New Year, New City...

Well my love affair with Sydney will be over in just a couple more hours, as I will be flying up to Cains...

I think spending New Year down near the botanical gardens and just having a laugh with everyone was maybe the best new year I have ever had. The fire work show was amazing and as I'd decided to only have a couple of beers in the day I managed to remember it all, which I am happy about. The view we had all day, in the sweltering heat, was of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge - then when midnight arrived and the fireworks went off it was just, well, immense.
I managed to capture some of it on my camera, so I will post up the pictures and videos at some point next week.

Last night we all went out for a few beers, think there was something like 10 of us, as it seems the majority of people are leaving Sydney over the next few days, it was a nice way to end it all - plus it's another excuse for a piss up...not that we need much of an excuse!! Mind you, not sure I want to meet up with one of the girls, Louise, as last night she told me I couldn't dance - I was so offended she didn't like the old knee-jive!!

It's sad to be leaving Sydney, especially in the respect that I have made a real good bunch of mates here, but I have to start traveling, and we've said we're going to have a big reunion when we're all back in England, which will be great - but it may feel strange not drinking goon on a roof!!

Friday was my last day working for MSF, it's kinda strange to think I will not be working for at least another 5 weeks. I've been told to get back in contact with them if I come back into Sydney and need some work, which is great to know.

I think that's about it, feeling a little light headed and hungover so trying not to think to much... Oh... I got some good news last night, spoke with the guy that "takes some corners and free kicks" (Ste) and he's thinking of coming out to Oz in March, so that'll be great if he pulls that off... If anyone else fancies coming joining me just let me know :)

Well I'm going to bust-a-groove now and head for a cheeky beer. I will be up in Cains for the next couple of days, then off to Cape Tribulation midweek for a bit of R&R on the beach and in a rain forest. Think it's the Great Barrier Reef after that. To be honest I've become so laid back, I'm glad I'd traveling some of the coast with Glenn, as I just leave him to sort everything. Oh and also with the fone network being even more limited up there I think it's best to contact me via the old electronic mail still...

Look after yourselves and I hope to have a bunch of emails by next week telling me how cold you all are!!!... G

Two Cups and String - But someone cut the string!!

That is how I am summing up the Mobile network out here - I seem be unable to send more than one message to the UK at the moment, and I can't get any back... Just thought everyone should know, so if you sent me a New Year message then thank you.. Off to Cape Tribulation to who knows when I will get a signal again!!!...

Look after yourselves and if you want to get in touch email me!!!....

Bye...Gx

Seasons Greetings

Merry Christmas to you all... I know it's a bit late, so sorry!

I hope everyone have a great time - I know I did, it's not that often I play footie on the beach on Christmas day - think I still have that Spurley Hey Magic!!!...

Can I just say I'm sorry for not contacting people on Christmas day or if you contacted me and I never got back to you, basically VodaFone was up and down for nearly 48 hours so I wasn't receiving or able to make calls or texts. I can't wait till New Year - think I might be easier to get a couple of Pigeons and send them with messages!!!...


So what have I been up to I hear you ask... Well...
The Saturday before Christmas, our hostel throw a big party on the roof - which was great, free beer, a bbq and music - by all accounts everyone got wasted. Then a bunch of us headed out into Sydney, ending up in Scruffys for a bit with some live band playing. Then Ben and I headed to the 3 wise monkeys to meet some girls he knew, the problem was we got split up when I went to toilet and with it being 4 floors it all went a bit wrong and I walked back to the hostel with 3 pizza slices!
When I got back I sat around with my mate Glenn who was on night manager duty, so we just wanted to footie, then I fell asleep in the tv room - i'm sure that's like 4 Saturdays on the run now, but with the footie on from 12pm till 5am I think most people would!

Anyways I finally made it back to my own back about 5:30am, only to be woke at 9am by Floor (a Dutch girl in our room, as we'd agreed if it was nice weather we should all head to the beach) - all I wanted was sleep, but up I got. Floor ended up heading to Manly, while Mel, Nicola and I went to Palm Beach as it's where some of Home and Away is shot - it sounded like such a great idea till we were sat on a bus for 1hr half!!...
As I get restless on the beach, I decided to do a Jason Bourne and do some running down the beach - I don't look anything like that as we all know - but there I was shirt off running along the sand. I ended up doing the whole length and back, the only issue was I realised just how RED I was looking - not good!!... Anyways to cut a long story short I managed to burn my legs, chest and to burn my face so it looked like I had two black eyes!!! I managed to nip out of work on Christmas Eve and buy some cream which made them go down, otherwise I would of stayed in my room on Christmas Eve...HAHA...

