Bula! Fiji 2015!

How is it October? Last time I checked it was April, surely?

I realised today that there was no mention on my blog about our trip to Fiji!  This makes me sad, for we had a truly wonderful time and I feel that you should know about it. Not the entire trip, because that would be a very long post, but the highlights!

It was July, and despite all the Fijians complaining about how cold it was, it was NOT cold.  The days were in the late 20's, temperature wise, with hardly any humidity, which is just how I like my days when there are pools at my disposal.

Yes, I did say 'pools'. Our resort had two, a huge one for everyone and another adults only pool. No prizes for guessing where we spent most of our time. There was a swim up bar and we enjoyed Happy Hour there most evenings.

Also, I highly recommend buying a cheapo version of a go-pro camera with a waterproof case, I think we paid about $60 from Target and it took some great photos!

This happened on the first day. And it may well have been the best money I spent there, made hair care so easy. Even if I did spend a small fortune on the sunscreen I kept spraying on my head because I was terrified of getting sunburnt. It took them several hours and Chyken was forced to drink cocktails while he waited. Poor man.

 So many delicious curries in Fiji! And a lot of seafood, if seafood is your thing. It is not my thing.

These guys went around our resort every evening singing. If you were out on your balcony they would stop and sing TO you, otherwise they just wandered around the whole place eventually ending up poolside for a few more songs before a man ran around the resort lighting all the torches.

We did a couple of day trips out to islands, and the one where we went on this sailing boat was our favourite! Only about 30 passengers and a great, fun, happy, lovely crew. We had a massive lunch, a swim, a snorkel, and we fed and cleaned turtles!

We took more video than we did photos of the snorkelling, but trust me when I say it was amazing. So many fishies!

 

Entertainment on the other cruise included these guys. Chyken was particularly impressed with how musical most people seemed to be. He kept saying to all the guys 'Men don't sing in Australia!!!'

And Fiji had some of the best sunsets I have ever seen!  Just stunning.

 

In short, we LOVED Fiji and we really hope to get back some day! 

P.S. This post was not sponsored in any way, shape, or form. We paid for the entire thing ourselves!

Things and Stuff

How is it May?  This year is just flying by. 

At the start of April we took a visiting Kiwi on a road trip.  We went to Echuca to see the paddlesteamers, Deniliquin to see a Ute on a Stick and to Beechworth to do a ghost tour of the old lunatic asylum.  There was a bit too much testosterone for my liking at times, but overall we had a great trip.

Port of Echuca

Deniliquin

Our accomodation in Beechworth

When we arrived home, I got sick, nothing too terrible, just a nasty chest infection, I will live.  I occasionally got off my sick bed to see some stuff at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.  We had to give away some tickets we had pre-booked because we were just too sick, but we did see some of my favourites like Paul McDermott and Cal Wilson.  Also a 'reunion' of the Doug Anthony Allstars.  The highlight for me was Hannah Gadsby, if she comes to a town near you, check her out!

Becuase I've been so sick, I've been watching a lot of bad TV.  The highlight for me lately has been Celebrity Splash.  I love it!  I know it's awful, don't get me wrong, but for me it is lighthearted and shiny fun.  It is the very definition of 'craptastic', and if you've been around these here parts for long you will know that we love ourselves a bit of craptastic fun.  Sometimes I like my TV to make me think, but othertimes I just want to see people do belly flops. 

Also, every episode so far of Celebrity Splash has started with synchronised swimming and that is possibly one of my favourite things in the entire world.  No, seriously, I LOVE it.  When we went to Expo 88 (otherwise known as 'That thing a long way away that cost a fortune where you spent most of your time lining up to see things') they had a synchronised swimming show that I reckon I made my parents sit through at least 6 times.  I loved it.  I like to think I could've been one, but that's not true.  I can barely swim.  And I float too much.  But it doesn't hurt to dream, does it?

I've seen a lot of people bagging out Celebrity Splash and saying it is horrible and should be taken off TV immediately.  I don't think that's very fair.  There are lots of shows on TV that I don't like, for whatever reason, and you know what I do?  I just don't watch them.  I respect that other people enjoy them and I don't demand they be taken off air, I just watch something else.  It's not hard.  Live and let live and all that stuff.

