On Tuesday, I got up fairly early to get a train/coach up to Norma and Frank's, which was a 3 and a half hour journey, during which time I managed to finish the book I've been reading. Got in to Yarroweyah around 1.30, and spent the rest of the day talking to Norma and Frank and watching the tennis, before their daughter Marlo (my second cousin) came over to dinner with her 2 kids, Jess, 19, and Kade, 14, (who happens to have the same birthday as me!!). We had a good dinner, just chatting. Anthony, Marlo's husband, came over after he finished work, and then a bit later they all had to go home.
The next day was Australia Day, one of their public holidays, and it started off going for a 25km bike ride with Frank, during which time I managed to ride his $2000 racing bike into a fence, just after he told me how much it cost! Twisted the wheel, but luckily no other damage, and a twisted wheel is easy to fix, so it was all good. After that, Marlo, took me up to the river where Dylan, a friend of theirs who co-owns a boat with Anthony, was on the water with his kids doing knee-boarding and ring riding behind the boat. I got started on the ring first, coming off a few times, then they set me up with knee-boarding, like wakeboarding but on your knees. The first few times, just came straight off, much to the amusement of the spectators, but after that, I actually started getting up, which I was really pleased with. It is such good fun when you can do it, but its so tough on your forearms! I was told that they would ache for the next couple of days, and by god were they right! Couldn't lift anything up properly at all.
After kneeboarding though, we went back to Dylan's house, where we started up a BBQ and got a few beers in by the pool. It was good fun, and I ended up spending the whole afternoon/evening there, and got yet ANOTHER BBQ in the evening! First time I've ever had 2 in one day! I had a good time and ended up spending the night at Marlo's house.
The next morning, Jess came round for a cuppa (she hadn't made it to the BBQ's the day before) during which time my forearm cramped up leaving my index finger in a hook shape that I couldn't move for a while, and then she had to go back to work at the petrol station that they own. Marlo drove me back to Norma and Frank's where I had a shower and packed my stuff up, and then watched some more tennis before I had to leave to get the bus back to the station and then back to Melbourne. Waiting for the bus was the worst part, the flies are just unbearable! They just don't leave you alone!!
Not much to say about Thursday night, or Friday and Saturday, just spent the days either in Melbourne looking for places to live, or back at the flat watching TV. I did go to see a place on Saturday night though, but it was a bit far out, took ages to get there, and it was also pretty dingy. Had a lovely brown and yellow colour scheme! Gave that one a miss.
Sunday, however, was a different story. It was supposed to get up to 40 degrees today. Got the trams over to Laura's house, where we drove down to Keenan's place in Rye, about an hour's drive away. After we got there, (and with Bobbie not hungover this time!) we went out to the beach with his jetski, which happens to have the same size engine as my car, and we spent the 40 degree day at the beach being towed around on a rubber ring behind the jetski! It was pretty awesome, and I even got to try wakeboarding behind it a bit later on. Didn't manage to get up though, it was so frustrating. It's so difficult to do, and I spent ages trying, but eventually packed it in. We headed back to Keenan's where we had a BBQ for dinner, and also played a bit of garden cricket with his son. We stayed the night at Keenan's, and I slept on a mattress on the living room floor, getting bitten to death by mosquitoes! Did manage to watch the last few games of the tennis, which we'd been watching on and off (same with the cricket), and unfortunately saw Murray lose it in straight sets, on top of England losing the cricket miserably, as well as losing the series! Not a good night for British sport!
Got up early this morning, and drove into work with Laura, where I can use a computer for free!(Instead of having to pay $1 for every 15mins at an internet cafe). So I spent the morning doing more house-hunting, and as a result I'm due to go and see a couple of sharehouses in St Kilda this evening, so hopefully something comes good from those! See you all later xxx
