Yep.. it is count down.. Jona has been here nearly a week... it has been interesting...


Will write in more detail but lets just say a few worrying things...

Wears those airline eye masks at night with ear plugs

Went on a snorkel trip and he had TWO noodles  (got to be a first for something.. never seen that before!)

The case of the errant condom in packet found in the car

And in case you are wondering.. .nope.. we never slept in the same bed and only now do I get any type of physical contact

All will be revealed..... hahaa!

Lovely weekend with Justine..

What a lovely refreshing change.

In a small place like Port Douglas every weekend tends to be a bit like Groundhog day. So it was as refreshing as a face spritzer spurting through a fire hose that I had an invite from a new friend that I have made recently (she was the assistant on my film shoots for House Hunters) to join her at her rainforest hideaway.

So that was how you found me yesterday aternoon wheeling a wheelbarrow with our overnight gear along an overgrown path with Justine in front wielding a machete as we made our way up to the 'house'.

The entrance to Justine's jungle des res..

Justine owns half of the mountain and has erected her Robinson Crusoesque abode on side.

It is certainly not a house for the squeamish.  as indoors meets outdoors, not only in ambiance but in wildlife.

Large Huntsman spiders, various colonies of ants, a nest of baby spiders.  When we were sorting out the bedding area (camp beds covered with an all sealing mosquito net) a 'rat' run out with her two young in tow, which on later inspection was only a little mouse.

A scream when Justine when to bed to the shout of 'snake!' had me diving in to her tent to find that the 'snake' was just the hose from the air pump .. phew!

I thought it was initially just going to be Justine and me, but her two sons and their Father rocked up so that made 5 of us.

I didn't really mind - I suppose the more the merrier - but it meant that there was a lot of family communication which made me feel rather peripheral to proceedings.

The bedroom where we put our bedding on the campbeds, was surrounded by glass doors with the jungle right against them.  Two mosquito net tents with camp beds was ideal and comfortable.  Then her son erected a hammock right next to my tent, so I ended up having the noise of an 11 year old recovering from a cold coughing all night and the sound of computer games as he played on his console, which I could have done without.  Considering there were another two tents in another room and the Father and the other son were in the main living area I didn't quite get the logistics of that one.

But in the morning, after a fitful sleep due to coughing fits of Justine's son (sorry, I know I should be more sympathetic but I am just recounting) I was awoken by wonderful jungle noises of dawn chorus of birds.

It was lovely to have spent time with Justine and I feel I have a met a similar kindred spirit.  Though must say that she is a little eccentric so does tend to bring out the more wilder (in every sense of the word!) side of me.

The outlook from our bedrrom.. the jungle almost literally knocking on the doors

She calls it her tree house.  When I first arrived I was a bit taken aback on how basic it really is.  Very basic living.  Electricity run by generator, water from the creek via pipes and a flushing toilet (not sure where it flushes to) and two gas cylinder burners (one for heating water and the other one ring stove for cooking.

The world's most scenic toilet.. with a view across the rainforest

The next afternoon on Sunday  I went beachcombing for driftwood.. for another project I am working on... so hopefully will be covered in a later blog.

The creek.. piped further up to the house.  But running dry as another house further down is draining the water for hydro power supply for all their A/C units!

Beachcombing on Kimberley Beach today

Justine and I enjoying the small streams to cool down .. away from crocs and stingers

The two boys and the Father bird watching.  Looking at the appropriately names 'Wompoo' pigeon that really does make a Wompoo sound

Less Aha! more Oooh! Jonas coming to stay! Early Christmas Present!

Jonas (see Blog of March 4th 2012) , my Finnish friend that could cut butter with his chiselled features is coming to stay.

Yep the Finnish equivalent of Morton Harket of Aha fame.. is gong to be gracing my humble abode with his presence from 16th-24th December!

And.. Norwegian Morton Harket of Aha! Where most girls were saying less 'Aha!' and more 'oooh!'

After my invitation when we last met in March he has finally put his money where his mouth is and is coming to stay.  I would like to say it's because he can't forget me and is coming to see li'le ol me.  But no, he has decided to give up his management consultancy role and take a side step from business to follow his heart rather than his mind to come and live in Port Douglas and work as a tour guide.

So this trip is purely a fact finding mission to look for work and see what is here.  Free accommodation with me would seem to be the for the convenience rather than any emotional journey.

