I took this photo a few weeks back now, whilst staying at the In-laws. Taken with my iPhone and changed from colour to B&W. I need to get this one printed for sure. Enlarged and framed even.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
New Beginnings
Things are seriously falling into place here for us.
After searching high and low for a suitable place for my little family to live in Cairns, a perfect one turned up. And I subsequently got. I think it helped that that I befriended the agent and within three hours of putting in the application she rang me back to say it was mine. I think it helped that I viewed the property twice, just to make sure I was doing the right thing. It is tough to try and find a perfect place without your partner in crime who is still residing in the Middle East. But we have similar tastes in most things so I am positive he will approve of my choice.
I was contacted too yesterday by our removal company that our shipping container had been given the all clear from Australian Customs and Quarantine. It is heading up this way on the weekend. All ready for me to take on the same day I take over the lease of our new abode.
Slowly falling into place. New beginnings.
After searching high and low for a suitable place for my little family to live in Cairns, a perfect one turned up. And I subsequently got. I think it helped that that I befriended the agent and within three hours of putting in the application she rang me back to say it was mine. I think it helped that I viewed the property twice, just to make sure I was doing the right thing. It is tough to try and find a perfect place without your partner in crime who is still residing in the Middle East. But we have similar tastes in most things so I am positive he will approve of my choice.
I was contacted too yesterday by our removal company that our shipping container had been given the all clear from Australian Customs and Quarantine. It is heading up this way on the weekend. All ready for me to take on the same day I take over the lease of our new abode.
Slowly falling into place. New beginnings.
Friday, March 09, 2012
Reasons why I am happy to be back in FNQ and one reason I am not...
It is lovely being back where you feel like you belong, even though there is one element missing. And that's MrL. He is back in the sand pit of Abu Dhabi but it won't be too much longer until we are reunited for good in the tropics of Far North Queensland.
I wonder if you can see some of the reasons why it is so lovely to be back...
Monet is now back at school full time. I still haven't co-ordinated my driving time to her school. We've been quite early every day at both drop off and pick up times. She's coping well, Monet, arriving at a new school with only a few weeks of first term left. I still feel bad taking her out of school in Abu Dhabi where she had 'found her place' and had a nice group of friends, to now being known as the 'new girl'. She will find some new friends all in due time (this is her fifth day), this I know.
I had my Mother-In-Law stay for a week. She saw MrL for a couple of days before he returned to the sand pit and helped a lot with Lily. Now since she has returned back to Victoria, it means I now have to start cooking meals! (instead of going out every night! lol)
I still need to find a place to live (our apartment has tenants in it still) for us to live in and wait patiently for our shipping container to arrive. I'm missing our stuff! Fingers crossed something comes up soon.
But it is good to be back in the humidity, the sunshine, the lush tropical surrounds. This, makes me happy.
I wonder if you can see some of the reasons why it is so lovely to be back...
Monet is now back at school full time. I still haven't co-ordinated my driving time to her school. We've been quite early every day at both drop off and pick up times. She's coping well, Monet, arriving at a new school with only a few weeks of first term left. I still feel bad taking her out of school in Abu Dhabi where she had 'found her place' and had a nice group of friends, to now being known as the 'new girl'. She will find some new friends all in due time (this is her fifth day), this I know.
I had my Mother-In-Law stay for a week. She saw MrL for a couple of days before he returned to the sand pit and helped a lot with Lily. Now since she has returned back to Victoria, it means I now have to start cooking meals! (instead of going out every night! lol)
I still need to find a place to live (our apartment has tenants in it still) for us to live in and wait patiently for our shipping container to arrive. I'm missing our stuff! Fingers crossed something comes up soon.
But it is good to be back in the humidity, the sunshine, the lush tropical surrounds. This, makes me happy.
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Taking the Bad (Back) with the Utter Happiness....
I neglected to tell you in my previous post that I 'did' my back in last Tuesday. There couldn't be worse timing, let me tell you. It was the final week I was spending in country Victoria, a week I had been looking forward to with the anticipation of moving on towards our new chapter. But I buggered up all that excitement by bending down to pick up a piece of laundry off the floor when "shit!"
Long story short - was very much out of action for a good four days with me completely resting, sitting for an hour, hobbling around for a bit then sitting back down. I was in agony sitting down and then standing up. Agony lying in bed. I visited a physio a couple of times which helped and I will have to find one now in Cairns for visiting permanently, as it was noted that it might be a reoccurring thing, seeing it has happened twice before over the past two years. However last week's incident was the worst yet.
One thing I am thankful for is that MrL's parents had Monet stay over for three nights whilst my parents looked after Lily (and myself). Lily was brilliant. Being very much a 'mummy's girl', she quickly became a 'Grandma's girl'. There were a few firsts last week, but the big one was Lily getting to sleep by putting herself to bed (in a big bed at that!) and falling asleep rather quickly without having her Mum near by.
So here, I will publicly thank my in-laws for looking after Monet for three nights and four days and to my parents, especially to my mum, for letting me do bugger all and looking after Lily. It was shit timing doing my back, but in a way, good timing that it happened in a place where my girls were able to be looked after by others.
