Today is the day. Seven hours at work. Jump on the tube. Queue for 2 hours at Heathrow Airport. Show the nice man at customs my passport, then we're outta here.
You okes in SA had better be saving me some sunshine. I'm whiter than a mouse in a bag of flour.My skin, my mind, my body... all craving UV!
Bring it on!
Chat soon,
DelBoy
Today I'm going to post a few photos to make up for the next 3 weeks while I'm on holiday 'cos I'm not sure if I'll get to the net while I'm in South Africa.
And in keeping with the Africa/safari/animals theme, I thought I'd post some animal photos.
These were taken at the Melbourne Zoo last November.
Enjoy
Chat soon,
DelBoy
Last night was our company Christmas party. Yes, you read right; Christmas party. Us hospitality types always have our Christmas do in the new year. This is actually quite early for us. Last year we had it in May!
The theme was Casino Royale, so the dress was pretty formal. Of course, I was dressed to the nines with a penguin suit (see photo below) and Deb wore a black dress and heels!
The night started off quietly. We got there early 'cos we had to leave early to let our poor baby-sitters go home. We had some delicious food and then hit the tables.
Deb managed to win quite quickly while it seemed that I couldn't do anything right. My first gamble was on roulette - 21 red. I won!! £350!! But it was downhill from there!
We then moved on to the poker table. Deb was straight into the cash, but my winnings dwindled quickly! I lost it all, but we still managed to walk away with £650. Now don't get too excited. The chips were only for play money so we actually had nothing.
By this time we were pretty thirsty so we headed back to the bar area for some more (free) drinks. The band started playing and by now everyone had let there hair down. We eventually dragged ourselves away at around 11.30pm.
Thanks to Isi & B for baby-sitting. Hope you're not too tired at work today!
Chat soon,
DelBoy
PS: Only 5 days left till I'm off on holiday!!
It's photo time again. This week I have cheated a little. The photo was taken by Deb, but that's me on the right. I have had a play with the photo, making it B&W and fiddling with the colours a little.
The pic was taken in Perpignan in the South of France in January last year.
Chat soon
Del
She finally managed to drag me out shopping today. I wasn't too keen to join the throngs of people looking for a bargain, but I was promised the ultimate treat - a latte and a slice of fresh carrot cake!
We caught up with friends for a quick lunch where little Josh proceeded to s#!t himself from top to toe. So much so that Deb had to go next door to buy him some clean clothes to change him into!
The joys of being 8 months old!
Chat soon,
DelBoy
Today's photo was taken in March two years ago on my birthday. We were on holiday in Egypt.
The pic was snapped as the sun rose over the Ras Mohammed Nature Reserve at around 5am. We were getting ready to dive on the 'Yolanda' wreck.
Chat soon,
DelBoy
Firstly, Happy New Year to all. I hope that you will all have a fantastic year and that it will be full of laughter, good health and happy times!
Now to the meat of the post. Instead of doing the 'Best of 2006' that has appeared in every newspaper and on every radio station in the UK since around mid-December, I've decided to do the 'Best of double-o seven'. Basically my plans for this year.
First thing in '07' is to get over this hangover from NY Eve 06. Ouch! 10pm and still suffering!
Let's start with January: Company Christmas party in mid-January. Us hospitality types always have late Christmas parties so that you office types can enjoy yours in December. After so many years in the trade, I'm quite used to it. And surprise, surprise, the theme is 'James Bond'. The first of many such theme parties I imagine. (Get it Bond - 007 - 2007?) OK, so maybe you're brighter than I give you all credit for!
The next big thing in January is my trip to South Africa. I haven't been home in 5 years and I can't wait. I am literally counting the days! 21 more to go!
In February, while I'm still in SA, my brother is getting married. The tight arse has finally decided to pop the question and settle down. Another highlight of 07!
March brings my birthday which means another short trip. This time the destination is Estonia. Tallinn to be exact. For those who don't know where that is (Cuz!), click here. It will be a 3 day trip.
April brings another holiday. A 10 day cruise around the Southern Carribbean. This will take in the islands of St Maarten, St Lucia, Barbados, Martinique, Tortola and the Bahamas. We also get to visit Miami and Fort Lauderdale while in the US. We will be travelling with all the in-laws and family: father, mother, brothers, sister.
April is also Joshua's first birthday! We will probably celebrate this on the cruise with the family and his little cousin whose first birthday is also in April.
For now, May is the quiet month. Nothing planned as yet. I'm sure I can come up with something.
June is when it all really starts to happen. On June 30, I plan to pack up and ship out. That's right, emmigrate! By mid-June our belongings will be packed, placed in a container and sent to Melbourne, Australia. On June 30th, we board the plane for New York.
The first week in July will be spent in New York. The 4th of July will definitely be a highlight. We then head north to Niagara and the falls. From there we're off to Toronto, on to Boston then back to NY. From NY we fly across to Vancouver for another few days, visiting Seattle, Vancouver Island and Whistler (where I hope to do some mtb riding!)
After Vancouver we will either head south to Vegas or LA (depends on the cash at this stage) before our final flight home to Melbourne.
This is where my plan sort of ends. From August I will have to play it by ear. Find a job, buy a house and a car. Maybe think about expanding the family a little more. Who knows.
An eventful and exciting year for us. Let's hope that it all works out.
Chat soon,
DelBoy
