Summer Hollibobs!

Yay!!!! At last, the summer holidays are here. Finished at Victory on Friday. Mixed feelings as have made some good friends and the kids 'came good' overall. Onwards to new school now and Oli's coming with me. But first: HOLLIBOBS!!!
We're off in a minute to South East Asia for 6 weeks. House let out and ready to go. First stop is Singapore, which should be fun. 
The best bit will be spending time with Jeffers and Oli. Oli has worked sooooo hard this year, gaining Dux without any input from us at all (guilty mum). He needs to kick back now and is super excited about our trip. 
We took him travelling when he was three although he is unable to remember anything at all, so this will be such an experience. 
I have probably spent more time cleaning the house in readiness for our people than I have all year! Jeff's amazed at the difference. Anyways, here we go!

November Days

No Guy Fawkes night... showed the kids photographs and explained what happened on the night. They were all amazed that we burnt an effigy of anyone in front of small children!

What a week. My first piece of writing ever published in T.E.S. Very pleased and it's given me the confidence to send more stuff off. One hundred pounds to be given to the school. I have decided that I would like a coffee machine for the staff: a necessity. 

Not long now until the end of term at my present school. Mixed emotions really as my two years there have taught me a lot about myself as a teacher although I feel ready to move on and to undertake more challenges. Always have been a bit of a fidget! Very excited about my new job role and school as will be teaching seniors only (year 11 and 12) as well as an extra class for gifted and talented year 9s. Oli will be moving there too when the school year starts in January. He'll be in Year 10 then with year 11 and 12 still to go so the timing is good too. Oli has decided that the draw of the extra curricular activities -sailing,body boarding and rugby- far outweigh the fact that he may be taught Senior English by his mum! The school is endeavoring for the latter not to be the case, but it's a possibility. St Teresa's is a larger school than my present one - it has 800 students - although it's in Noosaville, which is only 15 mins down the road. Smiling muchly.

Great week with a friend's family from the UK staying here. Realized what a fabulous area we live in here as we showed them around! Love to see people from the 'homeland' and to hear that Devonian accent again. Jeff and Oli are back to Biddy in July for Jeff's niece's wedding. I will be unable to accompany them as the wedding is during term time here. Sad Face, but at least I can read without interruption and eat when I like!

Weather's warming up and we're entering storm season. Batten down the hatches. Our water tanks are empty again though, so could do with some rain. The tanks, as you already know, are for our toilets and washing machines, which makes sense. However, when the tanks are empty, thankfully, we do go over to town water! Snakes are around at the moment too, although we don't seem to have any around our place. I always keep the screens pulled across to keep 'em out as well as the nasty creepy crawly things. Don't mind seeing any of it in the wild but draw the line at sharing my home with them.

Retaining Walls: a Murder Mystery in the Making...

So. The lovely landscaper has finished the retaining walls. I asked if I could keep all the wooden end bits for my friend who has a wood burner. 
'No' was his prompt reply... 'as they are treated with Copper, Chrome and Arsenic'... hmm... mind-boggling and a certain story plot, I am sure. Found the stickers from the wood lying around on the ground, which backed up his statement!

Our Fisher and Paykel Washing Machine

We bought a Fisher and Paykel branded washing machine. These machines are manufactured in New Zealand. We were told by the seller how to programme our machine to play the NZ National Anthem. It works. Strange but true.

Funny Old First Day of the Hols

Today, Oli and I went to Noosa... I ordered a coffee and a 'slice of coconut cake'. The coconut cake arrived toasted: TOASTED (?).  I bought CHICKEN MINCE for tonight's chilli, then took my skirt to the newsagents to be dry-cleaned (?). On our way home, I left a box of books at Tewantin Bowls Club to be sold to members/drinkers etc. to raise money for the club. I then PAID to recycle my unwanted goods at the recycling yard. I walked in to Eumundi and bought my 5-year driving licence as well as the compulsory 3rd party insurance. I then paid an enormous amount of money (on-line) for my top-up comprehensive car insurance. No road tax here in Oz. I paid the first installment of Oli's braces, which will be $240 per month for the next 18 months. No free dental care here either. I sold several household items on Gumtree and the buyers picked them up this afternoon: without trying to knock me down on the price at all. Finally, I went to the bottle shop for some wine (not sold in supermarkets here in Oz and certainly no 'three for ten pounds' deals here!!). A day of differences.

School Holiday on the Sunshine Coast

I have been waiting for these holidays for soooo looooong... I was in hospital and recuperating during the last school hols, so feel very excited about these next two weeks. Not much planned. We have two 'lodgers' coming to stay for term 4 - fellow teachers at my present school - as their house is now let, prior to them returning to NZ to start new teaching jobs in the New Year (Boohoo!!). Will miss them both desperately, but a trip to NZ is now on the cards for next year, so all good I guess.

