New Year, New Rules.

This year may herald very big changes for me. It might be the last year I live in England. It might not. The Visa Gods have yet to decide. But regardless of my location, I am determined to make a few changes in my life. I have in the past overcome a couple of good obstacles, but I still have a couple of large ones to be encompassed.

So, my goals for this year are quite all-encompassing:

1. To live within my means, and pay back all I owe.

2. To look after this wonderful machine, my body, and let it become the weight it should be.

3. To experience as much as I can and say yes to new experiences, especially to those things that scare me.

4. To blog about all of my experiences and to finish writing a book. Ie, Write, Re-Write and Submit!

5. To open myself up to finding new friends and love and to learn to enjoy socialising.

Some old, some new. We'll see how we go.

Happy New Year All!

What are your new years resolutions?

Mine will be:

1. To finish writing one of my books this year.
2. To eat more vegetables... a thing I always forget to do.
3. To do yoga at least once a week. I love it and I keep forgetting this fact.
4. To see more of England.
5. To find a more permanent job, one I can get my teeth into.

Happy new years 2010 and good luck with whatever you desire to do this year.

That was a first.

I'm currently (as in on a train right now) en route back to Plymouth.

I left Bendigo at about 8pm ish some time yesterday and have been on the road about 32 hours now and have at least another 3 to go. Nowhere near as bad as Helen's 60 hour nightmare, of which I must obtain the details of at some stage, but enough for me.

I was really annoyed too when I left, as I only remembered to check in at about 6pm, and so couldn't get the best seat and had been shifted from my customary window seat to a middle isle. This was admittedly further to the front of the plane than I had been, but I still didn't want to try to sleep in an isle being bumped all the time and so I was very grumpy with the airline... that was up until I actually got onto the plane and realised where they'd put me. Qantas now has four classes of travel. First, Business, Premium Economy and plain cattle; and I'd been upgraded from cattle to premium. I had to triple check this, even almost asking one of the attendants if this was right, but I wasn't quite that stupid. I was very happy.

This is the first time I've ever been upgraded. It was heavenly and I didn't at all mind the isle as the seats were so much better. Spacious and comfy, and I had leg room! And the food was good too and the service excellent. Very, very happy.

Right now, I'm sitting in first class on the train too. I had had a seat reservation for the 6pm train this evening, having no idea how long it would take me to get from the airport, and if I'd be delayed etc. If I'd waited for that train I'd have extended my journey by another 4 hours though, so not fun and really not what I wanted to do. But the plane was in fact early landing and I got out of Heathrow very quickly so I am now waiting to pay for an upgrade on this train as I decided to just get on the first one going my way and pay for it (20 quid, quite reasonable in the state of exhaustion I am currently suffering).

So I am going to finish my journey in the style to which I have become accustomed.

Bliss.

Happy New Year to Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney, which happened two hours ago, and Happy New Year to Adelaide which happened an hour and a half ago.

And Happy New Year to the Uk, in about 8 hours, by which time if I am not asleep I'll be pissed beyond belief and not with the affects of alcohol.

Ok, going now. See you on the other side! :)

NYE at the Reeds.

Ok, so this was a while ago now but I'm still behind and lagging further but it's worth mentioning anyway.

This was fun - kinda scary but fun. I took a plane over to Adelaide just for the night. Had dinner with the Burgess's and saw Tim for an instant but the reason was to surprise Kerry et al. And I did manage that.

I have many memories of parties at the Reeds. I've known Kerrie and Grant for longer than I care to remember... in fact I think we may have actually have reached the 20 year mark in terms of time known... whoishka.

Anyhoo. Memories. Bob standing on top of the pool house and singing musical numbers at the top of his lungs - somehow I don't think he damaged himself despite a fall perhaps because he was mightily drunk. He may also have been accompanied by Ted but I can't be sure... I was probably drunk myself.

My first, and last, trial of an illicit substance was at the Reeds. I came, I saw, I tried and I spent the rest of the night fertilising a bush out the front of their place with the contents of my stomach. Needless to say didn't try that again. Still very, very, very grateful to Marty for looking after me that night.

I remember not quite avoiding being thrown into the pool by somebody and killing my current watch thereby. Not that this was a tradgedy. I went through three or four watches a year back then.

And who could forget Gang Show friday night parties with a recitation by Phill of 'The Day MaCather Farted' with all the back-stage crew actually there balancing out the youngsters.

I also remember a couple of Movie Nights / Sleepovers when in Venturers with Roie and Kerry and feeling like a gangly kid in comparrison to those two sophistocated beauties.

And now, Bob is married with two kids, Andrew is married with one and expecting another, Patrick is married with one, Dan George is married to Cassie and they have one, Ted is married and Rodger is engaged. Who'd'a thunk it? And Julia's two kids are almost 9 and almost 5 or thereabouts. Time flies way too fast.

So scary to have a yardstick whereby I can actually see I've aged but fun to see the old place one last time and revisit so many good times.