Another trip to see the Glory and Bri's Birthday!

16 November

Today was Ellie's 18th birthday.  Crazy how time flies huh?  

As we are all meeting up for Bri's birthday, I decided that today would be the best time to take Sasha shopping for new clothes.  Although I didn't have a budget! I did have a time constraint as we were off to watch Perth Glory again.  The difference being this time they had William Gallas playing.  A French superstar!  They drew...again but that's better than nothing.

In the evening, we went to Clancy's for pre-drinks followed by Mai Tai for dinner.  It was nice to get the whole gang together again especially for Brian.  Just as we sat down for dinner, Auntie Shelly returned my Skype call.  Although I was happy to see them, I also found it hard being away.

Beerfest weekend!

8 November

As It was Marcus' 'free' weekend meaning no kids, we decided to pop to the local pub "just for one".  Well, everyone knows that as soon as you say that, it's bound to get messy and that's exactly what happened.  We started at my favourite bar, Bad Apples followed by the newly re-opened Clancy's and then Pepper wine bar.  To say, I felt rough in the morning would be an understatement.

9 November

Going out the night before, seemed a good idea at the time.  I woke up with a stinking headache but after a trip to Hungry Jacks for a frozen coke, I returned to form.  Becca and I arrived on the site just before 12.  The beer fest was being held in Fremantle on the esplanade by James, Toby's friend from home.  James had bought all his staff over to help out seeing as it's the first time they'd held such an event in WA.  Becca worked in the ticket booth and I worked with Gage Roads who were a local brewery.  At first, I arrived to a bare tent.  No signage, nothing.  Considering everyone else had huge banners, I felt ours looked pretty poor. 

It was definitely much busier than I thought it would be.  I spent most of the day working with Cam who is the Marketing Manager for Gage Roads.  It was crazy, I met so many British people which in a sense was lovely as I could've easily been home.  

10 November

It's day 2 of Beerfest and a scorcher!  37C- wowzer!  Still, after a good nights sleep I was raring to go. Worked with Cam and Jade.  Considering I had very little help yesterday, Jade was a very welcome addition to the team.  

Most of the bands over the weekend were pretty good.  The headliners were The Beards who sang songs about...beards!  In their honour, all the Tazzy boys grew their own.

As the festival drew to a close, the team sat back and reflected on what an awesome weekend it had been.  Becca and I were so lucky to have met such a lovely group of people.  We even made nicknames for each other:

Me: short red (obvious really)

Becca: hat girl (as Matt kept buying her hats all weekend)

Matt: walkie talkie guy (as he carried one all weekend)

James: Big Boss (organiser)

Andrew: The Warrior (given to him by some drunk guy in Freo as an insult)

Stu: Power Ranger (as at times, he moved so fast, I thought he was going to fly)

Jordi- Awesome dude (given to her by Matt)

Mathias- no name

My first Aussie Barbie

2 November

Marcus reminds me so much of my Uncle Steve in many ways.  Today was as so exception as we paid a trip to the garden centre.  You could see that he was in his element.  Jai and I on the other hand used the trolley as a lorry to navigate our way around.  It was huge!

In the afternoon, we headed over to Marcus' friends house for dinner.  It was lovely and they made me feel really welcome.  This was my first Aussie BBQ and one I will remember.  

In the evening, I went over to Georgia's friends house for drinks.  Everyone was there, including the frenchies so it was a perfect opportunity to practice my French.  I even made some other friends too- perhaps I'll be in double figures by the time I leave!

5 November

Since being in Oz, I've found it difficult to find a job.  This is not for want of trying, I can assure you that!    Still, the odd day here and there is coming in handy.  Today is Melbourne Cup Day similar to the Grand National, but the Aussies take it seriously.  Most companies allow staff to go to the event or one similar or watch the main race.  I was asked to help out at a real estate agency in Subiaco as their boss had paid for them all to go the 'The Garden' to watch the race.  As I popped our for lunch, I had a call from a relo in Sydney.  Instead of the usual 'your visa isn't a 457' nonsense that I usually get, the lady seemed quite positive.  She even said she was quite optimistic that if it worked out, she could tailor a job for me meaning that I'd get sponsorship.  It does sound a little too good to be true but I'm remaining positive about it all.    

No Guts, no Glory- my first Australian football match

27 October

It has now become a Sunday ritual that we all get up early (well...I get up early as everyone gets up at about 6am here every day) towa tch Sasha's Futsal match.  For those of you that don't know, futsal Isa Brazilian version of our beloved game but much faster.  The games are shorter, there are no throw-ins (except the goalkeeper)and if the ball goes out and is not put back into play within 4 seconds then it is given to the other team.  As most people know, I like sport anyway but I now love my futsal Sundays,especially when Sasha's team wins 13-0.  Awesome!

