The weather here has started to really cool down. Its around 12-18 degrees usually and only rains when I am NOT at work. Its only fair that way, right?

Quite a bit has happened since I last wrote here. Firstly, I had finally moved into a “better” room. Originally I was to have a desk in my room. You know, for working on. But apparently my room was the one room without one and the rest of the rooms were all booked up for the month. We decided to wait for a few weeks until one of the rooms opened up for me to move in. Eventually they put me into a room in the basement. Although it had a desk, it was a major downgrade and quite dingy (as said by the manager at the front desk). Everything in it was falling apart, windows did not open and the ceiling was real low. I tried to tough it out for the next few days to see if it would get any better.

The next day, the company hosted “Animology”. A showcase of their past, present and future work, followed by drinks and sausages under the stars. After Animology we all headed to Flinder’s Hotel, which actually isn’t a hotel at all. Its more of a pub. I was told that there was an old law here from back in the day, that pubs had to have hotel rooms, or something like that. It was explained to me that (in the outback) people would get too drunk to get all the way home and ended up having to sleep at bars. I’m not sure if thats very true or not… but I’m going with it. I grab some McDonalds on the way home and place my food on my glasstop table when I get home. I sit down and adjust the table ever so slightly, somehow causing one of the legs to break off. Down goes the table and across the room goes my food. I sat there for about a minute watching the cola drip down my wall. Not really surprised at what just happened, I chuckled to myself, wiped down the wall and ate my fries off the floor. Filled with dignity and french fries, I crawl into bed for a fantastic sleep.

The next day I woke up around 6am with the room still spinning from the night before. My head pounding like an automatic hammer machine. I realized that I left my laptop, tablet and tylenol in Lars’s room. I cursed the headache for hours until lars finally woke up at 11 to relieve my brain from the rasin it had become. When I finally started to feel better, I got the idea in my mind that a nice Czech goulash will make me feel great. Boy, was I right. That was some fantastic and spicy goulash I had there. I think I spent the rest of the day lying around or hanging out on the rooftop… I can’t really recall.

On sunday we went to Covelly (bay?) to do some snorkeling. We finally arrive and I begin to suit up in my gear (mask). I got an underwater case for my camera and I was finally going to have a chance to use it. I pray it doesn’t leak, that would be quite the bummer. I get down to the steps into the water and lunge myself in. Finally I get wet and my camera did not. The bay was filled with all sorts of sea creatures, now including myself. Schools of colourful fish blow by. Real long, skinny fish hang about and then quickly darting away. I saw a huge Blue Grouper, I think. This thing was as big as my torso. I saw an octopus too, hiding under some rocks. I tried to get him out to play, but he kept cowering away and covering himself with lose shells that lay about. The water itself was REALLY rough. Trying to use my camera was quite difficult because the current was blowing back and fourth so hard that I couldn’t focus on anything. I managed to snap a couple pictures, but I will definitely have to learn how to do this better for the next time. I tried to hold myself onto a rock to get some pictures, but that didn’t work out to well either. Thats when I noticed the Sea Hares. These little slug like creatures were all over the rocks. I didn’t even notice them at all until i was face to face with it. I have a video of one somewhere… I will upload that as soon as I can find some decent internet to borrow.

Monday afternoon arrives, I’ve finally had enough with my new dungeon and get moved back to my old room. This room is like a palace in comparison to the basement. I will never leave it again, but I still wish I had a desk to use. The rest of the week kinda putts by until the weekend.

This time Omar, Lars and I head to Shelly beach for more snorkelling. After taking many hours to get there, finally arrive. We run into the water and about half an hour later it starts to pour. On my way out of the water, I spotted a nice colourful fish. I follow this fish up to a rock. This was a funny looking rock I thought, before I noticed the tentacles reaching out from it. It was not a rock, but an octopus. I watched it as it walked across the beach floor trying to hide from me. But you see, I am much smarter than an octopie. Even though he held onto a rock and tried to mimic it, I still knew it was he. I pop my head out of the water to tell Lars and Omar about it, but instead find them yelling at me that they are heading for shelter from the downpour. I say goodbye to my eight armed friend and head out to enjoy some gelato in the rain.

Now that we are starting to work overtime, I don’t think I will have any more excitement until after my contract ends early June… aside from easter break next weekend. I hope to get out of town for a few days but thats not very likely. Maybe I will just have to enjoy my time in the water. That doesn’t sound like a bad idea now that I think of it.

I’ll keep us posted.

G’day

Here is another flower for you, Beth.