Birthday MONTH!

November 2018:

 A month to remember!!

After 46 years you might think, I have had enough of birthdays?
No way!  Life is too short!  Celebrate EVERYTHING!!
Some years ago I stopped celebrating BirthDAY's, and started BirthWEEK!  This year I stepped it up a notch to Birthday MONTH!!!

I started birthday celebrations in great Derby style!!  Having been away for 3 birthdays, it was great to be back on the oval with my Boot Campers.  We raised over $1,000 for Jo, who is off to Manila with Hair Aid #savingtheworldonehaircutatatime !!  Followed (of course) by dinner at the pub!

After a great night out with friends, we both woke a little 'tired', but I insisted I'd be fine, I wanted to catch a Birthday Barra!!

My 3rd barra for the day: 92cm fatty!!

It was a hot & humid morning.  When we first got down the river I was second guessing what we were doing there.  We both were dehydrated already, the mud was roasting and the air was still.  The dogs didn't like the heat either, they kept trying to go for a swim...croc's live here!!

But it didn't take long before we were both on...at the same time!!
It happened so quick, I hadn't even got camera's out.  Having not had a computer for a while, I have gotten out of the habit of wearing my GoPro.  So a couple of photos of both fish on my phone, before releasing one, and getting more organised.
Here's the rest, from our headcam's.

After celebrating my Birthday FISH a little too much, we then started our LONG trip to England!!

John Marven Senior also celebrates his birthday in November, so sharing the love we jumped on a plane to be with him

Broome flight was delayed: thankfully we had heaps of friends on same flight to celebrate with!

We left home early Friday morning.  2.5 hour drive to the Broome airport
        Broome flight delayed, lucky I choose 5 hours in Perth instead of ONE!!
                                                           2.5 hour flight to Perth.
                                                           4 hours in airport bar ;)
                                                           11 hours flight!!!  Slept a lot of that!
                                                           2 hour stop over, looked at the cool shops
                                                           6.5 flight, getting uncomfortable now!!
                                                           Arrived in England Saturday morning.
                                                           Shuttle to train station
                                                           2 Trains to Stevenage!
                                                           BUS to pub closest to John's family.
                                                           Quick pint.
                                                            Walk with huge luggage in the cold couple of blocks.
                                                            TWO FULL DAYS TRAVEL!
                                                            Arrived destination (Johnno's family) 5pm Saturday
                                                           Sunday = JM seniors Birthday!!!
                                                           Timing is everything!!

Our first day in England was John Marven Seniors BIRTHDAY!

The whole reason for our spontaneous trip!

 Our ONE WEEK flying trip to England was totally for family visiting, but I am thankful that Johnno's fab sister had our second day there (Monday) off work, so she took us sight seeing (aka to a pub further away then their locals).

2nd day in England: sight seeing Cambridge

It was too cold to drink beer, so we tried Mulled Wine.

I had cocktails for lunch!!

 The rest of the week was spent hanging out with Johnno's family :)

There was FROST most mornings!

This Kimberley Girl isn't used to that!!

John Marven Senior, with his Aussie parrot TapTap

Stuffing ourselves on our last full day in England;

Hotdogs, coffee and CHEESE!!

 Wait, did I say our last day in England?
I'm not sure how it happened.  But we ended up at the airport on Sunday morning.  Only to work out while sitting around waiting for check-in to open, that we weren't leaving until MONDAY!!
Ripped ourselves off an extra day with the family!
Instead of navigating the shuttle, trains and buses back, and back again the next morning, we booked into one of the airport hotels.  Spent the day sleeping off our slight hangover, before heading to the hotel bar, then dinner.  Not having to get up early the next day, as we were right across the road from departures, and had already worked out where we needed to go!

My last English pie, at the hotel.

Waiting at the airport 4 hours too early for flight after a 10am checkout.

Arrive Airport SUNDAY morning.

Checkout from hotel 10am MONDAY

  2hours in bar before flight check-in opens

  3 hours walking around airport before flight.

  6.5 hour flight

  2 hours waiting

  11 hour flight, that was uncomfortable!!!

Arrive Perth 6pm Tuesday

  45min TAXI to Armadale, Spend night with John's Mum.

Wednesday: Taxi back to aiport

                     more waiting at bar

                    2.5 hour flight, arriving Broome 6pm

                    Stayed night in Broome, too late and tired to drive another 2.5hours home.

Morning shopping for house stuff 2.5hour drive.

Arrive home THURSDAY afternoon!

Back in the land of the Kangaroo!!!

 Our stop-over between long flights was in Doha (we flow with Qatar).  At the bar, we had 2 hours, I got talking to the bartender.  Bragging about how I was going home to the heat, she rolled her eyes at me.  I guess it's hot there too, if you get to leave the airport!  Anyway, she was fascinated about Australia, saying she wanted to go there one day.
Bartender: 'That's where the Kangaroos are from hay'
Me: Yip, they are everywhere!
Her: Really everywhere.
Me: Hell yes, everywhere!
Her: Oh wow, that is so cool, I can't wait to get there.
Me: Um, I live in the country, maybe they aren't EVERYWHERE, not in the cities.
Her: (eye roll, stupid bloody tourist) yah of course.
hahaha
Walk out the doors of Perth Aiport, there is a big Christmas Roo!  Fabulous!!

HOME!! Very Jetlagged!!

 Felt very sick, Jetlagged, totally out of sorts on return.  Couple of Sun Salutations on Cable Beach (and coffee), helped to ground me, back in my country!

WARM!!  Coffee on Cable beach!

On but wait there's more!!!  This is birthday MONTH after all!!

Arriving back in Derby Thursday afternoon, after a morning of shopping, but not having to go back to work until Monday, we decided to satisfy our fishing cravings!  It had been 2 whole weeks since I caught my Birthday Barra!

99cm Beauty!!

Fabulous welcome home fish!