to Flowerdale, another community badly affected by the fires. John Burgess, chairman of the Flowerdale Recovery Committee, noted that the Prince's visit was a welcome distraction from the constant grind of disaster recovery.
So as the emotional and structural re-build goes on, the threat of a repeat performance seems all the more real now summer is well and truly here.
It's nice that we can eat dinner in the garden, it's even nicer to hang out washing only to bring it back in bone dry within the hour.
But the thought of another natural disaster that was purely brought on by the catastrophic combination of blistering heat and ferocious winds is always there at the back of our minds.
Monday, 25 January 2010
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
Everybody needs good neighbours
WELL, I think we've cracked it on the new neighourly social scene.
Not only did we get to jump into one their's pool - fully clothed - at the strike of midnight on New Year's Eve but tonight, we headed over the road to spend an hour or two in the company of our overworked Australian counterparts.
Our typically good looking Aussie accountant and retail manager friends both have jobs that dictate their social lives. The world of retail over here, as it is back there, is pretty much 12/7 so any windows of social opportunity rarely present themselves and our neighbourly party lives are put on hold.
Until tonight. We were invited round for a beer or three and to be honest, it was a treat to sit in a house that didn't need X, Y and Z doing to it. It took me right back to when we were converting our chapel in Wales. In the early days, we would spend our evenings out at friends trying to forget the work we had to undertake. But when the job in hand eventually came together, we found ourselves hard pressed to even leave the confines of the masterpiece we'd created.
And now, we find ourselves in the same position. I totally feel the underdog to all the beautiful and stylish homes we find ourselves invited to. I know it's going to take a good few years getting this place exactly how we want it but for now, we just have to bite the bullet and work on the immediate requirements. All the cosmetic touches will come with the onset of time. And disposable cash.
The blueprints have been drawn up for a pool in the back yard and the conversion of a car port into another bedroom and all we need now is for the council's rubber stamp all over them before we can get on with some real masonry work.
But back to the neighbours... I first met them when we'd exchanged contracts and picked up the keys. After a quick look around our new house, I clocked them getting out of the car on their driveway so grasped the opportunity to rock up on their nature strip and introduce myself.
Since that day, they've put our garbage bins out for us when we've been, how can I say, worse for wear, and tonight we've even had the privilege of seeing their honeymoon DVD. And I feel honoured! While we sat there and drank tinnies in stubby holders, we took the mick out of neighbour who kept chipping into our giggleage with "Naaaa, ya gurra see this bit..."
Before we left UK, friends said we were making the right decision and that we'd have no problem making new chums. That, I didn't doubt for a minute, but times like this just reinforce that message. If you're willing to put yourself out there, good things come to those who wait...
Not only did we get to jump into one their's pool - fully clothed - at the strike of midnight on New Year's Eve but tonight, we headed over the road to spend an hour or two in the company of our overworked Australian counterparts.
Our typically good looking Aussie accountant and retail manager friends both have jobs that dictate their social lives. The world of retail over here, as it is back there, is pretty much 12/7 so any windows of social opportunity rarely present themselves and our neighbourly party lives are put on hold.
Until tonight. We were invited round for a beer or three and to be honest, it was a treat to sit in a house that didn't need X, Y and Z doing to it. It took me right back to when we were converting our chapel in Wales. In the early days, we would spend our evenings out at friends trying to forget the work we had to undertake. But when the job in hand eventually came together, we found ourselves hard pressed to even leave the confines of the masterpiece we'd created.
And now, we find ourselves in the same position. I totally feel the underdog to all the beautiful and stylish homes we find ourselves invited to. I know it's going to take a good few years getting this place exactly how we want it but for now, we just have to bite the bullet and work on the immediate requirements. All the cosmetic touches will come with the onset of time. And disposable cash.
The blueprints have been drawn up for a pool in the back yard and the conversion of a car port into another bedroom and all we need now is for the council's rubber stamp all over them before we can get on with some real masonry work.
But back to the neighbours... I first met them when we'd exchanged contracts and picked up the keys. After a quick look around our new house, I clocked them getting out of the car on their driveway so grasped the opportunity to rock up on their nature strip and introduce myself.
Since that day, they've put our garbage bins out for us when we've been, how can I say, worse for wear, and tonight we've even had the privilege of seeing their honeymoon DVD. And I feel honoured! While we sat there and drank tinnies in stubby holders, we took the mick out of neighbour who kept chipping into our giggleage with "Naaaa, ya gurra see this bit..."
Before we left UK, friends said we were making the right decision and that we'd have no problem making new chums. That, I didn't doubt for a minute, but times like this just reinforce that message. If you're willing to put yourself out there, good things come to those who wait...
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
New girl no more
SO now another new girl has started at the office, I can no longer play dumb and seek solace with my colleagues.
No more will the wounded new girl approach work, for now, I have to look as if I know exactly what I'm doing, even if I don't.
Don't get me wrong, I've grasped the nettle insofar as allocating nurses to shifts but it's all the other stuff that comes hand in hand with the operation that befuddles me.
