I am on my third day in Australia - yes, I made it here in one piece. Sorry to all my fans who have been regularly watching here for any news if this is the first you have heard - my body clock keeps waking me at 1am and as a result my brain hasn't been processing things too well! Once I have my wits about me another post could follow reasonably soon!

Final few hours in UK

It's been 25 days since my previous post but that's ok because I'm still in the UK and don't have much to say! In a matter of hours I will be leaving the country, for some time. Through the week I have been saying goodbyes to friends, culminating in Friday evening spent in my local Wetherspoons - thank you all for an awesome time!

 I have now said all goodbyes other than to mum and dad :( I also have my awesome looking Australian passport :) I also still need to pack and therefore have rather limited time to write this,so goodbye for now! Hopefully the weather will compare favourably with the ridiculous amounts of sunshine we have had here over the last couple of days! See you on the other side...

In the beginning!

I'm pretty new to all this modern wizardry they call a 'blog' so I shall offer pre-emptive apologies for any inability to follow correct blogging etiquette. As you may already have cleverly deduced from the URL or from other subtle hints, I am Jason and will be off to Brisbane, Australia in 25 days! I have just Googled to discover that it is a little over 10,000 miles from London to Brisbane. This equates to an eagerly anticipated 2 day journey; I gather the time zone change also offers huge jetlag potential, while the wildlife can be dangerous and the weather downright apocalyptic!

So you may well ask: why Australia? The idea was first brought up, as so many things seem to be, in an inebriated conversation about my life direction. As I was not gainfully employed, and without many encumbrances it was suggested that now would be as good a time as any for a far away escapade. Given my mum’s Australian heritage this seemed like the perfect plan – an opportunity to personally deliver family greetings and meet some friendly faces combined with the adventure of a lifetime!

Now, 5 months later, in the harsh light of day, this intoxicated conversation has suddenly become sober reality. Since booking my flight in January - hopefully coinciding with a not too blisteringly hot period the other side of the world - it feels like I have done awfully little to prepare myself. Other than making a to-do list and frantically applying for an Australian passport (having not renewed it following my last visit to Australia, see photo) I have so far come up with next to nothing by way of concrete plans. I am hoping to visit some or all of Cairns, Brisbane, Toowoomba (mum’s hometown), Sydney and Canberra, given generous offers of accommodation from mum’s friends and family and would like to see some beaches, islands, generic touristy stuff and pretty scenery... I am also firing off some job applications as a means of paying for all of this! I hope that flexible planning is a good thing – I certainly do not want every last detail planned out so that I miss out on anything exciting; I imagine there is probably a happy medium!

Some thought has gone into what I should take with me. Should I travel light, or with my life possessions? I have opted to verge towards the ‘light’ option although just how light remains to be seen. Aside from customary clothes, passport, money etc, I still have decisions to make: what device should I use for internet access (most probably some kind of tablet); should I take a separate device for my photography needs; what can entertain me for the entirety of my flight...?

Well, that’s certainly given me enough to think about for my first post. Stay tuned - updates will follow when I have something worth saying, dependent on internet connection.

Comments? Suggestions? Questions? Most welcome; be my guest. I will do my best to respond!