So after blogging last night we got pizzas and watched The Holiday. It was ok, but not brilliant. David and I drank our way through another bottle of Jim Beam during the movie and after when we all played Scene It? They have the full version which has a rather silly game play board, and apparently no party mode like the Pizza Hut version did. So in the end we just kept choosing the all play mode and just yelled out answers. Much more fun. Afterwards convinced Chay to sing with us for a while, but wore her out eventually, and David and I stayed up singing til 3am (oops!), when, on a rare occasion I actually beat him, declared it bed time. Of course I woke up at 7am and couldn't get back to sleep. Doh!

So after exctricating all our belongings from around the house, we said our goodbyes and left for Armidale. It was sad to be leaving, would have been nice to spend some more time there.

*sigh*

Anyways, the drive down here was fairly relaxing. We took our time, stopping at Warwick for coffee and Tenterfield for lunch (rather late lunch) and a couple of other rest stops.

Arrived here just before dinner so caught up with Diana for a bit, then went and got some veggies for dinner (after a week of cheese kranskys and pizza I had vegetation cravings :) ). Watched an episode of Star Trek and House and now it's well and truly bed time :)

Photos Day 6

C-17 Globemaster III flying around (Stu took the pic, I was driving)

The New England is very pretty at this time of year

Saw this way-cool documentary today called "Return of the 707", where they had found Qantas' first 707 in Southend in England, had a team of volunteers restore it to flying condition, and then flew it out to Australia. I'm kicking myself that I didn't tape it, would be cool to watch it again. Sadly, after all of that effort, they're just going to stick it in a museum :(

Some more cool info on it here.

So to celebrate the Old Coathanger turning 75, a bunch of us walked across it today.

It was way cool!

The trains were *ok* for us. It was crowded at Town Hall, but nothing really crazy. The craziness started about 10 minutes later though, with a fatality at North Sydney stuffing everyting up and forcing us to get off at Milsons Point. Which wasn't so bad for us, except the slow down in trains meant the others got separated and delayed.

But we all met up in the end. Six grown-ups and six kids. So each kid was assigned a grown-up to look after and make sure they didn't get lost :)

It all flowed quite nicely and didn't feel overcrowded. The sea of yellow-green hats was *very* cool. Got some pics of flying boats and sea planes, but we never saw the C130s, and the F111s only flew by once very quickly, so didn't even get a pic of those. Took 339 pics all up. Ooops. :)

Edit: apparently they were FA-18s, not F111s. Also, we missed the 747 which also made a low pass, but after we left :(

Well this was a bit before the weekend. Jake got this way-cool helicopter off ebay and was flying it around the office.

Drove down to Canberra on Wednesday night. Whereapon a little too much wine and champagne was consumed. Oops.

Slept in a bit Thursday morning, then wandered into town. Dropped into Stu's work and met a few of his colleagues, and visited Damien and got this very cute pic of him..

Then we meandered over to the Wig and Pen for beer and lunch with Scotty. Scotty couldn't resist being silly for this pic of the very different beers we ordered.

Had a little rest at Stu's house after that, then wandered back into town, via kangaroos at Weston Park ..

.. to where our cruise boat was waiting..

Damien gave us tickets for this as an engagement present. The whole night was fantabulous. It was such a pleasant atmosphere and the food was great. We even got to see the comet, which I think I was more excited than Stu was hehe. I spotted it first, and everyone else out on deck saw it too.

After we got back to Stu's, Orion was in such a good position I couldn't resist getting out my tripod and taking pics of it. Sorry to Northern Hemisphere readers, it's not my fault he looks this way to us :)

This morning we got up at the crack of dawn to go help Scotty move a fridge, but we could have had another hours sleep by they time they all got organised.

We took photos of bugs while we waited...

And then it was off to help Annie and Stu move house. Except that most stuff had been done when we got there, there was just a few bits and pieces, and all the big furniture stuff, which all the boys did. I mostly just supervised :)

I think this is a good location for their tiger, whatchareckon? :)

Some days you do both.

Had a pretty sucky week at work, not feeling very motivated at all. Friday it made me cry cause it was all just too hard.

