Al & Jo's Blog

The Arrival of Milla Mary

2011-07-17T18:09:00.006+10:00

Back after a paternal break, we are proud to announce to the blogosphere (the facebookiverse is already aware...) the arrival of our darling daughter, Milla Mary McKelvie. Born on 22nd June at a healthy 7lbs 8oz by cesarean delivery. She has turned our worlds upside doon and we couldn't be happier. A recent picture of the little one in a wistful moment:

Many have asked us the inspiration of the name, Milla. Well I can reveal that it is of American Indian name meaning 'the little one who smells of milk'. The accuracy of our foresight is quite astonishing as everything in the hoose now smells lactic. My shoulder will now be constantly furnished with either the bairn or her signature dribble :)

We've been coping with the lack of sleep and constant requirement to do things pretty well, thanks to our friends and family. My folks have been over from Aberdeen for a couple of weeks and it has been great for them to spend some time with Milla and it gives us a break too. Its fantastic for me to see them too of course. Jo's family have been helping too with her mum Mary staying for a couple of weeks around the birth being a godsend to us with all her knowledge and hard work.

Thanks to everyone reading who sent us cards and gifts, we have been overwhelmed by your generosity. We feel very lucky to have so many friends and family supporting us.

So the birth was a bit of a whirlwind as we found out a few days after Milla was due that the little rascal was lying in breech position, so a cesarean was planned for the next day and our emotional journey began. I was excited throughout and only just before surgery did i begin to get nervous and a tiny bit scared, but the staff in the surgery at the Mercy Hospital for Women in Heidelberg were fantastic in making us feel at ease and helping us to enjoy the experience. Jo was an absolute star throughout, taking everything in her stride and gracefully stepping into motherhood with customary aplomb. I am a lucky guy to have two such beautiful girls in my life. Although I have since discovered that Jo has some way to go if she is to become a wardrobe adviser to infants. Many a day i unwrap the little duchess only to discover she is wearing purple socks beneath her green outfit. I mean I'm no Alexander McQueen but...

So it was Mummy's birthday a couple of weeks ago and to mark the occasion, last night my folks looked after Milla whilst Jo and I went out for some tucker. It was an opportunity to catch up on our 'us' time which was great, and whilst we missed Milla the evening also gave Jo the chance to have her first sample of alcohol in almost a year - and I could tell by the way she was looking at me that the light beer made her a wee bit giddy.

This was Jo just before she took her coat off... :) Happy birthday darling!

Well a test lies ahead for me this week as I return to work. On a bed of nae sleep I shall attempt to do what millions of fathers have done before me and pretend to be just as sharp and hardworking as ever whilst sitting at my desk with fake open eyes and an invisible muzzle to silence my snores. But seriously, I guess it's more of a challenge for Jo being left to her own devices without my stellar work in nursing a cute yet impatient baby to sleep. Thankfully we still have great support from our families, with Mary helping out and one of our favourite residents of Bendigo (I would say the favourite but I couldnt choose between her and the newly Bendigo situated Jan!) Lisa coming down tomorrow promising to cook us all a feast! Cannae wait.

Right well i think i hear a belly rumbling in the distance, so one of my darling girls must need fed. I'll bid you farewell for now and hope that it is not so long next time between blogs. But then i always say that and quite frankly I ain't making any promises.

Love you all

From Al, from Jo and from the magnificent little Duchess who smells faintly of milk

x

Its the 10th March!

2011-03-10T21:06:00.007+11:00

I couldn't think of a title so that will have to do.

As Jo mentioned in the last blog, we are expecting a wee bairn in a few months. Its great news indeed, we are very excited about having a family and I reckon Jo's going to be a fantastic mother if the way she's been looking after me this week is anything to go by (I've been struck down by a virus). People who know us will be aware that we are quite cautious and reserved people (certain exceptions exist of course, I did once lip sync to Phil Collins' You Can't Hurry Love in front of hundreds of strangers in a vest, and Jo did once ride down Collins St on the back of a motorbike in a bikini...*) and we want to remain fairly humble about it all until the safe arrival of McKelvie Jnr, so Jo didn't want me to post a picture of her bump (even though I'd like to show her off and think that she shines like a beaming siren in her expectant state), so here's a compromise darling in the form of an illegible tiny pic:

We're in the name picking and nesting phase, it's all great experience and we're enjoying the ride (mostly :) although it can be tricky when you don't agree on everything. We're just glad everything has gone to plan and I'm touching wood as i type. Wood as in the material wood...

So in other news, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary on Sunday which gave us an opportunity to reflect on a fantastic first year being Mr & Mrs McKelvie. From the topsy turvy wedding day that seen us and our guests witness the worst hailstorm in Melbourne for over 50years and me being trapped in the city yet which ended as the wonderful celebration we'd hoped, to the great honeymoon we had in the shadow of a tropical cyclone but which is full of great memories, to getting used to wearing a ring for the first time in my life and feeling a wee tinge of pride every time I seen Mrs J McKelvie on letters and cards that tickled me under the chin. Still feelin' lucky!

I've been ill this week, worst I've felt in years. But thankfully today I'm beginning to feel better and should be feeling right as rain after the weekend recovering. I've lost a couple of kilos but I'm sure my fearsome appetite will return soon. Jo has been a great to me throughout, like a modern day Florence Nightingale but better looking and pregnant. With the couple of kilos i've lost and the week-old stubble I look a bit like Tom Green:

Ah well, maybe not. So Melbourne's weather has been a bit mental this summer, the wettest on record. I'm sure you'll all have seen the floods over in Queensland and perhaps those that affected Victoria too. It's been said many times, but this really is a country of extremes. It's a resilient country though, and its people are that in bucketloads. We're into Autumn now, so temps are dipping a bit. But one other thing that Autumn brings is the start of the AFL season, greatly anticipated and this season in particular we've started a SuperCoach league at the work. It looks a bit like hard work but my team 'Frontal Pressure' have big aims...

One other thing which has made a return to our screens this week, which Jo and I are very excited about is Prisoner Cell Block H - I only found out today that it was just called 'Prisoner' here - only in the UK was the Cell Block H added due to a legal challenge. I also found out there are a total of 692 episodes. Interesting eh. Ahem. Anyhoo, this is one thing that Jo and I found we had in common from very early in our relationship, we both loved watching the show when we were younger. So needless to say we're delighted its back on tv. TV gold. Just yesterday Bea Smith got released and spent two days living it up on the money she'd saved whilst serving ten years inside, then looked up her husband who'd shacked up with some other floosy and promptly shot him dead with a pistol that can only be described as a toy gun. So now she's back where she belongs and challenging Frankie Doyle for the top dog spot. Sparks will fly.

Speaking of sparks, the media over here have gone daft over Wills and Kate. I wish them well, but the hoo-haa that follows their every move is clearly ridiculous. Did i mention I'm following Charlie Sheen?

Right, well I better get some more rest. Its been nice talking to you's.

Jo's eating some Ice Magic. Choice.

Al x

*I made the bikini motorbike thing up, for a laugh. I might pay for it shortly but I'm still laughing.

2011-03-06T20:28:00.002+11:00

4 months since our last blog....thats a bit neglectful!

ok, so we had Christmas in Swan Hill and we both came back with sunburn despite wearing sun block! In fact, I can still see a faint line from that sunburn on my upper chest. New Years was spent in Daylsford, a little town about an hour out of Melbourne. Al had a sample of some water from a deep spring there and thankfully didn't lose the plot. Since then, we have been back to work and have watched January and February absolutely zoom by.

Our most important development has been "the bump" which is growing and growing happily :) So far all has been fantastic (and knock on wood it continues). 3 of our weekends in April are already booked up with workshops and classes which we are looking forward to (well that's what Al says anyway :p). Still a few months to go yet and we absolutely can not wait!

