Since 30/09/14 a lot has happened. The most obvious is that Erin and I have moved heaps closer to the date that is consuming our lives at the moment. We sit nicely now at 62 days, at the time of writing, until we get to commit our lives to one another and the excitement and anticipation is most definitely tangible now.
Part of this anticipation is largely down to the fact we, or to be more specific, Erin, has everything under control. I am so lucky to be marrying someone who is so staunchly organised. We've been in constant dialogue with the people we need to be and we have meetings and face-to-faces lined up in the next few weeks to get the final details sorted for the special day. People like the DJ and the videographer and are all lined up in the next coming weeks. On that subject we are so pleased with our videographer Max. His creative input, his vision and the way he shoots for the footage is beyond excellent. We like his humour and style and we both cannot wait to work with him again.
We are almost out of January now and it'll be a novelty for us both, come February 1st, to be able to say, "I get married next month!". It seems like the two of us have waited so long to be able to make this next step of our journey through life together.
I went to my first place outside of Sydney in late November, as Erin sprung a surprise trip to Darwin on me. What I thought was going to be just the two of us off to see her friend Alex up there, soon turned into the majority of her bridal party and I going up to see Alex, as we were joined in the Sydney Domestic Terminal a little later by Emily and Hannah, and then the next day by Lou.
Darwin was a massive eye opener for me. Not least of all because the heat and more specifically, the humidity, was nothing like I have ever experienced before.
The best way I can describe it, is that for the duration of our time there, I felt like I was in a perennial state of just coming out of a shower. You know when you've partly dried yourself, but you're not fully dry yet? That semi wet/semi dry phase? That's how I felt for my whole time in Darwin.
Darwin itself was so much smaller than I anticipated it would be. The centre is literally 4 roads parallel, roughly 500-750 meters in length and that is practically it for the main hub and centre of Darwin.
We stayed in a place called Parap which was lovely, it was close to Alex and had a good cultural scene. There were some nice markets on at the weekend which introduced you to a whole heap of different cuisines and people from a heap of different ethnicities.
If this wasn't your cup of Dilmah, then Australian institutions such as Crust and The Cheesecake Shop were a mere, sweaty stroll away.
Darwin most notably, is known for its indigenous culture, or as we know them more commonly - Aboriginals. Again it was an eye opener to see how they live. They don't know any better than the life they live and as such, because of their country failing them, they are content with this squalid life they live. I never once saw an unhappy Aboriginal person in Darwin and they all wore smiles as big as their faces.
The other side of Darwin I loved was its self penchant for serenity. A complete juxtaposition from what can be found in some places of Dariwn, I was able to see some of the most picturesque places I've seen.
We had a Wolf Creek-esque journey down some very Australian looking outback roads, to Litchfield National Park and once there were able to swim with some over friendly fish, complete with waterfall and a GoPro.
On another day in Darwin we went to Lake Alexander which was stiflingly hot. So much so I was burnt, but then again that has proved to be quite easy and a regular occurrence since being here.
It got too hot for me, that I decided in my wisdom, that rather than sitting down and becoming suceptible to the elements, I would walk around the lake and not be susceptible to them.
Little did I know that on the other side of the Lake was a breeding ground for some rather protective Birds, and they didn't take too kindly to a thong (flip flops UK) wearing Pom encroaching on their safe haven. Swoop after swoop left me a little scared and I decided the best thing to do in this situation would be to fucking run for it!
Lake Alexander, in Darwin. Very hot.
Darwin did have a major plus for me. It has been the only place I have been able to order a Pint of lager since being in Australia. You can always count on the Irish to cheer you up when your sunburn is bringing you down. #firstworldproblems #sorrynotsorry
A pint of Toohye's New. A PINT!!!
Our last night was spent doing what Australians do best, drink beer on top of cliffs whilst watching the sunset. It was quite a fitting end to what was a great trip, spent in excellent company. We even raised wry smiles from some Aboriginal people who had congregated on a park bench.
Sunset at Nightcliff, Darwin.
Moving onto Christmas and what was a lovely time this year for us (as last year was bittersweet because I was leaving a few weeks later).
We were able to spend it with some amazing people and we definitely overindulged and it wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't.
Christmas Day was spent here at Casa Watters in the morning, and then we made the leisurely drive down to Austinmer to spend time with the Camerons. The weather was glorious. It was hot, humid and the air conditioning at their place was a godsend for someone so used to ice and thermals on 25/12.
Merry Christmas ya filthy animal!
There have been changes in my job too. My Working Holiday Visa restrictions means I had to cut short my tenure in the Local Court system after only 6 months. Reflecting on that time and looking back, I have learnt some very valuable things about myself, and also about others. Others less fortunate than myself.
