imogenation

An “easy” introduction to hiking

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000Z

New year, new start, new fitness, blah blah blah – same as every January, right? Well, I’ve never had quite a start to a fitness regime as this one, and to be honest, I’ve never really been that interested in hiking... I use walking more as a tool to get from A to B (A & B being places that I need to go to) – maybe it’s just too slow.

Anyway, this year, almost everyone at work has made a decision to take on some fitness challenges this year. A team are taking on the Adidas Terrex Adventure Challenge in Stirling in August (a five-day race covering 500km which includes fell running, mountain biking, canoeing, orienteering and a few other surprises) – I am not in that team! However, another team has formed (which for some reason I’m thinking about joining) and are considering attempting the Coast to Coast adventure from Nairn to Glen Coe (100 miles) in a weekend in September which includes 22 miles on foot, a lot more on the bike and even a splash in a kayak! So, we’re in training mode... and even those not thinking about the challenges are joining in some of the training!

I’d done a wee 5 or 6 mile walk from Aviemore to Boat last weekend, and on Saturday, cycled the same route back to Aviemore, but yesterday I was taking on hiking!

First up... an introductory hike (with hills). A “fairly easy” one to start with we were told. So how come, after checking on the internet it is branded as “moderate/hard”??? I wish I’d checked that before going.

Yesterday, a group of 7 of us met at the Sugar Bowl at the bottom of the ski road to Cairngorm to take on the Chalamain Gap. First issue... three of us couldn’t find the Sugar Bowl car park!! After a couple of phone calls, a roll and sausage and a cup of coffee, we’d parked up the car and were ready to go. We crossed the road onto a rugged path in the direction of the reindeer enclosure.

The path climbs steadily alongside the river (down to the left) to reach the Chalamain Gap. Little did we know that the higher parts of that path would maybe needs crampons and a pickaxe! We clung to the edge of the hill, digging our feet into the iced snow, hanging on for dear life in the hope that we would not slip down the side of the hill. Not only would it have meant sliding down a fairly steep bank, but it would have ended with a rather chilly dive into a iced pool. Scarey? HAH. Definitely!

We persevered with the path and eventually reached the Chalamain Gap, described earlier that week as a challenging passing with a few rocks where you would have to take care in case you lost your footing. Rocks? More like boulders! And iced boulders at that. The 0.5km ravine is completely choked with boulders (some the same size and bigger than me) and lots of care is needed not to twist an ankle of break a leg. I had visions of that film “127 Hours”, but was reassured that Gordon had his penknife with him should any parts need cutting off for freedom! It wasn’t until I was half-way through the death trap that I realised Gordon had taken an alternative route (albeit a higher route) with the dogs... and still had his penknife in his pocket! Needless to say, it took us a while to scramble through it.

We got to the other side to find a path (yay), but a very icy one (boo). The next challenge was getting to the bottom of a fairly steep hill, on ice. Some took to their bums, which would have been the easiest option if I had been wearing waterproof trousers, but no, not me. We all left the path, as we figured we would’ve slipped off it anyway. Choosing not to slide down, I decided to give my knees a battering in a kind of ski motion through the heather to join the path at the foot of the hill. I say path, but it was full of ice and rocks... so quite a rugged path, where at any moment you could have hit the ice, and landed flat on your back, probably on a rock (not that I was pessimistic or anything)! We got there though, and stopped shortly after for our lunch. It was here that we were informed that our walk was not even half way over! But we were just so elated to have made it through the gap and down the path that this news did not phase us. Although it did stick in my mind that 7.5 miles was quite a way to go.

We headed down towards the forest and ended up on tracks that surrounded Loch Morlich. Some stretches were long and straight, and with the paths being flatter and longer, insanity set in. A notion to run sections between big trees set sail, and before I know it we were jogging. Are we mental – I think, yes, probably!
Before I knew it, we were on a path that I recognised. The path that we followed for our 5km time trial. Yay – only 2.5km to go until we meet the road, we were nearly there, right? Wrong again! We had yet to tackle the last strath, and probably the worst stretch of the day. The ski road from the Hayfields to the Sugar Bowl (where the cars were). What a slog! It was starting to get dark, and all the ski traffic was coming towards us, but we struggled on and we made it!

What a fantastic day! I had had some reservations, it’s true. But to be honest, I was chuffed that I’d done it. And looking back, the boulder dash was probably my favourite bit. We walked 22km for six and a half hours (with about half that time spent on the icy path and boulders). We saw some gorgeous sights too – a herd of reindeer, some stunning views of the surrounding mountains and down to Aviemore, the entrance to the Larig Ghru, and the sun setting over Loch Morlich. A great day, with great company... and I’m not even in that much pain today, although maybe it’ll come tomorrow!

I wonder what comes next?

Challenges for 2012

2012-01-14T12:13:00.001Z

Crafts are fun but they generally make you sit down for quite a long time so I need to focus on other things too.

I reluctantly turned 30 in September - I really did not want to! Anyway, as I wasn't looking forward to it, I decided to make the year of being 30, the year that I said yes. I'm not saying that I'll do everything that every eejit tells me to, but I'm going to do a few "different" things this year. One of them being a flight in a glider which the girls at work got me for my birthday - I can't wait for that.

Unfortunately I mentioned the "yes" thing at work and now I'm pretty much signed up for some physical challenges. The Corrieyairack and Coast to Coast challenges to be exact. Arrrrgh. Training must start.

Last week I ventured on a walk to Aviemore (about 5 or 6 miles), this week... I'm taking the bike!

Now, where is my helmet???

Domestic goddess I am not!

2012-01-12T22:51:00.003Z

With all this spare time I've decided to get back into a bit of crafty stuff. The necklace the other day was a joke really but I'm going to make some nice stuff too.

I got a seeing machine for my birthday (two years ago) and I haven't really got round to using it, so, as I got Cath Kidston's Patch book for Christmas I thought I'd give sewing a go. I can't sew! I think the last thing I made by sewing was a PE bag in first or second year of high school, and before that I had made a tiny patchwork pillow during a sewing class in P.7 with Mrs Ross.

On Sunday I made a start. The Patch book gave me everything I needed to make either a tote bag or a cushion: I've gone for a cushion. Armed with 7 x13cm squares of multi-patterned fabrics, a 30 x 75 cm bit of calico, a basic sewing kit and my brand-new-never-been-used sewing machine I was ready to get going.

I didn't realise how faffy this was going to be. Cutting templates from paper, then from fabric, sewing the paper into the fabric, sewing the petals together, separating the paper from the fabric and then the making of the cushion after that. That being said, I've enjoyed every minute of my first sewing project (without a teacher).

Using the sewing machine... well it might be brand new but I haven't a clue which safe place I put the manual in when I got it, and to add to it I couldn't find a manual online either. So what did I do... I searched for a video on YouTube of course... and then the world was my oyster!

Our machines aren't exactly the same, but apparently they mostly have similar parts!! So I got it going! I won't describe the language that I developed when the thing jammed at one point and I couldn't work out how to re-thread the bobbin thing underneath!!!

Here's the lovely (even if I say so myself) end product.

Am I now a domestic goddess? No, I've got a very long way to go before I fit in with those ladies from the fifties with the perfect hair and pretty pinnies! Unless they, too, were hiding pricked fingers and sliced hands!

This week's tip... if your scissors have glue on them, don't wash them under a tap using your fingers and no scourer - much worse than a paper cut, and in a place where a plaster won't stick!!

Full instructions are in Cath Kidston's book Patch.

Wonder what I'll make next???

:0)

Heartbeat Necklace

2012-01-07T22:01:00.005Z

Okay... so I've not blogged for an age, but figured I'd try and get it going properly... well, until I run out of time again!

Anyway, I got this cute little note in the post yesterday from my Godmother:

Anthropologie are selling knitted necklaces (must be a new craze?) for... wait for it... £198.00!!!

So, me being me, I thought... I could make that for nothing... and pretty quickly. So I took out my knitting needles, found some nice colours of wool and got going. An hour and a half later... et voila:

I even crocheted a wee flower to decorate it.

Dena... this one is on it's way to you!! For the grand cost of a first class stamp!

Back to blogging... think I'll give it a try

2011-11-24T12:31:00.001Z

Not used this in absolutely ages... but think I'll give it a go again.

Now... what to write?

I'll have a think and get back to you :o)

Run Forrest Run - Eeek Em's doing the Aviemore 10km

2010-08-17T15:02:00.003+01:00

Yup - I've gone barmy and signed up for the Aviemore 10km run... yes I said RUN! ARRRGH.

Plonker that I am... anyway... it's all for a good cause so please dig deep and help The Speyside Trust at Badaguish - help disabled people enjoy the outdoors!

Hello to my new niece Hollie May

2010-04-14T12:15:00.004+01:00

Hollie May Macdonald was born on 5th April 2010 (what would've been granda's 80th birthday) and she's absolutely gorgeous!!

Holiie with very proud daddy - can't believe my wee brother is a daddy!!!

What comes next?

2010-01-21T15:00:00.001Z

What a show we had... so much fun.

Becks couldn't quite get there but Fiona and Linda joined me for an hour of fun.

The theme...

The next song has to have a word from the title of the last song in it's title! What a laugh we had. The only planned songs were the first, our normal intro song, "Here Come The Girls" by Ernie K. Doe, and the second "Come On Over To My Place" by The Drifters. The rest was done off the hoof, with helpful contributions from listeners. Each time we had approx. 3 mins to find a suitable song to play next. We got in a right guddle at times... but hey, we got through it... and we still managed to squeeze in tracks from Take That and Robbie! Woohoo.

Playlist:

1. Here Come The Girls - Ernie K. Doe
2. Come On Over To My Place - The Drifters
3. Tears On My Pillow - Kylie Minogue
4. In My Place - Coldplay
5. ??? I can't remember this one... will ask the girls.
6. Dancing In The Moonlight - Toploader
7. Dancing Queen - Abba
8. Queen Of The Night - Whitney Houston
9. Up All Night - Take That
10. ?? - can't remember this one either.
11. You Wear It Well - Rod Stewart
12. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go - Wham
13. I'll Be There For You - The Rembrandts
14. You Gotta Be - Des'ree
15: I've Gotta Feelin - Black Eyed Peas
16. All These Things That I've Done - The Killers
17. Things - Robbie Williams

Other suggestions (from listeners) included:
Can't fight The Moonlight by Le-Ann Rimes, a song by The Clash, Moonlight and Roses, Dancing In The Street,Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen, Saturday Night Fever, Tonight's The Night by Rod Stewart, Go West and Be My Baby Tonight by Whitney Houston.

Granda

2010-01-07T11:00:00.000Z

When I first said to granny that I'd say a few words today, I thought I'd come up with something without any bother... but I soon found out how hard it is to condense so many fantastic memories into just a few minutes. Once we'd started thinking of key memories, more and more kept coming up.

Over the past couple of weeks we've all spoken of some of our favourite memories, and from your grandkids, Granda, here were some of our favourites:
Kite-flying up at Blackmill, taking Itchy for walks, your affinity for yodelling and talking backwards in the minibus (I've never met anyone else who can speak backwards so well (and then pass it off as Gaelic!)), cheating against us at Scrabble, making the best porridge ever, going fishing, teaching us about the garden (even if our enthusiasm wasn't there, yours was apparent and if nothing else, we loved the recipes it helped you produce (none of us could claim to be starved that's for sure)). There was the day we set off for a walk from Blackmill, crossed burns and allsorts and ended up at Loch an Eilean - we were away for most of the day in a time of no mobiles and when we phoned granny for a lift home we got in loads of trouble.

Picking us up from school, teasing us with your false teeth and the way you could fall asleep mid-sentence, and then wake up as soon as we changed the TV channel claimiing that "I was watching that"! And we've all sat through numerous Western movies, horse races and snooker games - just because we knew how much you loved them. For me, I'll never forget my driving lesson with you to Beauly. We left Aviemore, and headed for the A9... by the time we got to Granish junction (about a mile out of Aviemore) you were sound asleep and it wasn't until I realised near to Inverness that I didn't really know how to get to Beauly that I felt I had to wake you up.

The one thing that I am in awe of is your relationship with gran. Gran said to me on Christmas Day that this was the first Christmas in 54 years that you'd spent apart - WOW. I can't imagine ever getting that far! We heard your love for each other mostly through the playful bickering between the two of you, but it became more obvious to me over the past few weeks. My most heartfelt moment in recent weeks was when we sat in the hospital in Inverness, I nipped out to speak to the nurse and when I came back I saw something lovely - just you and granny holding hands with no words being exchanged, made me realise how lucky we've all been.

Everyone I meet that has known granda, whether for years or just in passing has told me just how lovely he was and I couldn't agree more.

Granda, you were the best granda anyone could possibly ask for. You were kind, generous, funny, fun to be with, mischievous, full of fab stories that kept us amused for hours and the most positive and accepting person we've ever known. I don't know anyone who could live up to be the person you were. We love you lots and will never forget you.

Bill Macdonald 1930-2009

Royal day out - Mum (or is it Ma'am) collects her MBE

2009-11-25T16:01:00.004Z

Our wee jont to Buckingham Palace hit the headlines in the local rag!

It's all about clothes...

2009-10-21T19:58:00.002+01:00

Becks and I, and possibly Fi, are back on the radio waves tonight... and the theme... songs about clothes, or with clothes in the title, or lyrics or whatever.

The show lasts an hour from 9-10pm... but we're there til 11pm tonight recording next week's show!

Late night tonight :o(

Drama tomorrow - :o)

Brendan Benson was ace!

2009-10-18T22:55:00.002+01:00

Went to see Brendan Benson at Oran Mor in Glasgow last night and he didn't disappoint. Listened to him loads in Australia and couldn't miss the opportunity to see him. Hadn't listened to his new album in advance but it didn't matter - the whole set was good... and Al enjoyed it too - thank God! Hate the pressure of recommending music to people... but it worked! YAY.

Just a wee gig of a few hundred people I think - well worth the £10 or whatever it was. He didn't sing Insect Rules... but I didn't mind too much - we listened to it back at the flat - so all in all a good night was had! And now I've got his new album... so I'm off to listen to it.

Last festy of the season - here we go Loopallu!

2009-09-20T22:43:00.002+01:00

I think I'm fast becoming a festival-a-holic... love it love it love it!

Loopallu is this year's last one... but it was great... Highlights - The Dykeenies, The Dangleberries, Mumford & Sons and the surprise best band... Codeine Velvet Club. Okay, so really the music comes second... the weekend was fab... and only because of the fab company I keep - huge big thanks to Mel, Al and Al... as well as Rhoda, Mairead, Dougie, Dave & Jan, Dave & Jan and Hugh, for making it such fun.

"Nobody puts baby in the corner" - RIP Patrick Swayze

2009-09-15T15:36:00.002+01:00

Gonna have to dig out my old videos and DVDs and watch some good old Patrick Swayze movies...

Who am I kidding... it's not like they're at the back of the cupboard... They're always at easy reach!

Sad day for us die hard Dirty Dancing fans! Oh and not forgetting To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everthing! Julie Newmar... brilliant film :o)

Think I'll do a Patrick themed radio show this week.

xxx

Belladrum 2009

2009-08-23T14:24:00.001+01:00

Some pics from an absolutely brilliant weekend... more pics and videos on Facebook.

Em x

Belladrum Special on Speysound Radio – Wednesday 19 August 2009

2009-08-19T22:30:00.001+01:00

For those of you that missed the show, I thought I’d write up my notes so that you could at least see what I said and played.

9pm…. Jingle - Here Come the Girls

Black Eyed Peas – I’ve Got A Feeling This week's number 1!

Good evening everyone… you’re listening to The Girls on Speysound, this is Emma, with you tonight until the news at 10 on MFR. It’s Wednesday 19 August and I’m here tonight to do a Belladrum special.

Started with Black Eyed Peas and to quote “I’ve got a feeling, that tonight’s going to be a good night…” I’m so excited… but quite nervous… I’ve banged on about this and drummed up some listeners… and now my heart’s beating like there’s no tomorrow.

Competition winner – enjoyed weekend. Looking forward to next year’s competition.

This year we went as a huge group again – we had 2 tipis, 1 bell tent, a 50th birthday, lots of alcoholic beverages (to be drunk sensibly, of course), a couple of ipods, a bucket load of Bavarian costumes and a table with table cloth – best in campsite!!

Thursday night at Bella is ceilidh night – but we didn’t all go… hmmm… I suppose I may as well get my embarrassing memory (or non-memory) out of the way…. Waking up with a sore nose on Friday morning… this next tune, although not featured at Belladrum, will remind my fellow tipi-ers of my not-so-successful (thank goodness) attempt at suicide.

Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire – tune didn’t work…. So carried on without it.

Right, stop laughing at me! Despite the, how should I say this, “slip”…. Spirits (all sorts) were high the next morning in the tipi enclosure… and before costumes were even adorned a group (well 2 of them) from the 70s reformed especially for the occasion.

Bay City Rollers – Shang-a-lang

The third appearance of the Bay City Rollers this year, first for Lorraine’s (my mum’s) 50th, then Donalda’s 40th and once more for our tipi neighbours – Karen and family/friends - at Belladrum.

Next up, a tune by a band that actually played at the festival… possibly the best of the weekend???

The Saw Doctors – I Useta Lover (apparently that’s how it’s spelt)

We didn’t even have to leave the Champagne tent to hear them… although we did all leave momentarily for a bit of a boogie!

First apology of the evening goes to Mel… sorry but I couldn’t find Billy Connelly’s Wellie Song… but I’ll try for next year… should manage it in a year?!?!

The Editors headlined Friday night, but the highlight of a sneaky few was the wee tent with all the sofas in right at the entrance/exit to the arena. In we went for a bit of Sing-a-long a Sound of Music. It was brilliant. I admitted to the serious crime of having not seen the Sound of Music before… but after the shock set in noone minded and we all sang merrily along. So here, especially for Iona (who cooked our brekkie every morning) and for Jo-Ann so seconded Iona’s choice… and of course to all the Bavarians – our lederhosen-clad gents and scantily dressed wenches…

Whatshernameagain? – High On A Hill Stood A Lonely Goat Herd

Our show has taken a turn to a strange side but only momentarily. Next up… I missed this band during the weekend (twice, apparently) but I heard they were good… and I did really want to see them – for mum and Mairi…

The Dangleberries – Caledonia

For a few of the group, Saturday became a day for Costume 2! One of the gents even became a wench! Headliners on Saturday night were Ocean colour Scene but we snuck out of the Champagne tent one more time to go and see Seth Lakeman. He’s a fiddler that sings…. I didn’t even know that was possible. I have to admit that I got a bit bored after the first two songs so I ran back to catch a wee glimpse of Ocean Colour Scene… but was then persuaded back to see Seth… and I’m so glad I did go back because the rest of his set was fantastic.

I had looked out an aptly named track – A Bold Knight – to dedicate to Big Al… who disappeared to the car on the morning of Saturday and came back as a Knight in Armour! None of us really know why… who carries a spare knight costume in their car??? Anyone?

Anyhoo the track wasnae working so instead I’ve got a track suggested by and for Rhoda (I think Seth’s biggest fan).

Seth Lakeman – Kitty Jay

A surprisingly superb band was… Noah and the Whale. I had loads of fun down the front of the main stage – not right at the front, but near enough – dancing, singing and drinking with Wee Al and the “younger” ones… Keith, Martin, Drew, Lawrence, Eve, Jo-Ann, Alana and some random sailors (or were they pilots?).

Noah and the Whale – 5 Years Time

My next choice… Becks is going to kill me for… we both said when we started doing the radio show that we aren’t Abba fans so we aren’t going to play Abba – it’s even in our jingles – we’ll play anything EXCEPT Abba. BUT I just have to play some because the weekend was brought to a brilliant end, just after the fireworks when we found the wee tent with couches again… this time full to the gunnels… and this time for Sing-a-long a Mamma Mia! It pains me further to say that I’m even going to play my most hated Abba track tonight… thanks to my new festival buddies and a certain 50th in February of this year… I now have some lovely memories to go with this song… bt I refuse to admit that I like it… although I realise that there is evidence of me singing and dancing to it…

Abba – Dancing Queen

A band that’s new to me and didn’t play this year at Bella, but played there a few years ago, and have featured (on ipod) at T in the Park’s Party in the Car, and in the tipi bit… I can’t wait to see them at Loopallu in September…

The Dykeenies – Sounds of the City

Last year we went as Marilyns and Elvises… this year two of our Elvises were missing… and we missed them… so just for them… for Becky and Sinclair… last year’s headliners…

Scouting For Girls – Elvis Isn’t Dead

Trying to cram as much in as poss so the links got shorter…Another tipi-enclosure tune, and from a lass that we saw on the main stage at T in the Park last year…

Amy Macdonald – Mr Rock ‘n’ Roll

And to squeeze in Saturday’s headliners… the only song of theirs I’ve got…

Ocean Colour Scene – The Day We Caught The Train

Almost out of time….

Thanks so much for listening. To everyone at Bella… especially the tipi-ers – Mel, Burness, Hazel, Martin, Iona, Jo-Ann, Eve, Charlotte, Alana, Mairi, Mum, 50th birthday girl Dena, all my new found friends from the Islands and especially to my two partners in my newly acquired festival crime, Wee Al and Big Al… I had a fab time and I hope you did too. It wouldn’t have been the same without any of you!

I’m gonna leave you with a tune that we play on our show all the time – it’s a favourite of mine and Becks’ – and was requested tonight by Alana.

Cheers for listening, next up… Loopallu… I canna wait!!!

Toploader – Dancing in the Moonlight

END

Other tracks I didn’t get a chance to play:
dotjr – Where Stars Fall Down
Elbow – One Day Like This

T in the Park 2009

2009-07-12T13:41:00.001+01:00

The highlight of my year so far!

