Boys Gone Camping...

Jeff and Oli decided to go camping last night as Oli had mentioned last week that he'd never been with just Dad and, 'didn't most boys do that?'... They took off to a place near us which is National Park and the site has boatin', campin', fishin' (and spittin' by the sounds of things').  They promised to telephone when they arrived as they hadn't booked anything. I heard nothing. Then, I suddenly remembered that I hadn't topped up the credit on Oli's mobile. The area they've gone to had a storm warning last night. Nuff Said.  

Christmas 2012

We have just had, what was to us, the best Christmas I think we have ever had! A very different experience...
It all started on Christmas Eve, with Oli and I watching an exhibition tennis match at Palmer Coolum Resort... very hot (35 degrees) but brilliant tennis: the girls arrived by helicopter :)
We then moved on to Noosa where we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with our good friends, Sid and Betty. Great apartment with pool/tennis court and our own spa: which Oli wasn't out of and where we sat watching the stars!
On Christmas Day, we all went back down to Cotton Tree, Maroochydore until 3pm to help with the Community Lunch organised locally for anyone who's alone on Christmas Day. Our job was 'meeting and greeting' and it was an incredible experience as well as being quite an eye-opener. There were around 500 people who turned up: very sad actually, with some elderly people whose families were 'too busy' or 'doing other things' but we all made sure that a good time was had by all and there were many happy faces: brilliant. Oli was playing and helping with the cricket and he had a fun time with the many kids who turned up.
Back to Noosa at 4pm and then out again with Sid and Betty to an AMAZING restaurant in Noosa for Christmas Dinner... fabulous food and company and the pianist played 'Summertime' for me: result.  Back to the apartment and a glass of wine in the spa: what an fabulous end to a wonderful Christmas.
Merry Christmas everyone! :)

Spiders... and more spiders... and even more of 'em...

Poor Jeff!  I woke this morning at 5.30am to the sound of the vacuum cleaner.  Very unusual to hear anyone else using it in this house, particularly at that hour of the morning, so I decided to investigate... I could hear Jeff cursing and banging around in the bathroom and it transpires that he'd opened the door, walked sleepily in and stumbled straight in to a large spider's web.  On glancing around, he realised that a huntsman spider's eggs had hatched: around 200 tiny little spiders were scurrying and jumping around the bathroom... thank goodness it didn't happen to me: I would have been on the first bus out of here!  Jeff then proceeded to vacuum them all up: no mean feat as they're fast movers!  Jeff's my hero.

Summer Hols

Oli has now completed primary school!  He starts High School on the 29th of January.  I start in my new teaching jobbie then, so now we're kicking back together on our summer hols.  Jeff has 11 days off over Christmas too so we're planning on what to do.  It will be lovely to spend some time together.
Jeff's mate and his two sons from Bideford came over and stayed with us for a few days en-route to New Zealand.  We have caught up on the gossip from the UK and they caught up on their sun-tans and surfing!  We went to Noosa one day when the surf was ENORMOUS and we were also lucky enough to see a koala in the wild too :)
We're moving on the 5th of January to Eumundi.  When we leave a rented property, we have to get the carpets cleaned as well as cleaning EVERYTHING so that we get our bond of $1500 back.  I thought I may get in a cleaner to ensure I didn't miss anything, but when the quotes were coming in at $450-$475 dollars, I decided to do it myself: that's several pairs of shoes.

Heatwave and Packing

I am up at 5.45am and the temperature's 26 degrees already! We're having a heat wave at the moment here, with tops of 39 degrees forecast for today. Unbearabubble. I am trying to get stuff packed as we'll be moving just after Christmas, but I keep coming out in a sweat....  We don't have air-con in our rental; just fans.  Fans are fine but, with this heat, they're just circulating the warm air!  Thankfully, our car does have air-con: we wouldn't survive an Aussie summer in Queensland without it. 
Change of plan. I've decided that today, I'll drop Oli off at school (last 3 days for him), do some washing (it drys on the line in an hour at the moment), pack some books up and then go to the beach to cool off. That's my day sorted.

Last Day of Spring

Last day of Spring today. I am going to have to put Oli's choccie advent thingy in the fridge though as it'll melt if i leave it in the room... we're in for a hot and sticky heat wave-ee week apparently... I picked Oli up from school yesterday and the temperature was 29 degrees at 3pm... Queensland is quite 'tropical' so it's very humid in the summer months which can be quite draining.  It's a lot more bearable than last year though, so we must be acclimatising! 

I have now finished my contract at Nambour High School, starting my new (and permanent!) job at the end of January.  Quite emotional last few days... pressies from the kids and other teachers, yummy party food and the last lesson I taught (year 8s), they stood on the desks (!) and sang me a song from Glee... Those kids taught me as much as I taught them. Great fun.

We're moving to a place called Eumundi in early January. Signed the contracts today. We're still renting but really want to buy next year in Eumundi, so renting will give us an idea of what it's like to actually live there! Being in Eumundi will shorten my travelling distance to work and will bring us 15 minutes from Noosa beach! Oli will stay at the same school as there's a bus which'll pick him up virtually from our front door. We'll be able to walk to swimming pool, tennis court, shops and the famous Eumundi markets. Very excited: the next chapter.

