Ray and Neil's New Life Down Unda

First Jan 2010 - Our first trip down the Nerang River

2010-01-03T14:03:00.002+10:00

First up - to get us going - a nice BBQ of sausages and eggs courtesy of the newly awoken Ray!

At last - we've found HP Sauce and good old Heinz Ketchup - Ray has ARRIVED!!!

Our new UTE gets the boat in the water so much easier than the car - with being 4WD its no problem at all on the ramp. Here's a route of where we went http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=104529245393332228671.00047c3b63f94a79cf7cb

The mansions on the river a truly amazing - how the other half live eh?? Most of these mansions have a pontoon and most have HUGE boats moored up alongside. Being 1st Jan - most people were out on the water thus the empty pontoons.
This one even has a helicopter parked outside - just obscene!!!!
and back home for a GnT in the pool. It got a bit choppy on the way back but best thing to do is shove the power on and smash through the waves - good fun but a bit hard on the old bones!!
How good was it to finally cool down in the pool. This was taken about 8.30pm and its was still 29 degrees!!
Chillin after great day out with woofs and drinkies
This little fella visits us most nights. He's totally harmless and eats mosquitos so we're glad he comes round!!
WTF????? I think the bottle of Kahula was in the freezer too long!!!! Not the most appetising image...............................

Doggies first bath of the year

2010-01-03T14:00:00.000+10:00

They just love getting rubbed down with the towel!

New Year 2010

2010-01-03T13:57:00.002+10:00

Preparations for the big night!

This is us opening fabulous prezzie from Andi - it was a beautiful Christmas hamper full of fantastic Christmas goodies - Thanks Andi!!Oh No!!! its starting to rain - we were planning a barbie for all our mates - PLEASE don't spoil it!!!
So this is Neil trying to cook some gourmet marinaded salmon in the soaking rain - yep I got totally drenched - kept spirits up with a constant flow of GnT from the bar!!
The party gets underway
At last we're ready to tuck in - a bit wet and windswept but it didn't keep the spirits down at all!!!
The bells horagh!! Oh Oh - is that margharitas in those glasses??? I think there's danger ahead!!!
All up - a fantastic night and thanks to everyone for coming along - great friends, great night and heaps of laughs!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-03T12:32:00.003+10:00

Here are a few snaps of Christmas morning before we headed up to Brisbane to spend the rest of the day with Wendy and Fe. Unfortunetly we left the camera behind so we don't have photos of the rest of the day :-(

V8 Super Grand Prix, Gold Coast, Australia, 2009

2009-10-25T19:31:00.003+10:00

What a fantastic day out!!. Tradition has it that all the Glitzy Plastic Fantastic people in the Gucci Gully apartment blocks have V8 parties and all the girls get their tops off and shakem all about for the boyz!!! It was a great fun day out!!!

Here's a map of the circuit:
http://www.v8supercars.com.au/circuits/circuitmfcts.asp?vid=116&ind=M

Day out fishing at Jumpinpin

2009-10-18T17:00:00.005+10:00

We decided to head out with a few mates to Jumpinpin to do some fishing - well they fished - we drank champagne and soaked up some sun!!

Click on the link below and you can see a map of where we went.

One great thing is Ship Shop

Its great - its a boat that comes to the beaches with everything you need. What's more - you can call them on the mobile and they'll come out to you with emergency supplies like Gin, Tonic, Ice and Slice!!

You may note the lack of people - yep - we had the entire place to ourselves - what bliss!!

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=104529245393332228671.000476303a6625921b2c6&ll=-27.951042,153.418579&spn=0.15376,0.308647&z=12

Last weekend out on the water

2009-10-18T15:59:00.011+10:00

We decided to go out last weekend on the bay in the boat. Click on the link below and see the attached map - I figured out how to do a map and also put notes on - so open the attached link and it tells you all about our day (I hope!!!!)

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=104529245393332228671.000475c328831bd969410&ll=-27.871403,153.399868&spn=0.038468,0.077162&z=14

Rainforest walk last weekend

2009-10-04T20:14:00.002+10:00

This is called Natural Bridge and is up in the mountains behind the house. It was a great day out - but VERY windy and a whole branch snapped off and nearly hit someone right next to us!!

Sunrise about 6am this morning - taken from our deck

2009-10-04T20:10:00.001+10:00

Sunday Afternoon out with the Dogs

2009-10-04T19:55:00.003+10:00

Here are a few snaps of today when we took the dogs down the beach for a walk - this beach is about 15 mins in the car from the house.

It got a bit cloudy and we were almost begging for it to rain as its so dry right now and all the grass is brown and the fronds are falling off the palm trees. Anyway - we got a small sprinkle which was nothing to speak of.

