Yogurt for breakfast. Lisa and I worked on taking some of the weeds out of the rock garden and distributing small white stones around the cracks of the garden. The house is looking good. So many improvements in such a short amount of time! Thing are happening quickly, as the wedding is approaching and so is the music session, hosted at the Helland residence. The boys went fishing at Bournda Beach, while we worked on packing boxes of stuff for Munn’s Tower… then we watched 27 dresses on the tv and called it a night.
Thursday
GARDENING
April 27
The happy couple had a meeting in Merimbula with their professional photographer… so I decided to stay back at 'Windsong' and help with the garden. Still loads of work…removing weeds, sweeping the pathway, watering the roses and then more weeding. A very productive day! Things are starting to look awesome for the music session (the day after the wedding). Barbara, Sven’s mother is unstoppable… she’s a mother of five and never stops. Always cleaning, organizing, training the Dalmatians, or weeding in the garden. I don’t have any clue how she does it all… Wish I knew her trick. Lisa & Sven went to watch a movie called ‘Date Night’ in Merimbula, they had gift certificates they wanted to use up. I had a two bucket shower and started to read the book ‘The Necklace’ by Cheryl Jarvis, it’s different and interesting… a true story of 13 women and 1 diamond necklace. They mutually buy this $15,000 piece of jewelry and become connected as a community. I’m only at Chapter 3… a little more to go until the end. I fell asleep before the others came back to the house.
GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN
April 26
Finished reading the book Committed!! And, yes it was a great book. I recommend it to anyone who is doubtful of marriage, give it a read/chance. We finally worked on Lisa’s 100% homemade veil… our creation looks professional, a few pieces will have to be glued together and then ribbon will be sewed onto the hair clip later. We also played dress up with the bridesmaid dress and the ‘big white dress’. Everything fits great now we just need to work on our posture and keeping a big smile on our faces. I’m sure that won’t be too difficult. Started creating a playlist for the night of the reception. It's coming along... then I made some contact with the online world and updated this thing… checked on a few parcels and that was almost a day. Just when we are supposed to be kicking it into gear… we we’re relaxing.
Monday
COMMITTED
April 25
Yesterday night just before going to bed I found the book Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert it’s a follow-up to her bestseller book entitled Eat, Pray, Love. I had already read her captivating adventure book in 2008 and passed it along to friends at Nootka and lost track of it, now Lisa owns Committed the book about Liz’s life after meeting her lover. What’s marriage supposed to be? How do you make it last? Is it supposed to make you happy? Hmmmm, well I hope to find out through reading this masterpiece by Elizabeth Gilbert. I was reading this book and could not put it down, until Lisa woke me up and said…. “Hurry, come out here and take a look at this” I replied by saying “is it worth it?” Lisa says “Oh, yeahhh, hurry” I walk up to the laptop in the dining room and we both stare at the facebook homepage and notice our friend Carlin… engaged!! That’s right, he’s going to be getting married to our OE3 classmate Debbie. We almost fell over in total shock! Excited and happy for both of them, but very taken back. Mostly because my friend Carlin is one of those guys you categorize to be a ‘stallion’ the one who lives his entire life climbing mountains and meeting amazing people in isolated countries. This was not something I could have predicted. So, I went back to reading my book. Trying to process my friend being engaged, this book about commitment, and Lisa and Sven getting married in less than two weeks. Everything happens so QUICKLY! Finally escaped from the house for quick 3 or 4 kilometer jog in the valley. It was excellent! The weather was extremely windy and cold, however I had a great cardio workout. Sven’s niece and nephew came over for a small visit, we made dragonfly bracelets with them and good laughs. Today, the weather changed for the worst. Cold rain and very strong winds… I’m starting to sense winter. Fingers crossed for the ceremony on the headland… hopefully it’s very calm and sunny.
Saturday
SNORKEL in the AFTERNOON
April 24,
Sailing at Wallagoot Lake was cancelled to another day due to rain and no wind :(. It's probably approaching the end of the dinghy season!! We will see everyone next weekend at the BBQ. Taro, Sven, Lisa and I decided to go snorkeling and fishing over at our beach… Bournda! Almost each time we’ve gone to visit this spectacular beach… no one is ever there. Indulged in a small snack… hit the beach for some snorkeling, visibility was very poor, however we got to see two stingrays and loads of little fish. Lacking on the fins, so Lisa and I had to share and each had one fin on one foot… practicing the dolphin kick with one fin. Then Taro constructed a table from driftwood when we got out of the water… the boys went fishing and we took our sweet time to walk the length of the beach. Two more salmon… hopefully for dinner tomorrow; baked or smoked… either is amazing. Sailing might happen tomorrow afternoon if the wind is good… or Monday. It was my first cloudy day in Australia… very nice to see rain again. This is nothing like being on the West coast of Vancouver Island… Rain, Rain, Rain… Australia= Sun, Sun, and more Sun!!!
