London, America and the police.

I'm thinking about maybe moving to London.

I mean, I'm still staying here in Australia until my visa expires in July, hopefully. But for some reason I don't want to move here and live here for the rest of my life, but I wanted to do that when I lived in England (I left because I wanted to travel more first). Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Australia, especially the weather, but not as much as I loved England. Not yet anyway.

I also want to go to America before an eventual move to London. But I only want to go to America for a long holiday kind of thing. I don't know how long a holiday visa lasts in America, but I'm hoping for at least 3 months. My friend Anne and I are already talking about a road-trip for when I go over there. And I've also talked about meeting up with another friend (that I met in Sydney) in Hawaii, or going there together.

But yeah, London. I don't know why London, as I don't actually normally like big cities, maybe a I'll choose a different UK town, but London would be easiest.

When I lived in England i kind of wanted to get a job at a hospital or police station, not just because of the good looking doctors and police-officers but you know, that helped.

I started thinking about working in a police station again today. I don't want to be a police-officer or anything, that's way too scary, but maybe get a job in a research or administration position. Support staff in other words. So that I can help out without risking my life. When I say it like that it kind of sounds a bit selfish. I think that's one reason for my attraction to police-officers, they risk their own lives on a daily basis so that we can be safe!

So at the minute I'm looking at what kind of positions there is at a police station, and which ones I think seem interesting. I was thinking that when I "finish" with Australia and America then I could maybe start studying to do one of those positions, if I find one that sounds interesting. Maybe study for it in the UK so that I know that the studies will be approved there.

But, like I said, I've got plenty of time. I'll probably change my mind about it. Or if I decide to stay in Australia then of course I could just study for it and get a job here!

I think part of the reason for me still liking the UK so much is because it's free to go to the doctors there. For someone like me, that can't really be bothered to go to the doctors, the fact that it's free makes me go where there might be something wrong. It's also a place I wanted to go to for about 10 years before I actually went, and since I wasn't disappointed when I finally went there it just made me love it even more.

There is also a LOT of the UK that I haven't seen. I think I wan't as "stressed" about exploring the UK because I could stay there for as long as I wanted, and even if I did go back to Norway it's only a 2-hour flight away.

So, anybody know of any good support staff jobs?

The Toy Adventure

The Girl and I wrote a story yesterday. Then we took some pictures and made the story into a little video.

It's best to watch it full-screen so that you can read the text.

Check it out!

I've written a guest post on my friend Nicky's page! You know, the one that wrote this post?

Check out my post on her page: I travel alone. For better or worse....

Guest post: Turn left, turn right?

Turn left, turn right?
By Nicky Curtis, web author at http://www.littlemissdreamer.weebly.com
 
I am 29 years old and I have no idea what I want to do with my life. Apparently this isn't unusual, yet everyone I know seems to have a plan. I have no plan. I would have no idea what to put on a plan if I thought about making one. I'm good at lists; plans, not so much. 
 
This is because I'm not known for my decision making skills, and I have ideas that switch from one degree to the next with speed enough to give you whiplash. It's quite the skill when you think about it, unfortunately not one to put on a CV. 
 
Over the last ten years I've had ideas that range from working in childcare, to beauty therapy, to overseas repping, back to beauty therapy, cruise ships and teaching. You couldn't get a bigger range if you tried. Well maybe if you threw chef into the mix, but I really have no intention to do that, I wouldn't want to poison people, I have too much of a consience. 
 
I try things, I like them quite a lot for a while, I get bored or something happens to make it tough to carry on, then I think about it a bit and come to the conclusion it's not going to work. So I start again with a different idea. Some would call this being fickle. I call it searching for the right option. It is what is famously known amongst my family and friends as "doing a Nicky". This is where I am patted on the head, looked at with an expression that suggests I'm a bit simple and people go 'awww bless'. This situation generally occurs when I have an idea to learn a new skill, new language, decide to change career, re-train, move out, move abroad or go on holiday for longer than is socially acceptable. I get this a lot, as you can imagine. 
 
Some would say I'm lost, I say I'm searching. One day I will find the right option, stick at it and be bloody good at it - I'll show you all!
 
