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!