Hello Queensland!

Hi All,

Sorry it's been so long since our last update, we've been flat out having a great time and catching up with lots of friends and family... I'm sure you can understand and sympathize with our situation!

Since our last update in Sydney we've attended the biggest and longest birthday party for a one year old in the history of the world, learnt a few German phrases, been among the first in Australia to see the sunrise in one morning, driven a few more hundred kilometers and moved into a townhouse in Caloundra! So there is lots to catch up on.

We left Mikey in Sydney and headed straight to Newcastle for a night to catch up with the lovely (and newly engaged) Simon and Talia who took us out for a yummy Thai dinner. After a quick visit in Newcastle we kept on trucking and headed up to Buladelah to spend a few nights with Penny, Gary, Dylan and Ruby (the dog). We spent two very relaxing days at the Kealy residence catching up with everyone. Emma got some pretty intense pool lessons from Gary (which clearly paid off as she dominated the pool table - sort of) and we drank quite a few bottles of some very tasty red wine which Gary was picking up from Newcastle by the case! Dylan got a brand new electric guitar while we were there and I still think we should get our hearing checked after he blasted out a few tunes for us.

After Buladelah we set off for Port Macquarie and were very impressed with what we found when we arrived. Such a beautiful area... but so many retired people! We could probably count on one hand the amount of people we saw under the age of 60 the whole time we were there. Riley got in a pretty impressive surf and Emma learnt a valuable lesson - wear comfortable shoes, even if they don't match your outfit... otherwise be prepared to look like a bogan while walking around the main streets in the middle of the day while carrying your shoes in your hand and limping thanks to ANOTHER blister. And even though the caravan park left a lot to be desired we still loved Port Macquarie, retirement villages and all.

Next stop was Stuarts Point where we spent 2 nights with Poppy and Sita. Two major things happened during this visit. Riley's dream of an electronic windy leg machine was made a reality and we ate the best pork we'd ever tasted in our whole lives. We also went to check out South West Rocks for the day and had our very own local tour guides showing us all the best spots in town. And on our last night in town Poppy finally explained what we've all been dying to know for quite some time now - where does Riley's red beard come from!? Well, apparently his ancestors were vikings. Problem solved.

Once we'd said our goodbyes in Stuarts Point we made our way to Grafton, stopping at a bottle shop along the way (of course). The next week and a half that followed was filled with lots of laughs, lots of beers, lots of bottles of champagne and red wine, lots of photos, a few German's, a few games of Billionaire, two birthdays, a doggie love affair and a bonfire as big as your house. Mikey and Holger even came down to join in the festivities as did a lot of other friends and Oxenbridge family members. Some highlights of the trip include:

- Millie (the dog) helping herself to Sianna's birthday cake while we were momentarily distracted

- Buying 7 bottles of champagne in preparation for Sianna's birthday party, only to have to make another trip into town the next morning when we all woke up and realised we'd drank all the champagne the night before (whoops)

- Teaching the German Journeymen how to play Billionaire and then losing to them round after round

- Watching Bonnie and Millie become instant best friends and then never leaving each other's side for the whole week and a half

- Riley giving Sianna driving lessons on her new bike in Jay's skate park

- Riley trying to teach Millie to pull Sianna on her bike around the backyard

- George making plans, and more plans, and even more plans

- Mikey throwing Riley's shoe in the fire

And eventually it was time to say a sad goodbye, after which we made our way to Byron Bay for the weekend. The first night in Byron we could not have been happier to be living in our lovely caravan as we looked out the window at the poor fools camping in their tiny dome tents in a torrential downpour. Eventually the next day the sun came out so we went out to play. Riley decided to dress the part by wearing fisherman pants and no shoes as we walked around town. Bonnie clearly followed the casual feel of the day and decided to poo not once, but twice while we walked down the main street of Byron. Thanks Bonnie. The next morning we got up before the sun and made our way to main beach to be among the first people in Australia to see the sunrise that day, and it was beautiful.

We then made the big drive straight up to the Sunshine Coast and to the weirdest caravan park we had come across yet. A lady with red hair, purple socks and a missing tooth greeted us and then every man and his dog decided to come out to shout instructions at us about how we should reverse the van into the minuscule spot we were allocated. Needless to say, we weren't keen to stick around here for very long. Luckily we had a few people we were keen to catch up with on the coast and we didn't spend very much time in the caravan park at all. We were getting down to the business end of the first leg of our trip as Riley was soon to head back to sea and Emma needed some kind of living arrangement for the next few months. So we put our game faces on and started looking at our options. Before long it was obvious we would be better off trying to find some kind of short term rental and believe it or not, the first day we started looking we found the perfect place. A fantastic little townhouse in Currimundi, a few minutes from the beach and nice and close to the shops. We moved in a few days later and after a busy couple of days it was time for Riley to head back to sea. After a very sad farewell at the airport Riley left on a big plane and Emma headed back to the coast to find a job.

And we are finally up to date! Riley has been at sea for almost a week and a half but sadly Emma is still struggling to find some work. So if anyone is reading this who thinks they can help - feel free to get in touch!

Until next time...