Anzac Day

So yesterday was Anzac day, and a bank holiday over here. It feels very weird to have a bank holiday in the middle of the week (although when you're a lady of leisure like me then every day is a bank holiday!). We went out for a few scoops on Tuesday night, and decided that we would go to the dawn service at the war memorial, which is just down the road.

So up we got at 4am, feeling a little bleary, and not quite sure what to expect. For some reason I don't think either of us thought it would be a very big deal, but we left the apartments to join a massive stream of people heading towards the memorial. There must have been a couple of thousand people there - it was amazing. I can't even begin to imagine the turnout at dawn on an autumn bank holiday morning for a memorial service at home, but I can tell you Brisbane turned out very well indeed. The service started at 4.28 because that was when the Aussies landed at Gallipoli, and it was a really moving service. It was really nice to see such a massive effort for remembrance, even all these years on. Got a bit of a lump in my throat.

Not a lot of news really. We move into our apartment tomorrow, and I don't know when we'll get set up with internet access so this might be my last blog for a little bit. Tomorrow night we're going to the moonlight wine tasting which should be very nice - Stu won some tickets through some quiz thingy at work. We're both looking forward to it - I'm sure by that point the novelty of living in an apartment with no furniture or telly will have well and truly worn off, so some wine will be a very welcome distraction.

Anyway best go and get on with my chores for the afternoon. Expect a big update whenever I next get back onto the interweb!

x

Important Marmite update

A tale of kindness down under.

At Stu's new assignment, his boss has gone on holiday for 4 weeks. Before he left he asked how we were settling in, and Stu told him we were grand, but missing marmite.

Today when Stu got to his desk, he found a jar of the precious brown stuff (not poo) that said colleague (an Australian no less) had gone to his local brit supplies shop and purchased and left for him before he went on holiday.

When Stu emailed me this little story this morning I must say I had to look up and blink a few times.

Domestic bliss

Another day another update. I decided to change my font for this one to spice things up a bit.

On Friday I went to a careers expo all dressed up all smart (sweating like a Brit abroad), armed with copious CVs and a determined and professional attitude. Unfortunately it was heaving with school kids on day release (and making the most of it) and I stuck out like a sore pom. I didn't make it very far around to be honest, as I felt a little bit dismissed by most of the people I spoke to, who showed very little interest in anything I had to say. I did get a contact for an agency that deal with placing people into the police, so am preparing myself to lay siege to them and prove that just because I am Johnny Foreigner does not mean I am Johnny Unemployable. Will keep you posted.

Then we went over to our new little apartment. The phrase 'compact and Bijou' springs to mind, but it'll do us grand for the forseeable. Unfortunately the folk who run the building are desperately in need of an arse-elbow orienteering course - they could not run a bath. I suppose though it is a pretty busy time for them with 800 odd people moving in in the space of about a month. It is very exciting to be doing trendy inner city living - I'm really looking forward to it. Yesterday we went off and bought a Fridge Freezer and Washing Machine for our new place - bizarrely this made us both feel more grown up than getting hitched and moving to the other side of the world did! So although we will be sitting and sleeping on the floor and staring at the walls (no budget for telly or sofa!) we will have cold beer and clean clothes. Not sure we need much else really!

We also set ourselves up with boring but essential things like phones and electrickery and the such like. I think it's sinking in a bit now that we really live here - we've certainly got a paper trail now!

Today we just kind of pottered around - went down to the pier for eggs benedict and latte breakfasts and just to watch the river go by in the sunshine. One of Stu's new colleagues was there, and he kept calling him Simon. Stu didn't correct him so now we're in that awful quandary of either - a) embarrassing him by correcting him next time he gets it wrong, or b) letting him call Stu Simon for ever. He's a pom too (from Orpington no less) and wants us to get together for beers and stuff with him and his wife, so this one could run and run.

That's it for the minute really - all very dull and domesticated, but hey it all needs to be sorted before the proper business of holidaying can begin!

Also - a word to the wise for anyone coming out here. Avoid this stuff at all costs. It is NOT Marmite. Repeat it is NOT marmite. It has the texture, colour and consistency of a red wine hangover poo and does not look becoming on a slice of toast. If you do come out - please bring us lots of marmite. REAL marmite.

Aaaaaaaaaand... relax

So we can stop worrying about the thing at number one on the worry list - we now have somewhere to live (hurrah!).

I don't know whether it was the hot coals, the broken glass, or humorous anecdotes about jumping induced flatulence, but we have secured ourselves a flat in the place we wanted!

