Happy New Year!

I hope you all had an amazing time :) I certainly did.

Woodford Folk Festival was crazy. Had I known it was fancy dress, I would have made more of an effort. I'm not sure I can remember it all in chronological order but I'll try and give you an impression of what it was like.

On the festival site were hundreds and hundreds of stalls; food stalls, coffee shops, art and craft stalls, galleries, workshops... you name it, they had it. I especially liked the carve your on didgeridoo stall but as I didn't have a spare $145 to hand, I had to content myself with watching. There were meditation classes, a circus workshop with a performance at the end of the day, dance classes, magic displays and even an interactive fake Italian marriage! I spent a good couple of hours wandering round the stalls without even coming close to any musical performances. And given that there were five different music tents, it just goes to show how big the place was. My personal favourite was 'Blues Town' where I encountered Tom Richardson and later in the evening, Mister and Sunbird who gave me a good solid hour of music to dance to.
Other highlights were buying a tree for the Woodford Forest, a lady with a VERY large yellow feathered hat, a rendition of Mock the Week, the hat I bought (it was a decision between the hat and dinner - I maintain that I made the right choice), the enormous $2 mango (which saved me from a rumbling tummy after my hat purchase), a girl dressed as an Amazon, the 3 minute candle lit silence to contemplate the past year and the coming one, and the fireworks which marked 2010.

I haven't thought of any resolutions yet, so feel free to suggest some...

Happy 2010!

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Absolutely nothing.

But Father Christmas was better to me than I expected this year so I suppose I mustn't grumble.

I won't go into detail about how I spent Christmas, I expect it was much the same as most of yours. Apart from one thing - barbequed turkey anyone?

Of course, as you all remembered, the 26th was my Birthday and now I am old. But not much wiser. I celebrated with my uncle and aunt and baby cousin, with brunch at a very swish restaurant overlooking the bay in Mooloolabah and in the evening my uncle took me to see Sherlock Holmes at the cinema. Probably he was the wrong person to take to swoon over with Robert Downey Jr with, but never mind. He'll get over it.

I've also had a proper trip to the beach with sunbathing and everything, though not swimming, because the waves are of the tidal variety at the moment, apparently owing to a cyclone hitting Western Australia's shores.

Today I headed back up into the Blackall Range for a bit more of a look at the Hinterlands. Probably I should have looked at the weather forecast first. But it's Australia, you assume it's going to be sunny. It wasn't.

The first stop along the Blackall Range Tourist Drive (I borrowed my cousin (not the baby one)'s car) is Mapleton, which has quite a nice National Park with a waterfall. I had planned to go and look at the waterfall and then carry on to the next stop but the tourist board told me that there was a short walk around the park which would take only 45mins. The sky was looking deceptively blue at this point and the 'Wompoo' circuit looked like a good cover for doing very little exercise. When it started to pour and I had to sprint the remaining 800m dodging broken branches and muddy puddles, it seemed like I'd made the wrong decision. I wasn't going to be fooled when it came to the next available waterfall in the Kondalilla National Park at Flaxton. This time I got out of the car, took a picture and got back in. Like the true explorer I am.

Montville (see 17th December) was very very very busy, despite the rain so I didn't get a further chance to have a look. I did however make my way to Maleny another arts and crafty town, much less twee than Montville and slightly less touristy. And with about 6 more bookshops. :)

On my way back to Maroochydore I detoured through Woombye with the specific purpose of seeing The Big Pineapple, which essentially does exactly what it says on the tin. You may think that big pineapples would be something of a niche market, but this is not necessarily the case. My guide book tells me that The Big Pineapple inexplicably attracts visitors as nectar does bees.

I suppose now would be a sensible time to wish you all a Happy New Year. I myself will be celebrating NYE 09 at Woodford Folk Festival which is quite exciting!

Much love xxx

Do they know it's Christmas?

It's Christmastime; there's no need to be afraid.

