A few weeks ago Joe & Fil, friends from the UK arrived here in Melbourne to stay with us for 2 weeks before spending time tripping around Oz and then come back here for xmas before heading home.
So we went to meet them at the airport and had a near disaster after forgetting how high Jym is and almost clumping a restricted height sign but that obstacle was negotiated and we safely parked and went to wait for the travellers.
As ever the plane was delayed so we had to stand around with out causing any trouble which was hard work as we were very excited to see them and everytime the custom doors opened we would jump and then sink. The temptation to squeal or make other random noises to add to the air of tension as there was several hundred people there (not all waiting for Fil & Joe of course) was great but we did refrain and did behave as it’s not good to arrive on the other side of the planet to find that your lift has been detained for silly behaviour.
At last people started to pour thru the gates and we waited and wait and then I spotted a tall chap and a flash of ginger and knew the wait was over and as they came out we jumped up and down and waved excitedly till they spotted us they escaped the one way system will Fil using good bag technique to remove a person in the way and a mayor hug fest began (whoo hoo).
We then strolled to Jym and did board for new adventures but this time with friends but only once we had worked out how to get out of the carpark without decapitating Jym with that managed we headed home and arrived home about 1am and continued to talk till 3.30am all on a school night. (oops)
The original plan was for Bel to show them around Melbourne as she wasn’t working but unfortunately (fortunately for our finances) she had started her new proper very full on job the just that day however a very nasty cold was sweeping my office which I happened to have caught and spent most of the prior day sneezing, sniffering, groaning and moaning so I phoned in sick (sorry mum) and had a lie in which I really did need before head off for our first tour of the city centre.
Joe & Fil were both excited about there first tram ride and craned their necks trying to take it all in as we travelled in the No 16 to the city centre where we jumped off at Federation Square which is by Flinders Station a huge red & yellow brick Victorian style railway station rather like Charing Cross. On the tram journey there I had been pondering where to start the tour as I didn’t want to over load there system on the first day so I suggested maybe a drink was in order which they jumped at and so we headed for the lanes to Hells Kitchen a fine bar on the 1st floor over looking a busy lane full of coffee houses, eateries, graffiti and buskers a prefect place for a quiet drink to start the afternoon rolling. Thus the lazy day did roll on as we leisurely went between several excellent bars to watch the world float past and catch up on the last year whilst gently exposing them to this new culture and finally meeting up with Bel for one last drink before heading home for food.
The adventurers had to make there own way for the rest of the week due to work but it was great to come home and hear what they had done and seen that day have a drink and eat great food (for those that don’t know Fil she is a superb cook and just loves to cook, fortunately Joe likes to eat) each day bring us close to the weekend and then a whole week off for myself and Bel to go adventuring in Jym with Fil & Joe (whooooooo hooo)…….. to be continued
Monday, December 21, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Yes, No, Maybe...
I think the job search phase is nearly over. Maybe, with a dash of Almost. I'm a bit iffy about it because I've just been burnt with another job. I was the preferred candidate for a job with the DHS in QA and inspection but a restructure during the recruitment process meant that the job no longer existed, so although I am on file they have nothing to offer me. It creates a problem for them too - the work still needs to be done, but they have to keep doing it minus a team member.
It makes you realise what a difficult creature a government department is to manage. Change happens within an organisation at different times in different areas, and a sweeping reform at the top can undo or put on hold some really good work sometimes, if not carried out sensitively. There rarely seems to be a process that allows people to apply to keep a project temporarily exempt from blanket reform, to allow those tactical improvements to continue through periods of change.
In the meantime I've received a tentative offer with consumer affairs Victoria, working on a project to hand over some of their powers to the federal government. Although it feels pretty firm, it is subject to a grievance process where internal candidates can appeal the decision so I'm trying not to count my chickens just yet, but I'm pretty much failing.
Jobs aside, we've pretty much given up on finding a flatmate for the time being. If this job comes through, we'll be able to afford to live here on our own, so it's no great loss, but would've helped us along a bit in terms of saving money and meeting people. I put another ad in the paper last weekend and didn't want to live with any of the people that contacted us. Worse still, none of them wanted to live with us either. It's funny that I can still feel rejected in that circumstance. I'm such a sensitive little flower... ;o)
I'm getting very excited about some of our favourite people coming to spend Christmas with us. After being back in Oz for a year now, we are well overdue for a good fix of our UK friends. More on the impending adventures later.
It makes you realise what a difficult creature a government department is to manage. Change happens within an organisation at different times in different areas, and a sweeping reform at the top can undo or put on hold some really good work sometimes, if not carried out sensitively. There rarely seems to be a process that allows people to apply to keep a project temporarily exempt from blanket reform, to allow those tactical improvements to continue through periods of change.
In the meantime I've received a tentative offer with consumer affairs Victoria, working on a project to hand over some of their powers to the federal government. Although it feels pretty firm, it is subject to a grievance process where internal candidates can appeal the decision so I'm trying not to count my chickens just yet, but I'm pretty much failing.
Jobs aside, we've pretty much given up on finding a flatmate for the time being. If this job comes through, we'll be able to afford to live here on our own, so it's no great loss, but would've helped us along a bit in terms of saving money and meeting people. I put another ad in the paper last weekend and didn't want to live with any of the people that contacted us. Worse still, none of them wanted to live with us either. It's funny that I can still feel rejected in that circumstance. I'm such a sensitive little flower... ;o)
I'm getting very excited about some of our favourite people coming to spend Christmas with us. After being back in Oz for a year now, we are well overdue for a good fix of our UK friends. More on the impending adventures later.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Balcony Garden Beginnings
I've been slowly building a garden on our balcony. I collected a few pots during the last council hard rubbish collection and have been slowly figuring out what might be most useful. Although I started with a big planter box full of seedlings, I thought I'd be a bit clever and grow a few things from seed. But i wasn't clever enough to protect them from the birds who gobbled them as soon as they appeared. So I'm trying again with them, using some sheets of fish tank glass left behind by the previous tenant.
So far in seedlings I've got basil, coriander, thyme, chives, rosemary, mint and parsley. We planted a garlic clove that is going mental and I've planted seeds for rainbow chard, rocket and various types of lettuce.
I can't decide what else to plant in the big terracotta planter box. I'm thinking about leeks, strawberries, spring onions or something that climbs but I'm new to this and really have no clue what would work best.
Unfortunately the planter boxes are too big to hang off the railings but I did find today railing hangers for a couple of the round pots, which increases my garden size somewhat.
I'll post some more pics as it starts to look a bit better.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Movin and Groovin
Things seem to finally be moving along for me in the work department. Huzzah! I took a one-day temping assignment today and have today also received two calls inviting me for interview. I don't have a clue what jobs they are for - I've applied for so many that I need to check my notes at home to figure it out - but quite frankly, who cares.
I might actually reward myself with a day off from job applications tomorrow, though I will still have my wifey duty of a trip to the laundromat, I think there might be time to squeeze in an Adventure Tuesday...
Oh and.. I was reminded t'other day by Stoo that we've been making you play the 'who is blogging today' game by not identifying ourselves explicitly by name, so we might play with this a bit more soon and one of us will write a cryptic post and make you all guess who it is. Mwaahahahaaaaa.. I hope you've all been enjoying the game and I hope you've all guessed wrong at least once. :0)
We were introduced to the uber-geeky concept of 'The Game' recently. The object of the game is not to think about it. As long as you are not thinking about it, you are winning. But as soon as it appears in your mind, you've lost and have to start over again. So if any of you play the game, you've just lost too. Teehee..
I might actually reward myself with a day off from job applications tomorrow, though I will still have my wifey duty of a trip to the laundromat, I think there might be time to squeeze in an Adventure Tuesday...