The dogs love the beach and on this beach for about 2 miles, you can let the dogs run - so they get to run about with scores of other dogs its just fantastic - we love it!!

The buildings in the distance are the ones that we see from our deck (see piccies above) and we live up in the hills behind them.

Brisbane Under Water!!!

2009-05-30T10:54:00.004+10:00

Australia has been in drought for a number of years and in te southern states - they have had no meaningful rain for years - all the grass and trees are brown.

BUT we came out of drought suddenly last week with the biggest storm in years!!! The dams were all about 25% full and now they are at 80%!!!

Here are someof the pictures - the rain howled it down solidly for 3 full days - we're just drying out now.

A day out on the Brisbane River

2009-05-02T21:40:00.005+10:00

Last week as it was a gorgeous day, we decided to take the boat down the Brisbane River - it was fantastic!!! The day didn't start too well as the boat nearly sank (we forgot to put the bungs in!!!) but after a very quick removal from the water and a long pump out with the bilge pump - we were ready to go!! Great day out and we had a ball. Obvioulsy we needed to stop off for some champers and lunch darlings!!!

Rainbow Beach and Fraser Island

2009-05-02T21:18:00.006+10:00

We decided to head north for Easter and we dragged the boatall the way to Rainbow Beach - it was a really long drive and we camped at a fantastic camp site close to the water.

The first 2 days were great and we got out on the boat on those days but a huge storm set in and within an hour - there were rivers running through the campsite (and our tent!!!!)

We had no option but to abandon tent and luckily the campsite had a unit that they rented to us.

Next day we found out that the road had been washed away and we were stranded!!! Honestly - we have never seen so much rain in our lives before - it hurled it down fro about 9 hours!!! Anyway - in the end we got 2 days extra holiday until they fixed the road!!

The Water Tube

2009-02-07T12:41:00.006+10:00

This is such fantastic fun!!! Its so exhilirating but you really need all your strength to hold on. We couldn't stay out too long because, as you can see, the weather was changing rapidly and it kicked off in the afternoon.

Only problem with this is that there are sharks in them there waters!!! If someone comes off, you really need to get them out of the water immediately although the engine on the boat should deter them from coming too close - didn't want to chance it though!!!

And then off to bed after another great day out on the water.

Camping on South Stradbroke Island

2009-02-07T12:28:00.003+10:00

After Wendy and Fea settled in, we decided to go off on te boat for a long weekend - so off we headed to South Stradbroke Island. The campsite can only be accessed by boat which means there are not hoards of people and screaming kids. There were about 7 other tents and we had this little pitch all to ourselves. It was total tranquility and we all really chilled out which is what we needed to do. The downside was that all the mosquitos in the whole universe also went to the island for a ong weekend and feasted on the 4 of us - we needed to go back to the mainland to fill up on mozzie repellant!!!

Puppies

2009-02-07T12:17:00.003+10:00

Yep- they're getting on now - they are now 5 months old and totally out of control. Ray has booked them into an 8 week puppy pre school course to see if we can calm them down and get them to do what we want - not what they want!!! It would be so good to be back in control again................

2008-12-30T22:13:00.003+10:00

HAPPI NU YEER

2008-12-30T20:11:00.004+10:00

Broadwater - Gold Coast

Today was scorching hot!!! This is the Broadwater on the Gold Coast. Its the playground of the rich Ozzies. only problem is that they have HUGE boats which create massive wakes - our boat didn't cope well at all - in fcat we were thrown around like a cork in a bath. we survived but were a bit shaken with the whole thing - the boat is obvioulsy built to hit waves like these head on but we thought the thing was going to snap in two!!!

This beach is on the ocean side of South Stradbroke island. The sand was like powder and pure white - whats more - it stretched for miles. Even better - we had every mile to ourselves - not another living soul here................

This campsite can only be reached via boat - there's nothing here except nature - we're planning a trip here later this year.

2008-12-30T20:04:00.001+10:00

Makin Mellow Man

A beautiful day out on the boat - just relaxin you know................

We are on Pumistone Passage between Bribie Island and the Queensland Coastline - just fantastic

2008-12-30T19:12:00.004+10:00

Ray's first flying experience

This was a birthday present from Neil but as we've been so busy - we haven't been able to do it until now.

This is actually a glider (sort of) and when they get to altitude, they switch the engine off and it glides up in the thermals - at that point Ray took the controls and flew for about half an hour - fantastic!!

2008-12-21T16:06:00.005+10:00

Champagne & Caviar on the boat darlings - what bliss!!!