Three years ago today, we arrived in Oz! Wowzers... the time has really flown and we still feel that we're learning stuff daily about this wonderful country. Really glad that we made the move and don't regret it at all: we're having so much fun here, and every weekend seems to be an adventure. Well, apart from this weekend, as I need to clean and dust... sigh... 

We have had a couple of quotes for our landscaping to be completed so will decide over the next few days about who will be doing the work. I loved the chappie who seemed soooooo excited about constructing a retaining wall: he seriously was so excited that we could be needing a few walls (we're on a slope) and wouldn't stop scribbling little plans, bless him! Hopefully, we will be able to get the digging and concreting completed before the next holidays and then we will be able to sit out looking at dirt during the hot months. Haha! We should get the weeds cleared though, as it's snake season  and we wouldn't want to give a home to one in our 'garden'- which is called  a 'yard' here in Oz: confusing to say the least.

Ooh... just remembered. We went to a wonderful all-day music festival last weekend in Noosa. We took Oli and wondered how it would all be. Really well organised though and we were all able to have the best time, without getting in each other's way. Booze section separated from the under 18s/family section. 40,000 people attended and no real issues, as far as we were aware anyways. Oli giggled when we (his parents: how could we possibly?!!) DANCED, but then realised that he looked silly as he wasn't dancing, so joined in too. Good times.

Wet Week in Paradise

What a rainy old time we've had here recently! Shouldn't complain I guess... our 2 X 5000 litre tanks are now full (and overflowing!) and our parched landscape is greener. However our dried-up mud around the house is now sludgy mud... yuckadoodle. At least our home is warm and dry and there is something so guilt-free about snugging up to watch a movie whilst it's raining outside. The boys have the rugby on the television though at the moment, so I guess I'll have to pick up a book first.
Friday was our area sports day. I volunteered to take the students and loved it! I felt like the kids do when they don't have to go to school. They were brilliant actually, considering they were water-logged as it bucketed down all day. We arrived back at school a bit early, so we watched some YouTube clips in class whilst the heater attempted to warm us up: felt just like England!
Our year 12s are getting excited already about their formal at the end of the year. Very different from the UK. The kids at my school have to learn to waltz (they're having lessons in school at the moment), take a partner of the opposite sex (!) and their parents attend the event too! A very formal formal I have to say. I won't be attending, but I will go along to see their attire: it's all I have heard about since March... sigh... They are on their last couple of English assignments now and they are relieved to see an end to it all... um... so am I. Haha!
I have enjoyed looking on facebook this week, noting my ex-Park students' GCSE results! I still keep in touch with several of them, and have shared their anxiety and nerves waiting for results day. Great bunch of kids that were my tutor group in Year 7 and 8, before we emigrated. Miss 'em!
Oli picked up his new reading glasses today: they actually quite suit him. He only needs to wear them for close work (computers and reading). We have a Specsavers here, as in the UK, and our medical insurance means that we can have a free eye-test and glasses each year: bonus. Oli also had his braces fitted on Wednesday but dislodged one already last night! Can't get it sorted until Monday, so his timing was not good. He's adapted well to them, but now says that he feels a bit of nerd with both glasses AND braces. Bless him. Doesn't seem to be stopping the girls from txting... not that I should know that of course :) 

Winter in Eumundi

We feel that we're coming to the end of our winter; or it appears so! The cold and frosty mornings have disappeared and my heated blanket has been removed, so all good here. Having an elevated home has meant that certain rooms have been cooler, but this will be a bonus when the warmer weather's here. 

Hiroshi has been waved off (tears all around!), and we'll keep in touch for sure as he was such a sweetheart :). Back to normality and have just spent a couple of hours cleaning and dusting: having a larger house has its downside I guess as I am not the most house-proud of peeps. Lovely to get the windows open (the screens stay shut: no uninvited guests thanks) and let some fresh air through. We've just had a day or so of very heavy rain that blew in on to our balcony and downstairs seating area. Not complaining though as our tanks were empty and we were on town water. We chose to have 2 x 5000 litre tanks when our house was built. The tanks are for our washing machine and all of our loos. They are filled by all the runoff from our roof and great that the water isn't wasted. We can't understand why more people don't have them here. Kids at school are on tank water for everything; even drinking. Not sure if my tum would be up to that though!