He is staying for 8 days... so at best we could hit it off, have a wonderful time and skies the limit, medium.. we develop a good platonic friendship or lastly, we end up being totally incompatible to live together and  we both count down the last 8 days to Christmas faster than an advent calendar on speed.

So quite excited.  Looking forward to showing him around and having a companion to share things to do together.

Ex for Ex-sense of humour!

After seeing my Ex in Sydney when he dropped the bombshell that his new girlfriend was expecting a baby boy in January - amazing what can happen in 18 months!

I sent a friendly email, which I attached a joke email about art therapy and tourettes.. which used to appeal to his sense of humour.



So lovely to catch up with you when I came via Sydney on my way back to UK.  What wonderful news about you expecting a little bub.  Can only wish you all the best for January and for both and you Mel entering into Parenthood.

It was, as always lovely to catch up with everyone and managed to catch up with Pete and Craig quite a few times.  Didn't see Andy.. but did manage a rock night at the Unicorn pub in Camden Road certainly threw up a lot of familiar faces all looking a bit older but with the same clothes and great for a bit of a head bang!  Never made it to Metalworks..  So funny.. being like in a timewarp.

It was lovely to catch up with my Father, who is noticeably weaker, but inside is still the same humorous person, just much slower and he didn't manage to make it to coffee on his birthday lunch and wanted to be taken home as he was tired.  But he had a lovely 80th surrounded by close friends so that was good.  

I hope that all goes well with your prospective house hunting and house purchase.

Your business certainly seems to be flourishing off the back of your hard work, so you bloody deserve everything good on that one! (Now that Allans has gone under.. I bet you are sweeping up!).

Well, I saw this ad thought of you... and thought it would be wasted if I didn't forward this to you.

All the best with everything, regards to your Parents and 'Hi' to Chris




Email reply:

Nice one. I will forward to Piers. Glad it was good seeing Denis. Hard when he is getting older. I guess we are all getting older……Metalworks & the Unicorn??? Surely too old for that. 

Thanks for the wishes. 

Do you think he could have made a more curter, shorter, less interesting, humourless and utterly cold reply.  One can only conclude that Fatherhood has gone to his head.  What happened to the laughing, happy man that was full of joie de vivre and sparkle with that cheeky glint.  I think I lost him when I moved to Sydney.. very slowly.. from the man who used to wave dangerously whilst single handedly riding on his motorbike to everybody along the road when we lived in Costa Rica with a 'buena dia'.. to getting in his car in Sydney and shouting 'wanker, idiot' at other road users in his citified lifestyle.

When I saw him in Sydney his comment was 'you can't be properly living in a place if you don't have a job'... so that was a bit of a side swipe.

Well... good luck to his new girlfriend and his new life... I am glad that I am out of that one! He is obviously losing his Peter Pan complex and turning into a an Alf Garnett complex..
 

   

So what's the next step

Since I have returned from the UK from my Dad's Birthday in October I haven't really got any work.

It's a situation I actually love! It is amazing how days whizz by and I still have lots of projects and ideas that I would like to fulfil, but it does boil down to the old spondoolics... so I need to keep my head above water.

The last year has really eaten into my savings and though I have money invested it's not accessible so I have to earn my liquid currency!

On my return with my long term tenant in my house in Costa Rica gave in his notice after only 8 weeks of a 1 year rental agreement!  I had no holiday lets in Port Douglas lined up so income was a little scarce.

Luckily I had done some work before being a snorkel guide on my friend's yacht.. so since I was back and they needed someone.. I am now working on their boat.  So far this month I have worked 6 half days at $90 for half a day.. so that has helped.

It's good work not stressful and with only 3 crew (Jackie and her husband) and me and a maximum of 25 guests it makes for a lovely half day.

Going to the Low Isles which is a turtle haven means that one regularly sees turtles, sharks, giant batfish and it's beautiful.

I have applied for various jobs in diving and behind desks.. so it will be interesting to see where the next turn takes me!

The yacht I work on - my office at the moment.. all 91 ft of it!

Texy Sexy

Went to see Tex Perkins in concert (see Cruel Sea, Beasts of Bourbon)

I put out a request on Facebook - anyone want to accompany me and Melissa contacted me to say that she would come.

Melissa is quite a gift to my life here. 

We last met as teenage school girls as we went to the same school in St. Albans in UK.