Video killed the radio star...

2009-06-24T20:26:00.001+01:00

Let's hope not...

Listen Live at www.speysoundradio.com between 9pm and 10pm tonight!!

Hope you enjoy!

Em :o)

Queen Honours my Mum

2009-06-16T18:48:00.002+01:00

My mum's been awarded an MBE - how cool is that??? I'm so proud of her... How exciting!!! Trip to the palace awaits perhaps??? Time for a new dress and hat??? Every girl needs an excuse, right?

Cheryl's 30th Birthday

2009-06-13T13:35:00.000+01:00

An eventful evening in Manchester... well... Altrincham!

New York, New York

2009-05-18T14:23:00.000+01:00

A fantabulous holiday in New York... with Ann, and visiting Robert!

I want to go back... who's coming?

First Sunday Breakfast Show

2009-04-19T09:12:00.002+01:00

What a fab show this morning!! Loads of funky tunes, my very first competitiion, lots of callers and an international call... ooh and an email... we never get emails!!

Malky and I did a swap this week - my first ever Sunday morning and I got to do a competition - how exciting. The phone never stopped! And it's a sunny day too... how can the day get any better???

First international call too, proving that our live streaming reaches other countries as well as our own wee area in the Highlands of Scotland. Check out our schedule and tune in via the website - www.speysound.co.uk

Great fun - very exciting morning!

hahaha Thanks for listening!!! Back on Wednesday night 9-10pm (BST) and next Saturday morning 7-9am (BST)

Em xxx

Surprise Party for Mum

2009-03-10T08:58:00.005Z

Oh dear oh dear... not sure why I'd want to share this, but hey ho! Enjoy! There's a Part One still to come... I just haven't got it yet.

Here's some photos too :o)

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/emma.j.macdonald/SPFM#slideshow

A few random days at the start of the year

2009-02-20T13:33:00.000Z

Radio: well it was supposed to be all about numbers… but it ended up a bit random!

2008-11-26T22:30:00.000Z

All By Myself – Jamie O’Neal – Bridget Jones’ Diary soundtrack… - that’s exactly what I was… Becks had to pull out just an hour or so before the show, so I was left to wing it! Uh-oh

Life Is A Flower – Ace Of Base
My Doorbell – White Stripes
Say What You Want – Texas – without Becks I can say whatever I like!!!
Tears On My Pillow – Kylie – for the Junior ShowBoaters. Good Luck with your production this weekend!! You’ll be fantastic, I just know it. And good luck to the oldie SBs too (Malky, Al, Keira, Denise, Lucy, Me and Mar… they have to sing this song… cover your ears everyone!
Everyday Is A Winding Road – Sheryl Crow – explains my day really, yearning for my bed!!
I’ve Had The Time Of My Life – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warner – Request from Donna to Duncan

On this day…
1941 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the United States.
1998 - Tony Blair becomes the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to address the Republic of Ireland's parliament.
2003 - Concorde makes its final flight, over Bristol, England.
South Australia: Proclamation Day

Born:
1981 - Natasha Bedingfield, British singer - These Words, playing in background
1939 - Tina Turner, American singer and actress - Anna Mae Bullock, better known by her stage name Tina Turner - "The Queen of Rock & Roll". Born in Nutbush, Tennessee. Songs - What’s Love Got To Do With It", "Private Dancer", "I Can’t Stand The Rain", "We Don't Need Another Hero", "The Best", GoldenEye".
Play - It Takes Two, Tina Turner with Rod Stewart in 1990

More songs:
Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol – for Becks, who better have her feet up looking after that bump! A song that reminds me, Becks, Mum, Graham and Dawn of our time in Australia.
Summer of 69 – Bryan Adams
A-Punk – Vampire Weekend
Viva La Vida – Coldplay – for Mar, because I almost forgot to mention her in the last dedication!
That’s Not My Name – The Ting Tings – for all the panto performers!

Saturday Breakfast Show – 7am-9am

2008-11-22T09:30:00.000Z

Here Come The Girls – Sugababes
Songs to slowly wake up to, Question for Fun, 8am news, upbeat tunes, Footie update – done by Em this time!, Questions for Fun, charty tunes. Em left early for rehearsals and Becks took control of the sound-deck—oooh – and dedicated 9 to 5 to all us panto performers.

Radio: Hollywood

2008-11-19T22:30:00.000Z

Here Come The Girls – Ernie K. Doe
Song? - Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack
Lady Marmalade – Pink, L’il Kim, Christina Aguilera & Maya – Moulin Rouge
???? to be continued…

Saturday Breakfast Show – 7am-9am

2008-11-15T10:00:00.000Z

Here Come The Girls – Sugababes
Songs to slowly wake up to, forgot the 8am news, slightly more upbeat tunes, weather report, what’s on today, some charty tunes with an interlude for a catchup on the happenings of Strathspey Thsitle FC… left to Becks as Em knows nothing about football!

Radio: Alphabet continued

2008-11-12T22:30:00.000Z

Supposed to start with Kylie again… but I was late for the show so Becks had to tackle the sound-desk without training… eek. So, after playing our theme-tune (Here Come The Girls by Ernie K. Doe), the first track on the CD was…
Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen – certainly made me drive a little faster!
L…
M…
N…
O…
P…
Q… well we played Queen at the start of the show!
R
S
Take That - ?
U
V
W
These last two weeks must’ve been written in Becky’s notebook!

Radio: Alphabet - Recorded Show

2008-11-05T22:30:00.000Z

Here Come The Girls – Ernie K. Doe
Angels – Robbie Williams
Blur – Parklife
C…
D…
Everyday…? – Keane
Freedom – George Michael
Green Day – Good Riddance – a double G!
H…
I Want To Hold Your Hand – The Beatles
… - Jackson 5
Kylie – Can’t Get You Outta My Head

All the way to K! or was it J? recorded show and I must’ve pressed a button to stop the recording… coz we cut off half way through Kylie!

Radio: Best of the Summer - Recorded Show

2008-10-22T23:30:00.000+01:00

Here Come The Girls – Ernie K. Doe
Love Is Noise – The Verve
Mountains – Biffy Clyro
5 Years Time – Noah & The Whale
Steve McQueen – The Automatic
Spiralling – Keane
That’s Not My Name – The Ting Tings
James Bond – Scouting For Girls
All Summer Long – Kid Rock
A-Punk – Vampire Weekend
Don’t Cha – Pussycat Dolls – anonymous request!
I Kissed A Girl – Katy Perry – another anonymous request!
Paddy’s Revenge – Steve Mac
Fans – Kings of Leon
Maggie May – Rod Stewart – request for Kim & Graham
Big Girls – Mika – request from Adrian for Becky

On this day…
Born:
1938 – Christopher Lloyd – American Actor – Doc in Back to the Future movies
1949 – Arsène Wenger – French Football Manager – and Em has no clue how to pronounce and proves how little she knows about football!
1952 – Jeff Goldblum – American Actor – Jurassic Park?
1968 – Shaggy – Jamaican Singer
1969 – Spike Jonze – Director and Film Producer

Pomme (Apple) Day - France

Holidays with Dawnie

2008-10-17T10:10:00.001+01:00

Radio: Cover Versions - Recorded Show

2008-10-15T23:30:00.000+01:00

Here Come The Girls – Ernie K. Doe
Take Me Out – Magic Numbers
I Think That You Look Good On The Dancefloor – Sugababes
Chasing Cars – Natasha Bedingfield
With Or Without You – Keane
First Cut Is The Deepest – Duffy
A Little Respect – Wheatus
Crasy Little Thing Called Love – Michael Bublé
Mr Bojangles – Robbie Williams
Every Step You Take – Puff Daddy
Uptown Girl – Westlife

On this day…
Born:
1925 – Mickey Baker – American Guitarist – Love Is Strange from Dirty Dancing soundtrack.
1946 – Richard Carpenter – The Carpenters
1948 – Chris De Burgh – Irish Singer/Songwriter
1953 – Tito Jackson – Jackson 5
1959 – Sarah Ferguson – Duchess of York

Global Hand Washing Day
USA – White Cane Safety day

The Steamie

2008-10-12T10:00:00.001+01:00

Radio: Running Tracks? Maybe…

2008-10-08T23:30:00.002+01:00

Here Come The Girls – Ernie K. Doe
Should I Stay or Should I Go? – The Clash
Old Before I Die – Robbie Williams
I Predict A Riot – Kaiser Chiefs
Great Balls of Fire – Jerry Lee Lewis
Grace Kelly – Mika
Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
Man I Feel Like A Woman – Shania Twain
I Believe In A Thing Called Love – The Darkness
Another Way To Die – Jack White & Alicia Keys
I Get Knocked Down – Chumbawumba

Birthday Wishes to Alan & Iona

On this day…
Born:
1918 – Ron Randell – Australian Actor (d. 2005)
1939 – Paul Hogan – Australian Actor – Crocodile Dundee
1949 – Sigourney Weaver – American Actress – Alien movies
1970 – Matt Damon – American Actor – Good Will Hunting, Bourne Trilogy, Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen! Little Less Conversation – Elvis Presley – Ocean’s Eleven

1985 – musical Les Miserables, based on novel by victor Hugo, opeended in London’s Barbican Centre, started its run as the longest running West End musical in history.

Radio: Reality TV

2008-10-01T23:30:00.000+01:00

Here Come The Girls – Ernie K. Doe
Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love
Hear’say – Pure & Simple
Leon Jackson
Kelly Clarkson
Girls Aloud
Liberty X
Will Young – Light My Fire
Alex Parks
The list was longer but I can’t remember them!

Belladrum 2008

2008-08-08T13:19:00.003+01:00

Travelling and Dedications...

2008-07-28T15:26:00.000+01:00

A whole hour to myself... arrgh! I hope you can put up with my ramblings...

So I've squeezed in as many songs as possible. There's two parts to tonight's show... the first part I'm going to share the music I travelled to whilst in Thailand and Australia... followed by 'On this day...' around 9.30pm where I'll be playing 3 songs back-to-back - all 3 songs linking to something that's happened 'on this day' in past years. For example, did you know that it's Beatrix Potter's birthday today?

The last part of the takeover I'll play songs that remind me of people, friends and family ending the show before the news at 10pm with a special didication before handing back to Malky.

First up tonight a song that's currently in the charts, but I first heard it in December 2006 live at Melbourne's Telstra Dome. This Australian band were one of the support acts for Robbie Williams during the Australian leg of his Intensive Care tour. I enjoyed the show much that I bought their album... and was pleasantly surprised to hear it on UK radio about a year and a half later... here's Sneaky Sound System with Pictures.

The next song isn't actually one that I listened to a lot whilst travelling but I needed a song to remind me of my time in Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory and I wasn't sure if yo'd appreciate the electric didgeridoo... oh and I do own an album of it!! Apart from the fab live [electric didgeridoo] music and dancing on the beach at Mindil Night Market, the thing I remember most is the spectacular sunset, viewed best from the beach... althoguh you don't want to go too close... lots of crocs in Darwin's waters! Here's Toploader with Dancing in the Moonlight.

Whilst in Australia my mum and Graham joined me and Dawn for a month or so over Christmas and New Year. We met in Adelaide and drove to Melbourne for Christmas via the Great Ocean Road and then on to Sydney via Canberra for New Year. This next song was on the radio constantly, almost every hour and everytimme it came on mum said "who sings this again?", "SNOW PATROL MUM" came the response. I share this Australia song with Becks too... she was in Oz not long after I got back. next up... Snow Patrol with Chasing Cars.

Next on the lineup is a song I listened to a lot in Thailand - I spent a lot of time on overnight trains and trabvelling north to Chiang Mai where, once camped in the jungle my iPod gave me respite from all the chants of the cicadas and other jungle noises.. for this I turned to the White Stripes' My Doorbell.

Keeping on the topic of creepy crawlies I really have to go back to Australia where there is an abundance of all things creepy and crawlie! An American chap kept me cmpany on my walks to and from work in Melbourne, I love this song... Insects Rule by brendan Benson.

Now an all time favourite... well from about age 16 anyway! This song made me cry at my goodbye party where me and some friends and family did a group hug whilst singing along to Green Day's Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).

Time for 'On this day...'... so On this day in 1974 Justin Lee Collins was born. AKA JLC, Justin is the co-host of The Sunday Night Project on Channel 4 alongside Alan Carr. His is known for some catchphrases such as "Good Times!", "Bad Times" and "I love it!" as well as having a liking for cult TV such as the A-Team. He can often be seen parading in t-shirts sporting classic rock bands - The Clash, Whitesnake, Guns 'n' Roses and many more.. including Def Leppard. Kind of a weak link but nevermind... here's Def Leppard with Pour Some Sugar on Me.

Also born on 28th July was Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Wife of the 35th President of the USA, she served as First Lady from 1961 until the assassination of JFK in 1963. Rod Stewart's You Wear It Well uses the pop opera Madame Onassis as a marker of style and grace to be compared against - there were loads of Jackie O related tracks but I chose this one!

Finally... on this day in 1981 one of my best friends and former flatmate was born. This also links in with the travelling theme as we, in a groupu of 4 girls, went to Barcelona last October to see the Magnificent Take That. This on'es for you, Elanor - even though you can't hear me - it's Take That with Could It Be Magic.

On to "our song" - songs that always remind me of people!

Taking a few of us back to the summer of 1999 when 6 of us missed our high school graduation to go on holiday to Ibiza - taking the Head Boy, Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl with us.. and leaving poor heather to make the speech on her own. This song goes out to Greg, David, Pamela, Callum, Jamie and Robert... it's House of Pain's Jump Around.

Next is a song that used to drive us crazy whilst working in Shenanigans/Acanthus on Waverley Bridge in first year at uni. I think the pub only had two CDs, Madonna and Moby! This is Madonna with Music - for Robert and Callum.

Now for a huge Indie anthem from 1991, which, 7 years later in 1998 hit the dancefloors again thanks to a new remix by Apollo 440. Another uni-time memory for me which reminds me of times in Edinburgh and Manchester with Sara and Cheryl. The first time we were dancing to it together I was obviously unaware of the dancing etiquette... as the band sand 'sit down' I turned round to find Sara and Cheryl sitting on the floor! Here's James with Sit Down.

Once upon a time there was a company called in60.com where I met some great people and one particular nutcase! We went to see Kylie at the SECC... it was quite a moment... gay icon that she is I found myself surrounded by men (not at all interested in me) and we were all dancing in the aisles. This one's for a different Robert... Kylie's Can't Get you Out Of My Head.

Almost at the end of the show now folks and tonight I'm ending with a special dedication for two of my bestest friends in the world who chose this next song as their first dance at their wedding... and the name of the song also kind of fits in with their circumstances at the mo as they're due to have their first baby this week - how exciting. I know you guys can't hear me but this one's for you anyway.

Guns 'n' Roses - Sweet Child Of Mine.

Thanks for listening - I'll be back again next week - hopefully with Becks this time!

Em and Becks on Speysound Radio

2008-07-14T15:12:00.004+01:00

This week… Em does a quick run down of T in the Park 2008.

Our radio show can’t come to you guys so I thought I’d maybe start blogging about it… and if you want you can listen to the tunes too and then it’ll more or less be like you were listening all along! And then maybe one day Becks and I will work out how to record the show and upload it… who knows?!?!

So tonight, we were given half an hour of Malky’s show as usual – 9.30-10pm – but not as usual… Becks wasnae well so I had to do it myself. Oh ok I could have pulled out but I was all hyped up about being at T in the Park at the weekend and I’d set up a list of songs already so I thought Malky and I could try and pull if off – did it work… I’m not sure, but I had fun… see what you think!

Just back from a weekend at T in the Park I strolled in to the studio (sounds swanky, but…) in a top that attempted to cover burnt bits and a hat fitted to cover up the mess that was my hair! I texted my key listeners to make sure they were tuned in and sat in with Malky and Amy – oh and a new visitor, Hannah who popped in to see what radio was all about… she was less nervous than me and still only at primary school!

As Malky set up the first half hour, I plugged in my iPod and sorted my CDs out into the order that I hoped to play them… hoped being the operative word – I had back up extras to cover any mistakes.

On with the show… did I mention I was at T in the Park at the weekend?

Fridays line up was for the happy campers only, and with Karen and I strolling in at about 6.30pm we’d already missed Newton Faulkner, The Wombats and KT Tunstall. We found our camping spot and set up camp and then headed for the arena. As we were walking in we could here Scouting for Girls pumping out some tunes and we had high hopes of catching most of their set… however, the walk in was a lot further than we anticipated and we strolled in to the arena just in time to hear the last few lines of She’s So Lovely!

So the first band we listened to were Feeder, so it’s only appropriate that my first tune for everyone be Buck Rogers from Feeder’s Echo Park album.

Feeder were an amazing way to kick off the show – loads of fab tunes and they were at the first T in the Park I went to too!

Next we headed to the Main Stage to catch Stereophonics. They were amazing too and hadn’t gigged at festivals since 2002, which happened to be the last time I was at T In the Park. Tune 2 this week… A Thousand Trees from the album Word Gets Around.

Stereophonics were followed on Friday night by The Verve but we went to see the Chemical Brothers instead on the NME stage. They were brilliant and had an amazing light show. I saw them last year at Rock Ness too. A good way to end the first night before we headed back to our tents for a very noisy night in the camp. We were lulled into a false sense of security when we got back to a quiet camp, but two hours later a possey of 6-12 came back and filled the whole camp with doosh doosh tunes until about 6am! Did it stop there, oh no, the music didn’t get turned off, they just decided to put the radio on instead, and shift two of the group woke up and kept the party going til lunchtime-ish.

For the next track I skipped forward to a band we went to see on Sunday afternoon in a packed King Tut’s Wah Wah tent. The band… Vampire Weekend… the song… A-Punk… dedicated to Karen for introducing me to the band.

Back to Saturday… the day started off with a wee bit of campsite shenanigans when we met up with a fellow ShowBoater…. Little Al and his mates Angus and Big Al! We had a few drinks and missed a few of the first bands but we arrived at the arena in time for The Feeling who were brilliant. We were based at the Main Stage for most of the day and watched/listened to Biffy Clyro, The Kooks, The Fratellis and the final song of Rage Against the Machine. Best band of the day by far… for me anyway… was the Kaiser Chiefs. Not a massive fan of them normally but they were amazing, brilliant set. We were stood at the back and couldn’t quite see them but apparently Ricki climbed a pylon despite being scared of heights and then went down to the crowd and got one leg of his trousers pulled off! My next song… I Predict A Riot from Employment by Kaiser Chiefs.

An amazing way to finish off Saturday night… a few of us then headed to the fairground for a dabble on the Eclipse and the Ghost Train before staggering back to the campsite – cheeseburger in hand!

Sunday was mainly Karen’s day – she knew the words to most of the songs of the bands we went to see, but I had a good time… and knew the odd song! First up was Scottish lass Amy Macdonald – what a voice – I thought she was a highland lass but apparently she’s from Paisley. Amy was followed by The Enemy, Counting Crows, The Goo Goo Dolls, Powderfinger, Amy Winehouse, Kings of Leon, REM and Primal Scream.

I recognised the sound of Powderfinger but didn’t know why I didn’t know the songs too. Powderfinger are an Aussie band… and it turns out that I didn’t really listen to the band much whilst in Oz but instead listened to Bernard Fanning… who happens to be the lead vocalist for the band but was doing a solo thing whilst I was there.

Amy Winehouse… oh my god we were disappointed. Loads of folk have been saying that she was brilliant, looked healthy and sang well… well I couldn’t disagree more. I didn’t think she was all that… we listened to two songs and then wandered off to get our dinner! Maybe we missed the best bits who knows… she’s one person I’d say that I’d rather listen to her CDs than see her live again… I certainly wouldn’t pay for the experience. Still at least she turned up!

Next up, it’s Kings of Leon… a band I thought I was a fan of, made a fuss of going to see them and then only knew two songs. However they were brilliant. Although the second song, and best one for me, was spoiled by a woman having a turn on the ground. She collapsed right in front of us and looked to be having some sort of fit. It soon turned out that it was drug induced… however it was certainly an ad for us not to try whatever it was she had… and as we don’t know what that was.. I won’t be trying anything funny thanks… not that I would’ve before!

So to make up for the interruption – really I hope the woman was OK – here’s Fans by Kings of Leon.

I’m skipping all over the place for the next song… still on Sunday, but on just before Amy Winehouse was Counting Crows. Luckily I searched on my iPod and found only one Counting Crows song, and it so happened to be the one I wanted… here’s Mr Jones by Counting Crows.

Well guys and gals, that’s the show almost over. This was the 15th year of T in the Park. There were over 80,000 festival goers, 12 stages and over 180 artists. There were 2,000 campers at the first camping T in the Park and this year there were 60,000! It was a fab weekend and it all ended for me in Perth… we left T in the Park just after the Kings of Leon and arrived at Karen’s mum’s in time to see REM on the stage on the TV. My last song tonight is REM’s Man on the Moon.

With the mud, minging loos, all night partiers… would I do it again… hell yeah! Bring it on!

Malky cut in in time for the news and followed the news with a Biffy Clyro tune – all was good. I said good night and left the building… still hyped up and singing along to Malky’s tunes on the way back in the car!

Race for Life - update

2007-07-10T14:00:00.000+01:00

Meghan, Sara, Elanor, Katie and I ran the Race for Life at Hopetoun House on Sunday 8th July!!

We've raised a whopping £558 so far and our page is open until 22nd July... so feel free to donate some more!! Just click on the link belwo and give what you can.

Thanks heaps.

Em xxx

Carry On ShowBoating

2007-06-17T22:32:00.001+01:00

Working trip to Brussels

2007-05-23T22:52:00.000+01:00

Brussels

Pictures from our couple of days in Brussels.

it's been a while...