Fat- Free Chrimbo Cakey Recipe

OK... ready?
Soak 1kg of mixed, dried fruit in 600ml of milk (with a dash of vanilla if you like) overnight.  The next morning, stir in 2 cups of self raising flour then bake for 2 hours in slow oven (140-150 degrees). Simples and yummy :)
Another variation on this is to soak the fruit in 600ml of orange juice instead of the milk.  Haven't tried the latter option though.

Remembrance Sunday 2012

Jeff, Oli and I have just returned from the service of remembrance in Maroochydore at the war memorial next to the river. Oli was in awe of all the veterans (young and old) with their array of medals and their stories. Some of them were clearly in a mess though, bless 'em. Very moving service.  One young lad who's served 3 terms of duty in Afghanistan gave a speech and virtually broke down, remembering those mates he'd lost along the way. 
It's also the anniversary of my mum's death today.  She died 24 years ago: where did that time go? Thinking of you mum: today and always :)

Rain and more rain (here's hoping!)

Phew... rain at last... looking out of my lounge window I am able to see my sunburnt grass looking relieved... In 12 months, our tumble drier has only been used 4 times: I have been able to line-dry clothes all year. Good to see the rain as there've been some horrid bush fires which are a huge issue here - often the fires are started deliberately too, which is a pain and a tremendous drain on services... Oh, there's a massive kookaburra on my washing line as I write, 'early bird-ing' it; with considerable success I might add!

Bonfire Night (not)

Australia doesn't celebrate Bonfire Night on November 5th. Apparently, so our friends tell us, at the end of the 1970s, the sale of fireworks to the public was banned throughout most of Australia to prevent 'misuse, personal injury and bushfires'. 

Christmas is Coming!

1st of November today and on a trip to the mall, I was greeted by a tastefully decorated space! Christmas in Oz is probably the only time being here in this wonderful land feels 'odd'.  Perhaps that'll change the longer we're here.
It's mainly because the temperature gauge flashed 29 degrees at lunchtime today... I s'pose that we'll just have to forget the cold UK weather, the great Christmas telly as well as a Christmas roast dinner and, instead, choose a sunny beach, BBQ fish followed by a pavlova and some (lots of) wine at sunset! 
However, to help us with this 'transition', we have been invited to spend Christmas in Noosa with some friends who own an apartment there.  ...sigh... someone's gotta do it...

Sunfest

Oli's school held its festival this afternoon... very warm! It was 27 degrees at 4pm... phew... Oli persuaded me to go along, found me for some dollars and then disappeared with his mates... Hey Ho...the stalls were good although I can't get my head around a BBQ sausage being served (with onions) on a slice of white bread with no butter! The sausage is placed corner to corner, onions arranged on top and then presented to you on a paper napkin: WHERE'S THE FINGER ROLL????

statistics...

I have just been clearing out my job application file and I am astounded by the following statistics.  Here goes.  Since arriving in Australia on the 22 September 2011, I have applied for 55 advertised teaching vacancies, 22 non-teaching vacancies as well as making 29 speculative approaches to schools for potential work.  What's bizarre is that the very first vacancy I applied for in Australia is the vacancy I have now been offered 12 months later as the girl appointed then is now leaving!  Funny old world. 

Yay!

Imagine if you will... a rural, private, Christian school with around 400 pupils in total between prep and Year 12... classes of between 10-15 students...  kangaroos and kookaburras abound... state of the art facilities ... the English teacher teaches senior students in a lecture theatre... and guess who's just been appointed their FULL TIME and PERMANENT English Teacher from term 1 in January???

Banks in Oz

I was chatting to a teller in the bank here this morning and mentioned to her that when I joined the staff of NatWest bank in 1979, I was able to smoke cigarettes whilst in the office.  
She mentioned that when she joined a bank in 1978 in an Oz country town, the bank manager had a gun for 'security' and had to go on training courses annually to ensure he was still able to use it.  
Smoking in the office suddenly seemed awfully tame.

Stuff...

Apart from breaking my finger on the first anniversary of our arrival in Australia (will always remember where we spent it I s'pose: the A&E in Caloundra), it's been pretty uneventful here on the Sunny Coast. 
On school hols at the moment which is great: lie-ins a-plenty.  We're all normally up and about by 6am whilst working and school-ing so it's been lovely.  Jeff has today off (Queen's birthday here in Queensland) which is a treat for him.  His work has been so intense that he hasn't been able to take time off all year. He's even been working Saturdays to ensure that the contract's completed by December. It's good to have him around.
Oli and Jeffers are playing table tennis at the moment and then we're off to the beach for a walk and a coffee.  Mooloolaba is a holiday destination so is chocka with tourists. Great atmosphere although trouble with parking during hols! 
1st of October now and the summer is almost upon us.  Summer means humidity and thunderstorms here in Queensland though, so different than summer in the UK.  We have managed to persuade our landlord to install fans in our rental  property which is good so we've just signed up for another 6 months. Looking to buy our own place next year.  So glad that we didn't rush in to things, although I will feel more 'settled' when we have bought somewhere.  

12 months on...

We did it... it's our first anniversary... one year ago today, the 22nd of September, we landed in Australia... ♥

Holidays and stuff!

