28.11.2011

Just a photo of me, in case any of you forgot what I look like. xx

27.11.2011

This has been a pretty decent week overall. I had a nice break from studies, I put in an application for an apartment that I quite liked, I had a lovely picnic with Shaun, went to a nice dinner out with friends and saw some pretty cool bands at The Phoenix (one of the few pubs I actually like here). And, of course, I am now the proud Auntie of my new nephew, William Joseph Bartel (I'll post some pics of the little bub next time). Oh, and I also had a job interview.... the one I mentioned in a previous post. So there are some promising prospects in the air as far as jobs and houses go.

Today's pictures are from the picnic. As you can see, it was a gorgeous day and the afternoon was perfect for lounging down by the foreshore, eating some yummy treats and listening to some tunes (Broken Social Scene was album of choice). We had fresh pineapple, sugar snap peas, garlic toast, pumpkin and basil dip, fresh mini roma tomatoes and with garlic and olive oil , chili and garlic olives, and honey roasted macadamia nuts. And of course, some sparkling mineral water!

I am so glad I was able to speak to some of you on Skype over Thanksgiving. I even got to see my wonderful grandparents! My Papaw was a bit under the weather, and I hope he is feeling better now. My brother Joe did most of the cooking for this year's turkey day celebrations, and I wish I could have been there to sample his culinary delights.... I am sure it was all fantastic. So proud of you, bro! It's always hard being away from home during this time of the year, but being away has certainly given me a whole new appreciation for family and friends. You all mean SO much to me!

I can't believe another week has come to an end. It was a typical Sunday for me – doing the washing, going to the supermarket and doing a bit of cleaning around the house. Tonight, I am making pasta puttanesca for dinner, and I have to say, I am already pretty excited about eating it. This particular pasta dish contains sardines, and typically, Shaun would not eat any fish products. However, I have been craving this dish for several days now, and he said that he would eat the sardines just this one time. What a guy, hey?

Hope you all had nice weeks also, and I would love to hear from any of you!

21.11.2011

As most of you know, I was lucky enough to be able to do some traveling this year. Shaun and I had an amazing journey, and I feel so blessed to have been able to see so many different parts of our world. It definitely put a spark inside my heart to see more! Many of you have already seen my photos; however, I have put up some new photos on Flickr for those who have not. So far, I have made sets for Aix En Provence, Amsterdam and Brussels. There are heaps more, so stay tuned!

In other news, I have a job interview on Wednesday! It will be at the ANU (Australian National University) again, but in a different area than my last job there. The position I will be interviewed for is as a coordinator for one of the colleges on campus. In Australia, a college refers to student residency..... similar to dormitories in the US. Anyways, I think it would be a really fun job, the pay is great, and they are offering part time hours which would be perfect and allow me more time to focus on my studies. My only concern is that I can't start until February because of the placement I have to do for one of my units. So keep your fingers crossed for me!

Hope you all are well! Love to you all!

17.11.2011

Currently, I have no job and no permanent home and I have just spent thousands of dollars on my next three units and book fees. To add to the lack of job and home, I can now also add "no money" to the mix! Slightly sickening, to tell you the truth. Is it worth it? Am I making the right choices? I feel very stressed right now; there is not much structure in my daily life and that is something I really need. Sorry this is all a bit depressing. Despite it all, I am still trying to stay positive about the whole situation. I am just very anxious to get settled again. Please keep your fingers crossed that the right apartment and the right job comes along in the very near future! And I promise that my next post will be much more positive!

9.11.2011 v.2

Overall, this past weekend was absolutely wonderful. I decided to take a much needed break from studying and enjoy the gorgeous weather instead. As you can see, Shaun and I enjoyed a lovely afternoon game of Scrabble, complete with a bottle of red wine and Cheezels (a weird Cheeto-like product). I actually won this round too! We also went on a nature hike, as there is a great nature reserve right across the street from Dryandra. No good animal spottings, but I did take some photos of a couple of trees, which you can see here on my latest Flickr set. As you will see, the trees appear to etched with little squiggly designs. These designs come from bark-boring insects, and these trees are commonly referred to as "scribbly gums". They can be seen everywhere, and I find the designs to be quite beautiful.

There are also a few pictures of the sunset in the Flickr set. There is a gorgeous sunset almost every night here, and these were from the recently passed weekend. Gorgeous, don't you agree? We spent an evening down by the foreshore, and enjoyed seeing one of these sunsets over the lake. On Sunday, we drove out to one of the Canberra region wineries, where a friend's band was playing. He plays the didgeridoo, and is extremely talented. I never knew all the sounds that instrument could make until I met him.... it is truly a beautiful instrument. It was a lazy, overcast day filled with good friends, good wine and good music. You will find a photo of the Australian countryside, where the winery was located, on Flickr.

Hope you all had a great weekend, too! Much love......

9.11.2011

Oh, the joys of doing laundry in Australia. As I have told many of you, using dryers here is not very common. Many people do not even own a dryer, and if they do, it is rarely used. The washing is pretty much always hung outside on the line to dry. If it is raining, the washing is either left for a sunnier day or hung inside on small clothes racks. Seriously, even those who own dryers do not usually use them when it is raining! I mean, I know that hanging the washing out to dry is much more environmentally friendly than using the dryer, but the dryer is oh-so convenient and I miss it. Clothes just don't feel and/or fit the same when they are hung out to dry instead of dried in the dryer..... jeans get stretched out, towels feel a bit scratchy..... you see where I am going with this?

Well, over the weekend, I developed a new reason why I am not really keen on hanging the washing out to dry. See the pictures I posted? Well, I was literally about 10 centimetres away from stepping on this fellow while hanging out the washing. I nearly had a heart attack. This type of lizard is called a Blue Tongue (yes, it is called that because it does have a blue tongue) and is very common here. They are not dangerous, but can certainly give you a fright if they sneak up on you. He was obviously much more terrified than I was, as he stayed still long enough for me to dash into the house, grab my camera and snap these shots. The house where I am staying, which I will refer to as Dryandra (the street name), has a large back garden full of creatures. There are beautiful birds, lizards, snakes, and possums. And yes, I have seen all of these in the past several weeks. Oh, and to give you an idea of the size of today's featured lizard, he was about as long my arm (from nose to tail end) and the widest part of his body was about the same size as a can of soda. He looks like a snake with legs, don't you think?

Anyways, I will conclude by saying: Be happy you don't have to deal with this anytime you may want to do some laundry!

4.11.2011

It has been a few days since my last post..... I have been so busy with uni stuff lately. I have spent the entire day indoors, working on a case study for one of my classes, and it's a shame because it is an absolutely gorgeous day outside. And I am really starting to stress over the house situation (or lack there of). I don't know how much longer I can last without having my own space. And I am pretty tired of wearing the same clothes over and over and over again! We are putting in another application this weekend, and viewing another apartment next Tuesday. I am really, really hoping something works out soon, otherwise I fear I will go completely mental. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

But I have accomplished one thing – I set up my Flickr account and uploaded my first set of photos! Hope you enjoy them! I have added a few teaser photos in this post. If it doesn't work, let me know.

It is Friday here, and I am having dinner with friends tonight, which should be really nice. No big plans for the weekend, but the weather is supposed to be wonderful. Once I get my case study finished, I will have heaps more time and hope to catch a few of you on Skype!

Lots of Love