boxes f,,,,,, boxes

i am glad i had today off to pack boxes (not).

there are now a mountain of the suckers. i am looking forward to Monday when all i should have is a suitcase. no more boxes at least for a few weeks.

there is much to be said for the buddhist monk way of life i reckon.

all we need to do now is move the bloody things. YAY

another job comes to an end

I finished my job today to give myself a few days to do the final bits of arranging required to ensure we can go to the UK next week.

tomorrow we will do our final packing and then over sat, sun and monday we will move everything out of our house.

once we are out it will be cleaned and then hopefully rented.

we are now pretty much all systems go for the trip:

- everyone has a passport and visa now (cut it a bit fine but all that ends well).
- we have money in the bank.
- Sue has a job to go to and i have a potential job (just need to turn up without two heads).
- we have a short term accomodation set up (3 weeks when we get there).

all that needs to happen now is for us to move out, say our goodbyes and then get on a plane. once we get there we get to do everything again in reverse (yippee not).

so how does it feel? its still a bit strange really.

- it is highly likely today was sue's last work day in Australia (she is celebrating this right as i write - it could be a bit messy later), and it is quite possibly mine as well.
- we both feel we may never return to live in this house and
- we simply have no idea what turns the four lives (sue, jeff, ash and georgia) will take over the next couple of years.

there is much to be hopeful about - new jobs, new friends (and for some maybe lovers), new experiences, travel - but only time will tell where this next little journey in the great game of life will take us.

wish us well - see you on the other side of a brief intermission

the realm of possibility exists where

today we had a family farewell (sort of).families are so interesting dont you think. everyone seems to truly love each other (if only once a year).

we had a treasure hunt (sort of). we had so much stuff and we offered our family those things we could not send into our future, or see value in placing in a storage unit (perhaps never to see the light of day again).

i suspect most of us have stuff we no longer need but which have some real value to someone (family, friend or foe).

i would like to think that today we payed it forward (again) and that our small gifts will make our families happier and potentially grow into something even more valuable.

sky is blue and black

i like this song. sometimes i use it to lull myself to sleep.

tick tock

well folks its now only 4 weekends till we (well at least 2 of us) put our bums on plane seats. this week we sent some boxes on a ship and moved some things to mum and dads. we are progressively getting rid of all of our stuff.

Sue has a plane ticket, but no visa. this is going to be interesting.

Georgia has a plane ticket, but no visa. she is going to have her identity checked tomorrow (what if she is not who she says she is?)

there is still a lot of junk to get rid of (or store) and all the admin tasks to finish (cancelling all of the accounts etc).

it looks like there might be a chance of me getting a job before i get to the UK which would be handy.

At the UK end there are still a few issues to sort out - like we dont have anywhere to live yet. We need to arrange some short term accommodation and then find a place to rent. Just another minor detail in the great game of relocate yourself to the other side of the world.

tick tock the clock is ticking. we just have to hope its not attached to a relocation bomb

never a great dancer - for georgia

no michael (well almost) but i bet it could make a great pub night (30 sec blitz)



can u spot the resemblance?

London here we come

ok ok i know

again its been a while (sorry).

tour de france duties, work, packing and organising for UK. all poor excuses i know.

life is just peachy in Perth (except it is bloody cold). Get over it sucker i hear you say. i am contemplating a trip to the store to find some headgear for "bald head" and a big warm overcoat and some gloves for "smooth office hands" - dont mock they come in handy sometimes.

box packing has started. there is going to be some god awful last minute scramble i suspect but whatever is left will be the best verge leftovers for a while in town (tell your friends to bring a trailer).

i cant believe it is only about 7 weeks and the key ingredient to this adventure still doesnt have a ticket.

oh well - what will be will be. this could be just the shortest/greatest holiday in town. all we need now is the lotto numbers

go LANCE - stick it up the French and Alberto!!

life goes on

its been a while again. while we havent been too busy, life has been "solid". everyone is working, some are travelling, we are still organising ourselves to go to the UK and the countdown clock is running faster by the day. it is now only 11 weeks till we go (unless i can bring my flight forward - i am still trying to get in touch with the company i brought the ticket through).

