2007...

I'm not really going to do a review of the year that was...if you've been reading my blog, you'll have a fairly good idea as to what was good and bad about 2007. But a situation yesterday kinda represented to me the past year.

Firstly, I met up with the entertaining and ever fabulous London blogger Darth Gateau who's here on holidays with his gorgeous partner TOH! I've been reading DG's blog for around a year now and met up with him (plus many more London bloggers) when I was recently in London. And so when he told me he was coming out to Sydney over Christmas/NY, I was very excited. At last I would be able to repay in some small way the hospitality and welcome that the London bloggers had shown me. In fact, DG is the 2nd London blogger to visit our fair shores this month so it's been great.

Anyway, met up with DG and TOH and of course, Muzbot yesterday afternoon at the Opera Bar - perfect day for the Opera Bar...27 degrees C, buckets of sunshine, a flawless blue sky. The Opera House was glistening in the sun, the harbour was a gorgeous blue, with the Harbour Bridge dominating the scene. Great bar to take tourists! So we had ourselves a couple of shandies but by that stage, we were getting a little hot in the sun and so decided to go to Green Park Hotel.

So we turned up there and watched as the pub progressively got more and more crowded! It was absolutely pumping! But as the evening progressed, a strange (for me anyway) thing started happening. Looked over and saw a guy that I had shagged early this year. Waved hello to him. 20 mins later, saw another prior shag. Waved hello to him too. In total, I saw 5 guys that I'd shagged in the past year! It was my Shagging Ghosts of Christmas Past! Felt quite strange to be in a bar and whichever way I looked, there was a past shag standing there. It's probably not such a strange phenomenon in Sydney, with a relatively small'ish gay community...after all they say there's only 2 degrees of separation in the Sydney gay community. But it had never happened to me before. And so, on the 30th December 2007 - the end of quite a momentous year for me - what a more appropriate thing to happen to me than to see all these guys there.

It's a completely different situation from last year. So much has changed in my circumstances (I know I keep rabbitting on about this, but it never fails to amaze me), I have become so much more confident a person, much more comfortable in my own skin and in my own sexuality. Although I came out in 2006, for me, 2007 has been more of a watershed year because it's been when what I started in 2006 really has impacted on my life.

I just can't wait for 2008 now! I'm starting a new job at work, I've decided to join a gym (gasp, yes, you heard it right, Monty is joining a gym!), and there's maybe one or two other things up my sleeve as well. EIB sent me a Christmas card this year and in it he said "2008 will be your year!", and you know, I really think that is true! Bring it on!!!

I hope everyone has a FABULOUS New Year and I hope that 2008 brings you success and happiness. Lots of hugs to you all.

Monty! xxx

Time on my hands...

I'm a bit at a loss at the moment. I had deliberately not scheduled anything for this weekend, as I had pretty much booked out the rest of December and so really felt like just having an unplanned weekend - just flying by the seat of my pants, see what happens kinda thing. And it's bitten me in the butt. (now how's that for mixing my metaphores? lol) Anyway, I find myself on a Saturday night without plans and I really feel like doing something! Most of my friends are out of the city at the moment, and the ones I have here are either busy, or haven't responded to messages! sigh...this was not part of the plan! :-(

Post-Christmas...

Well, I'm back in Sydney and I'm well rested, extremely relaxed and just a touch sunburned. Nothing too dramatic, just the back of my legs, my lower back and a patch on my left shoulder blade where I obviously missed putting the sunscreen on.

But I did have a great time down at the South Coast. Weather was pretty damn fine - apart from a big storm Christmas eve, it was sunny and warm. I made my Beer-up-the-bum Chicken on Christmas night, as well as a strawberry pavlova for dessert so we were feeling very fat!

Mark and Sim rang us Christmas night, and we opened our respective presents whilst on the phone. And what did they get me??? Yes, the present that finally dragged me into the 21st Century, an IPod Nano! I was very excited about that! I've spent half of today trying to download songs to it and I've mostly succeeded. So it has been the BEST present!

I had originally planned on coming back today (Friday) however yesterday was a bit overcast and I was really fanging to get back to Sydney and to life! So I took off early, and I have to say, the drive back was good. The traffic southbound however was absolutely chokka block, stop start all the way. I would not have wanted to be in their shoes!

Today, after a sleep in, I cleaned up around home, did my washing, and sorted some stuff out. And then, hit David Jones' half-yearly clearance! And bought up a storm! Got myself a new suit (to match my new job which I start on the 7th) and a new shirt and tie. I still want to buy another suit and some more shirts/ties. Also got some more wine glasses, tumblers and a dinner set. So I was pretty chuffed about that.

So it's been a great Christmas, and this weekend should be pretty good too. And then, NYE! I can't wait!

Oh, and thank you to all who sms'd me xmas wishes over the past few days. It was lovely to hear from you!

I guess it's Christmas...

Well, it's 11.50am on Christmas Eve. I'm sitting here at work...it's dead! Which is a very good thing. We're on skeleton staff but thankfully, the clients have decided to get themselves on holidays and are not bothering us! So, I've done a little bit of work - just the finishing up of a couple of outstanding matters - and have chatted to some colleagues, played some games online and have read a few blogs. I'm leaving around 1.30pm and am driving straight down to the beach house so I should be there pretty early! It's going to be an interesting Christmas - I'll be spending it with my brother's ex-boyfriend Phil and Carter so it's a bit of an orphans' Christmas - but it will also be fun! I'm also making my internationally renowned Beer-Up-the-Bum chicken which the boys are looking forward to! And I am sooo looking forward to just chilling, going to the beach, lying in the sun, drinking beer and champers and relaxing! Lovely!

So, I will be offline for a few days - returning to Sydney on Friday 28th. So, I want to say thank you to all of you, my readers, for your contribution to my blog over the past 12 months. I have learned lots from you and appreciate every single comment you make. Have a great Christmas everyone!!!

Lots of Aussie hugs to you all

Monty! xxx

Dinner Party...the next day

What a night I had! The dinner party was excellent; I really had a great time. The food - well, the veal was a little, ummm, well cooked shall we say. But the entree and dessert worked perfectly. We managed to consume 6 bottles of wine between the 6 of us, which is impressive considering that three of the party were driving and so the burden of alcohol consumption fell mainly on the remaining three of us.