Sunday saw my parents drop Monet, Lily and I off at the airport, where we checked into the Park Royal Airport for the night (takes the stress out of getting to the airport in the morning, when you have to travel two hours to get there). The girls thought it was great fun - so did I as I didn't have to share a bed with a certain 2 year old, after sharing a bed practically each night for the past six weeks!!
I can't describe to you how it felt to be flying back into Cairns after a three and a half years absence. I'm pretty sure I was close to tears (of happiness and relief!)
I'm pretty sure it was the same feeling I got roughly three hours later when MrL rocked up in a taxi after his flight from Abu Dhabi. Six weeks without your best friend and father of your children was (at times) tough going.
MrL's mother arrives tomorrow for a week - she's up here to see MrL, who she hasn't seen for over a year, and the short term apartment we are in is a three bedder, so I said if she wanted to visit she was more than welcome to. I didn't have to convince her. MrL leaves for Abu Dhabi again on Monday for another four weeks. Not before seeing Monet off at her new (lovely) school on Monday morning!
So our new chapter has begun. And what a chapter it is starting to be. Awesome.
Long story short - was very much out of action for a good four days with me completely resting, sitting for an hour, hobbling around for a bit then sitting back down. I was in agony sitting down and then standing up. Agony lying in bed. I visited a physio a couple of times which helped and I will have to find one now in Cairns for visiting permanently, as it was noted that it might be a reoccurring thing, seeing it has happened twice before over the past two years. However last week's incident was the worst yet.
One thing I am thankful for is that MrL's parents had Monet stay over for three nights whilst my parents looked after Lily (and myself). Lily was brilliant. Being very much a 'mummy's girl', she quickly became a 'Grandma's girl'. There were a few firsts last week, but the big one was Lily getting to sleep by putting herself to bed (in a big bed at that!) and falling asleep rather quickly without having her Mum near by.
So here, I will publicly thank my in-laws for looking after Monet for three nights and four days and to my parents, especially to my mum, for letting me do bugger all and looking after Lily. It was shit timing doing my back, but in a way, good timing that it happened in a place where my girls were able to be looked after by others.
Sunday saw my parents drop Monet, Lily and I off at the airport, where we checked into the Park Royal Airport for the night (takes the stress out of getting to the airport in the morning, when you have to travel two hours to get there). The girls thought it was great fun - so did I as I didn't have to share a bed with a certain 2 year old, after sharing a bed practically each night for the past six weeks!!
I can't describe to you how it felt to be flying back into Cairns after a three and a half years absence. I'm pretty sure I was close to tears (of happiness and relief!)
I'm pretty sure it was the same feeling I got roughly three hours later when MrL rocked up in a taxi after his flight from Abu Dhabi. Six weeks without your best friend and father of your children was (at times) tough going.
MrL's mother arrives tomorrow for a week - she's up here to see MrL, who she hasn't seen for over a year, and the short term apartment we are in is a three bedder, so I said if she wanted to visit she was more than welcome to. I didn't have to convince her. MrL leaves for Abu Dhabi again on Monday for another four weeks. Not before seeing Monet off at her new (lovely) school on Monday morning!
So our new chapter has begun. And what a chapter it is starting to be. Awesome.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
End Of A Chapter
As you may have gathered my girls and I have relocated back to Australia for good. MrL is soon to follow, don't you worry about that. The three years spent in Abu Dhabi I look back with fondness and that city and I will always be connected due to the fact that our Lily was conceived and born there. I'm pretty sure we had to go there to have our Lily. That's the way I look at it.
Then there came a point, about mid way last year, when MrL and I decided we had kind of had enough. Not that we were hating it but we came to the conclusion that a country like that isn't real. It's hard to understand unless you've lived there. Some people love that kind of lifestyle, others do not. We enjoyed it whilst it lasted but wanted more for our girls, especially Lily. We wanted to share with Lily what we got to share with Monet when we originally lived in Australia.
When a job in Cairns was advertised in which MrL was qualified for and fitted the bill in what he wanted to do, well after a lengthly process and many Internet interviews the job was his.
So with a villa lease up in mid January, it made sense for the girls and I to leave Lily's birth country, headed for country Victoria to stay with family and reconnect with long time friends. MrL had to give two months notice and with the new job beginning after Easter in our town we consider 'home', every thing fell into place. He is currently batching long(short?) term in a hotel on Yas Island.
Which leads us to today.
MrL will be boarding a plane in the wee hours of tomorrow morning, bound for Cairns. The girls and I are bound for Cairns on Monday and arrive a couple of hours before him. He is there with us for a week to help us settle in and organize stuff that will need organizing. He returns to Abu Dhabi for another month but then will be back for good.
That's when our new chapter begins and I can't wait. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Then there came a point, about mid way last year, when MrL and I decided we had kind of had enough. Not that we were hating it but we came to the conclusion that a country like that isn't real. It's hard to understand unless you've lived there. Some people love that kind of lifestyle, others do not. We enjoyed it whilst it lasted but wanted more for our girls, especially Lily. We wanted to share with Lily what we got to share with Monet when we originally lived in Australia.