Well have to sign off now, Al is sick and Im being ordered, I mean, asked to get him a cup of tea. More posts to come soon!

x

The race that stops the nation

2010-11-02T16:18:00.002+11:00

A big congratulations to Al who managed to back the winner of this years Melbourne Cup, with Americain taking out the big race.

Unfortunately my horses didn't gain a place :( Oh well, Al's money is my money etc etc... I think that's the way it goes when I don't win :)

Lisbon - Overseas trip part 3

2010-11-02T13:53:00.009+11:00

From Madrid we travelled to Lisbon, Portugal where we would stay for 6 days. The point of the trip was really for a work conference, but we made sure plenty of sight seeing was included.

The weather was perfect, being in the mid to high 20s degrees. The first thing I can say about Lisbon was that everywhere I turned there was a photo opportunity. The coloured and tiled buildings were stunning. I wondered whether tiled buildings in Melbourne would have lasted the test of time (i.e. not being vandalised) like they had in Lisbon. The majority of people in Lisbon were tanned and thin. Al even started to get attracted to the grannies which was quite concerning. Initially I was confused about the weight of the portugese there, given the sweet food which included a lot of pastry. It wasnt long until I realised why they were thin however....there are many hills! Every pathway was coble stoned which helped set the scene of this old town.

Of course I have to mention the famous Portugese custard tarts. All of the raving and positive reviews are 100% accurate. I think the selling point to these tarts is the crisp pastry contrasting against the soft, mooshy custard. We managed to locate the famous Bakery in Belem which sells a range of baked goods along with Super Bock portugese beer. I mean....can you beat a bakery that not only sells the most beautiful tarts but really nice beer to wash it down with. Whilst in Balem we went to visit the Tor de Belem which is a military, castle like tower used back in the day to look out for incoming ships. It was one of the very few structures to survive the earthquake that hit Lisbon in 1755 in which the city collapsed. We also saw the Jeronimo which is an extremely old monastery. We tried to visit the Sao Jorge castle but got lost along the way among the little laneways. We did manage to stumble across a little outside cafe lookout which sold beer so we decided to stop there for a while and simply admire the castle from afar.

On the last night of our stay we managed to get into an old style Lisbon restaurant who had three Fado singers on that night. This was definitely a highlight for us. The food was fantastic, the singing was touching and emotive and the company (new friends we met over there) really enjoyable. Whilst walking along the cafe/restaurant district, known as, Alto Barrio, it was unique to see the tables out on the street located under laundry hung out by those living above the restaurants. Nothing like eating some paella with some jeans drying over your head :p

Our trip to Lisbon really was memorable and Im so glad I got the opportunity to go (thanks to work :) ). I would highly recommend a visit to this fantastic city!

Madrid - Overseas trip Part 2

2010-10-02T11:23:00.010+10:00

Following our stay in Kuala Lumpur we ventured to Madrid. This was an extremely short, overnight stop though on route to Lisbon, however we still appreciated our glimpse of this city.

Walking around Madrid, we noted that there were many many little laneways which one could so easily get lost among. Even photographic memory map reading Allan managed to lose his bearings. My expectation of Madrid was that it would be somewhat commercialised with big name brand stores everywhere, but really, it mainly comprised of cafes and bars and a strong sense of socialising. From simply walking around, there is so much going on, one highlight being a puppet show on the street which drew a crowd of about 50 people.

Even into the late hours there were so many people out on the streets mixing, eating and enjoying themselves. I can completely understand why the spanish have siestas during the day between 1-3pm now. Oddly enough, there also appeared to be a lot of people with dogs in Madrid....

Al, who loves sampling different meats was so excited about the many Jamon cafes (or should I say "museums"). To top this off, the typical breakfast comprises churros and chocolate (or coffee). How do the spanish keep their figures...oh yeah, getting lost in the laneways and having to walk further to their destination.

Even though our visit was extremely short, we will remember Madrid fondly. The city has so much to offer, a lot of which we didnt have the time to see and experience but hopefully we will manage a return trip one day.

Kuala Lumpur 2010 (Overseas trip 2010 Part 1)

2010-09-29T22:27:00.009+10:00

First stop of our recent overseas trip was Kuala Lumpur. We stayed here with our friends Claire and Kenny for two days (one night). This was the first time that I have walked off a plane to be greeted by a driver who was holding a card up with our name (...it was our name right Claire? :p).

Our first trip to Malaysia was great and really quite informative. Apart from visiting our friends, the highlight would have to have been seeing the Petronas towers which looked stunning, especially at night. However, to see these towers at night was not an easy task. The best viewing point is from a highrise bar across from the towers. This wasnt any ol'bar, this was a bar with a large swimming pool in the middle of it! To get to the viewing point we had to walk about 10 metres along an approx 70cm walkway with one side pool and the other side edging....can I also mention the "high heel factor" please!! Interestingly the story is that people dont seem to fall in this large pool. I have never focused so hard whilst walking in my life!! In any case, the view of the towers was absolutely worth it, they were stunning.

The weather is quite warm in "KL" and also quite rainy at times. Al and I thought we would take advantage of the pool at the end of the street from Claires house. Shortly after arriving we got caught in a sudden down pour (not like us hey) and were stranded there for about 10mins in the undercover toilet area. During this time, Al thought he would make use of the facilites but quickly changed his mind...wonder why :p

Our stay in KL was very short, but in this short time we had a great time and hope we can make it back again some day to see our friends again and experience some more of the Malaysian culture.

Next stop...Madrid and Lisbon...

Sydney City to Surf - The biggest fun run in the world!

2010-08-10T20:14:00.008+10:00

Thats right, the Sydney City to Surf is the biggest fun run in the world with approximately 80,000 people turning up to run the 14kms from Sydney CBD to Bondi Beach. http://city2surf.sunherald.com.au/

This fact begins our new blog entry because Al has just participated in this event with other work colleagues and performed superbly. Dodging people left, right and centre, Al ran this distance in approximately 77mins, just over 5min km's! Now being someone who has only ever cracked the 5min km over a 5km distance max, I am pretty impressed by his efforts. Perhaps I will train and join in next year.

In other news, it is just over one month until we leave for our overseas trip. We will be visiting Kuala Lumper for two days, then Madrid for one day, followed by Lisbon for one week and then Aberdeen for another week. We are very excited! I hear the Custard Tarts in Lisbon are a must. Al is also keen to visit some soccer stadiums. I hope these soccer stadiums don't have seagulls the size of infants like Aberdeen does! Quite scary! The weekend prior to overseas we will be off to Adelaide, South Australia. I will be attending a conference while Al does some sight seeing and touristy stuff. Nice place, but the Barossa will have to wait for another. Can't rush one of Australia's finest wine regions.

x

Duck Creek Races - The horse race with no horses

2010-07-06T18:24:00.009+10:00

Has it really been a few months since our last post? Time is flying!

We are back to reality, just as a married couple now :) Both Al and I have been extremely busy with work....ok, not a good enough reason for neglecting our blog.

What is this "Duck Creek Races" title I hear you ask. Well, this is a horse race held in (or possibly just outside of) a remote New South Wales country town called Nyngan. This also happens to be where Al's work staff party was being held this year. Last Saturday morning we dragged ourselves out of bed at 3:30am to catch a 6am flight from Melbourne to Sydney, followed by a flight to Dubbo, followed by a two hour drive to Nyngan. We then went on to meet up with Al's work colleagues at the races. We soon learnt that due to a few drops of rain and a nervous Nyngan council, the horses had been cancelled. The party at the track however was continuing.