Oh and.. I was reminded t'other day by Stoo that we've been making you play the 'who is blogging today' game by not identifying ourselves explicitly by name, so we might play with this a bit more soon and one of us will write a cryptic post and make you all guess who it is. Mwaahahahaaaaa.. I hope you've all been enjoying the game and I hope you've all guessed wrong at least once. :0)
We were introduced to the uber-geeky concept of 'The Game' recently. The object of the game is not to think about it. As long as you are not thinking about it, you are winning. But as soon as it appears in your mind, you've lost and have to start over again. So if any of you play the game, you've just lost too. Teehee..
Friday, October 23, 2009
Unemployed but not bludging
After 4 solid weeks of sitting at the computer writing bloody selection criteria to apply for jobs, I’ve finally cracked today and registered with a temp agency. Although this will severely reduce the number of applications I can get out each week, we are gonna be in the red as soon as we pay the deposit on this flat so needs must. Grumble..grumble.. However, I’ve had the best ever experience with an agency today which made it worthwhile. I met with two agents who specialize in the government, education and nonprofit sectors, so totally up my alley, who seemed genuinely pleased to get someone with my experience on their books! I have to say that is a first. Where it leads, time will tell..
I’ve applied for a plethora of government jobs but they take such a long time to get around to responding to applications. I’ve received two emails this week regarding government jobs I’ve applied for, telling me I didn’t make the shortlist. One I applied for on the 18th September, the other was when we were in Mackay, so around July – August.
I’ve had one interview since moving to Melbourne. It’s a great job with the disability services department with a nice healthy salary, but I didn’t do so well with the last couple of questions. Nerves got the better of me, along with my limited experience leading large projects giving me not enough solid examples to draw from. I haven’t heard back from them either way, two weeks after the interview, but who knows whether that’s a good or a bad sign.
Bryn is not having a good time in his new job. It’s a long commute out to his office, it doesn’t pay very well and the job’s not particularly thrilling so he’s on the lookout for something better. I’ve been trying to be a good wife and cook him dinner every night which I have mostly succeeded at, but it’s been a long time since I’ve done this much cooking so I often find myself scratching my head trying to figure out what I can make. Bryn has an uncanny talent for producing amazing meals out of a few things we have left in the cupboard, but this is not a skill that has rubbed off on me. Despite filling our cupboards with food as if I’m preparing for the holocaust, I still often find I’m missing something vital for a particular dish, or can’t think of anything original and revert to my small repertoire of basics.
It’s a rather nice novelty being in a flat with those wonderful luxuries like hot water from a tap, a hot shower and carpet! Ooooerrrr.. We are taking over the lease from a girl who has lived here for the last 2 years and are still searching for a new flatmate, but 2 weeks before she goes I’m trying not to panic on that front just yet. Fortunately, she’s going overseas for a bit and then moving to Sydney, so she’s leaving us a lot of household stuff that she otherwise would have thrown out or given away elsewhere, which has been a great help in getting us set up here.
The flat has 3 bedrooms and we’ve advertised for a single or couple to take one room with the plan to keep one room spare for guests/office space/whatever. I think that makes it feel more like a home than a crash pad. It’s in a posh part of town and not really where the action is but it’s quiet, safe and close to town. If Bryn gets a job closer to town, we’d probably move to an inner-city suburb in North Melbourne, but right now that would make his journey to work even worse.
Right I’m off to plan the weekend’s adventurings. There are so many parts of Melbourne we haven’t seen yet, so I feel an exploratory mission is in order!
I’ve applied for a plethora of government jobs but they take such a long time to get around to responding to applications. I’ve received two emails this week regarding government jobs I’ve applied for, telling me I didn’t make the shortlist. One I applied for on the 18th September, the other was when we were in Mackay, so around July – August.
I’ve had one interview since moving to Melbourne. It’s a great job with the disability services department with a nice healthy salary, but I didn’t do so well with the last couple of questions. Nerves got the better of me, along with my limited experience leading large projects giving me not enough solid examples to draw from. I haven’t heard back from them either way, two weeks after the interview, but who knows whether that’s a good or a bad sign.
Bryn is not having a good time in his new job. It’s a long commute out to his office, it doesn’t pay very well and the job’s not particularly thrilling so he’s on the lookout for something better. I’ve been trying to be a good wife and cook him dinner every night which I have mostly succeeded at, but it’s been a long time since I’ve done this much cooking so I often find myself scratching my head trying to figure out what I can make. Bryn has an uncanny talent for producing amazing meals out of a few things we have left in the cupboard, but this is not a skill that has rubbed off on me. Despite filling our cupboards with food as if I’m preparing for the holocaust, I still often find I’m missing something vital for a particular dish, or can’t think of anything original and revert to my small repertoire of basics.
It’s a rather nice novelty being in a flat with those wonderful luxuries like hot water from a tap, a hot shower and carpet! Ooooerrrr.. We are taking over the lease from a girl who has lived here for the last 2 years and are still searching for a new flatmate, but 2 weeks before she goes I’m trying not to panic on that front just yet. Fortunately, she’s going overseas for a bit and then moving to Sydney, so she’s leaving us a lot of household stuff that she otherwise would have thrown out or given away elsewhere, which has been a great help in getting us set up here.
The flat has 3 bedrooms and we’ve advertised for a single or couple to take one room with the plan to keep one room spare for guests/office space/whatever. I think that makes it feel more like a home than a crash pad. It’s in a posh part of town and not really where the action is but it’s quiet, safe and close to town. If Bryn gets a job closer to town, we’d probably move to an inner-city suburb in North Melbourne, but right now that would make his journey to work even worse.
Right I’m off to plan the weekend’s adventurings. There are so many parts of Melbourne we haven’t seen yet, so I feel an exploratory mission is in order!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Well feather my nest and call me big bird...
I seem to be nesting - Eek!
This week I have collected a rather nice dining table from freecycle (some people give away the most beautiful things!), have assembled a herb garden, bought some clothes and a big purple furry blanket. There's no way we'll get all this stuff in the bus if we decide to hit the road, so I guess that means I have definitely decided we are going to stay put for a while.
All I need now is a bloody job to pay for all this new stuff! ;0)
Oh.. and in the great bus is-it-really-falling-apart-or-are-we-just-worrying-too-much saga, the gearbox was absolutely fine ...this time!
This week I have collected a rather nice dining table from freecycle (some people give away the most beautiful things!), have assembled a herb garden, bought some clothes and a big purple furry blanket. There's no way we'll get all this stuff in the bus if we decide to hit the road, so I guess that means I have definitely decided we are going to stay put for a while.
All I need now is a bloody job to pay for all this new stuff! ;0)
Oh.. and in the great bus is-it-really-falling-apart-or-are-we-just-worrying-too-much saga, the gearbox was absolutely fine ...this time!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Melbournarama
We've been getting a bit slack with the blogging so it's time to rectify that!
So we've come to Melbourne with a view to knuckle down with proper jobs, save some money, buy Jym a reconditioned motor and gearbox and get a city fix.
The gearbox is a new development, and true to form started playing up 5km down a dirt road in the Mimosa Rocks national park with poor mobile reception and two hitchhikers in tow! It's since been playing up randomly so it might hold out a bit longer yet, but who knows!
Since we got a mobile mechanic to check it wasn't the linkages, there seems to be a problem with our battery, but the subsequent trip to the auto electrician has offered no solution to the mystery - apparently the electrical system is absolutely fine. Honestly, if it's not one thing it's another! So in the meantime, I've been making good use of our RACQ membership and having nice little chats with the guys while they jump start the bus. It's been enlightening though. The last bloke reckons we're silly to spend all that money on a reconditioned engine and thinks we should just keep putting oil into it.
