So I am very bad at doing this..

But I have an excuse of sorts! We've been busy little bees!! From August until now, although probably not nearly manic enough for me not to have posted! Whoops!
Job is still going well, going to be there now until Christmas, so much for three weeks when I a started! So at the moment I'm training a guy to take over my position permanently and then once I've finished I'll be going into the finance office completely, so I'll get to learn some more new things! Always good!

So yes, my catching up! Our housewarming ended up being a bit mental one! We were here until about 10/10.30 and then headed to the Prahran Hotel which I thought was great craic and then the Elephant after because we were all too lazy to think of anywhere else! Ha! Absolute gowling is all I can say!

 

The week of my birthday we had the Commitments gig in the Corner Hotel in Richmond. Was amazing! The support acts were the weirdest groups I ever came across, but were pretty good in all fairness!! More importantly, Andrew Strong still sounds great and neither of us realised that he could play the guitar, particularly not that he played as well as he played. Think we both stood open mouthed for the whole first song! Ha!
And that night was followed by my birthday, two weeks later. We started out in Father's Office in the city that had happy hour until eleven o'clock! To say that everyone was well and truly merry at that stage is an under statement! Was a cool bar and it's right in the middle of the city too! Was great! Next stop was what I called Cookie but which I think was the rooftop bar and another bar! Great fun! Got to catch up with two of my neighbours from home as well! Was loadsa fun and I got spoiled rotten by everyone too. Especially Conor who got me beautiful flowers. One of the girls was over for the weekend from Tasmania too which made it even better! 

For Niamh's birthday we went to Strike Bowling Bar, something different and was great craic! We did boys to a lane and girls to a lane and played against each other and somehow we managed to win (Even thought they cheated and used the bar that you just put the ball onto!) It's really cool in there, would definitely recommend it for a night out! I even managed a Strike!! Next we headed to the Asian Beer Cafe for jugs of cocktails and a chats! Lovely! Was good fun and one of the rare nights that all the boys and girls go out together! And I got to wear the hat Alex got me for my birthday, I love it just a little bit! (",)

Myself and Conor used his lock down weekend in work to go away. We had originally been hoping to see Orla and Paul in Darwin but the flights were too expensive once we priced them. Can you imagine $1500 for an internal flight! You'd fly to Bali for cheaper! So instead we headed down to Wilson's Prom for the weekend! Was great! We drove down the coast to there on Sat, stopping off on beaches to get absolutely sand blasted while trying to take pictures! Weather was a bit wild but it was a lovely drive down! The electricity went in the town that we were staying in that night so I read a book by flashlight beside the fire and Conor listened to his ipod and we just chilled out, think it was exactly what we both needed. Chill out time, especially Conor, he's been working so many days and hours he needed some time to relax!
The next day we were up early and headed off to Wilson's prom to do the Mount Oberon walk. Weather was amazing and the view at the top was completely worth the leg cramps it took to get there!! 

Then we headed down to the main area, Tidal Beach for some grub and strolled around and saw all the beaches and areas there were to see around there! Was all fantastic, especially Squeaky Beach where the sand looked like snow and squeaked under your feet as you walked. Unfortunately I managed to drop my phone in a rock pool there which put me in bad humour until Conor gave out to me and reminded how fab everything around us was (not that he used that word! Ha!) And we saw wombats just strolling around on Whiskey Beach! Was so great, they were right beside us as we walked down the pathway and were not in the slightest bothered by us being there! They were so cute and they're the first ones we'd seen since we got here!
That night we went and ate in the Fishy Pub in Fish Creek. We got a table beside the fire and the grub was lovely. I would definitely recommend it if you ever find yourself down that way!!
The next day we headed for Philip Island on our way home and saw whatever we had missed the last time we were there. We went back to the Nobbies again and actually saw a seal this time too, granted briefly but still we saw one! And I don't think anyone else noticed him so that was pretty cool!! 
And that was our weekend. Actually felt as if we'd been away after it, it was great! I think if we go again though, we'd try leave enough time to do the Sealer's Cove walk which takes five hours and looks amazing!

So that's all the catching up that I'm willing to do today because the weather is beautiful and I'm a going BBQing! I'll write again about our visit from Conor's aunt and uncle and our BBQ next weekend! (I really will try be better at this!)

Amy :)

Farm life!