But I think the best part of the night was simply the enjoyment of friendship! Four of the guests - Evan, McDreamy, DG and Jacqui - have played a significant part in my life in 2007, being there for me, supporting me, laughing with me, providing shoulders to cry on (figuratively and literally), and so it was very special for me to have them over. One of the guests was a new friend (and fellow blogger) Mike and it was great to see that everyone got on very well; there were plenty of laughs throughout the night.

I was exhausted by the end, but also energized and exhilarated. I love spending time with friends, and when you can do it in relaxed surroundings, it's just fantastic. I think last night was a great way to say goodbye to 2007 with those guys, as we're all going our separate ways for Christmas and won't all be together again before next year.

Today was the clean up and was there lots of that!!! But it was very worthwhile!

Dinner Party...

Well, it's 3pm Saturday and I've been up since 6am and I'm just a touch weary! I got up so early (which is so unlike me) as I had to go to the flower markets out at Flemington. Unfortunately, it seems that most of Sydney had the same idea...traffic was appalling - had to queue for about 15 mins on the highway just to get in the gate! Anyway, I bought up big and have done up two arrangements. One is for the table, the other is on my hall stand. I'm hoping that they'll last until Christmas, in which case, I'll take 'em down to the beach house.

I then went grocery shopping. Now I normally don't do groceries until the afternoon (my mornings are usually devoted to sleeping in and then getting some breakfast and reading the paper) and so I didn't know whether it would be busy or not. Of course, it's the weekend before Christmas so it was crazy! But I battled through the crowds and into Woolies! And then I realized why I don't go in the mornings...there's all these flipping old people doing their shopping! And they are soooo slow!!! I'm sorry to all the old people out there, but they have all the time in the world DURING THE WEEK to go and yet, leave it until I'm needing to rush around on a Saturday! Grrrr...

Anyway, I've come home, made the dessert, made the main, and prepared the entree. Now I'm half-way through cleaning my apartment. It's just so hot and sticky today that I needed a bit of a rest...hence this post.

At Campbell's request...the menu.

Entree - Lightly steamed asparagas spears, wrapped in smoked salmon, with shaved parmesan and a sweet balsamic dressing
Main - Veal Scallopine with a fresh garden salad and baby potatoes
Dessert - Brandied Apricot Trifle

I've got champers to start with the hors douvres, a nice WA Chardonnay Verdelho with entree, and the bottle I'm fanging to try out - 2002 Grant Burge "Holy Trinity" Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre - will accompany the mains. I've also got my last bottle of Lamont's Navera which I will serve with dessert. And of course, I suspect that my guests will probably bring some more wine and so I have a feeling that this will end up being a bit of a lush evening! Wahoooo!

Well, my rest time is over...back to the cleaning! Hope everyone is having a great weekend! :-)

This week...

I am feeling rather strange actually. The best way I can describe it would be that I'm feeling rather bemused. This week is totally dragging...this feels like the slowest week for a really long time! I am really fanging for the weekend to come...but it's still only Thursday. This weekend, I'm having a dinner party for a few of my good friends and I'm really looking forward to it. I love doing dinner parties, but never get the opportunity. So, it should be lots of fun. I just wish this week was OVER!

I did a personality test...

...and here's the results...

You have a strong will, not dependent on others and gives an impression of being a lone-ranger. You are extrememly curious and sensual, living a clear headed modern life. At first glance, you place yourself on a pedestal, and are difficult to get along. But once others talk to you, they know you are easy going and when the relationship develops, they realise you are affable. You have an androgynous charm which makes you popular with all genders. But you don't like your weak side to be seen. You might look cool but beneath it all, you are really passionate. Only people who know your true self can maintain a long lasting relationship with you.

And you know, it's actually quite accurate!

It's raining here in Sydney...

...and all I want to do is snuggle! It's a Sunday night, it's been raining solidly for the past hour or so, my favourite TV show, Spicks and Specks (the BEST music quiz show in the WORLD) is on in 30 minutes time and the only thing that could make it better is having someone here to snuggle with! sigh...

Coming out...

This is a bit of a self-indulgent post, but I just wanted to get this off my chest.

I'm not sure why I started thinking about this, but today, I was ruminating on last year's events, specifically my coming out. It's one question I can guarantee will be asked on every date..."So why did it take you so long to come out?". The answer I always give goes something like this..."It wasn't until I was 28 that I had my first experience with a guy and it took me several years to come to terms with my sexuality - to feel comfortable within myself and then to build up the courage to actually face the world and say I'm gay. I come from a very conservative Christian family as well and I knew that they would react badly to my coming out and so that was also a factor in the delay from when I first knew until I actually came out".

And that is the truth. But I was also thinking that whilst those external factors were there, it also was because I lacked the courage to do so. I was scared about disappointing my family and friends, and I was terrified of losing them as well, because I did know with absolute conviction that they would react the way they have. I was also being a bit selfish, because I had a good "straight" life, had lots of friends, was enjoying life, whilst at the same time still indulging occasionally in a bit of man loving on the sly. So I had the best of both worlds. I felt I wasn't hurting anyone so it didn't matter, but with the wisdom of hindsight, I realize now that I was hurting not only my family and friends, but also myself. I re-read an email that one of my closest friends sent me after I told him and I think it sums it up...

"I'm feeling angry, and hurt: I'm feeling angry with myself: I can't help think that I didn't try hard enough to get to the inner core of Monty, to find out what really made him tick, to see past the veneer and to boldly push through those tough outer defences. I'm annoyed because whilst N (another close mutual friend of ours) and I often discussed their existence, we often found it too difficult to scale the walls. I wonder if we'd made more of an effort, things may have been different. I'm feeling puzzled and disoriented, and perhaps a little cheated: the Monty I thought I knew is just the tip of a much larger iceberg which I know lurks beyond the surface but cannot be seen: and I feel like I'll never see it. That's a disconcerting feeling because generally speaking, we bared our soul to you and only got so much back: I feel like you've stared at us all through a keyhole and we've just seen an eye glinting back at us."

I know I did put up walls...it was the only way I could keep the two sides of my life separate; the only way I could avoid losing it all. But in the end, I have left lots of hurt family and friends behind because of my deception. This I cannot do anything about - what is done is done. I do regret the hurt I caused.