Through mutual friends I found out that she lived in Australia.. and coincidence on coincidence she lives in Kuranda which is an hours drive away.

We have linked up a few times in the last year and we really hit if off and is becoming a firm friend here.  So I am so lucky to have made this connection and found almost a ready made friend here.

We arrived early as Melissa didn't have a ticket.  So we were there an hour early.  Unallocated seats meant we had our pick of the empty seats. 

So we went right up to the front and plonked ourselves literally right at his feet... yep.. could look right up his nostrils.

The stage wasn't high.. but have to admit that eye level looking up was definitely crotch level!

Tex Perkins was pure charisma.. a man walking down the street that one might look sideways at as he is about 6'4", but despite a slight distended middle aged paunch he was sex on legs.  He oooooozed sexiness... funny how it's not how one looks it's how one carries oneself it's a culmination of assurance, charisma and a spattering of je ne sai quoi!

At one stage he went off and came back on and asked straight to Melissa and me - 'were my flies undone' we said " No,  we certainly would have noticed!'...

When he told the audience he was hot.... I couldn't believe the chorus of girls shouting 'get your top off'... haha.. musical titillation!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEB0l6OqLR4


This is how I first heard of them in 1990.. The  Cruel Sea with Got to Get a Lawyer...

What a great entertainer.. and amazing voice

What is it with MEN!!!!

Aaaaargh....


As a follow on from my last blog with Andy...


Simon

(25 year old, rugby player.. who declared his admiration of me via Facebook - see previous blogs)

Was due to meet him this weekend (yep. don't hold your breath on that one!)  I thought after a 5 week break that it might bring him impetus to be more organised.  So Saturday night... was going to be on.. still on.. then on Friday he said he had to work but would be finished by midday... midday I received another text.. he was going to be finished by 4.00.. then there was drinks with his boss.. and then.. he was too tired and he was knackered.  Try again for Sunday.  Agreed we would call each other at 12.30 and meet up in the afternoon.  I find out last minute that I have work .. so text him to say that I can't make the afternoon.. but can make it around 6.30 ........  no response back..  This is the man who has lost his mobile phone more times than I have had hot dinners!  Now it's Wednesday and nothing from him......

Dean

(32 year old boxer.. see previous blogs)

This is the man who offered to put me up the night before I left for the UK and take me to the airport.. at 4.00am! Who took me out to a wonderful dinner on my last night and only this weekend Facebooked me " would love your company right now, so lonely right now being home need a cuddle ".

Hadn't seen him for 6 weeks as he was away on the mines so arranged to go up and see him last Monday.

I said I would call him at 5.00pm.. so pretty clear that I was going to see him on  Monday evening and that I wanted to stay the night as I also had things I needed to do on Tuesday (and also fancied the intimacy of feeling his body next to mine and waking up together in the morning.. and of course a lovely cuddle!).  So bit perturbed when I get a message on Monday at 4.30.. "got dinner at 6-7 when are you coming round?"  Picked up the phone and agreed that I would get round there immediately.. he would go to dinner briefly with a friend and then he would return.  So I meet him at 5.30... we have a bit of a cuddle.. a bit of the 'other' grab a quick drink and then he's off to dinner.

At 11.00pm I am still sitting solo watching TV on his couch and thinking 'WTF!'.  So I go to bed.. in his bed, by myself (so much for my night of intimacy and cuddles).  Get up at 7.30am and decide to go to the gym.  Texted him to say that I had left the key for him under a rock outside.  At 8.30am I get a text "just got home, I'm going into town and then to the tablelands xo'.  I texted that I was 'sorry to have missed him' (just read through the lines on that message).  His reply was 'ended up blind last night so going straight to mums , catch up soon xo'.



So got back home thinking 'what is it with these men!'... when up pops a lovely text from Fred (see Romance in the Rainforest blog) asking how I was.. aaah.. bless him and saying how much he was enjoying the Bill Bryson book I gave him (The History of the World and Nearly Everything).  Good to know there are some men out there with manners and decorum.


Feeling at the moment that I would very much like to be an asexual worm crawling through the grass..

42,000 dots and a brief stab in the dark

So.. what's been happening on the man front.... mmmmmmmmm...