Have now finished at school and ready for the 2 week holiday... Oli and I are looking forward to the break: an 11 week term is a shock to our pommie system... zzz... Oli also started at a new school a couple of weeks ago so he's had extra stuff to think about.  We moved him to a smaller school as he was finding the local one a bit 'overwhelming'.  Thankfully, he's back to the Oli we know and love and we can breath a collective sigh of relief!  His new school is set in pineapple plantations with some fabulous views along with a lovely feeling of 'community'.  Oli is taking up basketball in term 4: as he's now 5'9"he has the height of a basketball player, if nothing else!
I have spent to day dealing with some more 'differences'.  Oli suddenly announced that he had to take in some 'lollies' (pommie= bag of sweets) and so we rushed to the supermarket to find that they don't open until 8am each day! I then traipsed off for an appointmen with the the only 'bulk billing' doctor locally, which means that I don't have to pay for treatment up front.  I then paid our compulsory 3rd party car insurance and rego (I still don't understand the car stuff!).
Weather forecast is 30 degrees for tomorrow with a possible thunderstorm: we really, really need rain... we've only had a couple of days of it in the last 50 days...  The leaves and grass are brown and dry: a real fire hazard.  The jacaranda are blooming now though which has got to be one of my faves :)

Oli's Baptism!

Oli was baptised on the Sunday just gone... the vicar (or pastor as he's called here) is a bare-footed, surfing, skateboarding preacher who baptised Oli in the swimming pool adjacent to the church: dunked him right under!! All the 200+ congregation around the edge whooping and cheering... fabulous ♥

Job!!

I've only gone and got a bloomin' job... really pleased actually.  When we first arrived in Australia, I was taking some supply/relief teaching work through an agency but it turned out to be very sparse indeed. I was becoming really bored at home so took a 12 week job at the local tennis club which I LOVED although I missed being in the class room with the kids. So, I decided around 3 weeks ago to make a real concerted effort to get back in to teaching.  
I contacted schools individually and met with principals all over the Sunshine Coast 'selling my wares'.  This brought up much more supply work than through the agency and it's good when you've been at a school a couple of times as they begin to get to know you (both the staff and the students).  I then had a call on Monday from a school 15 mins drive from here (that's soooooooo close here in Australia!) offering me a 3-day a week contract between now and Christmas initially, looking to extend after that. I started yesterday and I am teaching English to low-ability students. Met them all yesterday and know we're going to have fun... 'Lively' is a word that springs to mind, although all of the year 10s thanked me for teaching them and asked me to 'promise' that I would stay until Christmas as they were fed up with teachers leaving all the time. 
Really pleased.  
We will have been in Australia a year next month and we're finally 'getting it together'. It's been tough, we've missed our friends and I know we'll have other 'hurdles', but at the moment, life is very good indeed! :)

Kids are Funny

Yesterday, I spent the day teaching in the Special Education Department of a local school. Great fun and very funny.  We did some number work, made pizzas for lunch, painted some goods to sell at the Eumundi Markets and finished the day with some board games.  One of the students was very keen to play SCRABBLE (one of my faves!), so we duly hauled it out, set ourselves up with 7 tiles each and then got down to trying to spell some good 'uns.  The young lady who had suggested playing the game suddenly exclaimed that she had a 7-letter word.  We watched in awe as she placed the word down on the board: D R G A A C K... I then explained that 'DRGAACK' wasn't a word that I had ever heard of.  She became quite huffy telling me, 'You and your silly British rules; we've never had to put real words down before!'.

Voting in Queensland

We are Australian residents.  When we have been living in Australia for 4 years, we will be eligible to become Australian Citizens which will then enable us to vote. Voting is compulsory!  We have just received a 'Failure to Vote Notice' for a previous tenant of the property we're presently renting who appears to have forgotten to advise the Electoral Commission of his whereabouts and  who failed to vote in the Queensland State General Election in March this year.  If he is unable to come up with a valid reason for not voting: he faces a fine of $100!

work, koalas, pythons and kangas...

I decided to have another push at the supply teaching and contacted a few schools just outside of the Sunshine Coast area.  Seems to have come good and 2 schools have called me several times over the last couple of weeks for work.  I actually worked 4 days this week which is brilliant. There's a bit of a flu epidemic here in Queensland at the moment which seems to be working in my favour on the teaching front! Funny though, as found myself teaching not just English, but; golf (!), German (!), maths (!!) and History.  Yesterday, whilst 'teaching' golf, we were interrupted by a family of kangaroos on the oval.  The joey became separated from its mother, who was getting a bit frantic.  The students managed to persuade the joey to jump the school fence to be reunited with mum. Good fun. 
Jeff had an animal-filled week in Noosa too.  He spotted a koala in the tree near where he's working and one of his work-mates had to 'capture' a rogue python from the building next door!

Differences...