2007-04-10T00:10:00.000+01:00

Hello peeps - sorry it's been so long, I just haven't had the chance to sit and type up anything... which is probably a good thing! haha

And this is just a quick update too really... I started my new job last week, so I'm now a Research Assistant and quickly trying to learn the ins and outs of breast cancer and treatments for it... it's all been a bit mind-boggling but I'm sure it'll sink in some time soon.

I now have a stylish new automobile too - I really need to take some photos to let you see the wonder that is the Renault Kangoo!!! But hey the Pope Mobile was free - for a few months anyway - so I'm just happy that a) it moves, b) it has power steering and c) it gets a radio reception... so I can listen to Moylesey on the way to work!!!

Oooh and I experienced Aviemore's very own nightclub this weekend, The Vault... hmmm... what can i say... unless I get ou paraletic, please don't ever let me take you there! Inverness is only 40 miles away after all!!! Thanks to my wee big bro for resuing me and taking me home and giving me his bed - not sure the couch is that comfy for a 6'2 lad but he didn't seem to mind. Which was good for me!

The Easter bunny was very kind to me this year... three Easter eggs, a packet of yummy mini milkybar egg things and a mini Easter egg - how cool! And no I didn't cram them all in til I felt sick!! For once I still have some left... they might last a while!!!

Oooh I've joined the Showboaters. We had a production last weekend. It was very successful and I had the all important job of controlling one of the spotlights... which, if I may say so, I picked up rather well :o) hahaha. Next meeting on Thursday for the enw production and apparently I'm getting a part in it - woohoo!!! Will let you know which weekend it is so that you can all rush to buy tickets :D

Watched that Aussie film last night about the backpackers who were attacked in the Northern Territories - it was a good film, although I spent most of the time watching out for places I'd been to! haha. Got a bit Oz-sick :(

Right I better get off to bed - Donna and I have vowed to get up at 6.15am to go for a run... who'd have thunk it... if the jogging in Darwin with Dawnie didn't make you think I was loopy, what on earth can you be thinking about me getting up early especially to go for a run... I think something is tampering with my mind again!!!

Happy Birthday Granny and David

2007-02-26T23:16:00.000Z

The last of the February birthdays... well for me anyway...

Hope you both have a lovely day.

Lots of love,

Em x

Happy Birthday Rod

2007-02-25T22:00:00.000Z

With you being in Oz you're nearly at the end of your birthday... but it's still early on here so I hope you had a very happy birthday.

Em xxx

Happy Birthday Mum, Charles and Gill

2007-02-24T22:00:00.001Z

Blimey a triple greeting...

I hope you all have a lovely birthday - whatever you are doing!!

Lots of love,

Em xxx

picking up the pace

2007-02-21T06:07:00.000Z

Things are getting a little quicker and busier for me these days... it seems that as more and more people realise that I'm home and not working they have realised that I can be given little jobs to do - which is great. Although I'm not sure that relying so heavily on the laptop is all that healthy for me :o) It is in my room but only to keep out of mum and Graham's way and to watch DVDs before bedtime :o)

So I'm typing away, uploading things to websites, some things even in French and German so my language skills (or lack of) are being tested again (don't worry I'm not the translator... only the typist/copy and paster! haha. I'm a cook extraordinaire, a wallpaper stripper, a pick-things-up-from-Invernesserer, a shop assistant, a computer fixerer, a coffee maker, a holiday confirmationer, a taxier and I'm sure a few more 'erers' thrown in for good measure. Life in Boat of Garten is certainly testing my time management skills at the moment... and I still get time to catch the odd episode of Neighbours, Hollyoaks and Top Gear!! Fantastic.

To add to it all I've now been offered a job interview at the beginning of March so here's hoping that that goes well too! Then god knows how I'll fit everything else in with it... but where there's a will there's a way... as they say. And hopefully it'll all start lining my pockets very soon :o) hee hee

And I've to fit in 'community' things as well - eeek!!! I'm sure it'll all be fun... and maybe I'll join the local drama group to give you all a laugh!!

Take care.

Em xxx

Happy Birthday Devas!!

2007-02-18T08:15:00.000Z

I don't have any phone numbers or anything for ya anymore... so I thought this was one way I could wish you a very happy birthday so that you knew I didn't forget!!

I hope you've had a lovely day.

Love Em xxx

a big warm welcome... well quite chilly actually...

2007-02-12T04:52:00.000Z

Nothing better than coming home to a lovely warm house, a big plate of soup with mince and tatties cooking on the stove, and a cup of tea on the way... aaahhhhhhh

Actually there is something better... coming home to everyone telling you how much weight you've lost and how well you're looking - YAYYY! The tan might be starting to fade already but the fact that I've been through all my clothes and have had to throw A LOT of them out becasue they are absolutely f*&%ing massive is terribly exciting. I even managed to get into my old prom dresses... okay so one of them doesn't quite tie but here's hoping I can fit into it by July and then don't have to buy a new outfit for a wedding!! SOOOOO exciting!!! WOOHOO.

On the down side... I have no trousers to wear. And wearing skirts in the snow ain't that fun... so I took a quick trip to Inverness today and grabbed a pair of snug jeans from the shelf - courtesy of granny and granda's lifesaving vouchers they gave me at Christmas - and tahdah... I have trousers again. Although I was actually supposed to get a pair for work... oh well... another trip to the shops will have to be planned MUAHAHAHA.... hee hee, nah I can get away with skirts for work, right!?!

So the unthinkable has happened - I have chucked away so many clothes without even batting an eyelid - what is happening to this material girl??

Anyhoo - actually weighed myslef just to sheck.. and WOOHOO I've lost over a stone and a half!!! FANTASTIC!

Busy busy busy

2007-02-07T13:40:00.001Z

And here was me thinking I was coming back to a wee relaxing time - hahaha

Okay so physically I haven't actually done that much... but whoosh.

Arrived back in Edinburgh on Friday and on Saturday took a quick touristy walk around Edinburgh. Up to the castle, down the Royal Mile and Cockburn Street, along Princes Street and back up Lothian Road. A nice sunny winter day and some good photos taken.

Meghan and Charles put on a lovely meal on Saturday night and it was great to meet up with everyone again... and take in a few glasses of the old vino too... I took along some Jacob's Creek - okay so I didn't take it back from Oz, but i did visit the winery while I was there and surely that's all that counts?!?! It tasted lovely too... well... the bit that didn't end up on the new cream carpet!! I think cream carpets attract red wine and that's that!

Had some yummy bacon sarnies with El on Sunday - despite the herbal butter ;) - and some more chats. A chilled out evening watching Brokeback Mountain on Sunday night before dad picked me up in the lorry on Monday. Woohoo almost home, boohoo almost end of trip!

In true Scottish style it started snowing on the way home and it felt kinda magical. Had mega catchups with Dad and Jamie on the way up the road and realised by the time I'd got home that all I'd bloody eaten all was two packet of crisps that Jamie got for me. So Catriona offered me some gorgeous Highland Coo steak and a yummy banana caramel-type pudding and we all settled to watch my skydiving dvd! Don't think dad was that impressed that I hadn't told him about it - oops!

After a few drops of wine David took me home and I was greeted by mum, Graham, Kirsty and Donna and more wine! Fab!! They too were treated to skydiving watching - but it was cool.I just have to duck down when watching the interview bit... noone likes to hear themselves recorded, do they?!?!

So Tuesday came and I had a bit of a queezy day but got through it and even managed to apply for a job. As well as already been offered a part time job in Fat Face... which I'm hopefully going to accept and start soon so that I can have some pennies! So one job here applied for, one in Aberdeen that I'm about to apply for and Candice has sent me a possibility for life back in the Auld Reekie - so a few options on the go at the moment.

And today... well I woke up to lots of snow and a sudden urge to go skiing. Snow is great - although very very cold for a girl who's been used to wandering around in shorts and t-shirt for quite some time now. However, I did get to wear my bright red wellies with white stars on - YIPPEE.

I've just uploaded the last of my trip photos... I am trying to pull together all my favourite ones and will hopefully eventually get time and money to get some of them printed and stuck into albums/journals for all to see... although by then I'm sure you'll all be sick of hearing about it all ;)

Will keep you all posted with my shenanigans.

love Em x

Home Sweet Home

2007-02-06T09:32:00.000Z

Just so that you know I haven't actually disappeared off the face of the planet...

I arrived in Edinburgh on Friday afternoon and after a nice weekend meeting up wth friends I have come home to snowy Boat of Garten and had a lovely evening chatting to my family and having catchups... I'm sure there'll be more of that this week :o)

So.. home safe and sound... a little chilly but I'm sure I'll get used to it quick enough.

Will update this better - with San Francisco news and with more photos over the next few days.

Love Em xxx

The Rock

2007-01-31T10:00:00.000Z

Oh my God - I can't believe this. I just typed and typed a whole big story about my visit to Alcatraz and it's just disappeared. PANTS!

Ah you know how you feel when you spend ages doing something then you lose it all and have to start again but youcan't really be bothered and it ends up ten times shorter than the first time??? That's what's just happened.

I went to Alcatraz this morning with my new found friends from last night's beer pong game. The island and prison are very ineteresting and quite eerie. I really enjoyed my time there - espeically the audio headset tour that you get - it is very informative and full of all the echoey noises you imagine if you were in prison. It was narrated by four formaer prison officers and four former inmates who described their experiences of Alcatraz very well.

I'm sorry I've cut it so short - it was a great place and I rambled on so much the last time. I will try and update this maybe tomorrow or the next day and describe what it was really like. I took quite a few pictures too and came out wanting to read books about the Island and about Al Capone and Robert Staud.

Anyway - tomorrow I'm visiting Haight and Ashbury in the morning - apparently an area with a 60s feel about it. Should be fun :o)

a whole new game...

2007-01-30T12:38:00.000Z

well tonight started with an excellent meal in the House of Nan King. The old guy that served me chose my dish and away I was - mmm..mmm... - thanks for recommenging it mum. It was worth seeking out.

Please excuse my typing as I have been playing a game of beer pong and it's made my brain a little bleary. Great game though... like table tennis but with beer and ping pong balls. I made it past round one but unfortunately JHojn and i got knowcked out in round two! so neither of us one the free night's accommodation. hee hee. However, it has been free beer all night and I think most people have made the moswt of it. And I now have new friends to go to Alcatraz with tomorrow. YAYYY.

Anyway... I realise it's only just after 11pm but I really have to go to bed. :o) Beer pong started at 8,30pm!!! hee hee

night night xxx

Biking the Bay

2007-01-30T06:30:00.000Z

This morning I surprised myself by getting up at 8am and making it to breakfast - a free bagel and jam with a coffee is nothing to scoff (excuse the pun) at.

I wandered down to Taylor street and hired a mountain bike for the day and after a wee test on the bike and some directions and a map I was off past Fisherman's Wharf along Jefferson. Not long into my cycle I realised that I was perhaps a little too optimistic about the weather, but I'd started so I'd finish in my shorts and hoodie... I really should have had jeans and a coat on! But at least it wasn't raining.

I hadn't got far when I noticed my first photo moment and so I stopped to click the old Ghiradelli Chocolate Factory... and thought I may as well get a far away picture of the bridge while I was at it... "now... where is the bridge?" I thought to myself before realising that I could only see about an inch of it and that fog/mist was covering the rest. Perhaps I should have looked there FIRST before getting on the bike? haha. I jumped back on and continued up my first "steep but short" incline at Fort Mason. I switched into the easiest gear - which at the bottom of the hill made my legs swing round like an out of control roll-a-duck that you get when you're a kid - and proudly made it to the top and over the other side without too many problems. YAY - first achievement of the day! I suspected more was in store for me though.

Whatever possessed me, a girl who yesterday complained of walking up a steep hill, to rent a bike and try to ride up some??? hmmmm... There were many places of interest marked on the map I was following but I didn't go into any of themjust merely used them as points of reference. Fort Mason to Fort Point was a relatively flat bit of ground so the cycle was easy an dI was able to just point and click with my camera whilst still riding! - probably dangerous but hey!

Fort Point is right at the base of the bridge so the next bit was a STEEP incline to the road, to be level with the actual bridge. OMIGOD. I think I made it halfway up before my thighs starting trembling with each push of the pedals. I jumped off, grabbed the handlebars and strode up the hill. Greeted by the Golgen Gate Bridge Souvenir Shop at the top - surely I could get a coffee in there? Nope, don't be stupid Emma. I came out with a snickers and a bottle of water... mmm...mmmm... By this time the wind had picked up, as it does around such bridges, and my wee leggies were turning a bright shade of scarlet, which as it happens, matched my face! Stunning!

Back on the bike and now looking directly across the bridge - here I go! The fog/mist had cleared and although the sky was still overcast there was a good view of the San Francisco skyline and of Alcatraz Island. The pictures are a little dull but at least they'll remind me of the wather when I was here :o) I asked a couple to take a photo ofme infront of the big orange bits that stick up into the sky (I am no engineer so I've no idea what they are called... but if I have to ever write an essay on them, I will learn).

At the other side of the bridge I was instructed to go down some steps, under the bridge and then up some steps to the other side on the freeway and then down some track. The stairs were a mission and a half. Quite steep but with a 'handy' smooth ledge to wheel your bike down and up on. Being a short-ass I ended up with the handlebars above my head and was struggling to pull the brakes on... as a result I was nearly running down these steps,petrified, after the bike. The way up wasn't quite so bad as I didn't need brakes I was up the steps in no time.

Back on the bike a scooting down this hill that looked closed to vehicles but I was assured cyclists were still allowed to use it, hurtling down towards the Discovery Museum at Fort Baker and then WHAM! A MASSIVELY STEEP incline. I looked at it for a minute and then decided I'd attempt to cycle up it just to see how far I could get. I didn't last long. It was way too steep, even the fitter couple that had been following me on and off for a while got off and walked it. Phew.

It was only another mile or so before I arrived in sunny Sausalito- a whole 8 miles away from the city. I parked up and headed for a wee cafe for fish and chips. With fish and chips in mind I have no idea why I ordered eggs benedict?!?! It just blurted out of my mouth as the waitress asked me what I wanted. As my plate was put down in front of me I glared at it. It was smothered in holladaise sauce... which meant the bagel would be soggy. I perservered and managed to eat most of it - after scraping a substantial amount of sauce off - and kept glancing round at the other customers gorging on fish and chips, burgers, chilli - they were all tucking in very eagerly. Ooops - oh well. The eggs filled a hole and I had a ferry to catch back to the bay so that's exactly what I did - after a wee look round all the lovely boutiques that Sausalito has to offer and a brief wine tasting session from the owner of a wine shop who turned out to be from Newcastle. Apparently they usually cahrge for the tastings but I must have worked my Scottish charm once again... either that or I'm a thief, as I just said thank you and walked out. :o)

On the ferry the guy selling the tickets gave me a postcard saying "Boycott Alcatraz" or something similar and told me to send it to the National Parks' Office. I gaffawed and said "you don't want people to go to Alcatraz?" in a baffled voice. He then looked at me quite rudely and said "No - we want all the Alcatraz ferries and cruises to stop." Well there wasn't much I could say after that really and I decided that the postcard would look good stuck in my journal so I took it and then sat down thinking how insane these people are for wanting to stop people from going to one of the biggest tourist destinations of the city. Apparently people lost jobs from there or something - I must look it up - but surely they can see or if not should see that the whole city must benefit from the visitors? Anyway I don't know much about it so I won't argue a point any further.

Tomorrow I visit Alcatraz!

Wandering up, down and around San Fran

2007-01-29T11:00:00.000Z

I eventually surfaced today - quite angry that I'd slept through my alarm and therefore scuppered my plans to head for Alcatraz first thing... so I've postponed my visit to the infamous high security prison until Wednesday.

First exploration point today was to Lombard Street - the most crooked street in the world. I think I've seen it on TV before. And I wish I knew some background to the reasoning behind... other than to stop things rolling down it... but then surely all the streets would be the same?!?! It was a tough walk from Broadway. Although only six blocks away, once on it and facing up it... what a climb! Especially in flip flops. It occurred to me when I was halfway up that it might have been a better idea to take a cable car to the top and then walk down it... as the rest of the tourists seemed to be doing... but no no I have to be different. So off I plod... oh so slowly up the slope, wondering why the hell anyone would propose to build such a big city (or any sized city for that matter) on so many big bloody hills! Again, I'm sure there's a reason... I just couldn't find it in my brain today! I reached the bottom of the windy (is this how you spell windy... or does this just mean windy as in gusty??) street and decided to take a tonne of photos - if anything just to catch my breath! However my camera did what I'd been dreading for the last two weeks and flashed up a warning when I switched it on "Problem with lens" - aaaarggghh I knew I shouldn't have taken it to bloody Fraser Island - grrrrrrr. The lens was getting stuck halfway when I switched it on. Being the camera expert that I am I decided that some of the miniscule sand must've got stuck in the lens barrel and that a wee tug might set it loose. I pulled through the whining whurr which then followed and TUDDAH it worked!! YAY - I wouldn't have to climb this hill again for pictures!!

So I took a few pics and even filmed a few cars coming down the street before I started off up the steps next to it to get to the top. Great view from the top... although you can't really see the road as it winds down the hill, but you can look over the city and just see Bay Bridge... quite an impressive bridge... on the opposite side of San Fran to The Golden Gate and grey in colour as opposed to orange.

I then decided to hop on a cable car/tram that seem to be in every photograph and postcard of the city, and assuming that I pay onboard I edged towards one to get on. The driver announced that there were two options for me... to use up the last seat inside the car or to stand in the last standing spot on the left and hold on to the rail whilst it manoeuvered (sp?) up and down the steep hills and round a few bends. Having been living on the edge a little lately I decided to stand! so with purse in one hand and map in the other... how the hell was I going to hold on... and how was I going to pay the driver?? This was when I realised that the driver wasn't in the least bit interested in my money, so as the car took off up a hill I shuffled about trying to ram my purse, now open and, knowing my luck, likely to spill out everywhere if I didn't do somethng quick, into my jeans pocket leaving my left hand free for holding my map so that I could cling on tightly with my right arm.

I jumped off at California Street - which I think is the one in all of the postcards of a tram coming up a steep hill after having just reached the bottom of another. Looking down I realised that the best place to take the photo is from the bottom of the hill, and that by going to the bottom of the hill to take a photo i would have to climb back up it panting like a dog. I decided not to go and thought that maybe I'd happen upon the bottom of it someday on the road to somewhere else. And in the meantime... I have a postcard!

So I walked along following where my tram would've taken me had I stayed on and happened upon Union Square - which to my surprise is the home of stores such as Macy's, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co and other such stores I was aptly dressed for... NOT! I decided that I should probably venture into Macy's and as I did I saw signs for The Cheesecake Factory on the 8th floor... well... now I can say I ate a humungous slice of cherry cheesecake on the top floor of Macy's in San Francisco. They even gave me a little box to put my leftovers in to have later - FAB!

From Union Square I wandered down to Market Street and then spotted Bloomingdales - oooh isn't that where Rachel from Friends used to work??? hee hee. I took a photo just in case and continued walking, eventually reaching Chinatown. Now, I'd decided yesterday not to go to Chinatown as I have been to one in every city I have visited so far and they're all pretty much the same... so unless you have a way of choosing which one of a million Chinese restaurants to eat in.... or you want to own your very own life-sized buddha I try to avoid them now. Little did I know that Chinatown would be on my way home tonight!

Oh my god - it's soooo different to all the others. Okay so it still has millions of restaurants and even more cheap, tacky shops all with people outside them trying to coerse (sp?) you in but WOW (not sure whether it's a good wow or a bad one) oh-so-many LIGHTS! Lights everywhere. In windows. On signs. Hanging from buildings. Stuck on the tops of taxis. Lights absolutely everywhere. Welcome to America... where everything is done on an even bigger scale! I didn't go into any of them but I did come out the other end with about 7 leaflets (I'd manage to talk the others out of my need for them) and no cheesecake. What do you do when a beggar asks you if you have any spare food?? You feel awfully guilty that you have a scrummy piece of cheesecake in a bag marked "The CHeesecake Factory" in big brown lettering and you reluctantly hand it over licking your lips... that what you do. Then you walk away with bottom lip well and truly out whilst tryng to cheer yourself up by telling yourself you just did a good thing! Ugh.

Chinatown is a two minute walk from my hostel so I was home in no time and back in my room with my roommates Lee, who I'd met yesterday, an older man from Seattle who likes to talk and Kim a younger man - around 19 I think, from South Korea whom I impressed by having a small bottle of Korean whisky (or whatever it is) in my bag. "WHERE DID YOU GET THAT???" I didn't give him any but it definitely helped with bonding and after that he too was talking away about his plans for San Francisco. The bottle is remaining sealed until I get home and then maybe I will share a sip with a few of you. It's quite nice... i had some on Fraser Island. And now I have four Korean friends. The world is just FULL of opportunities!

After an hour os so of chatting I decided to head out to a bookshop where you can go just to read books. You can buy them too, but you are encouraged by signs on the walls just to come in, have a seat and read a book. Fantastic. I then realised that they were an independent publisher, and althogh they have a lot of bestsellers and award-winning books they also have a lot of first time published authors and indeed even publish some themselves. I sat down with short stories by V. McIntrye - how awful that I can't remember his first name already - and spent another hour reading the first story in a quiet little poetry room up the stairs. Citylights Bookstore is a great wee place to chill out - just a pity they don't have a cafe attached!! haha.

So now I think I'll venture to bed so that I don't sleep through my alarm tomorrow. Hopefully breakfast will beckon and I'll be there in a shot before heading to Fisherman's Wharf to rent me a bike!

Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf

2007-01-29T08:00:00.000Z

So... after my nap yesterday afternoon... if it wasn't for a guy coming into the room I'm not sure I would have woken up... however, he did - and I'm glad as I got to see the infamous Pier 39 and surrounding area.