We arrived with many people giggling at Al and his colleague (who is also named Al). Perhaps this was because they were both wearing a beak and duck tail to fit in with "Duck Creek". This attracted the attention of the local Nyngan newspaper reporter who came over with her camera to take a photo of the Al duo. She was particularly delighted to hear that they were from Scotland and Switzerland respectively as this meant that Duck Creek races attracts an international crowd :) Very funny. So, Al is waiting with eager anticipation to see himself in the Nyngan Times...Gazette...Observer...whatever it is called :)

From here, the Als' popularity grew and they were soon approached by the "fashion talent spotters" and asked to join the 'Fashion on the Field Best dressed Gent' competition. Walking the catwalk (or perhaps the hay bales covered with cloth), Al struck many a pose. However, in a tight competition, victory was not to be his.

The party kicked on with a band playing in the back of a truck trailer and a man dressed as a duck riding around on a horse :)
The next day, we left Nyngan and came home (quite tired). Al is already preparing for next years fashion competition with high hopes of taking the title. Here's hoping that next time, we have some horse races to bet on too :)

Honeymoon Part 2

2010-04-24T15:31:00.008+10:00

....so our options for leaving the Whitsundays due to the approaching cyclone was to fly back to Melbourne, to Sydney or to Brisbane. Our schedule had us travelling to the Gold Coast in a few days so Brisbane....sorry....BrisVegas seemed like the best option. So, we manage to get a flight out to, almost missed the flight though due to the boat ride back from Hayman Island involving going over 1.5m waves thus delaying the trip.

Arriving in Brisbane came with a huge relief that we were now out of the path of the cyclone and wouldn't have to be checking government websites every two hours. The first day in BrisVegas we travelled out to Australia Zoo, home of the Crocodile Hunter. This was a great experience, it really was a far better Zoo than I expected and it is still growing with some very exciting plans for a cheetah run and other animal enclosures. We went and saw a croc show in the Crocoseum which was fantastic. The experience did come with a tinge of sadness though with the loss of Steve Irwin and his images everywhere, however it also made you proud of what he had accomplished for the preservation of wildlife and awareness of improving the environment.

After Australia Zoo we ventured down the highway to the Ettamogah Pub and then to the Big Pineapple :) Yes, it was big. Nae much else to see there though. Two more days spent in Brisbane just looking around the city and then we trained it the Gold Coast.

I don't think the Gold Coast has changed all that much in the last decade, actually, maybe the last 20yrs :) It is very touristy with the tacky little souvenir shops everywhere and people standing in front of their shop asking if you want a free scratchy. You see, when you take a free scratchy the odds of you winning is oh about 100%. But the fine line says that in order to claim your prize you need to go to some sort of customer service gathering but after a few hours you will get your prize and "no other strings attached". We were wise to this and declined every scratchy offer which was almost every 10 minutes. That aside, the beach is beautiful there and never ending. It also has the theme parks which are fun. We went to Movie World and Sea World. Al enjoyed capturing a photograph with Marilyn Monroe and we both enjoyed some of the rides. Sea World also had their new Polar Bear display which was really worth the visit.

Whilst at the Gold Coast we decided to take a trip to Tamborine Mountain, which is approximately an hour away. So we booked it ahead of time which came with bus transfer where we were to be picked up at around 8am. It wasnt exactly a wise decision of Al and I to have quite a few drinks the night before and be feeling a little under the weather the next morning whilst being taken in a small bus up the winding roads of a mountain. When we arrived we were moved on to an extremely old tram looking bus which rattled and shook. We thought we were going to have a "get on, get off" service but due to the small numbers they made us all travel together to each site. As beautiful as the mountain was, there is nothing worse than being on a sky walk in warm weather when you are feeling quite hung over.

Even though the honeymoon came with a cyclone, not the best weather and a change in location, we look back on it fondly as it was these things which provide the stories which we will be telling in our future. Over time I might spice it up a tad more, perhaps adding a hurricane in, boat travel over 5 metre waves, and a shark attack. In any case we were also really happy to arrive home in Melbourne and get back to some normality. It was a crazy and very busy few months with the wedding preparations, the wedding and the honeymoon but it was all worth it!

we are still planning a 2nd honeymoon though. Perhaps somewhere where cyclones are not prevalent :)

x the Kelvs

Honeymoon - Hamilton Island

2010-03-27T21:41:00.005+11:00

After uniting in a spot of holy matrimony, Jo and I went on honeymoon. We selected Queensland as an ideal place to unwind, bask in sunshine and maybe partake in a bit of snorkelling. We figured that the beauty and luxury of the Whitsunday islands would be a perfect way to facilitate this after a quite mental few weeks of wedding prep and run through.

Enter Ului stage right.

Yep, not only did we have the worst hail storm in 50 years to deal with on our wedding day, but we also had a tropical cyclone hit our honeymoon. And it had a daft name. I've never met anyone called Ului.

Still, we were on holiday and not at work so all was well. We didn't have great weather for the first week on Hamilton Island so we couldn't sunbathe and the snorkelling was cancelled, oh yeah and the seafood restaurant we had been looking forward to dining in every night was closed for refurbishment, but as always the missus and I managed to amuse ourselves. We hired a golf buggy and hooned round the island, went on a bushwalk, tried out the golf driving range and shooting range, drank wine and beer, played the pokies and ate like ponies.

Enjoying some rare sunshine and the novel vehicles. Oh and I was pretty happy that I didn't kill anyone whilst firing some heavy guns.

So onto Hayman, which is an expensive but wonderfully luxurious resort. The room was a cracker, it had two showers, one of which was in the little private garden. By this time we were checking the forecast regularly as Ului was on the horizon and predicted to head straight for us. It was category 5 which is the highest strength and although it was likely to reduce strength as it made landfall we were pretty sure the weather was going to be rubbish regardless of whether it hit or not. So after just one night we decided to leave the island disappointed but safe and vowing to come back one day.

We ended up in Brisbane for the weekend, which was good. More on this to come...

Mr and Mrs McKelvie

2010-03-27T21:13:00.004+11:00

I now write these blog entries as a married woman!! Yay!! Our wedding on 6th March 2010 is full of many fabulous memories, some planned and some unplanned.

The day started off as a clear, sunny, beautiful morning. Everything and everyone was coming together fantastically. The florist was great, hairdressers and make-up was fun, dresses, jewelery, everything organised. Al was in the city with his groomsmen at his parents apartment getting dressed. The photographer called in on Al first to take some preparation photos and would follow with dropping into our house approximately one hour before the ceremony where I and the bridesmaids would get photos taken.

At approximately 3:30pm, one hour before the scheduled ceremony the weather did a back flip and turned ugly. Without much hint of what was to come, it began pouring with rain. Now, having lived in Melbourne for almost 15 yrs I have come to know what to expect of the weather here. Rain here usually lasts ten minutes or so and then stops, its very patchy. But this was something else. The drenching rain turned into a freak storm throwing hail stones the size of marbles/golf balls down.

So, the photographer was running a bit behind in arriving to my house. I was thinking "oh well, a bit of rain, thats OK, he will arrive at some point and the ceremony will be inside so all is fine". Little did I know (thanks to my bridesmaids taking secret calls to others at the ceremony location and to Al in the city and not telling me about the disruptions) that this was a little more than some rain. The storm caused serious flooding which was preventing Al from getting out of the city. It wasn't until the photographer rang me to say "ah, their are cars floating around the city and I am having difficulty driving" followed by a call from the MC saying "the boys are stuck in the city and they cant take public transport because it has shut down" that I learnt of what was happening.

After 2 hours, Al finally managed to get his hire car (thankfully there was a car hire place right next door to them) through the streets and to the ceremony/reception location. I got the call to leave (being only a ten minute drive away) to come. Although there was some shock on hearing the news that the guys were stuck in the city due to flooding, that there was a two hour delay and that the reception centre had to move the ceremony inside onto the dance floor (yes, you read correctly, we had to get married on the dance floor...."its marriage on the dance floor"..lala) I have to say, we were not upset (as some bridezillas would be), we were just so happy that everyone made it safely and we could now get the show on the road. I think some pre-ceremony champagne helped with these feelings too :p

We had such a fantastic time and it is true what they say, the day/night goes by so quickly. All of the planning was certainly worth it. There was a lot of dancing which was great. The Scottish tunes and jigs went down a treat and we are so happy that so many of Al's family members could make it over from Scotland to attend.

