a whale of a tale

hello there friends! thought it was time for a quick update :) i've been off work since 2pm on wednesday as they have been waiting for a part to come in to do some maintenance on the bottling machine. aka i've had a four day break and going back tomorrow is kind of going to suck, but be good at the same time! 

on monday i ordered this epic ukulele with fruits on it just to jam (see what i did there? fruit...jam? haha lame) while i'm here. it was supposed to come by friday but it hasn't booo! oh well, something to look forward to this week!

thursday night, i got to witness my first beautiful australian sunset on the beach. it had always been raining so we hadn't gone down to the beach to watch one, but thursday was our chance. bry got in the water and surfed a bit, and then right before we left, we jumped in without wetsuits baaah it was cold! i already put up a bunch of pics on my facebook, but just to refresh your memory....

this was seriously one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen in my life! such awesome colours and ugh just everything haha the pictures definitely don't do it justice, as it is with most of my pics from aus! love itttt

today was a really great day too! we decided to drive up to dunsborough to the cape naturaliste lighthouse and geographe bay to see if we can spot any whales! they come between september - november and i was seriously soooo excited to see one! bry's friend from work came with us and we were a merry little group just walking along this beautiful trail along the sea. the trail starts at cape naturaliste and goes south to cape leeuwin. it's called the cape to cape trail, and people trek the whole thing, it's so wicked! bry did most of it last year and said it was a wonderful experience :)

sign showing the different types of whales that come to the bay (blue whales, humpbacks, southern right whales)

what to look for when you are whale watching

we hung out on the lookout point for about 30 mins and didn't see anything. we passed some people walking by and they said they had seen whales at meelup beach the day before. funny enough, we had stumbled upon meelup beach on the way to the lighthouse and the surf looked super sweet so we decided to head back there after lunch. i was a bit bummed that we didn't see any whales, but no worries i could always go back!

we took a long detour on the way back to the car park and were just minding our own business, walking, taking pics and marvelling at how beautiful the scene was...

bry was leading the way, then me, then hetta. all of a sudden, a loud scream, bry turns around and runs.. A SNAKKEEEEE!!!!! holy shit! i get a glimpse of it before i turn, scream my head off and run about 30 feet in the other direction. no lie, it was 2 feet from her foot, curled up on the side of the path. it was pure black all coiled up ueishjcdbjkvjrgru ugh it gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it! so obviously we had to keep walking, and the snake had fled the scene in the meantime, but like omg what if it came out when we were walking by? i don't know. they don't like being startled, so we had to walk slow so as not to scare it wherever it was. i was bringing up the rear and of course i wanted to go slow, but not too slow haha i wanted to get the $@%# out of there! i was sweating and shaky, like literally beads of nervous sweat dripping off my face lmao we all had sticks just in case, although i don't know how much good it would have done! after some research, we concluded that it was probably a dugite, which is actually one of the most venemous snakes in australia (13th deadliest in the world after the king cobra) sooooo that was an adventure! my first official australian snake and i survived! phewf. 

that's kind of what it looked like :S

our snake sticks

after all that kafuffle, we headed to samudra in dunsborough for lunch. it is a vegan restaurant, yoga studio, and eco shop with lots of raw food and mostly gluten free. it also features lots of surfboards, and a vw campervan they had fashioned into the kitchen. i was stoked! 

i went all out on the lunch front because i was starving and figured i wouldn't be there again for a while (its about a 45-50 min drive) i got some raw vegan GF samosas to start, then a big bowl of dahl with quinoa, and for dessert, hetta and i split a raw banoffee pie and chocolate tart! it was very delicious and i don't know how i walked out of there without having to be rolled haha! 

