The road map of life leads to Sydney

G'Day

We are now quite a few miles along the fork in the road that we confronted in Tasmania. It has been a pretty simple journey thus far but we occasionally hit a few tight curves but generally have been getting on the straight road pretty soon after.

We are now residents in the Artarmon suburb of Sydney, NSW (if you click on the link it will take you to Google map of Sydney where we are located - zoom out to see where we are in relation to Sydney Harbour).

We live in a two bedroom townhouse next to a leafy park surrounded by tall tress with a palm tree in the front and the rear. For those who don't know what a townhouse is - in Australia, a townhouse is a two story dwelling within a complex of around 40 others alike in design. In effect they are like terraces but only a small number actually front the street. Ours is end of terrace set back from the road. There is a primary school close by so in term time the sounds of kids playing in the park and in the grounds is a pleasant distant murmur. It has been summer holidays since we moved in, so we are not really certain as to the full extent of the sounds - we shall soon find out! We have a lovely uncovered terrace that is sunny for most of the day, but shaded by the trees when it is so hot. My sister, Sal her partner mike, bought a worm farm for my birthday so we care for 500 or more hungry worms waiting for our organic waste to munch on thus creating perfect mulch to put into the pots that we intend to decorate the terrace.

We arrived only a week before starting work/study so we have not had much of a chance to even catch up with many friends here. We are still living out of some boxes and just today (three weeks here) got our broadband sorted. So we look forward to chatting with you all soon. I have almost completed a second week at UBS and am settling in quite well. The work and people are similar to the people I worked with in London. I walk 20 minutes to work (about 1.5K) which is great. I think I may get a bike as well and ride when I can.

Sheldon catches the train 30 minutes door to door to study hairdressing at the Carrick Institute which is located in the Centrepoint Tower - the tallest building in Sydney. So Kylie Raylene sits in the garage most of the week much the same way Elkie the blue Volvo sat on Graham Road. Sheldon is enjoying the student life as he texts me from boring lectures on Occupational Health and Safety lessons but he knows it will get better when he gets some scissors in his hand and some hair products close by!!

I am working shifts so do not start work till 2pm and finish at 11pm - this is known as working the EMEA shift - ie London and Europe. I get home to find Sheldon passed out on the sofa or fast asleep in bed. He gets up at 6am to go to college and I manage to mumble a few words on his exit. So we don't see much of each other. I have started to go home for my hour "lunch break" so we can at least get a bit of time together during the week. Soon I will be working the US shift which means starting at 10pm and working till 7am. I guess then we will get to spend some time every evening together. . . Just not in the bedroom!!!

So we now set course on this part of our journey for a few years upon which we will probably come to many more forks in the road where we will have to make hard decisions in planning our future. Tassie is still in the radar. We plan to get a shed built there in the next couple of months so that we can spend holidays down there with our Tassie friends. It will also be a good place to plan what we are going to do in order to finally live there permanently.

There are many miles (or kilometres here in Oz) left in our journey although it seems we have travelled an eon. But I guess that’s what life all about really. . . Comments can be made at this stage!!

Love to you all

N and S