Jeff gets paid weekly here in Oz, as do most trades.  Teachers are paid fortnightly. Rent is paid weekly.  The country would be brought to its knees if it was any different.  I was chatting about it with a teacher on Friday whose mouth dropped open in disbelief when I told them that most jobs in the UK are paid monthly!
Water rates are payable 3-monthly, although if you're renting, you're only only liable for 'excess water charges', which normally means if you have a pool or similar.  Electricity bills are 3 monthly too and there is no gas; only bottled. We don't pay council rates in rented accommodation.
There are no postal deliveries at the weekends and your mail is delivered by a yellow-clothed person on a motorbike.  You are able to learn to drive at 16 years of age (!) here in Queensland.  Petrol prices can change over a matter of hours; particularly at weekends.  I filled up the car at 4.30pm on Friday at $1.22 per litre and at 7pm, it had gone up to $1.45! You really have to time when you visit the petrol station.
Supermarkets don't sell booze, you need to go to a bottle shop.  One of the supermarkets locally has just started selling clothes which is a real novelty for the locals.  There are no real 'pubs' here where we live.  There are food establishments which have bars.  The hotels generally have a courtesy bus to take you to and from the place too! We certainly wouldn't want to lose our driving licences here.  If you're even just having one drink, it's never worth it: I suppose that's the same all over the world though!!

Day to Day...

Lovely weekend... Oli is playing tennis in a Junior Development series.  This weekend's location was Clive Palmer's (mining magnate here in Oz) resort in Coolum: lovely jubbly (although the food was a smidge expensive!). Oli did well on Saturday, winning one match and then taking 2 games from the top guy who beat Oli last time without Oli winning a game.  The lad lives 50 kilometres inland (middle of nowhere) and has never had a tennis lesson in his life. His dad downloads drills on YouTube and uses a ball machine on the scrub outside their home. Lovely family who asked if Oli would play doubles with their son as they think that Oli is such a 'polite, enthusiastic young man'!!!!!
Oli should have played on Sunday but his knees just wouldn't work: bit of a lesson for Oli to remember to warm up and keep warm during breaks.
He did seem a bit better this morning and has just cycled off to school. He's too big for his own bike now so we've given him Jeff's mountain bike. We spent ages last night explaining that he needs to be much more careful on the bigger bike and not to race/watch out for cars on the estate etc...  I have just watched him leave: racing the kid next door in the middle of the road...

Holidays...

In the second week of Oli's school hols. He goes back on Monday to start term 3 (11 week term without a break: eek!). Brought home his report at the end of term 2: straight As bless him: warranted a new tennis racquet!!  He was over the moon. 
Rained all last week.  Friends of ours called in to stay for a few nights and didn't see the sun once!  Thankfully, the warm stuff arrived on Friday and Oli and I have managed to get out and enjoy it. Warm during the day (22 degrees) but, as it's winter,  now dropping to 6 or 7 degrees at night which is a challenge with no central heating or double glazing! It's good to experience the change in seasons though as didn't expect it. 
Jeff and Oli went off to see the Sunshine Coast Stingrays (rugby union) achieve their first win this season: great game by all accounts. I was catching up with the washing and ironing after all that rain! I know how to live... 
Jeffers still working hard on contract in Noosa: heaps of work which is brilliant: just a pain for him to get out of bed at 5am every morning! It's still dark at this time of the year although he's far from the only person on the road at that time of the day.  
End of Aussie tax year on the 30th of June so in the process of getting all the paperwork together for the tax peeps. I have saved heaps of receipts as was told to do so: will be good if we get something back :)

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Friday at last! Busy week for one and all.
We had a visit last weekend from someone Jeff used to work with back in the UK.  He had hired a van in Sydney and was travelling up to Cairns with his family: huge distance!  Good to see them though and good for them to be out of the van for a night too I think. They couldn't get over how spacious our house seems to be... I think that it being 'open plan' gives it that feeling of space which you don't see much in the UK.
Oli played in the inter-schools regional tennis comp on Wednesday so had a day off school... he then made it through to the last 16 so had a 2nd day off school! He came up against some amazing players on the 2nd day and didn't progress much further... however, he won the 'umpire's award' for the best umpiring of the tournament! Bless him. He's playing sooo much tennis now and absolutely loves it.  We had a knock-around after I finished work during the week and it was exactly that: a knock around.  I didn't seem to be able to even win a point!
Oli has another day off schoolio today: Nambour Show Day.  We went off to Mooloolaba for a walk and spent some time on the beach. Gorgeous, gorgeous afternoon with temperatures around 24 degrees!  Getting cooler now though so have pulled on my sweatshirt.  Oli has no tennis this weekend so we're off to Rainbow Beach again tomorrow as loved it.  Might dip my toes in the ocean too but that's definitely a 'might'.  Only one more week at school for Oli and then 2 weeks off: yay!!

Winter... Brrr...!

A day off at last!  Friday is my 'supply teaching' day and I wasn't called for, so am catching up at home.  I work Monday through to Thursday at the tennis club and invariably arrive back home at 7pm.  Jeff is up at 5am to get to work in Noosa by 6.30am so we're literally seeing each other for an hour or so in the evening during the week and then collapse in bed at 9pm! Weekends are good though although Oli seems to be playing EVERY weekend at the moment in some tournament or another... he battled through the school trials a couple of weeks ago and is now representing the region next Wednesday.  He does love it, so we don't mind the driving around really.  He's now made firm friends with a couple of lads at school and seems very settled which is great. We are still undecided on where he's off to school next year for his high school years.  Wherever it is, we need to be settled for at least the next 5 years and work is still on a casual basis for both of us.  Hey Ho... we'll get there.
Winter now. Brrrr.... it's around 7 degrees at night and low 20s during the day. Bloomin' nippy first thing and there's no heating at all in the bungalow. We had to buy a portable oil heater and electric blankets!! Lovely walking weather though and we still get out every weekend. It's a long weekend this weekend too so we're off to Noosa for a festival: should be fun!
p.s. Oli is now officially taller than Jeff...