BARNACLES
April 23
Only one more week before all the Canadian family arrives in Aussie for the Weekly Wedding Celebrations. The stress is starting to kick in. I went to town with Arild, to pick up some snorkeling gear. We spent our morning from 11am-1pm scrubbing all the barnacles off the two hulls of the 24ft Catamaran. It was great to get in the water and see a few fish devour all the food. My fingers got some nice cuts from those sharp barnacles, and the water was a little murky, especially after we were stirring things up. Arild also decided to take the trampolines off to fix the stitching, which is beginning to undo. Paddled back into shore with the small windrush cat. Met up with Lisa and Sven over at Isabella’s where they were cleaning a few units. Helping the older sister Rebecca with some excess work. We strolled around town… Sven found some awesome board shorts overwhelmed with orca’s and dolphins, a great $5 deal. I think he’s going to be wearing them to sailing in the morning. I sorted my eftpos troubles… damn plastic cards. It’s all better, I know how to access money again.
Only one more week before all the Canadian family arrives in Aussie for the Weekly Wedding Celebrations. The stress is starting to kick in. I went to town with Arild, to pick up some snorkeling gear. We spent our morning from 11am-1pm scrubbing all the barnacles off the two hulls of the 24ft Catamaran. It was great to get in the water and see a few fish devour all the food. My fingers got some nice cuts from those sharp barnacles, and the water was a little murky, especially after we were stirring things up. Arild also decided to take the trampolines off to fix the stitching, which is beginning to undo. Paddled back into shore with the small windrush cat. Met up with Lisa and Sven over at Isabella’s where they were cleaning a few units. Helping the older sister Rebecca with some excess work. We strolled around town… Sven found some awesome board shorts overwhelmed with orca’s and dolphins, a great $5 deal. I think he’s going to be wearing them to sailing in the morning. I sorted my eftpos troubles… damn plastic cards. It’s all better, I know how to access money again.
SEATING FIASCO
April 22
Back to Merimbula first thing in the morning, meeting with Sally the lady in charge of the Aquarium Warf, where the dinner/reception will take place. It’s an awesome location, spectacular view of the ocean and reasonably affordable. The wedding procedures just got that much more complicated… I’m not so sure if this big day is totally worth it. We will see, I might change my mind at the end of this experience. Went to Pier One for ten dollar lunches! Then back to the ‘windsong’ land. The reception seating plan is all figured out. It’s 100% final!! I know where everyone is sitting… lets hope no one kills each other at the dinner table. SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE?
April 21
Out the door and off to Bega to meet the celebrant, Jo! She was awesome, I met her very briefly and then went browsing some of the shops while the couple did business. I finally got some calamine lotion for all those invisible and baby mosquitoes. We came back to the house and did various tasks working on the yard/house. I had the best shower…then Lisa and I went to Pambula for a Latin dancing class. It was crazy… downpour rain… the class was canceled, so we went looking for something fun to do in Merimbula. Walked around town with our dance shoes… and ended our adventure at Rebecca’s house for a mocha and banana bread, watching 'So You Think You Can Dance, Australia' it was nice to watch the finale.... Overall, an awesome Girls Night in Merimbula!!!
SLACKLINE TIME
April 20
Slacklining setup and everyone practicing tricks and making us laugh in the process. Lisa and Sven’s friends said goodbye… they had a 6 hour drive back up the coast to Albury. Easter holiday is done, which means back to school and face reality. Ahhh, how life is so good post-university! We just hung out around the house for the rest of the day… Finished the unique name tags with seashells for the reception. Then I found the OE3 finale video that Debbie made and showed Lisa the awesome slideshow. It was funny watching them do ‘marriage homework’ a few tense moments. Note to self… find a good quiet spot when that happens.