At Christmastime, we let in light and we banish shade,

And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy

Throw your arms around the world at Christmastime

But say a prayer

Pray for the other ones

At Christmastime it's hard, but when you're having fun

There's a world outside your window
And it's a world of dread and fear

Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears

And the Christmas bells that ring there are the clanging chimes of doom

Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you

And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmastime...

Or in fact in a lot of places, sad though it is. To name another, Australia.

Interestingly, this is probably the only Christmas song which I haven't heard played in the shopping malls of the Sunshine Coast; there's been Sleigh Ride, Santa Baby, Winter Wonderland and yes, even Let it Snow. But no Band Aid.

Last night I went to Carols on Kings, which is a community event of carol singing on the beach. Or as it turned out - next to the beach where the stage was. As the crowds congregated, in true Christmas tradition, it began to chuck it down. A nice touch I thought, others were less impressed for some reason. Soon enough however, the clouds cleared and the proceedings were underway. It wasn't just carol singing though, we were entertained by the very finest artists including the Silly Billies and Domino the Christmas Elf! In addition there were two dance performances, the second of which was performed to "Santa Wear Your Shorts". Make of it what you will.

But anyway, it was a nice evening and put me somewhat in mind of a Leeds Girls' Christmas Assembly. Which leads me back to Band Aid. To me, this song has become an important part of Christmas and of what Christmas means. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be much 'meaning' to it over here - it's just an excuse to party! Which is good but it does leave me feeling slightly homesick for the traditions of my family and friends and those which may have been lost from society altogether.

And even though Do they know it's Christmas? doesn't appear on any of the playlists in the shopping centres, it does appear on my iPod Christmas playlist, so all is well. Some songs which don't appear on it, aside from Santa Wear Your Shorts, include Slade - Merry Chirstmas Everyone and the Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping, both of which I am feeling the lack of.

Thank goodness for youtube.

(P.S. Especially for Katherine - I went to Mooloolabah the day before yesterday, how's that for a made up name?)

Back on the coast

I seem to have rather a lot of catching up to do now - it didn't seem so much at the time.

So,

Noosa.

Before I set off to Noosa last Saturday, I had an actual encounter with a green snake. Not a leaf this time, an actual snake. Besides the fact that green snakes aren't venomous, it had rather a disadvantage; the cat had brought it into the house and left two puncture wounds in its neck, so with its slight injury and unfamiliar surroundings there was no way it was attacking anyone...

The bus ride to Noosa was a good one. The driver was very loquacious and would have made an excellent tour guide. Sadly I wasn't very impressed with Noosa itself, it being very touristy and quite bland. However, the National Parks are really nice, and full of exciting trees and plants and wildlife. As I was strolling through the forest, I noticed something on the path about 20 metres ahead disappearing round the corner. I was a bit worried that it was National Snake Day or something and they were all out for a party, but as I closed the gap between it and me, I was relieved to see that it wasn't a giant black snake. Rather, it was a GIANT black lizard.

I wasn't really sure what to do... having spoken to my uncle today I have learned that there are two usual approaches to coming face to face with a giant lizard.

1) Stand very still.

2) Run away.

Neither of these options was the one I chose:

3) Get out your camera and take lots of pictures so people know how you died, should the worst happen.

Actually, I was pretty sure I wouldn't die. But I was crossing my fingers that the GIANT lizard (I hope you're getting just how big this lizard was) would wander off the path sooner rather than later. Which it did, thankfully.

Sadly, I didn't see a koala like the guide book promised me, so I haven't been able to cross that one off my list.

Noosaville, which sounds the same as Noosa but isn't, is not a terribly exciting place either. Mostly it's where the holiday apartments are. It does have a pretty riverside though, with the opportunity to get up close and personal with a pelican. Or lots of pelicans, if you're so inclined. Which I was. I sat on the banks as the fishermen threw back any unwanted catches for the birds to eat and was astonished by just how big their bills are. The crazy thing is, is that they're not huge all the time, the lower bill is like an expandable pouch, it's amazing!

We had fish and chips on the river for tea and then drove back to the 'ranch'. Anna (my hostess' daughter) had a friend over who encouraged us to watch the film Ice Princess with Michelle Trachtenberg. I, at least, expected it to be a terrible terrible film. And accordingly, I loved every minute of it. :)

Never ever ever ever go to Nambour.

