One way to the UK?

Well I just remember that I forgot to post – Mara called me last night saying she’s on crutches with a very sprained ankle! All I said was ‘it better be ready for flight day!’

I’m sure it will be fine Mara :o) I really do love you cousin… but Alex, not enough to give away the PS3 I won at the races! Oh yes, forgot to mention that in the last post. I won the ‘door prize’ sorta thing at Young Guns so now have a PS3 which is going to be sold as I need the money for my trip, not a playstation I won’t be able to take with me! I love so many of my friends, but not quite enough to give them the PS3 for nicks.

Oh and I’ve nearly packed… oh my god culling clothes sucks! I cannot believe, even after my years of travelling (haha) that I can only take measly little piles of clothes! What about clothing for every event? Forget it! St Vinnies will do well out of me though… A LOT of what is not coming with me is going straight to them (good excuse for a whole new wardrobe when I return to Australia I say!!!)

So the weekend was pretty good! Apart from the usual work on Saturday morning (RSPCA was good we sold a few pets!) it was Young Guns race day in Alice Springs – the start of the Alice Cup Carnival.

Went for lunch at Ben and Sam’s place but that was actually just pre-drinks as everyone wanted, then we walked through to Crowne, with the girls aerating (sp?) the nice golf greens on our way with our high heels! The races were pretty good… everyone seems to get preoccupied and forget that there are actually horses racing (too many drinks and people to look at!) but Mimi and I did place a bet on the last Alice race and we won… okay so we bet $1.00 and got back $1.75 but it was a good start! After the races a group of us headed into town for Dinner which was nice, then continued on the drinking trail to Bojangles and some of us drank too much and ended up hugging a toilet bowl for most of Sunday morning (haha not naming anyone… or myself…)

 These photos make the stereotype of an ‘Aussie Boy’ kinda go to crap hey! ;o)

I don’t know how yesterday just slipped by! But anyway, today’s date is I guess equally important as it’s exactly one month til Mara and I land in London!

I think I found a pretty good place for us to reside for the three months (prior to backpacking Europe), so that was a good start! And even better news from yesterday is that Mara, the great negotiater that she is, managed to get us a new Blackwolf 2007 model pack each for a discout of about $34.00 off the normal price! So that’s awesome, especially seeing as we’re both going with very little money once it’s converned to measly pounds!!!

Well I’m off to a ‘shoe launch party’ for Diana Ferrari… yes even in this town a girl can have great shoes!

No no, before you stop reading this isn’t another post about what clothes I am taking, or not taking, and still haven’t packed either way!!!

I was going to title this post ‘murder capital of Aust’ but I thought best not to, as everyone on the main website would see it and come to have a look! The situation on violence in Alice Springs has gotten really shocking lately, so much so that even after living here for 15 years I’ve not seen it this bad – what can compare to eight stabbings in six days? Yes, eight. Don’t even get me started on the issues at hand, but I decided to place this picture anyway….. locals to town will know what it is of and where it’s taken….. for others, this is common to see at 2pm every week day (to comply with our strict alcohol regulations and sale times)

There’s a whole list of other things being left behind too (notably my kid Abbie!)

But yes… On Monday I was talking to a lawyer on leaving the Family Court (Hospital work), and he said to me ‘make sure you’re safe over there’ and I was thinking, seriously??? Right now, I’m much safer skydiving in a storm or driving too fast or being in a traing in UK/Europe, compared to walking around in the town of Alice (especially at night!).

Well, where to start! My European Union passport FINALLY arrived yesterday, so now I am officially a British Citizen, until 2017 anyway, and also an Aussie citizen indefinitely.

Good news also if you read Mara’s page, as she’s most likely getting her Right of Abode to the UK instead of stuffing around with Visas etc, and then once we’re in London and have first-hand access to her family documents then she too can apply for her EU passport! So things are finally looking a little better on track for us not getting kicked out of the UK on arrival!!!!!