then we headed back to meelup beach so bry could surf. i was just on my way to the washroom, and the girls called me back... WHALES!!!! i never ran so fast in my life! i saw the spray and the back of a humpback whale for a second and then he went back underwater. i literally screamed and jumped up and down i was so stoked! after i went to the washroom and bry was surfing, hetta and i saw another one or two and they were playing by the surface for a while! and they were so close to the beach I'd probably say about 600m from the beach! it was UNREAL! and there were so many surfers out and the waves were epic. they started getting bigger cause it was getting windy and you could tell a storm was coming. it was very cool to watch! anyways, then we drove home and are snuggled up in bed listening to the torrential downpour! today was a wicked awesome day! i'm glad i saw all of that wildlife! i feel so lucky everyday to have the chance to see all of these beautiful things! :)

i hope everyone else had a great weekend! i'm seriously missing the fall colours and pumpkins and crunchy leaves! tell me what you guys are up to :) 

i'll post more of my pics on facebook! that's it for now, back to work tomorrow! 

lots of love to one and all xoxo

soph

baby steps!

today we went surfing again at gnarabup (boatramps) it was really small so it was a good day for me to go, it was easier to get in and there was less seaweed so that was a good start! so i paddled out, it was a bit hard to stay on my board it was like pretty wobbly but a few waves came and i went over them no problem, but then one came and broke right on my head and i fell off the board and it just scared the shit out of me! i paddled in and was standing on the beach shaking trying to pull it together haha. i put the board down and decided that i still need to go to redgate a few more times, play in the whitewash and get used to being thrown around by the waves and just get used to swimming in them. i think a big part of it for me is that i can't really go underwater without plugging my nose haha i know, so lame. but i'm working on it! tomorrow when we go to yoga its right by the beach so we're going to go for a surf after and i might just swim around and then after i'm going to go to redgate and practice. i'm not giving up! just need to get used to the water :) our friend rick came with us today so i felt better that bry wasn't in the water by herself after i got out haha rick lives in gnarabup, makes surf helmets as a business and surfs and swims twice a day at the beach. he knows his stuff! it's very cool. 

for the rest of the day, i'm going to garden, go for a run and then go out for dinner i think. then just come home and get everything ready for 6am yoga tomorrowwww! obviously not taking my car because of the lights lol so lame. pretty sure i'm going to buy a new car when i get a few paychecks. i can't deal with that thing anymore haha it's just too big! 

on the way home from the beach we saw a field of kangaroos and we stopped to take some photos! when they are laying down, they kind of just look like deer lol but i saw a few jump around and one mama had a baby joey in her pouch! baaaah it was so cute!

anyways, i'm going to take advantage of the sunshine and go do some things outside :) 

look at bry go!!!! 

rick rippin it up

big pineapple just chillin

hope everyone is enjoying the weekend! <3 soph

i. am. a. robot...

today was my first day on the bottling line. it is a 6 minute drive from my house which is amazing. in true sophie fashion, i arrived about 20 mins early and was shown around the staff area and bottling hall, where i would be working. i got all suited up in my sexy eye glasses and bright green earplugs :)

holllaaaa! the day starts at 8 and goes until 4:30. there are four stations, and you spend 30 minutes at each station. there are four of us working, one for each station, and then two floor managers i guess you would call them, who make sure everything runs smoothly, operate the forklift, and help if someone is falling a bit behind *cough ME cough*

i started at the divider station. the machine pushes forward 6 bottles, i grab a cardboard divider and stick it in between the bottles. then it pushes forward for the next person and 6 more come forward. repeat. for half an hour. it was slightly mindnumbing, but it gave me lots of time to ponder and think about lots of things, as i usually do. 

half an hour later, i moved on to the next station, which is just on the opposite side of the conveyor, which is the boxing station. when the 6 bottles come forward with the divider in it, you put a box on them, then it gets moved forward to the machine that closes it. half an hour later, SWITCH!

then its packing onto a pallet. the closed up boxes slide down and you have to pack them onto a pallet in a special pattern so they don't fall. it took me a little bit to figure out the pattern, but by the second time around i got it! these boxes weigh 8 kilos, which is almost 18lbs. the first two layers are fine because the pallet is close to the ground, but by the time you are at the third and fourth, it is basically over my head, so i was getting quite the workout! i was seriously sweating like a mad man. they busted out a step for me so i could reach :) short people problems! 