But it's one thing I have learned - and it's something I suppose all of my current friends see - I'm very open about my life now. Sometimes too much, I think, but I would prefer they know me warts and all, than knowing just the tip of the iceberg. (though an iceberg is not how I would describe myself...I would like to think that I'm a bit warmer than that)

I remember whenever I considered the issue of coming out, my stomach would be in knots...just the thought of losing all my friends and family made me physically ill. I considered trying to do it step by step, doing it in stages. I thought about not telling my family...it wouldn't be a difficult thing to conceal really -they live thousands of kilometres away and Mark, my brother, has managed it successfully for the past 17 yrs or so. But, when it came down to it, I knew that I would have to do it all in one fell swoop. I couldn't do it in stages, because I know that it would've allowed me to back out if I wanted. I knew that when I came out, I would literally HAVE to burn my bridges to prevent me backing out. And so, that's what I did. I came out to the my family, my friends, my church, work, the world, all in the space of about a month. It was a killer, but I survived it. And since then, I've realized that I'm much stronger than I thought. I feel rather proud of the fact that I was able to muster up the courage to tell everyone; that I've been able to rebuild my social life; that I've been able to gather a nice group of friends around me. I've really enjoyed the past few weeks since returning from overseas and am looking forward to a fantastic summer (well, as long as this flipping rain stops).

Meme...

Haven't done a Meme for ages, and saw this one on both Muzbot and Darth Gateau's blogs and it's quite a good one...so here goes...

1. When you were born, how much did you weigh?
I was around 8lb - I was the heaviest of mum's babies, ironic given that I've always been the lightest of her kids ever since!

2. What's you're sugar poison?
I maintain a lolly jar on my desk at work - I'm such a kid sometimes! I love those candy Teeth! I also love donuts!!!

3. If you had to choose between meat and cheese for the rest of your life, which would you choose? Then be specific.
Cheese! As much as I am a carnivore, I LOVE cheese! I'll often make me a yummy cheese platter on a Sunday evening and that's all I'll have for dinner! Prefer the aged cheddars, particularly Mersey Valley Sharp 'n Crumbly!

4. What, in your opinion, is the worst song ever?
Achy Flipping Breaky Heart

5. Who was your favorite teacher growing up and why?
Miss Robertson, my high school music teacher. She was lovely - I absolutely adored her and actually kept in contact with her for a few years after.

6. What personal activity, when performed in public, bothers you the most?
Spitting! I think it is a vile habit!

7. Ok, there's a $50 bill lying on the ground. You pick it up. Dumbfounded by your incredible luck, what do you selfishly purchase?
I'd probably buy me a CD or two...

8. Do you have a recurring nightmare? If so, explain.
No not really. I rarely remember my dreams, and the ones that I do are generally nice ones!

9. Name one place on Earth you've never been, but vow to visit at least once.
Scandanavia - not only tall, blonde, built guys but I would love to see the fjords!

10. You notice that question #9 wasn't really a question. You feel smart for catching such a small detail. What else can you do really well that reminds you how smart you are?
I have a knack for remembering dates (as in birthdays, significant moments etc, not the romantic date kind). And all sorts of useless Trivia...I'm the king of Trivial Pursuit.

Aches and pains...

I've written previously about my Hunky Masseur who unfortunately moved to London in July this year. I actually met up with him while I was over there and we spent the day at St Paul's Cathedral and wandering the streets of The City Of London. But since his departure, I've not been able to find me a decent masseur.

I logged onto Gaydar over the weekend and noticed this quite hot guy had left a track and so I had a look at his profile and it turns out, he's a masseur. Interesting, but I gave it no further thought. Until Monday, that is. About lunchtime, I realized that my right shoulder was incredibly sore. And as the afternoon progressed, it got stiffer and stiffer (my shoulder, that is, you with the dirty minds).

I have not experienced this kind of muscular pain before, this overwhelming agony, where I did not even want to use my arm. And so, when I got home, I remembered this guy's profile and sent him an urgent message requesting an urgent massage! Thankfully, he could fit me in on Wednesday evening and so last night, finished work right on 5pm, raced home for a quick shower, and then over to his apartment.

I've gotta say, he's probably even hunkier than my original "Hunky Masseur". And the massage...well, it was BRUTAL! But I knew that it wasn't going to be one of those stress-relief-nice-and-easy-feel-good kinda ones, given the pain I was in. So I was mentally prepared, but HOLY CRAP! Pain city!!! But beneath the blinding waves of pain, I could feel my shoulder relaxing, the muscles loosening...and his magnificent 6pack (he rested my hand/arm against his stomach briefly when he was stretching my shoulder). And so I left there feeling waaaay better!

Today, my shoulders are a little sore, but it's the good sore...not the tight, uncomfortable feeling, but just residual soreness from the pummelling I got last night. I think I have found me a new Hunky Masseur! Wahooooo!

PS Before you ask, NO, I did not get a "happy ending"! :-)

What a difference a year makes...

I was invited to a BBQ yesterday but before I went, I actually was thinking about the last few weeks and this past week in particular; how busy my social life has been since I returned from overseas. And I couldn't help but think back one year and the difference in my life.

At this time last year, I was relatively recently out to my parents and friends, and as a consequence, had been cut off by both my parents and a significant portion of my friends. And so I had very few friends and thus, my social life had plummeted quite dramatically. I had only a couple of gay friends and a couple of straight friends and so although I was seeing them regularly, the bulk of my social contact was gaydar dates. Although I was having fun, last December was a bit of a struggle for me as I was missing my family and friends big time!

Whereas this year, although naturally I still miss my family and friends, I've made lots of new friends and so my social calendar since returning has been non-stop! Most of my social life is now with friends, with only the odd Gaydar date which is much better! Walking into the BBQ yesterday, I looked around and instead of knowing one or two guys, I knew probably about 10 guys which was great!

I've gotta say, the support and friendship I've received over the past year from my new friends has been overwhelming. I'm feeling like I'm in a really good space at the moment - loving life and having a good time!

Busy busy busy...

It's a crazy time of year! And I'm tired already! I've had a big week, granted, with my promotion and all. But it's just been flat out socially! I've got a couple of different friends over here from the UK and so two nights this week have been spent with each of them respectively. I went to Carter's place on Tuesday night for dinner - Carter is the friend of my brother Mark's, who was on holidays in the UK at the same time as me. Carter wanted to show me his brand new apartment as well as all of his purchases from the overseas trip. So it was great to catch up with him. Last night, I caught up for dinner with my gorgeous friend Evan. It's always a delight to spend time with him; we're very relaxed in each other's company and there's always lots to talk about! Tonight, it's the second of our work christmas parties followed by SG's catch up drinks at the Columbian - will be great to see him again!

