La Grande Luxury Apartments Broadbeach

... Festival erwartete, aber auf einem Zwischenstop bei Tommy mussten wir feststellen, dass sein Apartment so unglaublich verlockend gemütlich und groß war, dass wir entschieden, die Nacht dort zu verbringen. Dort erwartete uns ein riesen großer Flachbildfernseher mit bombastischer Stereoanlage und literweise Alkohol. Am Abend kam noch Jan dazu, ein Freund von Viktor, der hier zur Zeit in seinem Kombi durch die Gegend fährt und surft.. Für ein paar Wochen oder Monate. Na ja, ist schon ...

... sight to behold indeed (from a distance that is...when you get up close it looks kind of plain and concrety). Then we caught a ferry to see Sydney Bridge up close. A huge fete of engineering it was very impressive. Jumped off at the Aquarium stop, not for the fish but so that young James could let off some steam at the kids heaven that is a play park. Where the little fella gets his energy from is a miracle...me and Sheridan were knackered just watching him scuttle ...

Elly and I had been looking forward to this weekend since January. It was Phil's birthday on the 30th and back in January we bought him a surprise birthday present. We told Phil that he was getting a surprise on his birthday but didn't tell him what it was. We enjoyed winding him up that it might be something scary, and his imagination took over and did the rest. I think he thought it was going to be something extreme like a bungy jump or a sky dive and it was funny ...

... then start the year off disappointed in myself. SO instead I just promised myself that this year I will have fun, be healthy and safe. It seems to be working well so far. I have since quit smoking.. "well done me" I think is in order!! It's been over two weeks now since I last touched a cigarette and the cravings are ceasing, although I seem to be drinking more tea.. thankfully I drink more herbal tea now than normal tea so it's not a bad thing. Anyway, so what do I have to tell ...

... on the left instead of the right, the sun rising over the ocean instead of setting, the sunny mornings and cloudy afternoons, this hemisphere is really down under... Yeah, well, I'm stretching. But it's fun to play with it! After all, there's not much to do during our prime nighttime awakened time. Even with the early sun, it's hard to shake old habits. Aside from minimal sleep, we've been having a ball. We met ...

... to dislike it and had been charmed by the town. I had created the vision of a paradise at Surfer's and come to urban sprawl. It shows how often we can be misled in what we read into a place I suppose. We took a drive up The Spit, which creates a natural harbour at the northern end of the town and as the clutter of the beachfront receded, the area became more as I had imagined it to be, surfer's wandering up and down the tracks to the waves ...

After the Great Barrier Reef we decided to spend one more day in Cairns just hanging out around town. We got to sleep in, then went swimming in the lagoon, which is a free public pool right on the shore. Too many box jellyfish and not enough nice beaches. The pool was great though! The next day we hoped on a bus and headed to Townville. Once there I got to meet up with my friend Nick Verwymeren (who I hadn't seen since graduation) for ...

... with him later after I've finished work. Small World or what???!!! By Friday, I still hadn't recieved any more work off the agency so gave them ring to see what the hell was going on. They reckon its just been a quiet week but I ain't too sure. I said to them if they don't get me more work for next week that I'd sign up with another agency, which seems to have done the trick. They've lined up work for me tonight and have already got me a couple of shifts for next week. For the ...

... bar called the Gaff where we were going to watch the England game the following night so I went along to check it out and take adavantage of the free drinks on offer. As I hadn't been out in a week I lasted a couple of hours before I had to call it a night. On the Saturday morning I met the parents to do a touch more sight seeing, which included the botanical gardens and a few other bits and pieces. I once again got treated to a chinky lunch and then left them to their own devices ...

... if that's possible. Saturday night, most of Australia sits down (or more accurately stands up) to watch the Rugby World Cup final against England. No one can tell me why the English are called "Poms" (or frequently "Pommy *******s"), but the historical relationship between the two nations makes for a rich and amusing commentary in the days leading up to the match. [Note: After posting this, I get inundated with theories ranging from: Prisoner of Mother England ...