One Great Big Rambly Catch-Up !

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Aloha, Welcome back to my slice of the internet! If your an old friend, how i've missed you all; and if your new- the warmest of welcomes to you :) If you've flicked back a few post's I mentioned that I'd have to be taking a break from my blog for a short while, 31 days to be precise, to focus myself on University exams and just sorting my life out in general. Little did I know that a short break was going to take me away from the keyboard for over eight weeks! But before I put all that into the past lets have a quick catchup of whats been going on in my world for the last few months.

// Uni // has been over for four-ish weeks now, and I can't even begin to explain the relief that washed over me as I walked out of that last exam. I'm far from a model student and the studying side of uni has been a massive learning curve for me- the practical side i've got down pat but sitting in a lecture for three hours or spending my friday nights locked up in the library does my head in. Having said that I probably don't apply myself as much as I could- in the words of almost every single teacher I ever had! 

// Party Party! // Exactly six days after my final exam I turned the big Twenty-One- quick someone chuck a pensioners card this way. My dad actually turned 50 {if anyones getting that pensioners card it him} two days before me so a party was definitely on the cards. I was adamant on having the party at my home in Sydney so after lots of sweet talking and the promise of long sunny days in paradise I managed to con my entire family to fly up- it's quiet obviously the logical thing here. Airfares for 1 vs   the entire family. Good job Amy.  Given that the party was planned in less than a week it turned out brilliantly, lots of laughs, homemade pizza and good times. Plus the recently renovated bath from our old bathroom that conveniently sat in the front garden all week waiting to get to the skip bin ended up spray painted gold and sitting in the garden bed full of drinks. It's actually still there and I have a feeling it's not going to be moving for a while ha!! 

// Family Time // Since my fam had a few extra days after the party before they jetted of back home we decided to do the whole 'Sydney' experience. Nursing sore heads the day after celebrating we made our way down to Wollongong. I don't know if this is actually a major iconic place for them to visit but it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet for me, so any excuse to go down for a visit. The day was super overcast and I actually had to wear a jumper it was that cold but I find gloomy weather like that almost comforting and romantic. After stopping at Stanwell Tops, which on a good day can look incredible, we ventured off in search of coffee. We ended up in that cafe that overlooks the Bulli rock pool, the coffee was okay but the view made up for everything and the rock pool looked almost inviting with the thick, grey storm clouds rolling over top. We also made it into the city for one action packed day. Instead of the usual spots to visit, which would have well and truly bored my family to bits, we decided to split up and half went art gallery hopping throughout The Rocks while the rest of us went to the Fish Markets. Now you've probably just spat your cuppa onto your screen thinking why on earth would anyone want to go hang out around the docks and walk out stinking like a fish punt? And normally I'd agree with you- if it learnt for how incredible it actually was to see all the fresh seafood that was there. It was seriously amazing! We ended up sitting on a dodgy old bench overlooking the water eating fresh prawns that would put anything from wollies to shame. 

// The hunt for the perfect Christmas tree // Okay i've got a confession to make- I never knew there was such thing as Christmas tree farms until two weeks ago. Who would have thought there was a place where there are rows upon rows of pine trees just waiting for you to chop them down. Crazy stuff!! With the spirit of christmas within us and armed with a sad looking hand saw we pick out the biggest  tree we could find and started sawing it down. Sawing it down is a giant overstatement, five minutes of vigorous swinging this dangerous contraption around we were about three centimetres into what seemed like a never ending stump. We were eventually saved by a smart man armed with a chainsaw who must have either felt extremely sorry for us or just wanted to shut our winging up. Im betting on the second one there. Another thing I learnt that day; Pine trees are very heavy. Like really, really heavy and hard to drag. We must have had everyone around us in stitches of laughter because we looked hilarious! We did eventually manage to get it into the house and have it decorated, it's possibly a bit big for the room but that's the whole point right?! 

// Tassie // And after all that rambling I'm finally up to now. I made it home for christmas which was a quiet affair this year, just nine of us and whole lotta turkey. It was bliss and just what we all needed after an intense few months. I couldn't be happier to be back on my little Island. It's incredible to see what I used to take for granted every day, I mean seriously where else in the world in your major city right on the docks and you turn around and theres a breath taking mountain right behind you? It may get a little boring at times but as much as I love the hustle of Sydney I think that deep down i'll always end up back in good ole' Tasmania. 

Right- thats the cut off point, my teas gone cold and my brains starting to forget how to spell, thank the lord for spellcheckers hey! I hope all you lovelies had a christmas full of love and laughter and are getting ready to tide in the new year with fresh starts and lots of champagne. 

Lots of Love,

A x