So, despite the unexpected weather interruptions, it was a very happy occasion for both of us.

Signed Jo & Al McKelvie :)

New hoose and new year...and....spiders!!!!

2010-01-01T23:06:00.015+11:00

Well, we are settled into our hoose in Aberdeen street now, yay! The extra space is fantastic and we are both really enjoying living here. However, an older style hoose with gardens and trees brings about spiders and other "things". Ive been living in the city for 14 yrs now and previously in relatively new apartments, so I think my old country girl management style with spiders has gone out the window. Al saw his first huntsman in our little garden shed the other day which I think he got a thrill out of (versus my panic attack!). We also have a largish possum with back-pack baby roaming our garden at night which is nice :)

OOOHHH MMYYY GOOODDD....just as I typed the last paragraph a king kong size spider walked across our lounge roof...eewwwwwwww. It had the appearance of the Aussie white tail spider which is not a nice spider at all. Ok, so I just ran away while fiercely instructing Al to rid of it. Al, to my surprise was very excited about it all and documented the whole thing via photos. Surface spray is certainly coming out tonight...yuuuuucccckkkkkkkk.

ok, breath Jo...breath...("Al, stop dissecting the dead spider and put it in the bin!!!")

(Jo continues to type while hyperventilating) Santa recently popped by for a visit. This was Al and my first Christmas alone together at home. We went to a little french style restaurant for lunch which was really nice and had a quiet-ish day. We also had a quiet NYE to bring in 2010, going out to a really nice Italian restaurant with some friends.

Wedding plans continue. January is going to be a very busy month. We have both set our hens / bucks dates which will be fun. Something tells me the next 2mths are going to fly by.

right, better leave the blog now. Al is spraying surface spray everywhere and I think I might suffocate if I don't leave for fresh air.

until next blog, stay safe

x Jo and Al

Cruising with some Little Creatures in Perth, now back to Aberdeen

2009-12-09T21:54:00.006+11:00

We are not long back from a week in Perth. I was up there for a work conference however we arrived a couple of days earlier to have a little break. We started our trip with a boat ride over to Fremantle. Such a nice little place, in fact I think it has more to offer in terms of food and wine than Perth (of course Im not including the Margaret River which is a few hours away). Whilst in Fremantle we went over to the Little Creatures Brewery which was quite good. Good beer, good food, great views topped off with nice warm weather, what more could you want?

Back in Perth we visited Cottesloe beach which was really nice and also took a day trip out to the Swan Valley. I was expecting "the valley" to be similar to the Yarra Valley in Vic with largish wineries and show rooms however it was more like the odd brick house with a sign in front calling it a winery. There was even one place with a sign out front offering cheese tasting, so we were curious and drove down the drive way out to the back. When we got out back and saw a dirty old garage and a clothes line which was hosting underwear, we decided to give it a miss and drive on. We did however come across the "Feral Brewery" which was pretty cool and sampled a beer tasting tray. One of the beers was over 10% alcohol and smelt like Tequila crossed with Vodka. I had one sip and nearly fell off the seat :) I didnt mind the "Feral cow" and "Hopp Hog" beers though, however I find it hard to beat a Pilsner. We also dropped into another winery which gave away nougat samples. That was pretty cool, however apparently I am bad for eating a stack of nougat and then wanting wine. Clearly he was unaware that I just had a "feral cow", "hopp hog" and a drink that could make you slip into a coma if consumed too fast. Im not exactly going to be fussy.

A night or two later, we were invited out for a cruise on a big sail boat in Fremantle. We were given a free 3hr cruise, alcohol and food because they were friends of a friend :) That was the first time I had been sailing and it was a great experience. We sailed past the Steve Irwin boat which has just left fremantle to defend whales against the so-called researching Japanese. Good luck guys!

Apart from the tourist stuff, the week in Perth began with a phone call from our real estate agent informing us that our landlord had sold our apartment and we had 6 weeks to vacate. Just the way you want to start a holiday! Thankfully, with the heads-up on the situation a few weeks earlier, and our fine negotiating skills, we managed to submit and have approved, an application for a little single-front Victorian house not too far away from where we currently live. Ok, are you ready for the eerie side of this story? The house is on Aberdeen street, Als former city of residence in Scotland!! Further, we were asked to move into the property this friday which happens to be our anniversary...ahhh...lovey dovey :)

Well I think I have brought you up to date. next blog will be from our new residence.

stay safe

x Jo and Al

Shocking Crime Scene at Melbourne Cup

2009-11-03T19:54:00.005+11:00

Melbourne Cup day today, hoorah! Even if one does not care much for the races, they have to appreciate the fact we are given a day off because of a horse race, gotta love Australia. Debate has now arisen about having a day off prior to the AFL grand final, which I fully support :p It was a good day at the track for Al and I. For the first time in my life I backed the winner of the cup, which as shocking as that is, the horse is actually called "Shocking", so it all fits. Al supported a horse by the name of "Crime Scene" which came in second and as an outsider, paid quite well. Good day at the track, cant ask for much better than that.

Wedding plans are coming along.....never ending.... Just over 4 months until the big day and the anticipated honeymoon at the Whitsundays. We cant wait! I am taking all of March off, I like the way that sounds :)

3 weeks until Al and I are off to Perth. We are having two days there to ourselves before my conference starts. It is likely to be hot so a visit to some of the beautiful beaches over there may be warranted. We are also likely to go to Fremantle also but unfortunately wont have time to go to the Margaret River which is a place we both really want to visit at some stage (um...major winery region of Australia...need I say anymore).

I don't think we have any other news to report at this stage so I will leave it here. We hope you are all well!

x Jo and Al

Ooh Betty, I've sprained me Prince Albert

2009-10-05T20:48:00.014+11:00

by Allan McKelvie

Did I ever tell you I worked on a building site in Germany? Well I did, briefly. I was a puny 19 yr old at the time and I was lumping slabs of concrete round the construction site for a new mall in Troisdorf. Me and a couple of my mates had been asked by a bloke down the irish pub to help out and promised us a good wage.

Needless to say we didn't get paid for it. Granted it was only for about a week but all I got out of it was strained forearms and a bit of auf wiedersehen pet banter. Looking back it is mighty funny. A real Frank Spencer moment.

The reason I tell this tale is I just saw a builder's arse on tv, we're watching Sarah Beeny's Property Ladder program. A couple have bought a derelict railway station in Devon and the market has just crashed. Bad luck, but they have bad taste and a bad attitude so sympathy is in short supply from my end.

Anyhoo, the news. Nae much, although we've booked a few days in Perth at the end of Nov, which will be smashing. Jo is presenting at a conference over there and I, as is customary, am heading over under the ruse of supplying moral support whilst in reality it's any old excuse for a bit of travel. Perth's nice too.

My wee mammy has had an operation on her foot and has been recovering at home with the help of my old man, who I am told has become a real whizz around the house. How times change, gone are the days where he burnt the salad and put a crease in the jeans. Well done big Alistair. And get well soon Maw.

Much like my beloved sister's recent foray into athletics, I've started a new exercise regime, which is basically getting back to running. And i've found a way to do it regularly, which is to go at lunchtime. I'm into my third week and my times are improving. I run 6km round the grand prix circuit at Albert Park lake.

Albert Park Lake: I took this whilst running

There are a load of black swans on the lake, and just last week I seen they all suddenly have had cygnets. Its as though there is one night a year where they get busy with the old swan shuffle, and hey presto, everyone's kids are born on the same day. The lake is lovely and its a nice break to the day. Hopefully by the time the wedding comes round I'll have a body like Sly Stallone.

