Settling back in - well sort off

I have been back in Melbourne for over a week now and finally settling back in. Its amazing how much time you can waste if you don't really have a purpose. I've spent my time catching up with a few friends and preparing myself for the working world again. Actually, there has been a lot of time procrastinating more than anything else.

Over the last week, I have noticed some pretty awesome cloud streets. Maybe its a winter thing that makes these appear more but I only wish they were around like this during summer.


I also made use of the spare time to catch up with a few of my bright friends and head off for a bit of boarding. The snow was pretty icy in the mornings but the slopes facing the sun were great.


I don't really go to the snow all that much but love it when I do. I might look into heading to some of those European slopes now I know what they could be like.


Friends from Bright - Dave, John and Heike.

The same day, some of the local paragliders got 3 m/s off Mystic and had a decent fly. That is only about 20 kms from the above photo.

I didn't realize how much time I have actually had off but on the way up to Bright I added it up to be 12 weeks. So much for the original 5 week holiday I had planned.

All photos were taken with the phone.

A visit to the United Kingdom - the mother country

While I was in Italy with access to a TV I constantly saw images of the UK besiged by flooding while southern Europe was gripped in extremely hot weather (which was were I was). I knew that was my next stop. I didn't know if I could handle cold and wet after almost 2 months of sunshine (well almost). When I was descending into Endinburgh, we descended through rain. I remember wondering how quickly I could get out of the UK again. Maybe Majorica would be the go. Luckily, the weather turned out OK. I was lucky enough to be in England during one the best weekends of the summer apparently. It was fine and sunny. Apparently that hasn't happened much this year since April. I spent about a week in Scotland and 4-5 days in England.

I stayed with Jen and Mikey in their flat in Endinburgh. Great people to hang out with for a week. A unique place with great view.


It was Jens B'day over the weekend so got to see some of the Endinburgh life and mix a bit with the locals. This is Jen and Mikey.

We also managed to get up north for a few days to see a bit of the countryside. It was stunning. I had this vision of them being just rolling type hills but the highlands really are quite high.

And there were some pretty cool cows there too. Some people are starting to wonder if I have a thing for cows. Not really, I just think they are cool. They are like Labradors. Not the smartest cookie in the box but pretty adorable all the same.

After a great time in Scotland, I traveled south to London to meet up with a few good friends that have decided to work over there for a while. It was great just chilling out over a few beers and food catching up with a few people (and their kids). There is a part of me that wouldn't mind trying to living overseas again for a while. But for now, think I am happy just hanging out in Melbourne.


Am back home now, just re-surfacing after being hit by a mountain of unpaid bills, disconnection notices etc. Apparently my mobile number has been quarantined - doh. Ah, normal life again - excellent.

Rome and its Monuments

I have been to Rome, seen the sights, visited a few churches and even went to a specific chapel that was in Dan Browns 'Angels and Demons' book. But if you ask me, did it really do much for me. Did it make me feel excited - the honest answer would be not really. Maybe its the 10 thousand others tourists I saw at each place that took away the aura, the exicitment of seeing something 2000years old. But maybe I just don't care that much about history.


I really enjoyed Cinque Terra; not so much for the towns itself but the natural beauty of some of the places. Lying in the sun on the rocky coastline watching people have fun was far more enjoyable that tramping around Rome following a well beaten tourist path.

I got just as much enjoyment eating the lasange in one of the cafes in one of the side streets next to the Pantheon as seeing the Pantheon itself. Maybe, that means I should really just stay home, grab a friend and eat some Lasange at Pelligrinis instead of trapsing around the world.

When I came back from South America, I remember thinking the same thing. It is not so much the places I visited that I would remember the best but some of the people you meet along the way. Luckily, I have met some nice people and caught up with some friends (and hopefully made some new) that makes the trip worthwhile.

I don't really travel to see individual sights but really to see how others live their lives in different countries. In Rome, I found it hard to see through all the tourists.

The one thing I did like though was the paintings in the churches. They really were kinda cool. The one above was just in some random church I happened to pop into while wandering Rome. Its the unexpected surprises I like best.

Am currently in London after spending a week in Scotland which I will give a summary on shortly. But the trip is fast coming to an end. Am starting to think again about work - Doh.