I think this soul searching may be because I come from a pretty traditional family. My sister has gone down the route of finding a man, marrying him, having two sprogs and living in the village we grew up in, working in the village we grew up in, and probably never leaving the village we grew up in. The thought of a life never getting out and seeing the world makes me hyperventilate and demand brown paper bags. I love my sister to bits, I truly do, but we are very different. I sometimes wonder how two people who came from the same womb can be so different. But because my sister is the eldest by 11 years, I guess my wanderlust and general refusal to settle is seen by some as, well, pretty abnormal really. My argument to that is, who wants to be normal?
 
By reading this, I imagine some of you have the general idea I'm quite flaky. Well you wouldn't be wrong. I am a bit, I won't deny it, it's a girl's perogative. I just think it's impossible to really know what you want to do with your life until the right thing falls into your lap. Some people are lucky, they know that they want to be, I don't know, say, a nurse, from a very young age, so they do all the necessary things you need to do to become a nurse, and then they get their dream job. Boom, they're made for life. And that's great for them, until the inevitaible boredom sets in. Some of us have no clue until it happens, and there's nothing wrong with that. 
 
So if ever you find yourself with one of those famous looks aimed at you, the one I get when I'm "doing a Nicky", don't worry, because, girls and boys, one day karma will come around and that thunderbolt from the blue will hit, you will know exactly what you need to do and which direction to go in and it will all fall into place. Either that, or pay a visit to Mystic Meg, I'm sure she'll know exactly what to do .....
 
 
 
Want to read more?
Visit my blog www.littlemissdreamer.weebly.com

Stradbroke Island

Sorry about the late posting of this but by the time I got back from the Gold Coast last night I was absolutely knackered! I could have used another day off just to recover from the weekend!

As I wrote in this post there was a shark sighting while I was at the Gold Coast. Here is a couple more pictures that I took, as the first post about it was posted from my phone.

Red and white plus the red flag is up because of the shark sighting

Red and yellow flags are back up, which is good as there is some sort of competition or something going on.

It's just like traffic lights in a way.

After I had killed some time at the beach (and about half an hour at a stationary shop), I could finally go get my ticket for the trip to South Stradbroke.

As we were going to the north part of the island, Mclarens landing, the trip there took about an hour. I was a bit worried that we wouldn't get enough time on the island since we didn't leave Main Beach until 11.45 and we were going to be back by 4.15. It was enough time though, for a day trip anyway. Although it would have been nice to have a few days there to be able to explore the whole island.

We had a BBQ lunch a few minutes after we arrived. I hope there wasn't any vegans on the island as there wouldn't be anything for them to eat. Not much to choose from for vegetarians either. As we were eating a wallaby came over and wanted to taste our food. With the amount of tourists on the island I guess the wallabies gets used to being close to humans.

After the lunch I went for a little exploring, I wanted to see more of the island than just Mclarens landing, and I also wanted to see if I could get to the east side of the island. Most of the walk was through a forest, slightly creepy, but only because of the few spiders I saw. Apart from the rustling in the bushes made by the wallabies (I think) it felt like I was all alone on the island. I'm glad there wasn't anyone walking with me as I got a spider in my hair at one point and was jumping around like a mad woman trying to get it out!

I had been walking for a while and was considering turning and walking back when I got to a sign saying Surf Beach, Score!

There was still a fair bit to walk though, and this trail was even more creepy, as there were fences up for no apparent reason. Maybe "private" property? " " around the private because all of the island is owned by the government. The walk from the sign also seemed a lot harder, but that was probably because I didn't have the  protective shade of the trees anymore.

The beach was SO worth it though. It was absolutely beautiful! I had to walk up a sand dune to get to the beach, and as I was standing on top of it I couldn't see a single person. When I walked down to the sea I could see a group of 3 or 4 people in the distance, but that was it. Except for that small group it was as if I had the whole island to myself!

When I headed back to Mclarens Landing I saw a GIANT lizard. Easily as long as my arm! Unfortunately it ran into the bushes and hid when I came, so I only saw it for a second. I wish it had stood still for a little bit longer just so that I could have gotten a closer look at it, and maybe a picture.

So in all I had a nice trip down to the Gold Coast. The hostel I stayed at, Surfers Paradise YHA at Main Beach, was nice, it was right next to Mariner's Cove, where the boat left from. I also met some nice people at the hostel, but nothing like in Sydney, but I guess that's because I stayed longer in Sydney and went on hostel-arranged outings.

