A big week ...

Thanks Pat, for responding to my call! At least there is one person reading my blog other than me!!


The last week have been nothing less than tumultuous. So intense with ups and downs that it actually gave mum a migraine. Sorry mum ... we aren’t letting you off that easy! Xxooo.
Since my marriage proposal in Katherine, things have been looking up for me! My drive back to Darwin was uneventful though I did see 2 goannas on the road and managed to avoid both of them!! The bird that the car in front of me hit wasn’t so fortunate, scaring the crap out of me as it hurtled past after being hit by the other car, and my windscreen being rained on with feathers.
The big news in Darwin last week was the poor little Maltese Terrier that got swallowed by an olive python (link here) ... poor little pup. :=(


I headed back to Sydney on Friday after a few (blonde) false starts at the airport including:
1. Getting called back to security after leaving my USB behind in the tray that goes through the XRay
2. Panicking as they announced that they flight was closed, half an hour before departure
3. Panicking (again) after coming back from security to see the last person walk through the gate and the gate slamming shut with no other Airport staff in sight. Only to then sprint over to another gate and find they had decided to move the departure gate!


We sat on the tarmac for an hour and in Sydney the traffic was horrendous. So instead of getting in to Sydney nice and early, the trek to Blacktown seemed ominous. The Universe may have been providing for me (even on Friday the 13th) and the traffic (magically??) parted as I drove through to Baulkham Hills to get changed for THE BIG GAME!


The good (and bad) news is that we won the semi-final and are headed to the Grand Final. The good? Thats obvious! The bad? Another $500 out of pocket ... man the things I do for baseball (and my team!)


After the high of winning the semi, I got smacked in the face with the news that my awesome new flat was no longer available ... some mix up between the tenant and the landlord. I then stayed up till 3 in the morning trying to find something else. And all I came up with was stress and worry. Then I got up at 8am to start packing again without knowing where I was even going to live.


Was feeling pretty dispirited, but a phone call to mum and a conversation with Jenn got me on the right track. I decided not to move everything that afternoon because I was now coming back the next weekend and it would be better to do it after I knew what I was doing.
My flight back to Darwin was pretty cool. Jenn dropped me off at the airport after telling me about her great week in New Zealand, meeting some really cool people, and I put it out to the Universe that I was going to meet someone really interesting on the plane.


I was on early, up the front and on the aisle, watching people file past going “i hope its not her, please don’t be him” ... then this 6”4 guy walked up. I felt awful for him because there was NO leg room on this plane ... even for me. I offered to swap seats but he just said that it was as bad in one as the other because he couldn’t stretch his legs out in the aisle anyway. So he squeezed in, and I mean “squeezed” and we settled in the flight. We both looked like complete tossers pulling out our 2 x mobile phones to turn them off, both of us have the work and private phone, so it started a conversation about work. Basically we talked for the next 4 ½ hours without a break. (If you ask Gary he will tell you he couldn’t get an word in because I was reciting my entire resume ... kind of long and varied .... yes ) but the reality is that he talked to me about a project he has dreamed about for years about bringing a farm experience to the city. He was incredibly passionate about it, it sounds like a fantastic idea, a great concept and it seems like he has the networks and backing to make it happen. I will be following his progress on it for sure ... perhaps I might get the CEO job for his foundation!


The good news is that I got back on Sunday night and found 2 places straight out of the paper that were great and by Monday lunchtime I had secured a room with a Suntori (Midori, Jaeger etc) rep in Nightcliff with a pool. Dion loves cats and seems like a good guy. Oscar is travelling back with me this Sunday after spending the last few weeks with Ellen. Unfortunately for him she hasn’t been around a lot so it sounds like he has been a little lonely, and caused some mischief around the house. I have been really missing him and can’t wait to get him to Darwin. I think he will love the heat ... but he hates thunderstorms so lucky we are going into the dry season. He goes completely rigid as the storms develop and squeezes into strange holes and alcoves that he really shouldn’t be able to fit into.


The ups and downs continued during the week with a communication mix up meaning that I couldn’t leave my bedroom furniture at James’, and I now had to organise a “proper” removalist to move everything. Although it pretty much stressed me out at the time, it’s all going to work out in the end. The upside after that is Brad offered to sell me an almost brand new bed, saving me time and money trying to find one in Darwin.


Work wise I spent the week pulling together all the information from my previous weeks site visits, developing training plans (Individual Professional Development Plans for those such as Robert who like the Corp Speak!!) for the Money Business Workers and organising our new office in the very salubriously titled “Jape Homemaker Village.” We have secured a serviced office in the centre, and it had a gym downstairs and walking distance from my house. Awesome!
Yesterday I found out that we have a whole bunch of new clients, almost all of them are community based, which means more travel ... mostly through Arnhem land and surrounding Katherine. The community clients are far more interesting than the town based clients, and I am really looking forward to working with them. The “new guy”, Ian, started yesterday so I spent the day inducting him. Pretty sure I left his head spinning at the end of the day, but it was a good feeling to tell him about what we are doing, and I realised I am starting to understand exactly what it is we are doing here!


Not sure if I have mentioned before, Brendan has a friend up here who is starting out on his own fishing charter business. Brad has spent the last 12 months renovating and upgrading a 55 foot boat, and I got to see it the other night. Not that I know anything about boats, but it was gorgeous. Brad has put his heart and soul into the renovation and is rightfully proud of his handiwork. He takes his first clients out this weekend, so has been working around the clock to get things ready. He deserved a break and a bit of pampering so I took him a picnic dinner of antipasto and a fantastic Evans and Tate cab sav (he hasn’t bought the pots and pans for the kitchen yet!) We sat on the top deck at the marina, the temperature was perfect, calm and clear, no nasty bitey things, and the occasional smack of a fish jumping out of the water. Ahhhh .... this is the life!


So right now I am sitting on a plane, winging my way back to Sydney for the big GF tonight. North Shore are without doubt the favourites, but I have faith and trust in my girls to do their best, and at the end of the day we will add up all the runs and the team with the most runs will win. Whether it is us or North Shore, my girls have done themselves proud this year, the improvements throughout the season from every individual have been phenomenal, and to make the grand final after a tough season with a lot of draws, a few administrative and umpiring decisions going against us, and a near heartbreaking end to the season when our last game almost got washed out ... well ... all I can say is WELL DONE GIRLS!









Funny thing last night ... was coming back to my room (on the 2nd floor) and this gecko ran in front of me and straight over the edge of the walkway falling a full storey and landing with a huge splat on the ground. That doesn’t sound funny until 30 seconds later it took off as though nothing had even happened! I was appalled when it went over the edge, but it must have just dazed itself and not done any injury!