Thursday
EDEN
April 19
Most of us woke up at our own leisure… sleeping in. So, yesterday someone had mentioned a potential snorkeling adventure and possibly going down to Eden for a day trip. Almost 50km from Bega. With our local guide Sven, we had a wonderful tour Eden’s surroundings, stunning views of Twofold Bay. Went to the down to the wharf, and found some delicious fish and chips. We ate loads of fatty foods. Now the best for the arteries! Then everyone went in different directions, exploring down at the beach, walking in downtown and enjoying a really hot day in Australia. Lisa and I found a wicked shoe store, I found this adorable shoes for the reception. A hundred dollars, knocked down to eighty dollars. They remind me of sex and the city type of heels. Walked down to the water and found the others digging for amethyst and treasures. I spent hours collecting more shells and some beach glass. Returned via Merimbula for some veggies and sweets, then we had some special lentils that made everyone laugh at dinner. Had another camp fire, but in the end it was a great day amongst new and old friends.
The Port of Eden is the most southern declared Port in NSW, and services the south coast of NSW, including the towns of Bega, Merimbula, Bombala and Cooma. Folks in Photos: Kieran, Lisa, Kim, Sven, Natalie and Sam. Picture below: Kieran, Kim and Sam pointing at the clouds.
April 18
As usual, after a full day of sailing comes the post-sailing aches and pains. I was hurting with a couple of bruises. Discovered the art of “water conservation” laundry this morning. Instructions: wash load number 1, keep the water from the first load into a basin, empty machine… wash number 2 goes in with the saved soapy water. Take the soapy water into buckets and feed it to the garden. Now, take wash number 1 and put the wash on the rinse setting. Save the water by pouring it in the basin, and use it to rinse wash number 2… feed the extra water to the plants or keep it to wash load 3. Voila! That was laundry. An interesting concept I anticipate on practicing in the near future. While the laundry was doing it’s thing, I called Canada to speak to mom for her Birthday. Sounds like everyone is doing well and keeping busy with the white fluffy stuff… snow. Sven and Lisa were expecting a visit from some friends from uni, they just finished a kayaking course… Kieran, Sam and Kim. We quickly decided that we would go for a swim and fishing at Bournda beach. We walked down to the beach near the lagoon, went up the sand duns and then went exploring the little island. Also went for a quick swim in the surf… trying to ride the waves. We then walked towards Sven where he was fishing… as we arrived he caught another Australian Salmon. I tried beach fishing for the first time. All of us watched the show ‘Dr. Who’… and then had a camp fire with ‘Canadian’ hot chocolate with marshmallows. DINGHY RACE
April 17
We were out the door before 9:30am, ready to go sailing again. Lisa and I were especially keen to do the capsizing exercise today, so she can get her shackle key at the end of the ‘sailing program’. We were the first ones at the boat house and we picked one of the clubs ‘Pacer’ sailing dinghy. We took the wrong mast two or three times and then finally found the right one, set it all up and discovered that we had no boom vang. Great! We found one of the dinghy guys and they fixed us up with parts to rig one up from leftover things. 
Capsize: I didn’t mind going out to demonstrate the capsize, so Lisa could get a better idea of what she needed to do with the boat. So, I went out and did the entire thing, and was trying to sail around the powerboat so we could swap positions. One thing led to another and then boom*(^&*! f** I bumped into the powerboat/crashed into it… a small gust of wind came and yeah... I should have let go of the mainsheet sooner, but I didn't! At that point I had a a small 5 inch diameter hole in the front of the boat and we were worried that I wouldn’t make it back without filling the dinghy with water. Everything turned out fine…Taro's dad took out the roll of duct tape and patched it up for the race. Lisa decided to go out on someone else’s boat Roger and she did her capsize in the middle of the Lake with no power boat in sight. After my lil incident we were a little hesitant if we should still race, but no one could stop us. We registered and then launched the boat for some racing excitement! Lisa the skipper and helms lady responsible of the main sheet; Natalie, tactician and jib. First challenge – finding the start line and understanding the course. Second challenge – trying to understand each other and figuring out terms/commands we both comprehend. Third challenge – staying upright during the race and finishing the race. This was one hell of a race, we’ve never raced a dinghy in our entire life and we managed to capsize midrace, recover and continue at our own pace. We had some ups and downs… some tense moments and some good laughs, lets just say it was an awesome experiential learning experience! The Natalie/Lisa team will be in full force next Saturday for the final race of the year. Stay tuned for more stories.Saturday
SHORT POINT
April 16
