Well, here I am well into the start of my second year as an expat in Australia. There were times over the last year that I doubted whether I would ever get to write that. Funny how life moves on, and I’m now wondering whether I will get to write the same about moving into year 3??
Being an expat is a rollercoaster of emotions. Emotions that seem to be magnified, as you don’t have the ones who really love you around for you to share them with. Especially at low times. And there have been lows, let’s not kid ourselves. It is through the low times that you wish you could just jump in the car and drive to mum’s for a cuppa, a hug, and for her to tell you it’s all going to work out. Well, mum, it will J
So, what has happened this month? The biggest event in my life, and I can’t overstate it, is the start of football season. For any Australian readers, it is not the EPL. It is THE Premier League. If an acronym makes me want to grab Skippy and throttle him within an inch of his life, it is this. What other Premier League can you possibly be referring to?
And on my new telly, with my new Foxtel cable connection I can get to see more games than I actually would at home. Every, yes, every Premier League game is shown. It’s a football feast at the weekend. As I write this we are on the cusp of United v the scousers, so that is my Sunday night sorted.
Another big event was me taking a full day riders’ course and test on the scooter to get off my “L” plates. As you may have seen, I was pleased to have successfully navigated the streets of Botany and am now on my “P” plates. This is a strange system in Australia whereby you need to be on “provisional” plates for a year before you automatically convert to a full licence. With this you would think people in Australia could drive. Oh dear, how wrong you would be. I could elaborate but I would only get angry again.
One thing I don’t need, is too much time on my hands. As you know, this has a tendency to give me itchy feet. It was during one such Sunday afternoon, bored, that I decided on impulse to book a weekend away to Byron Bay. A few clicks of the mouse later and I was fully booked on a JetStar flight for a cheeky weekend in October. I have been to Byron a couple of times over the years but will be good to go and get new memories. That is what my life is about.
Oh well, if I can’t spend my money on myself, who can I spend it on? And we will almost be in the throes of summer so will be nice to get out of the humid city.
Older readers may remember the phrase, “ambassador, you spoil us”, from the old Ferrero Rocher adverts. I was reminded of this one day this week as I was invited along to a lunch for the Australian Ireland supporters’ fund. You may think, me too, that this is a strange thing for an Englishman to go along to. However, it was great event, officially for networking, but a good excuse for a really good feed and a couple of glasses of wine at lunch. And the keynote speaker was the Irish Ambassador, hence the reference to chocolates at the top.
As I publish this, winter officially ends and we enter Spring. A period of optimism at Cormack HQ as we now start the countdown to Summer, and Xmas. Yes, it is just around the corner folks, sorry to mention it, but it’s time to start thinking about how to spend it. Another birthday on the beach? Quaffing champagne. Or head to colder climes for a more traditional Xmas? We are yet to see whether my newly bought esky will get to see the beach on the 25th. Upon such decisions are lives made.
On that philosophical note, I will leave you and get back to the football. Til the next time folks!
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