So, where did I leave off yesterday.....? Oh yes we had just arrived at the airport. After managing to navigate through the customs hall ahead of the duck gizzard carrying clientele, successfully not looking too shifty when declaring our Shreddies, double deckers and caramac bars and despite V still having issues with the book he picked up from a shelf in the Heathrow pub that he was convinced would have drugs of some sort concealed in its tatty pages and the cute but efficient sniffer beagle would sit at his feet waiting for a treat from its master (none of which happened) we arrived to the beaming smile of the ever wonderful Carrie and the glorious sunshine of Adelaide.
Every time I come here (and this is my 7th trip) I feel more at home. I just love it, and this time was no exception.
As many of you know from before, all the wonderful friends of mine Down Under were met via one of my gang of besties back home, Theresa, to whom I will be eternally grateful for introducing me to. Carrie has been my host on several occasions before but this time the Heggies were in luck as V and I had booked our self a little rental unit in my favourite place, Seacliff, but I will get to that later.
Firstly we shared hugs all round and delivered more from home, before Carrie took us back to the wonderful Chez Heggie as we could not check into our pad till 1pm. Coffee turned into toast, which turned into bacon sarnies, which turned into an egg, which then manifested itself as a full English for all. Perfect. And after swapping stories, catching up and many more smiles and laughs V and I climbed into Herbie (as I have affectionately named him) Jenn Heggies bright yellow Beetle!! Woop woop!
First stop needed to be Marion (a shopping centre not a great aunt with a dodgy moustache) to pick up a new sim card for our Oz phone (yes, I actually have a phone just for Oz, well WE do now!) and a zombie like walk around Coles to pick up supplies. I was desperate to shop, but I could tell the time for sleep was edging closer for both of us so we left the supermarket with a jar of coffee, 2 bottles of water, some sugar, milk, diet coke and a bag of plain crisps and each with a secret plan to strangle each other whilst we slept.
We climbed wearily into Herbie and went to find our home, the Seacliff Belle, a little unit 2 mins from the beach and 5 from the legendary star of all first nights in Adelaide, the imaginatively named Seacliff Hotel (but not actually a hotel, just a pub so not that imaginative.....)
It was lovely from the outide, cute and Herbie looked marvellous on the drive. Inside was also lovely but not to my usually high but even higher when tired standards. Some clever photography had gone on here, clearly by the same people who photograph peoples faces for dating sites... So after 20 mins of tutting and apologising and generally being a mizogg and forgetting that I was now voicing my opinions to another human being rather than just myself (who is currently snoring next to me like a contented but rather squiffy warthog) made us both go for a snooze.
On waking un-strangled refreshed 2 hours later it was time to make our way down to the beach for a stroll and meet the gang for the customary first night drinks and sunset shindig.
The beach did not disappoint as ever, V loved it, recognised the pub before I even mentioned if and as we strolled hand in hand in the sunshine I was truly happy. Then I got some seaweed trapped in my flip flop which shattered the illusion somewhat, but once we were in the pub and standing on the balcony like a Royal couple ready to wave to our subjects, V could finally experience what I had been waffling on about for months. And he loved it too. The iconic palm trees, the sun setting between them, the buzz of the pub in full Saturday night swing, the inevitable sink full of sick in the gents (not our fault) and the bevvy of under dressed and quite possibly underage girls trying to impress any man that would look (including one that had the most amazing head of hair that I was convinced was a rug but apparently wasn't as it didn't fall off as he placed hi head in someones cleavage,,,,,)
Soon the gang arrived and whilst I hugged the girls, the boys introduced themselves to V, making him so welcome and it warmed my heart to know that all that meet him see what I see in him (well maybe not everything and especially not the fact that I currently want to hit in in the face with a shovel as the warthog has now become an angry rhino.....). The girls also embraced him saying they felt like they knew him already from our antics on facebook. Touche.
So we ordered food, drank beer, waited for food, laughed till be cried, caught up, swapped stories, drank more, waited more for food, ate great food in dribs and drabs as it arrived, laughed some more and finally all bid our first night farewells and 'until tomorrow's and V and I headed back to our little pad to sleep soundly with the rain lashing at the window. RAIN!!!!!!!
Thank you Sue, Graham, Ollie and Ella Hutson, Mandy and Graeme Bell, Laura, Carrie, Graham, and Dan Heggie for a fab first night, and here's to several more in out week at 'home'. And see you soon Tracey, Brendan, Matthew and Sarah Crawley. We raised glasses to missing friends Theresa and Helen as always. Not really missing, actually in the UK but you get me.
So that was day one. Today (therefore day 2) may have to wait as the jet lag busting sleeping table is kicking in and the rhino has clearly developed a head cold and some rib prodding is in order.
On that note I shall bid you farewell and say until tomorrow......TTFN xx
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ReplyDeleteFab as ever Lisa and perhaps V can leave his snoring in Aus :-) xx
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