Day to Day Stuff

Been busy at work the last couple of weeks and the weekends just seem to be stuffed with Oli's tennis! Did manage to get to the beach for a swim last Saturday followed by some fish and chips in Mooloolaba: always a lovely meal here as it's freshly caught.
Autumn has definitely arrived.  The temperatures are still reaching 25-26 degrees during the day but dropping to around 13-14 at night: mornings are the worst as none of us want to get out of bed! We're even using duvets now.  Lovely though as I have been cycling to work all this week and it's been a treat; particularly early in the morning as the mist is lifting: beautiful.
Off to another tennis tournament tomorrow which Oli has entered.  He loves his tennis and it's now officially his favourite sport apparently. The school persuaded him to join the AFL team for their last match of the season last week as they needed someone with his height!  That was an experience for all of us. I had absolutely no idea what was going on and didn't realise that the pitch was oval until the end.
Anyway, off to cook tea now and enjoy our Friday evening together!

The Big 50

26 April 1962... I entered the world... move along 50 years to 26 April 2012 and I celebrated my 50th birthday!  Busy day... I have taken a new job working as Admin Manager at the local tennis club in Mooloolaba... I work Monday to Thursday and I am available for supply teaching on Fridays only (that tended to be the day I was telephoned for work anyways which is good!). On Thursdays, I work from 7am to 7pm so yesterday (my birthday) was a very busy day indeedy.  My boss did buy me a cake and flowers and I arrived home to a gorgeous meal, a bottle of wine chilling and a BEAUTIFUL diamond eternity ring from my husband... gotta love that ♥

Anzac Day

Anzac day today in Australia... it's a national public holiday when the Aussie army Corps who served with the New Zealanders at Gallipolli in Turkey in 1915 are remembered.  No school today although Oli represented the school in a parade and wreath laying ceremony at Cotton Tree in Maroochydore.  Very moving as all the services were present along with the veterans from Viet Nam, Malaya etc... Very moving indeed: hard to believe that Viet Nam conflict was around 40 years ago.  The occasion was extremely well supported: lots of flag waving and cheering, army jeeps and zimmer frames! Lest we forget ♥

'Builder's Bum' is 'Plumber's Crack' here in Australia and 'Green Fingers' are 'Green Thumbs' !!

Good Friday

Good Friday in Oz is traditionally a 'meat-free' day... good to have an excuse for prawns on the barbie I suppose! All the main shopping malls and supermarkets shut today... only the beach shops along with the fishmongers (of course!) and the bakeries (hot cross buns!). Jeff and I remember coming to Oz 20 years ago when all the shops shut on Saturday afternoons and Sundays... seems unbelievable now doesn't it?

Brisbane for a few days...

Brisbane is just 'down the road' from us (around an hour's drive) but we decided to spend a couple of nights there to enable us to take a good look around. Went back to the B&B we stayed in when we first emigrated... very quirky and homely and WE LOVE IT... good to be there again.  Took Oli back to Dreamworld/White Water World, (theme parks on the Gold Coast) for a day. Our tickets will run out in June so thought we should get back some of the money we spent on them. Lovely hot day although tiring (only for Jeff and me though: Oli's seemingly running on duracell batteries).  Strolled down to Chinatown in the evening for a meal (guess what we had?!) and we were all asleep by 9pm... zzzzzzzzzz
Had a good look around the shops in the morning and then took the bridge over to the south bank which reminded me of the south bank in London actually: theatres, library, art gallery etc... Went in to the science museum, which was very 'hands on' and fun. Also, on the south bank, there's an artificial beach, complete with lifeguards, a surf club and sand! Bought some snacks and drinks and sat in the botanical gardens at tea-time... so relaxing... right next to Parliament House which we want to visit next time and heckle from the galleries!
Oli decided that the Sunshine Coast is too quiet for him and when he's old enough, he's going to move to Brisbane, work in the city and drive a sports car... lordy, lordy... really don't know who he's inherited that from!!

Easter Hols

Lovely Sunday with my boys.  Woke early and went down to Mooloolaba beach.  Mooloolaba seems as if the population has quadrupled due to the influx of visitors: that's what happens if you live in a tourist destination s'pose and it's Easter holidays.  Oli and I went for a run along the coast and it was glorious... the humidity has now virtually disappeared and although still hot, it's much, much more pleasant and manageable! Jeff went surfing and we came back to meet him, taking a dip in the ocean to cool off: water temperature 26 degrees. Lovely. In the evening, went for a cooling walk around the marina and then back for dinner (which Jeff cooked: even better!).  Jeff now off for 10 days which is brilliant: the team is reunited!
Have decided to rent the place we're in for another 6 months as we just couldn't face moving and then perhaps having to move again at the end of the tenancy when we (hope) to buy.  At least Oli can cycle to school from here and we're close to the motorway for work. Rents are quite expensive (we pay $380 per week for a 4 bed house and that was the cheapest we could find) but that includes council rates and water rates.  There's no gas and we just pay for electricity every 3 months. ALL of our cul de sac rent as that is the 'norm' here.  Australians seem quite transient and none of the tenants here actually were born here. That also gives us time to look around at what's on the market to buy too.  

