Wow...Two weeks tommorrow, and ill have successfully have blagged my way through a whole year outside of england!
Im still in Red Cliffs, just about scraping by on farmwork, although the last few weeks have been fairly good workwise.. I spent all of last week working for a plumber, putting up a roof (yes. you heard me. A roof. Thats probably why they all leak over here, they think they OUGHT to have water pouring through them!), and possibly the easiest job ive EVER done, which is grading and packing mangos. Which was the work equivilent of basically staying in bed for 2-3 days and getting paid for it!
Its a good job i got the work last week actually. I got paid after a few days, and thought that id pay off the 2 weeks rent that I owed to the hostel. Only to find out that Id somehow not paid since the start of Feburary, and they didnt mention it, because they knew id pay eventually! I was like 'well, of course ill pay, but if you dont tell me that I owe you money, then i cant bloody pay can i?'
So yes. Earnt a shed load. Paid it all to the hostel. Bugger. The mango picking helped too...that was good pay, but Rusen, the german girl im currently travelling around with is too bloody efficient, has all her days on her visa, and therefore organised the place, and shot through the work in 1.5 days instead of 3, because she was annoyed they were doing things so slowly! Bloody Germans! i was like 'Dont go fast! Theyre disorganised! I can get at least an extra day out of this place! If not 2! At $180 per day!'
'Ah, well, its too slow!' THATS THE POINT!! DRAG IT OUT!! (*sighs*). I Hate german efficicency.
So yes, am looking for a job again. Ive got 4 days in which to do it, although im done with farmwork! 2 weeks! Cant bloody wait..
On top of that, Neil went the other day. I think hes been getting quite homesick, so after a bottle of whisky, he decided to quit his job, and apply for his visa a month early, by backdating it on the form. Which is never a good idea. So we'll see if he gets that or not. They're checking the visas pretty thoroughly though, so it looks like he might be back in Ireland before long...
Erm, Canadian Jordan left the hostel too, Rusen and Emily are leaving next wednesday and thursday to do some more travelling, which leaves about 5 people left. All of them working. So daytime is pretty shite at the moment.
I just need another few days work, and ill have the funds to move on. Maurie, the plumber said he might have some landscaping work for me to do next weekend, and the farmer whom I picked the mangos with said hed probably need me for a day or two next week to do another 3 trees worth, which wernt ripe enough yesterday..then my main plan is to "make like a tree, and get the flock out of here (its leave you dumbass! <--Back to the Future)"
So yes. Good times! We'll see what happens. If i dont get work in the next 4 days, then i may even be coming home to sunny england, although i hope not! (no offence guys! :P)
Tuesday 22 March 2011
Saturday 19 March 2011
Phil Pethybridge...
Is a pissed, soppy bastard.
that is all i am going to say.. :P
Happy Stag do motherf***er!
that is all i am going to say.. :P
Happy Stag do motherf***er!
Wednesday 9 March 2011
Soundwave Festival! For those about to RAAAWWWKK!
Which brings me up to last weekend! Which was really really awesome...
I was bloody lucky. Neil had a spare ticket to Soundwave festival in Adelaide, that he wanted to get rid of, so he gave it to me. So i just had to sort out a $37 bus ride, and that was that. So i thought sod it. Ill go. Ive wanted to go to an Australian festival, and its not often you get an $150 ticket for nothing..
It was so much fun. We got there, and some of Neils Aussie mates from Melbourne, who actually lived in Adelaide, invited us to a BBQ, so we went over there, after a few beers in town, and ended up having a great time. The food was excellent, there was more free booze than you could shake a stick at, and they were all such a good group of people. They also let us crash out in the lounge on the sofas, so we didnt even need to pay for a hostel!
So yes, went to bed at 4am, woke up at 9am. Went to this pub, which was owned by one of the girls at the bbq, who were also going to the festival's parents, and had a $5 bacon and eggs. Then went to the festival, which was a rock festival with possibly the worlds best lineup!
I saw Iron Maiden, Queens of the Stoneage, Slash, Primus (Who were outstanding!), Slayer, Monster Magnet, Devil Driver, some of Stone Sour, and Feeder. Pretty damn good!
Less than jake, Mad Caddies, and Third Eye Blind were playing too, but i missed them. Went through the day basically topping myself up on beer (I have no money still. Farmworking sucks for money, although apparantly if i do it again, i want to sign up for vintage at the start of the season, and get 800-1000k a week!), then went back to this rock club, which was pretty cool, although crammed..
