(We’ve been married for almost four months, but thought we’d better finally post about the big day. What better time to do it than Valentine’s Day!)

We had an amazing and beautiful wedding on the beach at Cutter’s Reserve, Point Lookout on North Stradbroke Island, Queensland on October 25, 2009. We had 70 guests including our parents, most of Lakshmi’s aunts and uncles, and many of our great friends from around the globe.

We made it a whole weekend of fun activities including a surf lesson on Friday (unfortunately the surf was flat that day!), barefoot bowls on Saturday, and our wedding and reception on Sunday afternoon.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather, as you can see in the photos. Our guests told us that they even saw dolphins and a manta Ray swim behind us during the ceremony!

We had a delicious reception dinner at Amis Restaurant, and our delectable cake was made by our talented friend Krista.

Thanks to everyone who came and made it an unforgettable day. Click the link to see all the photos!
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On Saturday the 28th of March we celebrated Earth Hour with a great bunch of friends and some wonderful food.  We had a delicious BBQ (including North Carolina pulled pork) and then took a roady up to the top of Balmoral Hill to watch the city go dark. Unfortunately there were many lights still on; especially disappointing were all the big wealthy houses immediately around us still glowing bright. On a positive note, there were several other people partying in the dark and our friends all got into the spirit of the event. We came home and continued to eat, drink and be merry by candle light until after 11pm. Continue reading…

This Christmas Mark and I decided to give each other bikes. Three months down the track I got a swanky new bike for my 30th Birthday (Mark got one too). We did look at getting second-hand bikes from www.gumtree.com.au and Bicycle Revolution but there are just not that many good bikes available. There are more second-hand dealers popping up and I recommend you check them out first because you might just find what you are after.

After a bit of research we decided that we primarily want to ride our bikes on roads and paths around the city, and I want to cycle to work. We looked at hybrid bikes, but decided against them because of the extra weight of the suspension and the energy it wastes. We both ended up getting skinny-tired commuter bikes by Specialized. The bikes have given us more freedom and are allowing us to get out and explore Brisbane. This weekend we went for a 30km ride along the river to Toowong, across to the West End, and back home.

I have started cycling to work which is about a 7km ride each way. My employer is currently paying for me to park at the King George Cycle Centre, which is a brilliant secure facility with lockers, showers, towels and other creature comforts to make cycling life easy.

This New Year’s Eve we decided to get away from all the hustle and bustle. We picked up our friends Nat and Mike from Caloundra and drove into the sun to find a camping ground. We made our way to Boreen Point which has bushland camping on the shore of the largest lake on the Noosa River – Lake Cootharaba. We stayed at Elanda Point camp grounds which is lovely and shady and has its own resident kangaroos. The campsite has great amenities, but my big complaint is that in spite of their location in a beautiful natural area they do not recycle. At times like Christmas and NYE tonnes of waste are created and sadly, it was all sent to landfill.

The weather was absolutely scorching and unfortunately there was no relief to be found in shallow lake Cootharaba, which felt like a hot bath. Continue reading…

We had an amazing Australian Christmas this year. We were spoiled by Keith and Micky who had arranged a very special celebration at their home in Bangalow, NSW. They have an amazing home and are great hosts so it was a treat to be invited to theirs for Christmas. Bangalow also has a great street party on Christmas Eve with a samba marching band and all! After a welcome cocktail (cosmo of course) we headed down to join the festivities and had a delicious dinner at Ate. On Christmas day there were a few sore heads but nothing that couldn’t be soothed by Mickey’s delicious Eggs Benedict. After a rest we all piled into the car to Broken Head for a picnic (a scrumptious smoked chicken and mango salad with champagne) and a swim. All in all a very memorable first Australian Christmas for Mark and I. Thanks boys!

After Christmas we went up to Dad’s property in the McKellar Range. The property hasn’t been lived on for fifteen years so it was a feat to make it up to the house. The land is completely overgrown and the driveway is not drivable. Continue reading…

It has been a stressful couple of weeks, but we have finally moved into our flat and I am now gainfully employed! It took a lot of energy to get here, but we did it. I wish someone would have told me the amount of pressure moving and getting set up puts on you. To anyone who is thinking of moving cities or countries: be healthy and strong because your body will need it. Unfortunately, I haven’t been so lucky. After six gleeful years living without a doctor in the UK I have been to the doctor twice in the six weeks I’ve been back in Australia. I’ve had the flu, cracked a rib, put my back out, got a rash and lost weight!

Putting the dramas and injuries aside, we are both loving Brisbane and the surrounding areas. Continue reading…

The words “I can’t believe we are moving to a city neither of us know” were the first to come out of my mouth as we flew into Brisbane. All of a sudden I felt very nervous and disorganized. “Where are we going to live… where am I going to work?”. Reality is a funny thing. I had been so busy dreaming about our move but didn’t actually have a concrete plan. Thankfully everything came together for us at the last minute. Michelle was a saving grace and offered us a room for our first few nights, and Nat’s uncle rented us his flat in Morningside until we found our own place (into which we have yet to move…).

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We flew into Sydney as the sun was rising and the city looked spectacular – the harbour was sparkling and the icons were all on show. I couldn’t help but feel a bit choked up. We had a quick stopover in Sydney for my best friend Beth’s wedding. Unfortunately, the holiday was over for Mark: back to work (in internet cafes!); but we did sneak in a few nice Sydney things. We had sushi (several times) and a picnic in the botanical gardens on a picture perfect day with Nat and Mike. Since arriving in Australia we’ve had catch up after catch up with old friends. It has been so exciting to see everyone and people have been so accommodating and helpful to us. Continue reading…