The thing is, I don't have any nights free until next weekend! And I really feel like an easy night at home...I NEED an easy night at home! I'm totally whacked out! Even the days this weekend (which I normally keep sacrosanct for Monty time) are booked out with lunches/picnics/BBQs!

And one other thing that has been keeping me busy is FaceBook! It's suddenly kicked into life in the past week and it's almost a full-time job keeping up with all of the things on it. I'm playing 3 Scrabulous games at the moment (and getting my arse thoroughly whipped by Tom on one of them) plus I'm still uploading my holiday pics.

It's all fun but thank goodness christmas is coming up - I'm going down to the beach house for about 4 days and it will just be lots of lazing around in the sun, going to the beach, drinking and eating. PERFECT!

Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!!!

Monty's Miscellaneous Musings...

I was talking to my mate Dan the other day. Dan also works for the Bank, in a different division, in a different building. So we email each other quite a lot. We're trying to tee up a night to go out and actually catch up, because we haven't seen each other since I returned from holidays.

As it happens when you email, invariably you start chatting about stuff instead of storing it up for when you meet. And so I was telling him about my holiday, and particularly he was interested in my, ummmm, success with the gents. And so I told him. His reaction was "Monty, you are a Slut with a CAPITAL S". He said this jokingly, but it did get me thinking about something that had been on my mind.

I have this internal conflict - one the one hand, my friends keep telling me "Monty, you're young(-ish), single, and you've been out for not quite 18 months. Go out and have some fun!" And for all my faithful readers, you'll know that I've certainly endeavoured to take this advice very seriously! :-) And it's been lots of fun! BUT, on the other hand, I have been brought up in a very strictly moral family, with very traditional values. Growing up, I was determined to remain chaste until I got married. And I did, until age 28 when I had my first sexual experience...with Andy! But even after that, I had terrible feelings of guilt and was abstinent for months and months after that. Eventually, I couldn't stand it and had another encounter, but then the guilt feelings would happen and it all started again. This happened for years, until I finally accepted the fact that I was gay, and then made the decision to come out. And of course, since then, I've made up for lost time. But still, in the back of my mind, sometimes a little voice is telling me that I shouldn't sleep around so much, that I should control my urges. I don't particularly want to be known as a tart or a slut or any other similar epithet. And I do know that my friends don't really think badly of me when I do have my little bit of fun. But sometimes, it still concerns me.

I also know that I would very much prefer to be in a monogamous relationship - that's my ideal. And it's something that is inherent in me...I've grown up with monogamy being presented as the only option and whilst things have changed, I still seek it. Even when I was seeing C3 and Bruce, the minute we started dating, I cancelled any other dates I had planned, and was happily monogamous for the duration of our relationship.

This is a bit of a ramble I know, but it's just something that has been niggling me.

I'm a little bit excited...

I had met with the Executive Manager of another section of the Bank before I went on holidays, as a couple of my former colleagues (including my friend Jacqui) worked for him now and they suggested that I would be a great addition to his team. So we met, had a chat and that was about it. There wasn't a job on offer at the time, but he told me he'd keep me in mind. When I got back from holidays, there was an email waiting for me, from the EM. He told me that there was a likelihood of a job coming up and would I like to formally apply. Naturally, I applied. We met about 2 weeks ago, along with his General Manager for a formal interview.

Today, he rang me to formally offer me the job! The Contract is still to be drawn up etc, but based on what my new EM has emailed me, it represents a 25% payrise which will come in very handy. I'll be performing pretty much the same job as I am currently, however with significantly fewer clients, but who are of much higher value to the Bank. It's a senior portfolio within our Private Bank and so it will be much more challenging, but also quite interesting! So I'm just a little bit excited!!!

5 Fundamental Rules for Gay Men...

FIVE RULES FOR GAY MEN TO FOLLOW FOR A HAPPY LIFE

1. It's important to have a man who helps at home, who cooks from time to time, cleans up and has a job.

2. It's important to have a man who can make you laugh.

3. It's important to have a man who you can trust and who doesn't lie to you.

4. It's important to have a man who is good in bed and who likes to be with you.

5. It's very, very, very important that these four men do not know each other.

McDreamy emailed this to me and I thought it was rather amusing so decided to share it with you!

My country...

We've been chatting on Tom's blog about one of Australia's most celebrated poems, My Country by Dorothea MacKellar. Everyone assumes that the first verse of her epic poem is...

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains
Of ragged mountain ranges
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons
I love her jewel sea
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me.

This is fact, the SECOND verse of the poem. The first verse just doesn't get the same publicity.

Notwithstanding this, in today's SMH, there was a free Leunig calendar. The first cartoon (for January) was his version of the famous verse which I find hilarious!

I love a sunburt country
A land of sunburnt plains
Of sunburnt mountain ranges
Of droughts and sunburnt rains.
I love her sunburnt horizons
I love her sunburnt sea
Her sunburn and her sunburn
This sunburnt land for me!

Redoak...

The Redoak pub on Clarence St has some lovely memories for me. Last year, on my last day at work before heading overseas (for "Monty's Shagging Tour of Europe), my friends James and Jacqui took me there for a couple of drinks. Earlier this year, after a few drinks at work one Friday evening, James, Jacqui, the Cute Gay Work Guy and I retired to the Redoak for a couple more beers before I took CGWG home with me for a highly pleasant shag-a-thon! But I haven't been back there since.

Until last night, that is. I've been talking to this guy on Gaydar and he seemed very nice. And so, we finally arranged to meet up on Friday night. He worked near King St Wharf and I work near Wynyard. And he somewhat cryptically stated that he preferred if our meeting was "discreet". I read this as meaning that he probably wasn't fully "out", if at all. So, I suggested the Redoak...conveniently situated for both of us, and quite a straight joint. He also mentioned in one of his messages that he was not after a relationship or anything, just wanting to meet with friendship as the aim. That was OK for me - yes, I am after something more, however he seemed like a nice guy and this was before I had my Wednesday evening with the, errrr, generously aged guy I blogged about a couple of days ago.