I wandered down to the Pier - taking in the hilly streets of the city - I can't believe just how hilly it is!! Wouldn't want to do a hillstart here that's for sure... which probably means I'll never drive here as it's inevitable that at some point or other I would have to go up one of these terrible hills! I just hope that they don't get ice or snow here... noone would leave their houses... and if they did it would probably be on a tea-tray-as-a-sledge just to make sure they were already close to the ground... and could probably get to places faster than the cars anyway!

Anyway, Pier 39 appeared at the bottom, near the sea... as is normal with a Pier! And that's where the normality subsides really... apart from the obvious boats that float by.. and of course the view of the ocean. Pier 39 is packed full of all sorts of shops, restuarants, rides - a touristic heaven some might say. It was a bustling place and as I made my way through it I looked up to see a sign "Bubba Gump's Shrimp" - as featured in Forrest Gump??? So I made a mental note to come back and have dinner there and then continued to the end of the pier for a view of Alcatraz Island. Staring out at the island and watching the various ferries go by I could hear a faint barking to my left, so I followed it. Now normally the mere sight or sniff of a dog and I run for a mile but for some reason I was ushering my body towards this sound and it seemed as those others were following me.

Round the corner the barking was really loud and peering over the pier (excuse the pun) I caught sight of loads of barking sea lions lazing on some wooden platforms and then I spotted a few swimming in the water beneath me. There were hundreds of people just standing there watching them too and taking photos. Apparently there are so many sea lions here at this time of year as most of them migrate, but a small colony (not sure if this is the correct collective noun) choocse to stay in San Francisco Bay each year. Very cute. And I thought they'd be very smelly too, but maybe that's more apparent in summer when there are more of them.

By this time I was feeling kinda peckish... although only 5pm, I remembered I hadn't had lunch, so I wandered along the Pier again looking for the entrance back to the bustly (word(?)) bit - you'd think this would be easy... apparently not. I eventually found a tiny wee alleyway that led to lots of lights so I followed it and TUDDAH there it all was. I wandered round the chocolate shop and some souvenir shops but then decided it was definitely time to eat... now... where is Bubba Gump's??? mmm...mmm...mmm.. no idea. I couldn't find it for life nor death and I was wasting away (as you can all imagine I bet) with hunger so I decided to opt for Pier Market which apparently had awards for the best clam chowder in San Francisco.

Clam chowder seems to be a popular dish here - almost every restaurant on the pier was offering it, so I figured I should probably try this infamous dish. And mmm... mmm.. it was good! I might even have some more sometime before I leave here... I had it in a cup but the 'traditional' way is to have it served inside a sourdough loaf of bread - think I will save this for my last night here! I even had a wee glass of wine - oops! hee hee. Nice too. California is, after all, yet another wine valley... a thought... did I subconsciously plan my trip around wineries??? :o)

With dinner in my tummy I wandered back to Fisherman's Wharf and right along the Embarcadero looking in all the tat shops and admiring all the lights and sparkles of the night time. I wandered past the Wax Museum and Ripleys House of Weirdness (I don't think that's its real name but it's something like that), pondered whether to go into either of them but decided not to. I had been to a house of weirdness in Florida before and I doubted that the wax museum here would be better than Madame Tussaud's in London so I walked on by. Stopping only to gaze at the sheer amount of souvenir type stuff they have here - most of it I wouldn't touch with a barge pole, some of it so crap it was funny and others (of which there were few) I was thinking - that would be cool to have! What a good idea!! haha.

Before long I realised that I was wandering on my own in the dark in an American city and that to tell the truth I was a minority in the colour stakes, and the street was starting to get quieter and darker. So I turned around and tried to find a bus or cable car outta there. I'm sure I would've been fine, but my mind was in override about American gangs and guns and stuff... dear oh dear... this place might not have venomous killer animals but it is chokka with gun-crazed citizens, right??? Probably wrong... but I couldn't tell myself that :o) I jumped on the bus and headed back to my hostel. Then realised it was only 8.20pm! hahaha. Ooops. I was in bed by 9.30pm, sound asleep until about 2am. Awake til maybe 5am. And then sound asleep through my alarm and on past 10.30am. Ooops missed the free brekkie! Damn jetlag!!!

Landing in the US of A...

2007-01-28T01:15:00.000Z

Well Howdy Y'all!

Okay so they don't quite speak like that in San Francisco... but I couldn't resist.

I travelled like a bansheee today and even managed some excellent time travel. I left Melbourne at 12.45pm on Sunday 28th January... and arrived in San Francisco at 10am on Sunday 28th January... thus arrving here befoer I even left Melbourne... how messed up is that??? So after a 16 hour flight, 5 movies, an episode of Top Gear and a wee lsi I'm listen to Robbie, I am now in San Francisco... home of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. And I'm knakcered! Can hardly keep my eyes open after only one hour of sleep on the place - grrrrrrr.

So against all jetlag rules I have decided to go to bed for a couple of hours - not the whole day, just enough time to let me stay up reasonably late tonight and let me get a decent night's sleep so that I can do lots of exploring tomorrow. This even I will meander around the infamous Pier 39 area at a slow pace but enabling myself to pick out the thing sI really want to do here over the enxt few days. I can't wait to get started.

Off to sleep... haha. Just wanted to let you know I'd got here okay... despite scary American customs officers... sooooooo different to the ever-so-friendly Aussie ones!

Speak to y'all later.

Em xxx

Goodbye Rod, Tracey, Dawn... and indeed Australia

2007-01-28T01:00:00.000Z

So... my time in Australia has come to an end - who can believe it?!?! Not me anyway... gotta be one of the quickest nine months I've ever experienced!!!

Anyway... I left you at Steve Irwin's Zoo I reckon so I better update a little more.

I flew from Brisbane to Melbourne on Thursday afternoon - my final visit to Melbourne. Friday was Australia Day - which means a day off for most people over here - so Rod and Trace took Dawn and I on an outing. We started at the Hanging Rock - a wee brisk walk/climb to the top for lovely views and photos and a quick exploration of the visitor centre... we really didn't read much of it at all!! But anyway, Hanging Rock is a place (R & T correct me if I get this wrong) where a fictional novel is set, in which some young people go missing, and then people go looking for them and they go missing and so on and so forth. A lot of people have taken the book to be a bit of an urban legend/myth instead of the made up story it really is, but it does leave the place with a slightly eerie feel to it. Especially when you climb to the top and then can't for the life of you (four of us actually) find a way down again - unless you consider jumping from smooth rock to smooth rock down slippery slopes fun and/or safe!! And in thongs... it was somewhat difficult. But we did eventually get back to the car park - phew!

We then headed to Kyneton Racetrack for what was my first day at the races! It was really good fun too. Gorgeous day - I got to soak up some last minute rays... I need all I can get before hitting San Fran and indeed the UK! We arrived in time to bet on the last six races... just small bets, but it made it more interesting. I think I bet $12 in total and won $7 so only a loss of $5 in total!! haha. Rod was a little more successful... winning enough to treat us all to a takeaway that evening!! He was well chuffed. One of Tracey's jockeys was a bit unfortunate... the horse bucked him off on the way to the start line - flat on his back... just at the time Dawn and I had arrived at the fence to watch the horses and therefore in time for us to snap the poor geezer with our cameras - lying flat on his back, hardly moving at all. We not heartless, honest! He was taken away in an ambulance and pulled from the race. So no winnings for Trace in that round, although she did better in a couple of the other ones. I was sure Mad Dugal was going to do it for me... but no. And lefty Carruthers, well my winnings from his second place was 40 cents! lol. It was a great day and was topped off with a few streakers (my first experience of streakers) and a Borat impersonator - with tightly pulled swimsuit thing - OUCH! Very amusing end to it all.

Saturday was my last full day in Melbourne, so we started with a hearty breakfast on Station Street before,back at the house, I attempted to start sorting my stuff out to see what I had and what I needed... oh an dwhat I could throw out!! I took a last gander into the city centre - it was quite sad really, thinking that I wouldn't be strolling around there for a good old while. I really like Melbourne a lot. Such a nice city.

We finished off my trip with a lovely, and somewhat large, meal at a Mexican Restaurant on Station Street. MMM MMM FAJITAS!!

Cleverly leaving my packing to the last minute so that I could have a really late night and hopefully enable myself to fall asleep very quickly on the plane the next day!

Next morning I was off. R & T dropped me at the airport and after a few pictures, some hugs and a lump in my throat I walked through the big customs doors - which I originally thought was the entrance to a very large lift - and they were gone! And of course I had a wee panic to myself which allowed the lump to produce the tiny water particles that are quite often partial to running down my cheeks... I almost managed not to cry :o) At least noone saw me :o)

So that was that. Bye bye Rod. Bye bye Trace and bye bye Australia. I had a fantastic time touring round and a great time in Melbourne particularly. R & T - thanks ever so much for letting me stay with you guys - it has been good getting to know you better, we've had a\some really good times that I especially won't forget.

Em xxxxx

Home of The Crocodile Hunter

2007-01-24T05:00:00.000Z

Yesterday I spent the whole day at Australia Zoo in Beermah - home of the late legend Steve Irwin. The zoo was a lot bigger and much more commerialised than I thought, but it was a great place. All the animals seemed happy and everyone seemed to be really into caring for them and protecting them.

I watched the live croc, birds and snakes shows - there were great. The birds were a bit scary as they were flying all around the crocosseum - and they were BIG birds!! But I coped... and I even managed to get in a bit of a tan/burn whilst sitting in the direct sunlight for about half an hour - oops/YAY! The shows were very informative although were geared mainly towards children I reckon... but they were entertaining.

I managed to wander round seeing the koalas, kangaroos, wombats, snakes, elephants, tortoises and the crocs as well as loads of other things.

The highlight of my day was watching the keepers play with the tigers. It was just lovely to see the tigers being so affectionate. They were rubbing up against them, jupming up for food and jumping into the water for the toys. The keeper was even in swimming with them. Now that would be an AWESOME job!!! Apparently you have to work with them from birth for them to be able to trust you though... and you have to watch them because sometimes when they 'play' they don't realise their own strength and end up hurting you... just a little :o)

There were lots of photos and articles on display about the story of the Crocodile Hunter and loads of souvenir type stuff and merchandise - all emblazoned with Steve, Bindi Terri and Bob. They even all have their own clothing range. And Bindi has a Kidsfitness video too. Very busy people.

The was a massive shrine-type thing for Steve too. Loads of khaki shirts and shorts which people - staff, friends and fans - had signed with lovely rhymes, prayers and best wishes. There were flowers, blow-up crocs, flags from various countries... just tonnes and tonnes of stuff. It was all very moving, and I'm a big softy so you can imagine what I was like reading them all!!! :o)

I took a few pictures yesterday but they haven't turned out very well - I will try and put the best ones up... but my memory cards were also quite full when I went there so there really aren't that many photos at all.

Might be my last upload of photos today... before leaving Australia anyway.

Arrived in Brisbane this morning - seems to be a nice city... with a big river flowing through, and even a beach where people go to swim. Might be meeting Caroline (who I met on the Whitsundays) tonight but other than that I shall explore a little before going back to get my backpack ready for my flight back to sunny (I hope) Melbourne!!

Em xxx

Dirty weekend

2007-01-23T07:18:00.000Z

Not that kind of dirty weekend!!! haha

Having arrived in Hervey Bay on Thursday afternoon I checked into my hostel and then attended the meet and greet introductory chat which meant I could meet the group I was going to be travelling with for the weekend.

Two bubbly Canadian girls - Tanya and Brandy, Christian and Nils from Denmark, Yun and Kwon - honeymooners from Korea, Kim - also from Korea, Erik the Dutchman, Emma and Anna from Dorset - who we didn't actually meet til the next day... well I met them very late that night when they were allocated the same bed as me! HAH, but all that got sorted.

First task was to get our shopping in for the weekend - and what an experience that was. Shopping for 11 with 9 people in a wee supermarket with one shopping list was... how shall I put it.... interesting? Everyone was being over polite but we eventually got it sorted before the easier task of choosing some alcohol to take with us.

That evening I had dinner with Tanya and Brandy at Subway - my first Subway for years - before we all headed to our rooms to pack a small bag of clothes to take with us. We'd been warned that we were going to get very dirty and that we weren't going to have any showers for three days - so swimming costume and shorts it was!! Well, slightly more than that, but not much more.

Early start on Friday morning - briefing at 6.45am where we had to sign off our lives again and also sign promising to look after a 4x4wd vehicle! We checked all our stuff and then packed up the van with the tents, Eskis, cooking equipment, gas, food/alcohol and various other bits and pieces. We watched a video on safe driving on Fraser Island and then jumped in the van - me being nominated as first driver... how do I get myself into these situations??? Aaaahh 11 lives in my hands!!!

We set off for the ferry and arrived on Fraser - with tyre pressure released, into 4wd, wheel brace thingies locked (sorry dad, I don't know the right terminology!) - and we were off headed for Lake MacKenzie in the middle of the island.

Fraser Island Map

Now, Fraser Island, for those that don't know, is basically an island with a shitload of sand! The roads/tracks were thick with soft, fine silica sand and there was a LOT of wheel spinning and sliding going on. It was the most fun driving experience I've ever had - extremely unpredictable and very slow but great fun. We worked out we were travelling approximately 14km per hour (about 8 and a half miles) - it was insane!

Lake MacKenzie was our first stop - and what a stop it was - totally stunning, goregous, beautiful. Bright blue, crystal clear lake surrounded by goregous white sand and then luscious (sp?) green trees. We jumped in and it was lovely. Fresh water - apparently too pure for fish to live in - and it tasted okay too! Pity we didn't have longer there, but we did have time for a swim and a wee sunbathe before we got back in the van.

Lake MacKenzie

As we crossed the island we stopped at Central Station for a quick walk in the rainforest and took the opportunity to take a few group photos... 11 timers being set was a fairly entertaining situation!! everyone pressing buttons and then running back to a place in the group before the snap happened.

Finally on the East Coast and driving on the highway - 75 mile beach - we drove up to see the Maheno Wreck then on to Eli Creek for a wee walk up the boardwalks and then down through the river itself. Eli Creek is the biggest fresh water creek and although I slowed down to cross it (no bridges) I didn't quite slow down enough and the whole van got covered in water and it came in all the windows and everything - everyone was soaked. it was cool.

Anna had a wee shot at driving on the beach and surprised us all slightly with a Starksy and Hutch moment when she hit a creek a little to quickly and the van leapt up, all four wheels off the ground, and jumped over the creek. Landing very bumpily (word?) on the other side. I think a few of us saw our lives flashing before us, and Brandy felt it a bit more than others with a bump to her back and leg. So... at camp that night, which followed shortly after, I made use of my First Aid qualification for the very first time - eeek. And without using the First Aid kit, as they were going to charge us $25 for merely opening the damn thing. Not that I did much... but I did manage to salvage some ice from one of the Eskis.

The main highway on 75 mile beach

Setting up camp was a little messy the first night - we didn't know what to expect of the tents, but the girls and Yun tackled the tents while the guys tackled the cooking! The burgers and hot dogs were well appreciated. The pasta... well... it took quite a while to cook... in fact we had it for lunch the next day!! Thanks boys! :o) After dinner we started a few drinks and got some drinking games going - oh dear oh dear. Noone got THAT drunk but the games were hilarious - a Danish game with "ooshes" "doinks" and "power gedoinks" as well as a funny tune to sing, and sometimes a canadian song...

"Here's to sister Emma, sister Emma, sister Emma. here's to sister Emma who's with us tonight. She's happy, she's jolly, she'll eat shit by golly... here's to sister Emma who's with us tonight!" - and there's quite a bit more swearing after that... but it's funny when you're drinking!... honest... We even had a visit from a dingo - which I wasn't particularly excited about, but it didn't really come near us so that was good.

Next day we were all awake by about 6.30am because of the insane heat in the tents! Oh my god they were like little ovens. But outside we ran the risk of being eaten alive by horrible massive sand flies - YE-UCK!! The tides were high until midday which meant we couldn't leave camp til then which was quite annoying. But we eventually left and headed for Indian Head where we climbed to the top for beautiful views of the ocean and where you could see the tiger sharks and turtles swimming. You are NOT allowed in the sea off Fraser Islands - the sharks bite!

Just before we reached Indian Head we walked past an accident. One group had driven up a sandy verge - not sure what made them do it - and verge collapsed beneath them (or that's what looked like happened anyway) and their van had toppled over onto its side. Scary. I think one girl was taken by helicopter back to the mainland.
Erik drove for some of day 2 and took us down the beach to another lake - which I can't quite remember the name of. It wasn't such a beautiful lake, in fact it was a bit greeny/yellow in colour, but it was still refreshing... and, after all, our only source of washing!

We camped a bit further down the beach that night and joined another group that were already there! So more drinking games, including a game called "slaps", not as sore as it sounds, although your hands do get a little raw from all the clapping.... and another really good card game called "Queens".

We decided to leave early on the last day, even though we weren't supposed to. But there was still so much we wanted to see. So we sneaked onto the beach and then cut up a we road in the direction of Lake Wabby... although we ended up at Stonetool Sandblow... so we turned back. Little did we know that we were on the right road... but never mind. We headed off down to Eurong and then up to Lake Birameen for lunch and a lovely swim in the lake. It was another beautiful one (although not quite as good as Lake Mackenzie) and we stayed for quite a while. Had lunch there too.

There was an odd moment when a VERY black man came onto the beach carrying what looked like a spear and grunting a bit. We weren't sure what he was doing, but then he started chasing some of the people on the beach. I was a little anxious until he passed me and I saw that his back was very white! It was then that I (as well as most of the people there) realised that it was a guy that had caked himself in mud and was pretending to be a grumpy local! He turned out to be a tour leader, and insisted that we all tried the mud on our skins as it had tea tree oil in it. It was very funny!

And so, it was time to head for the ferry again and back to Hervey Bay where we had to empty out our van and pray while they checked it over that we hadn't damaged it in any way.

Back in Hervey Bay we enjoyed a lovely group meal of Spag Bol made by Nils and Christian before we waved goodbye to Yun, Kwon, Kim and Erik who were all catching a bus out of there that night!

A fantastic weekend with lovely, fun people. Very dirty and very uncomfortable sleeping, but worth the experience. I would definitely do it again... in fact I almost checked out to see whether they needed drivers to work for them... but then I remembered that I leave Australia on Sunday!!

Em xxx (aka Mac, The Mac, Macca, Maccy, Macdaddy, Macdiddy)

Airlie Beach 2 and the Whitsundays

2007-01-18T00:21:00.000Z

Well things got better in Airlie. My new room had 5 other people in it - Jan (Yan - the question mark from my previous blog), CJ and Simon, Kersten and Torsten... oh and before that there was Noel who left that morning so it was really just a 'hi and bye' moment.

Anyway turned out the CJ and Simon were booked on the same boat trip as me - and they're from sunny Scotland so we had loads in common - haha.

Registration came first and for some unknown reason (the others blame me not eating on a hot hot day) I was a little sick, but was fine afterwards. We got out stinger suits - oh yes I had to wear another one... not quite as stunning as the blue lycra ones of the past, this time black and more like a wetsuit really - and waited to board the Pride of Airlie. I met up with two other lone travellers - Siobhan and Caroline and we were buddies for the whole trip :o)

Pride of Airlie had a massive 60 people on it but it turned out there was enough room for everyone to get in a bit of sunbathing. There was also an accompanying boat (the quieter one) with 30 people, which most people were wishing they were on at some point on along the voyage. Pride of Airlie was a bit of a party boat, and on day one I was more than happy to take part in a couple of refreshing drinks. We sailed out to South Molle Island where we stayed in chalets - for the two nights. We had free access to all the island's facilities - tennis, swimming, non-motorised watersports, golf, spa, etc. It was a lovely place... although we were on the backpacker end of the sclae as far as accommodation was concerned... the rooms hadn't been cleaned and none of our keys would either lock or unlock the doors.

Dinner was served in the party bar - and was followed by a big party... drinking games and everything. It's not good when free beer is handed out - I don't usually even drink beer! Before long the music was blasting out and we were all dancing away. Great fun!

Day two started at 6.30am - OUCH! Most of us managed to stumble for breakfast - ooooh bacon and eggs mmmmm.... although not too many were looking that chipper! And some annoying people were feeding the beautifully coloured birds... so they were coming and landing on my table... and even through bleary-eyedness (word?) my fear of 'things that flutter' didn't subside. Needless to say, I gulped my brekkie down and got the hell out of there.

Now... on the boat. Hmmm.... drinking didn't seem like such a good idea when the boat started rocking in the sea... in fact I think there were a total of 11 contestants feeding the fish at the back of the boat (if you know what I mean!!) - -oh dear.

Resting on a bag of goon... now what does that say????

First stop for the day was the gorgeous Whitehaven Beach with almost pure silic sand - you can clean your jewellery with it. It's sooo fine. We were there for a couple of hours so we went snorkelling for a while - and I saw a stingray... although forgot to try and take a picture!! Some others saw turtles and we were very jeaous. We spent the second hour lying on the beach, and although there were quite a lot of clouds in the sky, we still managed to change colour quite dramatically!! The tops of my legs turned a bright shade of pink... and stood out against the whiteness of the skin that was hidden by my swimming costume! Back to the boat for lunch and some people had started on the juice again... and by this time we'd noticed a particularly noisy and quite annoying bunch... but we mostly managed to ignore them.

We were able to laze around luxuriously while we sailed around Whitsunday Island and the other islands before heading back to the South Molle in the evening. There was more partying, but Siobhan, Caroline and I steered clear and in fact were heading back to our rooms when Caroline slipped on the stairs and went over her ankle. Poor girl was in agony but the skipper managed to carry her back to her room with an ice pack. Unfortunately she didn't make it on the boat the next day as she decided to have it all checked out by a doctor instead... so we only relaly saw her for breakfast before we all had to pile back on to the POA.