Sighting

I'm taking a walk on the beach before my trip to stradbroke island when suddenly I saw a cluster of life savers. They send out a boat and jet skis and hold up the red and white flags.

People start getting out of the water, not that there were many in there as it's quite early and the weather isn't great today. I guess the red and white flags mean get out of the water.

I started thinking maybe there has been another shark sighting as I've seen on the news that there has been some of them in the last few days. So I walked over to one of the life savers and asked what was going on. And true enough, there has been a sighting.

I'm glad I wasn't swimming or having my surfing lesson when it happened, but it's still quite exciting. It's also kind of reassuring to see how quickly the life savers acted.

Oh! And luckily nobody got hurt, as far as I could see anyway.

Surfing.

I had my first surfing lesson today.

It was down at the Gold Coast, so I had to get up at 4am this morning! Just wearing boardies and a t-shirt that early was a bit chilly. Since I got the first train of the day I thought there would maybe be some drunkards from last night on the train, but I didn't see any.

I managed to get to main beach where the surfing lesson was to be held early, so I just had some chips and sat on the beach watching the world go by.
We weren't a very big group that was surfing this morning, which was good as we all got a bit more time with the instructors and we didn't get in each others way as much as we would have been if the group was bigger, we still got in each others way a lot though.

I quite enjoyed learning to surf, it was fun. Even though I spent most of my time falling off the board. And I didn't manage to stand up once. I don't think I did too bad for it to be my first time though. Saying that, I don't think I'll do it again. It was fun, but I don't want to pay to do it again.

After my surf lesson I checked into my hostel and then went back down to the beach. And I got sunburned!! I wore 30+ sun cream, and I got sunburned!!

Now I'm looking forward to tomorrow's trip to stradbroke island.

Stalked

The dog I've told you about before started following me as I was going for a walk on Wednesday.

It started following me close to home, and followed me for quite a bit. I figured that if it followed me all the way to the shops, which is only about 15mins from where we live, then I'd take him to the vet there.

Doggie followed me across the first road, then suddenly I head a car brake. I turned and looked behind me with my heart racing. Doggie must have turned and crossed the road again just as we'd gotten across. He made it. Luckily. And he just kept running, hopefully home to his owners.

I think he might belong to one of the next-door neighbours. I feel like telling them to put a frigging collar on him. If he is theirs though, why don't they make their back garden more doggie-proof? The nearest road isn't the busiest, but that doesn't mean he can't get hurt.

Since my last post about him he's come up to the house a couple more times, but.not close enough for me to put him in the back garden again.

Baby talk.

Listening to The Boy I can't help but wonder what he's talking about, or thinking about.

Goi goi go ga wah.

I wonder if babies can understand each other. And if so, if you take a baby from an English speaking country/family and one from say a Chinese or Russian speaking family, will they be able to understand each other?

They don't always seem like they're able to understand us.... or maybe they just don't want to do what we tell them to?

And what do babies think about? There seems to be loads going through their little heads sometimes.

The Boy will sometimes look off into the distance, sometimes randomly giggling as he does so. I wonder if he has an imaginary friend. Or maybe he sees a ghost?

It would be fun to know what's really going on in their heads. Even if someone was able to remember what they thought about as babies when they got older, it wouldn't ve the same as those thoughts would then be "tainted" with age and experience etc.

Someone should invent a baby translator or something, like those that's in cartoons.

Girl Meets Ape

Book number 34 in the 100+ Reading Challenge.

Girl Meets Ape
By Chris Manby.

Outer back cover: When Dr Jennifer Niederhauser becomes head of the chimpanzee project at Prowdes Animal Sanctuary, the uptight young zoologist is looking forward to making her mark in the conservation world. But the ramshackle regime at Prowdes seems to defeat her. The chimpanzees are uncontrollable. And the keepers are wilder than the chimps.
When Jennifer first sets eyes on her deputy he is half-naked and covered in baby-oil. How can she take Guy Gibson seriously after that? Jennifer decides never to work with animals or the childish again - but she may not have a job for much longer anyway - Prowdes is in big financial trouble.
Salvation comes in the form of a documentary team who want to film the sanctuary's most recent arrival, Ulysses. Prowdes definitely needs the money and exposure. But does Jennifer need to be exposed to the show's smooth presenter, chimpanzee expert Dr Timothy Lauder? Who is also, unfortunately, her ex....