Sadly, Nambour is the gate to the Hinterland, so if you want to see the beautiful rolling hills and mountains of the Blackall Range, you don't have much choice about visiting. The bus which took me up to Montville was little and yellow and had a very small engine which was obviously not designed for chugging its way up and down steep hills. This made the journey up the hills a particularly amusing time for me, which produced funny looks from the other passengers and scowls from the bus driver.

The friendly bus driver who drove me to Noosa was the person who recommended Montville to me. He described it "like England". Which it was, in a kitsch and tacky kind of way. It was great fun though, it was like what England would be like if Disney got hold of it.

These were the main trips of the week, I haven't gone into the little details about working in the market or the family or the house, but all these things were brilliant too and I haven't regretted a single thing about going to Eumundi. I loved it.

But now I'm back in Twin Waters, preparing for Christmas and my birthday and New Year. And then it will be 2010! In which I will turn 20... :/

Have fun in the snow

Lots of love,

Em x

Eumundi

I'm not going to recount every single detail of what's happened so far - it's too much to go into now really! I do however have a prepared essay to type up - but be warned, it does turn into a bit of a rant!

It's very beautiful here, set up in the hills (what hills?) of the Sunshine Coast, it's surrounded by trees and nature. There are chickens, and ducks and guinea pigs and a cat and 3 dogs and 4 horses. It's good. :)

Wednesday 8th December:
I was up before the sun! I got up at 4.30am to help Silvia (my hostess) to help set up here lemonade stall in the local market, which by the way is enormous. They literally spread over the entire town on Wednesday and Saturday mornings and cover a substantial part on a Thursday evening during the holidays when the Night Market takes place. By 7am we were up and running and ready to sell lemonade. However, even in Australia there isn't all that much call for refreshing cold drinks at that time and any potential customers were genereally lured away by the charismatic worker at the coffee stand next door. I was sent off to find some breakfast and after a plate of Poffertjes (that's dutch for tiny little pancakes) I located the fresh fruit stall and bought myself half a kilo of cherries. Usually my sister and I can demolish a kilo in about 30 seconds flat. So the fact that I couldn't even finish the ones I bought in a quite a lengthy sitting, suggests to me that really Tory must eat the majority of the ones we 'share'. :D
Anyway, the market was brilliant and absolutely everything you could imagine was for sale. I even enjoyed serving the drinks at Silvia's stall. (So if the engineering malarky falls through, I could always set up shop in Otley market, although I'm not sure if there is any call for refreshing cold drinks at any time in Otley...
In addition to the fun of the market, I also got to explore the town itself a bit too. I found myself (it runs in the family) in a bookshop. It was a reasonably sized bookshop and apparently prized itself on being Australia's oldest bookseller. Given that in Oz, a building which has been around for 20 years is considered vintage, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it had been around since 1812. That's practically medieval over here! Berkelouw Books is a lovely shop - possibly the Wigtown Bookshop of Austalia, although it does have a section for new releases in the front. The Wigtown Bookshop, for those who are unfamiliar with it (which I'm assuming is the majority), is the Holy Grail of second hand bookshops. It's the best bookshop in Galloway, no, Scotland, no, the world. It's incredible. I have to admit though, that Berkelouw Books did surpass the Wigtown Bookshop in one criterion; the attached coffee shop was far superior to the coffee machine in the otherwise best bookshop in the world.