We took our time getting down here, making the most of being bums before getting back to the grindstone. We stopped into Stanthorpe to catch up with Jeff & Katrina, Newcastle to see some of the family and pick up some stuff from storage, and Sydney to spend some time with Janine and Jim. We took the coast road, which was gorgeous, though some of the towns were a bit on the weird side. Our last night before arriving in Melbourne was in Wilson's Promontory national park, which was magnificent. We did a couple of the walking trails and did see wallabies and wombats!
After several rejections from share houses for being a couple (why doesn't anyone want to live with a couple?), we found a flat in ultra-posh Toorak. It's really close to town and thus in the tram network, which is awesome. We're sharing with a girl who has lived here for the last two years but is going overseas in 6 weeks. This means we have to find a new housemate but that's likely to be less of a problem than trying to find a room in an existing share house.
So Bryn is working hard at his new job and I am working hard at applying for jobs. I am getting better at responding to selection criteria but I still can't seem to knock out any more than 3 applications a week. Mind you, they are all about 7-8 pages long, plus the CV!
We are having a nice diversion tonight though. I've won some free tickets to a couple of shows from the Melbourne Fringe festival and the first one is tonight. We paid good money for a show last week and it was rubbish. Let's hope the free ones are better...
So we've come to Melbourne with a view to knuckle down with proper jobs, save some money, buy Jym a reconditioned motor and gearbox and get a city fix.
The gearbox is a new development, and true to form started playing up 5km down a dirt road in the Mimosa Rocks national park with poor mobile reception and two hitchhikers in tow! It's since been playing up randomly so it might hold out a bit longer yet, but who knows!
Since we got a mobile mechanic to check it wasn't the linkages, there seems to be a problem with our battery, but the subsequent trip to the auto electrician has offered no solution to the mystery - apparently the electrical system is absolutely fine. Honestly, if it's not one thing it's another! So in the meantime, I've been making good use of our RACQ membership and having nice little chats with the guys while they jump start the bus. It's been enlightening though. The last bloke reckons we're silly to spend all that money on a reconditioned engine and thinks we should just keep putting oil into it.
We took our time getting down here, making the most of being bums before getting back to the grindstone. We stopped into Stanthorpe to catch up with Jeff & Katrina, Newcastle to see some of the family and pick up some stuff from storage, and Sydney to spend some time with Janine and Jim. We took the coast road, which was gorgeous, though some of the towns were a bit on the weird side. Our last night before arriving in Melbourne was in Wilson's Promontory national park, which was magnificent. We did a couple of the walking trails and did see wallabies and wombats!
After several rejections from share houses for being a couple (why doesn't anyone want to live with a couple?), we found a flat in ultra-posh Toorak. It's really close to town and thus in the tram network, which is awesome. We're sharing with a girl who has lived here for the last two years but is going overseas in 6 weeks. This means we have to find a new housemate but that's likely to be less of a problem than trying to find a room in an existing share house.
So Bryn is working hard at his new job and I am working hard at applying for jobs. I am getting better at responding to selection criteria but I still can't seem to knock out any more than 3 applications a week. Mind you, they are all about 7-8 pages long, plus the CV!
We are having a nice diversion tonight though. I've won some free tickets to a couple of shows from the Melbourne Fringe festival and the first one is tonight. We paid good money for a show last week and it was rubbish. Let's hope the free ones are better...
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Short note
Just letting everyone know that we are still alive and currently in Melbourne and hope to update you all on our adventures shortly once life calms down for a moment.
Love & Hugz
Bryn
Love & Hugz
Bryn
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Drifting into Drifting
At some stage in Mackay, we've begun to feel like we're not so much travelling as drifting. We had no clear goal, and even if we did, not enough money to pursue it. So off to Brisbane we did go in search of next!
The first next was my brother's wedding in Kingscliffe. I am pleased to report that I was probably the worst behaved of my family but don't seem to have disgraced the clan too badly. I am not so pleased to report that I cried during the reading I gave during the ceremony, though there was some sibling revenge when I was reliably informed by his new bride, that Dan did have a little cry himself later on. I think that 'big sis still has what it takes to make little brother cry' makes a far better conclusion than 'big sis blubbed in front of the whole congregation'.
Besides this, we have been job hunting. We thought it would be fun to apply for jobs that really interest us around the country and see what happens. As a result, Bryn has been offered a job in Melbourne and I have an interview in Perth on Tuesday. Couldn't have gotten much more extreme really. If I get the Perth job, we'll move there. If I don't, we'll go to Melbourne. Either way, we have a lot of driving ahead of us and will be a fair distance from most people we know in Oz. Hmm... Now that i've actually written that down, it seems to be the most ludicrous decision to make, but I'm quite excited cos it will mean living somewhere I've never lived before which equals adventures!
We'll keep you posted with the outcome!
Oh, and some of Bryn's photos from Synchronicity, the video installation are going to be published in a statewide booklet on regional arts.
The first next was my brother's wedding in Kingscliffe. I am pleased to report that I was probably the worst behaved of my family but don't seem to have disgraced the clan too badly. I am not so pleased to report that I cried during the reading I gave during the ceremony, though there was some sibling revenge when I was reliably informed by his new bride, that Dan did have a little cry himself later on. I think that 'big sis still has what it takes to make little brother cry' makes a far better conclusion than 'big sis blubbed in front of the whole congregation'.
Besides this, we have been job hunting. We thought it would be fun to apply for jobs that really interest us around the country and see what happens. As a result, Bryn has been offered a job in Melbourne and I have an interview in Perth on Tuesday. Couldn't have gotten much more extreme really. If I get the Perth job, we'll move there. If I don't, we'll go to Melbourne. Either way, we have a lot of driving ahead of us and will be a fair distance from most people we know in Oz. Hmm... Now that i've actually written that down, it seems to be the most ludicrous decision to make, but I'm quite excited cos it will mean living somewhere I've never lived before which equals adventures!
We'll keep you posted with the outcome!
Oh, and some of Bryn's photos from Synchronicity, the video installation are going to be published in a statewide booklet on regional arts.
Friday, July 17, 2009
All Change Please
Last week we made the decision to leave the tour guiding job, barely 7 weeks after arriving in Mackay. We were both completely fed up with the boss who lied to us about the pay rate, the amount of work we would have and the work roster (i.e. rather than there being a roster, we had to be at his beck and call at all times, thus preventing any form of a life or potential to supplement our income). Besides this, he is completely disorganised, self-centered (seems to believe that communication is about him talking only, non-stop) and unwilling to take on board other people's suggestions.
After various discussions we finally decided to tell him together after work on Saturday (11th July) however whilst I was doing a tour around the Sugar Mill he told Bel that we had to come to work on Thursday night, for an hour, as he'd booked a tour (without checking if we were available - we don't normally do evening tours). She told him that we had other plans, to which he replied "you'll have to cancel them then" (!!!) Unsurprisingly Bel took this opportunity to tell him that we were leaving the company and he did have more than a little huffy. I was so disappointed to have missed it as I so wanted to see his face when realisation struck that we weren't going to play along any more. We did offer him 2 weeks notice but he decided to be a spiteful little boy and end it on the spot, so we are now unemployed.
Well not entirely unemployed, just not getting paid for working! We have been volunteering at the Mackay Arts Festival helping out a community arts group called Crossroad Arts with an outdoor video installation, which has been fun and good to meet new interesting people who appreciate our technical abilities.
