messing about on the river

In November my dad came to visit. He had 4 days in Singapore before arriving in perth for 2 weeks. I had a lot planned but was then struck by some weird stomach bug that lasted a week (Dad managed to entertain himself one day and found his way to the casino, where of course he came back with more money than he started with). And then Bob (the car) died scuppering some of our plans. However, the bikes were the saviours and most days were spent cycling and exploring. Dad did amazingly well, having not been on a bike for probably about 15 years. He was a bit shaky at the start but by the end of the trip was a pro and I admit to not going easy on him!

We had an awesome evening out sailing on the Swan River, thanks to one of Rusty’s work colleagues. We went out on this tiny boat and spent a couple of hours admiring the expensive river side properties and we even saw a dolphin swim by! How cool is that!

happy new year! (only 18 days late)

I can’t believe it’s already 18^th January! 2010 flew by in a flash and now it’s already mid-january. The last couple of months have been busy, busy, busy and my blog has totally fallen by the wayside. Hey ho, back on it now, hopefully.

2010 was an interesting year. The last few months of 2009 were pretty sour work wise and I was glad to see the end of it for that reason. 2010 however was a pretty big year - the year I left my job to pursue an adventure in Perth, Australia with a man I’d only been dating for 4 months before he left. Well, you know, sometimes you have to seize these opportunities! So now 7 months later, I’m not working, I refer to myself apologetically as ‘just a housewife’ (I must stop doing that) and I’m enjoying a sunny climate on the other side of the world. Hooray!

We saw in the New Year quietly with a yummy curry at our fave Indian restaurant with our friends, J and T, followed by a few drinks on the veranda afterwards. We were heading off to Southbound festival New's Year Day so we didn't want to be too bleary eyed. The last few months have been so fantastic, I’ve been so happy and in love and have high hopes for 2011! It hasn’t started the best however! It’s been v. stressful here househunting, particularly initially without a car, Southbound festival (the less said about that the better!) And it’s been so, so, SO, hot. But stresses over, and now the New Year can properly begin. We’ll be moving next week and I’m excited as this will be our first home together. We’ve bought a Subaru Outback (it’s an All Wheel Drive) so we’re planning some driving trips to see more of Australia. I’m getting stuck into a new volunteering project which I’m looking forward to. I continue to forge good friendships this side of the world and two friends will welcome babies into the world this year (congratulations Dan and Emily and Jon and Tamara!) I think it's gonna be a good year!