Almost 2 months

How time flies, its been almost 2 months since I last blogged!

I have been incredibly busy, I did not realise it would take so long to get myself organised.

Here's my accomplishments:

I am in the process of a career change, a fairly major one, I am finding out. I was a nurse/midwife for over 30 years for those of you that dont know, now I am venturing into selling. I am selling this fantastic therapy which uses the concept of cycloidal vibration, in a nut shell it gets your circulation going and keeps it going! The therapy is used in a range of disciplines which include sports science, physiotherapy, orthopaedics, neonatology, occupational health, aged care etc etc. It is used by individuals that have circulatory problems, sports injuries, arthritis, major surgery, emphysema, diabetes, high blood pressure, immobility, pain, swelling...the list goes on. I have been involved with health for so many years and I have never seen anything produce such amazing results as this therapy, as you can all tell I am very excited about it.

The next accomplishment is that I have found myself a nice little 2 bedroom unit within walking distance to the beach in Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast....just in time for a scorcher of a summer we are about to have! The great advantage of being on the Sunshine Coast rather than Brisbane is the fact that I can be in the area where I want to buy my property and become involved with the community and do some networking.

These 2 major steps in my life seem as though they were never going to arrive, I felt it took so long and I was becoming demoralised and wondering why I had chosen the path I did. The desire to change my career is happening, after many many years of talking about it and I am gaining insights into myself as it unfolds, maybe I will stay in sales, maybe I wont but at the moment I am enjoying it and helping people get the therapy they need to maintain or improve their quality of life is very satisfying for me.

I move this weekend, it will be wonderful to set up house again and have all my personal belongings around me...my stuff which I shipped from USA has been sitting in the warehouse for a few weeks now and I am looking forward to seeing my stuff again! I am hoping that when I see all my motorcycle gear I will put that purchase high on the priority list now, it has been very low on the list I must confess!

I am continuing this post today, Novmber 1st...so it must now be 2 months since I blogged!

I have unpacked most of my stuff and so far so good...no breakages, well done Allied Pickfords! It is great to sleep in my own bed with my own linens and pillows, its also great to have some different clothes!!!! My apartment is now starting to look homely with my personal touches added.

I walked up to the beach today and it was hopping, the cafes were bustling with healthy fit looking people and the atmosphere was holiday like! I was walking along the beach as the sun was going down and I felt great.......its good to be home.

flu....

Everyone has been asking "where have you been?", well I'll tell you....I've been sick, I never get sick and what's worse is the fact that I have the flu in 30 - 32 degree heat! The house I am staying in right now, the 2 girls both had the flu and then I went to Melbourne and Peter had the flu..I guess I didn't stand a chance.

I have been taking it easy for the last few days, haven't been able to exercise and I feel really weak and exhausted just walking up the stairs!

I made some soup my dad used to make, his mother's old recipe, it is a vegetable soup with tons of white vinegar in it. I forgot about it but remembered yesterday and made myself a pot and have been having bowls of it every time I regain consciousness, I know I am getting better because I can now taste the vinegar.....it's a terrible soup to have if you are well as it is basically vinegar but when you are sick it seems to clear everything out!!

Hopefully I'll be up and about tomorrow, I have plans to visit the Sunshine Coast...my favourite spot to relax.

What a winter!

As most of you know it is winter here in Queensland and I bet what you didn't know is that the temperature has not gone below 22C which translates to about 74F for those of you who do not use celsius.

Based on the temperatures this winter it is going to be a long hot summer which a lot of people are not looking forward to....not me, I love the heat and humidity, although my friends are telling me I have forgotten what it's like. If it gets too hot then it will be a good excuse for me to take another trip to Melbourne or Sydney. I have yet to visit my friends in Sydney, might have to time that visit around Mardi Gras...if I can wait that long. The Sydney Dykes on Bikes are having a ball sometime in September, so that could be another excuse to visit Sydney, although I would certainly need my bike before then as they have a little scoot around the city before the ball.

Tomorrow will be 33C, gonna be a hot one....ummm what shall I wear??

still in Melbourne

I must say, I am loving Melbourne despite the cold!! It helps to have wonderful hosts, thank you Peter and Andrew.