When a nurse is allocated to a shift, that's exactly how I like it. When that nurse calls up and pulls out of the shift because she wants a longer one or a shorter one or one on a different day at a different time at a different place ... that's when I get the heebie-jeebies.
Multi-tasking is not my strong point. I like to keep mistakes to an all-time minimum and for that I have to keep myself focussed. And that's hard when the phones shriek relentlessly for staff to fill all those low-manned shifts.
It's easy to get sidetracked in this job but your mind has to prioritise accordingly. Granted, it's not helped when nurses drop in to bring their timesheets and want to stay for a chat. For a lot of the time, this is more than welcomed because that's when you get to hear the valued feedback from where we've sent them to work.
The flip side of that is trying to sound interested in maybe what family issues they're going through or how many hours they've worked that week or where they find the best place to buy a watermelon, when really all you want to do is find staff to find a whole new heap of shifts that have just come flooding in. Any unfilled shifts don't bring in the moolah and that's not what we're trying to achieve here.
So as new girl is shown the ropes that have just been shown to me, I'll be earwigging and trying to soak up a little more knowledge at her new working day expense. I just hope she doesn't ask me too many questions because I really don't know how many I'll be able to answer.
But then, I might even surprise myself...
No more will the wounded new girl approach work, for now, I have to look as if I know exactly what I'm doing, even if I don't.
Don't get me wrong, I've grasped the nettle insofar as allocating nurses to shifts but it's all the other stuff that comes hand in hand with the operation that befuddles me.
When a nurse is allocated to a shift, that's exactly how I like it. When that nurse calls up and pulls out of the shift because she wants a longer one or a shorter one or one on a different day at a different time at a different place ... that's when I get the heebie-jeebies.
Multi-tasking is not my strong point. I like to keep mistakes to an all-time minimum and for that I have to keep myself focussed. And that's hard when the phones shriek relentlessly for staff to fill all those low-manned shifts.
It's easy to get sidetracked in this job but your mind has to prioritise accordingly. Granted, it's not helped when nurses drop in to bring their timesheets and want to stay for a chat. For a lot of the time, this is more than welcomed because that's when you get to hear the valued feedback from where we've sent them to work.
The flip side of that is trying to sound interested in maybe what family issues they're going through or how many hours they've worked that week or where they find the best place to buy a watermelon, when really all you want to do is find staff to find a whole new heap of shifts that have just come flooding in. Any unfilled shifts don't bring in the moolah and that's not what we're trying to achieve here.
So as new girl is shown the ropes that have just been shown to me, I'll be earwigging and trying to soak up a little more knowledge at her new working day expense. I just hope she doesn't ask me too many questions because I really don't know how many I'll be able to answer.
But then, I might even surprise myself...
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
History repeats itself
OOPS! ... I did it again.
I have just spent the last half hour rolling my eyes at husband who opened his mail .. only to discover a letter from the Victoria Police Department.
I frowned and gurned at him when he read out of his latest offence - exceeding the speed limit on the Mooroduc Freeway by a measly 8km an hour. But it's still a lawbreaker.
The documentation officially logged his whereabouts at the time of the crime and he went on to rack his brain and retrace his speedy steps.
All I could think of was how much make up I could buy with that $146 we'd now have to find to pay the fine. But the penny dropped moments later, only for the invoice to boomerang its way back in my direction as Super Sleuth had worked out it was actually me in that car at that time on that day of that week. Groan.
I can't believe I've been here a matter of minutes and I have two speeding offences under my belt. But it's sooo easy to do. Big whopping 4-litre engines and automatic transmissions mean you can just wollop your foot down without any need to negotiate the gears and escalate gently to the speed you want. It's either stop or go over here... and I'm paying the price for it.
Through the grapevine though, we've heard that local graveyard dodgers have an ingenious way of saving up for their annual luxury cruiseship holidays. These pensioners take points off drivers who are getting dangerously close to a ban and entrepreneurily name their price.
A couple of points on their licence isn't going to get them a ban as they spend most of their time overseas and enjoying the holidays of a lifetime - at the expense of those with a heavy right foot.
Can't help but admire them....
I have just spent the last half hour rolling my eyes at husband who opened his mail .. only to discover a letter from the Victoria Police Department.
I frowned and gurned at him when he read out of his latest offence - exceeding the speed limit on the Mooroduc Freeway by a measly 8km an hour. But it's still a lawbreaker.
The documentation officially logged his whereabouts at the time of the crime and he went on to rack his brain and retrace his speedy steps.
All I could think of was how much make up I could buy with that $146 we'd now have to find to pay the fine. But the penny dropped moments later, only for the invoice to boomerang its way back in my direction as Super Sleuth had worked out it was actually me in that car at that time on that day of that week. Groan.
I can't believe I've been here a matter of minutes and I have two speeding offences under my belt. But it's sooo easy to do. Big whopping 4-litre engines and automatic transmissions mean you can just wollop your foot down without any need to negotiate the gears and escalate gently to the speed you want. It's either stop or go over here... and I'm paying the price for it.
Through the grapevine though, we've heard that local graveyard dodgers have an ingenious way of saving up for their annual luxury cruiseship holidays. These pensioners take points off drivers who are getting dangerously close to a ban and entrepreneurily name their price.