Itching to get started on the landscaping here now. We're trying to source a fella with a mini-digger who will get our garden dug out, and take all the crap away so that we can proceed with planting,concreting and fencing. We're fed up with looking at mud! We both work such long hours and love our weekends, so not gonna do the digging out ourselves. I don't mind the planting though, as it will be fun. We're planning a veggie and fruit area as they will grow well here, and some areas where I am just able to sit with a glass of wine and a book. Oh, and plants that attract bees as well as plants that attract the lorikeets and not much grass to mow and some bamboo screening and Jasmine to climb the poles and fragrant shrubs at the front of the house... and... hmmm... not much to ask is it?! :)

Japanese Panic and Frolics

So, we're spending the evening at our friends' home in the Hinterland of the Sunshine Coast. We're sitting outside around the brazier, toasting marshmallows and sipping wine. Jeff, Oli and I are excited at seeing our first possum in the tree above us, as well hearing various unidentified 'rustlings' in the surrounding darkness... then Jeffers asks, 'Where is Hiroshi?' (H= Japanese exchange student)... 
We all look at each other, with the sudden realisation that his seat around the brazier is empty... 
Panic ensues. Bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens are checked along with sheds and garages being upturned. Bushes and shrubs are poked and shaken... and then... we find him. Lying flat on his back in the middle of the large garden and he's not moving... 
HAS HE EATEN TOO MUCH BBQ MEAT AND COLLAPSED??? HAS HE BEEN MURDERED BY ONE OF THE 'UNIDENTIFIED RUSTLINGS'?
No. 
He's actually totally enthralled with the clear sky's display of stars... He explains to us that as Tokyo is so jam-packed full of lights, he has never seen the stars and planets before!
Good Grief. Thankfully, he's still alive and kicking, although slightly miffed as he's missed out on a 5th marshmallow. 
I couldn't help wondering how I would have explained to the school and his parents that the Friendships had 'lost' their Japanese exchange student? Hmmm...

One year on...

I haven't been adding to this blog, as this year has been a busy one... but thought that I should add an update... 12 months on: what's been going on in our little world?

1) house now complete and we're living in it... still in awe of our wonderful little piece of Australia... landscaping needs attention, but not bothered too much about that at the moment... when the weather's warmer, we'll do some work I guess!

2) I am now completed the transition from provisional to full teaching status. All new teachers to Oz have to complete 200 days of teaching and put together a hulking great evidence file: wouldn't have minded, but already done this in the UK when I qualified there! All done now though :)

3) Jeff now an Aussie registered electrician... took a couple of years and parted with nearly $2000 for the actual test, but we can relax there too.

4) Oli really settled in school and bringing home great reports... lovely to hear... he's very self-motivated, which is a bonus. He's also quite the entertainer. :)

5) We've been enjoying our Aussie winter here in Eumundi and the environs. Strawberry picking, walking, attending the markets, reading, cycling et al. The beaches here are glorious in the winter sun and we've spotted: humpback whales, dolphins, echidna, turtles, sea-eagles, goannas, rainbow lorikeets, quails and snakes (but only a couple of the latter thankfully!).

We feel really settled now. Oh, I actually have just secured a new teaching job, commencing in January 2015. I will be teaching senior English only (year 11 and 12) AND THE JOB'S IN NOOSAVILLE WHICH IS ONLY 14 MINS DRIVE FROM HOME... :)

Landowners!

Well, after a day of frantic telephone calls between myself, Jeff, the bank, the solicitors and the real estate: we're now, at the end of the day, finally landowners.  We've just secured a 754 square metre plot here in Eumundi. Yay and relax... We've met with the builder and the plans for our new home are with the council now... this time next year Rodney: we'll be in our own home...  Well, early February actually... quite exciting as we've never built a house before :)

where we live...

I love Eumundi, where we live.  We're presently renting a property until we decide where and when we would like to buy here.  Normally, you would be asked to sign a 6 month contract on a property, which is renewed in 6 monthly intervals.  However, our landlord decided last week, after we'd been in the property for 4 months, that he would like to move back in!!! He gave us 2 months notice which sent me and mine into a state of absolute panic.  There's literally nothing at all to rent here in Eumundi and we didn't want to be pushed in to buying something: but we were left with no option.  We have been frantically looking at properties all week around here in an effort to find something, but to no avail.  Then today, our landlord telephoned.  He's changed his mind.  He has given us another 6 months. FLIPPIN' HECK!! I have said to Jeff that we DO need to make a house purchase within the next 6 months: I cannot stand the stress of it all!

