Happy New Year... and clinkers.

ok, well, a very blurry photo, but that is the london eye and a crowded street (just a little while after the fireworks). i heard it was busy earlier on, but i wasn't there. ok, so i tried to put the blog posting before the photos, but i don't know how to. and then it went funny, so please bear with me.... many many photos and then a little (or very long this time) story.
some ummm, random guys we spoke to, these two were German. apparently they have a kartoffel kopf (so i heard). and alas, no flash, lucky there were heaps of lights.
don't know why we are all closing our eyes, maybe the wind... hey jana, is that your christmas hat blowing away?? oh look, a party popper!!
Christiaan, very arty. hey, did you steal my camera for a bit?? hmmmm, would explain some of the photos!
ok, so maybe that isn't arty, but i don't feel like i have to explain my art to you Warren. ahh, my dead flip-flops, but it's cool, cos i have another pair now. yay. and look, that is the sun. we are having a backyard party on boxing day IN THE SUN!!! it was great!
ahhh, cronulla beach. and even a little grommit with an aussie towel, how fitting!!! and again, look, the sun!!!
no backyard party is complete without the fire. so, here it is. a lovely night that was, cheers muz, you guys throw a pretty good backyard party. keep up the good work on round2.
ok, so these photos are a bit out of order. ummm, clapham common, jana, matty, christiaan, lena and me. too many photos being taken at once... where to look??
ahhhhhh, that's a nice bridge if ever i saw one. reminds me a bit of the eiffel tower. ahhhh, we love sydney and the harbour bridge.
ummm, whoops, i'm leaving sydney and i don't think i have a photo of my parents yet. ummm, smile!! hehe. thanks for your patience with me over the last two weeks mum and dad.

picnic rug massage anyone?? some of the girls from home ummm, well, the ground was wet. my goodness it got really cold that night, but the stars were awesome. i think i spent 30mins zoning out looking at the stars. schelle, i even saw the milky way and that was just in wahroonga. you should have been there.
julie, julie, julie, julie and ummm, i have forgotten the horses name. she works and lives at randwick taking the horses for walks and swimming and stuff. well cool. and luv, it was great to see you!!!
and son, that's what we call a hills hoist. a great aussie invention. well, i was trying to get a photo of the stars, but oh well. that was my vantage point for the 30mins of star gazing. i think i saw 5 shooting starts during that time. it was great!
benny c and me. oh a jetcat exploring tha harbour. thanks ben, all i wanted was a ferry ride!!! that was a lovely arvo. gee, i love sydney. look at that view. fantastic!!! why would you live anywhere else (good question deev). well, now is the time. and hopefully syd will still be there on my return.
wel love you toddles!!!!!! thanks for coming to the christmas party!!! next time, i'm so going to get you something to drink!
Dink. now, isn't that just the epitime of ausiness... aussie shirt, beer and sanger roll. cheers dink. and what a fabulous day you have for a birthday!!!
me and bretto at his boxing day bbq. too many bbq's on one day. to bretto and all my hurstville boys, it was fabulous to see you all!!! come visit soon, would love to see you! (and that goes for all of you aussie people!!) thanks for providing the sun that day too!!!
ahhh, big brothers really do care. even if they do wear pink shirts with their collars up. well, he has always been the stylish one of the siblings.
just a small collection of our ummm christmas soft toys... and most of them dance too!!! hehe. yes, we are a strange bunch, but i wouldn't have it any other way.
this is just some of the dryness. my goodness, i don't think i've ever seen it so bad and this isn't even the bad bits. praying for rain guys!! did make for a good photo though (coutesy of reyna, my hero!! cos i was driving. thanks luv)
and here she is!!! my hero!!! if it wasn't for you, i wouldn't be able to be back in the uk working. cheers!! we love families!! this was at Questacon. what a great girlies day in canberra that was.
two of the girls from school. rach and mrs mcgregor. (congratulations ty!!!!) was great to catch up with the both of you!!! see you soon rach!
we love raol, raol love absolut! haha. thanks for coming to my christmas party and making the 7hr drive. it was great to see you raol, and meet you Katrina. ahhhh, a happy couple from the bush. a little place called Howlong?? (ahh haha, please don't kill me!)
my bro and my two new cousins gettinc upto mischief in canberra. sorry i didn't see you ant and liz. next time. thanks for letting us stay malcolm and carol!!!
the eiffel tower, similar (ok not really) to the harbour bridge?? maybe its just the steel factor and lots of lines.
dad and me and daddies sauce. what a great birthday present. everytime he has it, he can think of me.... ahhhhhh
sacre coeur. from my trip to paris, now that seems like an eternity ago.
and our 62MG family christmas party. all the guys (although lucia is now back in madrid) we're waiting for Diane to move in. breakdown will be 4/2 french/aussie... let's see how it goes. allez le bleu or not.
and our tapas from the christmas party. lucia and i did a ripper job. go us!!

