Tis the Season to be

Feeling extremely unhealthy and like you gorged on everything. Haha, well I don't feel that bad actually. Christmas eve was good fun. We just went out and about in and around Sydney but in order to ring people at home it was necessary to stay up till four thirty. Sincere apologies for any garbled messages that may have ben received at this time. And what else would an Englishman in Oz do on Christmas day? Well go to bondi of course. Yes the day was spent lazing on the beach with an eski full of cold ones taking the ocassional dip in the sea when it got too hot (and man was it hot!). I managed to sustain an injury by diving into the sea thinking it was deeper than it was so I now have a dumb looking sand graze on my head. Oh yeah, and me and Scot the Scot got chased out of the water by a shark. No shit! Well, we didn't see it but the shark siren was going off. Perhaps it was a clever ploy to remove all the drunken people form the sea in the most effective manner. Whatever, it worked. Never moved so quickly through water.

The last couple of days have been very quite. Just been to the cinema and last night found the worst club in Sydney. If you're out here of ever planning to visit, never, repeat NEVER go to the Silva club. For those of you familiar with Horny in the cellar at manc, yes it's unbelievable but we found the Oz equivalent last night. Needless to say it was quite an early one.

As with most big cities, I'm now beginning to tire of Sydney. I don't know if it's because I've got the attention span of a goldfish or just because I don't generally like cities that much but on the second I'll hopefully be heading for the blue mountains for a few days until the 5th. Plenty of hiking and views and the good old nature. Can't wait. Then on the fifth it's a day at the test match. Then after that somewhere else until the 11th when the one day cricket shall be watched. Preliminary plan after that is to go south. Haha, not much of a plan but so what.

Personals

Phil hope you and H had a corker and that New Year is cool too. Can't wait to see the back of this year. Any recommendations of where to go south of Sydney?

Con hope you and Clare had a brill Crimble too. Give my love to everyone over there and you two have a great New year too.

Everyone, the comments are working again so do your worst!

Ma, hope you and Doug had a great time in darkest Africa (you explorers you!) and that your New Year is the best ever.

Love to everyone back home and if I've missed any one out court marshall me when I get back.

P.S. I have to say that having a Mc Donalds for Christmas dinner was a touch odd.

A hey hey hey

And a very merry christmas to everyone. I apologise if I've missed anyone with my Christmas group mailing but I'm in between accounts at the moment and it's a little confusing. Speaking of confusion, you should try being in 30 deree sunshine over Christmas. It's bloody weird. Haha, you have to pity all the father Christmasses walking around town too. Extra belly and christmas costume in theis heat? No thanks. HAving a few poskets of mates out here in Sydney too it's going to be a strange one. I'd love to see everybody but it's going to be hard getting to do that. Sod it. I might try it anyway and just bounce from group to group. Haha, whatever happens I'm definitely going to the beach at some stage. I reckon that's the way to do it rather than freezing yer tits off in the British winter.

Only problem with being out and about is a lack of giftage. Not to worry though, I think Katy and Ffi are getting me something so I've returned the favour. Christmas shopping in the midday sun is very uncomfortable but I got it done in my usual speedy time of around half an hour. Genius.

Right then you lot. Seeing as how it's Christmas what the hell are you doing on the net? Log off now and have a beer on me.

Evening all evening all. Erm, well afternoon. Errrrr, actually I don't know what time it might be where you all are. Regardless, just did a check of the old revolicktion and all is not well. Comments seem to be down, yet again. Not my fault but just use the forum for any messages (it's at the top near the photos link etc). Well, did a wee bit of shopping today and bought a guitar. Bit of an impulse buy but I wa missing playing too much. God knows how I'll transport it around but if it becomes too much of a pain I can always sell it on. Oh yeah, Saddam isn't really caught. As Scaryduck pointed out, it's actually a Scottish alcoholic they've got instead called Jimmy. I believe tey found him outside Threshers.

Just had a poisoned pen e-mail from a lady I happen to know berrating me for not mentioning the capture of Monsieur Hussein on my blog. To rectify the situation I'd like to say that he has indeed been captured (or maybe one of his doubles has).

After all that serious crack we need a bit of light relief:

Maddas (Saddam) and George Bush walk into a bar. They've got nothing to talk about because neither has heard any jokes about Maddas' capture. NEITHER have I!!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr, send me jokes now!

