OMG...It's awesome...

I have come to the conclusion that I don't blog as often as I probably should, didn't take a genius, and that I am probably not gonna start doing it more. It was kind of a novelty to start, but now I will do it when I remember or when I am in the mood. So, right now, I am remembering....

So, still in Townsville, and even though I complained about it at the beginning, its not really that bad. Anyway, I know you might agree with everyone I have spoken to at home, that I am lucky I am getting such nice weather, it being up there in the 30's, before summer is even here, but I left Sydney in June and I have hardly seen rain since. All it has been doing is getting warmer, which don't get me wrong is a nice(ish) thing, but it is also getting so fricken humid that it is almost impossible to breath sometimes. It also makes it so uncomfortable to work in. I went to work for a few days on a farm, and I have to say I break a sweat more working in the hostel and in The Reject Shop than I did there. It is probably because I worked outside on the farm and I am inside for the other two, but wow...it is nasty.

Anyway, on Friday, I got dropped off after work at around 6.30, I got a shower and headed to Woolies to buy dinner. En route, I thought I was imagining things when I saw flashes out of the corner of my eye, but nope. Leaving Woolies, I was stalked up the street by a nice thunderstorm, which caught up with me just as I got home, and a huge fork of lightning danced around at the bottom of the road for a second...I quickly went inside, but then, the best thing happened...it rained!!! OMG, I was so excited. I didn't care about the thunder and lightning, I just had to go outside until I was drenched. I mean, come on...I come from a wet country, and I hadn't seen rain for nearly 3 months. I hate it when I am at home, but you don't know what you miss until you don't have it any more. I was getting a bit pissed off with all the perfect, happy, sunny days and the heat :P ... Rain, how I missed you! It also lifted the humidity in the air epically and I actually slept comfortably through the night! Rain is awesome! Then to top it all off, I woke this morning to a dull morning, thunder overhead and it was lashing! I didn't however go outside, but I did like rolling over in my bed to the sound of rain on the roof and going back to sleep :) ... I reckon my mum, sitting at home in the rain, is thinking I have gone a little crazy, hoping for rain and being excited when it got here, but I've realised that the weather at home is something we take for granted, and as I said, you don't know what you miss until you don't have it as much....


So, more rain please, ta...

A tourist in my own country :)

Yes, that was what I done last week :D...
One of my friends, Alison, came over from Australia to visit her sister in England, so she came over to sunny little Northern Ireland for a week and stayed with us. I must admit, whenever I left Australia and said goodbye to everyone, I never thought any of my friends would have been over here...but, turns out I was wrong. I used to say that I wish they could come over, and Alison did!!! Wish granted :)...


Anyway, other than the rain - first rain in 2 weeks too - it was a great week. After 2 years of only facebook contact, I was so excited to see Alison, that, as her arrival got closer, I never slept! Yes...like a child on Christmas eve! So once she got here and to her 'home' for the week, we relaxed a bit, played catch up, went to town for lunch, went to the cinema etc etc (btw, Hanna is just ok...) and then on Wednesday, Nan and Granda took us to The Giants Causeway, the scenic route...it was lovely, and it stayed dry for most of the day. We also stopped at Dunluce Castle on the way back, which was also lovely - did you know, Michael Jackson wanted to buy it at one time - now you do. Learn something new everyday :O

Causeway

Next day, we done a bit of shopping...just had to go to Primark :)...and visited 'Derry's Walls,' and on friday, we watched tv during the day and went for a meal along with Kirsty that night. There was also a band parade, so we stayed and watched that. Then on the Saturday, mum and dad took us to the Ulster American Folk Park, where we learnt about the Irish (main story was about the Mellons) emigration to America, and how we pretty much built America :P... it was interesting, and we learned stuff we never knew, even mum, dad and me. Yes, this day it rained (the only 'good' day was the day the the Giants Causeway) but the trees and houses gave good shelter. We also got to play dress up when we got to 'America'.... :)

Back in the day

After a feed, we went home to get ready for the 'party/family get-together' that night (any excuse for a party in our family and its done). It was a joint 70th birthday on behalf of my Nan and Granda and a leaving party for Alison :(.  It was a good night, with plenty of pictures and sore cheeks :P

Alison and me

Alison, Kirsty and me

Then it was Sunday, and time for Alison to leave again :(...the week flew by, it was like a blink, but I had great fun and am epically happy Alison was able to come visit. I miss her already, but it won't be 2 years before we see each other again, as Thomas and I have to be in Australia for 6th June, and we have been invited to Alison's wedding in December :)...I will however see her before that :) (lots of faces in this blog)....

The Script!

As I said  before (I think) I got tickets for Xmas to see The Script. OMG, so we went on Tue (pancake Tue :D) and I have to say, they where absolutely amazing. One of the best nights ever, but one of the crushiest (I know thats not a word, but I don't care) concerts I have ever been to! I hardly got any photos because bodies where nearly on top of one another! Anyway here is a picture of the night...I was over to the right at the front, but too far to the right to be in the picture...BUT, I don't mind as I was close enough to get a hand shake from Danny O'Donoghue and a guitar pick from Mark Sheehan! How epic is that....I had famous sweat on my hand and I am home with a guitar pick that was actually used by the guitarist from The Script the whole night :)....Oh, and that was the concert that so far holds the record for the most amount of people in the Odyssey Arena for a concert...what a night!

(This was how I got a hand shake the first time he came over. Photo by Thomas McCool.)

So, standing huddled together in the freezing cold, with the wind and rain banging from all directions, was well worth it. Awesome Xmas pressie Thomas!