Well, he turned up about 30 seconds after me and I was impressed. Tall (always a good thing in my books), handsome, and a very gregarious personality. He's 28 but has travelled quite extensively and so seems quite mature in his outlook. In fact, he told me later that the fact that I had travelled a fair bit was a serious attraction for him. And we ended up talking mostly about travel - I can never have enough travel and he's much the same. But after a couple of beers, I start asking him the inevitable questions about his sexuality..."why are you 'discreet'"? As it turns out, he's not "out"! No real surprise there...he's as blokey as they come (he even is a season ticket holder for the Bulldogs rugby league team). "Are you gay?" He also confesses that he's actually undecided as to his sexuality. It all starts making sense then.

But we're getting on fine and I'm thoroughly enjoying the evening. It's great to be able to talk about rugby league with someone who sleeps with guys (even if not exclusively)...there's not a lot of gay guys who are really into their league! But I did expect that the evening would end there.

After 3 pints, I was starving and so I mentioned that. I was somewhat surprised when he suggested that we find somewhere on the North Shore (where I live) to eat. Not being one to miss an opportunity, I countered with, "Why don't we go back to my place and we can order some home delivery". He readily agreed. We grabbed a taxi and before long, food long forgotten, were happily ensconced in my bed, going for it like there was no tomorrow! And I've gotta say...sensational!!! I'm a bit of a fan of bi-guys now! (the fact that he told me he enjoyed kissing me more than any chick was also slightly gratifying) And yes, Soul Seared Dreamer, he too was a great kisser! LOL

We actually lay in bed for about an hour afterwards, continuing our conversation from the Redoak. It was actually really enjoyable. He's probably the most blokey guy I've ever slept with...and I've gotta say, I was liking it excessively.

He didn't stay the night, but he definitely would like to see me again. This is nothing more than a physical thing - he's been very upfront about that, and I'm not expecting anything else. But I have to say, the physical thing is rather marvellous! He's certainly Mr Right Now, but he's also a very entertaining person to talk with, so he has good friend-potential. And unlike his dating predecessor, I actually wouldn't mind putting in the effort to get to know him better. Who knows, it may be difficult to have a friendship, considering the "straight" life that he leads. But even on a discreet basis, I certainly wouldn't object to a night or two here and there in his company.

Anyway, tonight I'm off to see my good friend DG - he's a bit run down from a heavy workload (and I suspect from his recent breakup) and so we're just going to get some home delivery and watch a DVD and catch up. I'm really looking forward to seeing him again as we've not seen each other since I returned from holidays. So it'll be a good evening, with good food, good conversation and a good friend!

I'm in a curious mood...

...not sure why, but I'm just feeling a little bit flat. It's been a very strange week at work, with our main client management system up and down for most of Monday - Wednesday. In fact, apart from answering the phone and a couple of emails yesterday, the most productive thing I did yesterday was put up the christmas decorations at work! And now that the system is back up, we've got buckets of backlog to try and catch up on and I'm really not feeling like it at all.

So, in addition to the strange working week, I've started getting back into dating. Had a date on Tuesday night...this guy is looking for gay friends so I suppose I shouldn't call it a "date", as it was never going to lead to anything more than friendship. Lovely bloke, I think there's a good possibility we could be friends. Had a date last night as well...this one advertised his age as 42. OK, this is getting towards the upper end of my dating range (not that I'm ageist or anything, but I just prefer guys around my age +/- 5 yrs) but when I met him, well, it certainly looks like a "gaydar" age. He's probably 42 + 5 yrs. BUT a very personable guy and after a couple of beers, I had relaxed and was enjoying the date. He dropped me home and, me being 3 beers down, I invited him in. He agreed and so we walked into my apartment and immediately started snogging. I must say, he's a great kisser! But, he had actually arranged to meet friends for dinner and so he left after about 10 mins.

Now, I'm thinking I shouldn't have invited him back. Monty + alcohol = horny! And the more alcohol, the less discriminating. So I've gotta try and ring him and suggest "we just be friends" - in fact, I would like to get to know him better as he does seem like a nice genuine guy (well, apart from the fact that his definition of his age is somewhat elastic). But at this time of the year, I don't know if I could be bothered to put a lot of time into him. I've got myself plenty of friends and really don't have that much time for more.

Tonight, I have the night off. I have another date arranged for tomorrow night however. Yes, when I put my mind to it, I really throw myself into it. If you've been reading this blog for the past twelve months, you'll know what I mean! Granted, 3 dates in a week is not particularly excessive for Monty...my record still stands at 9 dates in one week, and I do NOT aspire to break that record any time soon! That was EXHAUSTING!

It would be so much simpler if Mr Right just turned up on my doorstep (figuratively speaking) with relatively little effort involved! Unfortunately, things like that just don't seem to happen to me! Oh well, luckily dating is quite good fun! :-)

Three naked ladies...

My naked ladies...these girls hang above my bed.

My parents first acquired them around 1980 - mum loved them however she didn't feel that they were appropriate for the more public areas of our house, and consequently they were banished to the hallway that lead to our bedrooms. I thought they were awesome, not for the nudity, but just for the sheet beauty of their poses, the free flowing hair that barely covered their modesty, the fact that they were more sketches than a painting, the fact that they were so completely different from any other artwork in our house.

And so afternoons would find me hard against the opposite wall, sketch book in hand, faithfully trying to copy it. I still have my sketch book with a couple of my versions of these girls. I was just enamoured of them. Looking back, I wonder if my gayness was showing even then...a teenage kid enthralled with 3 naked ladies for their artistry, rather than for their jubbly bits.

And so, when I decided to move to Sydney, my parents gifted them to me. And they've been above my bed ever since (I too share my mother's sensibilities in terms of where they're not the most appropriate to be hung) It's probably kinda strange for guys that I bring back to my place, to see three naked ladies perched above my bed, but they're part of my history, and I think they're just sensational!

Pic...

I don't know why, but this is probably my favourite picture of me taken on my holiday. We'd had a big day running around the markets in Cairo, I was tired, hot, sticky and a bit sweaty and we'd stopped in Fishawi's Coffeehouse for a magnificent Turkish coffee when EIB snapped this pic. Dunno why, but I like it.

The Weekend That Was...and other miscellaneous musings...

