Monday, January 5, 2009

Back in the game?

G'day friends. I haven't been blogging since being back as I've had a bug and now the flue! I google'd the differences between the common cold and flue, its the flue for sure. My guess is I caught it on the plane.

Australia was wonderful! I don't know where to start! Firstly the weather. My flight to Perth went really well - quickly. I sat between two young guys named Andrew, the 3 of us chatted most of the way. One of the Andrew's is originally from Melbourne, but studying to be a professor in Philadelphia. The other Andrew (who wasn't full of himself like the first Andrew!) lives in Orange County. Super nice (and good looking!).

I got into Perth and firstly noticed how bright it is there. It might sound weird, but the sun seems to shine brighter on the West Coast of Australia than anywhere else I've ever been. The sun also scorches you more than anywhere else. 10 minutes and you feel your arm burning. No kidding. Its one of the worst places for skin cancer. Australia gets a lot of UV radiation. Needless to say I lathered myself in sunscreen and hat the whole trip. And managed to not get burnt.

I got picked up from the airport by my mates Greg & Rich and we just hung out while I dealt with jetlag. My aunt & uncle & cousins picked me up the next day and we made the trip down to the south west. 4 hours in the car. Sausage rolls along the way with tomatoe sauce. So good!!! I love WA bakeries!

I spent lots of time at the beach of course. And spent a lot of time with friends and my Mum who was super excited to have me there. I got to see friends I haven't seen in many years. If anyone reading this ever gets to go to the beaches in the south west of WA - you're in for a treat. They are up there in top beaches of the world. The sand is soft and powdery texture, white. And each time I go back I feel surprised at how crystal clear the water is. WA is so untouched.

The wedding went off brilliantly! It was such a country WA wedding!!! Very laid back. After the ceremony we went to a place called "Strawberry Hill Farm". We did barn dancing (Waves of Bondi) and everyone brought a rug, foldup chairs and chit chatted and ate scones with cream & jam. I loved it! Such a lovely afternoon. The sun was shining and it wasn't too hot. Everyone was so happy for the new couple.

After the afternoon tea I really needed a "drink" drink. Ie glass of wine. I had been catching up with people all day and was feeling really overwhelmed. So headed to "The Albany" for a glass of wine and wrote a card to my cousin & his new wife.

That evening the family got together with the new couple and we had a dinner and drinks. There were speeches and the like. Such a lovely time was had by all.

On the way home I drove on the wrong side of the road! Aaaghh! Thankfully there is hardly any traffic on the roads in WA so I quickly corrected myself when seeing a car coming towards me!

Now I'm back in the States and all confused when driving. I have to remember "right side... right side". I keep flicking on my wipers instead of indicator. I'm good at driving different sides of the roads (whichever applicable to said country!) but if I'm tired need to remember which side exactly. Its hard when there are no other cars around!

So now I'm home and trying to get better. My husband was all "you're so lucky... you get to stay home". Whatever. Staying home is fun when you feel good. I'd rather be feeling good and able to work and go for a run at lunch.

On the weekend I dragged my husband to Ikea. We live in a 1 bedroom apartment that is pretty small. If we're living here for a couple more years, I need things to be more organized. My living room has been driving me crazy. I feel like no matter how much I clean and tidy... it still never really looks tidy. So we bought better shelving, cute boxes and we'll be sorting it out. I'm looking forward to seeing the results.

Off to bed. I'll post some photo's soon. Mum has them in the mail...

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well sounds like quite a trip - can't wait to hear about who you caught up with in Albany and all the nitty gritty details! :) Thanks for the update. Hope you are feeling ok soon!! :)

Love Miss R

Frank said...

Sausage rolls with tomato sauce...oh why did I read this before lunch?

Australia sounds amazing. Going there has always been a dream of mine.

Its Just Me - Daring to Dream said...

Oh sorry that you are not feeling well, but with the shopping to IKEA I am sure it lifted your spirits a bit. I LOVE IKEA! Actually purchasing a sofa there for our new studio apartment...(smaller than your 1bedroom I guarantee)...

Would love to see pics of your purchases!

Get well soon!

Technodoll said...

Wow it's almost like being there! Minus the sunburns and yummy food though... glad you're back, hope your health follows soon :-)

Elizabeth said...

I'm glad to know you had fun on your trip, but catching the flu on the plane is awful! I hope you're feeling better.

Re: your comment on my blog—I bet you'll find some good stuff at the Rose Bowl! And I hope you have fun on your shopping foray. :D

Tea Lady said...

Miss R: It was quite a trip

Frank: do you know that tomatoe sauce = ketchup in the US? If you did, I'm impressed.

Daring to Dream: I really need to stop procrastinating and take some photo's of my furniture.

Enc: good to hear from ya! Thanks - I hope so too!