My passport was due to be renewed and that along with a few other important things that just had to be attended to in OZ before Xmas...so off to OZ again I headed.
Found a fabulous fare from London to Bris, $1200 Ausd...return for $600 less than from Buda to Brissie, so I took it...even though I had to take the bus both ways to London due to the 2 suitcases I was allowed with Sthn China Air.
The local cheap flights charge like a wounded bull for luggage that is larger than a hankie, so I made an epic bus trip out of the 3 extra days, both ways, needed to get to London and back again!
Then there were a few lovely surprises along the way too.
I got to stay in a fabulous hotel in China as the stopover was more than 8 hours long on the way back, so the airlines put us up in 4 star hotels of our choice from a long list they gave us.
I applied for and was granted a visa to enter China to be taken into the city by shuttle buses to the hotel, picked up and delivered back to the airport again in the morning.
Was also given a brown bag breakfast which contained an apple, a bottle of water, a container with 2 croisanty things and a boiled egg in it, plus a UHT pack of a juice or milk.
Mind you, all of this service was free!
I and others, were privately escorted everywhere, helped to fill in the visa forms, escorted to the shuttles bus, both ways, woken at 5am in the morning etc etc. Amazing service indeed.
And to top it all off, the best ever cloud formations floated past all day at 36,000 feet. Look at that below. The sea is shining through the beauty of the clouds above it. Epic indeed.
Stayed in Prague for a day, arriving early at dawn and leaving 12 hrs later for London.
My dear friend there, Petr who now has 2 hostels in Prague, had just become a Dad so I was delighted to have a stop over by bus...
Only to discover, that in the Czech Republic, no one, not even either of the grand parents, can see the Mum or Bubs for 6 weeks, until they bond etc etc.
But, hey, this was Prague, and it awaited me regardless!
Petr gave me a room to rest in but I did not take it, only used the shower after the overnight 7 hr trip by bus from Budapest.
I went looking for the Simpson's Duff beer for the boys, but the shop that used to sell it no longer stocked it...Bummer...
Had some lunch, a lovely meeting and coffee with Petr and wandered around my delicious Praha some more until the bus left at 6pm for London.
Arrived London the next afternoon and headed for the airport a few hours later after leaving my suitcases with a lovely shop lady, who offered to mind them while I went looking around London!
Bought a 10 pounds bus fare to Heathrow airport and was whisked off from the same bus station I'd arrived at earlier in the day...arriving about 45 mins later with plenty of time to repack my cases and tidy myself up a bit.
I don't think I actually carried/pushed or pulled my cases for more than 10 feet the entire journey there and back to OZ both ways!
People appeared out of nowhere to take my cases, one little one and a big one on the way over and on the way back, a huge fat one and the big one, both full at 23kgs. I left the little one in OZ, filled with stuff to be shipped over after Xmas.
Finally I have decided to take the plunge and do it!
It is a bit scary, as it really seals the deal, emotionally, that I really am moving overseas.
In OZ all my stored gear was packed in boxes for the past 5 years and I'd never had them shipped across.
Then recently, I found out the contents all had to be itemised for insurance...
Yup, every one of the 36 boxes had to be opened, checked, itemised, repacked and resealed!
My 9 year old grandson Oscar was head sticky tape cutter and by the end of the day, he was expert at safely using the Stanley knife.
The weather was perfect in OZ and it was the best trip in 8 years of travel back and forth to OZ that I've had.
Visited my sister, stayed the night with her, visited a few friends, stayed in my PJ's the first week, enjoyed family, visited the doc for a bunch of tests after my inner ear and balance scare in Munich in May/June this year, went to Movie world with the family, saw Andrea, went out to Peter's huge farm a couple of times, spent time with both Peter and Oscar, as it was school holidays and Peter took time off from his shop too, David and Andy came up from the Gold coast for a day and nght, then suddenly it was time to jump on the plane again!
All blood tests, EGC and other tests were good, thankfully and I only experienced a tiny bit of rocking for a few hours after arriving home here.