Actually so far its been far from bliss. We went to Somerst Lake which is a freshwater lake where you can ski etc. Well half an hour into the day - we ran out of fuel!!! The meter is not that accurate as we found out - Neil had to swim ashore - get in the car soaking wet and go find a jerry can and some petrol - then had to swim out to the boat and fill her up!! Not the best day out.

Second day on the lake - when taking the boat out of the water - the winch snapped - we only had the boat half on the trailer - we had to drive home at snails pace to the frustration of the convoy of people behind us.

We now have the winch fixed and we're looking forward to a stress free (!!!!) couple of days out over the Christmas break which hopefully don't include the words F*ck off or I want a divorce!!!!

2008-12-21T15:55:00.002+10:00

PUPPIES

OK - house is now officially a wreck - all shoes have been chewed to bits - neighbours are furious with all the noise - but we're having great time with them.

They had their second injections on Thursday so we should be able to take them for walks next week - we really can't wait as they are getting realy bored and they have LOADS of energy which is really wearing us out.

We're trying to get them used to the pool so that they can find their way out but its not easy - they are still a bit too small to pull themselves out so we can't leave them unsupervised - the pool is protected with a fence. Hamish can't fit through the bars now but Morag can still sqeeze through and we can't risk leaving them until we know they will be OK.

2008-12-03T08:27:00.003+10:00

We've Arrived!!!!!!!

Yep at long last we took the pluge and bought a boat. We took our skippers exams a few weeks ago. We love the boat but its all a bit scary right now as we're still learning - there is a hell of a lot to learn!!!

This is Tangalooma on Moreton Island. It takes about an hour to get there. It is absolutley gorgeous and we had a spectacular day. Only thing is that the tide changed and wind whipped up and it took us 2.5 hours to get back - we were crapping it as the waves were coming over the boat!!! We got back safe and fine although a little shaken!! We will get better at judging the weather and tides - as we said - we're still learning!!!

2008-12-03T08:21:00.002+10:00

Welcome Hamish and Morag

We finally got our new puppies - we've been hoping to get some for over a year and we decided the time was right now.

Hamish is male (sandy coloured) and Morag is female (black and white). They are brother and sister.

As you can expect - house has been torn to bits and there is puppy wee everywhere!!!

2008-11-17T20:45:00.006+10:00

Brisbane storm worst in 25 years

We're all Ok but this storm was massive. It really kicked off here last night - we thought the sky was going to collapse!! At one point we were in middle of house with lights off hoping it would subside. Some houses to the noth got hit and were blown to bits!!!

Here's the story from BBC website:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7732696.stm

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/slideshow_ajax.aspx?sectionid=9016&sectionname=slideshowajax&subsectionid=148184&subsectionname=storm_qld&rss=yes

Cyclone-style storms have ripped through parts of Queensland on Australia's east coast.

They killed one man, destroyed homes and left more than 200,000 properties without power.

The storms hit the state capital Brisbane and the popular tourist areas of the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast.

This was the worst storm to hit Brisbane in a quarter of a century, unleashing hail, torrential rain and strong winds.

Residents in one of its most badly-hit suburbs have said their streets resemble a war zone.

Most of the trees over 10m (33 feet) tall have simply been snapped in half.

"It looks like as if a bomb, a great big bomb, [has] gone off in all the street," said Davina Thomas.

"We can't get out of our street, just walking down to the corner, there are power lines down, there are trees across the road, all we hear is ambulances or sirens I'm not sure which.

"It's terrible. My daughter's had a roof blown off, it's in the pool!" Ms Thomas said.

A 20-year-old man was swept away in flash flooding and drowned, as he was sucked down a drain.

At the height of the storms more than 200,000 homes and businesses lost power.

2008-11-16T19:23:00.002+10:00

Another Murder Mystery

We had a great time (Thanks Sonya). Only thing is - we forgot to take house keyes and we had to break into our own house when we came back - not great when you're sloshed and complely covered in graese paint!!!

2008-11-16T17:52:00.003+10:00

Wendy & Feata came to town

Great to see you guys and we hope you will make it to Brisbane again soon.

Our livers are now in rehab but we had loads of fun!!!!

2008-10-25T15:55:00.002+10:00

A Cookaburra

These are the guys that we were telling people about in the UK. The make a very loud 'laughing' sound - it really sounds like someone is cackling into a loud hailer!!!

Its a really unsual sound, the only problem is that as soon as they wake up they start - as soon as one starts - they all start - which is a total pain in the arse when it usually kicks off about 0430am!!!!!!

2008-10-25T15:33:00.003+10:00

Dubai

After we left the Uk - we had a couple of days in Dubai. To be honest - we weren't that struck on the place. It was a VERY hot, dusty building site!

