First Holiday here and adjustments

Here we are, 3 months into our year. Good time to reflect and see how it's feeling, being gone that is.

I have to say that Easter, being our first holiday away from all the family and friends, is hard. We (Tucker clan) are used to John being tied up at work on holidays. We made the best of it,  we'd go to church, then have a meal together, or just celebrated the fact that some of us were together. This year, John is working, and there is no one here with whom to celebrate. I'm not trying to have anyone feel sorry for me, but it is an adjustment. I received a nice email from Lynn (my sweet daughter in law) looking for a family favorite recipe she could make to have the Tuckers there (JP and Colin) feel some of home when they celebrate their Easter with the Parker clan. I'm so appreciative of the Parkers including Colin and Scott, although I think Scott is going elsewhere for Easter. The Parkers have included all of us at holidays for the past 3 years, which has been lovely for us, Lynn and JP who have not had to miss either gathering as we were together as one big family.

John and I are planning to go to a church service, at a church which haven't tried before, on Easter. We haven't connected with a church yet, not really finding that right match, so we are still looking. I plan to go for a bike ride and/or a long walk Easter Sunday, not really different from any other day of the week.

Easter holidays are a big deal here. The kids are off school for 2 weeks and everyone is traveling. The area where we live is full of families and tourists.  I expect the stores will be full and the restaurants booked solid. Good Friday is bigger than Easter Sunday in that EVERYTHING is closed, except the hospitals, of course. Even the bars are closed. That's huge.

We are in Autumn here, the temperatures are cooling a bit, the sun setting by 6pm, and sweaters (called jumpers here) are appearing in the stores. Having the seasons backward from the US is, how do I say it, confusing. People here are gearing up for their "Winter" which is so weird as that means a high of 75 degrees and a low of 60 degrees.

I can't get my head around that. NOT COLD PEOPLE!

I'll tell you about cold.....never mind, I won't.

Three months in means John is through with his "monitored" practice here and will be a consultant when the paperwork comes through. His role has been that of a consultant meaning he's teaching, team leading, and doing everything a consultant does. A consultant is the highest category of physician in Australia, and one that isn't given haphazardly. There are only 5-6 consultant physician's in the Bundaberg ED, that's out of 30-40 doctors that staff in one way or another. His research, his fellowship in Toxicology and his 30+ years of practice has afforded him this qualification. Well done. (or Good Onya) It also makes him very valuable as Bundaberg wants to stay a teaching facility for Emergency Medicine Residents. They need consultants for that to happen. This month will see 2 consultants leave, the director who recruited John, has taken a job in Brisbane near his home, and another American doctor is leaving to practice in England. Both have been in Bundaberg for 7 or more years and their leaving is a big loss to the department. I told John when he told me the director was leaving that he will be getting a lot of pressure to stay beyond the year he committed to......hate to say it but I am right.....again. Not to worry anyone, I am firm in that I am returning when the year is through, give or take a few weeks. John is also holding firm with that time frame. It's a dilemma, and there is a lot of time left for them to figure it out, but nothing is what we were planning. Ha! That could be the title of this whole experience.

This will end with the update on the House Hunter's International which is still interested in us. I have gotten approval from the unit's owners to film, and the condo association, which believes it would be good for resale and Bargara's profile. I have answered the 16 pages of questions with John's help, and sent photos of the family and the unit.
 http://www.hgtv.com/shows/house-hunters-international

I have no idea if they will ultimately use us, but the gal I'm corresponding with loved the wedding pictures with JP and Lynn, and the boys,

like duh, perfect wedding and adorable couple.

If it were JP and Lynn, not US, it would have happened already. The middle aged couple thing has been done to death.....literally. Oh well, JP and Lynn will have to wait to move to some exotic locale, then they can have try to get on this TV show.

Happy Easter to all reading this, or Happy Pesach (that's Passover), and stay in touch. OH and GO BADGERS!