So what's next? We are going a few hours north to Airlie Beach for a few days to meet an old friend of Bel's and have a look at the work situation there, but the main plan is to head back down to Brisbane (or failing that, Sydney/Melbourne) and get ourselves proper jobs. For me there are far more opportunities in getting a CAD job in a city. Although I have lots of experience in the UK, I lack the Oz experience which is limiting me work-wise when we aren't in the big cities.
We are finding that a combination of lack of money and proliferation of shitty jobs has outweighed the freedom of travelling around the country at this stage so we feel we need to get some funds together before we keep going. Before we travel anywhere too remote we need to get Jym's engine rebuilt, but to save up the cost of this job does force us into work we don't particularly want to do and puts a strong hold on the fun elements.
After various discussions we finally decided to tell him together after work on Saturday (11th July) however whilst I was doing a tour around the Sugar Mill he told Bel that we had to come to work on Thursday night, for an hour, as he'd booked a tour (without checking if we were available - we don't normally do evening tours). She told him that we had other plans, to which he replied "you'll have to cancel them then" (!!!) Unsurprisingly Bel took this opportunity to tell him that we were leaving the company and he did have more than a little huffy. I was so disappointed to have missed it as I so wanted to see his face when realisation struck that we weren't going to play along any more. We did offer him 2 weeks notice but he decided to be a spiteful little boy and end it on the spot, so we are now unemployed.
Well not entirely unemployed, just not getting paid for working! We have been volunteering at the Mackay Arts Festival helping out a community arts group called Crossroad Arts with an outdoor video installation, which has been fun and good to meet new interesting people who appreciate our technical abilities.
So what's next? We are going a few hours north to Airlie Beach for a few days to meet an old friend of Bel's and have a look at the work situation there, but the main plan is to head back down to Brisbane (or failing that, Sydney/Melbourne) and get ourselves proper jobs. For me there are far more opportunities in getting a CAD job in a city. Although I have lots of experience in the UK, I lack the Oz experience which is limiting me work-wise when we aren't in the big cities.
We are finding that a combination of lack of money and proliferation of shitty jobs has outweighed the freedom of travelling around the country at this stage so we feel we need to get some funds together before we keep going. Before we travel anywhere too remote we need to get Jym's engine rebuilt, but to save up the cost of this job does force us into work we don't particularly want to do and puts a strong hold on the fun elements.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Dallas!!?
As we are a touch tight on cash, we answered an advert found on a board at a local supermarket that required a live in caretaker in exchange for free accommodation. We are now the said caretakers but in reality this means that we are house sitting a million dollar house (yes you did read that right), on a hill directly above a beach (with direct beach access) with its own pool and an amazing view of the ocean and Barrier Reef islands.
The house is owned by a flamboyant Brisbane interior Architect who used to live here but now rents the rooms out (6 bedrooms) and we have to make sure they behave (no laughing please) and keep the place spic & span. For that we get the master bedroom (bringing the total to 7) with en-suite, private courtyard with outside shower and a view of the ocean from our bed.
So Jym (the van) has been dumped for a proper house even though I preferred Jym's homeliness to this rather austere 70's white walls, floors and black marble chic but it does have an amazing view (as mentioned before) and all the modern luxuries that we haven't have for a while.
The tour jobs are still swinging between the poles of fun and frustration so we will wait and see how long it all lasts before we pack up and head off elsewhere, but with some very special UK visitors coming to visit later this year, we are trying to save our pennies for adventures to come.
In other news, Bel has become infatuated with the smell of guava but was sadly disappointed when she finally stopped sniffing it and got around to eating it as the taste is bland in comparison.
The house is owned by a flamboyant Brisbane interior Architect who used to live here but now rents the rooms out (6 bedrooms) and we have to make sure they behave (no laughing please) and keep the place spic & span. For that we get the master bedroom (bringing the total to 7) with en-suite, private courtyard with outside shower and a view of the ocean from our bed.
So Jym (the van) has been dumped for a proper house even though I preferred Jym's homeliness to this rather austere 70's white walls, floors and black marble chic but it does have an amazing view (as mentioned before) and all the modern luxuries that we haven't have for a while.
The tour jobs are still swinging between the poles of fun and frustration so we will wait and see how long it all lasts before we pack up and head off elsewhere, but with some very special UK visitors coming to visit later this year, we are trying to save our pennies for adventures to come.
In other news, Bel has become infatuated with the smell of guava but was sadly disappointed when she finally stopped sniffing it and got around to eating it as the taste is bland in comparison.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Beachside Beginnings
We have moved again but only about 10kms north to Bucasia Caravan Park which is situated on a beautiful beach and we decided to pay a few more dollars to have a sea view which is gorgeous and as I sit here writing under the awning I can see the gentle waves lapping up the sandy shore. There is always a downside and here it's the sand flies and mosquitos and on our first night here Bel got bitten about 40 times by sand flies (they are about the size of a pin head) and has come out in big itchy welts, I on the other hand get little red spots.
I had my first tour last week and took 3 people up to Finch Hatton Gorge which is about an hour and a half from Mackay and during the drive I talk about the history of the area and the sugar cane (the main industry).
We stop off at our base camp and I toast damper (a traditional explorers bread) and make billy tea (boil water in a billy over a fire add tea leaves and then spin the pot to one side (I knew the years of fire spinning would pay off sometime)) and then we go for a guided walk in the tropical rainforest where I talk about the flora, fauna and how the whole ecosystem works. The walk takes us to Aruluen falls where they can enjoy an brisk swim in a natural pool, I'm waiting till later in the year once it gets hotter before I go in as it's bloody freezing.
After the walk we go back to the base camp for steak & salad and then we jump back in the bus and climb up the side of the mountain to Eungella (pronounce young-galah) to see the elusive Platypus (which is very cute).
Afterwards we head back to Mackay to the sounds of some cheesy Australian music which includes Rolf Harris and ACDC.
So as for my first tour well it was a great success and we all had a great day. Now if every tour I do is that good I'll be very happy. Even better is that we ran into the couple from the tour at the pub yesterday and joined them for dinner and we hope to catch up with them later in the year in Newcastle.
We have both done the sugar mill tours several times successfully without losing anyone but I find it pretty boring and am finding it hard to be enthusiastic about it which does lead to a poor performance so I have to find ways of making it a bit more fun.
So we have crossed one hurdle in getting our respective tours under our belts (Bel still has to do her first city tour and myself a Cape Hillsborough tour) and so the next stage is to tackle the much harder problem of the company/boss which is just so disorganised. For example, despite the season already underway, they are still to get some of their flyers around the hotels etc. and the boss hasn't done his tax return in 5 years.
Bel has written a teaching plan for encourage more school groups to do the sugar mill tour but it seems to be falling on deaf ears with the boss at present so we'll see how long we can go on before we crack.
I had my first tour last week and took 3 people up to Finch Hatton Gorge which is about an hour and a half from Mackay and during the drive I talk about the history of the area and the sugar cane (the main industry).
We stop off at our base camp and I toast damper (a traditional explorers bread) and make billy tea (boil water in a billy over a fire add tea leaves and then spin the pot to one side (I knew the years of fire spinning would pay off sometime)) and then we go for a guided walk in the tropical rainforest where I talk about the flora, fauna and how the whole ecosystem works. The walk takes us to Aruluen falls where they can enjoy an brisk swim in a natural pool, I'm waiting till later in the year once it gets hotter before I go in as it's bloody freezing.
After the walk we go back to the base camp for steak & salad and then we jump back in the bus and climb up the side of the mountain to Eungella (pronounce young-galah) to see the elusive Platypus (which is very cute).
Afterwards we head back to Mackay to the sounds of some cheesy Australian music which includes Rolf Harris and ACDC.