We did go to one of the shopping centres called Mall of the Emirates which had to be the hugest shopping centre in the world!!! It had a ski slope inside - can you beleive????

We couldn't believe all the Rolls Royces and limos parking up outside at concierge.

I suppose Dubai is good to see - we won't rush back and I'd recommend other places if you're into sun and shopping!

2008-10-25T11:21:00.002+10:00

HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY - MUM

We hoped you liked your surprise - sorry we couldn't spend more time with you - we had a fabulous time and it was wonderful to see you again.

Thanks Jean for organising it and for keeping our secret safe.

Thanks also to Stephen and Fiona for putting us up.

2008-10-25T11:06:00.004+10:00

My Name is Deborah and I'm addicted to Tea Lights

Please - if anyone knows of a self help group or they could possibly provide some support for our dear sister and sister n law - we would really like you to get in touch - our situation is DESPARATE

This problem often goes undiagnosed for years and only emerges at garden parties and in many cases it can be very serious. If you are at a garden party and are (a) struggling to breath for lack of oxygen and (b) the bushes around you seem to be on fire, (c) the light seems incredibly bright for that time of evening - you should immediately confront your host.

Tell tales signs:-

Vast amounts of time spent in IKEA candle section
Lots of little spent circular foil holders in the bin
Vast sums of money being spent on Tea Light Holders
Lack of normal coversation that didn't include the words 'Tea Light'
Burnt/Black Fingers
Lengthy times in garden but no real gardening being done

If you believe you have an addict in your midst - On NO Account Should You

Allow them to buy matches
Buy them Tea Lights of any form (inlcudes candles and most dangeously - oil burners!!)
Give them gifts of any combustable material
Suggest having a garden party.

2008-10-25T10:54:00.002+10:00

Night out with Deb and Paul

We went out for dinner first with Deb n Paul and then back to theirs for a spa party - fantastic. We really had a great night and thanks so much for putting us up and for looking after us.

Thanks too for organising the surprise for everyone - you both did an awesome job of keeping it quiet and it worked a treat.

Denise - please forgive us all - we didn't mean to hijack your celebrations!!!! The whole thing was at our instigation!!!!!

2008-10-25T10:50:00.001+10:00

Steve and Laura's New Home

We want to wish you guys every hapiness in your new home.

2008-10-25T10:37:00.002+10:00

Night in with some old mates

It was great to sit back and relax with some old friends. We really miss you guys and we had a great night.

Graham miraclulously went into the hallway and managed to rattle up a full Chinese meal for everyone - it only took him 20 mins - wow!!! He didn't even touch the kitchen - that boy really has got some amazing talents!!!

Thanks for putting us up Graham and we had a fantastic time.

2008-10-25T10:25:00.004+10:00

Lunch in our Favourite Pub - The Blundell Arms, Horwich

It was great to back here - it was also great to have a good pint of English Ale - how we've missed that!!!

On this day poor Laura lost her job - hope we cheered you up Laura - good luck getting a new one.

The weather hurled of wind and rain all day long - we don't miss that one bit!!!

2008-10-25T09:53:00.004+10:00

Sunday Lunch - Canal Street, Manchester

Wow what a great time we had back in the UK - we both needed a month to recover!!!

It was FANTASTIC to see everyone again. We were so delighted to see so many people who came to our Sunday lunch - our only regret is that we didn't have enough time to get round and see everyone.

What's more - we thought that thie blog had died a death and we were surprised to discover that so many people are still looking at it. We PROMISE to keep it updated more so that you can all get your 'blog fix' more regularly.

Thanks to those that turned up - it ws a great day and we had a ball.

It was great to see evreyone looking so well (some looking a bit fatter - Ray and I included!!!). A very special thanks to Janice and Sandra for coming down from Scotland - we were both honoured!

2008-08-17T10:49:00.004+10:00

Sorry we've not updated recently - its all been horrendously hectic!!!

We've got loads of news - not all good though!!

Neil worked for a company called Scottish Pacific Business Finance both in Melbourne and Brisbane. The company seemed to be accelerating down hill and loads of people were leaving (some were pushed!!) The stress levels got to such a point that neil decided that it was all too hard and when he raised it with his boss the response was "put up with it or leave!!" Naturally he left!

We really needed to take a step back and think about what life is about etc and was it worth it to work horrendously long hours with very little pay back - obviously the answer is no.

The good news though is that Neil starts a new job on the Gold Coast on Monday and he's really looking forward to it. The company and people seem really nice and although its a huge drop in dollars, he will earn commissions which could see us quite well off - fingers crossed!!!

