Coming Home.

OK, been playing certain cards close to my chest for a while now. Been trying to get a Work Visa for Australia. After 15 years in Brighton (give or take a few trips around the world) was, well maybe not too long but enough - I can't imagine living anywhere else in the UK but I felt I was marking time.

I've spend so long in the tropics in one island or another. It seems like home now. Now as a geek my employment options were kind of limited in small paradise islands, and hell I like Australia - think the outback may actually beat the ocean, In fact I recently turned down a perfectly comfy yacht for the back of my van.

Some of your may have asked "what the £#$$&^} £#$* is Tom doing in the Philippines, or even Hong Kong. Well you would if you'd know. It turns out that for god knows how long Facebook as been posting my tweets, the main way I update it, set to me only.  I've decided to punish them by not going on it for a week at least. I was punishing it any way for being crap and annoying the absence of updates only came to light when I tried to turn them off.

A Pox on facebook and all its works. There was a day when people who were interested came here to find out what I was doing. I miss those days. I'll admit honestly my friends are much better at reading my Blog than I am of reading theirs. Sorry. Since I'm off facebook this week maybe I'll catch up.

Brighton*:
Population: 256,600
Area:  87.54Km²
(Whole uk: 241,590)
Northern Territories 
Population:  229,675
Area: 1,349,129km²

* Includes the suburb of Hove

Anyway I digress, I'm now the proud owner of a big sticker in my passport saying "Temporary Resident", and home is where my hat is from: Darwin, the top end of the Northern Territories (whole population less than Brighton 5 times the size of the UK).

I like Darwin, compared to the other major cities of Australia its pretty small. Historically its had a rought time, in 1942 it was heavily bombed by the Japanese, who couldn't reach any of the Big southern cities.

Its also bloomin hot, the build-up is really starting and I'm not shacked up in an air conditioned palace - yet. More a 20 year old van in the back of a shed (still). But am now being paid, which is good cos my rego's due - must go and get some steering fluid leak stop from repco before they close. Need a couple of tires, sorry right sized tires - my spare is good - a different size to the rest, but good. The one I got off my boss is a third size. Damn.

• Repco - A kind of competent halfords.
• Rego - Car Tax come MOT (inc minimum third party insurance) 
• Build-up Darwin has 2 1/2 seasons . Dry May to Sept ish. Wet Nov to may. The bit in the middle I.E. Now is called the build up. Temp rises, but more to the point it gets humid VERY hummid.