marc.vic.max.elliot

What a great last few days!

Vic and I left last Wednesday for Sydney and the Phoenix vs Sydney FC game on Friday night.

Thursday and Friday were spent shopping and just enjoying each others company. Then Friday night came around and it was game time!
We started off at the Fox and Lion pub where we managed to get about 30 Phoenix supporters together and that’s where the Jägerbombs started.  Multiple drinks later, and after some little toe-rag stole my scarf, we were off to the football stadium for the 8pm kickoff.
From the NZ Herald

A last minute penalty gave the Wellington Phoenix a 2-1 upset win over Sydney FC in football’s A-League.
Shane Smeltz converted an 89th minute spot kick after Sydney captain Tony Popovic handled his cross inside the penalty area.
Leo Bertos gave Wellington a 1-nil lead after powering a near-post header past the Sydney goalkeeper in the 34th minute.
Sydney looked as if it might escape with a point after a 77th minute equaliser.

Behind the goal after the second goal there were far too may overweight men waving their shirts around their heads, me included.  Vic got a lot of comments when she picked up Max from school so unfortunately my belly on the telly didn’t pass everyone by…… it even made the national sports program tonight!

It was really nice to get away for a few days with Vic and I think she enjoyed the break from the boys.  The poor thing will need it when I’m away for two weeks!

After all that it was nice to get home to the boys and huge thanks to both their Grandmothers for looking after them over the weekend.

Now I need to make the most of it before I leave for Prague on Thursday.

written by Marc

As you know Vic and I are off to Sydney tomorrow.  The strangest thing is that I will be travelling without a laptop!  Travelling so much with work it will feel very strange and I’m sure that there will be times where I’ll panic because my bag is too light

I’ll still have my Blackberry so I won’t be totally out of touch…….

Hunter Valley again – bored yet?

written by Marc

Just sitting here watching delayed NFL and planning my day tomorrow.  Vic and I are off to Sydney on Wednesday for our Phoenix away game trip for the year and this time it’s against Sydney FC.  I have a few things to do tomorrow such as pick up some clothes that have been altered, get xmas shopping for the boys and vote! Vic and I are away for the standard voting day of Saturday so will both need to place an early vote before we leave.

We are so lucky to have generous people that live nice and close and are willing to look after the boys. Without them we wouldn’t be able to do half the things we do……..

written by Marc

I got back from Sydney yesterday and on the way through customs had my first “excuse me sir can you step over here” moment!

It started of when the guy in immigration wrote an “M” on my card when they sent me towards customs.  Sad though it is I noticed that the “M” was not the norm as they usually write an “F” on it.  I have no idea what either of them mean by the way…

Anyway I get taken over to a table and get asked all sorts of questions on what I do, who I work for and where I’ve been.  After handing over a business card and an itinerary of the sales event that I had been to the customs offices disappears into a large mirrored room with my passport.  I wasn’t worried at all, I just found it interesting that in all the travelling I’d done that this was the first time I’d been picked out.

When the officer came back he explained that they had had a chat to me because of all the travel I had done over the last 18 months and that they did it to ensure that I was in the business that I said I was and travelling for the reasons I had documented.

It should be interesting to see what happens when I get back from Sydney (off again next week) and back from Prague (off the week after)

I’ll let you know

Here’s another shot I took while I was away.

written by Marc

I’m in the hunter valley just outside of Sydney , Australia at a work function at the moment and whenever I come to australia I wake up far too early.  This is the fruits of my 05:30 rise this morning……

written by Marc

Max does a number of daily chores around the house (usually) and in return he gets pocket money (allowance).  He’s been saving up this money and any other cash that he’s been given for a while now to save up for the Lego Aiport and this week he had reached his target of $120!

This set is 692 pieces and even at five I reckon he completed at least 60% of it on his own with another 10% just us moving things slightly so they were right.  Good lad

written by Marc

Yet another Labour Day public holiday missed because of travel to Australia.  I worked out that I have had one Labour Day public holiday in the last six years because I’ve worked for companies based in Australia and they don’t have the same holidays and seem to organise things for this week

Here’s what I’m up to over the next month:

• Sunday 26th October – Fly to Sydney for a sales conference in the Hunter Valley
• Thursday 30th October – Fly back home
• Wednesday 5th November – Fly to Sydney with Vic to watch the Phoenix play
• Saturday 8th November – Fly Back home
• Thursday 13th November – Fly to London
• Sunday 16th November – Fly from London to Prague for a technical conference
• Thursday 20th November – Back to London for a few days
• Monday 24th November – Fly from London to home
• Wednesday 26th November – Get home! yay!

Phew………

written by Marc

written by Marc