Saturday was flying day. However we couldn't get a window seat cause the plane was full. And it was a glorious day, perfect for taking photos :( When we flew into Brisbane we came in from the city side instead of across the bay, which I've never done in daylight from the left side of the plane, so I don't have any photos, and the woman in the window seat sat there reading a book for the entire flight. It was The. Most. Frustrating. Thing. Ever. Far out I was pissed off.

The hire car we got has a satellite navigation system, so we used it to see what route it would take us on to Chay and David's. That was pretty funky, although not very clear with its instructions sometimes.

Made it out here and had a relaxing afternoon, followed by much alcohol, meat and singing. We're all feeling a little seedy this morning heh :)

I was going to mention this the other night but forgot. While I was driving home from work on my birthday, listening to a radio station I don't normally listen to, they had a "on this day" segment and mentioned some people that had this birthday. Aside from Kieren Perkins and Kate Ritchie that I already knew about, it turns out that Hector Crawford and Peter Costello also share my birthday.

Hector Crawford, executive producer of such cool shows as The Flying Doctors (mmmm Peter O'Brien yummm) and the Henderson Kids (mmmm Alex Papps yummm), and lots of other classic Aussie drama was born in 1913.

Peter Costello, the current Australian treasurer, was born in 1957.

And armed with that thoroughly useless piece of information ....

From Woosang:

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 90 movies, you have no life.
Mark the ones you've seen.
There are 191 movies on this list.
Put your score at the bottom and repost.

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
( ) Pirates of the Caribbean
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) The Mexican
(x) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story (1)
( ) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane (Flying HIgh in Aust)
Total: 5

(x) The Princess Bride
( ) AnchorMan: The Legend of Ron Burgandy
(x) Napolen Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
Total: 5

( ) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
( ) American Pie
( ) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total: 0

(x) Harry Potter
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
(x) Resident Evil
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch.
( ) Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch has a Glitch
Total: 7

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
( ) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
( ) Thirteen Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
Total: 4

( ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
( ) A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
( ) Meet The Parents
( ) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
Total: 2

( ) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
( ) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumb & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
Total: 1

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
( ) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
Total: 0

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
( )Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
Total: 2

( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
(x) Se7en
(x) Ocean's Eleven
( ) Ocean's Twelve
( ) Identity
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
TOTAL: 3

(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Boss' Daughter
( ) Maid in Manhattan
( ) Frailty
Total: 2

( ) Best Bet
( ) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( ) She's All That
(x) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
Total: 5

(x) X-Men
(x) X2
(x) Spider-Man
( ) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Others
(x) Freaky Friday (I've seen the original with Jodi Foster, not the new one)
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
Total: 6

( ) Swimfan
( ) Miracle
( ) Old School
( ) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
( ) Walk to Remember
( ) Boogeyman
Total: 4

( ) Hitch
(x) The Fifth Element
(x) Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Episode II Attack of The Clones
(x) Star Wars Episode III Revenge of The Sith
(x) Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Episode VI Return of The Jedi
( ) Troop Beverly Hills
( ) Swimming with Sharks
Total: 7

(x) Air Force One
( ) For Richer or Poorer
(x) Trainspotting
( ) People Under the Stairs
( ) Blue Velvet
(x) Sound of Music
(x) Parent Trap
(x) Parent Trap Re-make
(x) The Birds
(x) The Terminator
(x) Terminator-2
(x) T-3
Total: 9

( ) Empire Records
( ) SLC Punk
(x) Meet Joe Black
( ) Nightmare Before Christmas
(x) The Silence of the Lambs
( ) Sleepy Hollow
( ) I Heart Huckabees
( ) 24 Hour Party People
( ) Blood In Blood Out
Total: 2

( ) Thirteen
( ) Manic
( ) American History X
( ) Deep Blue Sea
(x) George of the Jungle
( ) Canadian Bacon
( ) How High
( ) The Jacket
( ) My litte pony 1986
Total: 1

My total = 65

Well there you go .. does that mean I have a life after all...? :)

Last flight to Brissy tonight .. that was a little sad - I rather like flying and will miss it somewhat. Had a lovely view of the city lights as we came into land, it was really pretty.

