Hi There!

Heya!

Have been trying to sit down and write individual e-mails to people and now I've finally gotten around to you!! So, how you doing?!!! Hopefully everything is running as smoothly as possible at work right now, I know it'd be a downright nightmare...but for your sake I hope it's running like clockwork.

Now you need to let me know what's been going on in Blue Heelers!! Oh my gosh, I have your tape still!! Or did I tell you that already? Gosh I don't know, it's all a bit too much right now. I think I worked it out I've been gone from Oz two weeks now, so I'm entering the third, the week everyone tells me I'm going to suffer the home blues. Despite having a bit of those already, people are right. Sunday is my 21st and it'll be the first birthday where I haven't had family and friends around. It'll be the tester. Monique and I might be going to the Theatre on Saturday night (as it'll be Sunday in Oz) and hopefully we'll end up seeing Chicargo (Andrea's influence!) or Billy Elliot.

That said, I am having a blast, even if my feet are in dire need of a foot spa!! It's a lot of hard physical work. Ultimately the long days don't bother me, it's just that it's a lot more physical than I am used to. You wait, I'm gonna get back and be a new person! Oh and I've given up smoking. Had my last ciggie at 11:30pm on Saturday night, it's now 4:15pm on Tuesday arvo and I'm doing good! And I haven't been despirate enough to resort to the patches I have, mind you I was in the surpermarket last night and looked longingly at the tobacco shelf...but Marie who is here has tried to quit like four times in the seven months she's been here. She keeps telling me it's okay to weaken. Questioned me when I went for a walk last night (yes a brisk one, trying to get a bit of additional exercise happening too!!) and I told her to get lost. She didn't know me, had no right to question me nor my will power. So I'm even more determined to do this now, just to show her...we do get along really well, I just want to emphasise that!!

You ought to see me, I'm like brown!! It's so freaky! And most of the time I've got a smile on my face and no bags under my eyes...I'm doing good. In all honesty I actually feel quite good too. Yes I have bad moments, but I anticipated them. Mostly though, I've a new energy I haven't had in a long time.

Enough about me. I sound so self centred. Tell me all about you and what I'm missing back home!! Actually you know what I do miss, the lovely view out the window!! Having it as a photo is just not the same. Actually you know what I do miss? Those moments when we laughed so hard we'd cry!! No body does that here, most of the girls seem to be somewhat serious. I could do with a really big laugh...

Okay on that note I must keep moving.

Hope you're doing okay over there and I hope to god you're not reading this at like 7pm at night! And don't you dare stop for McDonalds on the way home!! He he he, just kidding, you can eat what you like. But don't work too late. Or if you do, you need to play that Elvis song really loud for me....'In the Ghetto'.....he he he.

Catch ya, take care and stay safe, shout out a G'Day to everyone for me,

Rachael :-)

P.S Do you want me to send a pigeon over to you, they're very pigeon unfriendly round here...