We've been watching the Bourne trilogy, I wasnt a big fan of Matt Damon beforehand but he is quality as JB. I like the fact that its set in a lot of non-American locations, thats always a good thing in my opinion. I look forward to the fourth one coming out.

So those snails came back, would you believe. Well, not the exact same ones as I pretty much crushed them with my bare hands and threw them in my soup. But their identical cousins moved in so we are going to have to take evasive action. Maybe put a scarecrow up or something.

The Spring Carnival has started here, which is about 2 months of seemingly world class racing, the highlight of which is the Melbourne Cup. We are hoping to head along at some point, I've still never been to the gee-gees and whilst I don't like the idea of horses being spanked senseless for the sake of filling my hip pocket I'm willing to put up with it as long as I win...

As you can tell, tonight I've just opened up my tiny brain and let thoughts trickle through my fingers onto the page without any real structure. But I'm drying up now, so let me bid you farewell. We'll be back sooner than you know it.

The lovely Jo says g'day roos. I say fit like min.

Laters

Al & Jo x

Cake, Cats and Conferences

2009-09-27T18:17:00.004+10:00

by Jo Spong

Well, I think you would agree that we are getting better with keeping our blog updates more regular.

Lets start with an update on our wedding organisations. As evident by the title, we recently selected our wedding cake. This was a fun task given the large proportion of samples available and absolute yum range of flavours. Despite selecting our cake flavours quite early, Al and I pretended to be unsure and thus need more convincing by further sampling :p Now I cant wait until we do the menu sampling in January...mmmm food and wine everywhere :) The bridesmaid and flower girl dresses have also been decided upon and we have made the decision to have a Whitsundays honeymoon which will soon be booked. I just have to decide whether to take 3 or 4 weeks off work, all of March 2010 off is looking likely...ah, its a hard life :) So, the plans are coming along well.

Yesterday we had the Aussie rules grand final which was fought out between St Kilda saints and Geelong Cats. Despite being a Collingwood Magpies fan and thus I shouldn't be too bothered by who wins, I was hoping to see the saints come out with the win. It wasn't to be with Geelong winning by 14 points. Al and I watched the game at a pub in Richmond, not too far from the MCG where all the action was taking place. The atmosphere was quite good, which was different from the week before when a rather large woman decided to tell a drunk collingwood fan to stop yelling at the screen because the umpires couldn't hear him. Um....not a good idea to yell at a drunk collingwood fan when they are losing. He decided to turn his attention to yelling at her!

Work wise we are both very busy. My project kicks off in one week, so its busy times ahead. Al is busy fixing contracts and the like, you know, generally taking over the world and all of that. We just booked our flights to go to Perth at the end of November where I will have another conference to present at. Should be fun and quite warm over that way at that time of year.

Other than that, all is going well. We hope you are all well!

x Jo and Al

A Gallic Lunch and a Ceremonial Triumph

2009-09-12T12:34:00.012+10:00

by Allan McKelvie

Two blogs in a fortnight surely signifies our return to form on the blogsphere. Hurrah.

Jo and I are fresh from my Swinburne award ceremony on Thursday night, where I picked up the Oscar for most outstanding student in the Master of Technology (Information Technology). Recognition like this is a reminder that its all worthwhile. As most of you will know I live for moments like these, when my existence in the elite of this dangerous, cut-throat world is justified and the cameras are on me 24/7... Hiya!!

Jo looked amazing on my arm, wearing Lagerfeld and dripping with jewells, whilst I wore a modest but charming single breasted number from my 'are you being served' suppliers on Bridge Road. Life in the fastlane is seemingly like second nature to us and I cant wait for the next call from my agent so we can light up the mediocre.

Just to prove all the above is total nonsense (apart from Jo looking amazing), I was swiftly back down to earth on inspecting our winter-neglected herb garden today. The watering can seemed to be blocked up a little, and on closer scrutiny I noticed a shower of snails living it up inside. This was just the tip of the iceberg, pardon the snail diet pun, as on inspecting our oregano plant I found it had been inundated with more shells than brighton beach. Little slimey bastards.

So enough about my lunch... The vermin are no more. I 'took care of it' and suffice to say the only slippery liquid on our balcony from now on will be the froth from my ice cold stubbies.

The weather is picking up, I do love spring in Melbourne. As we speak the mercury is topping 25 and despite the wind it is very nice out. Its always a fairly long and tedious winter here in terms of temperature, hovering as it does around 15 for 4 months. I like it though, as it makes you value the warmth of summer.

We were up in Manly last week, where Jo was in attendance at a conference/annual meeting and as usual I managed to piggy-back along. It was quality, just a 30min ferry ride from Sydney's circular quay, with a lovely beach and plenty of bars and restaurants. There's a nice relaxed atmosphere there and I got a nice haircut from some old barber who still uses the cut-throat blades for shaving customers whether they like it or not.

Meanwhile, we are in the midst of Footy grand final season and we have a big game to watch tonight when our Magpies (Collingwood) play a make or break game against Adelaide. No beer or pies for us tonight though as we are scheduled to take part in a 4km run in the city at 9am tomorrow, so carrot juice and chicken salads all round. But hopefully we will be celebrating a 'pies win.

Contrary to this, my mates George and Andy were round on Thursday morning to watch Scotland come so close to beating the mighty Dutch. But in true jock-style we were gallant failures again. Getting up at 4am to be kicked in the baws again is tough, but try and stop us when the next time comes around. So we will be supporting the Aussies at South Africa (plus whoever is playing England - Sorry Jason...) next June.

2008-10-07T19:21:00.010+11:00

by Allan McKelvie

Good Day

Yesterday marked an important occasion, after a few months preparing our case, I have now become a permanent resident of Australia*. Ripper Bruce!

Needless to say I had to convince the immigration department to overlook my stint in Cell Block H, I just flashed a smile and gave a quick Alf Stewart impression (ya flamin galah!), and all was well...

Mucho credit has to go to my darling Jo for her meticulous attention and organisation when going thru the file, thank you honey! Thanks to the immigration department too, you've made the right choice.

So we obviously went on a wee celebration spree afterwards and called our friends and family who probably thought we were off our trees. We both suffered a bit today but it was worthwhile.

In other news, Jo presented at a conference in Adelaide last week to much acclaim, thankfully her Qantas experience was smooth, no emergency landings or bits of the plane falling off. Although there was a yelping bairn in the seat next to her. Good job the flight was only an hour.

For me, uni is only 4 weeks from completion, the job hunt is about to begin in earnest. I'm enjoying my time at Monash Uni, where I am doing my internship. Things are coming together there and I'll hopefully give them something they can use.

We are going to try and stay up this sat night to watch Scotland play Norway in another world cup qualifier, hopefully it will be worth staying up for. It's pretty much a must win game. Which we usually lose. Nae doot!

Alright, well Jo is hanging to play Risk on the laptop, so I better help keep the peace and get moving.

Hope you are all well. Take care, Al and Jo x

*Small technicality applies - in 2 years my case will be reviewed but hoping it will be straight-forward.

2008-09-23T22:02:00.002+10:00

The Black and White bow out

2008-09-18T09:30:00.005+10:00

Im very sorry to announce that last Saturday, Collingwood (the AFL team we support) lost in the second elimination final in a disgraceful and "painful to watch" performance. This weekend brings the Preliminary finals and the week after is the big AFL Grand Final which is a large event in Melbourne. We have already planned where we are going to watch it so hopefully the weather will be nice and there will be a great atmosphere (there usually is).

