I learnt to surf recently. I say 'surf' when what I actually mean is that ' I
learnt to cling onto the board for 10 second intervals without being slammed
into the water by a huge wave'......turns out, surfing is mostly about balance
- who knew?? Ha! I blame the board, myself (yes, workman, tools, yadda yadda),
but apparently my board was too short for a beginner (have I just set myself up
for a slew of short jokes there?). But I frickin' loved it! What an adrenalin
rush! And I think that because I have an irrational fear of the sea, having the
wetsuit on and the board to hold onto, I felt ridiculously safe and secure. So
I can't wait for the next time I get to go surfing - maybe I might actually get
to sit on the board and stay upright for longer than 3 seconds.....Nah, that'll
never happen...
I haven't touched on the whole 'living the aussie life' for a while. I
think as a newbie arriving back in Oz after a long hiatus, it was like coming
to a brand new country. Everything had changed massively since I was last here,
and it was hard to adjust to the rose-tinted memories I had of 'my Australia'
to the real life one. The biggest adjustment was the lack of empathy or even
just the social skills of the majority of Australians. They have a great
reputation for being very open, friendly and inviting absolutely everyone round
for a 'barbie' everyday :) And the reality is so much different. The Aussies I
now consider my friends here are the exception to the rule. But all the Brits I
speak to here have had the same issue - the Aussie’s have their lives, their
friends and their inner circles and they just can't be bothered. This vision of
Australians embracing 'overseas visitors' with open arms is a myth. I spent two
weeks walking around Balmain, when I first arrived, trying to drum up a
conversation with absolutely anyone - and they just didn't want to know. Weird.
So, a quick snapshot of the differences I've seen since being here, to
the UK way of life:
1) Aussies have a better work/life balance - they work to live, not live
to work.
2) Drink driving is not frowned upon here - honestly, people think
nothing of downing 3 or 4 alcoholic drinks and getting in a car to drive home.
However, as soon as a bank holiday arrives, the government smackdown with a
'double demerits' weekend. Basically, if you get caught on that weekend drink
driving, you get double points on your licence. A really good idea - if they
could just catch them more often!
3) You can't buy alcohol in supermarkets or convenience stores. Nope,
they have specific liquor stores which open only in the evenings and only then
can you buy your beer/vino whatever. Which I kinda like that - plus also, a lot
of the restaurants are 'BYO' (bring your own), so you can literally rock up
with 2 bottles of wine from the liquor store and drink it with your meal.
4) Parking...here's an odd one - you HAVE to park in the direction of
the traffic flow. So you'll never see a car parked towards you, on your left
hand side. I'm a little on the fence with this, as I’ve seen some loonies do
very dangerous 'U' Turns in order to grab that parking space on the other side
of the road. BUT - it stops trying to have to pull out over both
lanes.....genius or flawed?
5) Furniture collection - this is my favourite. Once a month, the council
comes round and collects all the old household items you no longer want/need,
whatever it's condition. So I have managed to swipe a new wash basket, a
beautiful table and chairs for my balcony and two sunlougers! All for
free......and you can literally walk round the roads, pick up the items and
take them home! Whatever’s left, the council takes. Absolutely brilliant
idea...and it works.
A good friend of mine came over to Australia to do a bit of 'travelling'
recently. I don't think in a million years she ever expected to have the
rollercoaster ride of emotions that she's been on, and it completely shocked
her. The readjustment of being somewhere unfamiliar and alone, was massive. She
began to doubt her ability, her trust in herself and her capability of just
going forward. And do you know what? She's only bloody did it. All alone. It
took a bit of cajoling and a bit of an a*se kick, but she went off and dived
head first into the 'travelling alone' club. And purely on that basis, she's
leapfrogged to the top of my 'awesome' list as I'm not sure there are many
people who could do what she's doing.....and I know you probably think you
could, but could you really? Most people would rather go on holiday with
someone they barely know, just because it’s someone....rather than being tagged
as a 'norman no mates' for going away on your own. How many of you have sat in
a restaurant alone? Gone to the cinema alone? Is there a stigma attached to
doing these things alone?
Well, if any of you have been travelling/on holiday on your
own....I bloody salute you. You are amazing. And if you haven't done it by now,
chances are you never will. And I'm not saying it’s a bad thing, I just think
that there are some people there who can't, some who won't and some that just
say 'I'll give it a go" and run headlong into it. Awesome.
I've been thinking about the whole 'life change' thing over the past few
months, as it’s amazing how you try and put new processes into place and the
*boom*, something can happen that blows all your hard work apart. And I'm
realising that it's a slow process, but a necessary one. Obviously, my changes
are mainly to do with my lifestyle and diet - hence the sober October thang
again - as I can't seem to lose weight whilst I drink like I do. So, who knows,
maybe the no alcohol process may last longer than a month? But I do know that
exercise is key to my weightloss and as a wise woman told me recently, 'don't
exercise when you're free - plan it into your weekly routine and stick to it'.
So that's the small change I am making - but it made me think....when I come
home (and if I don't get sucked into my old habits immediately), what would I
like to learn/do with my free time....not to sound maudlin, but has anyone ever
written their 'bucket list'? The list of the things you'd like to do before you
kick the, err, proverbial bucket? Here's a few I've thought of.....what would
you add to yours?
Learn to ride a Horse
Write a book
Learn basic sign language
Travel America to do 'Route 66'
Go to Europe more often, see more of the UK
Learn to cook - properly
Ride a motorbike
Walk the Inca Trail
Sky dive?
Drive an Aston Martin
Stay at a 5 star hotel for a weekend and be treated like royalty
Read a book that changes my life....
It would be lovely to know what you would like to do - if you had the
chance? I read this quote today, and it resonated with what I'm trying to say:
"Put your fears aside and get started. Do something. Do anything.
Otherwise, today is gone. Once tomorrow comes, today is lost forever".
And to finish - a joke about my Nanny Hamilton. Not sure if this will
translate, as it’s usually told in person - and some of you won't even know who
the famous man is!
Picture the scene - a sunday night at home, watching TV and having sandwiches & crisps, waiting for 'Sunday night at the Palladium with
Jimmy Tarbuck' to come on.
Nan turns to Grandad and says 'oooh, I like this fella, old
Jimmy Tarbrush" - to which my Grandad says, 'No love, it's Buck'. Nan's
response 'yes, of course, silly me, Buck Tarbrush'.
Well, regardless, I frickin love that story.....and it makes me smile everytime I tell it.....
Have a great weekend people
Love Hols
xxxxxxx