Our other news is that we're having to leave our rental in Paddington - the land lord wants it back in September so so we'll probably move a little bit south of the city to make it easier for Neil to get to the Gold Coast (its about an hour drive each way).

Otyherwise all OK - Ray's work is crap but we're hoping to set up business shortly and he's talking to a few people about possible partnerships.

Here's some piccies of a day out on the bikes. We are now in mid winter and the temp gets to about 21 during the day with stunning clear blue skies. The bights get cold though - it has gone down as far as 5 degrees!!!! Bbbrrrrrrrr!!!!

One day it lashed it down with rain and we found these two little parrots huddled together on our back deck.

2008-06-04T20:53:00.006+10:00

CAMPING IN NEW SOUTH WALES - APRIL 2008.

We went to a national park camping up in the mountains - IT WAS FREEZING AT NIGHT!!!! the park was great with good facilities (no hot water though) and it was right out at one with nature.

Here's our first close up encounter with a kangaroo!

This guy is a Goana - they can be quite dangerous because when they ger scared - they run up things. They have HUGE and very sharp claws and they are known to run up people!!

Here's our first snake - we really crapped it!! Actually this guy is not harmful unless you attack him - he's a carpet snake and actually very small - we're told that fully grown they are about 3m long!! he wasn't for moving (we bumped into him while out bushwalking) as he was warming up in the sun - we had to wait till he moved off!

2008-06-04T20:25:00.006+10:00

How Old???

Yep the olde bugger was 40 - here are some pictures of the event!

Ray organised a surprise birthday dinner with some of our new friends (and some old ones!). it was such a great night - we went to a restaurant at the top of Mount Cootha - the night was the night of Earth Hour and we saw all the lights going out across the city - fab!

Here's my new bike!!! Now I cylce to work a couple of times a week - its really great as there are cycle paths along the river bank so I don't need to go on the roads much at all.

One of our new friends (who we knew in Melbourne and moved up also) treated Ray and I to a night out at the footie - the atmosphere was fantastic -this was a big game (The Broncos) and there was a crowd of 60,000!

2008-05-28T20:27:00.002+10:00

Last Stop - Lake Takepo

The Lake is simply stunning but the huge mountain in the background is Mount Cook - the tallest mountain in NZ standing at 12,316 ft high!!

(We didn't climb it because Neil would have missed neighbours - otherwise we would most certainly have scaled it - NO PROBLEM!!!)

2008-05-28T20:00:00.005+10:00

Queenstown

This is the view of Queenstown from the top of the hill (you get a chair lift up to it) The mountains in the background are the Remarkables. Its so difficult to get the scale in perspective but these mountains really are REMARKABLE!!!

We decided to come down the hill on these funny little go kart things - they were great - mandatory hats were a bit scary though!

We went to this Ice Bar - everthing was carved out of ice - even the bar and the glasses. It was FREEZING!!!

2008-05-07T20:58:00.009+10:00

The Millford Sound

The next day we went on an overnight cruise down the Milford Sound. This was by far the highlight of the tour................

This was the vessel we went on - it was a dormitory style layout below deck but obvioulsy we spent as little time there as possible :

After we sailed down the sound we had time out to go Kayaking - this was really great but we were ambushed by sandflies which were a total nightmare!!!

Its really difficult to get a sense of the scale of this place. The picture with the white vessel in it - that vessel is a ful sized cruise liner - I deliberatley took the picture with the liner in it so you can get a sense of how huge this really is. We're told that these are some of the highest mountains in the world because the start at sea level and rise to the height you can see now.

This is the morning around 7am. To watch the sun come up over such a beautiful place was one of the most awe inspiring moments in my life.

2008-05-06T20:46:00.009+10:00

Day three - we travelled from Franz Joseph to Wanaka and then onto Queenstown. The more we traveled the more we were blown away with the scenery. Its very hard to get the scale of the place into perspective with a basic camera - we spent a lot of time looking up as these mountains must be, by a long way, the most spectacular in the world - and that's coming from a Scotsman who used to think that Scotland was stunning!!

This is Queenstown with the Remarkables in the background. It is so hard to capture this in picture format as the scene is overwhelming!

This is Lake Wanaka - this place is so tranquil and peaceful with these incredible mountains jutting out of the lake - breathtaking.

2008-03-30T19:23:00.009+10:00

Day 2 - we climbed Franz Joseph Glacier.

The joining instructions said we needed a little bit of fitness - hell fire - what they should have said is - "you need a top grade in climbing glaciers!!!". We had no idea how physical this would be and there were lots of very sore legs for the rest of this week!

These pictures are of the glacier from street level - can you believe how high this is!!!

