Thursday, December 30, 2010

Snowboarding...yeah sure I can do it...done it before...I'll be fine... Right.

We are successful business women, we can do this, Casey and I say to each other as we head up the lift, kitted out, snowboards in hand....At the top of the mountain in Kitzbuhel; Casey and I look at each other, at the cliff side drop and then back at each other... Sure we can do this. Hmm.

Luckily appearing through the misty haze is our white knight Russ... one of our NYE ski trip entourage that just happened to be a snowboard instructor in a previous life. He whisks us away from the top of the mountain and down to the Nursery slope, not before we have a cheeky Gluehwein on the way. The remainder of the afternoon consisted of many slips, falls and wipe outs...laughs and frustrations. I think my favourite part of the day was discovering Fruitpunsch with a dash (or two) of Amaretto.


Kitzbuhel is a beautiful village, framed by picturesque snow covered mountains. I am enjoying the local beverages and I am much bemused by the Austrian drink "Willi" who has provided me with endless jokes, today I am on a mission to sample Kässpätzle and egg and cheese extravaganza I believe.


Happy New Year everyone, rock on 2011 it's going to be a goodie!

Monday, December 27, 2010

White Christmas

I woke up this morning to the view of snow falling from Mog's garden room windows.... It has been a brilliant, relaxing and laughter filled few days for my first White Christmas and first UK visit.

I wasn't quite sure they were going to let me into the country, Casey and I got stuck into the Moet (after the wine and G&T's) and I was very merry when I arrived into Manchester (Manchestaaaar duck) and was faced with immigrations 20's questions! A missed train, a load of water, a lost (and then found) jacket later and we were Sheffield bound, following a taxi to Dore we greeted with wine and fish pie at what I now like to call Hotel Laycock.

A very Bridget Jones's Diary-esqe Christmas Eve party and mini pub crawl was following by a truely fantastic Christmas Day. Mog's completely outdone herself. Scrambled eggs w/ salmon, champagne cocktails, prawn cocktail, wine, tomato soup, wine, turkey and all the trimmings, wine and to top it all off brandy christmas pudding, flaming and filled with pound coins. Needless to say the day was centered around wine and food, great company, many laughs and more wine! Mog's is most definitely a woman after my own heart!!

Tomorrow we are Austria bound for a bit of Kitzbuhel NYE action... wine will be replaced with Gluehwein and the laughs will keep coming. By the time I reach Costa Rica I will be in desperate need of a detox, that is a certainty!

Thanks Mogs and the Laycock family for welcoming me into your home and lives this Christmas, it has been totes fabulous. Now...where is that wine... Xx



Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Goodbye Dubai...Hello UK

After a false start yesterday; Plan B is now in action. A little bit of snow isn't going to stop Lucy and I getting to Mog's Club Tropicana for the Christmas Day treasure hunt!!

My life has been packed into 3 cases and 1 box and shipped back to Oz, its just me and Jalan 55 now....

All set to fly out to Manchester today, airport clear for landing, goodbye Dubai. I seriously could not be more pleased.

Merry Christmas all, the adventure begins now!


Tuesday, December 14, 2010

T - 7 days

Reality check... I am unemployed as of tomorrow, my apartment resembles something of a squat, my wardrobe consists of 3 pairs of pants, 4 tee shirts and 2 pairs of shoes, the high heels are binned, the hair straightener is about to be retired and my latest shopping expeditions have consisted of Swiss army knives, thermals and insect repellent!! Holy crap, this is really happening!!

Last few weeks have been intense, funny, sad and a little surreal. The beginning of the end really started with Casey and Lems coming over to my place for a very grown up dinner, which inevitably turned into vodka Malibu cocktails and drunk living room dancing in which they proceeded to don most of the items packed to sell at the Safa market. Casey resembled something of a homeless Dolly Parton and Lems a Fez wearing lunatic clutching a "Sexy Bitch" glass and S1 of Cougartown!! A sight they were leaving my place at 4am, the taxi driver mortified by the blond wig wearing ranting Casey and Joe dazed and confused to be woken up by a Moroccan-esque slurring and strangely dressed Lems. True love it is though as they married a few weeks later (Joe and Lems, not Casey and the Taxi driver!! Congrats Xx)....  

Since then it has been a flurry of packing, purging, brunching, laughing, sun downers, movies, Ladies nights and celebrating which will continue for the next week.

Super excited people!! 

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

21d:05h:51m...and counting

The countdown is well and truly on, to be fair its been on for about six months now!

Well a bit of background to start I guess....

Since I was a teenager I knew that I wanted to see the world but it took me until age 30 to leave Australia for the first time, for the past 3 years I have lived and worked in Dubai, UAE and travelled to 15 countries.
It has been an amazing journey. This year, after the best part of last 16 years working full time I decided it was time to get serious... serious about some big changes.

Time to stop thinking, talking, wondering, dreaming and just existing and time to make change happen.

So, I have quit my job, I have sold my car, I have packed up my stuff and sent it back to Oz and I am off... on an adventure, the beginning of come what may!

In 22 days I am UK bound for Christmas with my best mates to spend it with the ever fabulous Mogs, onto Austria for NYE ski chalet style then its hello Costa Rica... after that well, South America I am coming!
Exciting, scary, awesome... bring it!!

There have already been a few events in planning so far that are worth a story... to be continued!