Andy

All looked good on my return from my Europe trip 3 weeks ago, when Andy popped up on Plenty of Fish.  Liked Design and art and seemed eloquent and not bad looking.  With the ideal date.. arm wrestling and chocolate.. a man that thinks 'outside the box'.. I like.  I messaged him and received this reply:

"Nice to meet u, I am not much of a typist so I will be to the point. What you describe in your profile is basically what I would write if I was in a serious mood. Actually it would be exactly the same as what you are looking for and want (freaky really)

So please tell me you are coming to Cairns soon?
Talk soon Andy x"

Not a bad start....

So we arrange to meet a week later.

I am heading to the bar in Cairns... message 'can you pick me up on the way'

So I detour about 3 mins out the way.. and after a bit of miscommunication with his directions 'head towards the mountains'   - not realising that there are two sets.. the ones in front and the one's behind.  And sods law I head for the wrong ones.

So finally after another up and back and 20 mins of knowing Mulgrave Road in Cairns backwards, frontwards and sidewards.. I finally found him.

We sat in the bar (I bought the drinks (his was cointreau).. yep. no offer of a drink to be bought for me).  and he proceeded to enjoy talking about himself.  He was interesting and he certainly seems a man who doesn't do things by halves.  He produces art that is now exhibited, he wanted to get fit so trained as a gym instructor, he originally worked as a sign writer.

After one drink he said he had to sort some things out so I offered to drop him off back at home (he doesn't have a car).  I had things that I could do so we agreed to touch base later.

So I was thinking that that was that... the convenient 'I have things to do' brush off.

I called him at 5.00 when the shops closed to say I was going home and that it was lovely to meet him to get this reply:

Was great to meet u Rosie.  Would u be interested in something casual?  I am pretty straight forward saves a lot of time:).  U can come round if u are.

 Mmmmmmmm... decisions, yes, I liked him.. yes, I found him interesting.  No, I don't want a relationship. Yes, it would be good to follow up...... nothing lost, nothing gained....

Sooooooooo  I agreed to go round.  I said I would grab a bottle of wine.. he asked me to grab a bottle of Yellow Glen Champagne (I kind of freaked, but luckily it's name belies the fact that it is a bottle of champagne for about $15!)

His flat is filled with his art. Neon under Lichenstein inspired paintings... meticulously done (one he proudly declares had 42, 000 hand dotted dots!).  Such precision and patience! Very impressive.

A wide screen dominates the sitting room hooked up to the computer and Utube.. where we proceeded to sit and he started off with the Utube music and videos.  Which is rather strange as it's difficult to chat when one is watching music videos. Luckily we had a bit of a respite by sitting outside with a drink and a cigarette where we could chat between our viewing silences.

I mentioned to him that because I was drinking that it would mean that I would have to watch driving home.  He said that it was no problem he had a birthday party to go to which I was invited to come along to and could stay.

So I had a few glasses, loosening up a bit and actually enjoying our interaction and conversation.  Him more talking about himself than asking about me.. but hey! I don't like talking about myself too much so that's fine.

Then there was the furtive touches, the physical closeness getting closer and the inevitable was rearing its head.

I did say that I was feeling rather intimidated, not least from him showing me some rather artistic photos of his body  (phwaoooar!), accidentally also a photo of his ex girlfriend (as a stripper her honed body flashed on the screen at one point accidentally). He said that he hadn't slept with anyone since splitting up from his girlfriend 3 months earlier and how difficult it was to turn that corner (and he wanted to do that with me??).

Was a little worried when up flashes a video sequence of all these girls masturbating and 'squirting'... interesting on a purely fascinating level... but highly intimidating to me thinking... mmmm.. the only squirting I want to do is some more wine in my glass and thinking.. bloody hell this bar is getting set higher and higher.

Well, we do end up in the bedroom.... where the words 'it's all very well with young girls, but I prefer older women as they know what to do"... aaagh.. perform perform!  So I did my best blow job.. to which he runs to the cupboard whops a condom on it and in we go!  Thank goodness there had been some minimal foreplay but with my head worried about 'performing', sucking in my tum to resemble a honed stripper and just thinking I have a high bar to jump,.. not to mention thinking about the 'squirting'.. my internal lubrication rather dried up.

He withdrew to find the lube..... and that was that... the moment had gone.. and his erection faded like the final glimmer of a fading sunset never to arise again.  He seemed to be non-plussed and just seemed pleased that he had managed it finally and broken the back of being with someone apart from his ex girlfriend (glad to be of serivce!).

