Gold Coast New Years 2012

The Gold Coast was one of my favorite places to visit so far.  The white sandy beaches were clean and soft, the ocean was as warm as a bathtub, and the scenery was just breathtaking.  It was my first time to meet Tess in person (aside from video chats) and I was really excited to spend time with Lloyd's mum.  She lived about 10mins away from the beach in a cute area and she did a great job of entertaining us, as we got to see and do lots of fun things while we were there.  

One afternoon we went to the Q Tower, which is a beautiful glass skyscraper in Surfer's Paradise, an eclectic beach area in the Gold Coast.  We went to the top for a drink and a look around and the views were simply amazing. The day was clear and the ocean was blue and gorgeous so the view was a real treat.  

Miles of pretty blue sea

People were climbing the outside of the roof ! 

Clouds coming in over the beach

Can't get over how clear the ocean is!! 

Tess & Lloyd

The Q Tower is the one with the tall pointy spire

Gorgeous surf 

On New Years Eve we went with Tess to an event at her club, the Gold Coast Surf Club.  We ate tapas, danced, drank champagne and shared a table with a retired English couple.  It was a great evening, complete with a firework show!

Tess pulls faces like Lloyd...and I wonder where he gets it! :)

Our English Friends

Lloyd's friend Nath flew in from Melbourne and hung out with us for a few days, and we went to the casino and out for drinks in Surfer's Paradise.  On our last night it was a pretty warm evening and we found an outdoor seafood restaurant for a delicious meal.

Dinner al fresco on our last night in Aus

Happy to be reunited

Lloyd & Tess in the casino

Kuala Lumpur

Another late post...but we've been busy!

In December we stopped over in Kuala Lumpur on our way to Australia.  After a 12 hour flight we arrived in KL in the evening and made our way to our hotel, which was in the middle of the city right around the corner from the Petronus Towers.  I was in charge of picking of the hotel and I made sure to pick the one with the best rooftop pool!

The pool looked over the city and afforded fantastic views from all sides.  The sun was very intense in KL and we got a few weird sunburns from missing pieces, as the sun was very unforgiving! We stayed in KL for two nights and tried to adjust to the time difference and see a few things while we were there.  We walked around the Petronus towers which are the tallest twin buildings in the world.  The grounds were very pretty, with flowers and fountains but it was super hot and humid, and after 6 months of cold weather we struggled in the heat. One night we made reservations at a restaurant downtown and had the hotel help us hail a cab.  We got in and after a 15min drive we pulled up at some random place and the cabbie stopped the car and  said, 'ok'.  We were thinking, 'ok...where are we?', but the language barrier prevented further conversation, so we got out and decided to choose something nearby.  We ended up finding a trendy place outside with chic couches and tapas and when a sudden downpour arrived, a retractable patio cover kept us dry.   We enjoyed the tropical climate but wished we were closer to the coast because of the hot and sticky weather.

The next day we  headed to the airport...Brisbane here we come!

Fancy toilet at the airport...

Christmas Elf!  It was pretty strange to see Christmas decorations in hot weather,! 

We set up Lloyd's mini tripod to capture the amazing reflection in our hotel's infinity pool

London Christmas 2012

This past Christmas was a tough one for me, as it was my first away from my family.  Although I was really excited about our upcoming Australia trip, I was sort of dreading not having a 'regular' family Christmas, so we tried to schedule a few things to keep us busy and occupied before we left.  

The first Christmas party we went to was an 'orphan Christmas' at Jerry & Leanne's flat, along with the rest of the South Africans.  They cooked a Christmas roast with all the trimmings, complete with Christmas crakers & mulled wine!  We stuffed ourselves to the brim and had a great time.

Lloyd, Sami, Gareth & Jerry 

Tinus & Jen

The next celebration was in Shoreditch (East London) with the Aussie/Kiwi crew.  We met for wine and snacks at a quaint little french cafe and had a White Elephant gift exchange.

Lloyd & the Aussie/Kiwi Crowd

On Boxing day we had a few of the other 'orphans' over so that Lloyd could try out his new toy, his Webber BBQ grill! Even though it was freezing cold the guys lit the fire and cooked up some delicious meat. 

In the end our Christmas celebrations were fun, but it didn't compare to the family Christmases I've enjoyed in the past.  However Lloyd was super sweet to me and he even agreed to watch White Christmas, which is an annual Beavers family tradition.

Being away from my family for Christmas made me remember all of the things that make it feel like Christmas to me:  family, food, smells,  movies, singing, laughing, Christmas lights, and Christmas music.  And although we were able to have some of those things this year, it made us appreciate our families even more.

Famously Dead party - Dec 2012

Another suuuper late post - last December our friend Ria had her 30th birthday party and the fancy dress was 'Famously Dead', so we had to put our thinking caps on to find good costumes.  She rented a pub on a Sunday evening and our group had the place to ourselves.  As usual we put it off till the last minute but in the end our costumes turned out great!

Introducing...  Elizabeth Taylor & Charlie Chaplin! :)

Lloyd was grumbling about dressing up but he was a 'ham' in costume and really loved being in character.

Charlie & Anna Nicole Smith

Two Charlie's are better than one! 

Charlie & Marilyn Monroe

Elvis & Anna Nicole Smith

Marilyn & Audrey Hepburn

As you can see, the costumes got more creative as the night wore on!

Fun night with great friends!

Spring Term Choir Concert

I finished my 2nd term with the choir a few weeks ago and we really had a great group of people this term.  We rehearsed in a different location this term so instead of popping out of the house 5 mins before it started and still being on time, I had to either walk or catch the bus.  Choir really helped me get through the winter and even though it was freezing it still made me get out of the house!

We usually practice in a smaller room on the 2nd floor of a church that has beautiful wood floors and a big set of mirrors (it doubles as a dance studio) so it was a real treat when we had the chance to perform in the sanctuary of the big church on the night of the performance.  The church is charming, with it's old musty smell and boomy acoustics and the size of the room made the concert a little bit intimidating, but I think the songs turned out really well.  Certainly not a bad effort for a local community choir.  Jamie, Lloyd and a few of our South African friends came to the concert and I think everyone enjoyed it.  Hope you do as well!  

Da Doo Run Run

Song of Fire



 Ca' the Yowes



Simi Yadech



Java Jive



Let it Be
*On this song be sure to look for the two little kids up on stage - they came up during the encore to sing with their mom on stage and they knew every single word to the whole song and belted it out the entire time!  I was cracking up watching them, as they were taking their performance seriously.



When I Walk Down the Street



When the Saints go Marching in