A new year down under

I've finally found a new way to write my blogs as BlogPress no longer wants to go to landscape mode. This is a pain in the arse when trying to write a blog from an iPhone! I would write it from a computer but it is nicer to write at the beach ;)

We've now been in Sydney for two and a half months (how time flies!) We have done a great deal in that time and look forward to the rest of 2013 being both productive and fun.

When we arrived in Sydney we stayed with our good friends Geoff and Harriet. Their generosity and kindness in our first weeks made our new life easier, even when things weren't happening on the job front. Their lovely home in Cammeray was a perfect base, from which we applied for jobs and researched apartments to rent.

Three weeks after arriving we moved into our own flat on Henrietta Street in Waverley. It is perfect for the two of us, only a 15 minute walk down to Bronte beach and a 15 minute walk from Bondi Junction and the shops. We have already got into the Aussie lifestyle; swimming regularly and running along the coastal path or in Centennial Park. After all that is why we left Blighty to come here!

Jobs have been a different story however and not as easy to come by as our apartment. Having hoped to get labouring work before building up contacts I found it difficult to get anything. Without several health and safety tickets and a good deal of experience there was not a lot of jobs I could apply for. However I got an interim job at Gap before Christmas and hope to start carpentry work with a friend in February. Catherine also got an interim job waitressing, but has recently started work at a friend's law firm. The hours are much more sociable (no more late finishes) and it gives her a chance to get back to loving law.

There is lots more I could say, but I'll save it for future posts and more photos!

I'll sign off with this thought.
The people here are friendly and the lifestyle is great. The weather allows us to swim in the sea and run in the sun. Coming here has given me time to think of what I am lucky to have and what I lack in my life. The latter is not as important as I once thought. It has helped show that I am healthy and have the love of a very special girl. It has opened my eyes to my wonderful friends and family back home and here in Sydney. Above all it has shown that wherever we lay our hats is our home, but our hearts will always be with those we leave behind. We can make our own happiness wherever we are in the World, we just have to realise that we often already have all that we need.

Tom :)









- Posted using a modern day type writer