The Great Outdoors

Guess where I have been this week... in the night-time we endured: mosquitoes, praying mantis, dingoes, no showers, no toilets, lumpy bedding, re-heated food and a clear sky... during the day we endured: pythons, mud baths, obstacle courses, lizards, enthusiasm, leaps of faith (gulp), team spirit, 4 hour treks with 20 kilo packs each, sunburn, sandflies, sunnies, hats and soggy socks... have you guessed yet?? THE YEAR 7 CAMP! a 'learning experience' for one and all..! Thanks girls: you rock :)

Easter Hols

I haven't written on my blog for a while as I was unable to find it... long story but here we are again :)
Lovely to have some time off work (for marking, planning etc...!!!) and getting to know my son again... finished the term up with a medieval banquet (no cutlery allowed: use your imagination) followed by a Year 12 fundraiser: the Easter Bunny... hilarious...I have had such a busy term, it's now lovely to kick back and just do nothin'...
Jeff's sister arrives from the UK next week with her hubby which means that I have had to clean... sigh... Ooh, just remembered we're off to 3 house viewings next week as planning to buy somewhere in the next few months: excited!! Will be good to stop paying huge amounts of rent! ($450 per week: eek!).  We've decided, that as long as the price is right, we'll buy here in Eumundi... soooo relaxed and only a short drive anywhere...
I am sat here typing and being eye-balled by a kookaburra sitting on the fence: how cool is that??  Anyway, this post is just to say that I am back on it again and, hopefully, bookmarking this blog!

A teenager in our midst...

Well, today our big fella turned 13 years of age... where did those years go? we spent the afternoon at the cinema watching 'The Impossible' which is all about the Boxing Day tsunami in Thailand. True story about a family who were staying in Khao Lak; where we were less than 12 months earlier. Very sobering to watch, although it was a film that Oli wanted to see and, as it was his birthday, it was his choice!
We then spent the evening at the Thai restaurant in Eumundi with Sid and Betty, followed by birthday cake and a cuppa at home.  Fabulous day with fabulous company.  A teenager... sigh... can't get over it...

New School

What a great week I have had. I started work at my new school, albeit a day late because of the flooding.  Lovely atmosphere, although soooo much to try and take in!  So many different systems, classes, ways of doing things etc... but the staff are tremendously helpful and supportive.  My classes are great: lively but sooo keen to learn... really refreshing! The college is starting to grow and it's exciting to be there with them as it does so.  So happy to be there.  The school is small enough (400 students in total), that I should know all their names by Easter!  The higher grades interact with the prep and junior students regularly, making it seem like one big family.   

The Big Wet

What an eventful and rain-filled few days we've had.  Queensland was as dry as a chip as there had been none of the usual downpours the state expects in January.  That changed at the end of last week! We experienced the tail-end of Cyclone Oswald (Ossie hits Oz??) and boy was it relentless!  The rain started on Thursday, got heavier on Friday and then the winds picked up on Saturday and Sunday... quite frightening but thankfully for us: no structural damage, no flooding and no loss of power.  Other parts of the country weren't as lucky.
The school where I should be today escaped as it's on a hill, but the town of Gympie flooded badly, with the main route into the town inundated, preventing access.  I am therefore at home, with another day's grace for lesson planning!
I have just seen Oli off to his first day at High School (gulp).  He's catching a bus for the first time (wouldn't let me drive him!) and has just txt me to say that he's on it: result! His school escaped flooding although power was only restored last night. Jeff's route to work completely clear so all good here in the Friendship household.  Hopefully, I am able to get to school tomorrow when the floods recede in Gympie and the main road in is clear of water.

Long Distances...

Driving to Gympie yesterday from here in Eumundi, I noticed a sign stating that it's 1594 kilometres to Cairns... long old trip!

New Year: New Home!

New Year's Eve was fantastic: on the beach at Mooloolaba, watching the fireworks, eating snacks and enjoying the entertainment... great end to the year.
Since then: its been EXHAUSTING! We moved on the 5th of January to the lovely little town of Eumundi, with population of around 2000, just half an hour up the road from Mooloolaba and 15 mins from Noosa :)
The moving day itself went incredibly well with so much help from very good friends: we naively thought that we would be able to do it ourselves: not to be.
We actually kept the other house in Mountain Creek for a week, so I could go in and clean it up, in anticipation of receiving the full bond. I HAVE NEVER WORKED SO HARD IN MY LIFE! I have cleaned, vacuumed, polished, swept and mopped with a vengeance all week in heat-wave conditions... we finished yesterday at 7pm and have passed the keys back, awaiting the inspection with bated breath.
I am unable to find anything just yet in our new home: including my mobile telephone! I have tried 'phoning my number but to no avail.  It's definitely not in our old house so I still haven't given up hope of finding it.  We haven't had internet access either so it's been like living in the twilight zone! Thankfully, our internet has been sorted today and we won't have to pay any fees for getting out of the previous contract with the supplier either: bonus :)
Loving the new house... we're still renting, although we've already met the owner (whose sister lives one side of us and his parents the other), and he's intimated that he wants to sell it: I am going to persuade Jeff to buy the place, as it means I would get out of the Bond clean at the end of the tenancy.

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.