2008-03-30T19:04:00.003+10:00

New Zealand - 1st Day

We flew to Christchurch and then drove to Franz Joseph - huge drive but we couldn't beleive the breath taking scenery - and this was just the start!!

2008-03-30T18:52:00.004+10:00

Steven and Cathal came to town - great to see you guys.

After a day in Noosa then a (very drunken) night in Brisbane, we set off for the South Island of New Zealand - what an awesome week

2008-03-03T18:52:00.003+10:00

A night out at the cinema - Oz Style

What a great night this was - they have the movies in the park!! Its fab - you take your blanket, your picnic, your wine and of course your mosquito repellant - sit back, let the sun go down and the movies start - fab!

2008-03-03T18:39:00.004+10:00

Here's a few snaps of out and about in Brisbane - what a great city!!

2008-03-03T18:33:00.003+10:00

PHEW - the humidity is killing us!!!!

Here are some pictures INSIDE the house of the condensation. We had the aircon on once night and when we switched it off and let the air in - this was the result. Thankfully the humidity has now subsided but it got to 90% (!!!) which was just too much to bear!

2008-03-03T18:19:00.002+10:00

Our unwanted house guests!!!

After we moved in we would hear loads of noise above us - at first we thought it was animals jumping on the roof - little did we know it was animals lkiving in the roof!!

The landlord arranged for pest control to come and have a look - and hellfire - we had possoms living in the attick!!!

Here are the little fellers after being caught. The possom catcher guy blocked up all the holes so they can't get in again - we were delighted to see the back of them!!!

On a happier note - these parakets congregate in the tree outside our back garden every morning - our neighbour feeds them - its very nice but they make a hige amount of noise!!!

2008-03-03T18:02:00.004+10:00

Here's our new pad

We've rented this privately from a really great guy and we hope to be here for quite a while. Its been so good to finally get everything unpacked although we've still got a bit to go.

The place is called Paddington and is very close to the city centre. Its very trendy and we're really lucky to have found this place.

Contrary to popular belief - not all places have swimming pools but we do!! It has to be the most wonderful thing - to come home in the searing heat and instantly cool off.

The summer here has actually been very cool (as we're told). Most days its been about 32 degrees - usually its about 38/40. We did have one day which went up to 39 degrees and we thought we were going to die!!

This is the back of the house.

This is our street - its very quirky and has lots of quaint little cottages - most (like ours) have been substantially added to at the rear.

2008-02-02T14:02:00.000+10:00

We went up the Sunshine Coast which is North of Brisbane - here are a few shots of the day

This is Noosa - what a fantastic spot - everyone though was gorgeous and we didn't want to expose these poor people to our ever increasing waists!!

These are the Glass House Mountains. They are actilly volcanic plugs

This is Colloondra

2008-02-02T13:56:00.000+10:00

Here are a few piccies of the wildlife that we share Brisbane with - there quite a lot more of these to come - watch this space!!

These little birds are laughing cookaburghs. These are the ones you hear on the Ozzy soaps and they sound like they are laughing very loudly.

2008-02-02T13:24:00.000+10:00

A few snaps around Brisbane

Brisbane is situated on the Brisbane River slightly inland from the coast. These old paddle steamers go up and down the river every day - at night they are all lit up - its great to see things like this still in operation.

The Heathley buidling is where Neil works - he works on level 12A. The building owners are really supersticious and won't agree to having level 13!!

This is a beautiful beach in Brisbane - can you believe its man made!!

These little City Ferry boats work like busses on the river. When we lived in the apartment, Neil got the ferry to work every day - what a great way to start and end you day!

These fruit bats come out at night. Litterally hundereds fly past every night. They squeak at each other as the go past - its all a bit earie!!

These were taken from our balcony in our rented apartment. the apt was great - it was right on the river and the views were fabby!

2008-01-29T20:19:00.000+10:00

Priscila Queen of the Desert - Our version!!

As we had the car and all our stuff in Melbourne - we had to drive (yes - DRIVE) all the way from Melbourne to Brisbane. It took us 21 hours over three days and a total of 1200 miles!!! Here's a map of the journey -

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=1947996001884676757,-34.585060,144.829110%3B9460054066703842167,-33.751250,150.950040&saddr=Melbourne,+VIC&daddr=Cobb+Hwy+%40-34.585060,+144.829110+to:-33.94336,146.469727+to:Westlink+%40-33.751250,+150.950040+to:Brisbane,+QLD,+Australia&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=2&sz=5&via=1,2,3&sll=-32.64171,148.96347&sspn=14.848475,29.047852&ie=UTF8&z=5&om=1

Anyhoo - it wasn't so bad - the cars here are usually huge and all have massive engines - here's ours - its a Vauxhall Omega but with a 3.8 litre engine!!! It cruised (purred) all the way which made the whole journey so easy.

