Well dear blog, it’s 2008! To my faithful readers out there I hope you all had good New Year and have started 2008 out right. I suppose it’s in my nature to reminisce but I can’t help but think about 2007 which was a big year for me. Matt and I moved around/across the world (a far way aways any way that you look at it!), we started new jobs – I changed jobs moving up in my career quite a bit, a new flat and really, I stayed put in one place (one address for the first time in 6 years). In many ways 2007 was a great year – it feels good to settle a bit.


But let me get back to the last 3 weeks or so (which is about how long it’s been since I updated). Matt and I returned back to the central coast safe and sound. Christmas day we got everyone together and started opening presents around 1pm. It’s the first Christmas I’ve ever had without little kids around (really either me being a little kid or having cousins with me). Santa (and Matt were very good to me) and it was exciting to open all my presents from home – even if it meant everyone else had opened all of theirs and wandered off to do other things while i was still finishing. The weather on Christmas was pretty abysmal and grey. No turkey or mashed potatoes there! It was a very different Christmas and I guess that’s a part of growing up. In any event Matt’s family did a nice job of putting it all together (no small feat for 14 people!) and it was a lovely holiday.

Christmas Lunch


The tree


Me opening presents


Family



The day after Christmas was my first boxing day. The explanation someone gave me about boxing day was that it is an English tradition and comes from the time when the rich would bundle up left-overs and unwanted presents from Christmas and put them out for the poor the day after. While Christmas day was grey, Boxing Day was sunny and beautiful. Along with my first boxing day I got to take place in my first game of cricket. Matt has been showing me the ropes (really just trying to teach me the rules) over the last 2 years, so I figured why not have a go! Apparently on Holcombe Ave there is a backyard all day Cricket test with all the neighbors every Boxing Day. It was actually quite a bit of fun and I had a couple of turns a bat (even hit a few slammers!).

Back yard cricket pics


Me after scoring a few runs


Wild cockatoo's next door


The next day brought rain and a bit of laziness. We hit the beach and enjoyed soaking up more sun (and a fantastic burger joint called “Burger Girls”). The next day we decided to go check out Sydney. We had lunch in Darling Harbour, wandered through Paddy’s markets, rode the monorail! (cities with monorails just seem so cool), and had dinner in Chinatown. The highlight of the day was by far Sydney aquarium tho. Initially I was a bit upset as there were quite a few fish, etc in some pretty small tanks. But the you start to go through these tunnels which are absolutely amazing. And then you go from being in a tunnel to walking through the aquarium with water on all 4 sides of you.

The day before New Years we met up with Matt’s friend Ben, and his girlfriend, Jackie. Ben recently bought a boat (really a small tin row boat) and was able to rely on Matt’s expertise on how to navigate the seas. Along with Ben’s flatmate the 5 of us fit in the boat (with a 4 horsepower motor!) and went on a trip. We had a lovely journey with a few Corona’s, some swimming and even seeing a sting ray!

On New Years we met up with our friends Kelly and Daryl in Sydney at their friends place. Turns out one of their friends actually knows an acquaintance of mine from my club days back in the UK. It’s definitely a small world. We had some lovely drinks and dinner and then all went up to watch the fireworks from a near bye park. We were pretty far away on the other side of the city but they were still incredibly impressive – they’re not known as some of the world’s best fireworks for nothing! New Years day left me laying pretty horizontal the whole day. Not ideal for starting a new year but nothing like going out of the last year with a bang!


We flew home to New Zealand on the 2nd and I have to say it felt good to be home. I enlisted the help of Victoria and another colleague to plant sit while we were away and it was exciting to come home and discover that I am the proud parent of 4 tomatoes and 1 pepper. We had a nice time in Australia but it didn’t feel like a holiday to me.


Part of the excitement of coming home was my eagerness to return to work. Before I left I decided to apply for a permanent position working as an assistant for a few of the brokers. The day we left I found out I was short listed with another candidate and would have an interview as soon as I returned.


Well I had the interview the following Monday and last Thursday was OFFERED THE JOB! It really is a fantastic opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m finishing up a few bits and bobs in my current position and hope to start the new one by the end of the month. Last week was incredibly lucky for me – I also got my new screen for my laptop and my new Wii chipped with a micro chip that allows it to read copied games (the Wii was a present from Matt for Christmas). I played the lottery for grins and didn’t win (I suppose you can only have so much luck really). I did however send in the rest of my papers and money and am now an official permanent resident of New Zealand.


We’ve started looking for a car (almost bought one too, but were sadly beaten out by the fact that the person who looked at it the half hour before us bought it). Right now we are looking most at station wagons – Subaru legacy’s are the preference. Once we’ve got our car sorted out then comes house shopping. We extended the lease on our apartment until mid May and are hoping to find a house by then.


Osh and Caitlin have departed from New Zealand. It was a bit sad to see them off. I think it’s always hard when someone who’s been there for you the past few years, who knows the places and people you’re talking about when you’re in foreign surroundings leaves. On the plus side we managed to get tons of their stuff to populate our eventual new house with including a new bookcase, chair, printer, and the like.


New job, soon to be new car and new house…it’s all so exciting!

(You'll note i haven't put many pics up from after boxing day. I've taken many and they'll go up i promise. In the meantime you can see all my holiday shots at http://www.flickr.com/photos/15155257@N07/)

___________________________________________________