Voting Day in Queensland!!

Voting day here in Queensland... we can't vote as we're not Australian citizens... (we have to be in the country for four years before we can apply for citizenship)... Big shift from Australian Labour Party to the Liberal National Party... 
We spent the afternoon down at Mooloolaba as it was the annual triathlon... fantastic that the event was able to take place at all as we had HORRENDOUS monsoon storms on Thursday evening where the whole local area flooded (363mm in 2 hours!!): the worst in 100 years apparently. Our garage flooded but that was all thankfully: Oli and I worked hard and just opened the garage door so that the water could escape and swept it all out. Loads of local businesses 'mopping out' on Friday morning.  It happened so very quickly and therefore surprised so many people... I drove Oli to school on Friday morning and there were heaps of abandoned cars littering the route: glad that we were home when it started.   Lovely to see a beautiful blue sky today,  although the sea looked less than inviting as still had the 'muck' washed down from the rivers on Thursday evening... yuckadoodle... poor triathlon-ers.

Well Done Jeffers!

Jeffers has a new job!  He's starting with an employer HERE ON THE COAST! Yay!  He's been lodging away during the week since he found work and it's hard: we miss him sooooo much!  We'll be able to argue EVERY night now... hurrah!  He starts on Monday (at an increased hourly rate too). Gotta love him ♥

Autumn In Oz

March the 1st signified the first day of Autumn here in Oz. Must admit, the morning and evening temperatures have dropped to 20 degrees which is a blessing: we are able to sleep now!  Daytime temperatures are still around 30 degrees but we're losing that humidity, so all in all; life's a smidge more bearable. The water temperature is still around 26 degrees too which means that we can still swim and body board.
Jeff had his birthday last week but was working away so celebrated at the weeekend by going out with friends for fish and chips at a roof-top restaurant in Mooloolaba... lovely jubbly. The fish here is so very fresh and tasty and even Oli eats it! Lovely to be able to sit outside too. 
Oli and I also were involved in a community 'clean-up' last week and went off scouring the streets of Buderim for rubbish. Heaps of people involved and we all met back at the centre for a 'sausage sizzle' which Oli appreciated (our life seems to revolve around food with a growing lad in the house!).
Tenancy runs out on the house in a month so we've started looking around for another property.  We have 4 bedrooms at the moment but we don't mind dropping a bedroom and replacing it with a pool! We won't be buying until the exchange rate improves so we can bring our money over.  The Aussie dollar is very strong at the moment which isn't helping us with our money stuck in the UK but is good if you're earning here so can't complain.
Work is going well... still a bit sporadic but even if I manage 2 days a week, that's fine with me. Last week I was at Mountain Creek High which was ideal but prior to that, was working further inland and it started to rain: heavily. I had this vision of me having to stay in a shelter overnight due to flooding and Oli 'home alone'. Luckily, got back just in time as the town was cut off the next day due to the waters rising.  Australia is certainly a land of extremes!

Ouch!

Jeff's just owned up to the fact that he was caught for speeding earlier in the week... he was doing 120K in a 100K area: $340 fine (day's wages) and 4 points on his licence.  The points will stay on his licence for 3 years and if he racks up 12 points in total: he'll lose his licence.  GULP!!! Tough lesson.  Neither of us could work in Australia if we didn't have our driving licences, that's for sure.  He was late coming home night as he was adhering to ALL the speed limits along the way!

A Week in the Wet Season!

It has rained all week this week! Terrific storms too... on Tuesday, there were 20,000 lightning strikes in the space of the afternoon!  I had to venture out to pick up Oli from school and it was soooo scary. Luckily, we suffered no structural damage and the worst is over I think.  One good thing is that the temperature has - at last - decided to drop; we're around 24 degrees which is positively chilly to us now.  The shops are full of 'winter clothing' too!  However, I don't feel like dragging on Ugg boots and a sweatshirt just yet!
Shrove Tuesday this week which is very low key in Australia... none of the classes I have taught this week had pancakes or knew the meaning of eating them on that particular day. I made them write the occasion in their planners for next year and was happy that at least they'd learnt something in my lessons that day!
I have had quite a bit of teaching work this week which is good. It means an early start for me as I must be available for an agency telephone call from 6am each morning and I need to, obviously, ensure Oli is organised and off to school: he has no concept of time at all but he's come up with the goods this week, bless him and hasn't been late at all. I am also enjoying driving some very scenic routes to the different schools, 
Relating to school, Oli decided that he wanted to go for the role of Year 7 House Captain at Mountain Creek.  Jeff and I were a bit concerned as very few of the 350 kids in the house actually know him and we didn't want him setting himself up for a very hard fall.  However, Oli was insistent and wrote his own speech detailing why the students should choose him over the other 9 candidates, delivering it to the students yesterday morning.  He was duly voted in by the students and teachers and takes up his role today! We are soooo very proud of him and it's the perfect way for kids at the school to get to know him too.  Oli also found out that he attracted 96% of the female students' votes which means that his teenage years are going to be tough for us!!! He's over the moon and so are we.  A perfect end to the week.

13th: Unlucky for Some But Not For Me

Funny old day today... Oli is off down on the Gold Coast for a school trip all this week.  He's due back on Friday afternoon... I was a bit shaky as he's never been away from us for as long before now and it's also his birthday on Thursday! However, it's me who has the issues: Oli is totally cool about it and was increasingly excited this morning. He'll have a very full week by all accounts although Oli's not too keen on getting up at 6.30am for 'morning exercise'!!!