After that a phone call from a close friend asking for him to come to an awards ceremony (a woman that he had helped rehabilitate from a wheelchair... she is now a rowing champion!) he couldn't turn down.  So he asked for a lift to the Hilton.. did some fashion changes for me asking my opinion on different outfits and I dropped him off ... and headed back to Port Douglas....(yep.. made it back in time to get to the Iron Bar for 12.00!)

Whoompf...

He has texted since to say that it would be good to meet up again and he would like to go snorkelling with me and to come and visit me in Port Douglas.. so well.. we will see..............

Note to self... put lube in accessible place if there is ever a next time!

My TV debut.....

My TV debut... being filmed for House Hunters International...

USA's second most watched TV programme and watched by 10 million viewers!

The story.. I am selling my property in the UK (St. Albans) and moving to tropical Port Douglas, in Queensland Australia where I have a job working as a diver.

The story does reflect my life.. just a little 'jiggled' I sold my property last year in central London so was unable to film there, so filmed at a friend's house in St. Albans, where I grew up.  Also, I haven't lived in the UK now for 12 years, so it looks like I am moving directly from UK to Australia , but I suppose to have a film crew to film me in all the places I lived in the last 12 years before arriving in Australia might be far fetched (could be a series all on its own!).

It was on an Autumnal day in St. Albans that the film crew turned up and we spent the day filming in the environs of the town. 

Reality TV is so funny as it is anything but 'reality' when your spontaneous response is then recorded for the 3rd time.  As the filming gets interrupted by passing cars.. can you believe that it was in the middle of Autumn and we had to down filming when the leaf blower man turned up.   The leaf blower with the never ending job, trying to get rid of leaves in Autumn.  He must have been 400m away, but the noise of the leaf blower.. certainly blew the sound man away and they had to despatch someone to beg for 5 mins. silence so we could finish our section. There has got to be some money out there (Hello Mr Dyson!!) for the quiet leaf blower.
 

 And then I flew to Australia...


And then had three days of filming.

Here is me showing a section about my 'explorer' roots.  Having two famous explorers in my family (Aime Tschiffely - who rode on horseback from Argentina to New York and Alfred De Quervain, meteorologist and polar explorer) so they were keen to show me 'exploring'.

Not wanting to let my 'roots' down they had me hiking in the Daintree rainforest.  Seemed so easy when they directed me 'ok just step along the stones and cross the river'.   So I try this as gainly as possible without slipping and trying to have the grace of a gazelle... though judging by the shots.. I think I probably resemble more the stance of Bigfoot...

Big Foot is alive and well and walking in the Daintree Rainforest!

 I had to have a friend who was going around the properties with me.  I was lucky at such short notice to be able to call on a good friend Melissa.  There was actually a story here as we were at school in St. Albans together and we last met when we were 16.  Through friends I found out the Melissa lives in Australia and only an hour way.  So we have met up on several occasions and get on very well. Her husband and family came to my 50th celebration. 

 Since they had to film me house hunting they had to show me looking at my house for the 'before' which meant me moving out all my belongings which had to go back for the 'after' shoot.  Strangely we did the 'after' shot before the 'before'.

This is the filming of me being the diving instructor.  Due to problems with insurance, filming approval from landowners and all that type of bureaucracy the dive company we wanted to drop off some tanks to film with at the last minute were unable to.  So some clever filming angles with me and Maya without tanks or weight belts ensued.. be interesting the final edited version on that!


So hope to go to Melissa's house when the series is launched with our champagne and a box of tissues.. drying the tears from our howls of laughter!

My house one year later..

BEFORE - the back yard.. and this was after two friends spent days clearing it!

AFTER - the back yard .. complete with my first experience of laying garden tiles!

BEFORE - main bedroom

AFTER - main bedroom

BEFORE - main bedroom

AFTER - main bedroom

BEFORE - second bedroom and the shelves were my first project involving a drill!

AFTER - second bedroom complete with my own prints that I produced

AFTER - second bedroom

BEFORE - Ensuite bathroom.. 80's stylee

AFTER - Ensuite Bathroom

BEFORE - Main Bathroom

AFTER - Main Bathroom with hand painted painting by me

BEFORE - Lovely 80's peach inspired kitchen

AFTER - updated Kitchen

BEFORE - Upstairs

AFTER - Upstairs dining

BEFORE - View of upstairs

AFTER - View of upstairs with my own prints, paintings and photos

After all that decorating, painting and upgrading... aaah, time to relax by the pool!