Sven, Lisa and I went into the town of Merimbula today… Lisa was practicing her driving. Manual vehicle, drivers seat on the right and you drive on the left side of the road in Oz, she wanted to do some practice driving. I have to admit… I was a little hesitant to jump in the van, but once she got us safely to Merimbula I had total faith we were going to be A-Ok. First stop was Short Point, the headland where the wedding ceremony will take place on May 8. Spectacular location!!! Check out these gorgeous pics. We sat on the rocks watching the waves crash along the shore and the dolphins swim by. After going to the most amazing place… we went in town for food, wedding supplies/appointments and looking at random stores. I’m starting to get sick of flower shops, the fancy names and prices are almost all memorized. Yes madam, that white lily will cost you $10 per stem, how many would you like? Some of the things on the massive poster list are getting checked off, one by one!!!! Yayy! We came back to Bega at dark and found Sven’s little nephew and niece visiting. They stayed over for dinner; we had smoked Australian salmon and pasta. Tasty stuff. Once everyone cleared…we had some hot chocolate and timtams. Now those two combined are like Shangri-La! CANDLES
April 15
I called home to wish my Dad a happy Birthday, since it was yesterday in the Southern Hemisphere… but back in Canada it’s still April 14th. They were really happy to hear from me. Today, Arild was smoking some of the Australian Salmon in an old sink at very low heat, it smelt wonderful and it tasty. The fish is nothing like the salmon we eat back in Canada, but it was a nice white fish with a good marinade/smoke taste. Lisa and Sven discovered one of their early wedding gifts… a 1961 Rover will be the special vehicle to drive them around on the big day. Compliments of Reuben, Sven’s brother. Sounds exciting… riding around in a car similar to the Queen’s. We stayed at the house, watching time pass… everyone was in a groggy mood. Then we decided to make a fire and make homemade candles for the wedding centerpieces. I will never become a candle maker… I have no patience for the monotonous wax dipping. Sven was the best… made some interesting patterns. Check out the photos.
Thursday
BOURNDA BEACH
April 14
Breakfast consisted of plain yogurt, delicious grapes and toast. A day spent at the Windsong. Doing loads of work in the yard and on the garden and creating a funky foot path with twisted branches. Burning some little twigs. Stayed at the farm…. roaming around. Went fishing at Bournda. Took a ton of pictures at Bournda National Park and Lisa and I walked down to the Lagoon. Walked up the headland where they originally wanted the wedding, but the walk up the dunes were a little too intense. On our way down there we noticed an adult Wallaby and watched him eat grass. We were also walking the beaches and stealing sea shells for the centre pieces for the wedding reception. We will be releasing them back into the wild after the wedding… so don’t worry! Thought of a brilliant idea for the name tags at the reception. Pieces of recycled paper with a string tied to each with a few sea shells dragging behind the ones with holes in them. Walked back and discovered that Sven and his dad had caught six fish! Australian Salmon. On our ride back we noticed a kangaroo hoping beside the car at the same speed. Then he decided to go in front and show us the way back... it was hilarious, it went on for a good 5-10 minutes and he was jumping at 40-50 kilometers.
BEGA
April 13
An early wake up at 8:10am. It doesn’t sound like me, but I was all dressed and ready to hit the road for
yoga. Got a ride into town with Barbara and Arild. Lisa and I spent the morning looking for some wedding cake pans, flowers and some hairstyle ideas. We found some great cake pans, one Bundt and a regular cake pan. The idea as of now is to have 5 different cake flavors placed in a circle with the bouquet in the middle. We also found these cute little ‘garlic + ginger graters’ however we thought they were perfect for cheese while going camping. Lisa and I were big spenders…$1.95. Oh yes, and while we were shopping we ran out of time and realized we had to run to the yoga studio ten minutes before 10am. We started bolding, arrived and noticed it was locked and clearly closed. Due to school holidays. Therefore we postponed our next session until next week the 19th. We walked back into town, finalized the cake and such, looked at hundreds of flower options. Mostly fake ones just to get an idea. Then we found some awesome shoes to go with the bridesmaid dresses a lil expensive, but we might find something in Merimbula later this week for cheaper than $80. Speaking of money, you should see the coins and the bills they have here in Oz. After our day in Bega we went to Coles (a grocery store) to see more fresh flowers and finally picked something. Oriental Lilies. I also go to see a few varieties of Tim Tam cookies and all the other goodies that Arnott’s makes. We came back to the house, started lunch, found our way to the garden to start a few odd jobs, clearing the weeds and sticks. It was Fun! Walked around the property, released some baby tadpoles and a bulrush plant in the waterhole. Built a fire and burnt all the rose bushes, and some of the twigs. I also moved into another room today! Big with a nice view, from the old house to the new house. I’m tired. GoodNight.
