Climbing Trees For a Living is Fun!

Jun 23, 2002 10:36

I always think of a load of stuff to write in my new posts but every time I get to a Internet Cafe and sit in front of the screen my mind goes blank. I just seem to forget everything that has happened in the week, and every thought I wanted to get into text seems to drift away from my mind.
I've read back over the last few entries and have laughed at the shocking amount of typos I've been making. Its because I'm always on a time limit for computer use, so I type faster than my two fingered skills should allow, and never bother to spell check because it takes time and time equals cents! Man I must be a real tight wad if I can't afford an extra 5 cents so people can read my journal without thinking I'm dyslexic.
Anyway, I posted sometime last week but the net cafe I was in timed out and it didn't go through which pissed me off.
There was not much to report, other than I have a new job in an orchard picking Avocados, and some nutter from my dorm got beat up by the hostel manager for not paying his rent for a few weeks.
The avocado work is pretty cool, I spend all day climbing trees and lugging 20 kilo bags of fruit onto the backs of trailers. There is usually good money to be made doing this but the season is at its end so the fruit just isn't there. Still after the tax man has had his share I've made about 500 bucks this week which is double what I was making in Murray Bridge harvesting the lettuce. Plus the weather is better up here and the Orchard is in the middle of a state forest, so the scenery is very beautiful and its so quiet and serene.
I've had a few accidents at work though. So far I've fallen 15 feet out of a tree, been smacked in the eye by a branch, slipped down a tree and had by fall broken by a branch- pity I landed one leg either side of the branch so you can guess which organ took the pain there- and finally I got bit under the eyelid by a giant ant. But its all good fun.
One of my friends from Murray Bridge, Sarah, has arrived in Bundaberg, She'll be around for a few weeks before returning to the Bridge to hook up with her tractor driving boyfriend Shannon. My travelling buddy Rob has also arrived here, but he's landed a shit job which barely pays him 15 bucks a day, so I doubt he'll be here long because he's barely making rent money.
Next week the mandarin season begins, and where I'm working will be paying contract rates, so I can be making 150 bucks a day which would be nice right now. I'll stick this out for a month or two, while ever the cash is good, so I can get a healthy account together to pursue the rest of this vast and beautiful country.
It has to be said Australia is a fantastic country. I prefer it to America actually, even though both places are better to live than my home country, England. I think the weather plays a big [art in it, I love either hot beautiful weather which is pretty much how it is here, or I like it to be snowy cold, kind of like Iceland or any Scandinavian place. Because at least snow looks pretty. England never gets either of these weather types. We just get grey, miserable dullness.
I have seen Attack of the Clones twice now, I am amazed by that movie. I am a die hard Star Wars fan but I thought Phantom Menace was crap. Just ask Jess Quest, I thought Clones was going to be equally crap, but man Lucas really found that paddle while up shit creek and powered his way back to credibility. Ewan McGregor has also gone up a few notches in my respect book, he was crap as Obi Wan in the first movie but he has really grown into the role now.
Whats happening in my love life??? Jack shit thats what. I'm practically out of contact with Adria now, and the rest of the time I'm pretty much working out in the middle of nowhere or sleeping off a back breaking day.
My one day off I spend lazing in the sun, checking out a movie, visiting the local zoo r drinking.
I've found a new pub, the Queenslander, which is very cool. The whole outside has been done in a Mural of the local way of life, so its got dolphins, whales, sugar cane burning and rum and shit like that. Then out back it looks like the movie Cocktail, with palm trees, one of those shack type bars and at night these little open fire beacon things burning away. Very cool, but it could be my downfall. I find a decent drinking haunt I fail to save money.
But who gives a shit, you only live once.
I better sign off, I'm hoping to see Spiderman this afternoon. I got quite friendly with the chick at the cinema. A lot of locals from these small towns seem to love talking to travellers. They all seem to really want to travel but they never do, and they are quite content to hear stories of the road from unshaven bums like me who wear the same clothes all week!
Which reminds me, I was walking home last night from the pub when some bearded tramp approached me and gave me a sweatshirt! Man what the hell is going on in the world when a tramp gives you his clothes. When I woke up this morning I was like, where the fuck did I get this sweater. Then a blurry memory returned. Shit thats bad.
G'day mates
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