Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Well another Xmas is over and the new year of 2006 is on our door step. I spent xmas down at my pops west of Coffs Harbour, and I must say, xmas eve was one of the hottest days I think I have experienced since I moved back to aussie. But as always the river lived up to expectations and was nice and cold for an afternoon dip.

It was nice to spend xmas with the family, some of whom I haven't seen in a few years. I think it really hit home just how close it is until I travel to the UK, and I'm really going to miss my Pop. My cousins Flick and Mahl's have come home with us to the gold coast for a few weeks, and I'm really enjoying having them here.

All the Grandkids, with Pop - Xmas 2005

Last night I took the girls to infinity, and they had a blast. A little bit scary for Mahli but I think she really enjoyed it otherwise.

Only 14 more days of work to go, and counting down. Wishing everybody a very happy new year, and all the best for 2006. (Drink and be Merry!)

...Over and out.

Preparing to Leave

Well as a lot of you are aware, I'm preparing for my big trip to the UK. I don't have any "real" plans as yet for what I will do when I arrive, but I'm hoping things will fall into place once I get there.

I have recently been attempting to "wrap up" my year. My work Xmas party has been and gone, and it was a fabulous night of style in Surfers Paradise, limosuines and all! As this photo proves, I'm never too old to sit on Santa's lap!

I have had 5 months "leave without pay" approved through work to travel, though I'm not sure if they really expect me to come back! I really love my job, so London will have a lot to live up to if I'm going to stay there for any longer!

I depart from Brisbane of January 27th 2006. So with today being December 11th, the countdown has begun. In the last week I have purchased a backpack and a big thick and hopefully super warm ski-style jacket. I've had one attempt at packing everything I want to take into my backpack, and although it didn't all fit the first time, I was quite impressed with how close I was to fitting everything in. Well I've got approximately 7 weeks to work on my technique, and if I can't perfect the technique, I've been checking out www.worldbaggage.com.au as a back up.

Wednesday I had a rostered day off from work. I took this as on opportunity to visit Travelex in Surfers Paradise. When walking through Cavill Mall late on the night of my work Xmas party, a big sign in the window screamed out to me - "Open your UK bank account here". I have heard it is incredibly difficult to do this once you arrive in the UK, and therefore decided if I could find a way to do this before I go, it would probably be well worth the effort.

I took with me every form of identification with me you can think of - Aussie passport, British passport, drivers licence, mobile phone bill, bank statement, credit card statement, tax assessment notice, another bank statement. There was absolutely no way I was leaving there without a bank account! After about an hour and a half of wading through the formalities, my mission was accomplished!

This site is an account of my journey, which I have set up for family and friends. I hope you all enjoy keeping up to date with me! Please feel free to post comments.