So we've now been on the farm for a month! My birthday seems like a very long time ago! It was a great night and definitely a good way to say bye to Melbourne!! Absolutely LOVED my dress from Missguided and the necklace my sister sent me for my birthday went pretty well with it! I got parcels from all my friends, which I was not expecting, and my family and got absolutely spoiled by them! :) Had a good night with everyone, had a very cute caterpillar cake and finally made it over to the Barkly after saying since we got to St Kilda that I wanted to! Moving out the next day was however, not a good idea! I do not suffer hangovers but God I failed to function normally!

The road trip to Cowra was great! I loved getting back into the country and I finally feel like I'm seeing the side of Australia that I had in my mind coming here, not the big cities but the open road surrounded by miles and miles of countryside! As usual I took loads of photos! We drove 5 hours to Wagga wagga the first day and stayed in a cheap and cheerful motel there called Mercury Motor Inn and then headed on for the three hour drive to Cowra! Didn't get to see much of Wagga but it seemed pretty!

So we started work on Wednesday and got to know everyone pretty quickly, on the Saturday we moved out of the caravan park and into the farmers parents guest house until there is room for us in the Mulyan cottage! Saturday was also a day that they did a big lamb bbq and had a party! Was good fun and a nice welcoming in!

So below is a little collage of my fav photos from Cowra so far! I honestly am really enjoying it now! And even the work is feeling easier every time we do it! We make the most of our weekends going to Koorawatha waterfall and hopefully we'll get to the dam soon! We've also visited the Japanese Gardens for their festival which was nice and we went for a little spin to Orange to see what that was like! The farmers parents asked all the backpackers over to their house for a fab dinner on the bank holiday too which was good. Felt a little like they were showing us off to their friends, but their friends were all lovely and I had some interesting conversations. We also have parties in the cottages most weekends which are really good fun and normally involve a big bonfire, glow-sticks and sparklers! Everyone is so nice and I'm really starting to feel like myself here again! Don't want anyone to leave though because its a great group of people but that is going to happen once people have their three months done! I'm pretty sure I'll be straight out of here when my time comes!

My Beautiful New Shoes

As much fun as it is I can't wait to feel like a bit of a girl again! Not that I'm the girliest girl out there now! No more dirty and short finger nails, I'm going to get a haircut, maybe even wear tan, make up and HEELS!! Oh how I miss my heels!! My Mam sent me a fab pair my birthday that haven't been near my feet yet! Far too excited about getting to wear them! But of course for now being laid back and casual is a nice break!

I've even got a little tan for myself since I'm out in the sun everyday!! Next pigs will be flying! Now it's not exactly St Tropez eat your heart out but I'm not AS pale as normal so I'll take that! While I've been here I've been on Instagram lots! Everything is so pretty that I'm forever taking photos, although I've long since given up the photo a day challenge unfortunately! I wish I had a SLR out here, I'd get some amazing shots with one! And the thing I was missing a lot in Melbourne.. Dogs! There are four different dogs around the farm and I love them all! Its so good to have them around for a while! I think I can confirm now that I will always have dogs because I'm lost when I don't have one! But yes rambling! So thats all for now, just a quick catch up! I'll post again soon with more of our goings on!

Amy :) x

Last Week in Melbourne!

So we're down to our last week in Melbourne before the farm work, no idea whether or not we'll come back here long term afterwards so we spent the last few weekends doing touristy things again! Fun! So we went to the Dandenong Ranges with Conor's sister and her boyfriend! Was a fun trip with a fab view, wish it had been a bit of a brighter day but still you could see the city and all the suburbs around it which was cool. Got to go to a cool pancake house too on the way home, called Flippin' Pancakes where our waitress was actually Irish and delighted to hear our accents! Was pretty funny! We really are everywhere, even out in the sticks! Ha! They had an absolutely savage stove there as well which I want! Perhaps more so when I go home though! Ha!

So the next trip was to Mount Macedon with Conor and his friend Aaron to test out his new car! Ha! Wasn't far out of the city an was a nice drive, probably could have left a little earlier so we didn't get to go to Hanging Rock but we saw the Memorial Cross and some view points. Was grand little day! Ha! And again a grand little view! :)

So I've been on to Conor since we got here to go see the Eureka Tower, I'm a pain that way! So we went in one evening to finally check it off the list! Melbourne looks amazing all lit up, I'd definitely recommend doing it at night, although its pretty difficult to get pictures with the glass and the reflection from the lights inside the tower but there is an outdoor balcony with a pretty sweet view, and a very cold wind! Conor was pretty unnerved by the fact that we were 88 floors up however so we didn't do The Edge but the view isn't any better when you do that anyway so didn't mind too much!Thursday night we all headed to Topolinos on Fitzroy St to celebrate Sharon's birthday. The pizza was delish, would definitely recommend going there if you're ever in the area! Was good fun, followed by the obligatory tea and cake back out our apartment after! Nom nom!