What a weekend it was! I don't think I've consumed that much alcohol in such a short space of time for quite a while (and that includes my big weekends overseas). Friday night found Monty very inebriated and just a little toey after the first of our work Xmas parties, and with a willing Rick waiting at the Flinders Hotel, there was no stopping me. Well, apart from the fact that I had to stumble and sway my way from Pitt St to Flinders St...that took a while (yes, for some reason, I was determined not to take a taxi...don't ask me why, I had decided to walk and nothing was going to stop me). But made it I did, and so we grabbed a cab back to Rick's place and I fell asleep in his arms.

I woke up surprisingly hangover-free and rather early! Rick had organized to meet his personal trainer at 9am so I was up and ready to leave at 8.45am and feeling rather perky too! Strange. Caught a taxi home, had a quick shower and toddled down to my local cafe and grabbed a Ham and Cheese Croissant and a coffee and the paper and spent the next couple of hours pleasantly engrossed.

In the arvo, I popped down to my local flower man and purchased masses of flowers - it was, after all, Evan's birthday and a very significant one at that, which meant it needed to be celebrated with one of Monty's special arrangements. As Evan is a very carbon conscious man, McDreamy suggested that Australian native flowers might go down well. And so, although I don't think I do my best work with them, I gave it a go and they seemed to go down a treat with Evan! McDreamy took pics of them, so hopefully he'll either email them to me, or post them himself.

We then motored in to Oxford St and rocked up to the Beauchamp Hotel nice and early and slammed a champers or two before the rest of the guests arrived. A highly pleasant evening was had. Apart from Sam, I had not met any of Evan's friends so I was intrigued to see the kind of people he hung out with...all very nice, what else could I expect from such a lovely guy! But it is interesting when talking with someone who's known him for 20+ years and the insights you get!!! Muzbot turned up later on, limping slightly from his war wounds, wearing his "Third Place" ribbon proudly on his chest, and unable to wipe the grin off his face!

Proceedings ground to a halt around midnight (I think), with Evan and McDreamy jumping in a cab back to Evan's. I, on the other hand, was in a party mood - despite my excesses the previous evening - and so wandered down Oxford St...firstly to the Midnight Shift - dull - and then back up to Stonewall. Started chatting to a rather friendly Bostonian who was here for the weekend but then Rick rang me. He was wondering if I was going to come over to his that night. I was a bit tired by this stage, and despite my overtures to the friendly Bostonian, I knew it was going to require a bit more work before I got anywhere with him. Not being up for the job, I grabbed a cab and headed to Rick's.

So, so far, I've spent 3 nights at his and all we have done is sleep together (quite literally), apart from some very general play. I think Rick is a lovely man, and we get on quite well, however there's just not the zing with him. I don't feel anything deeper than friendship for him, and am very happy just snuggling/sleeping with him. He's more of a snuggle-buddy than anything else. He seems pretty content with that too, so I shall have a chat with him later this week to clarify things, and going forward, hopefully things will be good.

Sam was at the party on Saturday night, and as soon as he turned up, he came over and said hello to me and to the friend of Evan's that I was talking to at the time. And that was about it for the night, apart from a passing word or two spoken in a group setting. I must say, I was a little disappointed in that, but what could I do? I still had a great time at the party. But it was lovely that this morning, waiting for me when I logged on at work, was an email from Sam. In it, he apologised for not chatting to me and suggested meeting up for christmas drinks sometime this month. So all was forgiven! I don't know if there's anything more than him being friendly but at least we'll have a chance to have a proper chat, which we haven't done since I returned.

Yesterday, it was my friend Jacqui's birthday and so last night, James, her b/f and I took her for a couple of quiet drinks at our local, the Commodore Hotel. It was a lovely evening; pleasant weather, a couple of drinks, great company. Muzbot turned up for a quickie before he headed off to take some pics of the Australian Idol fireworks which look quite splendid! He's one talented man!

So it was an extremely social, extremely alcoholic weekend, but I feel very little effects from it, which is very unlike me. NOT that I'm complaining mind you. I had a marvellous time, particularly Saturday night!

Dating...

Some of you have enquired about Sam, the guy I was seeing before I went overseas. If you recall, I met Sam at McDreamy's birthday celebration - he's one of Evan's oldest friends. Just before I went overseas, we (Sam and I) had a chat. At that stage, we'd been out 3 times (including our first meeting at McDreamy's b/day) and there seemed to be a reciprocated level of attraction. But, we'd only just met and I was going to be away for 6 weeks. So, we decided that it would be better if we made no commitments; I would be overseas and when I got back, we'd see what happened. No promises about the future, but if the zing was still there, then well and good.

So, I rang him last week, to see what the lay of the land was. It was a very general conversation - banal even - and in the end, I simply asked him, "Would you like to go out for dinner?". His response, "I'm really busy at the moment, work is stressing me...are you going to Evan's birthday?"...(Evan's birthday party is tomorrow - Saturday - night) I indicated that I was indeed going to Evan's birthday. "Well, we'll catch up at the party". Needless to say, I kinda got the impression that things had changed somewhat for him. I was disappointed, as I think he is a LOVELY guy! I could see myself falling very easily for him.

But, what's a boy to do? After a very good chat with Muzbot, I was feeling much better and so I decided to get out there and start dating again! (now that's a surprise...Monty dating...who'd have thought! LOL) And so, I organized a date on Friday night and one on Saturday night. Friday nights...well, the less said the better. He was English and all, but a disappointment. Saturday night's date, on the other hand, was an Australian guy and turned out to be a very pleasant dining companion. We ended up going back to his place and he turned out to be a very pleasant snuggler!!! I actually slept exceptionally well that night, which is quite unusual for me. When I'm with a new guy, I tend to doze, as I'm enjoying it too much to sleep properly. But with him (his name is Rick by the way), it was very comfortable.

But, not being one to put all my eggs in one basket, I had organized a date for Thursday of this week...as 26 yr old who'd started messaging me whilst I was overseas. Now, I'm not really into guys that young, but he was a persistant one, and from his picture, seemed quite cute. So, I thought 'what the hell'! Turns out, he's exceptionally cute and quite a lovely guy! We only had a couple of beers and, very unlike me, I showed great restraint and went home! I could so easily have shagged him on the spot though!!!

