Arriving in Oz

So, the journey to Oz was pretty epic - although I'm sure I frequently sit for over 10 hours straight at home, once you know you have to do it, with limited capability for movement, and no chance of fresh air, it becomes a pretty draining endeavour. Both flights were great really though – I got an aisle seat (sounds pathetic, but I hate being trapped in by other people - it makes me need to wee more, knowing that it’s difficult to do so…stoopid contentious bladder) and a window seat, with an empty seat next to me from Dubai to Perth. I initially had the whole row to myself on the first leg to Dubai, and was envisaging spreading out luxuriously across all 4 seats to sleep at some point, but unfortunately two hefty randomers decided to move from their original seats and take up residence on my row. I pointedly spread out across the seat next to me, and gave them my fiercest tut, but they seemed too thick-skinned (haha) to notice. 

Anyway, now I sound entirely old and cranky and un-p.c, I have to say everything went incredibly smoothly (minus a hilarious chicken/fish swap mishap with the dude next to me from Dubai). Pretty good food, plenty of drinks, quite a lot of sleeping, and so many entertainment options that I didn’t even open any of the books I’d brought :S I watched ‘The Lovely Bones’ which was pretty fantastic – and I don’t usually like adaptations of books that I’ve loved so that's high praise indeed. I also saw ‘Twilight’ (somewhat ashamedly, but bolstered by the idea that technically I wasn’t paying to watch it, so that made it ok) and found myself disturbingly attracted to ‘R.Patz’, and, in fact, so desperate to see the conclusion that I plugged my own headphones after they’d collected the airline ones as we were taxiing down the runway). Having thought about the film out of the brain-addling confines of the plane (though it was a MASSIVE plane – it had an upstairs! I didn’t even know they could do that!) though, I realised not that much actually happened in it, other than Bella’s slow-witted realisation that Edward is a vampire, and the unnecessary risk of everyone’s lives for a glorified high-school fling. Somehow doesn’t stop me wanting to watch the second one some day though…  

When I finally got in to Perth, I studiously filled out an incoming passenger card, detailing the Royal Jelly toiletries that I'd brought and the marmite-coated nuts brought as a typically English gift to my hosts (nuts and bee products apparently need to be declared), then dug them out of my massive holdall (not a simple feat by any means - I ended up strewing a large proportion of the baggage collection area with my underwear), bricking it through customs thanks to my hearty exposure to the severity of the TV programme 'Border Security: Australia's Front Line' in the last few weeks, only to have the woman at customs be entirely dismissive. Foolish gaijin! Still, I suppose better that than be turned away or fined an enormous amount (that and people just going 'yeah, that's fine' wouldn't exactly make compelling TV...). 

When I finally made it out of the Arrivals gate, I was met by Paul who looked significantly thinner than he had in photos/our Skype communications, was wearing a leather jacket, and, it turned out, driving a souped-up boy-racer (mags, tinted windows, spoilers etc)...in short, pretty ludicrous considering he usually ferries 2 small children around in it :D We arrived at the house, I met Cherie, the au pair I was replacing, Christina, and a very cute (but rather snotty) Annie and Michael, unpacked my stuff (including some toys for the kids which were very well-received) and, after watching a short DVD Cherie had made for Christina of some photos/video clips of her time in Oz, and with them  - during which Christina cried, which gave me a bit of schadenfreude, considering she must love the family a lot to feel so strongly for them after only 3 months or so - crashed out, ready to fly to Adelaide the next morning!

Til then!

xx