Sunday
WEDDING STUFF
April 12
A full day lounging around with pajamas on, updating the blog, more blog stuff and then sending e-mails, more e-mails and eating some food every once in a while. Made one phone call to Canada to let them all know that I was alive and survived the jet-lag. The time difference between Australia and North America as 14 hours exactly. When it’s morning here it’s really late in Canada. Indulged in a warm shower, and then Taro one of Sven’s groomsmen dropped by for a visit. We met him earlier this week at Sailing. A semi-productive day… in bum clothes.
April 11
A Morning Update! 10am sleep-in. Breakfast toast with honey and peanut butter. Some of Lisa and Sven’s friends from work were driving through and decided to stop in for a visit, Nic and Marie. Chatted with them for a few hours, before heading into town to check out some of the holiday units, which all the Canadian guests will be staying in. Good times! They look very clean, spacious and close to the beach. After checking out Fish pen we got these huge “Awesome Burger” with really interesting things on them, beets, cheese, chicken schnitzel, tomato, bacon, and lettuce. Afterwards went to see Sven’s sister – Rebecca, to confirm all the wedding accommodations and prices. Look at the birds that were chilling at the Isabella property. Loads of wedding 'stuff' was accomplished, toured the Fish Pen units, Isabella’s, and Muns Tower. The only place I haven’t seen yet… is the wedding ceremony on the headland at Short Point. Came back to the house, watched a beautiful sunset and then ate dinner, talked about epic sailing trips. Went outside to look t the stars in the southern hemisphere. Very different from back at home in Canada, the milky way is prominently visible from down here.
SAILING
April 10
Today is Sailing Saturday! Had a quick bite to eat for breakfast, found a few wetsuits that fit and packed the car and hooked up the catamaran. We drove down to the Lake, walked around the boat house trying to decide on which boat Lisa and I would take for a sail. We decided on a small Pacer. I haven’t sailed many small boats, they are much more tippy compared to ‘Ballotin’ weighing 2000lbs. With this in mind, I was a little scared to go out on this tiny little dinghy. While I was questioning Sven about things to do and tactics to get the boat up and running, Lisa was doing the same with Arild (Sven’s dad). Both of them kept reassuring us that we would be fine… “Don’t worry, Lisa knows what she’s doing.” While she’s hearing the same message “Natalie knows what to do, don’t worry!” We looked at each other and exploded into laughter, we were both worried about sailing in this small Pacer. Taro, one of Sven’s best friends took his boat out of the boathouse and found a possum dwelling inside. 
Today is Sailing Saturday! Had a quick bite to eat for breakfast, found a few wetsuits that fit and packed the car and hooked up the catamaran. We drove down to the Lake, walked around the boat house trying to decide on which boat Lisa and I would take for a sail. We decided on a small Pacer. I haven’t sailed many small boats, they are much more tippy compared to ‘Ballotin’ weighing 2000lbs. With this in mind, I was a little scared to go out on this tiny little dinghy. While I was questioning Sven about things to do and tactics to get the boat up and running, Lisa was doing the same with Arild (Sven’s dad). Both of them kept reassuring us that we would be fine… “Don’t worry, Lisa knows what she’s doing.” While she’s hearing the same message “Natalie knows what to do, don’t worry!” We looked at each other and exploded into laughter, we were both worried about sailing in this small Pacer. Taro, one of Sven’s best friends took his boat out of the boathouse and found a possum dwelling inside. 
It was hilarious. Just before us launching they should have made an announcement “Hey everyone look it's the two crazy Canadians going sailing… come watch this.” That was the impression we were starting to get. Off we went. Launched the boat, sails up, jumping in the boat and Lisa got a little confused she wanted me to sit on the lee side of the boat, instead of the windward side, we were confused and kept asking people on shore what to do. Obviously they were laughing and just sent us off to go learn for ourselves. That’s exactly what we did… once we got up to speed I switched sides and we were starting to glide and having loads of fun. After sailing and doing a few practice runs, we came back to shore just before all the other boats were starting the race. We didn’t want to cause trouble or collisions. Went to the beach for a swim in the ocean… it was really COLD, stayed in the water for a little bit. Came back to the boathouse to watch the races, while everyone was struggling to find wind to finish the race. Came back to the house at sunset.