The big thing for me, and I touched on it in a previous blog post was that you should never judge a book by its cover, and working in a courtroom, and with our clients face-to-face taught me that very early on.
Someone you might be adamant is guilty, "just by looking at them" turns out to be not guilty and you've learnt a very big lesson.
I will always be grateful of the opportunity to work in such a vibrant and diverse setting, with some lovely people. I'm sure if an opportunity presented itself in the future to work in the Local Court system I would give it some considerable thought.
Can I see myself on the Magistrate's bench in the future? No, absolutely not. But whilst I pursue other avenues it could be just the right fit for me to work in that kind of environment.
So, my new job is still within the New South Wales Civil Service (what is it about Government jobs eh?), but for this one I have moved over into the Department of Education. I'm working as part of OTEN (Open Training and Education Network) which is the largest provider of distance education and vocational training in Australia.
It's a digital evolution of classroom teaching and I'm on the, ahem, "frontline" in terms of answering queries and questions any of our clients might have. I've only been there one week at present, and I see it definitely as stop gap measure for me to be able to earn some quick bucks to tide us both over until the wedding, ($26 p/h to be precise) and I am learning more and more about myself in such an interesting and fast paced office environment.
A big plus for this job too, is that I get to commute on the train to and from work as of tomorrow, so I will get a better perspective of places, where they are, and that should help me in the long run to be able to familiarise myself with the inner-west of Sydney that little bit better than I do at present. I know how to get from home to work in the car quite competently (I even know a few different ways too), but if there was an accident en-route and I had to deviate I would be up the proverbial creek without a paddle and I think being able to see more of Sydney and familiarising myself with the rail network will be a massive advantage for me.
Erin might not agree, but I am really looking forward to the weekly commute starting tomorrow. Maybe ask me in a few weeks time though and I might not be of the same opinion...
Away from work now, and the consummation of my life within Civil Services. Trips have been planned and will continue to be planned for when the English contingent make their way over.
I recently booked a one night stay for my Groomsman Dan and I in an "Earth House" in the Blue Mountains. Dan has a penchant for photography and right near the top of his bucket list of things to do while in Sydney was to visit the Blue Mountains for some decent photo opportunities. I'm really looking forward to it as I've not seen him for what seems like an eternity and it will be great to be just able to chill out and have a few beers with him and catch up on things that we both might have missed out on, being on opposite sides of the world - although not for too much longer!
We still have to get him measured up for his suit but that will be the least of our worries. I think Asahi down by the surf is much higher (although probably not that wise - suit first) on our list of priorities.
On the subject of suits and the paraphernalia that comes with it, Erin and I spent what felt like a lifetime in Myer this weekend, finally managing to buy the shirts, ties and socks for all the guys.
I also managed to find my shoes for the wedding too, so yesterday was a mightily productive day on both of our parts.
CK for the Big Day!
So once the day is finally over, both Erin and I take an, as yet unbooked vehicle to the Intercontinental Sydney where we will sleep roughly 6 hours, before we then make our way to the airport to jet off on our Honeymoon, something we were both adamant we wanted to do. It would have been nice to spend some additional time with the people over from England before they make their own journeys back home, but we really wanted to be on that plane that next day to be able to spend time together as Mr & Mrs Evans.
For those who might not know, and for those would like to live vicariously though us, we are off to Vietnam for the Honeymoon - a place I have longed to visit. My inner war veteran will have to be contained in such a place, as it would be harsh of me to drag Erin to all the temples and war shrines on our honeymoon! :D
First place we stay is Amiana Resort in Nha Trang, in what is described as a "Ocean Villa", for 7 nights.
Then from Amiana, we are transferred by them, to Mia Resort, also in Nha Trang, for 3 nights in a "Cliff Villa".
Once our time is up at Mia, we are shuttled to the airport by them, to then catch a short flight from CXR (Nha Trang) to SGN (Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City) as I persuaded Erin to stay two nights in the Intercontinental Asiana Saigon on our way back to Sydney. Both rooms have been booked at both the Intercontinental Hotels in Sydney and Ho Chi Minh, but are subject to inevitable change due to my tier level status in their Ambassador Program (YAY! for me).
Platinum level brings with it a whole host of beneifits and rewards, one being "Complimentary room upgrade" and another useful one is guaranteed 4PM checkout, which will be so handy for us both as our flight back home to SYD leaves at 8PM from SGN.
*Fingers crossed* ... ;)
There is probably an abundance of other things I should be writing about that I can't quite remember at the moment.
There's enough here for you to all go on for a few weeks until my next post. I'm hoping I can articulate and capture the excitement of the build up of the wedding quite well, for all the people who are unfortunately unable to make the trip out here.
Until next time...
Until next time...