I really liked the story in this book. I enjoyed reading it, mostly, and I think it was fun to read what the animals got up to.

However, there were things about the book that annoyed me. Besides the stupid chick-lit girl that I occasionally  wanted to slap, there were also some ridiculous over-the-top, very unlikely, "scenes" and reactions, which could have been made much better by the author not taking "the easy way out".

But as a whole I enjoyed reading the book, and I rather liked how the character Guy Gibson was written, personality-wise.

A day at the beach

My host family and I went up to Sunshine Coast today. The weather was lovely and the beach we went to at Maroochydore had hardly any waves. The water was freezing when I fist walked into it, but I quickly got used to it. I haven't been swimming in the sea for a long time and it was absolutely lovely.

I wanted to swim over to a sand-island-thing (you can see it on the picture) but the current was really strong, and although I would have probably gotten over to it, I would have had bigger problems getting back. I'm a fairly good swimmer but I would have ended up at a beach slightly further down. I could have walked from it to the one we were at, but I just didn't want to risk the current being too strong for me since it's so long since I've been swimming in the sea.

I did try, I only got so far that I couldn't reach the bottom when I felt the current grabbing hold of me. Because I wasn't prepared for how strong it was I just turned around and went back. Although I think part of why it felt so strong was because I was hesitating and then turning to get back, if I had just continued straight ahead it would have probably been fine.

I wore one of my new board shorts when I went swimming. One problem with loose-fitting shorts: It fills up with air and it looks like you have a giant arse or that you've just let our a massive fart. They were nice and comfy though.

My host family probably thinks I'm a bit weird, more than usual I mean. When we were at the beach I kept covering my belly with one of my hands. I can't help it. I have an issue with my belly. The only time it's "on display" is when I'm swimming/at the beach/in a bikini whatever, so I tend to cover it. Even more so if I'm with someone I know. If I ever to get any work done, I would start with my belly. I HATE it! I have worn a tankini a couple of times, but I just feel even more self conscious when I've finally got a tan and then my belly and back is milky-white. I guess most people have something about their body that they really don't like, and with me it's my belly.

On the way up to the Sunshine Coast we drove past Ettamogah Pub. Apparently the most famous pub on the Sunshine Coast, so of course I had to take a couple of pictures.

I wouldn't mind going up to the Sunshine Coast again and see some more of it.

The Vanishings

My 33rd book in the 100+ Reading Challenge.

The Vanishings
By Michael Panckridge.

Outer back cover: A sea of pale frightened faces stared out the window of the train carriage. Fingers clawed at the glass. A moment later the train was gone.
Fran's twin sister Carli has vanished. Everyone thinks she has run away. But they don't know what Fran knows. They don't know about the unscheduled train that passes through the derelict Batesford Station. And they don't know about all those frightened faces. Fran knows is she is ever to see her twin sister again, it is up to her. But how can she find the place this frightening train comes from? And will she ever make it back home?

Another book I found at the school book fair, I bought it because I was intrigued by the title. Like Wood Angel it was a "young" book, but more suitable for older readers as well. In my eyes anyway.

The book was scary at times and also very exciting. I liked the story as a whole and I think it would be very good as a movie. Even though I figured out a major detail when I was only on page 29, I still didn't know how the book would end, and when it got there I was slightly disappointed at first, but I also think it's a good ending.

Although the ending kind of explained it, I still think certain things could be "explained" a bit better and gone into more detail.

Shopping!!

A few days ago I bought a pair of trainers from upsneakertop.com. I thought since I'll probably do a lot of walking up in Cairns and any other places I might go while I'm here and also when I finish here, I might as well get some proper shoes. They're fake ones, but they're apparently legal because there's a small change in the design or something. I've not actually worn them yet but hopefully they're comfy. The Mother bought some from the same place and she says hers are very comfortable.

As today is one of my Friday's off (I keep thinking it's Saturday!) I was planning to go into Brisbane to do some shopping for my upcoming trips to Gold Coast then to Cairns (and possibly to Mackay after that). Then I found out that The Mother was going to get a hair cut at DFO, so I went there instead. I managed to spend all of what was left of last week's wages. It's the first time I've spent that much in one go since I arrived though, so I don't think it was too bad, I also mainly got things I actually need.