And oh sooooo good to be with my boy again :):):)

Stolen from Yvonne:

1. What time did you get up this morning? 8am (I know, on a Sunday, shocking!)
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
4. What is your favourite TV show? The Mole or The Amazing Race
5. What did you have for breakfast? Beef two minute noodles. I normally have cereal but ran out of milk
6. What is your middle name? The
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Meat! I know that's not a quisine, but anything with meat in it is usually good ;)
8. What foods do you dislike? Blue cheese, anchovies, really spicy food, smooth foods like pumpkin, sweet potato, avacado; onion, brussel sprouts, olives
9. What is your favorite chip flavour? Cheese
10. What is your favourite CD at the moment? Don't really have one
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? A ford laser
12. Favourite sandwich? Maybe tuna. Don't eat sandwiches anymore - got sick of them in high school. If you count subway as sandwiches, then a pizza sub :)
13. What characteristics do you despise? Rudeness, lack of care
14. Favourite item of clothing? er, my jeans maybe?
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Europe
16. What colour is your bathroom? Blue paint, white tiles on the walls, red-brown tiles on the floor
17. What colour pants are you wearing? Blue jeans
18. Where would you retire to? Dunno. Probably somewhere in the country if Stu has his way :)
19. Favourite time of the day? Sunset
20. What was your most memorable birthday? I remember my 16th birthday being a thoroughly awful day
21. Where were you born? Sydney Australia
22. What�s the last thing you ate? A sausage for lunch
23. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Dunno. Red maybe, because they always ran out first.
24. Favorite flower? Sunflowers.. or carnations
25. What fabric detergent do you use? Cold power I think, I just get refills
26. Coke or Pepsi? Vanilla coke
27. Do you wish on stars? No
28. What is your shoe size? Well that all depends. I used to mainly be a 6, but now more often than not it's 7. Except in kids which I bought a pair of 5s the other day but they are too big. Bowling I think I am a 4 and ice skating 5.
29. Do you have any pets? Lots of tropical fish
30. Last person you talked to on the phone? My mummy, organising Christmas stuff
31. What did you want to be when you were little? For a while I thought I could be an artist cause I was good at drawing (pfft), then when I discovered flying I wanted to be an airline stewardess (pfft yeah like that would have been the job for me, but I didn't know you could be a pilot if you were a girl), and a pilot in high school (wanted to join the airforce where they pay you to learn to fly, except I would have been too short and my eyesight was too bad). Thoroughly jealous of Yvonne who was given flying lessons by her mother and actually became a pilot. And then she let it go :(
32. What are you meant to be doing now? Cleaning cockroach crap out of the flat before Stu gets here
33. What do you first notice about someone? Hair/skin/smile
34. Siblings? A little brother
35. What was your favourite toy as a child? Cutie!
36. Summer or winter? Spring! Oh wait, that's not on the list. Um. I like all the extra daylight of summer, but not the heat
37. Hugs or Kisses? Both :) Although hugs are a bit more universal
38. Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla in most circumstances
39. Who is most likely to respond? Dunno. Richard and Dennis always used to be up for a good meme, but they don't blog much anymore :(
40. Who is least likely to respond? Yvonne, since I got it off her :)
41. Living arrangements? Apartment/flat
42. When was the last time you cried? Friday morning
43. What is under your bed? My old single bed until it ever gets taken away to the parents
44. How many countries have you visited? New Zealand, USA (x3), Canada
45. In how many cities have you lived? Just the one (Sydney)
46. Favourite movie of all time? Always changing, but Labyrinth and Peter Pan were both long time favourites
47. Mountains or beach? Mountains probably, especially if they have snow on them :)
48. The current friend you have known the longest? Luc probably (over ten years now). Maybe Fran although don't see much of her anymore, even though we work in the same faculty.
49. Full names of your potential kids? I'm not having kids. If I do it'll be because God is laughing at me.
50. Usual bedtime? 11pm

Got a bit better night sleep last night. Still lazed around getting ready though :)

Went to a fishie shop in New Farm and had a look, and got some useful tips on which fish to breed.

Had a very late breakfast of Italian biscuits next to the llamas, then did some shopping for the night's dinner.

Then made a trek out to visit my uncle and auntie who were working on their plane for the day. Colin took me up for a fly in it, which was just fantabulous. I even got to fly it for a bit - *very* cool :) Crossed the state border even.

By then it was getting quite late, so came home and Stu cooked dinner while I half watched The Hunt for Red October and half annoyed Stu heh :) Don't quite know what happened to the rest of the evening, but it's bed time now :)