I registered with seemingly every teaching agency in the Southern Hemisphere and last week, went around to a whole heap of schools in the area leaving my C.V. with them and 'showing my face'.  One of the agencies advised me that I should be available from 6am for a call if needed (!).  This morning, at 6.10am I duly received a call from them advising me that they had found me 4 days supply teaching at Mountain Creek State High School which is, of course, just along the road. YIPPEE!! I was on the 'morning shift' today which meant that I started at 7am and finished at 1pm. What a rush!  Virtually pushed Oli on the coach, waved him off and then off to schoolio. No time for tears which was just as well (mine, not his!).
Fabulous to be back in the classroom.  I haven't taught since term finished in July last year and have really missed it.  What a wonderful day.  The kids are definitely 'lively' but in all fairness, they were great to teach and I wouldn't have expected anything different from them on a Monday with a new supply teacher!  The classes are smaller too which is good.  What's lovely about supply teaching is that you turn up, sign in at reception, deliver someone else's lessons, leave the teacher notes about the kids if needed and then sign out! Great introduction to the Australian curriculum for me as well and relatively very well paid... Celebrations this weekend when we're all together again, eating Oli's birthday cake and I CAN AFFORD THOSE SHOES NOW JEFF!!!

Day to Day Stuff...

Oli now back to school and seemingly joining up for every sporting activity going. We have both joined the Mooloolaba Tennis Club too. It's brilliant as, because of the Queensland climate, we will be able to play throughout the year.  Tennis is fast becoming Oli's favourite sport and we're treating him to a new racquet as it's his birthday next week.  His other racquet is now too small for him as he's shooting skyward at a rate of knots! He's off on school camp for the week on Monday down on the Gold Coast.  It'll be strange without him but I know that he'll have a ball. It'll be good for him to mix with kids out of a school environment too. 
I went to a 'parents meet teachers' evening this week at his school.  As I mentioned on Facebook; I can't get used to seeing teachers in shorts and flip-flops (oops, 'thongs' here in Oz).  Very relaxed atmosphere. Oli really enjoys school though and the teachers seem to really know the individual students which is good. His school morning break is called 'morning tea' in Australia and he plays 'Tiggy' at lunch time ('tag' in the UK!). He's also started to pronounce words as an Aussie: 'yoe-gurt' for yoghurt and, instead of 'no thanks', he now says, 'I'm good thanks'. Lordy.
Jeff was given a whole tray of mangos last week by the owner of the farm where he was doing some electrical work. They have to be one of my favourite fruits: just as well really this week.  There are supermarkets here in Oz as in the UK, but you find that the majority of people use the supermarkets for their dry goods only and use the fruit shops, butchers and bakers for the rest.  It means that you need to make an effort shopping but it's worth it.  The fruit and veg shop where we are is soooo cheap compared to the supermarket. Some things are difficult to find.  For example, I couldn't find a fabric softener I liked.  I was told by the shop owner that fabric softener will damage our washing machine (problems with lime-scale here) and I was advised to use the cheapest white vinegar I could find instead.  It bloomin' works too and my towels have never been as soft as they are now!  Tip of the Week: I'll have more next time!!
Temperatures seem to be dropping a smidge now (phew!). I have just been for a run along the promenade in Mooloolaba after waving Oli off to school on his bike and it was around 25 degrees: fabulous.  We are so very lucky living here and there's not a day goes by when I don't think that! Wished that I had done it years ago.

Oops... Broken Toe!

Jeff went off to the supermarket last Sunday, got out of the car and, stubbed and broke his toe on a bollard!!!! I thought he was whinging on far too much until the toe started to swell dreadfully.Whisked him off to A&E in Caloundra where we were dealt with promptly and efficiently.  Healthcare is similar in some ways to the UK.  On arrival to Oz, you apply for Medicare and you're issued with a card which you produce on each attendance at any doctor's surgery (you don't need to keep to the same one and can see any doctor you wish in any practice you wish). For those visits, there is no charge.  Hospital stays accrue fees but there is private cover available there which we will need to think about.
The major difference here in Oz is dental care. None of it is free; even for Oli.  We have taken out a private policy which covers us for dental care, but that still doesn't make it free!  I remember teaching class-rooms of kids in the UK with those colourful braces on their teeth.  We would have to pay heavily for those here: they cost - quite literally - thousands of dollars!  A dental check-up alone in Australia is around $130.  I have now become increasingly fussy about teeth-brushing and flossing to avoid having any work done.


Anyways, because of Jeff's 'injury' he's been home for the week; and what a long week it's been(!). Not helped by some dreadful rain which caused flooding up and down the coast.  The schools stay open though and Oli and I waded out of school bare-foot on a couple of days.  Thankfully, the ankle deep water is as much as we experienced here in Mooloolaba, but our beaches are a mess: full of debris washed down from the rivers.  I took a run along the promenade today and the beaches are closed because of the dangers of swimming with all the flotsam.  The forecast is good for next week though so short-lived and it's nothing like last summer's Queensland floods which everyone was concerned about.  The Queensland residents obviously think of the devastation the floods caused whenever the rain starts coming down.  We are in our 'summer' here in Queensland which translates to 'hot and wet'. It doesn't rain all the time though and doesn't really stop us from doing what we plan to do.

