Weeks 8 and 9 in Maroochydore

Well, week 8 began with suspected mumps (which turned out to be a salivary gland infection), and so I had to make a pretty swift exit for the sake of Parker... and ended up in Maroochydore!

It's pretty small and right by the sea, with plenty of shops and a nice beach- a great place to relax and recover! I've spend the days visiting the local shopping centre, drinking milkshakes by the river, swimming in the pool and going for walks. We had almost a week of dreadful weather, which I used to watch films in the TV room and apply for jobs online.

Last Saturday, we went to the famous Eumundi markets, which were huge and, quite simply, fascinating. There was an incredible variety of stalls selling crafts and food, and live music scattered around the tents. I was tempted to buy many things, including old car prints for dad and a superman bib for Parker that read 'Somebody put my cape on backwards'. Luckily, I resisted temptation and only bought some fudge (a definite weakness of mine).

The hostel I'm staying in is very homely, and I've made more friends here than anywhere else I've been so far. I've been for 2 nights out, but enjoy spending evenings here playing cards or watching horror films. Cooking in the evenings is incredible with people from so many countries cooking such an amazing variety of dishes. One of my room-mates, Liv, took myself and another room mate to a pub to watch a rugby league game which was pretty cool- much more interesting than American football.

Yesterday, I went to work as a strawberry planter on a farm, but only lasted a day. I was burnt, had a sore back, was bitten by an insect and then had a swollen hand after it hot infected. A good experience, but not one I'd want again.

Tonight I took the 'why not' attitude and booked a flight to Sydney for Monday evening. I have a trial at a cafe about 25 minutes walk from the Sydney Opera house on Tuesday which I'm hoping will go well and result in a job for a while. Also, my fantastic friend Lucy and her friend Hayley have booked to fly over here in May for the best part of 6 weeks which I am very excited about.With a lot to look forward to, I'm feeling pretty positive and happy right now, and looking into the option of travelling to other countries before I return home (without extending the time I'll spend away, as I don't think Haylee, Aimee or Grandma would ever forgive me!).