Sue is heading off to the UK this week for work and to spend 3 days looking around for areas for us to live in.

at this time we still really have nothing sorted:

- Ash and i are still waiting to get our British Passports
- I am still trying to change my flight
- Sue and Georgia still dont have flights booked or visas sorted
- we have no idea where to live in the UK and it is doing our head in looking at properties on the web
- georgia needs to get a new Aust Passport
- we still need to sort out shipping of the things we need to the UK and to relocate/store anything we want to leave behind
- Sue needs to go to UK for 10 days, to Melbourne for a week
- jeff still needs to spend a weekend in Melbourne while Sue is there
- ash still needs to go to Melbourne (as does Georgia apparently)

other that there is not really much to do, besides organising a range of going away events

so please forgive me if i dont spend too much time here over the next few weeks/months

look after your beaver (s)

seems you really do have to look after them after all

Beavers blamed for train derailment

time goes by

i wrote the following a couple of months ago when my life was on the cusp of change;
_________________________________________

i now live with a sense that the days will look after themselves without too much interference from me and we will be OK or better (in a relative sense)
___________________________________________

quite frankly i am not sure that i havent interfered too much but life has certainly changed and it has more change to go. one can only tell if my musing at the time will become reality for all concerned.

whatever happens i think we will all be OK or better (in a relative sense) but like any journey in life - if you dont like the ride - you might simply have to choose to get off the "train".

apologies

this blog is neglected i know, but one has been busy. its strange but it seems that the lives of all the people close to me (and me) are interesting at the moment. there are dramas (some of them serious but generally not "major") but all of them together make life just a little bit interesting.

in some instances the parts do not know the whole so my apologies for being distracted/aloof/distant. i think of you all often i promise even if it is only fleetingly.

so what is actually happening in Dullsville:

- grandad is back in hospital (nothing serious it seems). he was struggling to get around - then he gets admitted to hospital and it now appears he is doing laps (go figure)
- nanna is getting better (but she will need some pretty major back surgery sooner or later
- georgia is being repatriated back to Australia. it sometimes happens when all monetary reserves run out
- nan and pop seem to be going ok (she has 300+ cds, a buddha, a couple of metal dogs and some more freebies on the way, he has steroids)
- maggie (a real dog) passed away today
- fi and Kee are battling on in Melbourne (one of Kee's cousins has terminal cancer - ps girls get a pap smear done regularly)
= sue and jeff are still trying to work out how to manage the transition to London (and the WA Govt arent really that helpful - frankly i am being kind. maybe one day i will actually tell the story to inside cover)
- jeff has stopped working in the BWS and has cut back his hours to 3 days to help the company he is working for weather the global economic storm

other than all that things are damn rosy. so please forgive me if i leave you out. i care for you all and i will be back

life she is a changing again

the past few months have been busier (at least in a structured way) than those n the recent past before them and things are going to change over the coming months:

- nanna has had her ops and is getting better and Grandad went home (tuesday) after spending his time in respite care for ~2 months. as with every situation there is always good and bad. while it was necessary it was "awful" (and i am sure i will never go here - the smell alone affected me everytime). however, it provided the opportunity for us to spend more time together than would have been likely otherwise. i really enjoyed these times - even when we sat and said nothing!!

- i am giving up the bottleshop (i like it but it was getting to be too hard) but

- i am changing my consulting arrangement as well (moving from 5 days to 3) so while the money might go down again for a while i will have some freer (or certainly less structured) time over the next couple of months which might come in handy.

- we are going to London for sure

- nan/pop are kicking arse (no kidding) - give me some of their drugs

one thing which isnt changing - i am still not sleeping well!!

life in the faster lane

life above ground generally speaking is a good thing, but i suspect for many it is actually a chore.

i reckon the past 18 months have made me a more grounded and in my own mind a better (but still no way close to a perfect)person.

Philosophically, i have reached the "tipping" point where one says one should have a good life (rather than simply have a long life) and frankly i personally will not grow old (and be infirm) for the sake of it.

my attitude to what looks like success and especially to money/property has changed drastically i think (but if i had none i might not be so philosophical about it) to one where i now think money/property is simply a means to an end rather than an end (or symbol) in itself. having said that clearly we do not live yet (i will win lotto one day) in a world where money is no object.

however, that is not my key thought (well nearly its not). having spent some time on the bench (as a "redundant person") and more recently having spent some time in the "faster" lane i have come to have a different view or it.

the world is simply a network of maybe faster lanes -like highways next to freeways or Autobahns.

if you are in any one of these lanes on a busy day it can look like an autobahn (bit like some women/men look better/bigger after a skin full of your favourite alcohol). but in reality life is sometimes not an autobhahn but simply just a fast highway lane turning into a country lane if something doesnt change soon.

rushing around like an "idiot" in a small car on a small highway will never solve the problem.

__________________________________

its related i think

a man goes to see a hooker and he says "honey do you take american express." she retorts - "honey you pay your money you can go as fast as you like".


the question here is - was he driving on a country road or an autobahn?? the size of the tunnels may not be relevant.

maybe he will never know unless he stops (at some point) and looks around.