OCEAN
April 9
A very restful sleep! Ate breakfast and spent the morning catching up with Lisa about life and everything else . For those environmentalist reading this blog, you’ll love this. The house relies 100% on rain water. They catch rain from the roof, and collect it at the bottom into large tanks. Once those tanks are full, they pump the water up the hill into two larger holding tanks where the water sits and with the help of gravity it drains into the house again and voila – fresh water in the tap. Since they rely solely on rain, they have to practice good water conservation techniques. For example: if you take a shower, you make sure the plug is engaged and after you’re done you scoop all the water from the bath into buckets. They either get used for the washing machine or they go in the garden to water the plants. As for electricity they have solar panels in the field. They create energy and pump that into the national grid system and get paid 60 cents for each kWh being pumped into the grid. As for the electricity they use they buy it back at 20 cents/ kWh. On a daily basis, they often use less energy than they are creating = money. It’s very interesting to see all of these systems combined into one household, I love it. We decided to go fishing just before dusk and beach walking at the nearby national park. The sand squeaks and makes a funny noise, but it’s still beautiful. We practically had the entire beach to ourselves, except for two other intruders. The guys were fishing while Lisa and I went beach combing for treasures. On our drive back, we spotted a possum, an Australian owl and loads of roos. Short for Kangaroos.
A very restful sleep! Ate breakfast and spent the morning catching up with Lisa about life and everything else . For those environmentalist reading this blog, you’ll love this. The house relies 100% on rain water. They catch rain from the roof, and collect it at the bottom into large tanks. Once those tanks are full, they pump the water up the hill into two larger holding tanks where the water sits and with the help of gravity it drains into the house again and voila – fresh water in the tap. Since they rely solely on rain, they have to practice good water conservation techniques. For example: if you take a shower, you make sure the plug is engaged and after you’re done you scoop all the water from the bath into buckets. They either get used for the washing machine or they go in the garden to water the plants. As for electricity they have solar panels in the field. They create energy and pump that into the national grid system and get paid 60 cents for each kWh being pumped into the grid. As for the electricity they use they buy it back at 20 cents/ kWh. On a daily basis, they often use less energy than they are creating = money. It’s very interesting to see all of these systems combined into one household, I love it. We decided to go fishing just before dusk and beach walking at the nearby national park. The sand squeaks and makes a funny noise, but it’s still beautiful. We practically had the entire beach to ourselves, except for two other intruders. The guys were fishing while Lisa and I went beach combing for treasures. On our drive back, we spotted a possum, an Australian owl and loads of roos. Short for Kangaroos.
MERIMBULA
April 8
A nice landing into the Sydney Airport slightly passed 6:00am. Disembarked the plane and found the duty free section… essential stop over for Baileys and Rum… yummm. Cleared immigration and customs with only a few questions. “What sorts of food do you have?” Only marshmallows and hot chocolate. “You’re good to go!” Claimed my bags and jumped on a shuttle bus to the domestic terminal. Regional Express was the Australian airline from Sydney to Merimbula. Had to pay a low fee for excess bags. $52.80 AUS and then passed into security for the third time in a 24 hour period. Had a snack in the terminal, found my gate and anxiously waiting for my coastal flight to MERIMBULAAAAAAAAA. The flight was spectacular, all the way down the coast looking at the beaches and watching the surf hit the ocean. It was breathtaking to see it all so soon.
Arrived at this “tiny” airport where I met up with Lisa, Sven and his dad Arild. They drove me into Merimbula had a small tour, we walked around met up with Rebecca Sven’s older sister, she manages holiday units and Leif his younger brother. We had a lovely walk around the downtown section of Merimbula, then off to the Helland’s residence at the “windsong” property. The drive up to Bega was awesome, roling hills, cows, sheep, horses and even kangaroos. Arrived at the house, greeted by 13 Dalmatians and a family of 5 - Barbara (Sven’s Mom), Arild (Sven’s Dad) Leif (Brother), and Sigrid (Sister). Toured around the property and the two houses, new and old. Kept asking about the spiders and what else I needed to keep a lookout for. Sven cooked kabobs on the grill for dinner. JET-LAG: It was beyond painful for me to stay up all day, the only thing my body wanted to hear or do was sleep… and I was depriving it from sleep until 9:30pm at night. Had an excellent sleep in the loft.