Yesterday we stopped at a lovely spot with nice corals and loads of fish - so snorkelling was good, and i even got to see a turtle this time. It was really cool.

The Whitsunday Islands are beautiful, although most of us agreed that they would have been even more so if the sun was shining... we made the most of it though... and it wasn't as if it was cold... we were still only wearing our swimming cossies.

Back at Airlie and Claire let me use her shower as I was catching the overnight bus to Hervey Bay at 8pm. There was a group dinner at 7.30 so I was able to say cheerio to everyone before I left for the bus. I met a lot of really nice people on this trip - we had great fun.

And today - after a 12 hour bus journey last night I have arrived in Hervey Bay and will be starting my 4x4 safari tomorrow - and as one of the designated drivers it should be lots of fun! We are away for three days I think so I will do another update when I get back from there - not much internet access on secluded islands! In fact, not much anything... we're going to be camping on the sand dunes... hopefully not very near to the dingos!

Photos to follow as soon as I can.

And my time's officially running out in Australia now... :o( Not long to go until I'm back in sunny Scotland... we heard a rumour it was snowing yesterday... is that true???

a few extra pics from mum

2007-01-14T03:24:00.000Z

Just thought I'd share these coz they're quite good!

All of us on Mum and Graham's first night in Adelaide... enjoying a wee tipple after all the stresses of losing handbags and suitcases!!

Me and Dawnie at Jacob's Creek winery.

Me, Rod and Mum on Christmas Day.

Enjoying dinner in Canberra after the hailstone storm flooded a few of the other restaurants.

Airlie Beach

2007-01-14T02:50:00.000Z

Well I didn't have a very good arrival in Airlie Beach - gateway to the Whitsunday Islands.

Firstly, after a 9 hour bus journey my hostel was the only one not to provide a shuttle bus from the bus stop... and the others were obviously too mean to give me a lift... as I found out that one in particular was headed for the hostel right next door to mine.

Anyway, I set off on a 15 min walk - which isn't far I know, but it was quite hot and I was carrying my backpack, my little rucksack, a shopping bag full of food and my handbag! Needless to say I was sweating and in need to put stuff down by the time I arrived at Koalas Beach Resort! Anyway, they allocated me a room miles away from anywhere and when I eventually got there with all my bags, it was an empty block of dorms, the showers and toilets were in a completely different building, there was a whole in the wall and the beds just didn't look to enticing. I burst out crying. It probably didn't help that my emotional state was a little edgy anyway (I'm sure you know what I'm getting at here) but there was just no stopping those tears.

After washing my face I left my rucksack et al, grabbed my handbag and headed back to reception. I asked them for a new room with people in it... so that I wasn't on my own in the dark in a strange town. So they gave me new keys and sent me off in the complete opposite direction of my old room. I went back to my room, loaded up again with my bags and then walked for another 10 minutes to get to my new room.

Up some rotten wooden stairs and again pitch darkness. I unlocked the door and was greeted with a horrible smell. Putting on the light I spotted a leaking air con machine which had been dripping water onto the floor - there were mushrooms growing... and towels placed down, so obviously SOMEONE knew there was a situation there. There were definitely still no other people. I cried again.

Back at reception I begged to be put in with other people, in a nicer room - I even offered more cash if they wanted it. They didn't take the cash, but they did give me new keys - and this time the new room was directly beneath the one with the mushrooms. I popped in to see what it was like, met Noel from Ireland, and (?) from Germany... too many names for my brain to remember now :o) and there were also another few in there too - and another girl... so I was happy. I went upstairs and got my bags, chatted to (?) for a while and when he went out i had a nice soapy shower to rid me of my blues. Much better!

I got changed into frech clothes and headed to the internet cafe and phone box... where mum, gran and Alistair cheered me up a whole lot more before I went back to bed. Aunty Fi... will try and catch you tonight as didn't think you just wanted me to speak lots into the answering machine.

Em xxx

Rafting the Tully

2007-01-12T08:53:00.000Z

Another wicked day has just passed for me - WOOHOO. White water rafting is GREAT fun - and apparently they do it in Scotland too - YAYY... although it might be a bit chilly!!! Who's up for it???

We all grabbed our life jackets and helmets before boarding the raft with our leader, Shawn. The river is really fast and has some awesome rapids. There was one we had to go down the side of as the middle of it was far too tough for us... our leader had never done it either.

After one set of rapids we got to jump out of the rafts and run up the rocks then swim them... I didn't realise it was going to be so scary. I dived in, then wapoosh I was gone... sucked under various waves, thrown over the top and then suddenly I was at the bottom and some kind gentlemen had to harrrumph me back into the raft - not a pretty sight!!! haha

Anyway, the cafe is closing now so I have to go... 9-hour bus journey to Airlie Beach tomorrow - should be fun... not!!! haha. But sailing the Whitsundays definitely will be - touch wood, fingers crossed and all that!!!

Em xxx

taking it to the Xtreme!!!

2007-01-11T05:49:00.000Z

OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD

I just jumped out of a perfectly good plane, at 14,000 feet. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh.....

It was amazing! We were driven out to Tully in a wee campervan thing to this wee shed and tiny aeroplane. Tied into some safety harnesses, signed our lives away on the dotted lines, did a bit of a video for the peeps back home in case it didn't work out right, and then jumped in the plane. I've never been on such a small plane before. There were no seats! We all piled in on the floor, in the order of our jumps. I was jumping with Sinno and we were going second after Bullets and his instructor. Which meant that I was seated on the right hand side of the tiny-plane-with-no-door, with no seat belt or anything as we took off and climbed to 14,000.

Getting hooked on to our instructors was not an elegant task. I had to kneel and then push my legs right back between Sinno's until we were very snugly fitted together! It felt very strange. He almost felt like a rucksack though, they way he was attached to me.

Man it was scary. Bullets (an FBI agent from New York) jumped first. I say jumped, he kinda crawled to the door on his knees and then POOF he was gone! I was next. I had to shuffle along to the door... and then poke my knees off the edge and cross my arms whilst Sinno pushed me out with his knees. Pushing my hips forwards and throwing my arms up and back, into a kind of crab shape that we used to do in gym at school, until I was free falling head first towards the sea! It was so scary. And fast. About a minute into the freefall and at about 4,000 feet (I think) Sinno released the parachute, without warning. We were suddenly pulled upwards again and then we were floating towards the ground. My breast tie part of the harness slipped up and was kinda round my neck at one point but to tightly... and we soon sorted it out. And then we floated to the bottom taking in the gorgeous views of the Tully area, of Dunk Island and of Mission Beach before landing softly on the sand.

What a wicked experience.

Should get the photos either tonight or tomorrow morning so I'll see what I can do and try and post some up.

Tomorrow is white-water rafting day - woohoo.

I am now fading fast as the adrenalin rush has been released and as I've been up since 6 this morning I am feeling just a bit knackered! What a great day!

Take care,

Em xxxxx

Cairns

2007-01-09T10:47:00.000Z

So... I waved goodbye to mum and Graham at the airport this morning... doesn't seem like a month since they arrived... which means it definitely won't feel like a month by the time I leave this lovely country and head home to do sensible things!... for a while at least.

Had a great month with mum and Graham - have got quite used to the nice motels and the apartment in Port Douglas that I actually wanted to take home with me.

This morning I checked into The Serpent hostel in Cairns. I met a lvoely American lass from Seattle, who also happens to be called Emma and we wandered the 25 minutes along the Esplanade into town and dossed at the side of the lagoon soaking in some rays! We lasted about an hour, by which time we were far too hot and a little hungry. So after a quick dip in the water, a salt water pool behind the beach - still not allowed in the sea, we grabbed some lunch on the way to catching the shuttle bus back to the hostel. I then chilled out in my room for a while, reading up on Cairns and trying to put a plan together for tomorrow ben then went down for our free dinner in the bar - spag bol - with Emma and a Texan lass who is also in our dorm, but who I haven't asked her name yet!

I was supposed to be going to the night market, but I am feeling a little queezy so I will go tomorrow night instead. Tomorrow will be my 'sightseeing in Cairns day'.

Anyway, it's far too hot sitting here typing so I'm off to read my book in my air conditioned room.

Catch yer later.

Em x

Sydney to Port Douglas

2007-01-06T05:15:00.000Z

On the 2nd Dawnie and I said our goodbyes and I flew up to Cairns with mum and Graham. We then got a wee transfer bus (which took absolutely ages) to Port Douglas and checked into our apartment.

Port Duggers is a lovely wee place... depending pretty much on tourist trade.

The weather here is absolutely lovely. We woke up around 7.30am the first day and headed straight to the pool about 8am for some sunbathing and swimming before it got too hot! Mum got a laugh in.... Graham and I were sunbathing and almost dozing off when we were rudely awkened by the sprinklers!! Sprayed all over us! Not funny! haha

So Mum and Graham's holiday is going much better now.... the day they were leaving Perth Mum and her friend Ann both got their bags stolen from their car at a tourist spot.... then when Dawn and I met mum and Graham in Adelaide, mum's suitcase didn't arrive and then the weather turned awful... we had rain and wind for most of the first couple of weeks of their holiday. Plus hailstones and rain on Christmas Day in Melbourne and then freaky hailstones the evening we arrived in Canberra! But all is well now, and mum even got her suitcase and handbag back! Suitcase the next morning, and handbag... just the other day... minus a few things!

Anyway, in Port Douglas... turns out Les and Jackie from the Boat are holidayiing in the apartments next door but one from us, so we've met up a few times for drinks and a couple of dinners.

We've been down to the beach... there is a small netted area where people are allowed in to swim. There are quite a few stingers and crocs in the area so you're not allowed to just jup in anywhere. I went back to being a kiddie and juped right in. The waves were quite high and powerful.... I lost my swimming bottoms at one point... noone warns you about that!!!

Yesterday we went out on a boat to a pontoon on the Barrier Reef and had a great time. I went diving on the Reef and saw loads of lovely coloured corals and tiny wee fish... think I even saw one wee-ish shark! A harmless one though - or so I was told. Back at the pontoon mum and graham were enjoying the snorkelling and I had a wee shot at that too before we had to head back to shore. The day included a shot in a semi-submerisble boat too for good views of the corals. We even saw a turtle. We had to wear hilarious stinger suits... bright blue, lycra, skin-tight suits with gloves and hoods and everything - very fetching... I have pics... but am only allowed to put up the ones of me!! haha - it's much worse than the wetsuit pics from Thailand!!!

And now... mum and Graham have nipped of to the rainforest for the day so I thought I'd update you all with my antics and maybe try and upload a few new photos.

Hope you are all well.

Em xxx

P.S. Candice - I got your New Year pic but I think the only one I can make out is Charles? It was very dark! Hope you all had a good night! xxx

New Year to Bridge Climb

2007-01-06T04:50:00.000Z

well... the festive period is over and most of you are probably back to reality and back at work... is this where I rub it in??? haha

After a fantastic fireworks display and picnic on New Year's Eve and a rather long journey back to Manly... Dawn and I finally crawled into our beds around 4am!

And we were up again around 10am to make our way into Sydney again. On arrival, Dawn headed for the Botanics (I think) and I walked to find the place where you start the Bridge Climb. I arrived 40 mins early - unusual for me I know, but you might say I was a little nervous!

I checked in and made my way for a look in the shop and then had a drink and an ice lolly. Robert called me too so that took up the extra 20 mins! I went through to the prep area, filled in all the necessary "sign your life away" forms, got a breathaliser test thing (first time for everything) and passed it - YAY! We were then given grey jumpsuits to wear... they are stunning!!! hahaha. I have photos and will put them up as soon as I can. We were then supplied with things to tie our glasses on, clip on hats, clip on hankies, even clip on scrunchies if we needed them and were then asked to put our belts on. The belts were our safety devices... clipped to metal railings at all times!

There were 12 of us on the climb... 9 were a family, then me and then a newly married couple. We wandered to the entrance to the Bridge and then gripped on as we walked along two planks of wood about 10 metres below where the cars were. There were two steep ladders to climb - one at a time - and before I knew it I was climbing up steps on the main metal area of the Coathanger arch! It was soooo cool.

An excellent view of the harbour and in fact of most of Sydney. The climb was fairly easy and we stopped every 10 minutes or so to soak in the views. At the top we all stopped for a group photo and then for individual ones - which had the opera house in the background. It was quite windy, but it was a clear day. You walk along the middle of the bridge and then back down the same side of the arch. The whole experience took around 3.5 hours to do and although I was a little shaky at first, I had great fun!

Thanks very much to Dad, Catriona and the boys for such a fantastic Christmas pressie - one I'll never forget!

Love Em xxx

Happy New Year!!

2007-01-01T00:35:00.000Z

Gee, my blogs are slack recently...

Hope you all have a fantastic hogmanay - it's been the first for me for quite a while already!

We had a perfect little picnic spot next to the Sydney Opera House last night, overlooking the Harbour Bridge - it was great. The fireworks were just flying off from all over the place - a spectacular show!!

Anyway since I last blogged I've done tonnes of stuff including meeting Mum & Graham in Adelaide, driving the Great Ocean Road, celebrating Christmas with Mum, Graham, Dawnie, Rod and Tracey in Melbourne, driving to Sydney via Canberra, celebrating the start of 2007 before most other people and this afternoon I'm due to climb the Bridge... so it's all go at the moment... and it still will be as tomorrow I will be saying a fond darewell to Dawnie after three months of travelling together and I'll be flying up to Cairns with Mum and Graham for a week before exploring the East Coast.... and then I'll be making my way home.... via San Francisco...

Have I told you that yet actually??? hmmm... homecoming is a little earlier than planned now so I'll be gracing you all with my presence (sp?) sometime in February!!

I hope you had a great New Year - I will blog in more detail from Cairns!

Lots of love,

Em xxx

Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T02:00:00.000Z

Just to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

Hope you have a great Christmas, eat and drink loads and are treated to loads of lovely things from Santa.

Love Em xxx

a close encounter with Mr Robbie Williams

2006-12-18T02:55:00.000Z

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Well last night... Dawn and I went to see Robbie!! WOOHOO.

Omigod, omigod, omigod!!! It was great. He was great. WOW.

We queued outside Telstra Dome in Melbourne yesterday from around 3pm... doors were meant to open at 5pm with the support starting at 7.30pm... some peole were there from 6am - nutters!!!

Anyway... the doors actually opened around 4pm... so after purchasing a bit of merchandise we joined the queue and were let into the stadium. We managed to score a place right at the front of the main stage... about ten people back. As we were about 5 hours early for Robbie... yes I know I'm sad, but if we didn't queue we would have been stood at the back and not able to see the Robster! Anwyay we were instructed to sit on the floor... so we did.

When the time came for the support DJ guy to start - around 7pm - we almost got crushed... we weren't quite expecting the crowd to stand up and move forward as quickly as they did! We quickly grabbed our stuff and surged forwards... into a kind of sardine-like formation - which was how we were to stay for the next 4 hours! There was no sneaking off to the toilet... simply becasue there was no way we would get back and we definitely wouldn't have been able to find each other!

The DJ and the support group Sneaky Sound System were quite good - I think they werew Australian so we didn't really know the group's songs... although I think I knew one of them!

Anyway we were there to see Rob... and he didn't disappoint! The crowd were a little less enthusiastic than the British crowds we're used to but we made the most of it and screamed, jumped and waved the night away! The show was great.. loads of great songs, one of his new ones, a Take That one, some swing and lots of pyrotechnics! Two hours of gawking at him... how teenage do I sound???!!! hee hee

It finished around 11pm and we were knackered.... achy legs and sore throats! We wandered bacck to the hostel... we'd booked in for the night for easiness... same price as a taxi but we were home in a ten minute walk - so all was good.

Up earlyish this morning to meet Sarah (one of the German girls we shared with in Darwin). She's in Melbourne for a day before she flies back to Perth - it was really nice to catch up. And now we're off to see Casino Royale with Rod. Everyone tells us it's a good 'un so we're looking forward to it!

And tongight we fly to Adelaide and tomorrow night we meet mum and Graham - how exciting! I can't wait! It's been so long...

oh so much fun....

2006-12-12T02:00:00.000Z

a quick blog... with a few photos...

we've been to the Night Market again, watched a not-so-good Beatles cover band, eaten some veggie indian food, got drunk at the hostel bar with a hairy man, walked down to the Docklands a few times for the free outdoor cinemas - watched Princess Bride, Muriel's Wedding and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, eaten really nice fish, drank some wine, seen Santa on a tuk tuk, moved in with Rod and Tracey, been to St Kilda Beach for a morning, experienced the haze and some of the smell of the smoke from massive bush fires, walked in and around St Kilda, had some gorgeous sorbet and met Toadie, Stu and Steph from Neighbours.

Yes that's right people I went to Neighbours Night again... and this time with Dawn in toe. We saw a sign advertising the 'stars' that were to attend and decided that we definitely had to go! And it was totally worth it.

We stood in a room full of Brits for about an hour and half before they came out and oh my god... we should be ashamed!!! Drinking, jeering, chanting... it was hilarious to watch!! Everyone else in the world must think the Brits are of their trollies!!

Stu came out first - he's not been on the show for about a year - and has, in fact, being doing panto in the UK - but he came along anyway - and thank goodness. He's stunning!!! WOW! I was struck with him there and then... and I was supposed to be there to meet Toadie!! hee hee.

Then came Steph - she's tiny but really pretty and a bubbly girl too. Her bodyguard had to keep grabbing her round the waist to put her back in the right direction as she kept just wandering off towards people - it was relaly funny.

We had to sign for Toadie to come out - "We love you Toadie, we love you Toadie... Toadie we love you..." and then he came out and took to the stage, made a few jokes and then they all sat waiting for questions from the crowd!

Stu was given a 'Do, Dump or Date - Madge, Helen Daniels or Mrs Mangel' - his answers... dump Mrs Mangel, date Helen Daniels and do Madge... just to piss Harold off. Well the crowd burst into "There's only one Harold Bishop" and "Harold is a legend" to defend the old codger... wonder if they've experienced the drinking, swearing, pervy Harold that I witnessed at my last Neighbours Night?!?! hee hee

Anyway... we waited for quite a while but eventually we got our photos before we headed for home - both of us totally in love with Stu... or Blair... who was runner up on Big Brother over here before being cast on Neighbours!!

Mr Scribble

2006-12-07T12:59:00.000Z

Still in Melbourne International Backpackers, Dawn and I - having moved from a room packed with girls getting up and going to bed at different times - are in a quiet room away from all the street noise of central Melbourne. We are in a long room with three sets of bunk beds running along the wall - a set of 6 lockers on the opposite wall near the window. The room is dark as the window is only to the inside of a different area of the hostel, so no natural light.

Anyway, for the first week and a bit we'd been lucky as noone was checked in to our room. We could come and go as we pleased and it didn't matter how loud we were or when we switched the light off.

Last Thursday, things changed. Around 9.15am we were surprised when the door opened and a rather attractive guy walked in and collapsed on the spare lower bunk and nodded off to sleep. Dawn went to breakfast and about 20 mins later, after a quick glance to see what the guy looked like (come on... give me a break... it's been a while) I too went for breakfast. And we then went out for the day.

Later that afternoon we came back and the guy was awake so we chatted for a bit, hated him for his luck at finding super-duper accommodation in every city he'd been to, laughed at his unfortunate luck for sitting near nutters on various forms of transport and generally chatted away until bed time!

We had all just settled into our bunks and switched the light off when the door opened (ah no, not another room mate?!?!) and a guy with an unusually large but light suitcase barged in, switching the light on and making clumsy noises made his way over to Dawn's end of the dorm parking his suticase at the wall and nearly on top of our new friend's iPod!! He then proceeded to choose to sleep in the bunk above mine so climbed on to the ladder and started making his bed, shaking the whole darn set of bunks as he went. I was feeling a little bunged up and very tired so I managed to ignore him a bit, turned over and tried to sleep.

...next morning... well f*C& me - I thought I wriggled about in my sleep! I didn't sleep a wink with this guy above me... it was the most awful night's sleep I have had... probably not helped by the fact that I didn't really trust him that much so I was gripping on to my purse and iPod under my pillow the whole night! I was feeling a little narky - as you can probably all imagine... I like my sleep! Anyway, I did doze off at some point in the early hours and was rudely awakened when a pile of folded up linen fell on my head from above! Why the hell hadn't he unfolded it all, and what was he doing earlier if he wasn't making his bed with it??? Grrr. Anyway, I just left it there and tried to doze off again.

Next thing I knew there was someone wandering around in the dark looking for stuff... thinking it was blokey upstairs feeling a bit chilly without his linen I threw it into the middle of the floor and grunted "IS THIS WHAT YOUR LOOKING FOR?" apparently not as he was now heading right for me, leaning into my bed and saying - "I've left your clock just down here at the side of your bed" ... I then realised it was our new friend who I'd leant my clock to so that he could get up to catch his bus to Adelaide. So I just whispered "Oh right, sorry I thought you were someone else" - he must've thought I was bonkers!

Anyway I rolled over and dozed again for about five minutes when I remembered that I'd set my own alarm on my phone to go off a little later than his so that he didn't sleep in... so I leaned over to grab my phone and switch it off... it was only 5.30!! He wasn't supposed to get up til 7! So I rolled back over to tell him, but he was sleeping, and my clock wasn't on the floor where he'd left it... was I dreaming? Did none of that actually happen?? Oh dear GOD please let me sleep!

At 6.30am I heard someone walking about again... it was him again... and this time he was definitely up... he whispered comething about giving my clock back to me and then left a whole hour and a half early... I think he was misreading the clock!! Anyway, by this point I was beyond caring so I just let him leave!