the last station is loading on the bottles. they come in this huge pallet thats wrapped with plastic in 4 layers (almost taller than me!) and you just put them on the conveyor. a lot of the guys who helped me could pick up three in each hand, but i can only pick up two in each hand haha! i only broke one bottle all day, so i was pretty stoked about that! lol

we get three breaks, one around 10:15-10:30, then lunch from 1:30 i think to 2 and then 3:15-3:30 and then we finish at 4:30! it was a super long day, and by the end of it i was pretty sore. i went to the work placement agency after to sign my contract and apparently i need steel toe boots which no one told me about, so i had to run around like a chicken with my head cut off 15 mins before all the stores closed to buy those... $200 later....

uggggh i hope i drop lots of shit on my toes so i get my moneys worth! haha anyways, after that i went to the bar bry works at and had a celebratory first day of work coke and some wedge fries but then had to leave pretty soon after because it started getting dark and my car has no lights, remember? baaaaahahhaa fmlfmlfml. 

when i got home, i just unpacked all my crap, made my lunch for tomorrow and now its 8:20pm and i'm in bed writing this and then going to go to sleep! ahhhh i'm so tired. two more days! i have fridays off because they do maintenance on the machines on fridays, and weekends off too which is super nice :) they said the bottling will go until about mid november which is awesome! 87 days of farm work left! i'm going to have very strong arms when this is all done lmao! 

ok bed time. round 2 tomorrow in my new boots! goodnight everyone <3

xoxo soph

driving in the dark

today was very eventful! bry and i had packed up the car the night before with our surf gear,  packed our breakfasts, and had planned to go to 6am yoga and then for a surf. we woke up at 5:20 and hit the road. high beams on, because dawn and dusk are when the kangaroos come out, and if you hit one, your car is totalled and there is a good chance you might be hurt. i was driving super slow and the lights started to flicker. like on and off. then off. it was PITCH black and i'm driving down this twisty foresty road scared that friggin marsupials are going to jump out at me. sweeeeeeeeeet i want to kill this car! so we turn around and make it back home with no lights. i'm literally driving about 20km an hour. i was so mad that we had to miss yoga because of my stupid ass car!

we went back to sleep and decided to go for a surf if the weather was good. we woke up at 8 to see and it was cloudy and overcast so we went back to sleep. by the time we woke up around 9/930 it was sunny! waaaah none of our plans are working out lol i had seen that i had missed two calls while i had been sleeping so i called back and it was cape mentelle, the winery that bry worked at last year. one of the managers stewart had offered her a job again this year but since she is already working at the bar, she recommended me which was sooo awesome! i got called later in the afternoon to say that i had gotten the job! i start tomorrow on the bottling line at cape mentelle. it's about 5km from my house, so hopefully this summer i will get a bike and be able to bike to work because i don't want to depend on my stupid car! i work monday to thursday from 8am to about 4pm and get 19 bucks and hour WHOOOO! and this work will count toward my second year visa which is so great. 

i also registered that dumb car today and paid the transfer fee, so he is all mine. all non working lights, zip tied mirrors and finicky locks. gotta love steve. i have decided that when i get my first or second paycheck, i'm probably going to sell it and buy a more reliable car. the difference between me and the kook who sold it to me is that i'm going to be honest about all of the problems, and i know i'm going to lose out on a ton of money but it's all a learning experience, so i'm not mad. just going to buy a smaller car because its so hard to park and reverse my friggin boat ford falcon! 

anyways, i've already made my lunch for tomorrow, just going to have some dinner and read my book and go to bed! wish me luck on my first day! ill write all about it tomorrow :)

try some cape mentelle wine! :D

xoxox
soph

first surf!!!

