Break out the champas

Tonight was finally the time to break out the champas (the champagne Helen gave me for xmas)
Because I got a job!!!!! Hooray! A great one! I start a week from Monday!

Murray also got notice today that he got a job!!!! He starts on Friday!!!

So we toasted with a LOVELY glass of champagne, then walked down Manly beach towards dinner - there was a ton of kite surfers out - cool!

Me & the kite surfers at Manly

Lovely view

Eventually we made it to the restaurant and opened a beautiful bottle of Western Australian Red!

Then - onion rings to start - wow wow wow they were fantastic!!!

Ribs & Rumps - it is a South African restaurant in Manly that we love love love!!!

We both had the surf & turf - a huge piece of steak with fabulous prawns, asparagus & seafood sauce! YUMMMM

Celebrating our employment- YAY!!!!

Food glorious fooooooooood!

On Sunday we went with Anna & Ali to the 'Taste of Sydney' -the very best of the Sydney restaurant scene all at one event!
First up - we hit the free samples - the quinoa was yummmm (we also found lots of fabulous cheese samples - lovely)

Me walking down the rows & rows of stands - searching out yummy things to taste

Murray & Ali posing outside the Cachaça stand (they use it to make the Brazilian drink Caipirinha

Finally we made our way down to the restaurant stands - each of the 15 stands represented a top Sydney restaurant - each had 3 dishes to choose from and you bought 'crowns' ($1 = 1 crown) to purchase meals

Our first meal was from Sailors Thai - we had a fantastic curry -
*Green curry chicken with thai basil, apple eggplants and kanom jin noodles (FAB but hot meal for a VERY hot day!)

Next up was a meaty meal from Buon Ricordo
*Braciolette Napoletana - Veal rolled with parsley, pine-nuts, sultanas and garlic cooked with fresh tomato - very nice!

Then we made our way around to Ottoman Cuisine to try out a few of their yummy fabulous sounding meals

First up - Etli Borek - crisp home made filo rolls filled with braised veal shanks, currants & pine nuts, served with pomegranate and yoghurt sauce (SO SO SO good!!)

And finally - Sari Burma - Hand opened filo pastry rolled with pisatachios and served golden with honey syrup (basicaly a very fancy baklava - it was FAB!)

Then we made found our way to the refreshing drink stands - fancy cider as well as a limoncello & cranberry cocktail (Murray, Ali & Anna)

We also spotted a few unusal booths - SMEG fridges - could they BE any cuter? I want a pink fridge!

Anna & Me - enjoying our day & the amazing weather!

Murray enjoyed the fancy beef samples - the boys somehow ended up back in line for those sort of samples a few times - funny how that works!!

All in all a GREAT day - amazing weather - great friends & fabulous food!

4-6 Weeks

Very exciting - we ordered our sofa today - it is going to be beautiful - I cannot WAIT!
They are custom building it in Sydney just for us - whoooo hooooo
I hope it comes in closer to 4 weeks rather than 6 :)

Goodbye Dolph - we will miss you!

Our truck Dolph was sold yesterday - we will miss him - after 6 months of traveling & living in that truck it is hard to say goodbye. But thanks to my Dad's great negotiating skills Dolph has been passed on to a new owner - I only hope he treats Dolph as kindly as we did:)

A few more driving milestones

On the job front - things are coming along...........
More details to follow next week once all the cards are on the table and I can make an 'informed decision'

But in more important news - I drove yesterday - and finally faced some big milestones
1. first time driving over the Spit (a bridge that takes us from our little peninsula over to the city)
2. first time driving over the Harbour Bridge (I had to go in the far left lane, that to me felt like it used to be a walkway, then they decided they needed more lanes, so they let cars through even though it is totally too narrow for vehicles, I am really relieved the person in front of me was all freaked out and driving slow, as that meant it was ok for me to drive slow!!!)
3. first time driving through a tunnel (just a short one - but still - it was a milestone, and it was scary and I hugged the left lane)

I think I gave Murray a few gray hairs - but we made it in one piece, no one honked at us, and I think I actually may be getting more comfortable with this whole driving on the other side thing.

BUT

1. I need a smaller car - Bruce is just too wide and long and I tend to cut corners when I turn left - Bruce doesn't like this as it puts him in danger

2. It scares me that both of the jobs I am crossing my fingers for may possibly mean that I will have to drive on a daily basis

3. Anna makes a wicked curry - must get recipes! We really enjoyed her home cooked meal last night:)

4. Ok I admit it - I nearly hit a taxi while turning across lanes last night, right at the end of our drive, before Murray yelled TAXI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - but he had his lights off - and he had stopped then started going again - I thought he was parked - but Bruce has forgiven me - it was just an 'almost' thing - darn these aggressive Sydney drivers!!

Busy busy day

My interviews went well today - except for one thing.

I prepared everything that I would need today last night - so I wouldn't have to get up super early and wouldn't feel rushed & stressed.

I washed and ironed my shirt, and got my trousers and belt laid out on the extra bed
Earrings and cufflinks ready to go
Job description, address, copy of my resume, map of city & ferry schedule in my handbag
Phone charged
And shoes packed in a nice little carry bag that separates them so they don't get scratched up (I have to wear flats into the city cause it is a good 20 minute walk, slightly uphill to where the interview was).

So I get ready, and just before we leave I have this terrible thought that maybe I packed 2 different black shoes in my little carry bag - surely not - but I checked one just in case - oh whew - I saw some patent leather so I knew I had the right ones

I get on the ferry, enjoy reading my book, make my way up to the building where I will interview, then find a bench outside where I can stop briefly to change into my dressy work shoes.

I open one side of the bag- and it's the WRONG SHOE! It is my nice every day black T bar shoe!!! I open the other side of the bag and it's the patent shoe!

I almost started to cry!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO this is THE most important interview since I have arrived in Australia!!!

Thank goodness I had nice black flats on though - I can't imagine what I would have done if I had had flip flops or tennis shoes (trainers) on!

SO - I interviewed in the flats - felt a bit weird - but it was fine.

The stress of interviewing - there's just nothing like it!

Sick sick sick of interviewing....

I had yet another interview today (I have lost count of how many I have been on - mostly agencies - just a few clients like today). It went well, but then he asked me to take a test - to prove that I do know how to use the software that my resume claims I can use (I have never been asked to take a test before in a client interview!)

That was when I started to sweat, and my stomach turned. I said 'sure!' but then reminded him that -

1. I have never used this version of the software (I had heard it is quite different) but I HAD used the previous version, which was on my resume, for four years on a daily basis
2. I have been away from the office for 17 months, so I was bound to be a bit rusty

He took me over to the manager of the area I'd be working in, and she showed me how she uses the program to manage everyone - I asked a LOT of questions and made intelligent comments (the guy was listening in) to prove that I DO know what I am talking about.

Then she had me sit down and do a few things (it is SO different - I know how to do this, it's just the buttons are all completely different now and in different places) but anyhow, after a 2 minutes she said - 'That's fine - I can tell you understand what you are doing'

OH MY GOSH

Anyhow, one more important interview tomorrow.............. THEN something may actually happen! Now, must go wash my nice fancy shirt so I can wear it again tomorrow - but tomorrow I will break out the big guns - my fancy patent shoes & Murray's nice cufflinks (I can't seem to find mine?). Wish me luck!!!!