We are on the 11th floor, in a wee one bed place. We haven't seen the specific flat yet, so I don't know what kind of view we'll get, but the building isn't massively overlooked so we should be OK. It's very central and not far from Stu's work. And if I EVER get a job, maybe it won't be far from my work either.

Which reminds me, I must go and give my full attention to number two on the worry list - ta ra.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Starting to feel a little frustrated now!

I just can't believe how incredibly difficult it is to persuade anyone to rent us a flat! You would NOT believe the amount of stuff I have had to produce for the people in the flats that we really want to live in - marriage and birth certificates, bank cards, even a letter from the people who run the serviced apartments that we're staying in saying that we're staying here. It is RIDICULOUS. Last night they decided that we had to both produce 2 personal referees each who are based in Australia. We've not even been here 2 weeks yet! So I've had to call on the services of a poor chap who I shared a hostel room with for 2 weeks 6 years ago to be one of my referees - god bless him he's doing it, but how stupid is that? I did look over my journal from when I was here backpacking the other day and it notes the day that I met him - apparently I jumped off the top bunk (he had the bottom bunk) and the landing caused me to do a fart in his face. I hope he does not mention that when questioned.

Slightly worried that we are going to end up homeless a week on Friday when our time here finishes.

On a brighter note - the bag that we had to ship off separately at Gatwick airport has now arrived, which I am VERY pleased about as I was getting totally sick of my clothes. Only problem is I don't know where the padlock keys are.

On another bright note - yesterday Stu found out that he has his first proper assignment as a consultant type person! He is very clever - it was his first interview that he had been sent out on, with SMS' biggest client, not even been in the company a full week yet and he got the job. I am very proud of him. He went off this morning looking very smart, I will let you know how he gets on.

Well best go and make my daily visit to these apartments to comply with their info requests. I might chuck a right down Walking Over Hot Coals Street, then shortcut through Crawling Over Broken Glass Avenue.

This little piggy went to market

Still no joy in finding somewhere to live - we've seen some right horrors this weekend I tells ya! Still can't believe the states that some Landlords think it's acceptable to try and rent a place in. Ah well, we shall persevere.

This weekend we mostly went looking at horrible places to live, and visited a couple of the local markets (of which there seem to be no shortage happily enough!). Yesterday we went to the Jan Powers Market in New Farm (which is definitely somewhere we would want to live if we could find somewhere). It was like a great big farmers market in a park right on one of the bends of the river. It was really lovely, and Stu managed to get some organic meat so he is happy out. Got some lovely Thai veggies and stuff to make a nice veg curry with tonight too - yum.

Unfortunately in a day of a lot of pottering around I managed to do a very silly thing - got sunburnt. But not just any old sunburn - oh no, I managed to do it whilst wearing a vest top and carrying a bag with the strap across my body. Leaving me very stripy. Twat.

We also encountered our very first horrendously racist Australians. They took umbrage to the fact that there was an aboriginal family on the Ferry, and were not shy about using some extremely unpleasant language to express their viewpoint quite loudly. I have to say though, whilst it was very uncomfortable, in the main everyone we have met has been outstandingly lovely, and I don't think they are representative of general attitudes. It's great here - as soon as you stop and get your little 'I'm a tourist' map out, folk stop to make sure you're OK and try and give you directions. Can you imagine if someone tried to do that in London? You'd just clutch your handbag a bit tighter, put your head down and scurry off.

Today we've just been for a bit of a potter round the Riverside and Eagle Street markets. They were really lovely, full of lots of precious things. I am pretty sure that once we are settled and a bit more solvent quite a lot of them will be finding their way home with me. Stu has a little bit of a hangover as he went off to the Pig & Whistle last night to watch the Hammers. And is feeling a little sorry for himself due to their now likely demotion. I've set aside this afternoon to do my CV and get applying for some work - boo. I can think of many more ways I would like to spend a sunny Sunday!

And another thing

Forgot to say that today is the start of 'let's try being a vegetarian for a month' month. Think Stu might be inadvertently joining me too as we can't seem to find any organic meat and I don't think even he can bring himself to eat intensively farmed shit.

And also please everyone email the prime minister of Canada about the seal hunt. Takes 2 seconds. And if you ever watched any of the footage of it it would probably make you cry - and my philosophy is if it makes you cry, do something about it (which is why I have been banned from watching nature programmes, and researching sad things on the internet. Our charitable donation fund cannot take it any more).

Wish me luck!