The Murray River disects the state of Victoria and New South Wales. Crossing this river was quite a lndmark in the journey but only a third of the way!

What a relief to FINALLY get to Sydney - we actually stopped off the prior night and we were quite fresh by the time we got here. Poor Ray had to navigate through the Sydney motorway network which was VERY nerve wracking.

Our next stop was Coff Harbour just south of the Gold Coast. We stayed at a holiday resort and our cabin was on a lily pond - hell did we sleep that night!!

At last we started to see signs for Brisbane - we never thought we would ever get there - it was taking so long - the ozzies drive so much slower that in the UK and there are speed traps everywhere. Our average speed was 60mph.

We thought we'd stop off at Surfer's Paradise - well we couldn't possibly NOT!!! Here's a piccy of the beach. The Gold Coast (which is the playground for the Ozzies) is only 40 mins south of Brisbane - essentially this is now on our doorstep!

This is our first glimpse of our new city. What a relief to finally get here. We were so tired but got so lost trying to find our hotel - and this was even WITH Sat Nav!!!

First impressions - we love it - and we think this is where we'll stay (although we did say that about Melbourne). Its very hot here and VERY humid - sleeping is very difficult but we're just getting used to it.

2007-12-24T21:18:00.000+10:00

Ray & Neil's Christmas Message to all our friends and family 2007.

(Just click on 'play' button to download our Christmas message)

2007-11-18T10:27:00.000+10:00

And We're off AGAIN!!!!!

...but this is the very last one!

We decided that maybe Melbourne was a bit too racy for what we are looking for. Please don't get us wrong, its a fantastic place to live and it has so much going on but we feel that its just not what we're looking for.

So we've decided to upsticks again and move to Queensland - the Sunshine State!!

The lease on our apartment expires in early January and Neil's job has not quite panned out as we thought it would and so we decided to move north - but this one is the very last move!!!

We are moving to Brisbane in early December and we are both able to get transfers with our current employers. Neil is going to become the Head of Operations for Queensland with his current company and Ray is going to get a transfer but will probably re establish his business in a few months.

Our container is still in Auckland and we're getting this sent to Brisbane now so it should be there when we arrive - we so can't wait to have all our nick nack noos around us again!!

Brisbane is a lot more laid back as a city and a lot smaller. What's more - it gets 300 days of sunshine a year which puts it as the sunniest city in the world! It will be a lot hotter than Melly and we hope we will be able to cope with the heat - but as a must we're getting a place with aircon!!!

We actually know some people already as Neil's ex boss lives there (he's from Coventry) and we know a guy from Auckland that moved there earlier this year, so hopefully we'll have some mates waiting for us when we get there.

The great thing about Brizzy is that it is 1 hour south of the Sunshine Coast and an hour north of The Gold Coast (the playground of ther ozzies) so we can certianly see us spending lots of time on either coast (we're working on the washboard stomachs currently but with little success!!). The Great Barrier Reef is not too far away either.

Hopefully we will see some of you this side of the world in 2008.

Neil & Ray

2007-11-18T09:55:00.000+10:00

PHILLIP ISLAND

We decided to head off to Phillip Island as it was a bank holiday 2 weeks ago and we rented a cottage in the main town called Cowes. It was great to get out of the city and the Island has so much natural beauty all around.

The weather on this weekend was not too kind but we did manage to get out and about most days.

We went walking on the headland around Woolamai Beach which was gorgeous and very similar landscape to NZ. The wind was really gusting though which made the walk even more spectacular as the waves were battering the headland below.

These guys live in the trees on the island - there is actually a sanctuary where they have put boards in stilts so you can walk amoungst the trees and see them almost at eye level! They seem so fed up and miserable!!! As it happens, they are always really spaced out because they only eat eucalyptus leaves which have a drug which makes them high all the time!!!

There are thousands of minature penguins that live on the island and every night they come out of the water and woddle up to their burrows in the sand. There are litterally thousands of them and you can go and watch them (although we didn't). They don't mind at all that hundreds of humans come out every night to see them - they just pop out of the ocean and waddle past!!

2007-10-28T08:28:00.000+10:00

DAYLESFORD

Daylesford is a Spa Town not far from Melbourne CBD. Its has loads of natural springs and thus there are loads of spa retreats, most of which are really upmarket. We decided that we needed some pampering so last weekend, we booked and off we went. This spa retreat we went to was way out in the sticks - total seclusion and the only noise was the birds in the tress - it was bliss!!

The apartment has its own treatment rooms below and so we spent a whole day being massaged n stuff! - it was great!!