So as for my first tour well it was a great success and we all had a great day. Now if every tour I do is that good I'll be very happy. Even better is that we ran into the couple from the tour at the pub yesterday and joined them for dinner and we hope to catch up with them later in the year in Newcastle.
We have both done the sugar mill tours several times successfully without losing anyone but I find it pretty boring and am finding it hard to be enthusiastic about it which does lead to a poor performance so I have to find ways of making it a bit more fun.
So we have crossed one hurdle in getting our respective tours under our belts (Bel still has to do her first city tour and myself a Cape Hillsborough tour) and so the next stage is to tackle the much harder problem of the company/boss which is just so disorganised. For example, despite the season already underway, they are still to get some of their flyers around the hotels etc. and the boss hasn't done his tax return in 5 years.
Bel has written a teaching plan for encourage more school groups to do the sugar mill tour but it seems to be falling on deaf ears with the boss at present so we'll see how long we can go on before we crack.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Insane in the Membrane
Over our first couple of weeks in Mackay, we've had several moments of wondering what the hell we've gotten ourselves in for, but are slowly getting the hang of the tours and finding little gems around the place that possibly would've taken us months to find otherwise. I was pretty underwhelmed by Mackay at first but can see that it does have some merits in the proliferation of art deco architecture, plenty of beaches and gorgeous surrounding areas. It's also pretty flat (good for cycling) and has more charity shops than Stanthorpe, though that it getting tricky. I'm just about needing to adopt a one-in, one-out policy with clothes now if they are all going to fit in the available space, but did cheat this week by buying two tops and only giving away one. I'm well aware however, that I am fast approaching critical mass.
We both passed our driving tests and have also been authorised to take passengers. Woohoo! We now both feel confident doing the sugar mill tours and will probably only do one more of our respective day tours before we do them on our own. I will be doing the city tours and Bryn has two tours, cos he's got a bigger brain, which are to Cape Hillsborough to see wallabies on the beach and Eungela Rainforest for platypus spotting. Sadly I won't be able to tag along and see him do his best David Attenborough, as I'll be working myself, so I'll have to imagine it along with you.
Unfortunately, to be a knowledgeable guide you need to memorise a huge amount of figures if you are to have any chance of sharing general history or trivia, something I am useless at unless I can find a clear pattern of association, so I'm spending an inordinate amount of time trying to remember dates, dimensions and other assorted numbers. In previous jobs, I've always been caught out unable to remember specific targets on the spot, so I'm trying to stay positive and hope that it might help me develop a better system for remembering numbers. :o~ I'm trying to resist the temptation to offer to do an analysis on the business, cos I'm not convinced it would be welcome if uninvited, but it's so easy to spot potential areas for improvement on first encounters.
But brain frying aside, it's so very lovely to be wearing summer clothes again, particularly knowing that it's winter. I can't imagine what it's like here in summer and am reticent to find out first hand, but all going well by then we'll be heading in the direction of Tassie. Hmm.. now if I got rid of some winter clothes, I could probably fit a lot more summer things in...
We both passed our driving tests and have also been authorised to take passengers. Woohoo! We now both feel confident doing the sugar mill tours and will probably only do one more of our respective day tours before we do them on our own. I will be doing the city tours and Bryn has two tours, cos he's got a bigger brain, which are to Cape Hillsborough to see wallabies on the beach and Eungela Rainforest for platypus spotting. Sadly I won't be able to tag along and see him do his best David Attenborough, as I'll be working myself, so I'll have to imagine it along with you.
Unfortunately, to be a knowledgeable guide you need to memorise a huge amount of figures if you are to have any chance of sharing general history or trivia, something I am useless at unless I can find a clear pattern of association, so I'm spending an inordinate amount of time trying to remember dates, dimensions and other assorted numbers. In previous jobs, I've always been caught out unable to remember specific targets on the spot, so I'm trying to stay positive and hope that it might help me develop a better system for remembering numbers. :o~ I'm trying to resist the temptation to offer to do an analysis on the business, cos I'm not convinced it would be welcome if uninvited, but it's so easy to spot potential areas for improvement on first encounters.
But brain frying aside, it's so very lovely to be wearing summer clothes again, particularly knowing that it's winter. I can't imagine what it's like here in summer and am reticent to find out first hand, but all going well by then we'll be heading in the direction of Tassie. Hmm.. now if I got rid of some winter clothes, I could probably fit a lot more summer things in...
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
One lump or two 19/05/09
It's amazing how things work out; one minute we are wondering and stressing over what/where/ how the next bit of the journey is going to happen and whether or not we'll be able to find work, when an email appears out of the blue from one of the emails that was sent last month enquiring if we would still be interested in a tour guiding job in Mackay...... errr now let me think. YES!
So after a few phone calls and an agonizing few days wait, we have the job if we can sort out our Light Rigid vehicle licenses and driver authorisation to carry passengers and so we have upped sticks said goodbye to our friends and left Stanthorpe via the medical centre for a medical and the Queensland transport centre to submit the forms and book our tests in Mackay.
The jobs are as tour guides to the famous Fairleigh sugar mill in Mackay which sounds so exciting, truly it does after 3 month of apple picking anything would sound exciting. One of us will be a driver (hopefully me (Bryn) if I pass the driving test) and the other will be the guide and we should be working about 30-40 hours a week depending on the tourist season and as the big recession is now looming over here it may be less who is to know.
The good thing is that we have work and it's got us out of Stanthorpe which was freezing between sunset and sunrise (-4C the other day EEEK) and are heading to warmer climates. So now we are currently heading north and have camped in Chinchilla for the night by a weir (it may be lovely but it's too dark to see so will have to wait till the morning).
So after a few phone calls and an agonizing few days wait, we have the job if we can sort out our Light Rigid vehicle licenses and driver authorisation to carry passengers and so we have upped sticks said goodbye to our friends and left Stanthorpe via the medical centre for a medical and the Queensland transport centre to submit the forms and book our tests in Mackay.
The jobs are as tour guides to the famous Fairleigh sugar mill in Mackay which sounds so exciting, truly it does after 3 month of apple picking anything would sound exciting. One of us will be a driver (hopefully me (Bryn) if I pass the driving test) and the other will be the guide and we should be working about 30-40 hours a week depending on the tourist season and as the big recession is now looming over here it may be less who is to know.
The good thing is that we have work and it's got us out of Stanthorpe which was freezing between sunset and sunrise (-4C the other day EEEK) and are heading to warmer climates. So now we are currently heading north and have camped in Chinchilla for the night by a weir (it may be lovely but it's too dark to see so will have to wait till the morning).
Thursday, May 7, 2009
The Choices We Make
Over the last week we’ve had a couple of instances where we have come face to face with the financial implications of our choice. We met a friend of a friend who is a business analyst and has the benefits of the comfortable lifestyle that level of income brings – great inner-city apartment, new car, new mac…. We also had a very interesting chat with a Stanthorpe engineer about the amount of hidden money in this town and how different the relationship is when you are working with a grower as a business partner rather than a seasonal employee.
Although this choice was never about the money and I know we won’t be doing this forever, it was still somewhat confronting. I had the whole gamut of associated feelings - felt the desire for material things, worried about not saving for retirement, missed the city lifestyle, worried about how we are going to pull together the money we need to do the necessary and costly work the van will soon need (engine rebuild and rust removal/respray), speculation over how much more effectively we might be able to pursue our interest in permaculture if we had the money to do the courses and have a garden of our own to play with, etc. etc… I even went as far as circling jobs I could apply for in the weekend paper and found a significant number of jobs that were both suitable and paying good salaries. Once I reached that point, I realised that I wasn’t really serious about settling down with a real job just yet, so I’m fine about it now – but what a ride!