Despite our sorrow at Collingwoods loss, we were compensated by Scotland and Australia both winning their latest soccer matches. Here's hoping they keep it up and make the world cup! I am probably jumping the gun a bit there but I need to be informed by Al again of the process of the teams getting there (which he usually has to repeat to me on a weekly basis).

Apart from the finals and soccer matches, not too much has been happening. Al is flat out with uni work and his internship and I am busy data crunching and preparing the piles of paperwork that has to be done to get a clinical study off the ground. Al is half way through his last semester as of now, which is exciting. We cant wait for this semester to be over for him, where he will then be referred to as "Master of IT McKelvie" :p As long as he doesnt think he is Master of the house McKelvie then I will be happy :p

One obvious change that has happened here in Melbourne is the weather. We are starting to break through the winter weather to receive some spring warmer weather now. Today will be 21 degrees and tomorrow will be 23 degrees. We can't wait for the warm weather to fully hit again so we can fire up the BBQ (or "BarBy") again. For those of you in Scotland where I assume the weather will be getting colder, start packing your bags and get over here for a visit!

See you soon (hopefully)!

Love Jo and Al

Finals footy is here!

2008-09-07T16:31:00.007+10:00

by Jo Spong

Its that time of year when stress levels are high, verbal abuse at television sets is increased, and more meat pies and beer is consumed....yes, its the finals of the AFL. This year, our team Collingwood just made it into the finals. Yesterday they played in an elimination final against the Adelaide Crows. I will be honest, I had my doubts whether Collingwood could pull something out of the bag and win this one, but after a dodgy first half, we managed to come back and win by a few goals. So we will be back next week to see if we can beat St. Kilda in another elimination final.

Other than the football it has been a busy week for both Al and I. I think Al would agree with me in saying that this is the busiest semester he has had in terms of uni assignments combined with the requirements of his internship. He is managing very well though and Im impressed with some of the web development work he has been doing. For me, I have been busy this week also with the small clinical drug study I proposed finally getting full approval. The committee took their time getting back to me so the deadline we have set for the results of this study is fast approaching!

Last night Al and George ventured into the city to watch Scotland play Macedonia. Sadly, as some of you would be aware, Scotland did not win. By the time I arrived with Jan to the pub to catch up with the guys, there were many a scot screaming at the refs and looking very disappointed with how the game was going. Lets say I learnt a few more scottish swear words last night and it wasnt by choice :p Anyway, we are crossing everything from body parts to house furniture and plants for a win against Iceland on Wednesday. Put it this way, it's a long way from our glorious win against France...
Other than watching plenty of soccer and football (I apologise for those who call soccer football) Al and I have been putting together the paperwork we need for Al's new visa application. We almost have everything in place to present at the interview which is on 8th October. Australia will be a better place for keeping a talent and all round great guy like Al here :p

Well I should get off the computer now. We hope you are all well!

x Jo & Al

A day in the life of Allan McKelvie, Professional Student and Jo Spong, Doctor of Alchemy

2008-09-01T15:58:00.009+10:00

by Allan McKelvie

It's the 1st of September, the first day of springtime down under and usually this joyous time is associated with blossoming flowers, brighter days and birds singing. But I had a traumatic experience when going for lunch - a pigeon had been run over just as i turned the corner, and I arrived to see the immediate aftermath. Of course, my main concern was not getting splatted by its guts as other cars seemed to make no attempt to avoid running over it again. Gruesome.

Still, I managed to recover and wolfed down my delicious lunch of Bruschetta and English breakfast tea. Well, there's little time for sentiment when you're as focused as I am...

Another major feature of Melbourne spring is sporting climax - particularly the finals of the Footy season (aussie rules) and the Melbourne Cup. Our team Collingwood have scraped into the finals but we're not very confident of progress. They are a commonly known as a team of little class yet lots of money. A bit like Paris Hilton. Favourites this year are reigning champs Geelong, who have romped the league (confused? its the way they do it here, they play a full league season then the top half of the table go into the finals), although Hawthorn are a decent side too. I dont think we'll manage to go along to the Melbourne Cup this year - havent been along yet. Its just before the end of my semester in early November, and we're skint too! We might manage a wee flutter though.

I'm working 2 days a week at another Uni here doing an Internship, and it's been good so far. Although keeping up this facade of pretending to know what I'm talking about can only last so long... :) I have 9 more weeks at Monash Uni where I am attempting to construct a fancy website using my recently gained programming skills. Nae bother.

We had a few friends over at the weekend. Very pleasant, not least because of the delicious roast chicken that Jo made for us all. Stuffed with lemon, garlic, rosemary and lemon-thyme, it was like edible gold and it went down a treat, washed down with some coopers pale. I've been meaning to make a stock and then a soup out of the leftover bones, but that requires a bit of time which I dont have much of these days.

Time for bed now. We're recording the Da Vinci Code, probably watch it on the weekend. I've read the book which i found quite readable so will be interested to see if Hanks and co can do it justice.

Bonsoiree to all. Here's hoping I dont have pigeon nightmares.

Al and Jo

The orympics, football-comebacks and seagulls - it's complicated...

2008-08-24T22:07:00.015+10:00

by Allan McKelvie

It's 8.10pm in Beijing, 1.10pm in London, but more importantly it's ten ten here in Melbourne, leading us all into the future. In Beijing, the closing ceremony is just starting and I for one can't fathom out what it's all about. Admittedly, Ive only been watching the 29th Olympiad sporadically, but from what I hear its been a success. Not sure if they were talking about the events or keeping Tibetan protestors mute. I did see Usain Bolt, and thought he was special.

We've had a busy weekend. On Friday, we went to Bendigo to see Jo's sister Lisa and her family, little Zac was playing football (soccer), and we went to watch him play, score and celebrate in fine style... He could be a star...

On Saturday night we had some friends round to watch the Aberdeen v Rangers game, a mediocre affair but a reasonable outcome. Good to see the seagulls were taught a lesson before the game. We've been into town today to the Taste of Melbourne exhibition, and that was great. A lot of the town's best restaurants were represented, and we got some decent food and wine tastings and had a few choice dishes. The baccala was a highlight, as was the look on Jo's face when some pseudo-German bloke kept following her with his baldy heid...

I've been pretty busy of late, started an internship two days a week as well as getting a shedload of other uni stuff. Looks like a tough few months ahead, but all in a good cause. My hope of rekindling my football career is still alive, laziness is a wee hurdle, but if Charlie Miller can do it... Jo on the other hand, well she's not the lazy type, in fact she's just added another publication onto her burgeoning list such is her zeal and passion for hard work. Heh heh. She's keeping pretty busy at work, in fact I wouldnt be surprised if she were to land a gig at NASA, she's a real asset. Although, at the moment, wrapped in her tv blanket watching 'Denise Richards, It's Complicated', you'd probably recommend that NASA carry out thorough psychometric testing on the wee thing.

Well I better sign off, I'm sure there is more news but it has escaped me for the moment. I will be back in touch, dear diary....

Take it easy

Al and sleepy Jo

On the mend

2008-08-10T20:29:00.013+10:00

by Jo Spong

Hello blog readers

Some of you will know that Al and I both fell sick with a cold shortly after arriving back from our overseas holiday. Well, its been a slow recovery but I am almost back to 100% health and Al is back to about 85% health....getting there. Combined with jet-lag and being sick it only feels like now that we are back to a regular sleeping pattern which is a relief to be honest. It is very difficult being a genius at work when you have only had four hours sleep :) So we haven't been very productive of late, just having some nights in trying to get well again.

On the work front, it is busy for me with many many papers to write and try to get published, along with preparing to go to a conference in Adelaide in October where I have two presentations to make. I am also busy trying to get funding to run a small but important research project. Al starts back at university tomorrow for his last semester which is exciting. He has an internship this semester too which is a great opportunity for him to see how it all works in industry and also for him to make some contacts.

So we should have some more interesting things to report about soon, now that we are getting better.