A couple of points on their licence isn't going to get them a ban as they spend most of their time overseas and enjoying the holidays of a lifetime - at the expense of those with a heavy right foot.
Can't help but admire them....
Friday, 1 January 2010
Happy New Year
I'VE recently had the most awesome weekend. It started on a Friday night with my office Christmas party - IN the office!
Now, having an office based in a house has a great many benefits when it comes to social events. There's a kitchen to prepare the food, a dishwasher to help with the clearing up, a patio area for alfresco socialising with colleagues and bosses, a fridge for the wine and my favourite - a bath filled with ice to keep the beer on chill.
My eyes were on stalks when I clocked this, absolutely hilarious. What wasn't so hilarious was me falling over and rolling my ankle after more than one too many self-measured Jim Beams.
On the way down, I banged my head and cracked a shoulder blade on the door frame - or so I was told. I don't actually remember all that much about the event - all I recall is trying to regain some sort of composure after taking the tumble and thanking my husband and a colleague for helping me get back to a vertical state.
Working with nurses comes with a whole heap of advantages in so far as advising me I'd probably broken my ankle which gave me even more mileage at home to get out of lots of jobs I had little inclination in doing.
The following night, we went to a 40th birthday party. We were flattered when our friend of 9 months invited us to the event at a beautiful restaurant in Mt Eliza. The dress code was cocktail and the lavish affair fed and watered us all until the small hours of Sunday.
As the champagne flowed, there too came an announcement that thanked us all for attending the birthday bash. But this was a birthday bash with a twist. Over the mic came "... now you thought you were all here to celebrate Mel's 40th birthday. But in fact, you're here for her wedding..." at which point the guests shrieked in amazement and in walked our newly gowned up bride - this time in white.
In a state of giddy shock, we all headed down into the garden as dusk began to fall to witness the most beautiful ceremony I've ever seen. There was laughter, tears, happiness and joy and the delight on the bride's face is a vision I'll never ever forget.
Being there to see the lid lifted on such a special secret is one of my favourite Australian memories. I felt honoured, flattered and privileged to be invited as a guest to such an intimate affair and as we looked on at the couple say their vows as the peninsula sun faded behind them, I felt warmth on the inside as well as the out and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
So the festive season has been a good one. Different ... but good. We went to the beach for a spell after the big fella had delivered his gifts and we had a roast with all the trimmings.
On New Year's Eve, we went to our local for early doors and spent a few hours on the rooftop deck all clamouring for the shade as sunset temps averaged 30C. After a lift home, we went to a house party at friends over the road and at the strike of midnight, husband and I jumped in their pool - fully clothed and still clutching a Jim Beam! What a way to welcome in the new year. I wonder if this is how things will be from now on....?
Happy New Year!
Now, having an office based in a house has a great many benefits when it comes to social events. There's a kitchen to prepare the food, a dishwasher to help with the clearing up, a patio area for alfresco socialising with colleagues and bosses, a fridge for the wine and my favourite - a bath filled with ice to keep the beer on chill.
My eyes were on stalks when I clocked this, absolutely hilarious. What wasn't so hilarious was me falling over and rolling my ankle after more than one too many self-measured Jim Beams.
On the way down, I banged my head and cracked a shoulder blade on the door frame - or so I was told. I don't actually remember all that much about the event - all I recall is trying to regain some sort of composure after taking the tumble and thanking my husband and a colleague for helping me get back to a vertical state.
Working with nurses comes with a whole heap of advantages in so far as advising me I'd probably broken my ankle which gave me even more mileage at home to get out of lots of jobs I had little inclination in doing.
The following night, we went to a 40th birthday party. We were flattered when our friend of 9 months invited us to the event at a beautiful restaurant in Mt Eliza. The dress code was cocktail and the lavish affair fed and watered us all until the small hours of Sunday.
As the champagne flowed, there too came an announcement that thanked us all for attending the birthday bash. But this was a birthday bash with a twist. Over the mic came "... now you thought you were all here to celebrate Mel's 40th birthday. But in fact, you're here for her wedding..." at which point the guests shrieked in amazement and in walked our newly gowned up bride - this time in white.
In a state of giddy shock, we all headed down into the garden as dusk began to fall to witness the most beautiful ceremony I've ever seen. There was laughter, tears, happiness and joy and the delight on the bride's face is a vision I'll never ever forget.
Being there to see the lid lifted on such a special secret is one of my favourite Australian memories. I felt honoured, flattered and privileged to be invited as a guest to such an intimate affair and as we looked on at the couple say their vows as the peninsula sun faded behind them, I felt warmth on the inside as well as the out and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
So the festive season has been a good one. Different ... but good. We went to the beach for a spell after the big fella had delivered his gifts and we had a roast with all the trimmings.
On New Year's Eve, we went to our local for early doors and spent a few hours on the rooftop deck all clamouring for the shade as sunset temps averaged 30C. After a lift home, we went to a house party at friends over the road and at the strike of midnight, husband and I jumped in their pool - fully clothed and still clutching a Jim Beam! What a way to welcome in the new year. I wonder if this is how things will be from now on....?
Happy New Year!
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