The Gold Coast trip in next weekend and I have a surf lesson booked and also a half-day trip to Stradbroke Island. I wanted to get some board shorts for the surfing lesson and also a backpack so that I don't need to bring my giant suitcase.

I've wanted to buy board shorts for a while but I haven't found any that fit me yet. Rip Curl had an offer on for 2 boardies for $50 and I actually managed to find two! Then I went next door to Roxy and they had an offer on for 2 for $30, and I managed to find two there as well! I considered returning the ones I bought at Rip Curl but then I figured I'll probably be living in them when summer comes so I might as well keep all 4. They are a bit too low-waist for me, but if I'm going to wait until I find the "perfect" one, I'll never get any board shorts.

I might bring my big suitcase for when I go up to Cairns, but it would be nice to have a small backpack to bring with me on each of the day-trips, and it will also be nice to have a backpack for next weekend when I go down to the Gold Coast, and I managed to find one at Bags To Go for only $45. I also found a small handbag at the same place which will be a lot easier to carry around than my big Friis one.

When I packed for Australia I packed a pair of my exercise trousers... Well, it's getting a bit too warm for anything with long legs, so I also bought a pair of skorts today. They were on offer at Fila for only $20. I don't know if I will ever use them, but at least if I do they will be a bit better in the heat than the trousers.

The last thing I've been wanting to buy for a while that I found today was hoop ear rings, or sleepers as some people call them. I always forget to put ear rings back in in the morning if I've worn some I can't sleep with the day before, so I bought some silver hoops so that that way I can keep them in all the time. They're plain so they go with everything and I can wear them when I go out as well.

After all that shopping I needed something to cool me down. This was my first slurpee since I've come to Australia. I think I might have enjoyed it more if it was a different flavour. This sour watermelon was okay, but it didn't taste as "fresh" as I was hoping for, it was also VERY sweet. I might just stick to water.

So it was mostly a successful shopping day today, although I wish I had found some more summer tops.

Caterpillars, mothers and where babies come from

Books number 30, 31 and 32 in the 100+ Reading Challenge.

Yes, I am reading a lot of kid's books at the minute just to bring my numbers up. I mean, It's September and I doubt I'll get to 100 book anyway by the end of the year. But there are also a lot of kid's books that I've wanted to read for years and now that I've finally got the chance, and I can put them on a challenge as well, why not?

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
by Eric Carle

Outer back cover: A much-loved classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar has won over millions of readers with it's vivid and colourful collage illustrations and its deceptively simple, hopeful story. With its die-cut pages and finger sized holes to explore, this is a richly satisfying book for children.

Very funny book. I like Saturday. I also like the simple and funny way it teaches kids that caterpillars become butterflies.

Are You My Mother?
by P. D. Eastman

Outer back cover: ARE YOU MY MOTHER? tells a very simple story for children who have just started to read. Their younger brothers and sisters will also want to follow the baby bird's quest as he asks everyone and everything he meets, "Are You My Mother?"

It's not just nice for kids that has just learnt to read, but for kids learning animals and the names of things as well. You can ask while you're reading "Why isn't the cow the mother? What is the baby cow called?" etc.

Where Did I Come From?
by Peter Mayle

Outer back cover: How do you explain orgasm to a seven year old?
How do you explain the process of conception?
How much should you tell and what should you skip? - And how do you tell it so that it interests your child and doesn't embarrass you?
WHERE DID I COME FROM?, which has been described as an "adult juvenile," tells the facts of life like they are-and in a way that children can understand and parents can enjoy.
It covers all the bases. From love-making, orgasm, conception and growth inside the womb through the actual birth day.
It names all the labels (vagina, penis, etc.) and shows all the important parts of the body.
In other words, WHERE DID I COME FROM? treats your child like a young adult. Which, after all, is what he or she is.

The book blurb says it all really. I might buy this book if I get kids of my own one day. It really is written and explained in a great way for kids.

Wood Angel

Book number 29 in the 100+ Reading Challenge

Wood Angel
by Erin Bow

Outer back cover: Kate lives in a time afraid of magic.
Alone in the world with only her cat Taggle for company, she makes "lucky" wooden charms to sell, although her unusual gift marks her out in a place where witches are still burned.
When Kate's village falls on bad times, she's accused of practising dark magic. Scared for her life, she turns to a stranger. But he has a plan more dangerous than she could ever have dreamed.
It's up to Kate to carve good out of evil.

