Our Life Down Under

Got a new job on Friday. Maintenance Manager at a chocolate factory.

Sounds like the beginning of a joke, I know. It’s a small place, around 30 other people work there. It’s normal hours (no more shifts). Money’s good and it’s only 30 minutes away. So it all sounds good so far, I’ll find out for sure when I start on the 3rd of March.

Just been to a little reunion this afternoon with some folk I used to work with at Fosters Botany. This Picture of Ella was take there with our new Camera, which we bought today. It takes great pictures (8 mega pixel) . Ella was having a dance along with some dancers that where up on stage. As you can see she was really enjoying it.

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Just a quick update…

The girls are back.

They arrived this morning at 9:30. Val text me as she was getting off the plane and I thought I had at least 30 minutes before she emerged through the gate, so I found myself a chair near the exit gate and got out my video ipod to pass the time.

The ground staff put them on one of those electric golf-buggy-type-things and whizzed them though Passport Control, Baggage Claims and Customs so that they were out in about 15 minutes.

I didn’t see them come out of course, and was greeted by a slightly grumpy face when I found them (about 3 minutes after they emerged). Doh!

The grumpiness lasted about 10 seconds though and we have had a great day. Ella has grown so much. Even though I’d seen pictures, and seen her on the web-cam, she has changed so much it took me by surprise.

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Stephen and Jen arrived on Thursday and as it was a long weekend this week, we went up to stay with Chris in Blackheath.

We went for a 3 hour bush walk on Sunday and a game of golf on Monday. You can see all the pictures on our flickr page here.

We had a great time, it was nice to chill out and get a bit of fresh mountain air.

Val and Ella will be back next Tuesday.

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I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. After doing 2 hours of driving every day, my car finally gave up today.

About twenty minutes into my drive to work today I noticed the temperature gauge had gone all the way up to the top. I turned around and gambled on making it home.

Well, you can see the gamble didn’t pay off. The engine cut out about 15 minutes away from home and I just had enough momentum to roll off the road and onto this embankment.

I waited an hour for a tow truck.

The car is in the garage now, hopefully it will survive.

Knibby arrives tomorrow for a couple of weeks with his girlfriend Jenny. Think they might have to make their own way from the airport now.

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I was hoping to start a new job when I got back from Ireland. I’d been put in touch with the SFX coordinator for a new film being made at Fox Studios and was hopefully going to work in the Special Effects Department. The film turned out to be The Justice League Movie. Bit of a dream job really, as you can imagine, and only 10 minutes up the road for me (better than the hour I currently drive to work).

All seemed to be going well, except the writers strike in America was delaying the start of Production. I was asked to call back next week and they would let me know what was happening. The next week came and the guy I’d been speaking to (seems like a very nice guy) said the powers-that-be would be making a decision this week.

Well, he called me back today and told me the whole film has been canned. Due to the writers strike in America.

So there goes my big entrance into the film industry. The silver lining is though, that he has my details and said he will call as soon as the next project/film comes along.

Here is an excerpt from the Reuters news website…

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – The superheroes of “Justice League of America” will have to hang up their costumes, because the Hollywood writers strike prevents Warner Bros. from sorting out problems with the movie’s script.

The feature, starring DC Comics staples such as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman in live-action flesh, was to have been a special-effects extravaganza for the studio. George Miller (“Happy Feet”) was attached as director.

Word leaked in the fall that the script, by the husband-and-wife team of Kieran and Michele Mulroney, was good but that subsequent rewrites, including the latest by Miller, had pacing issues and took the project in the wrong direction. With the 11-week writers strike in full swing, the studio decided it was best to wait to iron out the problems. more

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Here we are in the Hunter Valley. We have come away for 2 nights with Mum and Lynn.

The Hunter Valley is famous for its Vineyards and here we are having our first glasses.

I’m sending this from my mobile phone as I think I’ve finally worked out how to get it from my phone to the website.
Ella’s Christening was yesterday so stand-by for some pictures. It was a great day and we all had an excellent time, even Ella.

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