Super Saturday

Had the best day today! Took a drive to Noosa in the morning for a fantastic walk through the national park on the headland.  There had been a koala spotted earlier in the day although we didn't get to see it.  Did see lots of surfers and some dolphins though!  After the walk, we had lunch in one of the food halls in Noosa.  Food halls are great here in Oz.  Generally, there are a variety of food choices surrounding a central seating area.  You choose the food you want, pay for it and then sit and eat wherever you want to. It's great for us as we all have different favourites (mine is sushi!).
We then drove back to Coolum (one of our bestest places).  Went for a swim and surf in the ocean... lovely today... water temperature around 24 degrees.  We then showered (showers are on the beach which is mighty handy!), changed and then Jeffers cooked us burgers on one of the free barbecues in Tickle Park (love that name!) at the edge of the beach. The barbecues are also a great way to meet Aussies: they are a very sociable bunch and keen to share their cooking tips! 
Finally, we plonked ourselves down on our beach chairs to watch a movie screened in the open air...The movies are a free monthly event in Coolum and a great way to relax and spend time with family and meeting new friends.  Lovely breeze coming off the ocean and Jeffers even managed to stay awake throughout! Result. Brilliant day with my boys (and great evening with the lime/avocado farmer and his huge family!). 

Gizza Teaching Job!

The schools commence again on the 23rd of January after the long summer hols and I am now fully 'job-ready' and itching to get back in the classroom! 

However, the process to reach this stage has been long-winded and full of red tape: and costly.  

Firstly, I registered with the Queensland College of Teachers which is a legal requirement here.  I was then granted by them a 'provisional' teaching licence.  I will be awarded my full licence after completing 1000 hours of teaching practice (around a year's teaching). Makes me feel like the 'new girl' again, which I suppose I am.

The teaching system is different here so I have opted to register for supply/relief teaching initially, to enable me to be involved, but without the marking and lesson planning!  I contacted the Queensland cover/supply register (TRACER). I was required by them to nominate the areas to which I was prepared to travel and send off witnessed documents.  (This part was a particularly complicated paper-filled process!).  Finally, on Friday I was notified by them that all my details had been loaded on-line for my perusal and that I had been 'successful' with my application.  On checking the computer system, I noted that they had input my 'preferred subject' to supply teach as ACCOUNTING?!  

I telephoned the department and explained to them that I was an ENGLISH teacher, which the paperwork I sent to them (on numerous occasions!) detailed.  The girl on the end of the telephone then asked me, 'Are you sure that's your subject?'... hmmmm...!

I now have to complete 20 continuous hours of teaching practice (or) 40 days of teaching in total before I can apply for any permanent positions in state schools.  If I am offered a permanent position I will then need to go before a panel who will decide whether I am 'qualified' to take the position. Good Grief! 

However, if I want to work in an Independent school, that is different again and none of the above applies, apart from my provisional licence. Also, if I were to move to another state in Australia; it's different again!

RIGHT THEN: I AM READY. PLEASE TEACHERS: GO SICK OR BREAK LEGS AND LET ME GET SOME WORK!!!

Pokies!!!

Slot machines are called 'pokies' here in Oz and are everywhere... fish and chip shops, surf clubs etc... Aussies are serious gamblers.  In Queensland last year, punters lost an average of $3,600 A MINUTE: that's just one state in Oz too!!  We do the lottery on Saturdays which costs us $7.60c a week so we're helping to bump up the average I suppose.

Hot and Steamy

Back in Mooloolaba now after our lovely break in Childers.  The summers in Queensland are not like the summers in the UK.  The temperature does get warmer and yesterday, the mercury rose to 37 degrees here.  However, with that, the humidity increases and yesterday it was 80%.  The only thing I can liken it to is breathing in soup!  My washing on the line didn't dry, even with those temperatures, because of the moisture in the air.  Oli and I went to the beach later in the day for the breeze and stayed there until 8pm.  It was 29 degrees when we LEFT the beach and it's been a hot and sticky night!  Looking much the same today.


To alleviate that, Oli and I are off to the cinema at midday to see 'TinTin'.  I promised Oli that I would take him on Boxing Day but the Bundaberg cinema were showing 'Laurel and Hardy' (!).  That reminds me of the television here. Unless you have satellite television, you're left with I dream of Genie followed by The Incredible Hulk and The Dukes of Hazzard, topped off with numerous repeats of Friends.  There is a 24 hour news channel but last night, they broadcast Audrey Hepburn's WHOLE speech on behalf of UNICEF: along with the faltering Q&A session.


The latest teenage fashion here on the Sunshine Coast is the 'mullet skirt'.  I kid you not.  The skirt is very short at the front and ankle length at the back. Nice. Not.  In this area of Australia, female clothing is very casual; shorts and vest tops, cotton shifts and linen 3/4 length trousers.  Footwear is normally thongs (flip flops to those in the UK!) or open strappy sandals.  It means that you need to keep your feet pretty :).  The guys just wear singlets, thongs and baggies. Job done.  EVERYONE wears sunglasses and a hat.  Almost without exception.  AND DON'T FORGET THE SUNSCREEN!