I found this book at a book fair at The Girl's school.

I was a bit worried that it would be a bit too "young" for me, which wouldn't really have been that strange since I found it in a school. And when I started reading it I knew it was a book I would have loved to read when I was a young teenager. Saying that though, I did enjoy reading it now. I never knew what was going to happen next in this book, which is why I enjoyed it, and I had no idea what was going to happen in the end.

I really enjoyed how Taggle, the cat, was portrayed, he was probably my favorite character.

The book had some slow parts, and some really exciting parts, but even during the slow parts I didn't really want to put the book down because I wanted to know what was going to happen.

My first "adult party"

I went to my first sex-party tonight.

Before I went I thought it was well out of  my comfort zone, it's not really the kind of thing I would go
to. It was actually quite fun though. I don't think it would have been as fun had I been sober. I also met some new people.

I bought two bottles of wine yesterday, The Mother and I had half a bottle last night (one glass each that is), I had the other half of that bottle before we went to the party tonight. The other bottle I brought with me and drank while we were there.

A few of us stayed late as well. The Husband of the lady throwing it came back with the kids (none of them were allowed in the house while the party was going). And after the kids had gone to bed and I had finished my wine they brought out the  tequila. I've never had tequila before so I thought I'd give it a shot. I only filled up half a shot glass, but as it had stood in their cupboard for a while it was probably quite strong. I didn't have any salt or lemon. And it tasted horrible! I even had a sip of The Mother's Jim Bean just to get the taste out of my mouth!

But yeah, the party was fun, and I wouldn't mind going to one again, which I wouldn't have thought before I went tonight.

Have a nice Saturday night/Sunday morning everyone!

I feel good today.

For a while now I've been feeling a bit "down" because I've felt like I'm not doing anything. I know I'm working and all that, and I try to stay positive, but t's just how I've felt. But I'm feeling quite a bit better now.

Last night I booked the trip to Cairns that I wrote about. Everything is sorted, hostel is booked, 3-day tour is booked and flights are booked! I'm already getting excited about it, at least I won't have to wait too long.

I'm also thinking about going in to Brisbane again next Friday, I want to sort out an Australian bank account so I won't have to pay for everything with my Norwegian card or cash. I pay cash when I can, but when I book things I have to pay by card.

Funny looking duck...

The Mother and I went for a walk today, she wanted to see how long it takes to walk to one of the nearby train-stations, so that maybe she can walk or cycle some mornings instead of taking the car. It took us about an hour to walk, so it'll probably take half an hour if she takes the bike. I thought it was nice to find out as well, as that way, if I want to go somewhere I won't have to rely too much on The Mother or The Father being able to take me, I can just walk to the train station, as long as I don't have too much to carry that is, like for day-trips or something.

I remembered to bring my camera for our walk, and that's where the pictures in this post is from.

So, I feel good today because I feel like I've been doing something. Both with the booking of the trip up to Cairns, and also going for a walk. I've been thinking about going for a walk for a while, I've just been too lazy  to get around to it, so when The Mother suggested it I pretty much jumped at the chance. So now that I've been for one walk, and it felt great, I will try to get better at going for walks. I walk to and from The Girl's school every day, but for some reason that doesn't really feel like a WALK, it's just getting to school. A necessity.

2-4-6-8-Cake!

Made another cake yesterday. We didn't have many ingredients in so I had to find a simple recipe, and I found one here. I made the chocolate one, it was a bit tasteless, so I thought I should probably make an icing with loads of flavor.

I then remembered my favourite icing, which has got coffee and chocolate in it, and luckily I managed to find it online, here. It's in Norwegian, so I'll translate it for you in case you want to try it.

Icing with cocoa, icing sugar, coffee and butter:
115g butter
1tbs hot espresso coffee (or 1/2 ts instant coffee mixed with 1tbs hot water)
225g icing sugar
1 1/4tbs cocoa
1 1/2ts vanilla essence

Melt butter in a small pan on the hob
Add the the coffee, icing sugar, cocoa and vanilla essence (with the pan still on the hob)
Mix thoroughly until smooth.