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| The loveliest cloud formations yet! |
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| My lovely son Peter bought me a new Samsung camera/phone just before leaving OZ. A very big surprise indeed...Am only using it as a camera and for checking social media for now until I learn how to work all the things in/on it as a camera and mini lightweight computer! Then to learn the phone parts at a later date. A handy 3 in one tool for sure. |
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| My amazing grand daughters like a challenge! A massive jigsaw puzzle! |
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| Learning some of the camera buttons with tech son Paulie... |
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| Paul's huge big airy kitchen area is almost finished now...just a few more things like a pantry where the stove is and a bench where the broom is! |
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| Went visiting the display homes close by last weekend before leaving. Found some great ideas for the guest cottage and yards. |
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| Almost every house had the same style...which was a bit of a surprise too. |
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| Really big en-suites... |
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| Beds filled with about a dozen cushions! |
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| Media rooms or man type caves! Feature walls of wall paper were the in thing too. |
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| Big, puffy beds, lots of cushions, nearly all the same styles and colours. |
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| This dining room was a bit different! |
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| Fake grass was everywhere...I'll use that idea for sure! |
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| Outdoor carpets were the big thing too... |
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| Fake grass has a pile like velvet, therefore you must lay it in the right direction for the pile to lay correctly. |
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| Basic landscaping makes things look really neat... |
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| Big outdoor seating areas in all homes... |
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| One girl came in and saw this and commented she could easily get married in this setting! |
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| Nice timber decking on most homes...Gone are the days of concreted patios! |
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| Light and bright and mostly sterile...all needed a bit more colour and life I thought. |
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| And of course the next house had that! Hahaha.... |
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| Simple, tasteful, cheap things can really make a difference in family rooms! |
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| Quite a restful little area... |
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| Most homes had either laminated flooring or big ceramic floor tiles throughout. |
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| Feature arm chairs was another popular design feature in half the homes. |
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| Dark walls in a lot of bedrooms seemed a common idea too. |
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| Finally, I found a different dining room suite! |
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| More timber decking and outdoor seating... |
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| Big en-suite bathrooms in most homes...This one has a his and hers door into the actual shower itself, with their own shower head too... |
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| A nice little entry porch area... |
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| Gathering decorating ideas for the cottage... |
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| Massive kitchens, over 80% had a so called "butler's pantry", some with sinks, some with fridges in them and others just like a walk-in pantry without doors! Lots of seating areas in the living areas...Mostly 4 or more seating areas! |
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| All bedrooms had carpeted floors... |
Next stop was to head off into a nic-nac store and find a few treasures to bring back!
Found some flower patterned ceramic kitchen door knobs I'd seen in Salzburg in June and was going to go back to get them next year after both kitchens had their cupboards put in...so, obviously I bought a bunch of them back with me!
Found the exact colour...minted melon... bedspread/doona cover to match the pic below, that I posted last month...
Then there was a huge sale on for feather pillows, bamboo pillows, doonas, mattress toppers and a bunch of nic-nacs for the cottage too.
Yes, they all fitted in the huge, fat suitcase and came back with me...all sucked out and contained within those suction packing bags. Love them.
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| Found the exact colour doona cover as this pic. Over the moon! |
Hehehe...had a ball filling the cases up too.
Paulie, my son, apart from running me around everywhere and taking 2 weeks off work... bought me the most divine 500 thread count white, lace trimmed bed sheets, for Xmas and my birthday, so I was very blessed indeed by my family and their generous gifting to me!
My sister Judy bought a bunch of gifts that will be amazing in the cottage...she is the best gift giver in history...she has a knack, which I surely do not have a fraction of.
She also bought me a brand new DVD player with a 10 inch screen, so now I can play my DVD's and music CD's again after wearing out 4 players in the past 12 years.
I love putting in the discs and love sitting outside on my swing seat, having lunch and playing music.
The sound is great so is the picture quality. Thank you family.
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| The view from my 8th floor free hotel room in China |
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| Really nice vanity here with plenty of room both sides for things! |
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| Check out my room! All of this for one pint sized girl! Amazing. Thank you Southern China Air. They also have the best hosties...after Qantas, and Thai, these girls were really very lovely, polite, could joke with you too...AAAAnd a first. One hostie actually called me by my first name...instead of Ma'm! I was amazed...it felt so special. Great airline company for sure. |
Will sort the rest of the pics from the epic trip to and from OZ and post them in a day or so with some more amazing things that happened along the way. Magic in the air!.
Bye for now and stay well.
Cheers,
M
xxxx
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