Very happy English Girl, I found salad cream and PG tips

Sunday 25th March

It has been two weeks since my last blog (oh dear it sounds like I am coming to confession lol)......

I cannot believe how the smallest and simplest thing can make you happy! I found PG Tips, Weetabix (British version) and best of all Salad Cream. I have so missed Salad Cream and have been craving it since I arrived. Before anyone says anything no I am not pregnant, just an English girl craving UK things.

This week has been good as I my foot and leg have healed enough now that I did my first baby step back into running this week.  Decided to go for a run on Monday evening in the rain and managed 1.34 miles in 17 minutes and no pain.  I did ache the following day and my ankle was a little tender the following day, but no major pain. So have continued stretching all week and massaging my tendon on foot, ankle and calf.  Decided to try a flatter route today so drove to Norwest Lake which is around 5 minutes in the car, and did some stretches and completed 3 laps 1.5 miles in 18.34 minutes which was a average pace of 12.20.

Yesterday was Tarango Zoo with my Zoo buddy Lexi, it was a great day. When the tourist books say it is worth a visit they are not under estimating that, so if you ever come to Sydney definitely visit Tarango Zoo.  Whilst watching the Bird show, a plane over head was writing the words Marry Me Jen?, and then She said Yes.  I think for those few minutes both Lexi and I both thought wish we were called Jen!  Now that is an amazing proposal and a very romantic guy.

Also printed some pictures of friends and family and put them in frames around the house, to make my new place feel more like home.

This week has also been great as I have had Skype calls with Dad, Heather, Suzanna and a supprise telephone call from Naomi. Last weekend also had a call with Sandra which was lovely.

It is my birthday on Wednesday which I imagine will feel a little strange being so far away from friends and family, also my Big Brother and Emma get married.  Really hope we can manage to get Skype up and running at the reception so I can say hello and pass on my love to them both. 

Beautiful Big Cat

The weather so warm, Lexi and I just wanted to
stand under it

Such a beautiful Giraffe

Hippo

1st Month gone already

Sunday 11/3/2012

Wow the first month has just flown past, it only feels like a few weeks since I got of the plan at Sydney International Airport on 10th Feb 2012.

Now settled into my new pad in Castle Hill, every room including the garage has been insect bombed.  Also completed external perimeter spray today, to hopefully keep out any nasty spiders.  The house is really nice, just need to get the TV working but landlord should be doing that next week. 

The commute to work is good as found a bus stop and now go to work most days via bus, which on a good day takes around 45 minutes.  Instead of 20 minute drive to train station and then a 45 minute train into the city.  However I still get my multi pass so I can go on the train and the ferry to other locations if needed, like Parramatta on Thursday and today.

This week was the first week that felt home sick a little, you know when you have a bad day and you just want to pick up the phone to your family or bestie!! Well that happened on Tuesday and guess what that is hard to do when your family and bestie are 11 hours behind you. 

Would like to say a big thank you to my Big Brother and Emma as they have really been there for me this week, when I needed a pick me up.

This weekend has been lovely even with an early start on Saturday!  Went to Reptile World with Sylvia from work and had an amazing time (thank you very much for inviting me).  I got to see the infamous Funnel Web Spider definitely do not want to come face to face with one of them. Believe me you will hear the scream from the UK!!!

The park was great as you could walk around look at the animals and also have lunch there. Some kids were even having birthday parties there, which was really cool.

I finally got to see a Tasmanian Devil who had managed to evade me at Feather dale Wildlife park last weekend.  Also had my picture taken with a Wombat and a very large Python. Sylvia said she had to laugh at how chilled and relaxed I looked with a Python around my neck see what you think ......

After Reptile world popped to see Syliva family and they were very welcoming, again thank you for letting me into your home and making me feel very welcome.

Had to laugh on the way home five minutes into the journey realised I had left my mobile phone and had to go back to collect it.  Sat Nav sent me again to the wrong place, it was expecting me to drive through a hedge with some substantial trees to get to the street I needed to get too.

I slepted really well last night that I almost missed my Skype call with Sandra, it was great speaking to her and cathcing up. Am looking forward to catching up with her and others again on a regular basis.

I have posted losts of letters and postcards to people, so I really hope they arrive safely. I know Rachel received her card today, but no one else has said anything so hope the others have not gone astray.

Went shopping in Westfield at Parramatta today to get a pair of slippers, couple of light jumpers as has been colder than I thought in the evening.  Found a Fossil shop so bought myself an early birthday present as not seen a Fossil watch in the UK for ages and believe me I have been looking.  Well my reasoning not that I need one is that is cost me the price of 2 nights out if I was in the UK, but I am not and not going out drinking so used that money instead to treat myself to a new watch. 