I don't know if I did something wrong or not with the icing as I got some liquid on top of the icing, but I just poured that off before I put the icing on the cake. The icing was almost better than I remember it! The Girl didn't like it, which might be just as well since it has coffee in it, but that just means more for me! Just be aware if your make this that it's very sweet, because of all the icing sugar.

Great Barrier Reef

I am planning a trip up to Cairns. The way it looks now it will probably be in the middle of next month.

To start with I just wanted to go up there to see the Great Barrier Reef, which is one thing I just HAVE TO do while I'm here in Australia. Then my friend, N, that I met down in Sydney, told me that if I was going up there I should see Cape Tribulation as well. N couldn't remember what company he went through when he was snorkeling in the GBR, but I asked a girl I met in Sydney that did it too, and she said she went through Travstar. I went to their website and through them to a different site with tours up in Cairns. After I looked for a little bit I found a 3 day package, which includes GBR, Cape Tribulation and Kuranda, which is a jungle village.

I thought the 3 day package sounded great! I though; I can go up on a Thursday night on the week of my long weekend, do the tours Friday, Saturday and Sunday and come back down on Sunday night.

Then I looked a bit closer at the offer.

On the third day they take you back to your accommodation at 6-6.30pm, the last plane to leave Cairn on a Sunday evening leaves at 7.40pm... That doesn't leave much time. So I thought about taking a night-flight, I don't mind flying at night. I had a look at the earliest planes on Monday morning. Not until 6am, which would land in Sydney 8.10am.

I didn't want to risk being late for the plane on Sunday evening so I thought I'd ask The Mother if I could possibly come back on the Monday if it was one of the Mondays she'd be working from home, and then if I got the earliest flight I could still look after the kids from late morning til whenever she finished working.

I told the mother about the 3 day package tonight. I had just told her about the flight being a bit too early on Sunday when she said that she didn't mind if I took a flight on Monday!

As I am planning to go on one of my long weekends, which is the weekend The Father gets home, The Mother also said she could make sure she was working from home that Thursday, then I could get a flight that left around the time The Father got home on the Thursday, so she could drop me off at the airport as she was picking him up. She also suggested that I come back on a flight around the time The Father leaves on the Monday so she could pick me up as she drops him off!

I think this was really nice of her as I was prepared to get the train to and from the airport.

I really have been lucky with my host family!

Now I just need to get an underwater camera... Maybe a disposable one? I saw the girl that I was talking about earlier having one of her FB photos, I might ask her what it is, if it's a proper underwater camera, a disposable one or just a cover for her regular camera, and where she got it whatever it is.

N also told me about the hostels he was staying at while he was up there, I had a look at the website of one of them, and to stay in one of their dorms room it's only $20 a night, and it's fairly close to where I have to be for the GBR tour, so I might book a room there. I will tell you all about it and give you the name of it when I've been.

It feels good to be planning to go somewhere and do something. What else can I do while I'm in Queensland?

Dr. Seuss

Books numbers 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 in the 100+ Reading Challenge.

I have heard a lot about Dr. Seuss through English and American films, tv-programs and books, but I have never actually read any of his books. So when I today found a few of them in The Girl's room I thought I'd borrow them.

The books I read was: Green Eggs and Ham, Fox in Socks, The Cat in the Hat, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back and Dr. Seuss ABC.

I quite enjoyed most of them. They were written in a funny way and I can understand why they're so popular, I also liked how I got into a kind of rhythm as I was reading the books, and how you learn something in most of them. I would love to read the rest of the Dr. Seuss books, especially How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

The only one I didn't really enjoy as much was The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, I can't really put my finger on why though, maybe saying the letters in the alphabet so many times wore me out? Haha.

My favourite of the 5 was probably Green Eggs and Ham, but the funniest I think was Fox in Socks, although I was stumbling through it as I was reading out loud for The Boy, but that was part of the fun bit, trying to say it all.

Let's get a pup!

Book number 23 in the 100+ Reading Challenge

Let's get a pup!
by Bob Graham

Outer back cover: At the Rescue Center, there are dogs of all shapes and sizes. Kate knows which one she wants, though, the moment she sees him. He's small and he's cute and he gats all excited. To Kate, Dave is everything a dog could be.

The girl borrowed this book at the school library and read it for me (cute, I know).

Very cute story about dogs, I liked the fact that they used a Rescue Center for the family to find a dog.