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.
Saturday 31 March 2012
Saturday 24 March 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday 14 March 2012
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 ♥
Monday 12 March 2012
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!
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!
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