We hope you are all well

x Jo and Al

Europe Photos

2008-08-05T15:14:00.003+10:00

by Allan McKelvie and Jo Spong

You can flick through the pictures or click anywhere on the slideshow to visit all of our online Photo Albums

Back in Melbourne - back to reality....

2008-07-29T18:21:00.003+10:00

by Jo Spong

What a great month Al and I shared on holiday overseas! So many sites, experiences, and photos - approx 700! But we are home now, back to "the real life".

We arrived back in Melbourne last Wednesday at 1:30am. One week later now and I think we are only just starting to overcome the jet lag. We have both been fighting some sort of throat infection which has been a pain....we will fight on however (just had a glimpse of the William Wallace statue in Aberdeen and felt inspired to fight on! :p).

Not much has changed in Melbourne since we were gone. Good news is - Melbourne is getting a Costco. Bad news is - our basil plant has completely died (basil plant number 3!). Other than that, things are the same: the neighbours are still arguing and australian tv is still very very ordinary (thank god for foxtel - dr phil and oprah around the clock...bring it on!).

We will soon be updating the OS holiday photos on this blog to include the Italy ones, so if you get a chance, check them out. There will be a great photo on there of a gypsy woman approaching Al at a cafe :p

x Jo and Al

ITALY: Tuscany and Rome

2008-07-23T20:29:00.002+10:00

Well we are nearing the end of our trip and have possibly saved the best for last. Bella Italia. Arrived into Pisa airport and managed to get to our wee isolated tuscan farmhouse apartment with a mix of Jo's high school Italian and my arm-waving and pointing.

We stayed a few miles outside of a medieval Tuscan town called San Gimignano in a beautiful little converted farmhouse. Is this starting to sound like a Frances Mayes novel? I cant help it, it was sensational and we'd go back in a second. Our 3 days there were a delight. The first night there we had a nice meal then walked into one of the main piazzas to find a 40-piece orchestra playing to the public. What a setting.

The second day we went to Florence which was a 45min train ride away, and we saw the Duomo, the Uffizzi and the Statue of David amongst other sights. David may have a small piece, but his hands are enormous and he's a handsome chap. Florence is beautiful, although it gave us an early insight into Italian city life, rammed with tourists, people out for themselves, sleazy blokes perving on every passing bit of skirt. But enough about me...

So then it was onto Rome on the Eurostar. We had been pre-warned about the pickpockets in and around the stations and busy tourist areas so we were well prepared. Jo had her bag clutched tightly and i was mincing around Bruce Willis stylee, glaring at anyone in a 10 metre radius and happily we didnt encounter any problems.

So Rome was brilliant, the whole atmosphere of the place is so alive and the sheer size and abundance of ancient architecture is fantastic. We braved the hour long queue at the Colloseum, went to the Vatican Museum including the awesome Sistine Chapel. That bloke Michelangelo was a talented fellow. We also took in the Roman Forum, which was the town centre in Roman times, the Borghese Gallery and the Trevi Fountain. We attempted to get into St. Peter's Basilica but the dude at the gates blocked our entry on the grounds that Jo's dress was too short. It was about 3millimetres above the knee. The pope was actually in Oz at the time servicing 500,000 Bruces and apologising for the paedophilia which has dogged the catholic church over the years.

Each night we went out and had dinner in a different spot but found the same atmosphere and vibe and had a thoroughly great time. We would love to go back to Rome, so we better get saving.

Time to get packing for home. The trip has been great, but its over now :(

Ciao

Al and Jo
x

SCOTLAND: Family, Friends and Castles

2008-07-08T06:48:00.002+10:00

A'right blogfans. We greet you from Al's hometown of Aberdeen, North East of Scotland. Otherwise known as the Granite City, or the Oil Capital of Europe. Nothing to do with the high cost of fuel, blame Bush or the taxmen or Bin Laden.

Its been a great few days, firstly we managed to negotiate the ferry trip from Belfast without any problems, leaving the black skies behind us we enjoyed a very comfortable sailing accompanied by some Mushroom Soup and copious amounts of Tea. We arrived on Scottish shores to be met by my Mum and Dad, of the clan McKelvie, although depending who you believe these roots actually lie in the clan Stewart, the clan Campbell or the clan McGheesabreak... So this was a fantastic welcome and we had a smashing day driving around the windy roads of Southern Scotland. We also had the privelidge of seeing my Uncle Ian's Whisky collection.

Then it was onto the family heartland of Ayrshire, where we saw my Nana, Bessie, still going strong at the age of 91, and we took in the beautiful coastal sights including Jo's first castle, Rabbie Burns' cottage and Electric Brae - an optical illusion which has you feeling your car's being pulled up a hill. Nae bad. We then had a great night with my extended family, the booze was flowing and the sun shone into the night, and Jo even got a surprise birthday cake.

On Saturday we went up to rainy Glasgow and met up with Mur and Sue, then George and we sampled a few more pints and many a laugh. On the way up to Aberdeen we slithered past Loch Lomond and Perth, complete with dramatic skies and very average pub grub. Jo had her first experience of Aussie/Scottish misunderstanding, classic really. On asking for a coke, the 14yr old scottish waiter said 'erm, no problem', only for the older waiter came back to confirm her order after the wee man had scribbled 'kirk' on the pad. He then took Jo's food order of 'Cheeseburger' and managed to come up with a cheese baguette. We are sure to regale that one many times to whoever will listen, suitably embellished of course.

We are off to the highlands this week to see Loch Ness and Balmoral Castle (the Queen's favourite residence) among other things and to catch up with more of Al's pals. The end of the week brings a suitably magnificent occasion upon our travels, Aberdeen v Manchester United. Enough said.

Well, i think i've banged on enough for now. I am off to watch UK Big Brother and quickly fall asleep.

Back soon, fare ye well.

Al and Jo

x

BELFAST: Giants, Murals and the Water of Life

2008-07-03T19:03:00.004+10:00

Well our time in Belfast is fast approaching its climax, we're just about to head to the ferry for our onward journey to the McFatherland, hoping that the pending storms will hold off. Could be a choppy ride.

We've enjoyed our stay in N Ireland, we done a wee tour of the city and seen lots of great murals from the troubled times and soaked up a bit of the history of the place. It's marching season here and the unionist flags dominate the landscape of the streets in much of the city. Yesterday we went to see the Giants Causeway, site of the mythical Irish and Scottish giants' cat n' mouse chase many moons ago, which is an amazing place. Beautiful scenery along the Antrim coast up there. Also went to the Bushmills Distillery, got tipsy by osmosis and learnt the differences between Irish and Scottish whiskies.

After that we watched Andy Murray being annihilated by a Spaniard wearing a thong, and we've generally had a great time catching up with James and Shelley.

So its onward now to Scotland, arrive in Stranraer this afternoon where we'll meet my (Al's) folks, so cannae wait for that.

Funniest part of the trip so far, has to be Jo's innocent comment upon seeing an old hippy in medieval gear protesting at Stonehenge: "He's dressed like Jesus and he's using a mobile phone. Is that allowed...?"

Right, more to come very shortly.

Ta-ra for noo

Al and Jo
x

LONDON/STONEHENGE: Pub Meals, Royalty and Big Stones

2008-07-01T22:25:00.004+10:00

Awight! Just a quick update, out first since leaving down under. We've just arrived in Belfast, staying with our good friends James and Shelley, having just spent a great 3 days in London. Managed to fit in a fair few sights in our short time there and even a trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge, which was smashing.

When in London we met up with our pal Mel, who is staying there for a few months, and is hopefully now suitably convinced to support Fulham instead of the rich fancy dans of Chelsea. Went on the London Eye, saw the changing of the guards at Buck Palace, Trafalgar Square, the Tower of London, Westminster, Harrods (although it was closed at the time, so we'll have to buy the cheapest thing they've got on sale next time we're in the capital...), Covent Garden, Leicester Square and we had a pint in The Warrington, owned by Chef F**king Ramsay.