Memory Lane

Well, we'll have been here for one week tomorrow, which feels at the same time like it's been bloody ages, and no time at all. Haven't been up to much in the last couple of days. I went for a bit of a walk past the hostel I used to work in, and around that neck of the woods the other day, which was a bit weird. Everything is still there and still exactly the same - felt like I'd got in my dolorean and gone back 6 years.

Stu has started work now, and seems to be enjoying it. I think he still feels very much like the new boy and as is typical in new work he has a lot to take in, but I think he'll be grand. He's a smart cookie my husband. I'm not doing anything really yet - just lots of admin. Getting visas stamped, bank accounts, all that malarkey. Starting to feel a little anxious about sorting out some accommodation as we'll be getting booted out of this place in a couple of weeks. We're trying to apply to the fancy new apartments in town but the process of getting somewhere to rent over here is a bit rigorous, and not very easy to get all the necessary paperwork and jump through all the necessary hoops when you're Johnny Foreigner fresh off the boat. Also they are now out of 2 bed places, and only have 1 bed, and Stu is being a bit stubborn about having 2 beds. So there may be a domestic on the horizon.

Anyway once all the admin is done I'll be throwing myself into looking for a job as money is something else I'm meithering about!

So sorry there are no exciting tales of drunken excess today, but the holiday couldn't last forever unfortunately! Hope you're all well and enjoyed the bank holiday sunshine at home.

x

Settling in

This one might be a bit of a long one - sorry.

Last few days have been mostly taken up with exploring, and slowly killing ourselves with alcohol. In the event of my untimely demise there is a strong possibility that I may not need embalming.

It all started innocently enough on Saturday night with a game of Canasta. This is an activity usually undertaken with the Darkinses, and as with most Darkins related activities it would be rude not to have a few scoops to mark the occasion. As we had invested in a bottle of Havana Club at the trusty duty free we thought Cuba Libres would be appropriate. So we sank a few of those. Then thought as we didn't want to drink a whole litre of rum in one night we would switch to red wine. Then happily finding ourselves still awake at midnight we decided to decamp to the local where the West Ham v Arsenal game was playing (Stu being a Hammer and me being a very dedicated wife). Naturally, watching football involves drinking beer (can you tell where this is headed yet?).

Turns out as well that this pub is the meeting place of the Brisbane Hammers for most of their match watchings. At some point in the second half I lost the will to live, ability to walk and talk etc, so decided to head home. I had the intention of leaving a key for Stu on reception so he could get in whenever he came back, but for reasons which are somewhat hazy I didn't. I then realised some time later that he wasn't there, so went out looking for him. The pub was all shut up, so I came back again, and the very nice man on reception in our apartment thingies asked me if I was looking for a drunk pommy. I confirmed that was indeed the purpose of my search, and it turned out he had just let him in. We are neither of us any the wiser as to where he had been, or how we had managed to pass each other.

We decided to carry on with the cuba libres - after all what use is a half full bottle of rum to anyone? Might as well empty it and get it in the recycling. Awaking at 2pm the next afternoon with a herd of wildebeest stampeding in my head I realised the folly of this decision.

So there we were on our first wedding anniversary, absolutely hanging and with no inclination to do anything but hide from the day. But we dragged ourselves kicking and screaming out, and went to the Jade Buddha on Eagle Street Pier for the barbecue option - and very nice it was too. No anniversary news to report though due to our absolutely death like states.

Easter Monday was slightly more successful - we went out for a great big walk round the South Bank (very nice - wee market on and it's where the city beach is which is slightly surreal but nice), then over to the Botanical Gardens, which was a bit of a blast from the past as myself and Alison Flanagan once hired Rollerblades for the afternoon and chose that location to demonstrate to Australia a lack of co-ordination the likes of which had never been seen before. We then headed over to Kangaroo Point (which is on the short list of suburbs that we would like to live in, in the event that we win the lottery at some point in the next few weeks). Refresher in the Story Bridge Hotel and then got the ferry back over to town for a bit of a wander. I'm hoping that has satisfied Stuart's sight-seeing demands for a little while as I am far too fat to be enjoying such exertions.

Anyway - I'm boring myself a bit now, so I'm sure I must have lost your attention by now. I'm off out shortly to visit some of the old stomping grounds from my previous visit to Brisbane 6 years. How very nostalgic of me! Stu went off to start his new job today, so fingers crossed for him everyone! Below is a wee album of a few bits we've seen/done so far if you haven't totally switched off yet.