In the afternoon, the whole team went to watch Perth Glory play at their new stadium.  The sun was beating down and it was a pleasant 30C.  At half-time, our lot were asked to go on the pitch to carry the large shirt. A pretty special moment considering this is now aired to 20 other countries around the world.  What's even better is that they won, 1-0! Starting the season as they mean to go on, I hope!   As the final whistle was blown, the players wandered around the pitch to thank the fans for their support.  Some of them spent over an hour taking photos with the kids and signing shirts.  Something you wouldn't see in the EPL.  Here's my picture of the day with Daniel De Silva.  This boy will go far so watch out for him:

Sports day...in October and beautiful long walks with the dogs. Can life get any better?

17 October

I've been to many sports days over the years thanks to Cal, Ben and Ellie but never one in October.  Still it makes perfect sense as the weather is certainly a lot warmer at this time of year.  As per usual, the teachers were crying out for adjudicators so Marcus and I stepped in to help.  It was quite fun actually, particularly as the kids were quite competitive.  Still, Sasha won her race and I was pretty proud to have witnessed it.

22 October

I've now been away almost 4 months and today has been my first 'down' day.  The family have all asked what has triggered it and truthfully I don't know.  It's not that I want to pack up and go home because I don't.  It's more the fact that I have spent the last month sitting in the house, day in, day out waiting for the kids to come home.  Making friends is difficult as I'm not living in a backpacker environment but thankfully I have Georgia to keep me sane.  

So to cheer me up, Bri and I went on a little trip to walk the dogs.  Having lived by the sea for most of my life, beaches don't particularly excite me but this one did.  There is something about walking with the sand between your toes and not freezing to death that is quite appealing.  Leighton beach is beautiful and just what I needed to clear my head.  In the evening, Marcus decided to take me to Hans Cafe for dinner.  Truly authentic Asian food for next to nothing.  Loved it but most importantly I loved spending time with him, just simply chewing the fat!

Roadtrip to the Pinnacles and Keep Australia Beautiful clean-up!

12 October

Georgia and I decided it was about time we got off our bottoms and did something touristy.  It's all well and good being a 'local' but now and again, we need to remember why we are here!  Having been offered the use of Bri's car for the foreseeable future until it can be sold, we opted to hire a car anyway.  Why?  Well because Bri's car is an old girl and judging on the terrain and sheer outback of this country, it's much safer to driver a newer car.  

The drive itself was magic.  I love driving anyway but there is something quite liberating about driving on an open road.  It took us approximately 3 hours to drive the 300km from Perth to Cervantes.  The scenery was quite spectacular as all you can see for miles around are these wonderful limestone formations, each one totally unique.  I can now see why it's been cited #1 attraction in WA.

13 October

Bri signed me and Jai for a morning of volunteering with Keep australia beautiful.  They are a charity who promote recycling along the country's coastline.  At first we were a tad reluctant but actually it proved to be a pretty fun morning.  It's incredible what you find littering these beautiful beaches.  Let's just hope that their hardwork continues to pay off!

Eat Pray Love - The story of my trip

10 October

Having braved public transport and battled the streets of Perth, Sasha, Jai and I finally made the family meal.  It was the first time most of us had been together, which made it special.  Dinner was great apart from the delay in Stomie's food.  Still, it was nice to be around family after a few months away.

11 October

Marcus went away for the weekend down south, so I had the house to myself.  It was quite nice at first but then loneliness kicked in.  It's the first time, in over 3 months that I'd been on my own and had time to think about where I was or rather how far I was away from home.  During my Roadtrip in Vietnam, I picked up a book called "Eat Pray Love".  I'd been wanting to read it for a while but for some reason, I couldn't get into it for love nor money.  It was only during a chat with an old friend that she pointed out that this film reminded her of me.  But why?  It's based on a true story about a lady (played by Julia Roberts) who after a tubulant year (much like mine) decided to book a trip of a lifetime.  She chose to go to Italy so that she could EAT magnifent food, PRAY in the temples of India and find LOVE in Bali.  The latter certainly wasn't listed in my "reasons" but the basis of the story is definitely similar.  Apparently, I remind a few of my friends of Julia Roberts and if I meet my own Javier Bardem, then I certainly won't complain!

http://youtu.be/mjay5vgIwt4