today was super productive! when we woke up it was looking like it was going to rain, so we decided to skip out on our surf session. we went to bunnings instead to get a whole bunch of veggie plants to put in the garden. by the time we got home, the sun was shining and we decided to hit the waves!!!! we had some lunch and then drove down to redgate beach. it was such a beautiful drive, and i am getting more comfortable driving on the opposite side of the road. sue also fixed the mirror that was falling off by putting a zip tie on. now both sides match paahaaaa lol love it. 

we got in the water which was a bit cold at first, but the wetsuit helped keep me super warm! i stayed in the whitewash and just rode the waves in on my stomach on the board which was actually so fun! bryanna was standing up, but since the waves were too small, there wasn't enough power behind them to push her forward a lot. out a bit further, there were people surfing and it looked so cool, i can't wait until i'm able to go on actual waves! so i didn't stand up at all, but i pushed up a bit and got my knees under my body lol just not on my feet yet! 

i was actually so super tired because yesterday i did a great upper body workout, and 2 hours of weeding in the garden. plus the waves were just pushing me around and carrying that board through the water is pretty tiring. i dropped it a few times and felt like a dummy haha

when we got home we planted all of our baby veggies. i'm excited for them to start growing :) then we had dinner and now are just watching a movie and having coconut yogourt for dessert!

tomorrow we are going to 6am yoga and then going to check out the surf at gnarabup (boatramps, where we went last time) so hopefully ill be able to get in the water this time! if not though its all good, just taking this in baby steps! then bry has to work, and i'm going to head back to morrie's that cute restaurant that i applied for. really hoping that works out!! 

anyways, that's my update :) i keep forgetting to bring my camera, but i will for sure tomorrow!!!! 

hope it's not getting too cold at home! i'm looking forward to summer, but i am missing the changing fall leaves! so beautiful :) bundle up everyone!

missing you all <3
soph

funemployed

today i hit the pavement again with a stack of resumes. i passed out some more, and filled out some application forms and stuff. the restaurant in the hotel that bry works at (in the hotel bar) is hiring waitstaff so that would be ideal because we would have similar hours and stuff. it's hard though because i don't have any serving experience. 

i was on my way home, my feet were already hurting from walking in flats, and i ended up missing my turn on the roundabout. those things are even more confusing to walk than they are to drive, i swear! anyways, i spotted a quality inn and i had one more resume so i headed in to see if there were any job openings. the restaurant is looking for servers and i ended up talking to the manager and he said he would think about it and give me a call back tomorrow. when i got home, i noticed an ad on gumtree that they had posted earlier today, so i feel like he is going to wait and see if anyone better applies and then if not, call me bahahaaa guess i got lost for a reason! anyways on the way back from the hotel, i ended up walking at least a half a kilometre in the wrong direction! lol so i turned around and walked the 2km back home. my feet have blisters on the bottoms of them, so that run i was planning when i got home definitely didn't happen! haha 

i also applied for a job online last night at just jeans which is a clothing store, and one today for a souvenir shop so hopefully something will work out soon! me and bry successfully made coconut yogurt, nut cheese and almond butter, and we made the crust for this awesome sun dried tomato and zuchini hummus tart we are making for lunch tomorrow! we are sprouting lots too, alfalfa, quinoa, lentils and buckwheat! yummmm. tomorrow morning, we are going to a yoga class at 6am and then working in the garden which is how we pay our rent. i'm so so so excited to get the garden all ready for summer and to start eating all the yummy fruits and veggies from it and making all sorts of delish food! going for a play in the whitewash on saturday at redgate so i can get used to standing on my board, then going to the market after to buy cabbage to make kimchi! if the weather cooperates on sunday, we are going to head to gracetown for a surf on some real waves! 

that's my super quick update! eating well, looking for a job, and getting excited to try surfing again when the waves are a bit smaller haha i'm also going to try to take more pics, i just always forget to bring my camera! 

