Aussie Land

Hi everyone. Again apologies for taking a while with an update. Well, Easter has come and gone, with the art hunt over. It was so well done this year- congrats to Jo and everyone else who helped. Wonderful experience. see Jo's blog for photos etc www.joonajourney.blogspot.com .

We are currently in Australia for a weeks holiday. We have been here since Saturday 21st and go home on Sunday 29th. We're staying at my Mum & Dads in Brisbane. Its very hot here, although the locals are feeling a bit chilly due to it being Autumn here (Wooses!). They are selling winter wear in the shops, stuff like woollen jerseys and polar fleece stuff! We are of course wearing as little as decency allows! I shall give a timetable of each day we are here.

Saturday:
Arrival. A very early departure: 4:30am to check in at 5:15am! The girls did really well.
We were early with our flight but had to wait on a runway for about 15 minutes for a gate to come free. I was just starting to get seriously claustraphobic when we started moving again. I'm fine when the plane is moving but stopping and sitting there is not so good. We spent a few minutes hugging Mum & Dad then off home to have a lazy day to adjust to time difference and hotter temperatures.

Sunday:
Went to Carrara Markets. Shoppers Paradise! For those that know the Riccarton Market in ChCh - twice the size!! Of course I did stop at the Bead stall. The market area is actually a permanent one, so most of the stalls are in wee shelters. We left there to go to a beach at Surfers - Broad Beach. First we had to go to a mall called Pacific Fair-must have been bigger than the area of Pines Beach, maybe slightly bigger! I had left my togs at home so had to buy some. We started in the 'cheaper' shops such as K-mart, Target and another one. No togs, just winter wear! One shop that sold togs sold them for around $210.00. Much to say we walked out of there empty handed! Finally found some in Rebel Sport! So off to the beach. The only ones swimming were Kiwi's and Poms. The locals are of course to cold! We swam in the shark pool (got a net around it to keep the sharks out!) later that night on the news we saw an article warning that sharks had been seen around the Surfers paradise beaches! gotta be glad for those nets!

Monday:
Mum had to work, so Dad took us to a mall called Churnside. About 3 times the size of Riccarton Mall! NO EXAGGERATION!! We saw about half of it in about 5 hrs. Found a beaut craft shop though!

Tuesday:
Mum & Dad took us on the train to the CBD (Central Business District), walked through ANZAC Square. Where My sandal decided to break, henceforth it was on the hunt for a shoe shop that sold shoes for a decent price, took us awhile to find one! Its very embarrassing to enter a shop and be asked by a snooty posh shop assistant if she can be of help. I asked where the shoes were and looking down at my bare feet she proceeded to say "I presume you mean the Ladies shoes?" Mum & I had a laugh over that one!
We caught a bus to the wharf on Brisbane River and rode the River Cat Ferry up the river as far as it goes. Very enjoyable!

Wednesday (ANZAC Day):
We went down to the Gold Coast to see my sister Melanie and her family. Lovely home with an even lovlier pool! We stayed there swimming, eating, drinking, eating and more swimming! Great Pizza from their Big John's Pizza (I think thats the name of their shop, sorry Mel if its wrong. Leave a comment to rectify). Home again, Home again, Jifferty Jiff.

Thursday:
Where do I start? Sea World. Love it!! Anyone going to Brisbane or there abouts, head down to Gold Coast to see the Sea World. Great for all ages, especially the little ones. Heaps of rides for them. I have so many things to say about it. I'll have to do that as a seperate entry with some photos.

Friday:
We are off to the Brisbane Zoo.
Terry & I are off to the Sun Corp Stadium to watch a Bronco's vs Storm rugby league game.

Saturday:
Going to catch the train and boat to the Museum.

Sunday:
A relaxing day at a beach with a picnic lunch. Then off to the airport ready to depart at 6:30pm to home, arriving about 11:30pm.

I'll give more details when we get home.

Life and its twists!

Its been a while since I've updated. I am constantly amazed at how fast time goes by. And yet some days it seems every minute drags on and on. Today (10th April) has been a rush. But I guess I need to start with why it was that way. Which means I have to back track to thursday last week...

Terry was home from work with a badly sprained ankle. I had just put my lunch into the microwave to heat up, and that's all I remember. The next thing I know I am lying on the lounge floor with Terry telling me to lie still the ambulance is on its way. I remember thinking that he's having a joke with me. Then I realised where I was but couldn't remember why or how or anything else. Panic set in and Terry had to calm me down. He was so fantastic. My rock! He was so calm and comforting. He answered my questions over and over. The ambulance guys were so great too. I can't really remember much about it. Aimee took it all in her stride, bit worried about me. She wanted to go with me in the ambulance but Terry convinced her to stay with him. I think the ambulance officer convinced her too. I stayed in the A & E for about 4 hrs. And of course I'm not allowed to drive again. This is what gets me so frustrated!! I have been taking my medication, trying to avoid tiredness and stress are a bit harder, but definately haven't been drinking too much either. So we don't know why. Obviously it's something we'll never have the answers to.
I am still not quite with it. I'm finding it difficult to get some of my speech out. And my memory is very bad at the moment too. Yeah, I know its always bad but at the moment its extra bad. Only in the very short term. I'll find that I'm repeating myself etc. Multi tasking is a bit tough at the moment too. I'm positive that its all going to right itself in the next day or two.

Well back to today and why it was so rushed. Jo was a real blessing for me, she came and took me to drop Aimee at Rainbow Preschool and then up to Rangiora for my Why Weight course, looked after Sarah-Jane, then picked me up and back to Kaiapoi. I forgot to get lunch today as I had to go and look at a house for sale. Sorry can't give out any more info on that subject at this stage.

I have started a Book Editing, Proofreading & Publishing course, run through the NZIBS. Its fully correspondence and usually goes for a year (up to individuals and how much time they put into it). I get a diploma at the end of it (provided I pass) and its recognised in NZ & Aussie. The internet is making this industry very lucrative. And its what I love doing too. Part of my homework is to double my reading time. Hmmm, sounds like something I could manage! Poor Terry, I'm not sure he knows what he's in for!

I better sign off now. Emily has stayed at Nana's last night and is in desperate need of an early night. Aimee is on chocolate high (been that way since Friday), and Sarah-Jane is just being herself. Actually she's been quite well behaved today. Anyway gotta go get them sorted.