Currently investigating ideas for Bank Holiday weekend as do not want to be doing nothing and it is weekend after my birthday as well.  So will let you know what I end up doing.

Blue Mountains Tour 3/3/2012

Blue Mountains Tour & Goodbye to Naomi

Saturday - 3/3/2012

Woke up at 4.00am, and got the train from Seven Hills that got us to Wynyard Station for around 6.40.  Got a much needed coffee and then headed to Holiday In Old Sydney for the hotel pick up at 7.20.   Once we were dropped off at Star Casino/Bus station we got our bus for the tour.

There was around 20 people on the tour, so we had plenty of space on the Bus. The first stop on the tour was at Featherdale Wildlife Park and the first thing I will say is WOW!!! 

In the write up they say that you will be able to get up close and personal with the wildlife, and they were not joking. As we started to wonder through the park we you noticed that the birds were flying freely, then you came to the Koala's area. At first I just noticed one Wallaby on his own eating, so I took the opportunity to stroke him and so did Naomi. 

We noticed a large queue and it was people waiting to have there picture taken with the Koala, at this point we grabbed some food for the animals and headed into Wallabies central (well that is my name for it).  Every where you turned there was Wallabies, Kangaroos and Emus all wanting your attention or the food that you had.  Naomi quickly handed the food to me when she kept getting followed by a very persistent Emu wanting some food.

At this point I started to feed the animals and two Emu's decided they wanted what was in my hand lol.  Naomi has a couple of pictures of me hand feeding the Emu's and the Wallabies.  Just a couple of pictures below of Naomi feeding a Wallaby and a Wallaby feeding itself:

Continued round the park, the Tasmanian Devil did not come out so could not get any pictures. I did get some nice shots of one of the Dingos:

Once I had been round the rest of the park, I headed back to the Koala area and both Naomi and I had our chance to pat the Koala the pictures are below:

On the way to the next stop we tried Kangaroo and Crocodile Jerky they were both very strange and cannot see me eating it again.

The next stop was Echo Point to go and have a look at the Three Sisters, unfortunately due to bad weather we could not see them but it did not spoil the day. 

So on we went to Scenic World, we went on the steepest incline railway and then walked round the Scenic Walkway which had some amazing sculptures.  Finally we went back up to the top on the Scenic Cable car all in all it was a wet but great experience.

We stopped off at Leura on the way back, before being dropped off at Olympic Park to pick up the Captain Cook Cruise back to Circular Quay.  I can safely say that I slept really well last night and am still tired today. 

This is the bottom of the steepest railway

Sunday 4/3/2012

Another early start of 5.30am, to get Naomi to the train station in reasonable time to catch her flight to Melbourne.  I do not know how Naomi is still awake with all the travelling she has done in the past month, but wow she has had an amazing adventure. She started in Japan, then came to Sydney, then New Zealand back to Sydney now on to Melbourne and then back home to the UK. 

It has been great having Naomi here for the past couple of weekends as it has meant I have had someone to share my activities with. But I am now going to take some of Naomi's energy for adventure and will be doing more tours and if I am lucky enough to come back to Sydney later this year I will be planning a trip to New Zealand.

The rest of the day I have been getting to know my new surroundings, also had manicure and pedicure and as usual I am not patient enough and ended up smudging my nail varnish. I bought and cooked some Dory fish for the first time today, it was quite nice and very easy to cook.

Well I am a very exhausted English Girl in Sydney so I will bid you farewell for now.

One very happy English Girl

02/03/2012

What a week it has been for celebrations, my cousin Terry had a baby girl on Tuesday 29th she weighed 7lb 12 ounces and they called her Elouise Willow Reid. A friends wife gave birth to a baby boy on Leap Year day 29th Feb, we seem to be hitting a baby boom.

Today was a big day for me as I moved into the town house that work are renting for me while I am working in Sydney. It is a lovely three bedroom townhouse, it is less than a year old and I love its open plan space. It is also in a really nice location not too fare from a bus stop to get into the city or alternatively can continue to drive to the train station.

It feels a little home from home with the really wet weather and all the flood alerts at the moment, but dont worry guys I am ok.

Naomi and I are off on a tour of the Blue Mountains tomorrow, which means an extremely early start as need to be in the city for 710 (on a Saturday)

Well this very happy english girl is signing off for now as need to get showered and have an early night.

Sweet Dreams everyone