I have been slowly chipping away at the idea of starting a business consultancy while on the road, as I would really enjoy applying my skills to helping small business proprietors to save money and improve their working practices, but there’s a fair bit of groundwork to do before I can get that started.
Anyway, there are more pressing issues at hand right now. Our apple picking job finishes at the end of next week and so far we don’t have a new job to go to. We’d like to chase the sun and head North, but nobody we’ve called so far has definite work for us. Timbercorp, a major agriculture investment company, has gone bust and all associated farms have been forced to cease operating until each project has been assessed and deemed financially viable by the administrators. This seems to have limited the availability of work considerably right now. There is a reasonable chance we’d get work if we traveled to certain towns with crops due for harvesting but we cannot claim any travel or work related expenses against our tax unless we can evidence that the work is pre-arranged. Hmm.. a quandary of a pickle!
We are off to Jeff & Katrina’s block of land today for one last weekend of bonfires before we all head off in our various directions, so I’d better get cracking with some more phone calls before we head out. We have spent several weekends out on the block with various people, below are a couple of Bryn's pics from there. It really is a beautiful place!
Although this choice was never about the money and I know we won’t be doing this forever, it was still somewhat confronting. I had the whole gamut of associated feelings - felt the desire for material things, worried about not saving for retirement, missed the city lifestyle, worried about how we are going to pull together the money we need to do the necessary and costly work the van will soon need (engine rebuild and rust removal/respray), speculation over how much more effectively we might be able to pursue our interest in permaculture if we had the money to do the courses and have a garden of our own to play with, etc. etc… I even went as far as circling jobs I could apply for in the weekend paper and found a significant number of jobs that were both suitable and paying good salaries. Once I reached that point, I realised that I wasn’t really serious about settling down with a real job just yet, so I’m fine about it now – but what a ride!
I have been slowly chipping away at the idea of starting a business consultancy while on the road, as I would really enjoy applying my skills to helping small business proprietors to save money and improve their working practices, but there’s a fair bit of groundwork to do before I can get that started.
Anyway, there are more pressing issues at hand right now. Our apple picking job finishes at the end of next week and so far we don’t have a new job to go to. We’d like to chase the sun and head North, but nobody we’ve called so far has definite work for us. Timbercorp, a major agriculture investment company, has gone bust and all associated farms have been forced to cease operating until each project has been assessed and deemed financially viable by the administrators. This seems to have limited the availability of work considerably right now. There is a reasonable chance we’d get work if we traveled to certain towns with crops due for harvesting but we cannot claim any travel or work related expenses against our tax unless we can evidence that the work is pre-arranged. Hmm.. a quandary of a pickle!
We are off to Jeff & Katrina’s block of land today for one last weekend of bonfires before we all head off in our various directions, so I’d better get cracking with some more phone calls before we head out. We have spent several weekends out on the block with various people, below are a couple of Bryn's pics from there. It really is a beautiful place!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Ahh the serenity....
Today was, quite frankly, a fantastic day! We are picking apples again on the farm well-known around town as the best apple farm to work for in Stanthorpe. The boss is our age and very easy going, the farm is well-maintained so the trees are pruned well, making picking a breeze, we only pick what we can reach from the ground, so no cumbersome ladder work, and we are being paid hourly so we don't have to worry about picking a certain number of bins each day.
The weather in the morning was perfect - gently warm and sunny but not too hot, white fluffy clouds and trees with a good amount of fruit on them. I saw a couple of black cockatoos flying around nearby with their screeching that sounds almost prehistoric, and later on my curiosity got the better of me and I followed the sound of a large group of very excited miner birds to find a brown owl staring down at me from an apple tree.
I managed to tear my second pair of work trousers quite spectacularly up the bum by squatting down to reach some apples on a low branch, which although inconvenient, forcing me to wear my waterproof jacket around my waist to protect my modesty, was pretty funny. Bryn swears that I am getting thinner from picking but armed with another shining example like that, I beg to differ, though in all fairness, I had bought both pairs of trousers at charity shops at least 2yrs ago so they had to go sometime.
During our morning tea break, sat out with our mates Bob & Emi eating the delicious banana and date cake I made yesterday, a mob of about 15-20 kangaroos came bounding through the orchard. It quickly became clear from their behaviour that we were sitting across their usual path (they are very habitual in their movements) which freaked them out a bit and sent them off in all directions trying to get past us through the trees towards their next grazing spot. Watching such a big group so close up was brilliant!
Shortly after lunch clouds started to form and the rain came down pretty hard, causing all work to stop for the day as wet apples bruise far more easily than normal. Of course we were fully prepared with waterproofs to keep ourselves dry, though putting on my jacket meant the big tear in the bum of my trousers was out in view for all to see. Whoops!
So we were finished work by 2:30pm, giving us time to head into town and work through a short but satisfying list of things we needed to do, including visiting the two charity shops in town for new work trousers, and heading home for rest and relaxation. Ahh...
Some days can be tough, but today was brilliant fun!
Monday, April 6, 2009
All mimsy were the borogoves
So we had a weeks break from work which included a trip to Brisbane where we went hither and dither buying things we needed such as a deep cycle battery and dumping stuff that we didn't need with the rest of our belongings in storage.
Then celebrated Joey's 40th birthday on the Saturday which included both of us playing some tunes which we very much enjoyed (so much so that the decks are now in the boot of the van :) ).
We finally managed to pull ourselves free of the gravitational pull of Brisbane on Monday and would like to thank everyone who has put us up or put up with us.
Whilst on the way home we had a text from the job agent about a starting work the next day.... result!
So we our now doing strawberry runners which basically involves sorting out the good plants from the bad in a big shed along with 300 other people. We get paid between $5.55-$7.55 (depending on the variety) per crate and a crate holds 4 bundles of 25 and need to get about 25 to be earning enough but it has been a slow start and have both been suffering with back problems from standing on concrete all day.
We spent last saturday night and all of sunday at Jeff & Katrina block of land and we have started helping them get it ready for Jeff's 40th which is going to be over Easter more details to follow.
Then celebrated Joey's 40th birthday on the Saturday which included both of us playing some tunes which we very much enjoyed (so much so that the decks are now in the boot of the van :) ).
We finally managed to pull ourselves free of the gravitational pull of Brisbane on Monday and would like to thank everyone who has put us up or put up with us.
Whilst on the way home we had a text from the job agent about a starting work the next day.... result!
So we our now doing strawberry runners which basically involves sorting out the good plants from the bad in a big shed along with 300 other people. We get paid between $5.55-$7.55 (depending on the variety) per crate and a crate holds 4 bundles of 25 and need to get about 25 to be earning enough but it has been a slow start and have both been suffering with back problems from standing on concrete all day.
We spent last saturday night and all of sunday at Jeff & Katrina block of land and we have started helping them get it ready for Jeff's 40th which is going to be over Easter more details to follow.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Doth gire and gimble
We’ve quit!!! YAY! Basically we ran out of good apple trees and had to go back to trees that we had already colour picked (colour picking is taking just the ripe fruit off the trees) .We gave it a go yesterday but only manage to pick 4 bins between us in 5 hours which was exhausting and soul destroying climbing up trees for 5-10 apples.
We aren’t too worried as there seems to be a lot of other work around and it gives us a break from all the hard graft and getting up at 5:30am.
Reading through the blog it seems like we have done nothing but work and sleep in the last month which isn’t true as we have gone on little adventures most weekends so I’ll try to fill in a few places now.
On the 28th February for our wedding anniversary we went a couple of hours north and camped at a site called Bestbrook which is mix of farm/stables with chalets and camping down by a creek.