Tonight, we have the first of our work christmas parties. It promises to end up being very messy, as we started drinking at 3pm. I also know that when I get pissed, I get very horny, and so I've emailed Rick and warned him that I may be ringing him some time tonight and inviting myself over. He emailed me back and advised that it was more than OK! He does seem like a really nice guy - his one drawback is that he's 5'8" and so shorter than me. I generally go for taller guys. A small thing, agreed, and as I said, he's a fabulous snuggler so he certainly makes up for his lack of height.

Tomorrow night, my beautiful friend Evan celebrates his big Four-0... needless to say, it's going to be a fabulous evening and I can't wait for it. He's a very special friend and an all round nice guy and so it's great to be celebrating such a milestone with such a great person!

Sunday, I recover! :-) So, it's a bit of a big weekend! Should be fun! Should be messy! But I'm loving being in Sydney at the moment! Wish me luck!

Exercise...

The Bank arranged for doctors to come around to our workplaces and do Health Checks on us and this week, they rolled into my building and so I fronted up yesterday for my check up.

I must say, I was rather chuffed as I rocked through the test with flying colours - my blood pressure was very good, my blood glucose reading was very good, I've got no family history of heart attacks, my resting heart rate was good, I've only got very average stress levels (which I treat with good doses of retail therapy). My cholesterol is high, however McDreamy, when he tested me in July, confirmed that my GOOD cholesterol is equally high which counteracts the bad guys! The only thing that is BAD in my life is my lack of formal exercise. I don't go to the gym, don't jog to work, don't ride a bike on the weekends. I do walk about 10 mins to the bus each day, but that's considered incidental exercise.

So, I've now got to think about doing some formal exercise...probably some brisk walking for 30 mins or so a couple of days a week. I'd much rather just go home and have a chardonnay but if I must, then I probably should!

Music...and men...

I wandered over to Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon, following Single Guy's revelation that it's a happening place for cruising men! I thought it'd been interesting to see how it works in a shopping centre. Well, needless to say, I didn't see a lot of cruising happening...mind you, I did see some very fine looking gents, but couldn't see anyone even remotely practicing the art of cruising.

Anyway, in my wanderings around the shopping centre, I stopped off in a CD store...and bought myself two utterly fabulous CD's (yes, I'm one of those primitive sorts that still don't download music from i-Tunes to my i-Pod), which I've been playing ever since. The first one was (start cringing now) Spice Girls Greatest Hits - I love the Girls and have their first two albums...it's just meaningless pop but they do it so well! The second was Pet Shop Boys latest Dance 4. This is a truly awesome album - they've remixed some very diverse bands/artists including the Killers, RammStein, Yoko Ono, Madonna and of course, themselves. Some of the mixes are tub-thumpingly sensational, and the whole album is just one big dance party! I LOVE it!!!

That's the "music" part of this post...the other part..."men"!

I was walking from my place down to Nth Sydney this morning when around the corner jogs this shirtless, well built guy! As I continue walking towards him (with extra spring in my step), another shirtless, well built guy rounds the corner! It's then I realise, it's the Navy boys! You see, there's some kind of Navy base nearby - it's only a small one, for the Navy Seals or something - and every few weeks, they all go for a run around the area. The last time I saw them was before my holiday, and so it was still cool, and so they were all fully clothed. But today...most were shirtless and there's about 15 of them, all in good condition...all jogging towards me. Talk about eye-candy overload!!! YUMMMO! It was a MOST PLEASANT way to start the day!

I did a Personality Quiz...

...on Facebook, and here's the results...

Temperament
Cosmopolitan
When you wake up in the morning, you set out to impress and to make a lasting impression on those who you encounter. You surround yourself with all the right people and right things - making you a real trendsetter. Others admire and want to be just like you. Second best will not do - it's the best (and only the best) for you. You are attentive to detail in yourself, your surroundings and your social circle.

An interesting comment...I don't think that I'm a real trendsetter...I am a details man I agree and I do like to make a good impression.

Interests
Thrill Seeker
You are interested in anything that is exciting and pleasurable. You're not afraid to indulge yourself - you live by your own set of rules and don't allow yourself to get hung on what others think. For the most part, you are independent and do whatever you please to do. Trying to stop you from doing something only makes you want it even more. At the end of the day - you live for life's most thrilling moments.

Not sure about this one...I am not a thrill seeker, but I do tend to indulge myself. Well, I am a single man, so who else am I going to spend my $$$ on?

Amusement
Adventurous
It's a good thing that you are filled with energy and ambitions (that others sometimes find exhausting) because you're continually looking for a new adventure and exciting experience. You struggle with a continual feeling of restlessness which constantly pushes you to the next level of excitement. Once you have accomplished one thing, you are eager to accomplish something more exciting, riskier and distinguishable.

Hmmmm, this doesn't sound like me at all...

Passion
Physical
You are a cuddle bug - from a warm hug shared with your best friend to steamy sex with your partner, you enjoy every bit of human contact that you can get. You demonstrate your love for others most fluidly through physical one-on-one contact and you feel the most loved when you are being touched. You feel disconnected when you are physically isolated from others. You're a people person and a lover of all things human.

This is soooooo me!

Holiday Pics...Cairo...

A view of the Nile...

View of Cairo from the Citadel...

The Mohammed Ali Mosque...

Monty...in the Coptic quarter...

St George's Chapel in the Coptic quarter...

Ya gotta love those minarets...

Monty...at the pyramids...

Monty...and the lovely EIB...at the pyramids...

One Non-Blonde...

Those of you who have seen me in the past couple of weeks have not seen me at my best...my hair was soooo long and unruly...it was driving me mad! I normally get a haircut every 4 to 5 weeks, however it's been over 7 weeks since my last cut and so I looked like the Wild Man of Borneo! Thankfully, before I went on holidays, I booked an appointment with my wonderful hairdresser Cindy.

So Tuesday came and I choofed off from work an hour early and drove across town to Coogee and presented myself at Cindy's salon. An hour later, a weight was lifted (quite literally) off my shoulders, with my new, funky, SHORT hair do! I know that this may come as a shock (NOT) to many of you, but I'm not a natural blonde - I've been getting blonde streaks for about 7 or 8 years. (let me say in my defence, I WAS a blonde as a kid...just gone darker as I've, errr, matured) On the plane flight home, as I was contemplating the joys of having my hair chopped off, I decided that now that I've hit, ummm, 30 (and some months), I should allow myself to age a bit more naturally and therefore, when I went to Cindy, I had her chop off the blonde and not replace it with new streaks.

