Hamilton Island Paradise

11th-14th  May 2012

With Friday and Monday booked off work, we headed to Hamilton island with the family.

Hamilton Island is one of the largest islands in the Whitsunday isalnds, otherwise known as paradise!

The island airport is pretty small and the runway tiny, we must have landed 1 meter from the sea and by the time we finally stopped we were a meter from the sea at the other end of the runway!

As soon as the plane doors opened we were greeted with a more humid 25 degrees! Ben was also our chauffeur and was waiting with our golf buggy. The 'bug' would be our mode of transport for the next 4 days, as there are no cars on the island and everyone drives around on golf buggies.

Friday afternoon we headed down to the beach for a swim, Ben and James were the only ones brave enough to head in for a swim in the clear blue water (even though the sea was warm).

We finished off the day with a bbq on the terrace and a good few bottles of wine.

BBQ and Beers!

 The view from our Balcony!

Saturday 12th was our 10 year anniversary of when we first became a couple, for an anniversary we were returning to Whitehaven beach, the location we got engaged 6 years ago. We got a catermaran out to the beach, we went a shore and had time for a walk up to a viewing point to take in the entire view of the island and beach.

Joanne, Ted, Ben and James donned their stinger suits (used to ward off the jelly fish) and went swimming in the crystal clear blue waters, while Sarah made friends with some Sydney-sider's

Stingers!!!

On Sunday we started the day with a walk on one of the islands many trails up and over the rolling hills, it was a hot day and a picnic at the top was awesome! the views were stunning.

Sunday afternoon saw us rent a small dinghy and sail around one of the beach inlets, great fun, and admiral Lawton came in to her own out on the water!

We then retired to the yacht club for a glass of wine and Sarah made friends with the sunsail crew on thier 39ft boat.

The aliens are coming!

With another bbq, and many bottles of wine our trip to Hamilton island was almost over. We packed up and returned to Sydney on Monday, while Joanne and Ted got a flight to Brisbane.

Driving back from the yacht club!

Its pretty amazing to have such an island paradise only a 2 hr flight from Sydney and it wont take us 6 years to return again!

Sailing, Indian costumes and beach BBQ's!

This weekend was jam packed with activities!! Saturday was Sarah's first day racing around the harbour from Kirribilli Royal yacht squadron. She managed to get a crew spot (after submitting a crew experience CV) on a brand new 35ft Beneteau Yacht and spent the day racing against 20 yachts and flying the spinnaker (her new role on deck).

Joanne Ted and James went to Surrey Hills for lunch and we all headed out to Ro and Dan's for an Indian party, in full Indian gear:

Sunday we headed off to Palm Beach (where Home and Away is filmed) for a beach BBQ and some fun in the sun!

Doing the typical Oz thing! A BBQ... :)

Yummy!!!!

The boys feeling the love!!

'Home and Away'

The end to a perfect day!

The family arrive

We are so sorry for the immense lack of blogging of late! As you can imagine once life settled down a bit we were able to relax and try to be normal people.

That included kyaking around Sydney harbour, boat parties around the opera house and harbour bridge, dancing in the rain amongst sky scrapers to Circo loco tech house and Sarah getting involved in 12 hour drinking sessions with Ro and the girls (oh yes).

With the arrival of the end of April came the arrival of James' family to Sydney. First arrived Ben on Sunday 29th April 2012 then Joanne and Ted on Tuesday.

Ben and James endeavoured to go sight seeing on the Monday before Ted and Joanne arrived, but it sounded like they went sight seeing to the best of Sydney bars and crawled back in at 1 am!

Tuesday saw a casual stroll around Darling harbour, Wednesday was a walk around the botanical gardens and down to the Opera house with a ferry journey back to Pyrmont. On Thursday  a journey to the Manly beach was in order with Fish and chips by the sea front.

A stroll by the harbour bridge

Having a beer by the Opera house

Our ferry back to Pyrmont

The captain

On Thursday night we all headed out to our local Pyrmont Point hotel, to enjoy some Kangeroo.

Joey

Friday was devoted to lunch at Google with Sarah, and a wild ride on the harbour jet boat.

The Google balcony

Pre soaking

Post soaking

Not an advert for westfield

City slickers

We have both now been back in work for a few weeks and the old adage you forget you were ever away is too true!!!

We are both enjoying the new challenges our jobs present but are still trying to experience Sydney.

We have now firmly embedded ourselves in the local boozer! The point bar, it's less than 50 meters from our building and is a cool little place.

We have become friends with a few of the bar staff and bar managers. This culminated in them inviting James to go to a local rugby league game. A very drunken night in which Sarah was called as the cavalry to pick him up at 3 am!!

Sarah went out with some girl friends for a night of dancing in the city, this ended in Sarah walking half an hour home with no shoes on.

We are also on the hunt for a local sailing club as we want to get out on the water and enjoy some water sports. As yet one has not been picked.

The hunt for furniture goes on, dinning room chairs are our current target. Fingers crossed on e bay that will be sorted very soon.

We're all booked in to go away with James' parents to Hamilton island when they come over for a long weekend.

In the mean time bring on the bank holiday weekend, that's what you do when your full time I remember count down the days to the next holiday! Bad habits die hard!!!

This has been written on a mobile phone using a blogger app as we still have no broadband, so sorry about crap formatting.

Sydney - Future Music Festival and first few days at Google

So we have been in Sydney now for exactly 1 month. James has been the bread-winner for the last 2 weeks has been bringing in the salary while Sarah has been sorting out life in the back office (and waiting to start Google).

To celebrate our first month here we decided to go to Sydney's Future Music Festival at Randwick racecourse with our friend Emma (also from Wokingham who lives over here now).

It was like rolling back the clock 10 years to our festival days with  the likes of Fatboy slim, PVD and Sven Vath playing, plus new-ish acts Swedish House Mafia,Chase and Status, Oliver Huntemann, Friendly Fires and Gareth Emery!!! Awesome...

Now, these festivals are a little different to the ones we're used to at home.... Wait for it... they start at 12pm and finish at 10pm. It was held on the race-course in the city which was a 20min walk home! Result! This meant we were back at Emma's flat and tucked up in bed at 11.30pm. Compare this to Reading festival where you don't get home until 3 days later...

Sunday we all woke up after a great 8hours sleep and went out for brunch, and we didn't even feel hungover!

Sarah started with Google on Monday 12th March, which was an intro to life at Google which mainly consisted of a free food extravaganza (as always breakfast, lunch and dinner are free)...

Quote for the day from Sarah " I will NOT put on the 'Google Stone' ". "However the first day is an exception"

Who could turn down free magnum ice-creams, sushi, steak and salad, yoghurt, fruits, nuts, rice cakes with peanut butter, red bull, diet coke, fruit salad... to name a few.. mmmmmm (oh dear).



.

I'm feeling lucky...I'm going to be a Googler!!!

Yes I got it!!!!! (Sarah btw)

I'm Feeling Lucky 

I received a job offer which I have accepted for Google as a Senior Financial Accountant in the Sydney office in Darling harbour... Just 7 minutes walk from the flat.. 

I am feeling lucky

The plan is to start on the 12th March, meeting Laura my new boss for lunch next thursday!

Can't quite believe it!!! :)