 Just another note too – I had great intentions to do my trial pack over the four day easter weekend….. however, all I really ended up doing was going through my wardrobe and drawers, choosing some ‘better’ things and chucking them all on the loungeroom couch…. where they still are… waiting for all the other things I’m taking to be added to the pile! Mind you I was sick all easter weekend, lucky me, and am just recovering now and after the shitty start to this year, I think I’m going to start super-dosing on vitamins!

Well, here we are already in April and nearly at Easter for 2007. If you’ve also been checking my cousin’s blog, then you’d notice that time has been flying by for us both and we’re both so not ready to take off in May quite just yet — but really we have no choice!!! Thank god Mara’s documents have arrived so her Visa application is now on it’s way to the British Consultate in Canberra…. and the BHC finally called me yesterday regarding processing my British Passport application…. they’ve nearly finished by my credit card declined! Of all the times to not have money in my account!! Thank god for the new “travel usage only” mastercard hey!

So this morning was spent running around to the Butcher to get “fish friday” orders picked up for myself, my boss and another work colleague, then a quick trip to the shop to get the dogs’s their easter presents, then a trip to the bakery to collect my order of Hot Cross Buns for the staff morning tea!

 This weekend I’m going to do a “trial pack” of what I might be taking overseas with me…. I thought it time to do this because about 4 people have asked me this week if I have packed yet — hello??? This is ME! The person who’s last to pack, last to the airport, last on the plane and no doubt i’ll stick to my travel tradition and buy something “to wear on the plane” on the day I’m leaving! But yeah, trial pack is planned and for Mimi and Wizza I’m giving you first pick of all the clothes I’m not taking (otherwise they’re going bye bye) because I figure what I don’t take – I probably won’t want to wear in a year or so when I get back (excluding my suits, formal dresses and jeans collection!).

Well, I decided to use up some of my ARL prior to leaving my Government job, for good, so I took a few days and flew to Darwin from last Saturday until yesterday (Thursday).

Saturday night I arrived and was collected by Jacqui, Sabrina and Geoffrey and we went right to dinner with Krys and Joel and Hayden. Last year when living in Darwin I took over Sabrina’s room, however for this short break Krys and Joel kindly put me up in their spare room – thanks again!

It felt fantastic to be back in Darwin and Hayden as much as you hate it now – you’ll freeze come winter in Alice once you’ve graduated! Well done on that by the way.

We went mud crabbing on Sunday (following planning for Jacqui’s Sunday night BBQ and drinking a glass or two of wine) and not only did I not fall in to the water but we actually caught six big mudcrabs – some of them had HUGE arms which were very tasty when we had them for dinner Monday night! See the picture of me bravely holding one (hehe).

What else did I get up to in Darwin? Lunch with my best mate Tys on Monday, an expensive haircut on Tuesday which included a massage and getting my nails done, then shopping all Wednesday afternoon and dinner with Jacqui and Sabrina and a few bottles of wine of course!

Well…. for those of you who don’t know, my cousin Mara and I are heading off to the UK on 17 May this year (2007) to live, work, play, take side trips to Europe, meet some family members and also catch up with people I’ve met in Canada, Europe in 2005, and that both Mara and I met in New Zealand 2006.

 This trip has been a long time coming, ever since Mara first suggested a few years ago that after she graduates from Uni she wants to go overseas for a while – well she’s graduated and the time is now!!!

February 2006 saw us heading for an extreme-sports filled ten days in New Zealand to test if Mara and I (as cousins) can get along well enough to survive the UK and Europe for a whole year (plus some no doubt). New Zealand was fantastic and well planned… this time we’ve been winging it so far, and are only just thinking about actually getting some plans made but neither of us are too worried (I’m thinking our parents are more stressed about the whole thing!)

 The flights are booked.. we’re both looking at packs and suitcases, both hoping our passports (UK) will be on their way to us soon (cutting it fine!) and I’m starting to look at what clothes and especially what shoes will be suitable for working in London! What more needs to be done???