Speaking of TV shows I like.  Why are shows so short these days?  I'm sure years ago that if you made a TV show it was just expected that you would make forty odd episodes whether you liked it or not.   Eight or ten episodes is nowhere near enough of shows like Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones and Call the Midwife, I need more! Even Aussie TV shows are shorter.  Rafters and stuff like that only seem to go part of the year.  I don't like it.  Can someone please fix it?  Thanks.

Do you enjoy craptastic TV?  Do you want more Call the Midwife in your life?  Who is your favourite comedian? 

You can't tell, but my 16 year old self is having kittens in this photo

Wordless Wednesday - Meerkats!

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

Summer Holiday - Part Three

New here?  Check out the other parts of the Summer Holiday!  Part One & Part Two

***

Dear Holidayville,

Although I am loving not being at home and the change of scenery, I do have a bone to pick with you.

What's with all the rain?

I woke up this morning and this was the view from the balcony.

This is my one and only Summer Holiday and it's not very summery.  In fact, I could cope with the rain, but the cold is shite.  I did not pack for cold.  I did not even bring any long pants.  Or shoes other than thongs.  I do not enjoy the feeling of mud under my toes and I've had it all day.

Please go back to being sunny.  We paid for a pool and I'm damn well going to use it, but I'd rather not freeze to death in the process.

Yours in unseasonal frostbite,

Jo

***

Dear Miss Cow,

You have the most gorgeous eyes I have ever seen.  And your eyelashes?  Wow!  Don't ever change, Ok?

However, Miss Cow, please be wary.  There will be many Mister Cow's who come after you.  You should know that they will only want you for one thing.  Enjoy them for the fun they offer, but don't go expecting too much in return.  They won't call, they won't write to you and they will feel no remorse.  Remember, boys are dumb.  Almost all boys.  Especially this one.  I think his name is Reginald.

Miss Cow, I hope you have a long and happy life down in Gippsland.  May the finest of green grass always be available to you and may you rear many beautiful baby cows.

Love,

Jo xx

P.S. You almost make me want to be vegetarian.

***

Dear Australia,

How bloody beautiful are you?  I can answer that, you don't need to.  You are stunning!

Even on a dreary day such as today you managed to make me smile and miss 'home' all at the same time.

Here is the small part of you we saw today.  It's near Buchan.

I still love you, even though you turned on a storm right when we had to get out of the car.  Look at those clouds!!

Australia, can you do me a favour?  Don't ever change, OK?  Even though people are going to try hard to fuck you up, please retain your majesty and beauty.

Love,

A very proud Australian.

***

Dear Buchan Caves,

You rock!  (no pun intended!!)

Seriously, I've seen lots of parts of this fair country and even some overseas, but you are something else!

I almost can't believe all this is hidden under the ground,

Apparently you took millions of years to get looking this good.

I'm sorry these photos don't really do you justice.

Your stalactites hanging from the ceiling were only matched, awesomeness wise, by your stalagmites climbing up from the floor.

But by far my favourite part of you were the parts like the one below that look like a river, frozen in time.  I could have stayed and looked at it all day.  Just wonderful!

I'm sorry the photos we took don't show how glittery so many parts of you are!

It's like an underground cathedral.  Without all the boring god bothering stuff.

It blows my mind that this was once all under the sea.

The fact that that they have found skeletons in here of ancient kangaroos and tigers is amazing.  The fact that they have no plans to dig any further makes me proud.

I loved almost every minute I spent in you today.  I only wish we had got there earlier and had been able to see the other cave as well.

Yours in wonder,

Jo xx

P.S. Is there anyway we could screen people and not let those in that are determined to talk over the tour guide all the damn time?  Or their children.  Thanks!

***

Dear Ninety Mile Beach,

You're rather long, aren't you?

I kinda have to question why you haven't moved with the times and been re-named the 144 kilometre beach, but I guess it doesn't sound as good, does it?

Whatever you're called, you're a bit fantastic.

I look forward to exploring more of you tomorrow.  I was a bit tired after climbing through caves this afternoon, I'm sure you understand.

I love that I can hear the waves crashing over you as I type this.  It makes my heart happy.

I am so glad the ocean has always been a part of my life, I hope it always is.

Love,

Jo xxx

P.S. I don't like your sting rays though, if you could do something about killing them all off, that would be great.