After finishing work about 2:30pm on Christmas eve I ran can sorted myself out and meet up with everyone else in the Rocks - There must of been about 20 of us, Nick and Dave in Santa Suits the rest of us in hats...We looked class... I would of posted up some pictures but I didn't fancy taking the camera, but I will get my hands on some. Basically the idea was to do "The 12 Pubs of Christmas!!" - I had a bit of catching up to do, but was up to speed by about the 2nd pub for me 5th for them.
We basically went along a route getting beers and doing drinking games, it was a right laugh. So people start falling by the way side, but we survived till quite late. Orla and I ended up at a midnight mass - you know religious gray over here! - basically I stud there, reading from the wrong hymn sheet getting moaned at for talking, so I did the only thing you could do in a situation like that...RUN OUT THE DOOR!!!

Christmas morning, I awoke to Gemma, Mel and Nicola jumping about and then playing the only festive song we had....MARIAH CAREY - ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS!!... This got played on repeat about a million times more than it should ever be played!!..Poor Floor, the dutch girl in out room must of not of know what was happening... Anyways we had some goon and wine and then went about waking up the rest of the 3rd floor!! - once I got some quite time I opened my cards and presents - so thank you family, love you all!!!
The girls headed off to Coogee to see a Christmas dinner with the Irish girls, while I get off to Manly with 314 and everyone who had come out the night before. We choose Manly as we belived it would be less packed, compared to Bondi, which it was. The weather overcast, but to be fair I was happy with that after burning the other day. We stayed on the beach till late, us lads played footie and then we all just messed about. A few of us dug a big hole then a couple of the lads got filled in with the sand so just there head were showing!!
For Christmas dinner I had a pizza!, we all eat out on front of Manly beach and went back to Jonny and Stephs apartment for a bit of drinking and to play some shit head (a card game), followed by the last ferry home.
All in all it may or been a completely strange Christmas compared to a normal one back home, but will all us orphans together we had a wicked time and I loved every minute of it... *PICTURES HERE*

Now we just have New Year to survive, I finished work today till the 2rd then I only have till the 4th before I finish, as I fly to Cains on the 6th, then the traveling can really begin... Which fills me with joy, but also a bit of sadness that i'm leaving my home for the past 2 months and I have made some good mates within the past few weeks, onto of the girls of course!! - get shot if I didn't mention them :0)

I wish you all a quality New Year whatever your all up to.. I will try and speak with as many of you as possible, but as Australia's mobile network is built of two plastic cups and some shoe string this may not happen - this is also the same for messages, I didn't get some I know I should of had...

HAPPY NEW YEAR - ALL THE VERY BEST FOR 2008!!!...

Just to add...

To my main post before - I have uploaded a couple of videos... Enjoy!!

Sydney Opera House

Sydney FC Vs Newcastle Jets (1)

Sydney FC Vs Newcastle Jets (2)

Bye...

Tired....

Feeling tired today... I don't think a afternoon of drinking on The Rocks followed by some goon at the hostel is a good idea. It only took till the point where I woke up in the TV room during the footie at 5am for me to realise this... I don't think I will ever learn... Oh well...

Finally booked my ticket out of Sydney, I leave on the 6th January for Cains - now just to let work know!... Flying up with my mate Glenn, he's going to attempt to do the East Coast in a month, where as I have as long as I need... No point returning back to England while it's cold by all accounts...

Well I have finally gotten over the Hatton fight, it was so disappointing, especially as everyone of the lads from the hostel seemed to in the same bar together. After the fight, to try and get over our disappointment a few of us did the only thing we could do in a situation like that...Drink - BIG TIME.. Which was fun, until someone pushed me into the fountain on Kings Cross - so I sat for the duration of a curry wet all down one side of my body...Thanks Guys...
However this lead to everyone deciding that we should try and recreate the opening credits to "Friends"... So in we all hoped - well to be fair I didn't - I took some pictures, up until the police asked us to all move on!!... So on the way home we popped in Nick's for a box of Goon and decided it would be rude not to go jump in the big fountain at Hyde Park (After all it's only there for the Chinese to take pictures of themselves never to it) - So off we went, wet and with goon in paper cups... And in we jumped - Bloody typical English hey!!...
The pictures ain't great but to be fair I had been on it all day... :)

Had my works Christmas do on Friday afternoon, it was a pub quiz! Our team ended up joint 3rd which was quite respectable... I enjoyed it, but decided that I should head back and eat - it's not like a Rowlands do where we just get smashed beforehand, this was more civilized drinking and that's a style of drinking I still haven't mastered yet....
Does anyone from Rowlands read this blog?? - Will someone give me a shout let me know how you're all getting on and stuff?...

Not really much more going on - I've been feeling a bit rubbish midweek after doing my neck and shoulders in some how, so just been chilling out... Looking forward to Christmas and New Year, even though it's going to be really strange...