We will be uploading a few photos and adding a more detailed blog in a couple of days, which I know you are dying to see.

In the meantime, we're off on a wee tour of Belfast and hopefully a few pints too.

Laters

Al and Jo x

Off the morra...

2008-06-26T20:26:00.003+10:00

Its Thursday evening at 8pm, we're watching a real crime investigation show for some reason, perhaps its to contain our excitement about leaving for Europe in 24 hours, perhaps its because we find crime intriguing, or it could be that the remote control has stopped working and we're just plain lazy. You decide!

Anyway, we are getting all packed up and I (Al) have been doing my bit to help clean the house - Jo kindly gave me the toilet to clean and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a humbling experience. Jo has been working tirelessly as usual and has just sat down after making dinner, ironing my smalls and dusting her tiara

(Its Jo here, interrupting Al's blog - earlier he jumped at me and made a grumbling noise and really scared me)

Yeah, that was an ill-advised move, for which I profusely apologised and thought i should then just go about my toilet duties in silence, looking sheepish (maybe a lack of iron in my diet...).

So we've been trying to tie up some loose ends before we go, top of our list has been the intruder alarm which has been beeping uncontrollably like a drunken steam engine, keeping us awake at night, but we've been assured it will be attended to - so all you burglars out there can think again... Not to mention Jo's folks are here for a bit when we're away, taking in the milk and post and fending off our crazy neighbours.

I've been attending a workshop this week on CVs, Graduate Recruitment and the like. Its been informative, but like the lectures I attend, it's full of the subcontinent's finest who happily turn up late, take mobile phonecalls, snort and sniff through presentations and generally get on my goat. Roll on graduation, ah said roll on graduation.

Right, so we're hitting London town for a few days on arrival this saturday, checking out the Royals' crib, westminster and the london aye.... We will hopefully blog then as I'm sure you guys cannae wait for an update. Let us know any requests you have in regard to postcards and gifts etc.

But for now, it's hoo roo to you roo from the blog gurus...

Al and Jo x

5 days to go!!

2008-06-22T19:06:00.002+10:00

Gee we are doing well with keeping our blog updated! Hey...gotta keep the fans happy :p

Less than one week until Al and I are on our way to the UK, fantastic! Its been a busy last week for us both, with Al finishing up his exams and my work being flat out with workshops and presentations. We have 4 more days of work however it wont be as busy so we are now starting to focus and get excited about our holiday overseas.

I met a woman doctor at my recent workshop who was from Glasgow. Naturally I set to asking her about Scotland. She told me that I will love it but that I should watch out for the midgies :/ I will now be going over looking very suspiciously at all bugs that I should come across :p In preparation I have been practising my Scottish accent - nae bother hen.....fit like mate? However Al has told me that I sound like a jamaican gone wrong so clearly I need to keep practising. A few months ago we purchased a 4 CD set with Italian sayings so that we could be somewhat prepared when we spend our week in Italy. Unfortunately it has been gathering dust on our bookshelf so I am going to have to rely on my high school Italian which has become extremely rusty - Come' stai mate?

Speaking of Italy, Al has just whipped up a bolognese and handed me a glass of red wine. What a great guy I have here!! He is looking good with his newly shaved head too - courtesy of Jo Spong hairdresser extraordinaire.

We will hopefully add a post or two from our holiday. In the mean time, hope you are all well and I might be seeing some of you soon!

x Jo and Al

12 Days to Take-Off

2008-06-15T12:16:00.005+10:00

G'day to thee. Today is Sunday, day of rest - but not for the Aljo household. Oh no, it's work work work, interspersed only with a splash of football - both soccer and aussie rules. I, thats me, Al, am studying in a beaverish stylee for my two remaining exams this week, and Jo-licious has a fair bit of work-related stuff to do before we head off on our European adventure in 12 days time. No time for the usual loafing around and playing monopoly, scrabble or swanning around Melbourne like a couple of classy backpackers...

We will have the Collingwood v Carlton game on in the background this afternoon, we support the former, flying the flag for the mighty 'Pies and trying in vain to dispel the myth that all Collingwood fans are filthy mutts with nae teeth and even less brains.... Mon e Pies!

Back on the subject of European adventures, I am one happy young jock right now, as after almost 18 months of trying, we finally have Foxtel installed, allowing me to frustrate Jo with my couch-potato like disposition watching endless replays of the Euro 2008 games. Hurrah! The added bonus of having IQ (which is equivalent to SKY+ back in Blighty) allows me to record the games and watch them at a reasonable hour. Just what I needed a week before my exams.

As I said we are only a couple of weeks from our overseas trip and are delighted at this prospect of travelling and of seeing friends and family again. Also looking forward to some summer weather, we're now in winter and whilst its not proper cold here, its nae warm.

Doubly smashing news this week was the wedding of our good friends James and Shelley, congratulations again guys, Northern Ireland's equivalent to Brad and Angelina no less (maybe without the adopted african babies :).... And, my main man George is only weeks away from joining the exodus to Oz following the timely sale of his flat. Ripper!

No other news this end, will keep you all posted on any interesting happenings. We are doing well in maintaining the blog thus far, novelty or not, we are keen on keeping it up so keep visiting the site and feel free to comment on the blogs. Any advice appreciated.

To paraphrase a recent aussie big brother contestant... It's hoo roo to you roo from the blog gurus....

Al & Jo
x

June 8th - Queen's Bday Weekend

2008-06-08T20:47:00.002+10:00

Well, this is the second post on our blog, but actually the first time I (Jo) have ever posted a blog entry. The experience got off to a rocky start with Allan "English teacher" McKelvie making me retype the blog title about 4 times until he was happy with it :p

It is a long weekend thanks to the Queen's birthday. I, unfortunately, will not be sharing in the extra day off as I am off to Tasmania tomorrow (Monday) for work purposes :( Al will no doubt get very lonely without me which is why I will have a card board cut-out of myself over the stove in the kitchen and a tape recording on repeat saying "Al, can you take the rubbish out please" :)

We are very excited about our overseas trip which is quickly approaching - just under three weeks now until we leave. I can't believe I will have one month off work!! I am looking forward to visiting Scotland, in particular Al's home town Aberdeen. New experiences like tasting haggis and black (blood) pudding, seeing "the dons" thrash "Man United", throwing a big tree log up in the air until it flips over, visiting the famous "Marks and Spencer's", drinking tea with the Queen at her Scotland palace and generally seeing the layout of the town in which Al grew up will be an unforgettable experience.

So keep posted, we will do our best to update our blog and report back on our experiences.

x Jo & Al

First Post

2008-06-05T18:55:00.003+10:00

Welcome to our blog.

We aim to keep this up to date on at least a weekly basis, definitely no more than fortnightly, and this blog will be published on our own website when Al gets around to finishing it!

Basically the aim of the blog is to keep you, our dear and devoted friends, abreast of what we're up to with fascinating tales, anecdotes and photographs. I can guarantee it will be interesting, although interest is relative and of course we're going to be interested in ourselves....

We will post wee blogs on our travels (expect the first Al & Jo Travelblog on the first couple of days of July at the latest), along with photos and maybe some other stuff.

As for right now, on this cool winter's night, I'm preparing for my upcoming exams and making crepes, Jo is out with the girls (and Sam....) watching the new Sex & The City movie. I'm very annoyed I couldn't make it out.... I'll be sure and get the DVD.

I won't go into too much detail just now as this is our first post I just wanted to let anyone who visits the blog know what they can expect, given our other half-arsed efforts on getJealous, Bebo, MySpace etc... We'll be giving this one more regular care and attention.

Right, peace to all, back soon.

Al and Jo