We went horse riding which was Bel’s first ever time on a horse and my first time for 20yrs. It was a very gentle introduction except Bel's horse knew who was really boss so she had little control but the horse knew where it was going anyway and basically we got led around for a couple of hours along a creek and then in to the eucalyptus forest which was most pleasant and only left me slightly saddle sore for the next couple of days.
In the evening we had a meal at the main house (hmmm steak) and end up chatting to the owner and his friend Barney till late, then went back to the campsite with Barney to sit by the campfire we had prepared earlier in true Blue Peter fashion. Whilst talking to Barney, it turned out that Bel had worked for one of his mates many years ago so they gabbled on whilst I stared at the amazing array of stars.
The next day Barney drove us in his 4WD to the top of the hill to see the view down the valley which was awesome except for the combination of a hangover with the bumpy ride.
It was a great break away and left us feeling very energised.
For my birthday we went with friends Jeff & Katrina to the Steakhouse across the road for dinner which was lovely but subdued as it was a school night. Yummy more steak…. If there is one thing they do right here it's the steaks…..:drool:
Last Saturday we went off to J & K's plot of land which they bought last year, about 20Kms west of Stanthorpe. We had a very lovely evening around the camp fire with another couple Bob & Emmie who introduced me to campfire cooking (garlic mushrooms wrapped in foil & cooked on hot coals are superb) and then later Bel jammed on the trumpet (the nearest neighbour is a good few Kms away) with Bob on guitar & djeme.
It's a beautiful spot and J&K are planning to build a house on it so I have my first project as an eco designer helping them with the design.
We aren’t too worried as there seems to be a lot of other work around and it gives us a break from all the hard graft and getting up at 5:30am.
Reading through the blog it seems like we have done nothing but work and sleep in the last month which isn’t true as we have gone on little adventures most weekends so I’ll try to fill in a few places now.
On the 28th February for our wedding anniversary we went a couple of hours north and camped at a site called Bestbrook which is mix of farm/stables with chalets and camping down by a creek.
We went horse riding which was Bel’s first ever time on a horse and my first time for 20yrs. It was a very gentle introduction except Bel's horse knew who was really boss so she had little control but the horse knew where it was going anyway and basically we got led around for a couple of hours along a creek and then in to the eucalyptus forest which was most pleasant and only left me slightly saddle sore for the next couple of days.
In the evening we had a meal at the main house (hmmm steak) and end up chatting to the owner and his friend Barney till late, then went back to the campsite with Barney to sit by the campfire we had prepared earlier in true Blue Peter fashion. Whilst talking to Barney, it turned out that Bel had worked for one of his mates many years ago so they gabbled on whilst I stared at the amazing array of stars.
The next day Barney drove us in his 4WD to the top of the hill to see the view down the valley which was awesome except for the combination of a hangover with the bumpy ride.It was a great break away and left us feeling very energised.
For my birthday we went with friends Jeff & Katrina to the Steakhouse across the road for dinner which was lovely but subdued as it was a school night. Yummy more steak…. If there is one thing they do right here it's the steaks…..:drool:
Last Saturday we went off to J & K's plot of land which they bought last year, about 20Kms west of Stanthorpe. We had a very lovely evening around the camp fire with another couple Bob & Emmie who introduced me to campfire cooking (garlic mushrooms wrapped in foil & cooked on hot coals are superb) and then later Bel jammed on the trumpet (the nearest neighbour is a good few Kms away) with Bob on guitar & djeme.
It's a beautiful spot and J&K are planning to build a house on it so I have my first project as an eco designer helping them with the design.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Uphill struggles
OK, so the first week of picking was hell. Especially for Bryn cos he had to put up with me whinging about how hard it was. A couple of weeks later, when we were comfortable with it, we went from being paid hourly to contract. Contract means you are paid a piece rate, in our case $30 for a bin that is about a metre cubed, so we now have to fill 5 bins a day each to match our hourly rate, though while paid hourly managed about 3.
It's amazing how you can rise to the challenge when there are financial implications. On Monday we picked 13 between us without stretching ourselves too far and had reached a point where we were feeling pretty good about how well we were doing .. but then, right on cue, came the next challenge. Today we were moved to a new field where the trees are a lot taller than before, therefore requiring more time on ladders. This has slowed us down hugely and we only picked 9 between us and left feeling utterly frustrated. I know in a few days we will probably be coping with this as well as previous challenges but right now it seems to be a pretty tough call.
Anyway, that's about all I have the energy to write about today. Despite the hard yakka, we are enjoying being outdoors and being in touch with what goes on around us. In an office, you're very immune to the world outside.
It's amazing how you can rise to the challenge when there are financial implications. On Monday we picked 13 between us without stretching ourselves too far and had reached a point where we were feeling pretty good about how well we were doing .. but then, right on cue, came the next challenge. Today we were moved to a new field where the trees are a lot taller than before, therefore requiring more time on ladders. This has slowed us down hugely and we only picked 9 between us and left feeling utterly frustrated. I know in a few days we will probably be coping with this as well as previous challenges but right now it seems to be a pretty tough call.
Anyway, that's about all I have the energy to write about today. Despite the hard yakka, we are enjoying being outdoors and being in touch with what goes on around us. In an office, you're very immune to the world outside.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Photos
Click linky to find some of our photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brassybel/
..... must get to bed......zzzzzzzzzzzzz
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brassybel/
..... must get to bed......zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Friday, February 20, 2009
Saturday 14th February
Today reminds me of the great British summer - grey, windy and wet - ah the memoirs of festivals gone by (mostly last summer) come flooding back but no something is different here, ah yes we are all toasty and warm snuggled up in bed (Bel is snoring to my side) in our little cosy Jym.
Since arriving at Stanthorpe 3 days ago and whilst still with out work (more on that later) we have been re-organising and pimping Jym to make it more homely. we had a fail with the car stereo that we ship from the Uk as we forgot to get the security code before we left so we finally bit the bullet and forked out for a new one which I installed last week prior to leaving Brisbane.
I seemed to have turned into the handyman of the house(van)hold after adding a few extra shelves and a cubby hole for the imac and installing stereo and new speakers which is all well and good except when Bel starts her sentence with "could we just....."
So far no work but hopefully next week we should have some apple picking as we have talked to some fellow pickers in the pub yesterday (we went to network and not for a pint honestly....I know you don't believe me...I wouldn't) and there is the work around we just need to badger the agency constantly and go around the farms as people are always coming and going
Today reminds me of the great British summer - grey, windy and wet - ah the memoirs of festivals gone by (mostly last summer) come flooding back but no something is different here, ah yes we are all toasty and warm snuggled up in bed (Bel is snoring to my side) in our little cosy Jym.
Since arriving at Stanthorpe 3 days ago and whilst still with out work (more on that later) we have been re-organising and pimping Jym to make it more homely. we had a fail with the car stereo that we ship from the Uk as we forgot to get the security code before we left so we finally bit the bullet and forked out for a new one which I installed last week prior to leaving Brisbane.
I seemed to have turned into the handyman of the house(van)hold after adding a few extra shelves and a cubby hole for the imac and installing stereo and new speakers which is all well and good except when Bel starts her sentence with "could we just....."
So far no work but hopefully next week we should have some apple picking as we have talked to some fellow pickers in the pub yesterday (we went to network and not for a pint honestly....I know you don't believe me...I wouldn't) and there is the work around we just need to badger the agency constantly and go around the farms as people are always coming and going
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Escape!