A Load of the bands were down there chilling out too, which was good, but i didnt take advantage of it, because Id just ordered a whole Maccy D's family box to myself (I hadnt eaten all day, and was more hungry than id ever been in my life!), managing one and 2/3 of the 2 big macs, a cheeseburger, 6 nuggets, 2 chips, and a two cokes before dying of a heart attack. This made me feel a bit sick for some reason...AND also, seeing as id been up the front for the bands all day, I was so tired. I went back, hit the pillow and thats it. Bam. Gone! Asleep!
So worth it though. I nearly didnt go, because I didnt have the money, but hell. Free Ticket, Free house. It was the cheapest festival id ever been to, and such a good weekend. Adelaide is SUCH a good city!
So yes. the grape harvest here is fecked, so ive lost my job again now, because there arent any grapes for me to stack, so im going to get a few dollars together and get the hell out of dodge i think. Maybe head over to Adelaide to find some farmwork, as the apocalypse hasnt hit there yet! :P
I was bloody lucky. Neil had a spare ticket to Soundwave festival in Adelaide, that he wanted to get rid of, so he gave it to me. So i just had to sort out a $37 bus ride, and that was that. So i thought sod it. Ill go. Ive wanted to go to an Australian festival, and its not often you get an $150 ticket for nothing..
It was so much fun. We got there, and some of Neils Aussie mates from Melbourne, who actually lived in Adelaide, invited us to a BBQ, so we went over there, after a few beers in town, and ended up having a great time. The food was excellent, there was more free booze than you could shake a stick at, and they were all such a good group of people. They also let us crash out in the lounge on the sofas, so we didnt even need to pay for a hostel!
So yes, went to bed at 4am, woke up at 9am. Went to this pub, which was owned by one of the girls at the bbq, who were also going to the festival's parents, and had a $5 bacon and eggs. Then went to the festival, which was a rock festival with possibly the worlds best lineup!
I saw Iron Maiden, Queens of the Stoneage, Slash, Primus (Who were outstanding!), Slayer, Monster Magnet, Devil Driver, some of Stone Sour, and Feeder. Pretty damn good!
Less than jake, Mad Caddies, and Third Eye Blind were playing too, but i missed them. Went through the day basically topping myself up on beer (I have no money still. Farmworking sucks for money, although apparantly if i do it again, i want to sign up for vintage at the start of the season, and get 800-1000k a week!), then went back to this rock club, which was pretty cool, although crammed..
A Load of the bands were down there chilling out too, which was good, but i didnt take advantage of it, because Id just ordered a whole Maccy D's family box to myself (I hadnt eaten all day, and was more hungry than id ever been in my life!), managing one and 2/3 of the 2 big macs, a cheeseburger, 6 nuggets, 2 chips, and a two cokes before dying of a heart attack. This made me feel a bit sick for some reason...AND also, seeing as id been up the front for the bands all day, I was so tired. I went back, hit the pillow and thats it. Bam. Gone! Asleep!
So worth it though. I nearly didnt go, because I didnt have the money, but hell. Free Ticket, Free house. It was the cheapest festival id ever been to, and such a good weekend. Adelaide is SUCH a good city!
So yes. the grape harvest here is fecked, so ive lost my job again now, because there arent any grapes for me to stack, so im going to get a few dollars together and get the hell out of dodge i think. Maybe head over to Adelaide to find some farmwork, as the apocalypse hasnt hit there yet! :P
Dream
Not alots happened. Here there are two things to do. Work and drink. So its all pretty so so on that front. Eveeryones leaving. As of the 3/2/11, Kiwi Matt, (whos actually a proper nice bloke, although still absolutely nuts!) has gone, leaving the place alot quieter, and wholesome. The Two Canadian Jordans have gone, leaving us with one left.
So im going to put up some of my dreams, because they are pretty random here. I think its because the beds are so damn uncomfortable, I cant get into a deep sleep.
They have included:
* Paul Mccartney lived in the hostel toilets, and watched everyone pee. Which was quite disconcerting. I always thought there was something funny about that bloke! :P
* I dreamt that a grandma, or maybe an aunt of great aunt. Noone real anyways, had given me about £2million, but the only way I could claim it was to start a resteraunt just like them. So I did, and it was a huge place, with three massive waterslides. Two that went down the side of the building, with people going stupid speeds down them, and one which started at the top of a big tree, had a right angle turn that people only just made it around, then went away and skimmed them into the sea, past some old hut type building.