My first night here we went to Boxhill and ate at a great Chinese restaurant, then we went to St Kilda......and those of you that have been to St Kilda know what I am going to say next.....the cake shops!!!!!!!!! I could not choose one, so I had 2 cakes and a coffee! The only other place I have seen so many delicious cake shops lining the streets is in Europe. The little shops have rickety old floor boards and small wooden tables and chairs to add to the ambience, there are big glass display cases full of every imaginable cake.

Tuesday we went to Brunswick Street to all the neat shops and cafes the weather was a bit cool and it was nice to wrap up in a warm scarf and a beanie that my friend in Brisbane made for me before I left for my trip. We wandered around the shops, had lunch then headed off to Smith Street in Collingwood to look at some more shops. I'm not a great shopper but just to wander the streets among the amazing shops and admiring the work of little known artists is fun for me.

Last night we went to a great Vietnamese restaurant owned and run by a young vietnamese couple on Victoria St in Richmond, the wife does the cooking and the husband serves the meals, they have only had their business for 4 months and I wish them all the best...the food was superb and very reasonably priced. The name of the restaurant is Fiafi, so if you get the opportunity, go eat there, enjoy the delicious meals and give the young couple a go. The night didn't end after our meal, we then went on to Lygone Street in Carlton for some more coffee and cakes at Brunettis, the place was pumping it was just like being in a street in Italy. People sitting outside under the heaters enjoying coffee, the inside of the place was huge with beautifully tiled floors and big display cabinets displaying...yup, you guessed it...CAKES! The whole cafe was charged with an amazing energy that made you want to stay in there all night drinking coffee and eating cakes....thankfully Andrew had to go to work the next morning otherwise I would still be in there eating cakes!

Today we went into the city, walked through all the graffitied alleys and then on to the lanes full of cafes to eat lunch, we wandered around the city a bit more and then it was time to head to the airport.

It was a fleeting visit to Melbourne but it was enough to remind me of how wonderful that city is and how much I have missed that sort of culture and atmosphere.

Melbourne here I come!

This was day 2 of my road trip to Melbourne, what a trip it's been so far. I decided to travel south by the inland route, through 'never never land' as the Aborigines call it.....I can see why, it's real Australian bush out here. The roads are long, the traffic minimal and the wildlife abundant! I've seen the roos and a huge number of different cockatoos, the most popular being the grey and pink ones that just line the road and don't move when you drive past, if they do decide to fly....just keep driving don't brake or swerve or you'll end up in the ditch! They have a habit of flying in front of your windscreen and shitting all over it.....little buggers!

As for the kangaroos they just stand at the roadside and watch you go by, some roos decide to take a closer look and.........well I don't need to elaborate, they can do alot of damage to your car. The big road trains just fly along the roads and god help anything that gets in their way, they can hit anything and not feel it (let's hope the victim doesn't feel it either!) as they have their big roo bars on the front of their truck.

I popped in to see the 'dish', the big satellite dish at Parkes, it was the satellite telescope that recorded man's first walk on the moon and there was even a movie made about it here in Australia called 'The Dish', it's quite a funny movie so if you get a chance, rent it out....all my American friends be prepared to laugh at yourselves!

The sunset was spectacular as I was pulling into Moree last night and the cloud formations during the day were also a sight to see, I'd forgotten what a show the sky can put on.

The land is so vast you can see for miles and the old houses on the cattle ranges certainly have a story to tell, some are just falling to pieces, some have been restored and some just need a lick of paint. The small towns I drove through have nothing more than a post office (if you're lucky), a pub, a cop shop and a couple of houses and thats your town, blink and you miss it! Most of the people live out on the big cattle or sheep ranches so most of the town's population is scattered around the area.

The highways don't have MacDonalds, Wendys, Motels, Petrol stations, advertising billboards or things like that, its about 100 kilometers, sometimes more, between each town and during that 100 klicks its just you and the outback......and who knows what lurks in the outback!!

I got wheels!