We went out and about for a walk on the Sunday and here are some snaps of the countryside and few of the locals. The cockatoos and parrots and pretty standard stuff - they are as common as blackbirds in the UK!

Here the woodland is quite boring compared to NZ. Its a lot less lush (due to it being a lot drier here) and mostly gum trees!

2007-10-28T08:18:00.000+10:00

The Great Ocean Road

This road is on the south coast and was built as a war memorial. It goes for ages and the views are amazing. The beaches are mostly surf beaches and you can see all the surf dudes out on the waves almost every day!!! Its a great drive and the day we went, there was hardly any other cars on the road.

2007-10-27T18:32:00.000+10:00

A FEW SNAPS OF THE CITY

Supermarkets in Melly are a bit of a hit or miss. But the local markets are fantastic. This is South Melbourne Market - everything is so fresh - its still got a pulse!!!

We went up the Eureka Tower - here are a few snaps from the top!

2007-10-04T21:25:00.000+10:00

Hook Turns - Doh!!!!

Because of the trams - you have to go left - to go right!!! This is a total nightmare as not all junctions have these, but those that do, you have to wait in the left then scoot right when an space appears - needless to say its the most scary thing we've ever done driving!!!

2007-10-04T20:55:00.000+10:00

Melbourne - The World's Most Livable City

Here are some snaps of a typical Sunday out and about. We can so see why Melbourne is now the top city in the world to live - there is gigillions of stuf to do, great weather and zero crime! - So far we love it. Its been a bit of a shock to us coming from very tranquil NZ to racy Melly but we're now getting into it.

The people are just as friendly and there are so many open spaces - its great. The transport system is amazing (must be close to best in the world) and girls......the shopping is to DIE FOR!!!!!

Today is only the beggining of spring and the temp was about 22 but the weather keeps changing. One minute its fine and sunny, next it was gales and rain!! Everyone says - if you don't like the weather in Melbourne - just give it 5 mins - now we can see what they mean!!!

If anyone is interested here is a bit of background on where we live now. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/02/06/1075854028808.html

2007-10-04T20:45:00.000+10:00

We live here in this apartment block in Melbourne. Its on St Kilda Road which is the main drag into the city from the south. Its a really funky apartment and it has a gym and communal swimming pool. Only probelm is that its so NOISY!!! The trams go along all night and the raod NEVER STOPS!!! We only have the place for 6 months and I think w're moving to the burbs in Jan!

2007-09-30T17:24:00.000+10:00

MELBOURNE ARCHITECTURE

Here are some of the buildings around Melbourne. Some of the very old buildings have a 'Manchester Feel' about them and were built around the same time. The new sky scrapers are incredible!

This is the main train station

The trams are fantastic - they go all over the city. The whole transport system here is great and we seldom use the car in the city as there really is no need.

2007-08-13T21:37:00.000+10:00

Sydney - 2007

Thankyou Paul n Deb. It was fantastic - we will remember this forever.

2007-08-13T20:58:00.000+10:00

Sydney Harbour Bridge - we concoured it!!!!

In our lives this has to be one of the most exhilerating experiences.

We were chained onto the bridge as the winds are incredible but so worth it. Never have we experienced something so awesome.

2007-08-02T21:17:00.000+10:00

PLEASE - not another Kingfisher - we're BORED now!!!!!

This is Paul and Debs first day out in NZ. They needed a walk after an eternity on the plane so we took them along our local beach. Its fair to say that they didn't realise that this is actually on our doorstep - not more than 10 mins stroll from the door.

Anyway - on the day we saw loads of birds but unusually, we all saw heaps of Kinfishers. Normally Ray and I see the odd one or two but this day we saw loads. In the end we were bored seeing Kinfishers - geez a brek!!!

We walked along the headland to Okura River and back along the beach - a beautiful 4 hour stroll filled with peace and relaxation - welcome to NZ.

2007-07-30T21:40:00.000+10:00

There's bin a mirdir!!!!!!!!

Whilst Paul n Deb were here - we were all invited to dinner at the residence of Lord & Lady Grande Butte - The Assistant Commissioner of Casablanca (1939) - but just before dinner.......there was a mirdir!!!!!

2007-07-29T12:20:00.000+10:00

Paul and Debs - Happy Silver Wedding Anniversary!!

Paul and Debbie are Ray's Sister and Brother in law. They came to NZ on holiday to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary. Here are some pciies of the first night.

We decided that instead of giving a piece of silver to carry all the way back that we would give a 'significant memory' to take back instead. We hired a helicopter to take us around the city then off to Waiake Island for some wine tasting and lunch. The helicopter dropped us off and came back to get us just as the sun was setting. For all of us it was the most perfect day.