ok, so that is a small selection of the pics. i'm going really well... wish i could put more up, but decided there has to be an end point eventually... and so now, onto the news... sorry it is so long.

ok, well, i think one of the most exciting things about my new years eve party was playing the clinkers game, but i am really bummed that i didn't actually take any photos. how could i be so stupid!!!! and do you know what?? the yellow ones suck. you don't want the yellow ones, cos they taste way too strongly of fake bananas. and clinkers get sickly sweet after a while. but they are soooooo yummy and fun to eat. (don't you agree matt, jana, lena and christiaan???)

so HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all. my goodness, so hard to believe i have been gone from Aus for a year and a half and well, plans are now out the window for 'when' i will be going home for good. it was great to be home in sydney, and as i think i already said, my heart is in aus (along with a whole heap of quality people who i am starting to miss all over again), but london is where i am at at the moment. crazytown. i went to church yesterday for the morning service and was singing a song and thinking something on the way there. and the preacher quoted a line from the song and then spoke on what i was thinking. i really believe this church is where i am supposed to be at the moment, so praying that God will grow me and use me there. so, i am really excited to see what 2007 has in store for me in Shepherds Bush, London, or wherever else i end up being. (although have just signed contract for my school, so won't be moving too far at this stage!)

ok, a quick recount of my new years and then well, maybe a few photos of my lovely australia and new years and even paris from before.... i feel lots of photos in this posting.... ahhhh, i love photos (and thanks bro for giving me the photo mobile. i might have to print out some photos so i can hang it up.)

ok, so home i get on saturday. not a bad day (thanks heaps rakesh for picking me up from the airport, it was lovely). did some paperwork for school (that i am now totally lost in) and made an attempt to unpack (most of which is still on one side of my bed). but mum, you would be proud i did my washing and it is now drying (taking up more space in my room). ok, sorry, really chatty today, moving on. oh and caught up with matt and jana for hot chocolate at an italian restaurant in south kensington... really good hot chocolate, almost a mousse like consistancy.... ok, really off track today, bear with me!!! ha (is it any more than usual???)

then, church on sunday morning and just round the corner is High street kensington, so i had to do some shopping (see, i left my favourite shoes at home, so instead of getting them sent over, why not just buy more!!!). So bought some shoes in the sales, not a bad price at all mind you. and then did a bit more pottering around High St Ken 'exploring' the shops. think i impusle bought a few things too... but of course nothing that i didn't need.

and then got ready (of course wearing my new shoes) to go south for my first experience of Matt's place. (very nice by the way matt!!). So, off to matt's i went to meet up with him and Jana (i love you guys) and see Lena again and meet Christiaan, Lena's boyfriend.... german boys are very tall.... watched them play a german card game which was too confusing for me (like most card games that aren't spit or snap or scum, think it had more that 4 letters and didn't start with 's', maybe that was my problem!). by the time we had our lovely dinner, it was heaps late, but we had to go into the 'city' to celebrate new years. we got as far as clapham common and celebrated there in the wind and cold. but it was great!!! we had lots of fireworks from all angles, popped our christmas crackers (which they don't have in germany, so that's why we had them) and then our party poppers and welcomed in the new year with a few dances... whoop whoop.

then onto waterloo to explore a bit further. and to hang out with lots of tourists. found a whole group of spanish people and then got chatting to some germans too. my camera flash decided not to work, stupid stupid, i don't think it likes the cold. might have to get it a blanket for it. hung around there for a while then to the bus for the trip home. found some weird polish guy who wouldn't leave us alone and started chatting to some american who really didn't want to chat to me (as if that would ever happen) and then after like 30mins waiting realised hey, tubes are still working, so good option that was (thanks NatWest) said bye bye to Matt and Jana (thanks for a good night guys) and caught the tube with Lena and Christiaan most of the way home. and then onto shepherds bush. now by this time i didn't feel like going home to an empty house, so rang Nick who was still out partying in the area (invited me to celebrate with schelle and him like 7 hours beforehand, so only a little late to reply) and off we went for my very first ever experience of the 24hr bagelbite at shebu. (don't get me wrong, i have been in there plenty of times before, just never been able to bring myself to buy something and eat it that close to before i go to bed). it was a good start to the new years cos before i went to aus i decided i wanted to try it, and now, i have. hooray!!!

whoa, essay and a half. well, today, i slept most of the day away, with being well tired, going to bed very late, jetlagged and all other possible options. i actually contemplated not getting out of bed and sleeping right through till tomorrow and getting up and going to WORK. it will be good to be back at work. (and praise God the visa went through, so all clear to start, one less stress for me to worry about).

ok, really should stop writing, cos i don't know if this makes sense and well, i don't know if anyone is still reading. but awesome if you are!!! enjoy the pics, take care, love you to bits.

deev
and yes mum, i am looking after myself!!!
xx
(missing aus quite bad.... but loving england too)