Progress has been made! I bought a car and now feel much more independent. I met this guy, called Nick, by chance and found out that he attends car auctions looking for cars for his clients....what a stroke of luck, the universe works in mysterious ways! He took me to the auctions last week and we looked at and test drove some cars, he got me a really good deal on a 2004 Mazda 3 maxx in this really nice green colour called nordic green with a mica finish, the colour subtly changes depending on the light reflecting on it...sometimes it looks black and sometimes it looks like the colour of dark seaweed, I love looking at the colour. If you want Nick to help you get a car his website is www.automotiveconsultants.com.au he charges an admin fee but he does all the running around, you can just give him your order and sit and wait at home, he will deliver your car all ready to drive. Nick gets the car mechanically checked out as part of his service, he's also a mechanic so he can spot a dud when he sees one. I am very happy with his service...oh and guess what......he knows a Harley mechanic who can check out a bike when I get one!!....I am so lucky to have met this guy, he is going to be a brilliant contact for me as I find my way around Brisbane again!

priorities

Had a good time last night at my friend's birthday bash! Had a few drinks at the Fox pub, met some new people and caught up with some old friends. I must be getting old 'cos almost everyone in that bar looked like under age drinkers! Brisbane is a fairly young city, the average age being 33yrs according to statistics.....I'm a little above average!

We then went on to a nice Punjabi restaurant and got the banquet, I always get worried when people want to order the banquet because the vegetarian selection isn't always great but last night there were a few vegetarians in the group so it worked out perfectly.

This morning we went to the local market to get our veggies for the week and I decided to pop in to the Yamaha dealer across the road and sitting outside was this really nice Dyna Super Glide 1998 with only 46,000ks on it, there were wonderful Harley details, the saddle was a Harley custom made as were the saddle bags...it was a gorgeous black with just enough chrome to get it noticed. I wandered inside to see if I could get a glimpse of the owner but there was no one around, I spoke to the Yamaha guy and he said the Harley was for sale for $15,500....I was so tempted. I had a good look at it and he started it up, it had that distinctive Harley sound that stops everyone in their tracks and sends a shiver down my spine...I so wanted to buy it there and then but the voice of reason came into my head.....you have no job yet, there is no money coming in and there is a puddle of oil under the bike! I backed away slowly trying to convince myself that the fluid dripping from the bike and collecting on the floor was not a good sign!

I have to prioritize things and unfortunately my bike is not very high on my necessities list! When the time is right the bike will appear....and there will be no puddle of oil under it!

For those of you riding, have fun and ride for those of us who are currently bikeless!!

One week....

OK..been home for a week, I am now ready to get a job and 'get on with things', I know I should take advantage of this beautiful weather and not having to work but there is something stirring in me that wont let me be idle for a few weeks.

I have been searching for a car, firstly I can't decide what type of car I want to buy, I am quite interested in the VW Golf, its a cute sporty little number and good on gas and I think VW is a good make, might be a little bit more expensive to maintain being a European car but its worth it for the reliability and comfort. The other type of car I was interested in was the Subaru Outback, I saw a very nice one at a dealer the other day when I was car shopping but something in the back of my mind was telling me I don't really want such a big car yet. When it is time for a big car it will be some kind of ute, which will prove to be very practical around the property when I get it.

Now...my motorcycle....I know exactly what type of bike I am looking for, there aren't as many to choose from here than there is in the States so the search may take a while. Saw a nice 2003 Dyna Superglide online and it had done 16,739kms which I think is about 10,000 miles the guy who is selling it is almost 2 hours drive away..I don't have a car yet so it would be a very long walk!!!

I feel so dependent on my friends right now which is so out of my character, it is amazing how we take our independence for granted when we don't rely on anyone for anything.....but if you think about it really hard we are all dependent on each other for our everyday necessities.

I am reading my favourite book again, Shantaram, and the advice one of the guys is given about living in India (he is an escaped convict from Australia and took off to India - true story) is... sometimes you have to surrender before you win....I guess that is how I am feeling right now, I am surrendering to the help of my friends.

Anyway....I am off to the cop shop to get fingerprinted so I can send them to USA to get a criminal check....got every other bit of paper I could have thought of before I left California, but I never thought for one minute to get a record of my criminal activities, now I have to deal with getting it from over here.