_________________________________

the more time i now spend in the faster lane the less enamoured i am to it overall. there seem to me to be too many "idiots" running around madly "shouting" at people.

but that might just be a symptom of my age or experiences.

maybe my lotto ticket will save me and allow me to get out onto the bikepaths of life.

humourous

things have been a bit hectic over the past few weeks and i havent had the time or the inclination to blog. However, i could not let the opportunity to post this joke/story sent to me today (thank you Sue) go by. I laughed but i guess i have this kind of sense of humour.

The Meaty Bites Diet

I've got 2 dogs. I bought a large bag of Meaty Bites at Big W and was standing in line at the check-out.

A woman behind me asked if I had a dog.

On impulse, I told her that no, I was starting The Meaty Bites Diet again, although I probably shouldn't because I'd ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 25 kgs before I woke in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IV's in both arms.

I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pants pockets with Meaty Bites and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry & that the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again.

I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story, particularly a guy who was behind her.

Horrified, she asked if I'd ended up in the hospital in that condition because I had been poisoned by the food. I told her no, it was because I'd been sitting in the middle of the road licking my d… and a car hit me.

I thought one guy was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard as he staggered out the door.

Stupid bitch...why else would I buy dog food??

melbourne - great place to visit

i quite like melbourne as a city to visit. it is people friendly (as a tourist). the food is cheap, the public transport is good (at least when we travelled on it) and the choices of settings (mountains/snow, beaches/surf, cafes, restaurants and great food which is cheap by comparison to perth) are all available in easy reach of the city (3-4 hours drive).

the weather is sometimes a bit iffy (4 seasons in 1 day) and in comparison to Perth the locals are less concerned about their environment (there is way too much rubbish and crap graffiti. My only other gripe is smoking - the sooner they stop it at restaurants and cafes the better (my view) as it detracts from what would otherwise be fantastic street eating.

overall we had a great time in Melbourne due largely to family and friends but it is a city well worth visiting for the sport, arts, scenery and food/wine. I'd go back.

some photos (not all from the same trip to prove my point):

tourists for a day

Sue and I played tourist today. Dale and Tony and the girls left for Noosa around 9.00 and we had breakfast in Williamstown then we got in the car and drove down towards Geelong. when we got there we drove straight through town and went to the beaches. We visited Lorne and Appollo Bay and we drove along the Great Ocean Road - .

we stopped at Bells Beach and watched some surfers play around in the waves.



I took this photo from about 1/2km away with a canon photoshop sx 100 camera (great little camera)



we spent quite a few hours in the car (travelling about 400km) but it was fantastic to play tourist for a day.

I cant believe how big, uninhabited and how varied this great country is. we went from city to world class surf to forests and then farmland all in half a day and we only went 400km in a circle

life's a beach (again) but someone's got to do it

been out to brunch with friends (laura, bob, chris and phil). very nice. now we are sitting watching the beach (i love Australian beaches)



its tough - weather is a perfect 29 and there is little or no breeze.

having drinks at 6 with Adelle, but other than that not much is happening.

adelaide - friends

the last few days in Adelaide have been fun. lots of food, some wine, a little chocolate and a bit of sleep. tomorrow will be no different then we will be off to melbourne for more of the same.

sometimes i wonder what the poor people are doing (then i realise it is us it just might take a little time to catch up with us)

hope you have all had a happy easter

j

happy easter

well folks its nearly that time of year and we will be heading off tomorrow on what has over the last couple of years been an easter pilgramage to the east. we are visiting Adelaide and Melbourne over the next 10 days to see friends and family and to say goodbye (for the next couple of years) because we probably wont see them again until after our UK trip (unless they come visit us).

I hope everyone of you has a great and safe easter and that you get all the chocolate you deserve.

love and best wishes

new languages

came across this the other day. No offense meant. Sorry made me laugh

Learn Chinese in 5 Minutes

(Must Read Out Loud)
1) That’s not right................................................Sum Ting Wong
2) Are you harbouring a fugitive......................... Hu Yu Hai Ding
3) See me ASAP.................................................. Kum Hia
4) Stupid Man.................................................. ....Dum Fuk
5) Small Horse................................................ .....Tai Ni Po Ni
6) Did you go to the beach................................ .....Wai Yu So Tan
7) I bumped the coffee table...............................Ai Bang Mai Fa Kin Ni
8) I think you need a face lift................................ Chin Tu Fat
9) It’s Very dark in here...................................... ...Wai So Dim
10) I Thought you were on a diet........................... Wai Yu Mun Ching
11) This is a tow away zone................................... No Pah King
12) Our meeting is scheduled for next week.......... Wai Yu Kum Nao
13) Staying out of sight......................................... Lei Ying Lo
14) He’s cleaning his automobile ......................... Wa Shing Ka
15) Your body odor is offensive............................ Yu Stin Ki Pu
16) Great..........................................................Fa Kin Su Pah