* I was living in a house at university, near to a library, with a dodgy wall. There was this really nice woman who was my roommate, but also a really miserable girl down the block, whod been living there the longest, and was sort of in charge. I told her that she wanted to get someone to fix it, but she didnt listen. So i go and get a travel book because im leaving in a month, slam the door, and the entire front wall of this massive building falls down like dominos. At which the miserable woman throws the book at me, and says i have one week to get out, with me protesting that Id TOLD her to get the landlord to sort it! :P
Thats all, from now until last weekend. Had a few barbeques. some of the other residents had a few dramas, had a few beers, and tried to save a bit of money...
So im going to put up some of my dreams, because they are pretty random here. I think its because the beds are so damn uncomfortable, I cant get into a deep sleep.
They have included:
* Paul Mccartney lived in the hostel toilets, and watched everyone pee. Which was quite disconcerting. I always thought there was something funny about that bloke! :P
* I dreamt that a grandma, or maybe an aunt of great aunt. Noone real anyways, had given me about £2million, but the only way I could claim it was to start a resteraunt just like them. So I did, and it was a huge place, with three massive waterslides. Two that went down the side of the building, with people going stupid speeds down them, and one which started at the top of a big tree, had a right angle turn that people only just made it around, then went away and skimmed them into the sea, past some old hut type building.
* I was living in a house at university, near to a library, with a dodgy wall. There was this really nice woman who was my roommate, but also a really miserable girl down the block, whod been living there the longest, and was sort of in charge. I told her that she wanted to get someone to fix it, but she didnt listen. So i go and get a travel book because im leaving in a month, slam the door, and the entire front wall of this massive building falls down like dominos. At which the miserable woman throws the book at me, and says i have one week to get out, with me protesting that Id TOLD her to get the landlord to sort it! :P
Thats all, from now until last weekend. Had a few barbeques. some of the other residents had a few dramas, had a few beers, and tried to save a bit of money...
Barbie in the Hood!
I had a pretty cool barbeque on saturday...Id helped organised it because I was bored, and it was probably one of the peaks of red cliffs. Basically everyone in the hostel put in $15 and that paid for food and beer for EVERYONE!
Everyone in the hostel, and a load of mates mates from Mildura came down, and it was one massive pi..i mean, knees up from start to finish. My memories are a bit hazy...best to check out some of the photos from facebook!
Things I DONT remember are:
* Anything past 10pm
* Anything before 10pm
* How I got up / made it through work the next morning at 4am
* Getting on Big Lizzie, the traction engine, for a picture.
Things I DO remember are:
* Why I dont drink a crate of beer when i have to work the next day.
Isnt hindsight a wonderful thing?
Everyone in the hostel, and a load of mates mates from Mildura came down, and it was one massive pi..i mean, knees up from start to finish. My memories are a bit hazy...best to check out some of the photos from facebook!
Things I DONT remember are:
* Anything past 10pm
* Anything before 10pm
* How I got up / made it through work the next morning at 4am
* Getting on Big Lizzie, the traction engine, for a picture.
Things I DO remember are:
* Why I dont drink a crate of beer when i have to work the next day.
Isnt hindsight a wonderful thing?
It was the night before Australia day....
....and all through the house, everyone was drinking, even the mouse..
Except me. Because I needed to bloody well be up at Four-Sodding-AM! :)
Not a massive amount has happened in the last few weeks. Ive got another job shifting boxes of grapes from 430am. Its not as bad as it sounds, the hardest bit is getting out of bed, although its easier to get up at this time, than it is to get up at 630ish or whatever. In my opinion anyways!
Apart from that I got kept awake by neil and rory drunkenly jumping on me, banging pans the other night because i needed to get Grez out of bed because hed fallen asleep the other night at 3am to get up at 4. Thanks Guys! :P
I got up in the end, and then tried using a REALLY inappropriate german joke as a chatup line, which really didnt work. and that was that!
Except me. Because I needed to bloody well be up at Four-Sodding-AM! :)
Not a massive amount has happened in the last few weeks. Ive got another job shifting boxes of grapes from 430am. Its not as bad as it sounds, the hardest bit is getting out of bed, although its easier to get up at this time, than it is to get up at 630ish or whatever. In my opinion anyways!
Apart from that I got kept awake by neil and rory drunkenly jumping on me, banging pans the other night because i needed to get Grez out of bed because hed fallen asleep the other night at 3am to get up at 4. Thanks Guys! :P
I got up in the end, and then tried using a REALLY inappropriate german joke as a chatup line, which really didnt work. and that was that!
Somewhere over the grapevine....
Its sometime around the 11th or 12th. We've been here a week anyhow!