This leads me on to something which I have been feeling for some time now - well at least since I arrived in Oz. (P.S. Rant alert) It's not homesickness, although it's true that I'm missing my family and friends and countless animals much more than I expected to. Actually, I'm probably missing the animals about as much as I expected to. But it's not Yorkshire I'm yearning for, as I expected to, not Ilkley Moor, the Cow and Calf, Leeds, Harrogate, or even my house. The place I miss is (as those of you who have been paying attention may have realised) in fact Scotland. Or to be more precise Galloway. I opened a tub of icecream at my uncle's house and was transported - with no sign of jetlag might I add - back around the world, by the smell of Cream o'Galloway Real Raspberry Icecream. And speaking of bests, Cream o'Galloway may well be the best icecream in the world. So nevermind that it was actually a tub of toffee icecream that I was digging into, my brain was convinced that the kangaroo outside was actually lost, and I was happily holidaying in Scotland. This might seem a bit odd. Well, it is. (Shortly before I left my uncle's house to come here to Eumundi I noticed that on the wall opposite my bed were three pictures of a little town in Galloway called the Isle of Whithorn. Subliminal brainwashing? Perhaps, but interesting all the same)

(P.S. I hope each and every one of you appreciate that I cut down the length of the rant so as not to bore, while maintaining padding for my blog)

Thursday 9th December:
I did lots of helpxing in the form of cleaning.
We went to the pool for a swim which I welcomed in the 36 degree heat.
We also went to Noosa Civic and did a LOT of shopping. I bought a pretty dress :)
Finally we went to the night market for dinner and heard three exciting bands play.
These were Juzzi Smith, who is kind of bluesy with a didgeridoo, Jamboru who also had a didgeridoo but weren't bluesy, and a group who I think were called Cas? (Oh look I'm adopting the Aussie habit of intonating each sentence so that it sounds like a question... goodie) Maddy, Silvia's four year old foster daughter wanted to give this band some money but was a bit nervous about doing so. Thinking that she needed encouraging, the lead singer (they were in instrumental at this point) started singing directly to her, which completely embarassed her and she refused to give them any money on this basis, which I felt was a little harsh. Four years old and already having songs sung about her, I expect she'll be very popular in a few years time! Anyway, the band seemed quite talented, and not without wit. I'd quite like to see them again.

So I'm enjoying styaing here, away from the big cities. Anyway I'm going to Noosa Heads tomorrow, (it's a city if the irony was lost on you) to have an explore, so wish me luck with negotiating another bus route, and with finding my way around.

Much Love,
Em

Monday again.

This time last week I was just getting off the plane. Crazy.

Ok, so I know it's been a while (a whole 3 days!) since I last wrote anything, but I have been busy doing things - not just neglecting you - so now I have lots to tell you :)

On Friday I did nothing.
(It get's better, I promise).
I was very lazy all day, I jumped on the trampoline a bit, then I went for a swim a bit, I slept quite a lot and then did a bit more swimming.

On Saturday morning my uncle and I rose with the sun to make our way down to Brisbane for the morning. (Actually that's not strictly true, given that the sun rises at about 3 o'clock in the morning here. But early anyway.) From Twin Waters, it's very easy to get to Brisbane, or at least it would be very difficult to get lost. This is due to the fact that the road is the longest, straightest road you've ever seen in your life. So, about half an hour down the road (and you know, I think the Romans must have secretly snuck here without anybody noticing, built this ridiculously straight road and left, because seriously, that's how straight it is) and you hit the outskirts of Brisbane. Another half an hour and you're nearly in the centre. It's massive. Now, there seems to be a trend in big cities to build large Ferris wheel type structures for experiencing the panoramic view of the cityscape. Of course, the London Eye, the Star of Nachang in China, the Singapore Flyer in Singapore are all examples of these massive structures, so seeing an advert for The Wheel of Brisbane, (and being the geeky engineering sort) I thought it would be fun to go and check it out. Well, what can I say? It was different. The wheel itself is not quite as big as the other examples, which meant it was free to move quicker (the London Eye rotates at 0.5mph), which in turn, meant one rotation passed very quickly. But it was a lovely view, and I didn't feel I'd wasted any money (especially as my uncle paid for my ticket). So as we came back to the stopping port, I made as if to get up and out and continue sight-seeing. It was lucky I hestitated though, as in fact, this was not the end. We continued to circle at least another 9 times. The result of which was that the Wheel of Brisbane was not so much like a Ferris wheel, and more like that ride at the fairground where you are strapped in and spun round until you feel queasy and your legs have turned to jelly.
Once the world had stopped spinning, we continued to make our way down Southbank (my initial reaction to this was "Could this place want to be any more like London?" and of course, although it may seem reasonable to name the bank on the southern side of the river Southbank, I maintain that Brisbane is a wannabe London)* through the beach in the city - such a brilliant idea, I think Leeds should get one, and back over the river into town for coffee.

