World Cup 2010 - Go ENGLAND!

I can hardly contain myself, in exactly one month, the World Cup 2010 starts in South Africa. In one month, the hopes of a (beleagued) nation will rest on whether I get all the necessary rituals correct. When I fly, I know the entire safety of the airplane, crew and passengers rests with me concentrating on holding the plane in the air for the entire journey. It's exhausting, but we've always made it. So believe me - it's not the training, the coaching, the match fitness or the players' ability to read the game, it's all down to whether my preparation has been good enough, whether my mental resilliance to will England through to victory is strong enough. And although the responsibility is enormous, "Don't worry boys, I won't let you down".

Whatever team you support (GO INN-GERRR-LAND!) here's where you can find out all about it http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/ as for media coverage, this is my 3rd World Cup here, and it's been pretty good in the past, with just about every game covered either on SBS or one of the commercial channels - for the countdown start looking at http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/ - and start practising honing your 'will to win' (as long as you're supporting England).

Up there with Death and Divorce

We all know that the top five most stressful life experiences are,

• work
• loneliness
• moving house
• debt
• relationship problems.

So moving 'Down Under', to quite literally, the other side of the world has to be right up there in terms of 'strain' (stress is apparently, though widely used, incorrect terminology, gripping stuff eh?) .

Unless you're so laid-back that you're practically comotose - or very 'comfortable', then boy have you just launched yourself into the ultimate stressful situation.

Making the decision to move to Australia and leave the UK probably wasn't made in minutes (unless, ditto above). After finally deciding, yes let's do it, there comes the first big emotional maelstrom - telling family and friends. And it all gathers momentum after than.

Waiting for visas isn't easy. Watching currency exchange rates fluctuate is nail biting. Deciding whether to sell property before you migrate or after a trial period, is fraught with difficulty. Looking at schools, employment, living requirements - even locations - you just end up feeling that nothing is ever easy.

But in the end, you've made it, you're here and after all that, possibly wondering why.

Moving internationally is expensive; you may take a little while to find a job which may add to the stress. Finding somewhere to live can also be hard if you're doing it over the internet and have never physically visited a place. Everyone may feel a little unsettled - all of which can cause arguements leading to even more strain.

Without be really aware of it, I think it took me a full 3 years to adjust to living in Australia permanently. There was the difficulty with finding decent bacon (I know my priorities), it took me 8 months to find a full-time job, and I don't like waves. On the plus side, the sun shines a lot more than it does in England (except those halcyon days of my childhood which appear to have been spent running through verdant green fields for endless summer days. Or was that the Railway Children?), and well, for me (not always being one to have a glass half full), that was it for a long while.

Then suddenly I found I'd gone from Billy-No-Mates to someone who had a great circle of truly lovely friends, a job I enjoyed, working with people I liked, lived in one of the most beautiful places in 'God's Own Country' in a climate that accommodates swimming almost year round in those refreshing waves.

At the risk of making us all want to vomit, iPom aims to get you to the same happy place, to be a Troubadour of Peace and Harmony in your Horizon (vomit now) - well maybe not, but it would be great if we can all help each other along and perhaps have some fun on the way.

The Festival of Public Holidays Continues

One of the wonders of living in Australia is the amount of Public Holidays (I still call 'em Bank Holidays, much to the puzzlement of most Aussies) the Australian's can fit into one year. Starting with Easter, they start coming thick and fast over April, May & June.

According to the Australian Government website which says: Public holidays in Australia are designated on a state and territory basis with the exception of national public holidays such as Australia Day, ANZAC Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day.

Nice to know even State Governments can't change the date of Christmas or New Year's Day to suit themselves!

As we're in Queensland we'll stick to that. So, after Easter's four days off (or at least getting double time), the festival of Public Holidays continues with Labour Day (shouldn't that be non-labour day?) on Monday 4 May.

Labour Day is followed by my particular favourite Public Holiday, The Queen's Birthday on Monday 8 June. Considering that the Queen's Birthday isn't a Public, sorry, Bank Holiday in the UK it amuses me highly that the Aussies are so keen to have a day off to celebrate it. In fact it's been suggested that the referendum on Australia becoming a Republic failed only because the Fore's forgot to mention they'd be swapping the Queen's Birthday Holiday for the President's Birthday Holiday ...

And it doesn't stop there! Thank goodness you chose the Sunshine Coast!

