It's all in the way it's said...

Ok, I am back again...for the 2nd time in a week! I guess you are just too lucky!

Anyway, I'm in Australia, and every so often, I notice people looking at me funny when I say something, or asking Thomas or I to repeat what we just said. Then I realised "Duh, I am from Northern Ireland, and we do have some awful slang and sayings, if I do say so myself". So for your consideration, here are some of the everyday words and sayings we tend to use, along with what they really mean. Keep in mind that the word you is defined as yi or ye and you're or your is defined as yer.

-Clean boggin/bangin - really dirty

-Pure class - awesome!

-Aye - Yes

-Naw...ayee, but... - Yea, but...

-Ya huer ye - You idiot

-Yi jammy cunt - Lucky person

-Shite - shit (it's in the way it's said)

-Dirty hallion - Dirty person

-Catch yersel on - Wise up

-Culchie - From the country

-Yer drawers - Your trousers

-Foundered - Freezing

-Wind yer neck in - See Catch yersel on

-Gobshite - Mouthy or annoying person

-Manky/Mingin - Dirty

-Boke - Vomit

-Quare - Used in a sentence for great... "That's a quare haircut yi got"

-Scallion - Spring onion

-Yer scratcher - Bed

-Scunndered - Fed up

-Yes horse - Hello friend

-Six 'o' one, half a dozen 'o' the other - Awful saying meaning both are the same

-Purdy's - Potatoes...also spuds

-Stocious - Very drunk

-D'yaknowwhatameanlike - Do you know what I mean?

-Gammy - Not right. Irregular.

-Banjaxed - Broken beyond fixing

-Yer heads cut - You are imagining things

-What are ye at - What are you doing?

-A hidin' - A beaten. A slap

-Feard - Scared

-Boys a dears - Figure of speech for boredom or just about to get up and do something you don't really want to but have to

-Does my head in - annoys me

-Ganch - talk, chat

-Keep er lit/Give er Dixie - Usually said when driving. Means pedal to the metal pretty much. Keep the car (er) going.

Yup. Bet you are now thinkin "Catch yersel on. You must have been stocious when you where writing that, ya gammy shite!"

That's our everyday lingo, which you never really notice until you are questioned on what you say... :P No wonder people get confused!

Dot Dot Dot

Yea yea yea...I don't update my blog very often, but, even though not very many people read it, for those of your who do, I am still alive...when I first started blogging, it was more of a novelty, but now, it is just something else. I really need to start doing it more often again...

Anyway, I am still in Townsville...and I have also got myself a job, other than the working for accommodation. I now am a casual nightfill worker at The Reject Shop, and I actually quite like it! The people are so nice and friendly and unlike where I used to work at home, you can have a bit of conversation and a laugh while you work. At the minute, it is only 2 nights a week, but it is a bit of saving money, as I am still doing the work for my accommodation. Also, Thomas and I have help with our regional work so we can apply for our 2nd year visas...he is able to go up every day at the minute, but unfortunately I can only go one day a week as I have to work at the hostel, but hopefully, we can move up to the farm house soon and start working every day for a bit, then start making our way back down to Sydney...Dunno if I mentioned, but I miss Sydney...still.

So what else has been done since I last blogged...we, Thomas, Fay, and I, ventured Castle Hill. Yes, we walked, and all I can say is it was like the Blue Mountains all over again! Over 1000 steps up to the top! Thomas made it look easy, but when you have short legs, you have to work 100 times harder to get them to work after you have reached the half way mark. When you look up and see what is ahead, legs all of a sudden get a mind of their own and say "If you want me to go any further, you're gonna have to drag us..." However, the sense of accomplishment you get when you reach the top is well worth it. You can walk around and see the whole of Townsville from the top. And the sunset is amazing!

So, then, before it got dark, it was time to make our way back down, Once again, as Thomas has longer legs, he took the hike track we came up, back down, while Fay and I opted for the road. Even though it would prob take a lot longer, it was easier for short legs :)...However, when we saw how long it was, we thought about going back and down the track we came up, but then we came across the Daniella Track. Without even noticing that the crash barrier didn't even have a gap for it, we took off down it! What a mistake! You know when you go skiing, you have the easy (blue) slopes, intermediate (red) and the pro (black) slopes? Well, this was a black slope!

There wasn't even a path! It was just a 'hike' through stones, boulders and trees with a lot of dust and dirt! Then we thought we where lost when two people told us the way...a friggin scramble down the side of the mountain! Worst possible way down ever! The 2 people obviously done it before, because they overtook us and went on...either that or they knew it was gonna get dark soon, because we began to realise the same, and we had no lights...nor tents or food for that matter. Therefore we started to panic, got a bit faster and I twisted my ankle, but, no time to stop! When we finally reached the bottom, we arrived at a graveyard! Yes, a graveyard about 5k away from where we started. After ringing Thomas and telling him to go on back to the hostel, we made our way to a bus stop, with some help from a nice passer-by telling us where we were, after trying to read a map in the dark (we must have looked like 2 proper tourists). Then we then had to briskly move from the bus stop and cross the road away from a screaming aborignal coming around the corner...All I can say is it was a day I won't forget in a hurry, but it was fun!!!

Other than that, nothing much exciting has been happening or has happened again. Few days here and there to The Strand and beaches, yes, beaches in the winter...where else can you do that, and working. The hostel (hotel) is pretty good living, and there are lots of awesome people. A bit too many Germans though...um, yea, the majority of the people are German. It is like I am in Germany and not Australia...either that or, as Thomas put it, it is a slow invasion!

Pheww, anyway, that's it for now, and I shall try and blog again sooner this time :)