*Actually Brisbane was, although bits of it were reminiscent of London, quite clearly a city which had been influenced by every great city around the world. There was a very definite business air with the skyscraper type buildings, coupled with more traditional 'squat' British designs, with a natural mix of Asian styles and even a hint of Disneyland thrown in! It really was quite brilliant!

Having ticked Brisbane off my list, we made our way back up to Maroochydore, Maroochy to its inhabitants, to a suburb called Sippy Downs. This is where my cousin lives with her boyfriend and 3 year old daughter. Another new relative to meet! We haven't quite figured out if she's my first cousin once removed or my second cousin yet, but whatever relation, she's adorable, if a little boisterous!

Moving ever closer to the present, yesterday, the Penney Clan + honourary member (me), fell on the Sunshine Plaza to have our photo taken with Santa (he's very good you know, he can do an Australian accent and everything!). So winging it's way back to England is a pretty hideous photo (just to warn you) of the family. I'm glad I won't have to see it again in the near future! After our exciting meeting with Father Christmas, we headed back to Twin Waters for a family BBQ, and Alice's first family meal. She didn't quite get the hang of it, preferring to work off the calories in between each mouthful. Personally, I thought it was quite a good idea, but I didn't join her in case it was frowned upon. Later on we settled down to watch the latest Doctor Who special; I didn't enjoy it any better the second time around, and then to watch some of the rugby. I only saw the first half of All Blacks vs. Barbarians, but I'm glad to say at the end of the first half we were winning! I'm currently trying to find out who won, apparantly the whole country goes into mourning if the All Blacks lose.

Baa-Baas 25, All Blacks 18. I hope the bus services keep running...

Well then, you're pretty much up to date. Of course, my plans have changed from what I had originally said, and this afternoon I'm going to Eumundi to spend two weeks with my first HelpX host! I'm not sure what the internet will be like up there so it may be some time before I'm on here again!

Lots of Love,
Em xxx

Mount Coolum, the Sunshine Coast's answer to Ilkley Moor.

I found a Jock hair on my t-shirt today :')

It was only 208m high... I said it was only little! Which was a blessing really, as it was already 27 degrees when I started climbing at 8.45am. It's true though that the climb was worth it as the view from the top was incredible. Unfortunately I couldn't sit and rest at the top as long as I'd have liked; there was a crow who obviously thought that this was his mountain and the longer I sat, the closer he edged, and the more angrily he crowed at me. Not wanting to upset him any further I made my way back down the rocky path and set off to find the bus stop which would take me back to Twin Waters.

Except there isn't one.

Which is why having a bus-stop at the entrance is quite misleading.

Luckily, a very nice bus-driver managed to give me a vague direction to walk in once he'd dropped me the closest to Twin Waters his route would allow...
"Do you go to Twin Waters?"
"No"
"Well, do you go anywhere near Twin Waters?"
"Errr"
Thankfully, my feet are quite good at finding home and without too much hassle I made it back.
Well it was sort of an adventure!

Very warm after the walk back I had my 'first' swim - no snakes in sight :)

Not much to report today...

It rained some more.

I found a beach.

I planned some things.

Also, quite excitingly, I've been sought out by some people in Eumundi, which is on the outskirts of the Sunshine Coast Hinterlands. It's the home of the famous Eumundi markets and also of the current Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Little snippet of general knowledge there for you. Who knows, maybe it will come in useful one day...

So yes, today has been quite productive but not hugely interesting.

I'm planning to climb a mountain tomorrow. I know, I was surprised myself. Don't worry though, it's only a small one!

And another one on Tuesday morning, or evening, depending on where you are in the world...

It's a bit like being a time-traveller this, isn't it? You're reading this post 10 hours before it's been written. Except that I'm pretty sure the website works on Googletime so who knows what's going on.