Just short of 2 months into my trip and I'm not regretting a moment of it... well except the hangovers in work, but it's all part of the adventure....

G

COME ON RICKY!!!!....

I'm gearing up for the fight over here - a bunch of us lads from the hostel are off watching the fight in the cross... Due to the time different it's on over here at 1pm on Sunday - this could well mean a very long all day session and a very quite day in work on Monday!!!...

Not been up to much again this week - Gemma and I went for a few quite drinks on Thursday which was anything but quite again!!! I swear we're such a bad influence on each other...
Other than that, went for a few beers on Sunday in the day with Ant then meet up with 315 and Michael, who's Mel's boyfriends and also a top lad. They're now left to do the east coast for 3 weeks before he fly's back home - then Mel's got to try and find a bed in the hostel...good luck love!!!

Glenn and I went and watched Sydney FC Last night, even though the game was poor - think about 3 shots on goal all game, the fan's were signing more of less all the way through... brings a tear to my eye when I think I'm missing out on County ;o) ..well maybe not with the way I've heard they've been playing at the moment though....
Sydney scored in injury time, so at least we got to see a goal... some pictures here... The real bonus was it cost about 5 GBP to get in and you can drink beer while watching the game...

Weather has been shocking the last few days, real big thunder storms - to be honest I'm glad I'm in work, not really much else I can be doing...
I'm spending today making my plans to escape Cairns the first week in January, so long as work don't need me anymore...

Well I hope you've all got your Christmas Tree's up and whoever is going to H's fancy dress birthday party has a quality time - please have a drink in my absence... and make sure Dave doesn't drop his food again the "messy-pup" - get it!!!!

I'm off - think I may start singing "Blue Moon" as I walk round Woolworths doing my shopping....

COME ON RICKY!!!!!!!!

Day 39 in Sydney....

...and Graham is relaxing after his first week of work in Sydney!

Hello each and everyone of you lovely people...

Well it's taken me yet another week to add anything to this blog... But please let me off, as I have had my first week at work - And I have to say I feel happy with myself for taking on a job. I am working for MSF a none profit orginisation which work in war torn countries - I think you should all do a little bit for them! - Now this blog has gone from me chatting rubbish to me preaching like Terry Wogan on Children in Need!!... But I'm not typing this dressed as a bear!!
My job basically entails data inputting, so it's not really taxing but at least I can listen to my music all day long. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were Oasis, Red Hot Chilli's and John Frusciante days... Monday will begin with a Kings of Leon session me things... I am working within a small team of about 7 people and they're all really friendly and cool to get along with, so I'm sure I will enjoy the next few weeks...

Even thought I have been working it's not stopped me playing out, Tuesday night Gemma and I went to the Indy night at World Bar - We meet up with a bunch of our hostel mates and well, it got a bit messy with the old Jager-Bombs - Oh how i've missed them ;) ... I remember standing in McDonalds at 3:45am thinking if I get home by 4am I will be alright for work - yeah right! I was rough for most of the morning, but amazingly got so much work done... After some stodgy food on an early lunch I was right again... However I was to lazy to cook tea Wednesday night and went for a beer and pizza with Mel, before crashing out for an early night...
Other than that, been for a couple of runs over to the Opera House again, not sure I will ever get sick of seeing the view across the Harbour at night.
Mel and I went over to "The Rocks" market again on Friday, it was the final one - we stuffed our faces on kebab and Pan Cakes with Strawberry's before having a couple of beers on the walk back - I think Gemma and Nicola wanted to join us but they we're knacked after working all week... I ended up staying up for a few more hours and watched "catch me if you can" in the TV room.

So on to yesterday, went for another run but this time in the morning - it was hard work but enjoyable all the same. Then Mel, Glenn (a Coventry Fan) and I went bowling, ended up with us all winning a game each - but I won overall on points scored - WINNER!!!... Glenn and I went for a few more beers in the afternoon, then went to the Casino last night. Personally I didn't lose to much, just $60 having won most of it back near the end, but Glenn didn't fare as well... After that we went for a few beers on the cross then went back to watch the footie in the Hostel... Watched both the Chelsea game and the Blackburn one, by that point it was 4am... So off up the apple and pears I went...

Not done much today, made some quality bacon and egg butties this morning and had them over a brew and had to buy a top up as I've been out of credit since yesterday - It's like being back in 1995 hear with pay-as-you-go fones as you only have a month to use up the credit...rubbish!!
Think I may meet Ant later, but need to fill out some work forms for tomorrow... All in all, fancy a quite day...

Well I'm all chilled out here and looking forward to Christmas - I hope you are all well, spoke to a couple of you this week... Keep Safe and don't take sweets from strangers....