And last but not least we spent a beautiful day on Sunday in The Royal Botanical Gardens with our housemates. Another thing I've wanted to do for ages but the weather wasn't on my side. But it was amazing out on Sunday so we went for a stroll around the park and then Conor, Michael and Sharon played hurling for a bit while I enjoyed the sun, a sportswoman I am not!!! Ha! Nice to lap up the sunshine before I will only be enjoying it in a field thinning out lettuce! Ha!
Of course not everything from the last week has been good. I believe I mentioned my boss and his tendency towards being an ass before, but this week he outdid himself spectacularly! I gave him two weeks notice so that the girls could sort out cover for my shifts, which they did by giving the girls already there extra hours which they all wanted, all gravy. Apparently not, he decided to give the shifts to his son and wife, a week into my notice and told me not to bother coming in this week as he didn't need me! Very sound of him considering I had tried to be fair to him and could have done with the weeks wages! So pretty glad to be finished working for him now, he is an unprofessional ass! Ha! But on the uphand I got to work with some lovely girls, who actually got me a present on my last day of cosmetic bags which they had filled with goodies like nail varnishes and eyeshadows and hand cream to save me hands on the farm! Ha! Gonna miss those girls, they're so cute!So I'm a lady of leisure now with plenty of time to organise everything in the apt, including packing! Eugh! So far its been so nice out that I've just chilled out on the balcony reading in the sun! Whoops! Promise I'll get to it tomorrow! Have so friggin much to do!! Just hope for no more days like this or I'll never get anything done! And I still haven't got myself boots or found anywhere to live in Cowra! Ahh! The stress!!I'll write again after myself and Sharon's birthday party Friday! Going to be lots of fun! Then it's the All-Ireland Sunday and its all stations go to head for Wagga Wagga on Monday for a stopover before we get to Cowra! Hopefully we'll get to see a bit of it but most likely we'll be wrecked from the drive! So we've a busy weekend ahead, can't wait!Amy :)

Farming eh....

So we have decided that we are going to go and do our farm work, soon. I want it done before Christmas and in time that we get to enjoy the nice weather and beaches!! So that's the plan! And then we'll have a second year to do, because this Australia place is growing on Conor now! Took him long enough like!

So last weekend we took a drive down to Colac to meet a farmer that we had got in touch with through gumtree. He has a dairy farm and was looking for people to milk and feed calves. The farm was about ten mins outside of the town which was handy and the farmer seemed really nice but it wasn't for us unfortunately! We would have been sleeping in a prefab in the farmyard with our toilet and kitchen in the parlour building across the yard. Also, and more importantly we would have been off everyday from 9 until the next feed at 4, which would have been ok if there was stuff to do or other people around but we were the only backpackers and it was in a pretty remote area so not too much to do during the day! Sounds a bit like a recipe for us going mad or killing each other, so we'll keep looking! But really enjoyed the spin down, was nice to see some proper countryside again!
So we've decided to try get in on the farm that Conor's sister was on, but the farmer is scatty at best so that means calling him constantly to see when we can go down. Of course there is only so long that I am willing to do that for so I'm trying to gather numbers up from other people who have done it and who would recommend the farms they did it on! Because I am not leaving it to chance and ending up farming for Christmas! No Way!!

So any and all updates will follow! Hopefully we'll sort it soon, but until then I can plan my birthday! It is only three weeks away you know! Ha! Most likely will just have everyone over to here for a few drinks and some nibbles and then head out somewhere or other! I'm actually a little excited for it this year and I have no idea as to why considering it's my first away from home! Perhaps that's a good thing though! Anyway for the moment I'm more so trying to organise birthday presents for Joanne and Mam! So that'll keep me busy pre-party! Ha!
So thats all for now folks, heading to the Quiet Man Irish pub tonight for some grub and a few sociable ones so I may do something with my day before that, besides think about the food there! Hmm...

Amy :) x

Work!