Ha. We move in, and they put up signs for the guests (Yes, thats plural now!) to keep quiet after 11pm. (The hostel had about 4 people in it for months before we arrive!)
Yesterday was pretty cool. Work got rained off around 1030am, then it continued to hammer it down for the next 12 hours...there were rivers flowing through the town / the celing. In fact, it was so bad, the other hostels celing was about to cave in, or catch alight. so we made a hasty retreat, watching Waynes World, and Team America on DVD.
Its also not common knowledge that the Fire alarms here in Australia arent set off by flames / heat, but actually water. They were going off constantly, so we turned them off at the mains, which worked for 2 hours, then the emergency power kicked in, and they started up again ALL SODDING NIGHT!
Who needs sleep anyways?? :)
Ha. We move in, and they put up signs for the guests (Yes, thats plural now!) to keep quiet after 11pm. (The hostel had about 4 people in it for months before we arrive!)
Yesterday was pretty cool. Work got rained off around 1030am, then it continued to hammer it down for the next 12 hours...there were rivers flowing through the town / the celing. In fact, it was so bad, the other hostels celing was about to cave in, or catch alight. so we made a hasty retreat, watching Waynes World, and Team America on DVD.
Its also not common knowledge that the Fire alarms here in Australia arent set off by flames / heat, but actually water. They were going off constantly, so we turned them off at the mains, which worked for 2 hours, then the emergency power kicked in, and they started up again ALL SODDING NIGHT!
Who needs sleep anyways?? :)
FARM WORKING ACROSS THE UNIVERSE pt2
8/1/11 - Sewing the seeds of love. Well. Actually, pruning the vines of grapes, which is entirely unrelated. But nevermind.
Just a quick update, as I said before, not alot happens here. You can walk from one side of the town to the other in about 5mins. Its well small.
Anyways, we worked the last few days at this farm, pruning grapes. Its easy work, although my hands are covered in blisters from the Secateurs. Getting along okay at it, although the farmer seems to do about 3 rows to every one of our single one. Im sure hes some sort of robot! :)
We've got another few days work next week, then we get our first pay cheque on friday! Woohoo!
It got spent on a $10 box of goon, and then had a few drinks with Neil, Rusen, and this other Irish guy called Rory. We then went over to the other side of town, where another hostel was having a party. It was okay, but we got kicked out by this drunk crazy kiwi guy, so went back to our hostel. Played a few games of pool..
It was quite funny. This Canadian guy from the hostel called Jordagn ended up passing out on the pool table. Ha, then Rusen tried falling asleep, so we MAY have stolen her blanket and pillow, with a VERY pissed neil going 'Come on! Sure you're not going to bed! You're up drinking with the irish!', before promptly passing out on the floor of the room. Then a VERY SOBER me thinking 'Ill just listen to some bruce springstein on the laptop before i go to bed, because im STILL not drunk'. Then waking up 6 hours later with the worst goaonover ever. Sober my A**e! :)
(BRUCE SPRINGSTEIN : RADIO NOWHERE - Offical 2011 Redcliffs Anthem)
Just a quick update, as I said before, not alot happens here. You can walk from one side of the town to the other in about 5mins. Its well small.
Anyways, we worked the last few days at this farm, pruning grapes. Its easy work, although my hands are covered in blisters from the Secateurs. Getting along okay at it, although the farmer seems to do about 3 rows to every one of our single one. Im sure hes some sort of robot! :)
We've got another few days work next week, then we get our first pay cheque on friday! Woohoo!
It got spent on a $10 box of goon, and then had a few drinks with Neil, Rusen, and this other Irish guy called Rory. We then went over to the other side of town, where another hostel was having a party. It was okay, but we got kicked out by this drunk crazy kiwi guy, so went back to our hostel. Played a few games of pool..
It was quite funny. This Canadian guy from the hostel called Jordagn ended up passing out on the pool table. Ha, then Rusen tried falling asleep, so we MAY have stolen her blanket and pillow, with a VERY pissed neil going 'Come on! Sure you're not going to bed! You're up drinking with the irish!', before promptly passing out on the floor of the room. Then a VERY SOBER me thinking 'Ill just listen to some bruce springstein on the laptop before i go to bed, because im STILL not drunk'. Then waking up 6 hours later with the worst goaonover ever. Sober my A**e! :)
(BRUCE SPRINGSTEIN : RADIO NOWHERE - Offical 2011 Redcliffs Anthem)
FARM WORKING ACROSS THE UNIVERSE pt1
Hello! Its been ages since ive done this, apologies to all...im just out in the middle of sodding nowhere, where they havent invented internet yet, and they eat letters. A bit like the Aussie version of the deep south! :P
Anyways, Ive stolen my friends laptop, and am going to bash out everything ive been writing down for the past 2 months, so bare with me!