Flight
April 7
This is the next day, the Wednesday since I lost a day somewhere in the transition. Found my luxurious seat in the economy class. It was small, cozy and nothing like first class. As we walked in the plane it was torture to see each level and just imagining the price of each fancy seat/ bed. I guess you really do get what you paid for. Found my seat and introduced myself to the guy I was going to be sitting with for the next 14 hours. From DC, off to Australia for 4 days on business, now that’s a great way to mess up your body and its sleep patterns. As soon as the plane took off, we were served dinner… I had chicken on a bed of pasta sauce, beans and rice, with water and some pecan cookies. It was so hard to get comfy and find a good position for sleeping… I managed to sleep for 10 hours. At one point they served us a snack and drinks, followed by breakfast around 4 AM just before arriving into Sydney. Eggs, potatoes and a bagel. This was the part of the trip I despised the most discovering that I had just jumped on one flight and I was going to be releasing 4,279 lbs of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Way to make you feel really good upon arrival into Sydney!
This is the next day, the Wednesday since I lost a day somewhere in the transition. Found my luxurious seat in the economy class. It was small, cozy and nothing like first class. As we walked in the plane it was torture to see each level and just imagining the price of each fancy seat/ bed. I guess you really do get what you paid for. Found my seat and introduced myself to the guy I was going to be sitting with for the next 14 hours. From DC, off to Australia for 4 days on business, now that’s a great way to mess up your body and its sleep patterns. As soon as the plane took off, we were served dinner… I had chicken on a bed of pasta sauce, beans and rice, with water and some pecan cookies. It was so hard to get comfy and find a good position for sleeping… I managed to sleep for 10 hours. At one point they served us a snack and drinks, followed by breakfast around 4 AM just before arriving into Sydney. Eggs, potatoes and a bagel. This was the part of the trip I despised the most discovering that I had just jumped on one flight and I was going to be releasing 4,279 lbs of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Way to make you feel really good upon arrival into Sydney!
AUSTRALIA
April 6
All my bags are packed I’m ready for Australia! Off on another epic adventure, this time I have a wedding to attend in Merimbula on the Sapphire Coast of Australia. Let me tell you a little about my experiences of travelling from Toronto to Los Angeles, then off to Sydney. The security is brutal, we all know it is, even the folks in parliament get annoyed by it at times. This particular lady “insisted” that I slide my carry-on luggage in one of those silly metal frames, you know the ones intended to regulate the size of bag you’re allowed to take inside the cabin of the plane.
Well she looked at my bag and thought it was too fat, I took on the challenge and tried to slide my wheeled suitcase inside. Attempt number one – failed. I went to the side and shifted a few items around. Attempt number two- failed. Once again moved things around and took some clothing out. Attempt number three- failed. Alright!!! This is enough. I’m going to jump on the suitcase and squish everything to make it fit. Just on the other side of the gate, a couple is watching me and started to laugh and offer suggestions. Attempt number four – successful! I did it. The couple is celebrating with me, and off I go to clear into US customs. Everything went smooth… the Air Canada flight from Toronto to L.A. was almost five hours in length, with a crying 2 year old baby sitting next to me with his dad. It was a wonderful reality check!! Note to self: 1) Babies cry. 2) Don’t bring babies flying, because they will cry. 3) Make sure not to have babies. I was entertaining this little one for almost 4 hours, and towards the end he was so exhausted from crying that he decided to sleep. Arrived in L.A. ran around searching for the right terminal… going up and down escalators, going on a bus and asking for directions a few too many times. It was all part of the experience. On my way into security, I noticed one of the gentlemen’s from the Toronto-L.A. flight and we were constantly going in the same direction and slightly following each other. I asked him where he was going and he said “Sydney, Australia” and I said “me too!”. So we started talking and he was telling me that he was off to visit one of his 4 daughters… to help her build a house down there & I was off to a wedding. We great conversations about the Olympics and a few other things while waiting at the airport, found our gate and then jumped on our United flight 839 for the next 14 hours. Brace yourself.