missing everyone xoxo
soph

oh, and PS one of steve's mirrors fell off yesterday, i swear this car is cursed! lol i also noticed that the other one is held on by a plastic zip tie. FML

serious good vibes right now

I LOVE THIS PLAAAAAAAAAAAACCCEEEEE!!!! omg this is actually nutty how stoked on life i am right now. i'm a little scared to see how i will act when it is summertime and the sun is shining and i can wear shorts and not fleece jackets LOL! 

the last few days i have been in a bit of a weird mindset because i wasn't really feeling super settled and i was spending money (on food so it was necessary lol) but when i spend money and know that i have no money coming in, it really freaks me out even though i know i am ok in terms of that. just my worrying-over-nothing nature kicking in haha. 

anyways, today i was feeling a lot better. we went job hunting and got a bunch of stuff to make wicked raw vegan food and i found some sweet ukuleles at the music store in town and now im just so pumped! haha 

apparently, i have missed the pruning season, so i think i'm going to just get a regular job in town and wait until february to do some picking then. it makes the most sense to me and i think it is the most realistic goal to have :) so tomorrow i'm headed into town to hand out resumes. there are a ton of cute shops, cafes, restaurants and other things, so i think i'll find something good as it is getting to be the beginning of tourist season as well! bry went into a bar to drop off a resume and within 10 minutes she walked out with a job! ahhhh! she starts tomorrow, i am so stoked for her! while she was doing that i went into the music shop to look at the ukes and they had two walls of them. i almost cried i was so excited! i'm definitely getting one when i get a paycheck! they also had these super cool cases made from this hippie looking fabric paha so basically right up my alley. 

for lunch today was my first raw vegan meal after a 3 day juice cleanse. i was trying to do 4 days but i just felt way too hungry! it was a great experience though and i'm definitely going to do one every few months! we had a huge salad with lettuce, chives and lemon from the garden, tomato, sprouts, celery and tempeh with tahini dressing. i died, it was SO good! i was so friggin happy when i went outside to get the lettuce, pull the lemon from the lemon tree, and cut the chives. HOW LUCKY AM I?! then for dinner i made a quinoa lentil loaf with mushroom gravy (vegan and gluten free!) seriously amazing stuff. it turned into more of a crumble than a loaf lol but it was so yummyyy! the recipe calls it "hippie loaf" LOL too funny

as for the surfing front, we went saturday to boatramps and i put on my wetty, waxed my board (best smell EVER!) and carried that sucker down to the beach. the waves were a biiiittttt too big for me and there was a ton of seaweed so i didn't end up going in. i tried 3 or 4 times to go in but the waves were seriously dumping on the beach and it was so hard to just get past that and my leash was dragging about 10 kilos of seaweed and it was pulling me in im like ahhh shooottt so i sort of turned around and ran back up the beach HAHA! bry got in and had a good paddle and went for some waves! we were a bit knackered cause we were on a juice cleanse, so it wasn't a full 100% energetic attempt haha i also had to psych myself up to get in the water because WA is so sharky and there have been some sightings recently so all of that mental stuff was swirling around in my head too. but it's good, baby steps, im okay with it :) the last week the winds were over 50km an hour which made the swell something crazy like 30 ft so we drove down to the beach to check it out and i have never seen anything like that in my life! pictures wouldn't even capture it. it was soooo beautiful ahhhhhhh! we are probably going to go this weekend to a spot called redgate i believe which is apparently really good for beginners, like it is whitewash so ill be able to just paddle out and get a feel for standing up on the board before i actually try for real waves :)

so yes! surfing, job hunting, cooking up massive raw vegan gluten free storms, listening to my ipod, planning a camping/surf trip to denmark (4 hrs away) in a few weeks, gardening, playing with sue's cat and dog. everythingggggggg! i'm just really happy that im figuring stuff out and i feel more settled and once i have a routine i think i'll be all set! im starting working out again tomorrow so i'm STOKED! whooooo! everyone update me on things from home please :D

sorry for the serious rant, i know i havent done a post in a long while, so i just wanted to let everyone know what i'm up to! miss you guys TONS

xo soph