An hour bloody later the geezer upstairs decided to get up. He quickly got dressed and left the room with what looked like a Eukalaley (sp?) or a midget guitar - AM I HALLUCINATING!??!?!?! ARRRGH!

That day wasn't great for me and probably not for Dawn either as I was quite grumpy.

That night we were in our room and sitting on our beds when there was a knock at the door - so I opened the door and it was 'geezer upstairs' who mumbled something about his key being broken so I let him in. Well, I really wished I hadn't... the room was suddenly full of the rankest odour I have smelt in a long time. I quickly realised it was the guy and looked at Dawn when he wasn't looking holding my nose. She nodded. Oh it was disgusting. He took off his shoes and left them near Dawn - poor girl. Then came over to the bunk, threw his shirt down on the floor next to my head - EUGH! I was nearly sick - it was bogging!! Disgusting. The smell was so bad in fact that I moved beds, quite blatantly, into the one where 'our new friend' was in (and, which, earlier in the week... had seen some lesbian action... which Dawn and I weren't immuned to and were a little shocked by... shouldn't they get their own room if they're wanting to participate in activities that surely they don't want other people seeing or hearing???) and proceeded to spray ourselves with deoderant, wafting it around the room, and then we put tea tree oil on our pillows and dabbed it under our noses so that we couldn't smell him. It didn't really work but it alleviated things for a while.

Not the next day but the one after, we complained about him. Telling the staff that he had very bad personal hygiene and that we wanted him moved. We it turned out that he hadn't payed for his stay at all... and that he was signed in as Mr Scribble! Well that made us feel a whole lot better!!! Arrgh. We were to tell the reception ASAP the next time we saw him.

He knocked again that night but I ignored him. The next night an annoyingly chattly 19-year-old German moved in - so we told him the situation - and the guy never turned up. But the morning after... when Dawn was at breakfast and the German was away doing something there was a knock at the door! It was Mr Scribble! I opened the door and he barged in and grabbed his suitcase and left! YAYYYY!!!!

Finally out of our room! Or so we thought... there was a knock at the door again that evening, but we all ignored it and he went away.

Ah... the excitements of dorm living!!!

Happy belated birthday Greg

2006-12-07T10:07:00.000Z

Okay... before I get a hammering for forgetting... I didn't actually forget... I was just too drunk to type!! Devas can voutch (sp?) for that!! And I texted Greg anyway... so I'm in thee clear!!

so...

HAPPY 25th and a day BIRTHDAY GREGGY!!!

now for some interesting facts...

1768 - The first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica is published.

1897 - London becomes the world's first city to host motorised taxicabs.

1916 - David Lloyd George becomes Prime Minister of United Kingdom.

1917 - Finland declaraces independence from Russia.

1933 - U.S. federal judge John M. Woolsey rules that the James Joyce novel Ulysses is not obscene.

1981 - you were born...

2006 - NASA reveals photographs taken by Mars Global Surveyor suggesting the presence of liquid water on Mars.

People you share your birthday with...

1421 - King Henry VI of England (d. 1471)
1642 - Johann Christoph Bach, German composer (d. 1703)
1805 - Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, French magician (d. 1861)
1908 - Baby Face Nelson, American bank robber (d. 1934)
1948 - Keke Rosberg, Finnish race car driver
1955 - Rick Buckler, British drummer (The Jam)
1956 - Peter Buck, American guitarist (R.E.M.)
1958 - Nick Park, British filmmaker and animator
1971 - Richard Krajicek, Dutch tennis player

Hope your day was a good one... although I realise your party thing was last weekend... so hope that was good!!! I, of course, understand it would have been much better if I were there!! haha

love Em x

Some more filmy bits

2006-12-01T12:04:00.001Z

Ok - the title above should be a link to the little films I've taken over the past couple of days... I've included two below as tasters... photos will follow shortly!

The first was Dawn trying to take a photo of me... watch the shadows!!!

The next is of the singing/dancing policemen at Queen Vic Night Market on Wednesday night. Get that air guitar going... think this one was to American Idiot!

Enjoy!

Queen Victoria Night Market... summer begins...

2006-11-29T11:22:00.001Z

We have just had an hilarious evening!!

As innocent market-goers we wandered up the street to Queen Vic Night Market and headed straight for the food stalls... our intention - to get dinner!! There was so much to choose from, so we started with a glass of wine... Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Mexican, Greek, Italian and Chips (with a variety of dips). There were also loads of stalls offering sweetness and light... strawberries and chocolate, nougat, cherries... all sorts... it was very difficult to choose.

I eventually chose a steak burrito stuffed full with spanish rice, mixed beans, salsa, sour cream and salad... ye-ummm. It was good, but too much!! Oh how full I was. (to explain... I shoul probably mention that we've been living on porridge and pasta for quite a while now... so this food was heaven!!.... I've loved porridge all my life, but after this trip I might not eat it for quite a while... well... unless granda makes his most excellent recipe!!)

... time for another glass of wine...

we meandered around the stalls full of lovely jubblies and managed to refrain from buying anything... hee hee it's kinda hard on a backpacker budget anyway but that's not the point... we controlled ourselves!!!! lol.

Coming out of the market area we saw a bunch of police officers standing around looking like they were about to burst into song... we'd heard someone singing Evanescence earlier... it couldn't have been them could it??? Surely not!!!

Well... the next minute... they burst into song... first up - American Idiot by Green Day - the lead singer was probably in his mid-to-late fifties... and they were all dancing around like eejits - it was highly entertaining!! We were laughing our heads off and just could not pull ourselves away - and the wine might have been taking a little effect... our feet were tapping and everything! The most funny was when they did Black Eyed Peas... I can't remember which one it was but the guy put his police cap on backwards and started rapping and the woman was jumping round all over the place flinging her legs wherever they would go! To add to it all there was a little old lady standing next to me and she was well into it... tapping her foot, clapping her hands... and all with a blue rinse - she was so sweet! A bunch of girls tried to pull her up to dance but she panicked and grabbed me saying that she'd recently had a knee replacement and couldn't afford to fall over dancing!

What a laugh - I have wee video clips, I'll try and put them online soon!

Dawn and I are baffled by the interesting work of the Victoria Police... mostly they are guarding protests and then at other times they are playing as part of the Victorian Police Rock Band - genius!!!

Happy Birthday Kirsty

2006-11-28T22:00:00.000Z

OOOh is this the final year of your twenties now??? That must hurt!!

Stuff that happened on yer birfday...

1899 - Spanish football club FC Barcelona founded.

1922 - Howard Carter opened the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun to the public.

1929 - U.S. Admiral Richard Byrd becomes the first person to fly over the South Pole.

1944 - The first surgery (on a human) to correct blue baby syndrome is performed by Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas.

1961 - The U.S. spacecraft Mercury-Atlas 5 is launched with Enos, a chimpanzee, aboard (the spacecraft orbited the Earth twice and splashed-down off the coast of Puerto Rico).

1972 - Nolan Bushnell (founder of Atari) released Pong (the first commercially successful video game) in Andy Capp’s Tavern in Sunnyvale, Calif.

1975 - The name "Micro-soft" (for "microcomputer software") is first used in a letter from Bill Gates to Paul Allen.

1977 - you were born... I think!! ...before my time so I can't be sure :)

People that share yer birfday....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/29_November the list is here - but I wasn't too sure about many of them... maybe C.S. Lewis who wrote the Chronicles of Narnia and Louisa May Alcott who wrote Little Women... and a couple of others - not too exciting though I'm afraid... I did find...

1973 - Ryan Giggs, Welsh international footballer

Anyhoo, have a great day... celebrate in style.

Em xxx

Happy 50th Liz

2006-11-26T01:30:00.000Z

Hope you're having a great time in Amsterdam!!

Things that happened on your on 26th November...

1789 - A national Thanksgiving Day is observed in the United States as recommended by President George Washington and approved by Congress.

1862 - Charles Dodgson (AKA Lewis Carroll) sends the handwritten manuscript of Alice's Adventures Underground to 10-year-old Alice Liddell.

1922 - Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon become the first people to enter the tomb of Egyptian King Tutankhamun in over 3000 years.

1941 - World War II: Attack on Pearl Harbor - A fleet of six aircraft carriers commanded by Japanese Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo leaves Hitokapu Bay for Pearl Harbor under strict radio silence.

1942 - The film Casablanca premieres at the Hollywood Theater in New York City.

1968 - British rock band Cream play their farewell concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

1970 - In Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, 1.5 inches (38.1mm) of rain fall in a minute, the heaviest rainfall ever on record.

1983 - Brinks Mat robbery: In London, 6,800 gold bars worth nearly £26 million are taken from the Brinks Mat vault at Heathrow Airport

1998 - Tony Blair becomes the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to address the Republic of Ireland's parliament.

2003 - Concorde makes its last ever flight over Bristol, UK.

People who share your birthday...

1939 - Tina Turner, American singer and actress

1945 - John McVie, British musician (Fleetwood Mac)

1981 - Natasha Bedingfield, British singer

Have a great day - and I hope your surprise evenings went well!!

Emmie x

melburnian explorations

2006-11-25T08:20:00.000Z

With no jobs we took to the streets this week and did some more walking. The weather is lovely again in Melbourne. Although it varies from day to day, it is sometimes nice to have a cool day in between the hot ones :) There hasn't been any hailstones... which is one up on last week!

I visited Rod and Tracey this week for a catch up. We chatted for ages and I left with loads of goodies including some DVDs (to keep Dawnie and I amused through the day when we've had enough of walking) and, this I could hardly believe as it's so hard to come by in Australia..., a bottle of Irn Bru - WOWEE!!! mmmm.... yummmm..... It's been six months since I've had Irn Bru!!! :)

We wandered around the northern parts of inner Melbourne including Carlton Gardens, the Museum Shop (we couldn't afford to go into the actual museum) and Lygon Street - Melbourne's Little Italy which is packed with lovely little cafes, restaurants and ice cream shops. We have also exploed along the river, walking along Southbank towards the Crowne Complex, crossing Webb Bridge before playing on some swings and dondering down to the docks where we watched some boat races... I kept getting frights by the gun that started each race - BANG! My nerves are not cut out for this at all!

The Dockland area is quite nice, but looks like it'll be even nicer in a few years... there is a lot of development work down there at the moment but it'll be a trendy place to go for a meal or a coffee in a few years time.

We've also watched a lot of films in the DVD room.... in between job searches and agency interviews... Perfect Catch, 40 Year Old Virgin, Legally Blonde 2, Johnny English, The Honourable Wally Norman (a film starring the oh-so-boring David from Neighbours... the guy whose entire family, apart from Harold and Sky, got killed off in a plane crash - although the film was actually quite funny) and a couple of others that I can't quite remember at this moment but I'm sure they'll come back to me!

Other than that... we've moved rooms in the hostel... from a 6-dorm room with 6 girls in which we had top bunks and a window out to the main street, to a 6-dorm room which had one other girl for two nights but now it's just us... and we have bottom bunks... and loads of lockers!! YIPPEE. And noone to wake us up whether it be at 5.25am when they get up for work or at 3am when they get in from the pub! We are happier in our new space!! And have slept a lot better... which isn't hard as we hardly slept at all last week... ah the joys of hostelling!!! hahaha

On another note... I have decided to delete Fiji from my trip as I have had numerous emails from the Foreign Office warning about political rallies and 'not to go there unless an essential visit' - my travel insurance doesn't cover me under these warnings, so I'm not going. But I will return one day!!

Going to try and plan for Christmas next week I reckon. Gonna have a wee champagne brekkie on the beach, followed by a nice lunch out somewhere (none of us want to be cooking in 40 degree heat) and maybe a wee BBQ in the park in the evening, if we need to eat more... that's what's Christmas is all about, right?!?!?! I've also made up a ripper of a programme for mum and Graham to keep them busy ;) which includes Neighbours tour, carols, church, and other stuff probably :) What are your plans people??? Where are you going to be for Christmas? With you? oooh eating turkey?? ye-ummm.

Anyway, I best get on with something...??? hee hee, hmmm.... we worked out today that we've probably walked along each of Melbourne's CBD streets many times already... we quite often find ourselves wandering aimlessly, or sitting on Bourke Street under the Christmas decorations. Hopefully jobs will be aplenty on Monday - although I never thought I'd ever say that!!! We're looking into a zoo/safari park visit too, so maybe I'll have more news on that next time!

Missing you all.

Em xxx

Happy Birthday Ben

2006-11-21T22:00:00.000Z

Right - I know you'll appreciate a heap of useless information so here goes...

Stuff that happened on your birthday...

1718 - Off the coast of North Carolina, British pirate Edward Teach (best known as "Blackbeard") is killed in battle with a boarding party led by Lieutenant Robert Maynard. Think you're the first to get a cool piratey thing happening!!

1922 - Egyptology: Howard Carter, assisted by Lord Carnarvon, opens the tomb of Tutankhamun.

1935 - The China Clipper takes off from Alameda, California in an attempt to deliver the first airmail cargo across the Pacific Ocean (the airplane later reached its destination, Manila, and delivered over 110,000 pieces of mail).

1943 - World War II: War in the Pacific - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chinese leader Chiang Kai-Shek meet in Cairo, Egypt, to discuss ways to defeat Japan (see Cairo Conference)

1943 - Lebanese Independence Day. Lebanon gains independence from France.

1963 - John F. Kennedy assassination: In Dallas, Texas, US President John F. Kennedy is assassinated and Texas Governor John B. Connally is seriously wounded. Later the same day, US Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as the 36th President of the United States.

1968 - The Beatles release the double album The Beatles, commonly known as The White Album.

1977 - British Airways inaugurates a regular London to New York City supersonic Concorde service. ...that's a posh word... inaugurates - ooooh laa dee daaa

1979 - I think this was when you were born, but I could be wrong...

1990 - Margaret Thatcher resigns as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

2005 - Angela Merkel becomes the first female Chancellor of Germany.

People who share your birthday...

1890 - Charles de Gaulle, President of France (d. 1970)
1941 - Tom Conti, British actor
1943 - Billie Jean King, American tennis player
1958 - Jamie Lee Curtis, American actress
1967 - Boris Becker, German tennis player
1984 - Scarlett Johansson, American actress

There were tonnes more but I didn't know half of them.

Blackbeard, John F Kennedy, Mae West and Michael Hutchence all died on your birthday... how cheery :)

Well I bet this cheered up yer day! hahaha

Have a good birthday Ben.

Em xxx

Secret Gardens

2006-11-17T18:15:00.000Z

Today we decided to follow one of the City of Melbourne walks and we decided on walk number 2 - secret gardens.

We walked down Elizabeth Street in the direction of Flinders, stopping at a stall on the way to buy some fruit. It's a lovely day today... still a wee chill in the air but the sun is shining and I still managed to burn my neck!! hee hee - damn Scottish skin!

From Federation Sqaure we crossed the Yarra along St Kilda Road as far as the Arts Centre before weering off to the left into Queen Victoria Gardens. We made our way for a quick snap of the Queen Victoria Monument - commenting on the not-so-prettiness of the voluptuous monarch as we passed. After this monument we found that there are many sculptures and monuments scattered throughout the gardens, and indeed, it would seem, throughout Melbourne! We stopped to take in The Phoenix, The Water Nymph and The Water Children clicking away on our cameras. The Phoenix and the Water Nymph were supposed to be in water, but unfortunately the streams seem to have dried up... so they look a little stranded.

The gardens are lovely - full of trees, flowers and other greenery. We took pictures of King Edward and the Floral Clock, which actually works before coming across The Tan - Melbourne's fitness track apparently... heard Dawnie mention something about jogging there... might pretend not to have heard her ;o)

From there we made our way to the Shrine of Remembrance - I'd been there before but my camera didn't work at the time so went in for another look and basically for some more photo opportunities. There are excellent views from the balcony along St Kilda Road in both directions - to the City and to St Kilda itself. The Shrine, along with hundreds of memorials and monuments, was built to commemorate (sp?) Australia's involvement in the various wars - they seem very hung up on it... more so than anywhere else I have been to.

We then turned into the Botanic Gardens and found ourselves, to our horror, in the middle of many school groups - or maybe even nursery groups... they were very little people anyway, who seemed to be running in every direction as long as they weren't running together! We found ourselves thinking of my Supernanny situations! Especially when they found the massive set of bongo drums in one of the grassy areas - ouch... we moved on quickly! I pointed out the area where Tash and I were chased by the black swan.. and then Dawn spotted the black swan and its family... again, I moved on quickly! We walked round most of the outer ring of the gardens past the Temple of the Winds and the Pioneer Women's Memorial Garden and found ourselves at the back of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl where Eskimo Joe could be heard blaring out... it's the Make Poverty History concert there today... we did go in for a competition to win some tickets... but we obviously didn't win any!

We crossed a very busy road to the riverside and walked along the Yarra, admiring the bits of art and even a wee bird sitting on the side of the pretty manky river! We walked past a kind of Boat House area and then found ourselves back in the Southbank area where we stopped for a coffee and a few more pictures.

That brought us to the end of the planned walk but we extended it slightly by going in for a look at St Paul's Cathedral - I took pictures but my camera is rubbish in the dark, I might nick some from Dawn at a later date - where we both lit a candle... I'm not sure who mine was for but it seemed the right thing to do. I enjoyed a peaceful walk round the cathedral when, just as I was passing the organ, someone starting blasting out a tune... I got a big fright and nearly cursed... when I remembered where I was and just let out a 'GEE WHIZZ' before I made my way back to the door, met up with Dawn again, got a wee leaflet for the Christmas Eve service and then left.

Heading back towards the hostel we walked up Swanston Street, stopping to take a pic of the fake Christmas Tree and a postbox dedicated to Santa Mail before we crossed Bourke Street... photographing the Christmas decorations as we crossed in front of trams - I didn't feel very safe and as a result the picture came out all fuzzy... so I deleted it. Down Bourke Street we snapped a bit of Wombat Divine... nativity set in Myer's windows before ending our wee walk at the Melbourne Int'l Hostel.

The walk was apparently 6 kilometres from Flinders back to Southbank and was meant to take about 2.5 hours... with all our clicking for pics and a coffee stop, it took us nearly 4 hours :o)

P.S. I had loads of pictures on here but they didn't work... will sort it out for the next blog. Pictures in the usualy place though... see link on the left. Em x

St Kilda to Melbourne CBD

2006-11-16T21:46:00.000Z

so the story goes...

St Kilda is lovely... and still one of my favourite parts of Melbourne... but it's quite far away from the city centre and most jobs... so after some thought and much walking around Melbourne and St Kilda looking at various hostels, Dawnie and I have relocated to Melbourne International Hostel on Elizabeth Street - and now that we're there, we're not quite sure why, but next week I think we'll be moving to a nicer place :o) not that we're fussy or anything.

Melbourne Int'l was the only one worth commenting on on our list of hostels... but I think we may have judged it on its free breakfasts and dvd rentals. The room is really small and crammed with 3 sets of bunk beds and 4 lockers. 3 German girls have already been living there for a week and there stuff was all over the place when we arrived but anyway - we're booked in for a week so trying to make the most of it.

Tuesday - we walked most of the way from St Kilda into town - we got as far as the Domain Interchange... then jumped on the tram in time to miss some rain! We then walked round all the main streets inspecting the rooms and facilities at many hostels.

Wednesday and Thursday have mainly been job-searching days. I had an interview with an agency - who aren't very busy at the moment but hopefully they'll find something... but otherwise I've also applied to a shop and a cinema... and intend to do the hotels tomorrow.

Got caught in a rain/hail shower on the way back... so had very soggy feet!

In the evening Dawn and I walked down to the river and walked along the Southbank of the Yarra as far as the St Kilda Road bridge and then crossed back over the river in search of a coffee shop... we should've thought about hot chocolate whilst on the Southbank... where there are loads of coffee shops... but we didn't and didn't find one unti lwe stumbled across Starbucks just around the corner from our hostel. It's always the way!!

During our hunt though we walked past Myer and stopped to view their Christmas window display. They have a nativity scene in the windows which includes kangaroos as the Wise Men, Dingos as the Shepherds (don't think that would work out for the best), Nimbat (whatever that is) as Mary, an emu as the director and a wombat as baby Jesus... it was all quite strange... but there was a narrated story booming out of speakers above the windows too. It was good - different to any nativity scene I've seen before that's for sure! Very sweet though... and when we walked by today there were loads of people with little kids being made to watch it.

Then it was back to the hostel where we climbed into our top bunks... I'm really not made for these... which squeaked and wobbled until we were totally still... and which sqeaked and wobbled every time we turned over or moved an arm, or coughed or sneezed or whatever! Not much sleep was to be had at all. But hey, we get free breakfast!! lol.

The DVD deal which seemed great to us turned into an ordeal when we found out that there is only one dvd room which only fits in about 4 people... maybe more if you really like the people you're sitting with!! We rented out a DVD only to find that we cold never get the room to be vacant, so we put it back to reception. Today, however, we got back early... so we rented the same DVD again and snapped up the room before everyone else and then took pleasure in telling people we were watching Gangs of New York... hahaha... which is nearly 3 hours long.... MUAHAHAHAHA!!

So we're back at the internet cafe and I've run out of things to say now so I might head off to bed! eek it's only 9.45pm! Oh well... up a bit earlier tomorrow so that I can get some toast after my cereal before it is all cleared away!

Happy Birthday Sara

2006-11-14T10:00:00.000Z

Another birthday to report... hee hee... more birthdays than blogs!

Happy birthday sweetie... here's some things that went on on your b'day...

1851 - Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick is published in the U.S. by Harper & Brothers, New York - after it was first published on October 18, 1851 by Richard Bentley, London.

1889 - Pioneer woman journalist Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) begins a successful attempt to travel around the world in less than 80 days.

1918 - Czechoslovakia becomes a republic.

1922 - The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) begins radio service in the United Kingdom.

1940 - World War II: In England, the city of Coventry is heavily bombed by German Luftwaffe bombers.