Robinsons Down Under

Too busy

In the last year I have

• got married
• Gone on holidays to New Zealand, Australia, Thailand and Singapore
• Adopted the two bestest kittens in the whole wide world
• Rehomed the two bestest cats in the whole wide world
• Moved house twice
• Had one new job
• Been made redundant
• Been unemployed
• Lived with the old folks (again)
• Been to prison (working before you ask)
  
• Turned 30
• Been upgraded
• Hosted 6 people for christmas
• Been a cheshire housewife (for a week)
• Swum with dolphins
  
• Emigrated to Australia

I think I might go for a bit of a lie down.

April 06 to April 07

My husband wears thongs

Not an awful lot to report as we have mostly just been titting around and finding our feet. Our apartments are very very nice indeed, and Stu could just about piss on his new office from them, which is great. Went out for a very nice tea last night at a lovely steak restaurant on Eagle Street Pier which is a grand waterfront bit with loads of bars and restaurants not far from where we are staying. Very nice for a potter about.

Today we mostly shopped, and Stu bought his very first thongs. So now we are both trying to wear in our flip-flop feet - youch.

We also went and looked round a potential apartment to rent in town. It is very super fancy - just been built and no-one lives there yet. I just can't make up my mind about it though - it doesn't make either of us particularly excited, but ticks all the logical boxes in terms of location, nice, clean etc. All the boring stuff basically. So we'll see. Unfortunately we don't have to luxury of time to look around loads of places and suss out all the suburbs and stuff, so we might just have to go with head rather than heart for the time being.

Our last dilemma of the day is where to go tomorrow, when the Robinsons will be one year old. There is much debate as to whether it would be more appropriate to go out for a super fancy slap up tea at an organic restaurant which is supposed to be pretty nice. Or we could go to this place on Eagle Street Pier that one of the ladies we met in Raffles Hotel told us about. Apparently every Sunday they just lay on a great big barbecue and everyone just settles in for a massively boozy afternoon. It is a tricky one. Maybe I'll park myself on the balcony with a cuba libre and ponder for a bit.

Currently 24.2C, 10:33am.

So our last day in Singapore was grand. Headed out to the airport and checked in about 9 hours early for our flight (they were a little surprised, but hey, saved some money on the old left luggage) and then went onto the Changi Chapel and Museum which is just next to the airport. All very interesting and informative, but I won't lie to you - war musems aren't really my bag.

We had a bit of time still to kill before the flight so Stu decided that we needed to go for some authentic hawker stall food before we left (probably feeling a bit guilty about our rubbishness in eating in the hotel the night before). So we hauled ass to this place called the Geylang Serai food market. It was a right old slog and very hot and I nearly lost the will to live, but whatever - once we got there the food was absolutely GORGEOUS. We had a load of chicken satay being unadventurous tourists, and then a Nasi Padang. Still couldn't tell you what was in it, but it tasted of heaven. We were the only tourists there - probably everyone else was put off by the fact that it was a filthy dirty food market for local people, but I loved it.

Singapore

Our luck couldn't hold out for a third time on the plane unfortunately, so we cattle classed it all the way to Brisbane. But here we are safe and sound - I'll update on Brizzie stuff later as Stu is champing at the bit to get out and about.

x

Hot in the city

Verdict on Singapore - like it! It's a funny wee place - it has loads of ethnic quarters which are lovely, all next to the colonial old school bits. It's kind of like an Asian theme park, with Little India, Chinatown etc, but you just don't get hassled by loads of annoying touts. It's ever so nice. We did get stalked by one rickshaw driver for a couple of hours yesterday, but other than that we have been unscathed. Bought a couple of nice things (could have bought several hundred more nice things to be honest) so feeling very fulfilled by our trip.

We were feeling pretty perky the afternoon we arrived due to our high class travelling style, so we went to Little India for a bit of a scoot around and some tea. We spied a pub called the Prince of Wales (not particularly authentic) and stopped off for our inaugural Singapore beers. Then we pottered round a bit, and went for a bloody fantastic ring stinging curry eaten off banana leaves. It was fab. Curry for 2 with about 6 different dishes - about £4. 2 Beers - about £6. First Singapore lesson learnt - food cheap, beer expensive. Back to hotel and bed.

Yesterday was a bit of a full on walk around sight seeing day. Did a walk from our wee guide book called the Arabic Amble round the (you guessed it) Arabic quarter, which was really nice. If a little warm. The onto Raffles Hotel for the obligatory Singapore Slings and throwing peanut shells on the floor. We met a couple of very nice ladies there who were wierdly enough from Brisbane and gave us loads of tips. Small world.

