Australia

Well, I really have been absent from the blogosphere for quite a while, haven't I! Now it's got to the stage where I feel it would be impossible to catch up on all the events I've missed recording - the task would seem overwhelming!

There have of course been all kinds of noteworthy achievements from the kids, all kinds of family outings to interesting places, nights out and memorable occasions, plus a whole heap of DIY and ordinary day-to-day happenings to boot .... but I think I'm just going to have to relax, realise I can't 'do it all' and concentrate today on just one, small recent something.

On Friday we finally got our 'Permanent Residency!'

Yay!

For those of you who can only see the word 'permanent' and have now assumed, without reading any further, that it means we are now here 'permanently' (don't worry, I can see where you would get to that conclusion, but bear with me....) rest assured... it DOESN'T!!! It only means that now we are no longer dependent on Ally's job to be here... ie if he lost it he is now able to work for someone else... and are now able to be treated a little more in the manner of the Australian citizens (which we're not) - ie we no longer have to pay school fees for the kids to go to state schools which is a HUGE financial burden to be lifted from our shoulders - yippeee! BUT we can still of course go 'home' whenever we feel like it...

So on the note of our recent Aussie-acceptance we've just been chatting and have come up with ten things we love about being here in Australia:

1. Morag - cousin extraordinaire

2. Year-round sunshine and the lovely blue skies

3. Beaches (say no more)

4. Year-round barbies and big fat delicious prawns

5. (this one comes from Ally and would have been no. 2 if it was up to him - nothing could push Morag off top billing) - football (no comment from me!!)

6. Mangoes and all kinds of other wonderful fresh fruit, even the stinky Durian fruit which I still cannot get my head around - why would anyone enjoy a fruit with an overwhelming vomit aroma?!

7. Kangaroos - Australia's most famous animal - hopping about all over the place but even better on the bbq - yum... kangaroo steaks - delicious!

8. Proper school uniforms & hats & algebra just like in the old days

9. Seeing huge tropical birds eg parrots and lorikeets just sitting on your patio - never can get over this (very noisy though!)

10. Thongs aka flip-flops - virtually national dress... and cheap as chips! Nowhere else can you go to work in footwear costing $5.

Well there are loads and loads more but that's really just a taster...

In order to be balanced, it's probably important to include a list of the 10 things we DON'T like about Australia...

1. It's too far away from our families

2. It's too far away from our oldest and best friends

3. It's too far away from Rangers (guess who's imput this one was?)

4. It's too far away from a village pub

5. It's too far away from NEXT

6. It's too far away from Tesco

7. It's too far away from the Daily Mail

8. It's too far away from......

OK! Think you may have the gist!!!??? We love it, but damn, we do wish we were closer!!!!! x x x