1952 - First regular UK singles chart published by the New Musical Express.

1965 - Vietnam War: Battle of the Ia Drang begins - the first major engagement between regular American and North Vietnamese forces.

1969 - Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 12, the second manned mission to the surface of the Moon.

1973 - In the United Kingdom, Princess Anne marries Captain Mark Phillips, in Westminster Abbey.

1980 - You were born.

1991 - American and British authorities announce indictments against two Libyan intelligence officials in connection with the downing of the Pan Am Flight 103.

This next one will excite you...
2003 - Planetoid 90377 Sedna is discovered.

2006 - Doug Tooks 18th Birthday - who the hell is Doug Tooks??? This was taken from Wikipedia?!?!?!

People who share your birthday...
1840 - Claude Monet, French painter (d. 1926)
1922 - Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egyptian UN Secretary-General
1948 - Charles, Prince of Wales
1954 - Condoleezza Rice, United States Secretary of State
1959 - Paul McGann, British actor
1967 - Letitia Dean, British actress

..... what an exciting bunch of people you got landed with!!

Have a great day.

Love Em xxx

whooshed on into Melbourne

2006-11-13T18:19:00.000Z

After a fairly bumpy flight through storms etc from Darwin to Melbourne I stumbled out of the airport to be greeted by a whoosh of cold air that sent shivers right through me... leaving me wishing that I'd changed into my trainers at the same time as putting on my jeans and hoodie!

I don't seem to have much luck with the weather in Melbourne but I'm sure I've just caught it on an off day!

I got dropped off in St Kilda after an hour's (is my apostrophe wrong here???) sleep and wandered the streets for sa while with my backpack looking for a place to stay. I managed to find the Elephant and Wheelbarrow - where the Neighbours night is held - so I nipped upstairs to their hostel and used their internet access to find the contact details of the guy who was supposed to be finding us an apartment. I eventually got picked up, bag and all and taken to a wee apartment right in the centre of St Kilda, off Acland Street only to find that a party had taken place over the weekend, the place was a mess and the place stank right through of smoke. There was crap everywhere! So I left there, promising to phone tomorrow, and made my way to a wee cafe that I'd been to before with Rod and Trace - Jackie-Os. Treated myself to some food - it was 3pm and I hadn't eaten since my marmalade piece for dinner last night... so mmm... poached eggs on toast with a wee sausage and a hash brown - yummmmm. Hopefully I won't be hungry for the rest of the day now either.

I was told about a nice hostel... and after visiting three I was glad to find that this one was brand new and clean. So Dawnie and I are booked in for the night... maybe more if we need to be... and we're in a room full of nice British girls who are eager to get to the Neighbours night tonight.

http://www.cooeeonstkilda.com/

I had a nap and now I'm just wasting time until Dawn arrives :) Going to meet her at the station me thinks as it's quite a long way when you haven't been here before.

So that's me... will be making my way round to Rod and Tracey's at somepoint in the very near future for all of my warm clothes again... hee hee, hopefully won't need them for too long though.

Will blog again once Dawnie and I have done some exploring.

xxx

last night in Darwin

2006-11-12T20:38:00.000Z

well there was me thinking I'd be online loads last week and then I went and got another job for a couple of days. I became a medical secretary for an oral and maxillofacial surgeon... tongue-twister on the phone I can assure you... for Wednesday and Thursday which saved me from boredom so I was really grateful. I was assured by the agency that I'd be busier than ever, run of my feet... I'm starting to wonder whether anyone knows what busy actually means?!?! Or maybe people make work last longer than me... who knows.

Anyway, final Darwin blog.

Yesterday we headed off in search of Crocodylus Park - which aparently is 15 minutes out of Darwin. 2 hours, 2 buses and a hot walk later we arrived to see some crocs and other animals. We were slightly disappointed at what seemed like a makeshift zoo set up in someone's back garden but were happy that we'd only paid $10 instead of the normal $25. We saw lots of crocs in breeding pens and also saw some alligators - the difference... I'm not sure but I'm sure I'll find out at some point! Being outside, we were sweltering... you just can't imagine the heat! Even the kids were sweating!

We walked round to the big cats section and even the tigers were sweating! There was a very cute moment when a tiger almost fell asleep in the little pool in its enclosure... poor wee soul. We got some nice pictures... but my camera lead is now firmly packed in my backpack alongside my wooden bird and fish! So I won't be uploading them until I'm back in Melbourne. After we'd taken all the photos we needed we grabbed a couple of drinks in preparation for the journey home and made our way back to the bus stop! Cut quickly to Sunday morning... I awoke to find prominant white flip-flop marks on my feet - it must've been quite hot!!

Back to Saturday... and it's night time... Dawn and I booked a table for two at Char - a lovely restaurant that we pass on our jog route that is always full. It was good - a table outside which wasn't as hot as we'd imagined it to be and food that was great. I indulged in the local barramundi which was delicious, while Dawnie had the scrumptious braised lamb. We both had a wee cocktail or two .. oh and our choc puds... before we headed for a quick msn session then back to the flat for some chat.

Silvia came in around 12.30 I reckon, so I went to the pub with her. There was a good wee covers band playing at the Duck's Nuts so I stayed until they were finished and then left the others to go clubbing at about 1.30... and I'm glad I did as Silvia didn't come in until after 6am!

Our final day hasn't been very eventful... we packed... then we walked to the shop for a smoothie for lunch, then we went back to the flat, chatted a bit, then went to the other shop for some chocolate, back to the flat, got our bond back from the landlord, went to Coles to steal toilet roll from the public toilets only to find there were locked so now we're in the internet cafe again wasting time until I get on my bus outta here at 22.30.

I've enjoyed my time in Darwin, but I must admit to being glad to leave - it is very hot and sticky and there aren't enough attractions to keep us amused for much longer!!

Melbourne here I come - for the second time in quite a short time...

Oh to mark that... as of last Monday... I've been travelling for six months... have I mentioned that already???

Speak to y'all soon.

Em xxx

stupid State Library computers

2006-11-07T17:00:00.000Z

well... it turns out - after I'd resized my photos blah de blah de blah - that the bloody State Library computers don't allow me to upload them - grrr... so now you will all have to wait until at least payday (tomorrow - Wednesday) for the photos and maybe even for this blog as it may not work either! So you'll have to bear with me. I might resort to writing it all down on paper then going to a pay-for-internet place and hurriedly (word?) typing it all in! You see I've had to reduce my pay for internet access because I got carried away the other night and it ended up costing just under $10 - eek!!!

So I thought that with my week off work that I might be able to gabble for as long as I wanted for free... but with uploading restrictions that might not be possible.

Anyway, enough of the grumble...

It's Melbourne Cup day today - which is a bit liek the Grand National back home... everyone is soo hyped up but really it's a bunch of really short, skinny blokes on 20-odd horses all running round a field, bobbing about like eejits trying to go faster! But I watched it... no betting (I wouldn't know where to start) and probably lucky I didn't as I would probably have gone for Geordieland for the simple reason that Frankie Dettori was the only jockey I'd heard of... and he didn't win... not even close!

As mum pointed out I had missed bits out - and I knew I would as I have/am? a scatter-brain. Do you have one or are you one? hmm...

I forgot to mention that for the past four weeks Dawn and I have had three lovely German flatmates... and when my photos finally work you'll get to see them :) Sylvia, Kersten and Sarah moved in a day or two after us so our wee flat has been quite hectic with lots of laughter and some tears too! We've had a good time getting to know them - including another night out at the Vic but as of this Friday we're all starting to split off in different directions. Kersten and Sarah head off to Broome on Friday, Dawn and I head to Melbourne on Monday and Sylvia is staying on a little longer in Darwin but is joining me for the East Coast in January - which is company for me after mum and Graham leave - YAY. And Dawn and I might meet Kersten and Sarah over New Year at some point if they are in Sydney.

Also, Dawn and I went to the Deckchair Cinema one weekend. The cinema is set just off the beach with loads of rows of deckchairs and plastic outdoor furniture. Cushions are provided free of charge for comfort as well as free water and free insect repellent. It is fully licensed so you can treat yourself to wine or whatever as well as a few snacks... we stuck to water as we settled into a deckchair for 4 to watch Jindabyne... a very strange, award winning Australian film where not much happens. Four guys set off on a weekend fishing trip, find a dead body int he river, tie her to a tree so she doesn't float off, keep fishing, and finally get round to reporting the body on the Monday! It was quite good but just really weird. Whilst watching the film our surroundings were soon in darkness and we got to imagine all sorts of things crawling around under the trees to our left... thanks for mentioning the crocodile DAwnie.. not sure I saw the next ten minutes of the film after that for want watching the blackness and jumping at every scramble I heard!!! It was a great thing to do though - and there are fences all around so the crocs can't get in!!! If you're in Darwin through the Dry season you should definitely go along... very romantic if you're that way inclined!

Okay - I'm off back to the flat now as I keep locking Dawn out of the bedroom and I don't think she likes it :o) We will probably spend the evening mopping the floor from the water leak in the bathroom, having dinner (hope it's not a pukey as the made-up dinner I made last night) and maybe going for a walk around the park.

If I've nothing to do tomorrow, I'll probably be back for more blogging :o)

Em xxx

P.S. Some extra pictures online - might be last ones before we're back in Melbourne...but you never know :)

final week in Darwin... better write something about it...

2006-11-04T21:30:00.000Z

well... Dawn and I are leaving next week, and my job finished on Friday so I've got a week... do to absolutely nothing in Darwin... FAN-TAS-TIC... in very sarcastic voice!

I will explain.

Firstly my job... I have been working in an IT Help desk place in the Asset Management department doing data entry... I know it sounds exciting but really... it's not. Althoguh I should've been in my element surrounded by computery types right?! Wrong again... oh dear God! To begin with the people were really nice, chatty and made an effort - we even got invited to coffee breaks. Caitriona (an Irish girl that started the same day as me) and I teamed up for breaks and lunch. We were very efficient at our jobs and the rest of the team grew to hate us because we'd managed to clear their six-month backlog in just two weeks... they have a team of six and we were just the two of us!! oops :o) In the end they actually seemed excited (apart from the boss who wanted to keep us on) to see us go - lazy @#$^%&^%#!!!! Apart from that, the work was actually a really easy four weeks (our initial two weeks got extended before they realised we'd finished in two) and allowed us to research further travels and eventually book flights! So all was good - if only it had lasted one more week!

Anyway, back to Darwin... at the weekends Dawn and I have done some exploring and walking!

At the top end of Smith Street we visited the Northern Territory's Parliament House and arrived early one Saturday moring for the free tour... the tour took about an hour and a half and was very pleasant... although Darwin doesn't really have much history (I think less than a hundred years) but in that time it has been bombed and struck by a catastrophic cyclone. Parliament House is a very modern, white building... and as I'm hopeless at remembering details I can't remember what the special wook was that reflected light or what all the plaques on the wall said. But I can remember that it is built on top of the site where a bomb shelter used to lie. The bomb shelter, unfortunately, was struck bang on with a bomb and most people inside died - a whole family was killed. Photos of those killed hang in the main room and there is other memorabilia marking the tragic event.

There was a funny story about the long gold thing that lies on Parliament table when the Speaker is present - donated by the Queen - I can't remember it's name... not a quaich, but something like that. The people of the Parliament decided that it should tour the rural areas... and so it left Darwin on the back of a ute!! Unfortunately, it fell off at one point and now had a permanent wonky bit... that to be honest suits it... and kinda speaks well of the people of the NT! No offence to those people... but you are a different species right?!?! lol, just kidding!! Honest!!!

The State Library is joined to Parliament House and the corridor to it sports a plaque on the floor indicating the burial of a time capsule to be dug up in about 40 years... it reminded me of soemthing similar we did at school... although I've no idea when they were due to be open! In fact, I've no idea where we even buried them. Anyway back to the corridor, it had pictures of heroes from the army or navy or whatever, with loads of badges on, a fragment of the bomb used on the Town Hall which is strangely shaped (according to the guide anyway) like the Northern Territory and the crack up the middle apparently is placed strategically making it look like the Stuart Highway.... hmmm... looked like a chunk bit of metal to me, but hey ho!

A perk of the State Library........ free internet access! woohoo... except it doesn't have msn and gmail doesn't work properly on the puters and nor does blogger... so here I am, back in Global Gossip paying a fortune to keep myself amused of an evening :o)

We visited Darwin Botanic Gardens... walked quite a way in quite a bit of heat to find an old wooden church (circa 1960 I think), a nice fountain... a few trees and lots of dead ends! Hmmmm...

The Esplanade in Darwin is very picturesque with stunning views onto the ocean and one of the best sunsets (from Mindil Beach) I've seen so far. The park runs right along the coast from Parliament House down to the far end of town and has lit up pathways and loads of birds and bats... as well as a few Aboriginal locals sitting under the trees chatting in the shade. In the evenings, the Esplanade has become our jogging route.

Jogging... mmmm... yes... Dawn (and a little bit of me...) has decided this is something we should do... and I, eargerly to begin with, agreed. So we have a routine of Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to jog/walk for half an hour each time to build up my stamina... and so far... apart from last night... it has worked. I've improved from 1 minute jogging/4 minutes walking to 3 minutes jogging/3 minutes walking... and one night I managed to jog continuously for just under 4 minutes.... not that much for some of you I'm sure but considering I nearly died the first night I am hella chuft with myself!! We leave the flat adorned in shorts, vests and trainers and jog - me jiggling about all over the place - towards the Esplanade road down to the end where we cross over into the dimly (word??) lit park - so that noone can see me - adjusting my bra straps as I go! I just wasn't built to look good doing such a thing!!! Bet you've got a fantastic picture in your heads now!??!

Mindil Beach Market was great... and the final night, even though the fireworks scared me a little, was really lovely. Dawn and I brought a picnic with us and ate it under a tree as the sun was setting. Then we joined the bustling crowds as we pushed and shoved to see the various stalls. It was very busy and hot, but we purchased a few things and left like happy bunnies.

We also wandered a little further one weekend to the Northern Territoy Museum and Gallery. It was very hot (we seemed to be the only ones walking there) but it was worth going to. There were exhibitions on the deadly creatures of Oz, the deadly sea creatures of Oz, the devastation caused by Cyclone Tracy in the 70s, various shipping vessels and finally... a humungous (word???) stuffed croc called Sweetheart.

And I think that's it... there isn't actually much more to Darwin for tourists.

We have lived on Mitchell Street for the entirety of our stay - directly opposite the cinema, next door to Irish bar Shenanigans (are they ever called anything else?) and only a few metres from the main strip of shops and supermarkets... which apart from Coles, never seem to be open. Everything closes at 12.30pm on a Saturday and Sunday, which we find most bizaar, well... apart from the souvenir shops which usually have the entire population in them because they are the only places open - good strategy on their part I think!!!

So now I'm in my final week in Darwin with no job and absolutely nothing to do! Oh dear... perhaps I will get a few books read next week... I might get a bit of sunbathing in there aomewhere... although I can only do that for half an hour at a time. I am still in search of a didgeridoo so I might make that my task for the week as well as confirming a place to stay and a job for when we arrive in Melbourne next Monday... back to civilisation - YAY!!

On the whole, Darwin is a lovely place to visit... especially in the Dry season I imagine. We've visited during the onset of the Wet season and it is VERY hot and humid. Dawn described it as "imagine leaving your car parked in a sunny spot for the day and then coming back to it and get in without opening the windows" - that's exactly what it's like... you get up, have a shower, get dressed, have breakfast and then need another shower!! But it has been nice and we're keen to leave Darwin before we hate it :o)

So on that note I'll sign off, and you never know, I might blog a little more next week during times of boredom and when in need of air-conditioning! And when I realise that I've missed something out!

Ciao for now,

Em xxx

Happy 1st Anniversary Meghan and Charles

2006-10-28T09:30:00.000+01:00

WOW - a year already!!! And now you're moving into your first flat - how exciting!

Doesn't actually seem that long since we were shipping you off to the hairdresser Meghan, I finished off the book thing with everyone's comments in a rush before you got back and then we finished off our speeches... you in your veil and jeans before we actually got round to getting ready - after the champagne, etc... and before our flat got a little girly with hundreds of us... well it seemed like hundreds... getting ready in our wee livingroom!

The funniest bit for me was that you'd booked the taxi and not told them that it was to get you to your wedding on time... but even, when it was late you remained calm :o)

The pair of you looking spiffing and throwing a most excellent bash!

It was a great day... and it really doesn't seem like that long ago!

Have a lovely anniversary and I hope the move isn't too stressful and that the party goes well!!! Ahoy there! hee hee

Loads of love,

Em xxx

Sunny Darwin

2006-10-25T21:10:00.000+01:00

so... I've been in Darwin for quite a few weeks now...

Dawn and I both have temporary jobs and a nice wee flat and we're getting on just dandy.. .most of the time ;o)... just kidding Dawnie... ALL the time!

I thought I'd share some wee things with you...

Starting with the weather. It is very hot in Darwin. Mid to high thirties every day with around 80% (and rising) humidity. I'm not complaining though... my skin is turning a rather nice colour... although not very quickly as you can't stay out in the sun for very long... I'm sure it would burn holes through you if you let it.

Every morning on our walk to work our aim is to dodge the sun - you may think it silly but even at 8am it's warm... and a 15 min walk to work can bring out unwanted perspiration in a girl!! We leave our block of flats, checking the mailbox as we go and immediately cross the road to be in the shade whilst also avoiding the excess spray of the guy hosing the pavement outside Shenanigans. Passing the scooter hire place with VERY loud dance music blaring (yes even at this hour), all the souvenir shops, Opal dealers, cafes and Aboriginal Art shops before we have to make a left at the lights. Doing so we realise we are back in direct sunlight and therefore cross over to the shade again past the swimwear shops - there are loads of them here even though you can't swim in the sea... although I guess there are quite a lot of swimming pools in the area. Dawn and I part at the next crossing and I make a right... back into the full glare of the sun. I am, however, on the correct side of the road for my work, so I grin and bear it and walk the rest of the way in the sun... which, although it's hot, still makes me smile :o) The smile gets bigger once I reach the office and feel the whoosh of cold air hit me as I enter the air-conditioned building - woohoo!

The thing with air-con is... it's cold! By lunchtime Caitriona (an Irish lass that started the same day as me) and I are desperate to get outside to warm with and get rid of the goose bumps... half an hour later... we can't wait to get inside again to cool down... it's quite strange. I can drink hot tea at work and everything... although the actual work... the reason I get paid... is a little dull. But hey... I get sneaky internet access every now and again! Not that I would do that during work time...

...to be continued.

Off for a jog now... and yes... you read that correctly! Eeek... what's happening to me? Dawn?!

some filmy bits

2006-10-18T10:15:00.000+01:00

Filmy bits

I've uploaded a few more filmy bits - they're not going to win awards or anything but... it gives a perspective of traveling through nothingness and then stumbling across a BIG rock!!!

Em x

Also working on uploading some pics, but that's going slow.

Happy 25th Alistair

2006-10-17T08:00:00.000+01:00

Happy birthday to you, sqaushed tomatoes and stew... hee hee. How does it feel to be joining the rest of us by turning 25???

Thought I'd put up a few interesting facts!

October 17: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

2006 - Emma sits inputing data into an online database for seven and a half hours...

2003 - The pinnacle was fitted on the roof of the 106-floor skyscraper Taipei 101 in Taipei, allowing it to surpass the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur and become the world's tallest building.

1989 - Earthquake hits San Francisco
A powerful earthquake rocks San Francisco killing nine people and injuring hundreds.

1981 - it didn't make the news, but you were born :)

1980 - Pope welcomes Queen to the Vatican
The Queen makes the first state visit to the Vatican by a British monarch and is received by the Pope.

1979 - Mother Teresa awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

1977 - German Autumn: Four days after it was hijacked, Lufthansa Flight 181 landed in Mogadishu, Somalia, where a team of German GSG 9 commandos rescued all remaining hostages on board.

1968 - Black athletes make silent protest
Two black Americans make history at the Mexico Olympics with a silent protest against racial discrimination.

1945 - A massive number of people, headed for CGT and Evita, gather in the Plaza de Mayo in Argentina to demand Juan Peron's release. This is known to the Peronists as the Día de la lealtad (day of loyalty) or San Perón (Saint Perón). It's considered the birthday of Peronism.

1937 - Huey, Dewey and Louie, Donald Duck's three almost identical nephews, first appear in a newspaper comic strip.

1662 - King Charles II of England sold Dunkerque to France for £40,000.

1604 - Kepler's Star: German astronomer Johannes Kepler (pictured) observed an exceptionally bright star which had suddenly appeared in the constellation Ophiuchus.

1346 - King David II of Scotland led an invasion of England during the Hundred Years' War, but was captured in the Battle of Neville's Cross.

People that share your birthday: 1912 - Pope John Paul I (d. 1978), 1914 - Jerry Siegel, American cartoonist, co-creator of Superman (d. 1996), 1940 - Peter Stringfellow, British nightclub owner, 1972 - Eminem, American rapper, 1972 - Wyclef Jean, Haitian-born singer and 1979 - Kimi Räikkönen, Finnish race car driver.

I hope you have a great day :)

Em xxx

Homecoming flights now booked!!

2006-10-15T16:00:00.000+01:00

Well... I'm organised for a change and have now booked my homeward journey - can't believe I actually have to think about that already but hey ho... I'm sure it'll come round very quickly.

So I thought I'd use this blog to pop up an itinerary of sorts to keep everyone posted on what I'm doing/planning.

Dawn and I found a flat in Darwin and we moved in this morning... spent quite a while cleaning it, but it's sorted now and we're ready to spend a month there.