When a job in Cairns was advertised in which MrL was qualified for and fitted the bill in what he wanted to do, well after a lengthly process and many Internet interviews the job was his.
So with a villa lease up in mid January, it made sense for the girls and I to leave Lily's birth country, headed for country Victoria to stay with family and reconnect with long time friends. MrL had to give two months notice and with the new job beginning after Easter in our town we consider 'home', every thing fell into place. He is currently batching long(short?) term in a hotel on Yas Island.
Which leads us to today.
MrL will be boarding a plane in the wee hours of tomorrow morning, bound for Cairns. The girls and I are bound for Cairns on Monday and arrive a couple of hours before him. He is there with us for a week to help us settle in and organize stuff that will need organizing. He returns to Abu Dhabi for another month but then will be back for good.
That's when our new chapter begins and I can't wait. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, February 12, 2012
You Know I'm Still Here
As nice as it is spending time in country Victoria, dividing our time between my parents any my in-laws, I'm pretty much convinced I couldn't live in this state. If it's not the weather I'm whinging about (it's summer and it is unseasonably freezing!), it's the thought (& sight) of big hairy huntsman spiders that's doing my head in. *heehee*
However, the girls have been having a blast here. I've noted that Lily has spent more time outdoors here in Australia over the past month than in her entire life span of two and a half years. She loves being outside and is constantly asking to go out no matter what the weather.
We are off on our next port of call in a little over two weeks. But I'll keep you posted on that.
(mind my first experimental post using my iPad).
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
However, the girls have been having a blast here. I've noted that Lily has spent more time outdoors here in Australia over the past month than in her entire life span of two and a half years. She loves being outside and is constantly asking to go out no matter what the weather.
We are off on our next port of call in a little over two weeks. But I'll keep you posted on that.
(mind my first experimental post using my iPad).
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, January 28, 2012
The Small Things
The girls and I have now been back in Australia for just about two weeks now. We have enjoyed being back in 'reality' bar the fact we are not surrounded by our own things (they're currently somewhere between the UAE and Australia) and the three of us are missing MrL. (Monet gets a bit teary when she thinks of him).
One thing I am enjoying back in Oz is the small things. Stupid really, but living back in Australia is back in the real world. Unless you've lived in the UAE would you understand this.
I visited a Coles Supermarket yesterday for the first time on over three years. I forgot how much I love Coles. And to be able to practically get what you want in the one shop instead of having to visit three. And having a choice of 'dips'. Oh my, I have missed dips. You get a bit over Hummus when that is practically all on offer there if you don't want to pay a small fortune. Smiths Crinkle Cut Crisps - proper Chicken flavour. *drool*. Cheese and Bacon Balls. Twisites. Cheezels. (See a trend here?) DIM SIMS. Fish'n'Chips. Lamingtons. Vanilla Slice. Proper sliced Bread. Butter that spreads instantly from the fridge! Milk with longer than four days use-by. Buying booze freely. (Though I did miss the big black bag that your alcohol gets placed in before you leave the store.) Target. Big W. BBQ sausages.
I know in time there will be things I will miss about the UAE. Number one would be the ultra cheap petrol. I'm dreading the first time I have to fill up the car. And having to get out of the car and pump the petrol yourself? Nup - not looking forward to that. *heehee*
But the main thing I am missing currently about the UAE is my husband! But it isn't forever and we will see him again in no time.
One thing I am enjoying back in Oz is the small things. Stupid really, but living back in Australia is back in the real world. Unless you've lived in the UAE would you understand this.
I visited a Coles Supermarket yesterday for the first time on over three years. I forgot how much I love Coles. And to be able to practically get what you want in the one shop instead of having to visit three. And having a choice of 'dips'. Oh my, I have missed dips. You get a bit over Hummus when that is practically all on offer there if you don't want to pay a small fortune. Smiths Crinkle Cut Crisps - proper Chicken flavour. *drool*. Cheese and Bacon Balls. Twisites. Cheezels. (See a trend here?) DIM SIMS. Fish'n'Chips. Lamingtons. Vanilla Slice. Proper sliced Bread. Butter that spreads instantly from the fridge! Milk with longer than four days use-by. Buying booze freely. (Though I did miss the big black bag that your alcohol gets placed in before you leave the store.) Target. Big W. BBQ sausages.
I know in time there will be things I will miss about the UAE. Number one would be the ultra cheap petrol. I'm dreading the first time I have to fill up the car. And having to get out of the car and pump the petrol yourself? Nup - not looking forward to that. *heehee*
But the main thing I am missing currently about the UAE is my husband! But it isn't forever and we will see him again in no time.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Back To Reality
Guess who is back in Australia? Not for a holiday but for good? Umm, yeah, that would be me. Along with the girls. MrL is still residing in Abu Dhabi for a couple more months before he can join us.
As Lily was born and raised for two years in the UAE, she quickly discovered just how nice Iced Vovo biscuits are... I have a sneaky suspicion that she even had one for breakfast this morning. ;)
As Lily was born and raised for two years in the UAE, she quickly discovered just how nice Iced Vovo biscuits are... I have a sneaky suspicion that she even had one for breakfast this morning. ;)
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