Well. It's raining. I travel to the other side of the world to get away from the bleak and dismal weather of the UK and what do I get? I'll give you three guesses.

Apparently last night was very windy. A fact which I failed to pick up on since I was unconscious from the moment my head hit the pillow, at approximately 8pm. Anyway, when I came to get into the pool for my first swim of the month (P.S. Happy December) I noticed something stirring at the bottom. I would like to point out that I wasn't wearing my glasses, and with your head filled with scare stories of the various dangerous creatures located around Australia, it's very easy to mistake a palm leaf dislodged from a nearby tree during a particularly blusterous night, for a big green snake. Thus my first swim was not so much of a swim, but more of an enthusiastic entry, followed by an even more enthusiastic withdrawal. Hopefully, my second swim will involve a bit more, well, swimming.

Missing you all,

Love Em x

A quick one on Tuesday morning...

I seem to have lost 10 hours of my life. I know, how careless I am. It's jolly confusing. I had a plan for avoiding jetlag and I thought it had succeeded, except now I can't stop yawning!

I met my baby cousin, Alice, for the first time yesterday. (Although she's actually two, so probably can't be counted as a baby anymore.) She was very suspicious of me yesterday and she's still slightly wary when I speak. I'm putting this down to the "language barrier", a yorkshire accent can be hard to understand even in Yorkshire, so to an Autralian toddler it must be practically a whole new language. But she let me play with her toy phone this morning, so I'm taking that as a sign of acceptance...

On route...

So, I'm in Abu Dhabi airport at an internet kiosk! It's very very exciting. Mostly, you'll all be asleep, quite reasonably given that it's about 4.50am in England. I have about half an hour before I have to board the next plane and so ample opportunity to give you full details about the first leg of the flight.

Most important things first, the film selection was excellent. For only 750 pound sterling, I hadthe choice of watcing X-men: Wolverine, Harry Potter 1, Terminator, The Incredibles, The Time Travellers Wife.... endless list... Of the selection I watched 500 Days of Summer which I thoroughly enjoyed, and all but the last 10 minutes of the new Star Trek. Yes, I know I swore never ever ever to watch it, butt I'm actually glad I did. Hopefully they will be the same films on the next flight so I can view the finale in all its glory... The only thing is, you really can tell it's science fiction can't you? If it were science non-fiction, the heroes wouldn't be nearly as pretty!

Well seeing as how I spent practically the entire flight coming up with that joke, and it was basically the entire reason for this post, (and it really doesn't seem quite as funny now that I haven't been sitting for 7 hours without the feeling in my legs) I should probably call off. But don't worry, I'm sure to spend the next 18 hours coming up with a line which is equally as bad, if not worse, so you know you've got that to look forward to!

(p.s. I apologise for the excessive use of commas, 1)I'm not very good at using this keyboard, 2)Ihaven't slept for a long long time)

Lots of love, Em x

3 days to go...

Well, this is exciting!

3 days to go and I still haven't packed! I've started to think about packing; all my clothes are arranged in tidy piles on the bed. I say all, but in fact I'm only taking about 5 items with me. (Okay, so a few more than that, but following in the tradition of all the great back-packers I'm travelling light).

Possibly the most important of which, and certainly the most stereotypically necessary for a trip to the Australian Outback, is my authentic cowboy hat. Flashy (of course), but practical; even on a 17th Century Sailing boat.

The Duyfken is hopefully going to be my first port of call (no pun intended) after checking in with my family in Brisbane. The boat is in Cairns and if my application to volunteer aboard is accepted, I will be climbing the rigging and scrubbing the decks no less than every day for two weeks. Of course, my plans very infrequently go to plan and come the time I may well be sunning myself somewhere down the Gold Coast. But hey! That sounds good too.

I feel I ought to add that while I have been writing this, my two dogs have been trying to help me in numerous ways, including dropping tennis balls onto the keyboard and trying to eat my face. I'm pretty sure I'll miss them more than they'll miss me but here's hoping that they remember me when I get back, as unfortunately, they can't read this blog to help to remind themselves.