After wanting for so many years to spend some time in Brisbane, I've suddenly found myself very pleased to have escaped. As much as I love it and don't feel like I properly caught up with it all, living in a city, particularly a familiar one, does not mix well with a lack of regular income. There are far too many temptations, whether it be visiting favourite haunts, buying meat and booze for BBQs with friends or buying spur of the moment meals and funky things just cos they are there. We've parked outside various friends' houses since early January and it has been fantastic to spend some proper time with them, not to mention extremely grateful for use of their creature comforts, but we bought Jym to go travelling and it was well and truly beginning to feel like the world tour of Brisbane! After being away for such a long time, it has been a valuable time to reconnect with people. It's impossible to fully maintain friendships over such distances, so I better understand where friends here are at in their lives now. I think Bryn feels closer to them too so rather than them just being my friends, they have become our friends.
So a number of expected (and unexpected) van repairs and improvements later, we've set off to Stanthorpe in search of apple picking. We feel bloody lucky to be where we are at the moment, comfortably south of the flooding in north Queensland and north of the NSW/Victoria bushfires, so despite suffering a severe lack of funds, it's not all bad. We are staying in a beautiful, peaceful place, it's warm and sunny and there are some amazing national parks nearby. We're trying not to get too stressed about being broke but it's hard to adapt to the uncertainty that accompanies both a change of career and the very nature of harvest work. We've had a very comfortable lifestyle for a few years, where we'd spend money all over the place without a second thought and still increase our savings, so having to scrimp again is at times a fun challenge and other times utterly frustrating.
Keep your fingers crossed for us that we get a bit less sun for the next week or two so the apples colour up nicely and we get some work nice and quick.
Adios 'til next time...
So a number of expected (and unexpected) van repairs and improvements later, we've set off to Stanthorpe in search of apple picking. We feel bloody lucky to be where we are at the moment, comfortably south of the flooding in north Queensland and north of the NSW/Victoria bushfires, so despite suffering a severe lack of funds, it's not all bad. We are staying in a beautiful, peaceful place, it's warm and sunny and there are some amazing national parks nearby. We're trying not to get too stressed about being broke but it's hard to adapt to the uncertainty that accompanies both a change of career and the very nature of harvest work. We've had a very comfortable lifestyle for a few years, where we'd spend money all over the place without a second thought and still increase our savings, so having to scrimp again is at times a fun challenge and other times utterly frustrating.
Keep your fingers crossed for us that we get a bit less sun for the next week or two so the apples colour up nicely and we get some work nice and quick.
Adios 'til next time...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Australia Day
Well I managed to survive my first Australia day weekend without being dunked into a pool of crocodiles or being fed to the sharks. For those that don't know what Australia Day is, it's a day to celebrate the landing of Captain Cook on this green and pleasant land although now it's more to do with celebrating everything Australian especially barbys, booze and backyard cricket.
We went to to one barby on Sunday where I proved that english backyard cricket can hold its own on the international stage with a fabulous display of catching, but another barby yesterday with more of the 3B's and a pool, complete with volleyball net, has left me feeling a tad jaded today.
Bel has broken our work drought (although there seems to be no cake drought) and starts tomorrow in a meatpacker warehouse and I finish my forklift truck course on Saturday so hopefully we can get more work till we head off to Tasmania in March.
We went to to one barby on Sunday where I proved that english backyard cricket can hold its own on the international stage with a fabulous display of catching, but another barby yesterday with more of the 3B's and a pool, complete with volleyball net, has left me feeling a tad jaded today.
Bel has broken our work drought (although there seems to be no cake drought) and starts tomorrow in a meatpacker warehouse and I finish my forklift truck course on Saturday so hopefully we can get more work till we head off to Tasmania in March.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Reality sets in
I finally bit the bullet this week and registered with centrelink as a jobseeker. My initial 'appointment' with an employment services agency was today and I optimistically expected to actually have an appointment with someone ...but all I got was a form thrust in my direction from which the receptionist will upload my details onto a jobseekers website, one that I had already registered with online. Hmm... confidence inspiring? I think not! I now have to wait 2 weeks to receive my registration paperwork before I can go in to centrelink to see if I am able to claim anything. Good thing we're not completely out of money yet. I wonder how people with higher living expenses cope in this situation.
Work is proving to be harder to come by than we expected. After a solid week of hassling various employment agencies for temp work in Brisbane, we still both have zero job prospects. Also, the main agency in Stanthorpe, where we hope to be working from Feb to May, has 250 job seekers on their books with no current work and grim reports of incoming harvest crops due to hailstorms and colder than usual weather. I'm guessing a lot of it is related to time of year and economic climate but I really did believe that finding some basic admin/cleaning/labour/anything job would be easy in any circumstance. Oh well, it's only a temporary setback, I'm sure!
Bel :0)
Work is proving to be harder to come by than we expected. After a solid week of hassling various employment agencies for temp work in Brisbane, we still both have zero job prospects. Also, the main agency in Stanthorpe, where we hope to be working from Feb to May, has 250 job seekers on their books with no current work and grim reports of incoming harvest crops due to hailstorms and colder than usual weather. I'm guessing a lot of it is related to time of year and economic climate but I really did believe that finding some basic admin/cleaning/labour/anything job would be easy in any circumstance. Oh well, it's only a temporary setback, I'm sure!
Bel :0)
Sunday, January 11, 2009
One giant step
Finally we have a moment to rest from our first great sojourn of our new life and a chance to update everyone on our adventures so far.
We are now the proud owners of a van/motorhome which is a 1985 Toaster Coaster with dual fuel (petrol & gas) 2.4litre engine with a professional fit out inside which includes fridge, microwave, reverse cycle aircon, gas cooker, a very large bed plus lots of storage and a kitchen sink. It has 2 80watt solar panels which charge a deep cell battery, running the fridge and the 12volt lights and we also have a 240 volt connection for when we are in caravan parks or like right now parked outside a friend’s house. It also has two awnings for shade.
Our little Jim weighs in at just under 4 tonnes and drives like a dream except up big hills where he slows to a snails pace to the annoyance of all those behind us.
We saw some really bad vans before Jim came along; completely illogical fit outs, oodles of rust, smoky motors, ...so we were hugely relieved to find him, and near to Brisbane. We had begun contemplating travelling to various towns in other parts of the country, at great expense, to look at other vans that seemed to fit the bill, as nothing local seemed to be good enough.
Unable to contain our excitement, we took Jim out for a test run the day after we bought him, driving from Brisbane to Melbourne and back again. Along the way we met up with friends who have been fruit picking for the last 2 years for some valuable advice and encouragement, got a trusted mechanic friend to check Jim over and alleviate a few little worries, kitted him out from stuff in storage and mum’s surplus bits and bobs and went to an entheogenic symposium.
After a short sojurn in Brisbane doing all those things you have to do when changing countries - drivers' licences, medicare, tax file number, insurance, roadside assistance, changes of name and address, bank accounts.. blardy blah... we set off south again for the christmas/new year trip.
We are now back in Brisbane waiting for the stuff we sent over from the UK in October to be released by customs before we head to Stanthorpe for our first harvest job. We don't actually have a job lined up yet but have been reassured that pester power goes a long way with employment agencies, so we will keep hassling until they get sick of us turning up every day!
I know once we start working, it's going to be tough for the first while as we get used to it, but it's a necessary hurdle and i'll be much fitter (and hopefully lighter) for it, so i'm trying not to worry about it too much. Also, the transition from two healthy incomes to zero has been interesting but useful to help us see how much money you can piss up the wall without really noticing.
Now that we've finally set up a blog, hopefully the updates won't be too few and far between but it's all going to be dependent on a number of factors so it will no doubt be sporadic. In the meantime, any suggestions for a slogan to replace the cheezier than thou 'just coasting' on the front of Jim will be warmly received.
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