Its my friend's birthday this weekend and we are off for drinks and dinner tonight...one thing about relying on friends for rides is that I can have a couple of beers and not worry about it!

Cheers from Australia!

Honey, I'm home!

I made it back to Brissie with no problems, it wasn't too bad a trip, the thought of travelling for 14 hours on a plane is worse than actually doing it!

I must say that Qantas really do look after their customers. The food and the entertainment was fabulous on the plane, being a vegetarian I order a veggie meal and it's always a gamble what I will end up with but on Qantas I very much enjoyed their food. After they served the food and before they turned the lights out for a nap they offered us hot chocolate or mint tea....how civil I thought and I ordered another wine!

I have been home for 3 days now and its doesn't appear I am suffering from jet lag, I've been awake during the day and sleeping soundly at night. The temperature has been around 20 - 22C or 70 - 74F, not bad for the middle of winter! Today I sat on the balcony and think I even got a tan!

I polished off a six pack of my favourite Aussie Beer......Victoria Bitter or VB, they went down a treat! We went around the supermarket and it was so nice to see all the old favourites and some new exciting stuff that I can't wait to try!

My friends have been great and it is so good to catch up with them and see the changes in their lives. The girls I am staying with bought a beautiful old Queenlander home a couple of years ago and are slowly doing it up, it has all the original features in it and its a real beauty.

It still feels like I am here on a holiday but I am sure when it comes time to starting a job and all that 'reality' stuff kicks in it wont feel like a holiday anymore!

I am still trying to decide what kind of car I am going to buy, I would love another Audi but they are very expensive here I think it is out of the question for now. I haven't seen a Harley on the road yet, I am told they are not very popular here as they are so expensive, we will be visiting the Harley showroom soon! There was one Harley for sale in the newspaper for $13,500, it was a superglide 2004 with 66,000ks on the clock, a wideglide front end and new paint job......might have to go take a look at it.

Anyway, we're staying in tonight, ordering Thai food for delivery and going to laugh and cry about times gone by!

End of a chapter.

Whoa what a few weeks I've had, it has been non stop sorting, donating, cleaning, selling, packing.....you get the picture! I can't believe the shippers are coming tomorrow to take my stuff away ready for the trip to Australia!

Tomorrow night I'll spend in a hotel in the city, then Tuesday I'll head off to the airport to catch my flight to LA then on to Brisbane, Australia!

I'm looking forward to rekindling old friendships and making new ones and exploring a changed city! I'm excited to look for a property and spending time getting down and dirty on the land, thats something I have missed since living in an apartment, I have been lucky living in Sonoma though, it's been wonderful, its a great little town and the vineyards and farms are spectacular, I just love the open space, I'm not really a city girl.

My work mates took me out for a gorgeous East Indian meal at a restaurant in Petaluma called the 'Himalayan Kabob & Curry House' on Western Avenue. The place has only been opened for a few months, the food was absolutely delicious, the service was efficient and friendly. We enjoyed a few bottles of the Kenwood Old Vine Zinfandel...highly recommend that drop! They got me a beautiful gift for the Harley I will buy when I get home, they gave me a bell in the shape of a bunch of grapes with the Harley Davidson emblem on it....it almost looked custom made and will remind me of Sonoma, it's beautiful and so special.

I sold my bike to a new rider, she had recently taken the MC course and was looking for a learner bike and my riding buddy introduced us, she was so excited about the bike. After she made the purchase the bike was still sitting at my place 3 days later and she kept making excuses for not being able to pick it up. It reminded me of when I first got the bike how nervous I was at the thought of riding it home that I asked one of the guys in the shop to ride it home for me, I wondered if the girl who bought the bike felt that way too so I offered to ride it to her place for her.....she was so happy! I was also happy that I could help her, I remember how grateful I was, and still am, to all the people who helped me out when I was a new rider, it felt good to help a new rider. I have seen her since I sold the bike and she is a changed woman, she explained that having the bike and riding it even a little bit has made her feel so alive and free and she just loves riding.......her husband is still getting used to the idea, although she said to me he gets this look in his eye when he looks at her on the bike and she knows he is thinking....she's one hot mama!!!!!! You go girl!

Well another chapter in my life comes to a close and a new one will begin 'down under'.