Belated Blog Birthday - 19th September 2012

A bit belated but it has now been just over a year that I literally landed in Port Douglas.

Not knowing a soul.. a person... or an animal!

Bringing a bruised and battered heart under a cloud of sadness and exasperation, tinged with the tears of anger and frustration.

With the tune from Sick Puppies echoing in my mind.... it was time to Change.

I moved into my new house and started to put down roots.

There have been moments of sadness, stagnation, loneliness, helplessness and frustration.. but looking back retrospectively.. I HAVE DONE IT!

I have good friends here, a life that I have built here, a joy of loving myself and enjoying spending time with me.  I don't want another relationship.. just good connections (which I have been lucky to have), but have been surprised that at my age I can find some confidence in realising that I am attractive to the opposite sex and that moving up here and thinking I would be the dusty middle age woman on the proverbial shelf has not happened.  More importantly, I have some wonderful friends who I love and love me in return and this last year has been filled with a lot of laughter.

Work has been disappointing and I still have yet to find that 'niche'.  I have trained as a commercial diver, as a marriage celebrant, started my own product range of insect repellents, bite relief and preventative products, and continued with my artwork and photography avenues.  I have worked for two dive companies and ended the year marketing away from diving for the Pullman Hotel and Reef Casino back in an office, and being filmed for the second most successful programme for US TV.  I write this today, wondering where my next job will come from and wanting to find a job with 'meaning' and really wanting to launch out by myself somehow.

Through the year I have also revamped my 'des res' here in Port Douglas and bought a property in Costa Rica (that I now am trying to sell as ongoing problems with it, make me feel that I bought a 'wrong un').

It has been a great 365 day journey for me... shedding 10 kilos, realising that I miss going to the gym, yoga, pilates and zumba and turning my lifestyle around .. for the first time in my life eating a good breakfast and living off mainly fruit and fresh veg... they say what you eat is what you feel.. so I must feel fruity and yep.. sometimes I do end up being a couch potato.. haha!

Having this blog and sharing it with you... nearly 2,000 hits later has been wonderful.  Not only am I using this as a diary for me for my future.  When I finally am confined in the old people's home I hope to relive this part of my life to my cackles and hopefully won't spit my false teeth out whilst laughing! I can read back over a section of my life.. to remember that yes.... it was lived!


The next blog shows  the changes made to my house.  I have also become a dab hand with a paint brush and it has been the first time I have put shelves up with a drill and laid the back patio in the back courtyard.

How wonderful is life on this journey of discovery!

As a foot note... I paid a surprise visit to my ex boyrfriend Scott, when I had a stopover in Sydney on my way back to Europe.  He looked as I expected, his face reddened by drink, his hair receding and under the pump with stress from his business... We had a lovely cup of coffee and it was great to see him again.  He advised me that he was expecting a son in January with his girlfriend.   I said I wasn't surprised (His girlfriend didn't have a boyfriend for all the 7 years that I knew her and at 40 I knew she was desperate to start a family)  and that he would be a great Father (I thought that was gracious of me) as I think he will always be a selfish and unempathetic boyfriend and partner.  How people's lives move on.....

Mr PADI ....stands for...Pumped and Displayed Irony!

From a few blogs back you will note that I was teetering on the brink of going to the cinema with Mr PADI

He had announced a week before that he was entering a body building competition.

I didn't think too much about it, but gave agreeable 'oh, that's good' type of response.

I asked him whether he would like to go diving on Monday since it was a bank holiday.  He replied that he wouldn't have enough energy to go diving DER!!!  This is a body builder lifting how many weights and he doesn't have the energy to go diving??

We did  go to the cinema a couple of times before I left to go to the UK... always exiting to kisses and hugs.  The first time we hugged and kissed and then it was obvious that we weren't going to continue this.. except to get in our cars and go home.  I understood then, that this body building is an extreme sport.  To get the muscles to show with defnition they literally starve themselves pre competition so there is no fat on any of the muscles.  Then before competition they cut out water so that they go in looking lean with no water retention anywhere.

So the second time we went to the cinema after a kiss and a cuddle I said 'you're not up to anything when you are in competition mode?'...meaning sex is too much effort... and he said that he didn't have energy for it.   I did ask if it was a natural competition and he confirmed it was.  But I am not naive to think that steroids don't fit in here somewhere... and I have seen first hand a rather unnatural lack of performance in that area already when we did 'get it together'.