Quick note to the current South African contingent... send us a mail or a comment or something to let me know how you are. I'll text you tonight with my new Oz number. Oh aye, anyone else who wants that then just mail me with your nu,ber and I'll text it to you.

Alrighty righty peeps. How are you all? Well I hope. Not written on here for bloody ages as I am officially a slack bastard (well according to Andy anyway). For those of you intelligent people that have started using my yahoo address (due to the fact that hotmail is a bag of zan) congratulations. If at any point you start getting an overpowering sense of deja vu it's because you've already had the bulk of this message in group mail. Admit it, who's short term memory's worse than mine? So on with what I've benn doing:

I'm in a bit of a lull at the moment, just waiting for Katy to arrive in Sydney. She's somewhere north at the moment but I can't be bothered to move around much just now so I'll wait until after crimble I reckon.

I've been in Coogee for a bit before returning to Sydney. Pretty mental place. The beach was just across the road from the hostel too. Got the feeling the place was a bit of a trap too as some people had been staying there for three months plus (never a good sign). As a result of many long term residences it was actually pretty cliquey and although the bars there were good there was only really two of them. Haha, these folk had been to the same two places for three months! Very bizarre and despite the draw of the beach the place didn't entertain me for that long. Well, not entirely true but seeing as how I'm back over there for new year I didn't want to take a Coogee OD (if you know what I mean).
One thing I have discovered whilst at Coogee is that the sun is a proper viscious bastard over here. My shoulders are killing me despite factorage of 16 reapplied regularly and an abundance of EUV ('ey up vera... aloe vera). So I'm avoiding the sun at the moment. Been out and bought ridiculously high SPF factorage today (30!) which should keep my shoulders safe for the time being.

I'm staying in the YHA now in Sidders. It's pretty pricey and massive, but satisfactory as you can just hang about there quite happily. Andy's working this week and Alex is trying to sort us out some cricket tickets (sticky wicket... Boycott, come back). Looks like saturdays sold out but apparently she knows a mate of Gillespie's. Whether or not we end up going remains to be seen. Think OG original Guardy got here today too. It's like a bloody school reunion at the moment.

Might be orf to a show at the opera house in the next couple of days and shall be visiting my namesake's hotel tomoz in full tourist mode with camera and all. Haha, could end up being my own version of a Gorman mission this trip.

Anyways, I'm off to... errrr... sign off. See you all laters.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeew

Haha, sorry. I've picked up an annoying habit of shouting that anywhere and everywhere I am. I'll have to stem it though or I might get laced by someone. Highly unlikely though as all the folk over here are too nice. Suppose I'd better get on with telling you whaat I've been up to for the past few days. Okay then.

Seal Rocks

Is about three hours north of Sydney and that's where the surf school was. There were nine of us on the trip, all a good laugh. The place we stayed at was...

Bugger that, I can't be bothered to describe it too much. It was good. That's all you need to know. Pictures will be ensuing but not just yet (for some reason none of the comps in here have cd drives.... useless) So surf school was 2 days long. It's just like riding a bike. No probs at all getting back into it, apart from the fact that I am weak. My arms stopped working half way through the first days and I'm now in agony. Chucked my back out too but that's all the fun of the fair. Industrial scale mozzies have had their Ollcake and eaten too.

Got back

On Friday evening and arranged to go out for a beer with one of the lads from the surfing trip. I also got in touh with an old school mate (Alex Stiff) who I haven't seen for 6 years. So I got to the bar half expecting to be stood up as I was a bit late and no one was there yet. So I asked a group if I could nick one of their chairs. They gave me one then came over and told me to join them whilst waiting for my mates to turn up. How ridiculously nice of them. Anyway, Eddy ad Alex rocked up eventually. Had a class night with them two and only got in in the wee hours this morning. Bloody knackered (and still sore) today so I reckon I might have to go sit in the spa for a while. Mark's (Scottish lad in the flat) birthday is on Monday so its another night out tonight. Phew, I'll be half dead tomorrow. Quiet week ahead though before Katy gets here. Oooh, and loads of cricket on to be watched religiously (if only it'd stop pissing it down! Yes that's right, I'm moaning about the weather again but honestly, a thunder storm every gray day? What's going on?)

So the pictures will be up soon of me goofing about on a surf board... betcha can't wait hey?