Stu then dragged us on to look at some cricket ground (yawn) and then we wandered on into Chinatown for a bit of a potter. Got offered the chance to have about a million suits made for us, but resisted. We were so knackered after all this that we couldn't rightly be arsed to do anything particularly authentic for tea so ate in the hotel and got a bit tiddly. Second lesson of Singapore - food cheap, wine expensive.

Away to Brisbane this evening, arrive at about 6 tomorrow morning which is particularly unfortunate since we can't check into our apartment thingies til 2. Pants. Going to a museum today, will report later as Stu is hassling me to help him pack.

x

Blaggers

and would you believe me if i told you that we were upgraded from Dubai to Singapore as well?

I have decided that business is the only way to fly. It is great.

We are now safe and sound in sunny singapore, about to go out exploring - ta-ra.

Going up in the world

Well here we are at sunny Dubai airport (although it's not sunny at all, it's the middle of the night and the air con is positively baltic), and already there is a story to tell.

For a bit of background we are Emirates Silver Skywards Club members as our honeymoon flights last year gained us enough loyalty points to become slightly more special than your bog standard Emirates flyers. This means we can queue jump a bit when checking in and go in the business class queue. Which was just as bloody well as it turns out that we had grossly overestimated how much excess baggage we were allowed to take under the scheme and were 22 kilos over. Which would have cost us around £1200 to fly over to Brisbane. So off we trooped to some cargo shipping company on the other side of the terminal to ship it over a bit cheaper - ended up having to buy a new bag and frantically stuff it with pants and socks before we shipped off our heaviest bag. God only knows when we will see it again but it was considerably cheaper and brought us under our baggage allowance.

Anyway during the course of the whole debacle with the check in folks (who were really lovely) we said we were emigrating, and it came up in conversation that I am not the most confident person on a plane. Bless them they kept trying to get the supervisor over to talk to me to reassure me (as much as is possible) that I was unlikely to die mid flight (as is my usual worry). Anyway the upshot was we checked in, waved everyone off, tropped off through duty free etc (although with a much restricted budget).

Then we got to the gate and they said we had a seat change - and lo and behold we had been upgraded to business class. God only knows how we managed that since I look like a total tramp, in clothes that are as close to pajamas as is humanly possible whilst still being in what is officially defined as daywear. Maybe they just took pity on us because we had been all stressed out checking in and were emigrating and whatnot - all I can say is - Emirates check in girls I salute you!

Flight was bloody marvellous as you'd expect - massive seats that almost recline flat, meal on plates with knives and forks, the cabin crew knew all our names and even dug out a polaroid camera to take a memento piccie of me and stu on our emigration flight. Wonderful. We're currently in the business class lounge at Dubai airport waiting for the next flight, enjoying a wee buffet and some beers. Can't beat it. We're pretty sure we'll be in cattle class for the next leg, but it was still a grand way to start the adventure.

More soon

x

Leaving (heavily sedated) on a jet plane

So here it is. The day of reckoning. If only I felt a little more prepared, but instead I feel like all the hangovers I've had over the last month have joined forces today.

So we're off to the airport at 10. Meeting Stu's sisters there for another emotional farewell - I'm sure that everyone I say goodbye to now thinks I'm really heartless, but I'm starting to feel a little goodbyed out and blase. Then off to Singapore for a couple of nights, then off to Brisbane! We arrive on Good Friday morning at about 6 or something ridiculous like that, then off to our serviced apartments where the good folks at Stu's new company are putting us up for about 3-4 weeks. That month will be a bit of a mad scramble to find our own gaff and a job for me, but hopefully a little tiny bit of sight seeing too.

The last month has been nothing if not a little hectic. I would say don't bother going to Harrods - it's not that exciting. Also if you ever go to your husbands' leaving work do don't get so pissed that he ends up having to look after you and make sure you get home safe as he won't appreciate it. We've had some wonderful hospitality this month, so a massive thank you to everyone who's put us up/put up with us during that time. It has been wonderful to be able to spend some quality time with you all before we shoot off. Thanks also to everyone who came out on Saturday - we had a bloody great night. Also thanks for being so understanding about the bar tab situation - I hope you all felt like you got your tenners worth out of the bar. I woke up at 6:30 on Sunday morning with a raging thirst, and had to clean my teeth about 5 times before they lost their little coat of fur. Still feeling a little weary now, but hey I have nothing much to do today.

So we're off. (I think I may have started nearly every paragraph today with the word 'So'). Goodbye everyone, and I'll try and update again as soon as I can (as I know you're all on the edge of your seat).

Take care

x