5/1/2011 - Torn away from melbourne, one hot, sunny, overall pleasant morning on a whim, and a stupid governments insistence that I have to work in an industy thats ravaged by the weather, and entirely unproductive!
The last few entries have been written out by hand, because there is nowhere in this town that has the internet. You dont actually need to know this, but the laptop is being gay, and wont switch off the BOLD type. So im writing this down so as to confuse it. I hate technology.
Ive moved to Red Cliffs, a town of 6000 people 16ks away from Mildura, on the Victoria / NSW border to start some farmwork...
Actually, the journey down was quite random...I book a ticket to go to mildura to get some work out of the way. Well, i nearly do, then my Friend Neil Dalton, who i knew from Habitat HQ in Melbourne rings me up. He'd spent $150 on a ticket to Queensland to do some farmwork (With the apocalypse up there, good bloody job he didnt!), then spent his last day in melbourne utterly wrecked, missed his flight because hed passed out (Elaine, another friend was slapping him pouring cold water on him, banging pans near his head, screaming. Nothing...lol, sound familiar dave? :P I think youve finally found your sleeping twin!). So I get a call, because he knows im heading off to do the farmwork too, and he ends up coming along with me. Whereas 1 hour later, id probably already be on the train...
So anyways, we book this place in Red Cliffs that was recommended by another mate, and head off. Then at the station, we run into our friend Rusen, who is also from Habitat, and had been travelling around Australia, and just randomly happened to be on the Same train, at the same place, in the same carriage (2 seats across from us!) to Mildura...
How f***ing random!
She was supposed to be going somewhere else in Mildura, but the guy didnt show up to give her a lift, and to be honest sounded a bit weird, so she came with us. Which was awesome!
So yes, now we're booked in. The town is REALLY quiet (anyone whos familar with Potton, its like that, but instead of some fairly interesting walks etc around, theres just grapes grapes and more grapes. And instead of a variety of pubs, theres one, which im staying in, and looks like something out of the Shinining. I keep expecting to see a kid on a bicycle running around any moment!
I was lucky with work, and got a job straight away pruning grape vines, with a 630am start. Eek!!
Anyways, Ive stolen my friends laptop, and am going to bash out everything ive been writing down for the past 2 months, so bare with me!
5/1/2011 - Torn away from melbourne, one hot, sunny, overall pleasant morning on a whim, and a stupid governments insistence that I have to work in an industy thats ravaged by the weather, and entirely unproductive!
The last few entries have been written out by hand, because there is nowhere in this town that has the internet. You dont actually need to know this, but the laptop is being gay, and wont switch off the BOLD type. So im writing this down so as to confuse it. I hate technology.
Ive moved to Red Cliffs, a town of 6000 people 16ks away from Mildura, on the Victoria / NSW border to start some farmwork...
Actually, the journey down was quite random...I book a ticket to go to mildura to get some work out of the way. Well, i nearly do, then my Friend Neil Dalton, who i knew from Habitat HQ in Melbourne rings me up. He'd spent $150 on a ticket to Queensland to do some farmwork (With the apocalypse up there, good bloody job he didnt!), then spent his last day in melbourne utterly wrecked, missed his flight because hed passed out (Elaine, another friend was slapping him pouring cold water on him, banging pans near his head, screaming. Nothing...lol, sound familiar dave? :P I think youve finally found your sleeping twin!). So I get a call, because he knows im heading off to do the farmwork too, and he ends up coming along with me. Whereas 1 hour later, id probably already be on the train...
So anyways, we book this place in Red Cliffs that was recommended by another mate, and head off. Then at the station, we run into our friend Rusen, who is also from Habitat, and had been travelling around Australia, and just randomly happened to be on the Same train, at the same place, in the same carriage (2 seats across from us!) to Mildura...
How f***ing random!
She was supposed to be going somewhere else in Mildura, but the guy didnt show up to give her a lift, and to be honest sounded a bit weird, so she came with us. Which was awesome!
So yes, now we're booked in. The town is REALLY quiet (anyone whos familar with Potton, its like that, but instead of some fairly interesting walks etc around, theres just grapes grapes and more grapes. And instead of a variety of pubs, theres one, which im staying in, and looks like something out of the Shinining. I keep expecting to see a kid on a bicycle running around any moment!
I was lucky with work, and got a job straight away pruning grape vines, with a 630am start. Eek!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)