A byootaful Life

Today is Australia Day back home – Happy Australia Day! The general consensus from my friends and family is that they are spending it with a BBQ on the beach since it’s apparently a hot, sunny day back home. I got home from work about half an hour ago and Phill and I are now on the couch listening to Triple J’s Hottest 100 countdown, which is a pretty strong Australian tradition. We’re streaming it online and so far so good, it cuts out every so often but not enough to get too annoying.

Tonight’s going to be a quiet one – tomorrow we’re going out to a local Aussie venue for some drinks with friends, which should be fun. I’ve already made plans with my Aussie work colleagues to have an Aussie lunch tomorrow – we’re going to bring Milo, Tim Tams, lamingtons and vegemite sandwiches to share. One of the Canadian girls grimaced when we mentioned vegemite – apparently it’s not her favourite. I think they made her eat some from a spoon before she was allowed to try a Tim Tam. Now that’s just cruel! (Funny, but cruel!)

Speaking of work, it’s going really well. After Christmas I was moved into a more challenging role (which I am loving). Oh, and as of Monday, my employer is taking over my contract which means I’ll no longer be working through a recruitment agency which means no more timesheets (yay) and I get a payrise (YAY!). It’s only $3 more an hour but it adds up to an extra $120 a week, which will definitely come in handy, especially since Phill is still looking for a job. He’s had lots of interviews and has more lined up but he’s just having trouble finding work in his expertise. He’s started branching out and applying for more general work, so fingers crossed he finds something soon. It’s been fun being the bread winner but now I’m ready for a two-income household again.

I spoke to K, our friend who is babysitting Puddy while we’re away and she said Puddy is doing really well. She’s settled in and her boys love playing with her. There is a concern that one of her sons might be allergic to her and they’re going to get him tested. She said if he is, they might get our friend S (K’s sister) to look after her for a while. I’m a little worried about this because S is the friend we “tested” Puddy out with before we came over and Puddy and S’s dog didn’t exactly get along very well. Hopefully it won’t come to that!

K sent me a photo of Puddy curled up on her bed:

The first thing I thought when I saw this photo was how awful it was that she’s probably getting her black fur all over the white doona. Seriously, her hair gets everywhere! Even though she’s a psycho shedding machine, I miss her like crazy. I got a little emotional over this photo (no crying or anything, just a little heart-flip and an “awww” as I felt a sudden urge to reach out and hug her) and it really is nice to see her relaxed and comfortable. I was so worried about that and I’m glad she’s settled in okay. I just hope she hasn’t forgot about us!

Anyway, Happy Australia Day to all my Aussie readers! Have a good one!