How ironical I thought that I meet a diver, but we don't go diving.  I meet a ripped man, who can't use his body in the way that I would like!  And I like him because he is fun to be with and great to chat to... but we end up sitting in a cinema and not talking to each other.....

Someone up there certainly has a sense of humour!

Europe Trip... Images

My blog has somewhat taken a back step... as I took a massive step across the world for a trip back to Europe.

It has been a whirlwind tour and encompassed London, Primrose Hill, Camden Switzerland -  Geneva, Sion;  St. Albans, Canterbury, Guernsey (unscheduled stop at Jersey) Heathrow airport and quite a few times at Gatwick Airport!

 I went back to help my Father celebrate his 80th birthday.  He was noticeably weaker, but in himself is fine.  He didn't quite manage to make it to coffee at his birthday lunch as he was too tired, but it was a lovely day and he was surrounded by friends that card dearly about him.  He is a shadow of his former self and I think he has now overcome his embarrassment by his Parkinson's where he can't crack jokes or make wise cracks in his usual timely manner.. though he still does have his sense of humour and is adjusting well to his much altered state.

And as for the rest of the trip... highlights every day visiting and being in contact with such wonderful friends.  Staying with my best friend and her family was wonderful and was just amazing to spend time with her - my soul sister.

 Caught up with the youngest oldest person I know.. my Great Aunt Joan, who at 92 yrs old is still vibrant and with the very fervent message 'enjoy life whilst you can'.

 

Greg.. when we lived in Phi Phi in Thailand

Reconnected with Greg - a friend I met 11 years ago when we were working in diving in Thailand together.  He was the first man ever who came up to me at (the age of 40!) He was 25...... to say that he found me beautiful and could he ask me for a drink. After looking around and not seeing any other women standing nearby and then wondering if it was a cruel joke we did indeed go out and dated for about 3 weeks and then remained friends.  He was in Sydney 2 years ago and we met up for a drink... and the invitation to visit him in Switzerland... which 2 years later.. I did.  We had a marvellous time and he was the perfect gentleman.. even cooking a fondue for me on the first night.  We certainly had fun in sampling the local wine produce... delicious.. in so many ways and catching up in other wonderful ways.. bringing back some lovely memories of our intimate encounters on a little island in Thailand all those years ago.

It has been a whirlwind since I got back.. literally had enough time to unload my suitcase and spent three days filming (details in next blog).  Yes, I miss my friends back in UK terribly.. especially my best friend who is the closest 'family' to me.  Also coming back I have to find work as I do not have work... so trying to get re-established again...... so we will see how that goes!

Back to Fish and Chip land

Primrose Hill in Autumnal beauty

Autumnal Colours

Camden's own brews

St. Alban's Abbey

The Ace Cafe.... My best friend on her Moto Guzzi and my first taste of Kippers for breakfast for years!

Visiting my sister in Guernsey.. a one hour trip from London that took 12 hours via Jersey due to fog

Unidentified dead animal on the tube in London (actually I think it was a faux fur wrap someone left behind)

Setting the scene.. view from train coming back from Canterbury

St. Martin's opposite Trafalgar Square... taken on my one night out in the West End exploring local drinking holes

Halloween looking out from my best friend's place where I was staying in Primrose Hill

Just in case I was unsure where I was.... a day of culture.  Went to the V&A.. no tickets available for the exhibition we wanted to see. Went to the Tate... Next slot for availability for Pre Raphaelite was an hour and a half later. So ended up at Somerset house in a FREE exhibition with hardley any people.

Ecuadorean Embassy where Julian Assange is now staying to avoid American extradition

Memories of a few nights out in Camden....

Walking back at night from Camden to Primrose Hill along the canal

Switzerland Lausanne.. view from train and a memory of my departed Mother's birthplace and some poignant thoughts as I whizzed by

Greg's beautiful chalet in the Aps

Greg in the spa.. with the best view in the world across the alps

View from Greg's chalet

Walking in the alps with Greg

Outdoor swimming pool where we swam in the alps

View from Greg's chalet

 

View from train on way back... shores of Lausanne..

Camden shop fronts

Camden shop front

Busker in Camden

Departing from Heathrow... bye bye England..