• 29 May, Sunshine Coast Region - the area of the former Caloundra City Council -
  Maleny Annual Show
• 12 June, Sunshine Coast Region - the area of the former Maroochy Shire - Sunshine Coast Annual Show
• 11 September - Sunshine Coast Region - the area of the former Noosa Shire -
  Noosa Country Show

Which can all get a bit confusing if you live in one 'former' place, work in another, and possibly have a child going to school in yet another. i.e if you live in Noosa, work in Caloundra and your child goes to school somewhere in the former Maroochyshire, you've got a lot of organising to do ... as well as the difficulty of choosing which show to visit! Lucky you've got a Public Holiday to help you recover.

If I've confused you - here's some links from the horse's mouth (Australian Government)

http://www.australia.gov.au/topics/australian-facts-and-figures/public-holidays
http://www.wageline.qld.gov.au/publicholidays/index.html

Poms Awaaaaaaaaaay!

Only for the brave, mad or suffering a mid-life crisis. Surely there's a category there to cover everyone. I can personally vouch that the BEST way to see your new 'home' is by jumping out of a perfectly good airplane for Bird's Eye views of the Sunshine Coast and beyond, to quote Buzz Lightyear. A 20-minute or so scenic flight takes you to jump altitude (you can choose which height you jump from - so you can suit your budget) and you see the Glasshouse Mountains, Bribie Island, Moreton Bay to the South, the whole of the Sunshine Coast and as far as Double Island Point to the North ... WOW! Then you jump out of the plane. My tandem skydive was, unexpected shall we say, and not something I would have chosen to do. Left with no choice, I jumped and it was one of the best adventure experiences ever. It's stunning jumping out over the ocean - more serene than you'll ever imagine and just beautiful, beautiful. I was expecting an adrenalin rush after, but better than that, I had a sense of achievement that lasted for a couple of weeks. I literally wanted strangers in supermarkets to ask me what I'd done that day. Nothing much, just jumped out of a plane at 14,000ft ...

I went with Sunshine Coast Skydivers in Caloundra. They offer tandem jumps from 6,000ft, 8,000ft, 12,000ft and 14,000ft. The higher the jump, the longer the freefall, the bigger the buzz. I didn't get my skydive on DVD and I'm gutted, so make sure you do. Check out http://www.jumpscs.com/ or call 07 5437 0211/0418 776 775 / email jump@jumpscs.com - up to three people can take a tandem jump (skydive with an instructor harnessed to you - he's the one who does everything, you just go along for the ride) together and you land on one of Caloundra's lovely beaches. If you're from the other end of the Coast (Noosa way) make a day of it checking out the beaches 'down south'. Just don't forget to shout 'Poms Awaaaaaaaaaay' as you jump ...

Kings Beach is a real jewel for the Sunshine Coast

The other day I recommended a friend take her young son to Caloundra's Kings Beach to enjoy the fantastic water play area, the beautiful literally-on-the-beach swimming pool, and the great facilities they have in general down there in - kids playgrounds, BBQ areas and great beaches - ALL COMPLETELY FREE! Got a text from her later saying 'Thanks for the heads-up on Kings Beach - it's gr8!'. She's been on the Coast for 3 years, but living in Noosa, has never made it down to the 'other' end of the Coast. Will try and post a video so you can see what you're missing.

When Maccas Freezes Over

So here I am sitting in Maccas Coolum using their free wifi to try a make a living. Trouble is they're much better at it than me and I seem to keep popping to the counter to 'warm up'. It's bloody freezing in here. I left England to come to warmer weather and end up with hypothermia in a fastfood joint.
Admittedly I've been here since 8.30am and it's now 3pm but I've been shivering for the last 2 hours. Don't they want my business? Two cappuchinos and a classic chicken meal deal must be helping to pay the rent in these tough times surely? Bugger just added up how much I've spent. Maybe I'll go back to working at home. (Actually thanks Maccas, for your free wifi - but can you come up with some thermal give-aways along the lines of the happy meals?)
Finally, until the pitter patter of tiny feet, I had never set foot in Maccas - but the lure of a covered play area after a week of rain was too much (Maroochydore, Caloundra and Noosaville offer these play areas - possibly others on the Coast do too, but not sure. Coolum definitely doesn't.). Previously I considered Maccas + clearing-of-the-rainforests-to-produce-beef-for-hamburgers = devil incarnate. Time I revisited my ethics ... will do over the next month or so. Will I be for or agin? I'll let you know.