Holy crap a whole year with out a jot to say, maybe the big prawn has eaten us and we are now krill food or more likely that we too lazy to updated our lives on the interweb.
In the last year we have:
Moved to a far better end of town
Changed jobs and then got made redundant, did a Permaculture PDC, didn't work for a month then worked for a 6weeks contract then gave it up and started a years course in 'Renewable Energies' (Bryn)
Got promoted and is office project manager for the Justice department (Bel)
Has a veggie patch
Been to Woodford festival and Rainbow Serpent Festival
Had lots of fun and did stuff
Bryn turned 40
Are trying to sell Jym sadface but he need to be out gallivanting not stuck down a side street
Built a greenhouse out of scrap
Cried and was sad when my stepdad died in the UK
Became uncle and aunty again on both side of the world
Missed friends
made new friends
lived a life well two and are still here.
xxxxx
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Switching to Green
When I attended Melbourne’s sustainable living festival earlier this year, I wrote myself a list of actions – things that I hadn’t gotten around to doing or new ideas that had popped up, in which I could make a small change in my life to live more ethically and sustainably. Most items on the list I completed within a couple of weeks of the festival. The last item on my list was switching to green power. The reason why it ended up as the last action, was mostly because it wasn’t as easy as it could have been.
I went to the website of my supplier in search of the options. After reading that I could switch to 100% renewable electricity, I found that to sign up, I had to complete a web form and wait to be called by a sales rep. I could nominate what time they called, so I requested after 6pm, so as not to be interrupted at work. After about a 2-week wait, someone phoned me during working hours, when I was too busy to take the call. Also, I needed to have my account number on me to make the switch, which I didn’t have. Another two weeks passed, at which point I received another call during business hours. Fortunately, this time I wasn’t too busy and had my bill handy so I could make the switch.
The person who called me offered me a 5% discount if I committed to 2 years with them, which I refused. They then asked me to hold, and a few seconds later I was put through to someone else in an inappropriate department, who had no idea who I was or why I was being transferred. After going through the identification process for a second time, she transferred me to a third person. The third operator started the same spiel about the 5% discount which I again declined, but her response was that I couldn’t switch to renewables unless I committed to 2 years. When I asked her to confirm this statement, she got a bit flustered and put me on hold for about 5 mins. Miraculously, when she returned, she was able to add a green power levy to my existing account, with no time commitment, just like the website said they could!
In her confirmation ‘script’, she explained that an information pack was going to be sent to my home address. WTF?!?!? I asked her whether there was an alternative to sending paper documents to confirm signing up to green power, but apparently not! An email option is not available. She clearly didn’t get that it was just a teensy bit counter-productive to send me glossy printed material containing information that, as it turned out, was readily available on their website and went straight into the recycling bin.
Corporate blindness/stupidity/whatever you want to call it really pisses me off. Do they not understand that making it easier for people to sign up will better equip them to achieve improvements without actually having to fork out the dosh themselves, which they can then use as a selling point? And aside from the environmental impact, how much money they could save just by adding a minor functionality for email to their database?
Grrr… *bangs head on nearest hard surface*
I went to the website of my supplier in search of the options. After reading that I could switch to 100% renewable electricity, I found that to sign up, I had to complete a web form and wait to be called by a sales rep. I could nominate what time they called, so I requested after 6pm, so as not to be interrupted at work. After about a 2-week wait, someone phoned me during working hours, when I was too busy to take the call. Also, I needed to have my account number on me to make the switch, which I didn’t have. Another two weeks passed, at which point I received another call during business hours. Fortunately, this time I wasn’t too busy and had my bill handy so I could make the switch.
The person who called me offered me a 5% discount if I committed to 2 years with them, which I refused. They then asked me to hold, and a few seconds later I was put through to someone else in an inappropriate department, who had no idea who I was or why I was being transferred. After going through the identification process for a second time, she transferred me to a third person. The third operator started the same spiel about the 5% discount which I again declined, but her response was that I couldn’t switch to renewables unless I committed to 2 years. When I asked her to confirm this statement, she got a bit flustered and put me on hold for about 5 mins. Miraculously, when she returned, she was able to add a green power levy to my existing account, with no time commitment, just like the website said they could!
In her confirmation ‘script’, she explained that an information pack was going to be sent to my home address. WTF?!?!? I asked her whether there was an alternative to sending paper documents to confirm signing up to green power, but apparently not! An email option is not available. She clearly didn’t get that it was just a teensy bit counter-productive to send me glossy printed material containing information that, as it turned out, was readily available on their website and went straight into the recycling bin.
Corporate blindness/stupidity/whatever you want to call it really pisses me off. Do they not understand that making it easier for people to sign up will better equip them to achieve improvements without actually having to fork out the dosh themselves, which they can then use as a selling point? And aside from the environmental impact, how much money they could save just by adding a minor functionality for email to their database?
Grrr… *bangs head on nearest hard surface*
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Slackness
Why is it so hard to maintain momentum for things like blogs? I mean, I should have seen it coming I guess. My past is full is abandoned diaries, songs and projects, and the boy's records for such things is even worse. But my eternal optimism always gets the better of me and I launch blissfully into a new idea, armed only with good intentions and fearless enthusiasm. But now, once again, I have to face the reality of my slackness and figure out what to do. So I guess my admission of slackness is a step in some direction or other, but right now my plan is to turn this blog into a random collection of musings and rants. Accompanied by that ever-present blind enthusiasm that somehow I'll be able to maintain this with some degree of regularity and retain some sort of readership.
But only time will tell, so here's Captain Enthusiasm signing off for now. Stay tuned for my next piece of assorted randomness....
But only time will tell, so here's Captain Enthusiasm signing off for now. Stay tuned for my next piece of assorted randomness....
Monday, December 21, 2009
Part 1 of the Trilogy
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
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
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).
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