So I haven't written in ages due to the fact that I'm working now! Such a bad excuse I know! So I decided that I would write a post about work and how it is going!!! I love it so far! The girl's I'm working with are all really nice and go for drinks at the weekend together which is pretty cool! I've only gone on one night so far on my first week and it was really good fun! We went straight out after work and headed to the Bridge which is so cool! It has a couple of floors all decorated in a cool way. There's a little alleyway down the middle of the ground floor that looks like there is loads of different cafes along it! It reminded me of Paris! Ha! Next we headed to The Precinct which was pretty cool too. There was a band playing there and a pretty cool smoking area. It was a cool way to get to know everyone. Going from the bridge to precinct we got a taxi, in which the ozzy girls sang along to every song on the radio and changed the channels on the driver if they didn't like the music. It was very funny! I had to head home around twelve because I had work in the morning but the other two Irish girls carried on down to St.Kilda  for a few more drinks. 

I'm undecided as to how I feel about one of my bosses, he does not cope well with stress and gets stressed very easily. Once he's stressed he gets a bit rude and got a bit like that with me my first time working with him which wasn't the best first impression! But we shall see! I won't write him off just yet! One of our other bosses came in last Monday telling us there was a camera crew on it's way to interview him! I did my best to tidy everywhere out so shot but when Claire went to the bank they cornered my and got me to pretend to talk to him about some stock! Cringe! It was a prime example of bad tv! So yes I'll be signing autographs out here yet and looking for my name of one of these! Ha!!

Work itself is going well, kind of know how to do everything now and know what I'm at but sometimes I find that people struggle to understand my accent, which is embarrassing! Some people are lovely about it once I repeat myself but sometimes I've found that once people realise that I am Irish they can turn a little rude, but not many people thankfully! Most people ask where I'm from and how long I'm here for and how I'm enjoying it which is nice! Being on Chapel St, we get a lot of people coming from Perth and Sydney and other places just for shopping too so it's nice to hear about where they are from too and being able to recommend stuff for them to do in Melbourne is a nice twist! :D

So for work I have to wear the clothes from the store, either their own stock or the Mink Pink stuff! It is a nice change from the plain black uniform I used to wear, only thing is is that I am so going to end up spending a fortune if I'm not careful, even with our discount! So far I've been trying to buy stuff that I can mix and match or wear outside of work. So  these are the things I have bought so far! I love the pink shirt and my god those pants are the most comfortable things ever! They are a little stretchy but skinny fit so they still look good! ♡

The weather is starting to get bad here in Melbourne now ☁ so I said a few nice thick jumpers were in order so this green one is perfect! I also got the wine dress so that I can wear it with black tights! Snug! I figured when summer comes around again the skirt will be really handy too!

So yes, now all I need to do is invest in a warm jacket and a pair of boots and I'll be sorted for winter! A sentence I did not think I would be saying out here, but hows ever!

I do want to note that I do still have a life outside of work however! I am still technically on holidays you know! Ha! Been having a great time with our housemates this weekend! We had a board games night last night with a few drinks. It was way more fun than that sentence conveys! We played Monkey Barrel which was fun, considering how excited Jamie got by it! Uno for a little bit, which I lost, and then Scattergories, which was going to make or break friendships! Ha! As usual Scattergories was great fun and full of nonsense answers, so we adopted a Caeser way of voting on an answer! 

It is my brothers birthday today!! I sent him a card from Moonpig which I had great fun making and tried to send him a present of some clothes but unfortunately the company supposed to deliver the package messed up the order so it was never sent and has since been sent back to River Island, which I didn't find out until two days ago! It was a little frustrating that they didn't even try to contact me  about the problem, even though they had my number and email address. So I have decided that I'm not ordering from them again. Was so upset thinking he wouldn't be getting a present from me! Thankfully my Mam went and picked out some stuff for him in town for me but its not the same! :( That is part of the joys of being away I suppose!

I have started a new book, having finally finished The Murder Room. It wasn't fantastic so I think that is what had me taking ages to read it! So I'm now on to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, courtesy of Jamie which is meant to be very good! I have also found a book in our apartment by the author who wrote the Kite Runner, one of my favourite books, so I have something to read straight after so I'm hoping that will motivate me! Ha! I'm also doing a challenge on Instagram called #photoadaymay from fatmumslim's blog, which is fun so I may post some/all the photos from that at the end of the month!

Amy ツ