ideas for cheap stuff

Well lads, how’s it going? I know we’ve been quiet of late but we’re trying to pack so much into the last of our time in Melbourne that we’re all pretty much bollixed! For my part I finished up at the Celtic Club on Saturday last and this Friday I’m finishing up with the scanning for AAMI. I’m simply stunned though with how fast our time has gone here and I’m a bit apprehensive of how we’re going to get to see all our mates here and get all packed and shopped up for New Zealand next week but I suppose we can go without sleep for a week! First off commiserations to our Deutschen friends on the Italians winning the World Cup. Really thought it was your year! But then maybe next time. I’m also happy to welcome Triona and Barry. They’ve been staying with us since Sunday and the girls and them got home at 05:00 this morning from their Neighbours night. The girls would’ve been really disappointed if they hadn’t seen their doctor guy but luckily he was there for them. I had less than zero interest in going so I stayed home and watched tv and got to bed early. Being boring was actually really great though! On the first weekend of July Lids and I went out after work for a few scoops and were shocked to view a Melbournian man shitting on a car windscreen at about 4am on a Sunday morning (!?!YUCK!?!?). We awoke Sunday noon, after little sleep, to our mates Rachel and Raj collecting Lids and I and bringing us to the Penguin Parade on Phillip Island, Fee was sick as a dog so couldn’t tag along. Twas a long drive there and we stopped off to see these giant worms at this sanctuary on the way. The worms here can grow to 4 metres long! The kangaroos here in Victoria are also a lot bigger than the Western Australia ones. They’re also very fast, which made for us being nervous. We got to the Penguin Parade after sunset and stood in the cold waiting for the Little Penguins (their names were changed from Fairy Penguins so as not to offend homo-sexual people, am I right in believing that politically correctness has gone beyond a joke?!), to finally make it on to shore. Lids and I were shouting at them to move cos they’d get onto the beach and have a rest but the waves were so strong they dragged the wee things back out to sea! Anyway we toddled back to the main building in the dark and were checking out the wee darlings walking up to their burrows. All very cute and adorable but very noisy. Anyway, the 4 of us were standing watching a few and we saw this one penguin puffing out his white chest. Lids and I gave each other knowing looks and made our inevitable, “Oh look he’s presenting” comment, its something that often comes out of our mouths, particularly in dark clubs when we see the skanks and manks on the dancefloor, but really weren’t expecting what happened next. The penguin who’d been puffing out his chest mounted this other Little Penguin that was making one hell of a racket even before he got in the saddle, we were all mildly embarrassed but equally enthralled that we didn’t look away. I mean he was straight in there no kissing! The noise got louder till there was sudden silence but of course the “Presenter” just kept going for another few minutes. Sure all we could do was laugh when this little kid was scooped up by her father and we heard her asking why the “Presenter” was trying to squash the other penguin! Needless to say since we figured out what all the noise was about it was a very amusing walk back to the main building. Raj made some comment about another penguin couple that were just about to get going and the penguin actually whipped round and started staring at him. Twas like a scene from Wallace and Grommit. Completely comical. So there ya have it, Lids and I are now officially Penguin Perverts!
We finally overloaded on pictures of the O’Higgins wedding last Thursday when we went for a beautiful meal to Cheryl’s house. Hmm, roast lamb was so good. What a treat the pancakes were too! Anyway, we got a good hour and a half of Dee and her family watching. Missed ya something terrible after that Dee, but ye all looked gorgeous. Cheryl was in great form and we demolished more than 1 bottle of wine between us. I was walking up to Cheryl’s house though and noticed the Japanese guy that Laura was always telling us about. He lives in an apartment at the end of Cheryl’s road and he basically spends every day and night near his huge front window watching people go by. I was on my own though and he just freaked me out altogether, the nutter. So after dinner on the Thursday we were gonna head straight home but some of the girls Laura had introduced us to had invited us to a birthday party. What ensued was 5 or 6 too many vodkas with cranberry for me and another late start to work the next day. I’m telling ya I’ll be ruined for work when I go home, but ya only live once, right? I was meant to go to the planetarium on Sunday but due to a late night I didn’t make it. Did go out to Williamstown for dinner with Rachel though, while Lids and Fee entertained Triona and Barry at our place. Rachel even practiced her workshop reiki that she’d done over the weekend on me. Twas very relaxing altogether and she’s very talented at it. I got back to the house chatted to Dee and then the guys came home around 2am so I sat up with them for a bit and then missed the World Cup match cos I was so shattered. Just not able for no sleep anymore!
Our last week here is shaping up to be krazy already. We’ve so many things to do, people to see and stuff to get ready that we’ll probably sleep when we get to New Zealand. I want to try fit in sailing, planetarium, baby entertaining and drunken mayhem this weekend but we shall see what we’ll manage! Lids is dropping in to Quantas to see if she can delay our flight to NZ till 24th July so maybe we can slip in a quick trip to Uluru. I wasn’t bothered to see it when I first got to Australia but I’ve heard such different accounts of it that I wouldn’t mind going there to make up my own mind, but it all depends on whether we can delay a few days. Otherwise we’re leaving on 20th July from Sydney, which means that no matter what we’ve to leave Melbourne next Tuesday. Madness. Right so, best get emailing some of you lovely people. Hope all is going well with ye. We’ll keep ya updated.