We're flying to Melbourne around the 13th November (Dawn's booked her flight, I haven't) and we're going to stay in some backpacking lodgings for a few weeks and experience backpacker life in Melbourne before we move in with Rod and Trace on the 14th Dec... just THREE days before ROBBIE!!!

17th December - Robbie Williams at Telstra Dome. YAYY can't wait.

19th - 24th December - travel to Adelaide to meet Mum and Graham. Visit Barossa Valley and Kangaroo Island before driving along the Great Ocean Road back to Melbourne. Arrive back in Melbourne on Xmas eve and spend Xmas - some of it on the beach - with R & T before we leave for Sydney on 27th.

Arrive in Sydney on 30th Dec and leave on 2nd for Cairns.

Mum and G leave on 9th and then I'll explore the East Coast for another couple of weeks before meeting Dawnie in Melbourne for our drive to Perth - YES we are mad!!! And I'll be in Perth until jsut after Dawnie's mummy and daddy arrive, so I'll say hi to them and then I'll be back in Melbourne for the weekendof 18th March for the Grand Prix (how exciting!!!) before I leave R & T for the final time, leave Melbourne and indeed Australia on 24th March!

Arrive in Christchurch on 24th March and leave Auckland on 13 April.

Arrive Fiji on 13th April and leave on 21 April - a week in the sun!!

Arrrive LA before I leave Fiji (funny time differences) - travel about a bit - Las Vegas, San Francisco and then back to LA to fly to London 6th arriving London/Edinburgh on the 7th May.

And that's it!! All over :(

But I'm not at that stage yet, so back to Darwin, working a bit and then our next most exciting thing... hee hee - I think you all know what Dawnie and I are excited about!!

Em xxx

FRIDAY THE 13TH

2006-10-13T09:30:00.000+01:00

The people in my office seem to have confused Friday the 13th with Hallow'een. The office has been klarted (sp?) in black bin bags - all over the walls and supporting columns - with orange and black streamers and balloons dangling from the ceiling as well as plastic skulls, pumpkins and skeletons randomly scattered around and everyone (including me) is dressed in black... they're the only office clothes I have anyway!! A few of the woman are wearing witches hats... maybe they intend to wear them for two weeks - who knows?!?!?!

Celebrating Friday the 13th, the office are putting on a morning tea at 10.30am... and the table is right behind my desk... it seems we are having a feast - mini pies, sausage rolls, crisps, nachos, sweeties (or lollies as they call them here) nutella packs, cake and tonnes of other stuff. Not sure how well it'll all go down at this time of day but I'm sure we'll give it a good go!

Anyway I hope the day has been lucky for you all rather than the opposite... anything weird happen????

Oooh I experienced my first earthquake this morning - I say experienced, the guy next to me put his caller on hold at one point, jumped round to me and said... "Did you feel that?"

"What?" I said puzzled.

"An earthquake, I think I felt an earthquake" - all the time his caller is still on hold.

"You probably felt my fart Todd" someone jeered from the other side of the room.

"Nah it was definitely an earthquake... I've felt two before and I think that was one." He left it at that and then went back to his caller. About ten minutes later the jeerer shouted "You were right Todd, there was a 5.3 earthquake in Timor this morning... and tremors (sp?) were being felt in Darwin".

So there we have it - I didn't even notice. hee hee

job hunting in Darwin

2006-10-06T23:17:00.000+01:00

Well since being back in Darwin Dawn and I have spent the last two days traipsing round temp agencies looking for work... and we finally got phonecalls tonight confirming jobs on Monday - YAYYY. So we can kinda chill out for the weekend which is great.

Darwin is a lovely town - in my opinion - with nice walks along the Esplanade, ocean views (it's a shame it's too dangerous to swim but hey, I'm not taking my chances with crocs or box jellyfish)!

I did my typing and computer applications tests today and the results were good so I handed them into a couple of agencies before coming back to the hostel and trying to chill out a bit and get rid of this awful cough... poor Dawn had to put up with snoring last night coz I can't breath properly :o( I think I'll try and find her some earplugs as a gift! haha Joking aside we were actually trying to find some in Woolworths tonight but they don't sell them! I'll try and lie on my front tonight!!!

So now we've just to decide whether we're going to stay in our hostel or find somewhere cheaper for the next few weeks.

We walked down to Stokeshill Wharf tonight for our dinner and had some fish and chips on the pier. Wasn't as tasty as the fish at home, but it was edible!! WE amused ourselves on the way home by imagining if we could do backpacking the rich way... i.e. not in hostels, etc... maybe aboard a yacht or something haha ... in our dreams!!!

Talking of dreaming... it's bedtime now so I'm off to bed.

Nighty night.

Em x

Photos

2006-10-04T14:10:00.000+01:00

Some photos online to keep you going - only from Alice Springs to Darwin... will try and get the Adelaide to Alice ones on at some point in the near future.

Em xxx

Alice Springs to Darwin to Kakadu to Darwin

2006-10-03T23:20:00.000+01:00

I shouldn't leave such big gaps in time coz my memory is crap! I've got my tour brochure in front of me though, along with my journal so hopefully those will jog some memories.

Okay I reckon I left you on the Sunday in Alice Springs... a funny thing happened after dinner. I went to phone mum and got a text from Dawn... she was in the same pub I'd been in - she must've walked straight past me!! It's not as spooky as it sounds to bump into a fellow Boat of Gartener, however we'd only planned to meet in Darwin so it was a nice surprise to meet in Alice. We chatted for a bit, snapped a quick pic and then I had to go to pack and sleep as I was getting picked up a 5.45am the next morning - arrgh!

From Alice we drove up the Stuart Highway heading north. We made a short but obligatory stop at the imaginary line that is the Tropic of Capricorn, tooks some photos and hopped back on the bus... straight away we could see that this tour was going to be interesting!!! :o)

We stopped at an Aborginal Art place but found it to be just as expensive as everywhere else so we had a coffee and a biscuit and left the art behind - as lovely as it is! I will definitely buy SOME before I leave Oz.

A great stop was at the Devil's Marbles - huge ball-shaped rocks all on top of one another. One of many sacred Aboriginal spots. I wish I could remember the stories that go with them - they're really sweet. I might look them up some time.

We eventually stumbled across Banka Banka Cattle Station for our overnight camp. When we arrived we were told that a member of the other bus (which was following the same route as us) had been bitten by a spider when they were collecting firewood and her hand had swollen up and so the driver had to take her back to Tennant's Creek (1.5 hours away) to the nearest hospital. She never came back! eeek! I'm sure she was fine though... it's has been something lke 30 years since someone has died here from a spider bite. Alhtough this didn't stop me from thoroughly checking my bed before getting into it.

Yes I said bed... and no it wasn't exactly 'roughing it' camping! And I definitely wasn't swagging it as there was an emu and a skanky turkey running around... ewww.

Sanne, Silvana and I snuck into the kitchen and made some Milo before heading to bed... where, with a torch I found three spiders on the under side of the upper bunk... i.e. above where I was going to sleep. I flashed the torch at them for ages and tried prodding them. They didn't move so I knew they were dead and just got into my sleeping bag and went to sleep.

Next morning... AAAAAAARRRRRRRRBGGGGGHHH - they were gone! There were obviously just sleeping. ew ew ew... shud dud dud dud der. Och well, I lived to tell the tale.

Main stop was for lunch and that was when it became very apparent that this tour was mainly just driving from Alice to Darwin... there were a LOT of miles to cover. It was interesting to see the landscape change though - in between catching up on some Zzzz - from red desert with some shrubs to some wetlands with tall trees. We stopped at Daly Waters Pub - the oldest pub in the Northern Territory and first international airport!! It was a really cool place. Tourists go there and leave something behind, so there's tonnes of stuff from student cards, to foreign currency to Scotland scarves, Irish flags, Danish badges... just tonnes and tonnes of stuff. Everyone seems to leave their mark. I found a picture of some lads from the Black Isle so I decided to leave my picture not far from them. I signed a passport photo and stapled it to the wall... maybe I'll go back someday and I might still be there!! Who knows?!?!

We then made our way for a well deserved treat at Mataranka thermal springs. Aaaah. The water was around 32 degrees but was still very refreshing. The humidity up here is a little unbearable so a waterhole is a godsend.

We camped just outside Katherine and were all excited about the next day. Some canoeing in Katherine Gorge.

Unfortunately we were told that the canoeing had been double-booked so we couldn't do it - poo poo. We were all really depressed about it. It was the only exercise we were going to get. Three hours of canoeing would've been great fun. Anyway, it wasn't to be so we stored it in our heads for the feedback at the end of the trip and then went on a hike up the gorge instead. Stunning views!!! It was a fairly easy hike with a bit of a steep climb at the start. Steep climbs and humidity doesn't make for a good picture!! We all made it round, taking a few pics as we went and enojyed the dip in the river at the end... although mine was short as they couldn't GUARANTEE that there were no crocs... although they were fairly sure - NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!

We drove a bit more and went for another dip at Edith Falls before stopping at Adelaide River (a place not a river) for a snap with the star of Crocodile Dundee... wait for this... Charlie the Buffalo! Which apparently is just his stage name... in real life... he is Nick... according to Dawnie!

We arrived in Darwin just in time for sunset on the beach which was fab! Darwin seems like a really cool place. We walked along the market too and listened to a cool didgeridoo band - I think we all want the CD!!

The next three days were spent exploring Litchfield National Park, Mary River and Kakadu - amazing scenery!! Plus the wildlife is fantastic. So many odd and huge birds... lucky they didn't fly for me or I would've been in the river with the crocs!! Soooo many crocs - freshies and salties ARARARARAARARAARRRRGH. The salties are huge and would eat humans. The freshies are smaller and would only bite at you if it felt threatened... don't think I want to risk it either way!! hee hee

We visited Ubirr to view some Aborignal art on the rocks before climbing the rock to watch the sun set. Beautiful... although I seem to have loads of pics of sunsets now!

We also went to Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls before the final day at Barramundi Gorge. After a short climb over the rocks we made it to stunning pools amongst the rocks wehre the more brave jumped offf into the water. I explored an underwater cave, but other than that stayed in the water so as not to scare off any of the tourists... or drown my newly found friends in belly flop spray!!! We did createa human dam however, where I came in very useful :o) and we stayed there for ten minutes and then let the water burst through - it swept Helen away from her sunbathing spot - quite amusing!

Then back to Darwin to meet up with Dawnie, have a cheerio night out with the tour and suffer a huge hangover the next day... that was yesterday.

Today I've found a job and tommorrow I get picked up and taken into the Outback to work for 6-8 weeks... very limited internet/mobile... but apparently there's a public phone... so I've bought a phonecard to keep me amused. Will also bring a few books me thinks!

So... this could be my last blog for quite a while but I'm sure I'll be checking emails on and off so keep them coming, and you never know... you might get a call from a lonely traveller (I'm sure I'll meet loads of fun people) sometime soon.

Loads of love and hugs.

Em xxx

Cattle Station

2006-09-25T14:45:00.000+01:00

Can't belive I missed off such an exciting moment...

On the way from King's Canyon to Alice, we stopped at a working Cattle Station and were given the choice of doing a helicopter ride, quad biking or camel rides.

Which one did I choose... well of course it was the quad biking!! OMIGOD it was soooo much fun! Me, Tim, Nick, Bill and Sally all jumped on a quad each. Tim was at the front, next was Nick, then me, then Bill, another girl then Sal. The leader... I can't quite remember his name... think it was Mark... took off into the sanddunes and around the station for an hour. Twisting and turning through the grooves in between the trees. The line was fastest to slowest and I definitely wasn't going to let Tim and Nick lose me so we were wellying it along. It was really cool. I forgot to break for one of the corners and spun the quad but I regained control and opened the throttel a bit to get back up with Nick and also quick enough that Bill didn't crash into me from behind!

I had one stupid moment where I must've thought I was on a bike and put my foot down when I didn't think I was going to stop in time - my leg got caught on the footrest... although I pulled it back up in time to not get trapped under the wheel - what a numpty!! I was totally swearing at myself... what a fool! D'oh! Anyway, I now have a massive bruise on the back of my leg!! As well as the already achy calves and thighs from all the hiking!!

We got back to the bus in time for lunch and then everyone pointed out how dirty we were. We were all ORANGE from the dust! Looked like spray tan gone wrong... a bit like Donatella Versace!! HAH. Manky!!! But it was well worth it. We were all so hyper afterards too - gibbering away in high pitched voices, dicussing the various corners - it was funny.

10 minutes later... we were all sound asleep on the bus!

Great day!!!

Melbourne to Adelaide to Alice Springs

2006-09-25T14:30:00.000+01:00

This is a quick overview of the last week - I will try and put in more details later on, but hopefully this will give you the jist.

Firstly, a belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Dad on the 19th... and HAPPY ANIVERSARY to Mum and Graham on the 23rd - you know I didn't forget!!

Now for some stories...

I've just spent the last week travelling from Adelaide to Alice Springs through Outback Oz - and WOW!!! what a week!

I took the Overland train from Melbourne last Saturday morning... although it seems ages ago already.... and arrived in the quaint country town of Adelaide aprroximately 11 hours later! I found my way to the hostel I was booked into for the next two nights and was met by three fellow Scots, an Englishman and a sheep-shearer from New Zealand... a bit bizaare but I was soon whisked to the bar downstairs for some $2-per-glass glasses of wine and before I knew it I was trying to rap to Destiny's Child in a karaoke bar!! I arrived home in the wee early hours of Sunday morning and was then rudely awakened (just kidding guys) to wandered aimlessly around Adelaide at stupid o'clock iin search of breakfast at Maccy D's. Well... this little Em isn't too hot in the mornings at the best of times... so after lots of cheap wine and a few sambuca shots... you can probably imagine the headache!!! I took one bite of my egg and bacon McMuffin and then put it down... and drank my coffee! So I so a bit of Adelaide but not much (sorry Tash) - but I am going back in December so I will give it justice then!!

Anyway - everyone was leaving that day so I hung around and said goodbyes (how was the two day train journey William??) then went to bed early for my 5.30am start the following day.

And then the Oz adventure started! 22 of us were picked up by Simon (or Kiwi to his mates... can you guess where he's from?) in a bus with a tiny trailer and left Adelaide in the direction of the Finders Ranges and Alligator Gorge. It was apparent from day one that this trip was going to be a task and a half... trek after trek in hot weather.... but it was all amazing.

We travelled to Parachilna - a town with two permanent residents and 8 seni-permanent ones, one hotel and pub and an add-on hostel. Where some of Wolf Creek was filmed. Glad I was only told that AFTER I'd slept there!!

From there we drove to Coober Pedy - an opal mining town where most of the town is underground, carved into the rock. We got a tour round the little town - it has an outdoor cinema every Saturday night, unfortunately we were there on a Tuesday!! I think quite a few of us wished that we'd been in Coober Pedy a little longer - even if it was just to have to chance to noodle for opals! I did buy a wee one for myself which is really nice!

Up at 4.30 the next morning to drive to Uluru. MY BIRTHDAY - 25!!! Eeek!

My birthday was great. I had a 4.30am start and a 8 or 9 hour bus journey from Coober Pedy to Uluru. Dad phoned at 4.30am... timed well with my alarm clock!! Our first stop was for fuel an hour later and that was when the bus burst into song and sang Happy Birthday to me. I was relaly embarrassed. Simon (the tour leader) then told me to sit in the front seat for the day (best view!) which was really cool.

We arrived at Uluru in time for the sunset and Simon had put all our drinks into the Eski and surprised us by taking it out so that we could have a drink at the viewing point whilst we were waiting. It was really nice and we took loads of pictures. We then went back to camp and I was instructed not to go anywhere near the cooking area, so I was given an hour and a half to have a shower and get ready. We were camping so it would sem daft to anyone that I got dressed up with makeup and stuff, but I just wanted to make the effort and feel nice, so that's what I did. We had a massive barbecue, Simon had arranged champagne and I provided a bottle of whisky and some shortbread for the group. At the end of the meal I was presented with a kind of cake which Simon attempted to make over the bonfire - it was a bit burnt but the group were so nice and the inside of the cake was fine!

We then sat round the campfire having a few drinks and toasting marshmallows and genereally having a laugh. We slept in swags under the stars too which was cool - although I'm glad I had been drinking as I think I would've been too nervous otherwise! Jen and I sat up chatting and giggling as Nick, Tim and Simon chatted across from us. we were really quite tipsy! The boys kept telling us to shut up, so I shined the torch in their faces... and I kinda wished I hadn't straight away as Simon got out of his swag and then came over to us and tip us both over face first into the ground! It was funny though.

So that was it... I think we finally went to sleep at 2am and we had to get up at 5am for the sunrise at Uluru... not a pretty picture! ME not Uluru! Uluru was great, although Jen and I didn't managed the base walk... we opted for a meander round the shaded area and then found a nice bench/table to collapse on to wait for the others.

We then headed to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) for a hike - very hot but worth it. The views were fantastic.

Drove to Kings Canyon for camp there - attempted to sleep in swags again and just as I'd fallen into a deep sleep I felt a slight stroking of my hair, followed by whisperings of my name... ARGH! It turned out to be Tim, waking me because him and Nick had seen a feral cat in the campsite. Apparently I bolted upright slight snake as soon as he woke me, and almost scared him! I wich I could've seen it... Nick wished he's videoed it!!! I just love being the butt of peoples jokes!!! haha. Anyway the whole camp emptied within seconds as we all jumped out of our swags and into our luxury tents!!

Next day was a three-hour hike through Kings Canyon in scorching weather. We left at 8am I think and finished around 11.30... but it was sooo hot. Gorgeous scenery though - it's wehre some of Priscilla Queen of the Desert was filmed... so we took a few "Queen" pics. Maanaged to get two typical Aussie blokes to wear a pink sarong for the occasion - very funny. We even managed to get Simon to wear it for a while too.

And now, some 3,700 kilometers later we are in Alice Springs. A lovely wee town in the middle of absolutely nowhere. We had a big night out at Melanka Party Bar on Saturday night as a final goodbye and then all went our separate ways... although 8 of us are continuing on up to Darwin. Sunday morning was Andie's last day so Karyn and I said we would make it worthwhile for her. We walked into the town through the market, and met many familar faces along the way... I think everyone had the smae Idea to get some breafast!! and we hired bikes and cycled out along the river (no water in river... too hot!!) to the Telegraph Station - it was a lovely cycle route actually... even with a hangover! Afterwards we hotfooted it to the Reptile Centre to view loads of lizards, snakes and crocs, some of which we had seen on our way to Alice Springs... the guide was really good at spotting them.

Then Andie had to catch her bus to the airport for Adelaide and then ultimately back to Germany today :o( Don't think it was a happy day for her, nor us really. It's strange that we can get attached to people in such a short time!

The remainder of us went for dinner at Melanka again - only $6 for a meal!! - and today I slept for a long long time! hee hee.

The next 6 days involve a lot of hiking and camping through Devil's Marbles, Tennants Creek, Daly Waters, Kakadu and Litchfield Park!! I think there's only one night in a hostel and the rest is camping until we get to Darwin! ..I'm sure I'll cope.

So that's me.

Thanks very much for all the birthday greetings - it took me a while to get through them - and some quirky electronic gifts too! Brought tears to my eyes... as you can probably imagine!

We've haven't had any internet access along the way so I don't imagine I'll get another chance until I get to Darwin next weekend, but feel free to email, post comments on my blog or even text me +61 418 527103 - some of the towns we pass through have signal - even if it is just for 10 minutes!! hee hee.

I'll try and post some photos up too - there are quite a few to add to the collection now!!

Lots of love and hugs,

Em xxx

P.S. I know that a few cards have arrived at Rod & Tracey's so thank you to those that sent them... - I will thank you properly when I read them once back in Melbourne xxxxxx

Last day at work and in Melbourne

2006-09-15T12:00:00.000+01:00

Well... two and a half months in Melbourne eh!??! And it all ends today/tomorrow. I am book on the 7.35am Overland train to Adelaide tomorrow, which arrives in Adelaide at around 6.10pm - so lots of reading time for me tomorrow!!!

I was up until about 1.30am last night packing - and, me being me, it's not quite finished yet, but it won't take me long now. It's a good thing I'm coming back at some point as it means I can leave some stuff with Rod and Trace - luckily, as it wouldn't fit in my backpack anyway!

So, today's my last day at Playcorp. Got some final boxes to pack and a word documetn to amend and that should be me. Tash and I are going for a picnic lunch in the park with loads of sweet and savoury goodies and I've brougth in a cake for everyone - even though most of them probably won't notice I'm gone... not that they're nasty people, just busy!! - but they still deserve cake!

Having a couple of drinks with Tash, Nina and some girls from accounts after work and then heading hoem formy final meal (for a while) with R & T - maybe at a restaurant or maybe a takeaway with a bottle of vino.

Thanks to Tash for adopting me and becoming a really good friend - I hope to be back for your leaving thing, and also can't wait to show you round some of Scotland next year. :o)

And 'kool' uncle Rod has returned (not that he went away - that reference comes in due to the early morning madness that he's offered to go through!!!) by offering to drive me to the train station tomorrow morning :o) YAYYYY.

So... a great big thank you to Rod and Trace for letting me invade their home for a couple of months - hopefully I haven't put you off me as I will no doubt be back!! hee heee. I've had a great time - beaches, countryside, spideys, possums, FOOTY!!!, bowling, pool, ice hockey, poker, PlayStation - especially that mental Crash Bandicoot racing game, more poker, loads of great food and excellent company. Thanks very much guys.

Em xxx

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID

2006-09-14T09:00:00.000+01:00

Oooh my wee/big brother is 19! I can't believe it.

I spoke to Dawn and she remembers you as no more than 10, so there's no way you can be 19!! And I still think of my mental age as 19, so that would make you 13 - OK?!?!

Anyway, hope you have a good day and enjoy the drive (please be careful) to France :o)

Lots of love,

EJ xxx