I have been pretty busy. I have completed a barista's course which went for four days and then obtained an excellent employment position. We are also going to Bali for 17 days in just under two weeks.

I enjoyed the barista's course. I enjoy a good coffee, these days I have preferred an Vietnamese style coffee which contains condensed milk with my own dash of chilli. The barista course was a crash course in being able to know how to use a coffee machine and to produce the coffee's requested by costumers.

I was getting used to one coffee machine and become reasonable competent with it then on the last day of the course all those in the class, approx 10, went to a local cafe and worked a full day of split shifts. The cafe advertised that there would be trainees creating the cups that day and so to entice even more people they advertised for $2 coffees on the day. The cheap coffee prices brought an influx of customers and I found the only hassle was having too many people behind the counter.

Then on the Friday I started at my new position at Allumbah Pocket Cottages http://www.allumbahpocketcottages.com.au/. I started the position on Good Friday, it was a whirlwind induction with a large amount of customers coming into the front cafe. My position is to work the front cafe, take bookings and to provide general management of the establishment. The owners travel frequently and the cafe has not reached its potential due to being closed regularly. However now we intent to keep it open 7 days a week. This is a great opportunity, its only 200mtrs from my house, its 4.5 star rated, it will provide me with extensive experience in the tourism and hospitality industry. Developing my managerial competencies in this area can only lead to greater opportunities both in Australia and beyond.

We went to the Ultra Sound place the other day and found out that we are having a baby boy. The Ultra Sound was amazing, we could see the baby from all different angles and even the skeletal structure. I enjoyed watching the child kick and move about. We have been informed that it is in the 90th percentile for size however its early days. I wanted to know what sex it was to assist in naming and to be prepared as possible.

I have been looking for extra work in the area and my preference has been to work in the Community Services sector. There doesn't seem to be many vacancies at the moment though one organization who recruits internally has offered the possibility for me to do some volunteer work to get a foot in the door. I am of the impression that they recruit from those that they know fit their organizational culture, this will give me an opportunity to see if I do fit and to make the most of the contacts.

Justene has been quite active since arriving, she has been participating in womens groups which have done belly dancing, tai chi, and included women's rights speakers, she has also been going to yoga and participating in an art group.

In my last post I mentioned going over to a property for meditation and getting to know people, well that evening went really well. We arrived a bit late, due to not having a definite starting time and found a number of people lying on the art gallery floor whilst other people played obscure musical instruments. We joined them and I enjoyed the experience. I am not one for such passive meditation nor do I get off on the weirdness of just lying around however the music was amazing it, was like listening to an album in 3D made up of alien instruments. After the meditation time we had dinner with about 8 others. The meal and company was enjoyable and I plan on getting to know them more.

Last night we went to a local restaurant with Bob and Vivian to celebrate their 62 wedding anniversary.

The weather has been quite rainy lately as we had a cyclone off the coast and the edges of the cyclone have been lingering around.

One of the beautiful flowers around the property

I was beaten in chess three times in a row! We had dinner with Bob and Vivian last night and after dinner a custom is forming where Bob and I play chess. Bob, who is 94, had not played chess since 1985. He was quite the player in the day he tells me, having played in the lunch room of the CSIRO with other scientific minds during his career. When we played our first game Bob was very nervous, fearing that has capability had diminished over time and being beaten after 25 years by the likes of me was not to be taken lightly. He beat me in the first game, as he stood the whole game, focused, nervous and playing like it was speed chess, which was a bit off putting for me but his strategy worked. Anyway for the remainder of the night the score ended up at 2 games each. However last night Bob was able to creep past the post three times in a row. Its not over!

Justene and I will be having a stall at Yungaburra markets this weekend. We still have numerous items left over from the shop. We have to start the day at 5:30am though I hope we can off load some of our goods and gain some money in the process.

We have been invited to a gathering tomorrow night. It was suggested that I visit a particular individual after attending a Theosophical meeting. I turned up to the individuals property just after a group of ten or more people had finished a ceremony. The group are seeking to build a new paradigm through ceremony, using crystals and sacred geometry. The gathering we are attending tomorrow night is a meditation and then a discussion around a fire. I am looking forward to meeting new friends though I am skeptical of new agey type communities. My experience has included individuals who have a limited understanding of esoteric ideas yet declaring their competence dogmatically and getting upset if they are questioned and asked to back up their assertions. I am willing to keep my mind reasonably open, I hope for the best.

Justene and I are currently living in the most beautiful location. We are living on a property in the heart of town with a creek running down the back (both Justene and I have both seen Platypuses in the creek over the last week). The property is owned by two incredibly lovely people who are both in their 90's. We are here to provide basic support, yard maintenance and to ease their minds regarding general security at night. We are living in brand new custom built residence and feel privileged to do so. The village of Yungaburra is in walking distance with a number of cafes, restaurants and bookstores. Its a relaxing type of village which attracts tourists due to the many beautiful sights in the area. Justene is having our baby in July and that is something I am looking forward too.

Our residence is on the left.

The entrance to our new residence.

This is just one of the many numerous water falls in the region.