And so, I'm now one non-blonde! It's very weird, everytime I look at the mirror, there's this strange, dark haired guy staring back! One downside...I can no longer use the "I'm having a blonde moment" excuse for my absent-mindedness! I'm going to have to come up with something new!

But I must say, on the upside, it seems to be agreeing with everyone around me. One of the party girls in my section rushed up to me when I walked into the printing room this morning and said, "[Monty], you are looking HOT!" (She knows I'm gay so she wasn't trying to hit on me or anything) So I'm a bit chuffed by that! Particularly, as I've got a date tonight, it's given me a little bit of a confidence boost!

Back in business...

Yep folks, I'm back! I actually arrived back on Saturday morning but life's been such a whirlwind since then that I've not had time to put digit to QWERTY and blog! And the silly thing is, there's about 45 potential blog posts in my head at the moment!

I do have to say first off, that it's fabulous to be back in Sydney! Everyone last week was warning me that it was cold and rainy in Sydney which I was not looking forward to. BUT arrived in Sydney at 7am Saturday and my friend Jacqui collected me from the airport and it was a lovely sunny morning! She stayed for a chat and then left me and I did my usual unpacking frenzy, washing, cleaning my apartment, getting myself sorted out etc. Grabbed some KFC for lunch (please don't judge me...I LOVE KFC) and read my paper! But, it was such a gorgeous day outside and I was dying to experience it! So, jumped in my car and went for a drive to say "hello, I'm back" to the Emerald City! Sim, Mark's boyfriend, gave me a couple of CD's that I had been playing to death while in London (it's the Soundtracks from UK Queer as Folk) and I whacked one on in my car. It's terribly camp dance music but I have to say, driving down the road, the sun was shining, it was 25 degrees celcius, my windows were down (you can't put airconditioning on when it's such pleasant weather), I was wearing shorts and T-shirt, the music was thumping and I was feeling HIGH!!! I was seriously euphoric! I wish I could've bottled how I was feeling because it felt good!!! Doubtless to say, I crashed that evening like there was no tomorrow! I hadn't slept properly in about 48 hrs and so I hit my bed hard!

Sunday was another magnificent day and so I battled through the traffic to Bondi Beach and did the Sculptures By the Sea - it's a walk between Bondi and Tamarama Beach and it was seriously jammed with people but I loved it none-the-less! It was just wonderful to be out in the sun!

You don't realize how much you miss the wide open blue skies of Australia until you've spent 5 weeks in either cold (and often cloudy) Europe or very polluted Cairo.

And to cap off Sunday, I spent a couple of lovely hours at the Commodore Hotel downing beers and chewing the fat with my mate Muzbot, which was excellent! This is the best thing about coming home...catching up with my wonderful friends!

The Last Post...

...of my travels anyway!

Well, I leave for the airport in about 15 mins so thought I'd do a quick post to summarise my holiday! Well, not exactly summarise, but just to mention some highlights!

I suppose the biggest highlight of the holiday was spending 10 days with my gorgeous friend EIB. You've already heard lots about him, so I won't say anymore. Suffice that I feel our friendship has been consolidated, solidified and I've got to know him much better.

Another huge highlight of the holiday was getting to meet all of the London Bloggers! To wit...Gay Banker, Darth Gateau, Guy In London, CuteCTGuy, Soul Seared Dreamer and Poobaba, plus a Kiwi blogger, Kev in NZ, as well as catching up with Dan and Stephen who I met in Sydney. Thanks guys - it was fantastic to meet you all - I had a great time with all of you and I do deeply appreciate your generosity in opening your lives to me! Hope I can reciprocate next time you are in Sydney!!!

It was also great to see Matt again, my old friend Marie, my hunky masseur Brad, as well as of course, my brother Mark and Sim, his b/f. I'm really happy that Sim and I have had an opportunity to get to know each other better. And I had a couple of lovely dates with some guys here in London which was rather pleasant indeed! ;-)

And then of course, it was awesome to experience Cairo and Paris...two very different cities, but each had their own adventures! I will post some pics once I get home! And I really feel like I've got to know London much better than before! I love this city!

But life calls me back...as well as a depleted bank balance and a full'ish credit card! It's been the BEST holiday ever, and as you can see from the above, it's mainly due to the people I spent time with! It seriously has been the most social holiday I've ever had and being the social butterfly that I am, of course, I LOVED every minute of it! Ciao 4 niao!

Monty! x

It's my last evening in London...

...and so I decided that I would cook Mark and Sim dinner! I'm making them Monty's Famous Beer-Up-The-Bum Chicken with roast veges. Yummo! And I made them up a big bunch of flowers as well. So I've spent today pretty much inside...writing blogs, catching up on emails, internet banking, Facebook, grocery shopping and cooking. Very lazy! I've done everything I needed to do in London so these last couple of days are just a chance to relax!

I do have to say, Mark and Sim have been FANTASTIC! They've been very generous in hosting me for the past few weeks, particularly with my somewhat hectic schedule, late nights etc while they've been working and attempting to live a normal life. And this is in addition to Mark's friend Carter who's also been staying here! Mark works very hard, and as his new office is about 2 hrs travel from home, he normally gets home quite late each night and is up at the crack of dawn each day as well. So, his early to bed routine is quite understandable.

It has been lovely to spend time with them however, and this trip I feel like I've got to know Sim much better! We actually stayed up on Sunday night watching Kylie DVD's (he's the biggest fan of hers, which makes him a damn fine addition to my family), drinking G&T's (copious quantities apparently) and talking. We discussed my family situation and the concerns that he and Mark have for me. It was a real bonding moment for us...one on one as adults but also as people who are now connected via Mark - he's my brother-in-law effectively. And you know, Sim is my favourite of all of Mark's previous boyfriends (not that he's had many, he's a serial monogamist)...I think we are very similar in personality and tastes and although he is 10 yrs younger than I, it doesn't seem like it. In gay years, he is soooooo my senior, and so I'm really happy that we've become friends.

So tonight, we're going to have a lovely dinner, I've bought a couple of bottles of wine (a Viognier and a Chardy) and some good music and pleasant conversation...a perfect last night in London!

I came to London and I saw...

The Queen! Yes folks, that's right, I actually saw HM The Queen yesterday! How?

Well, I stayed the night at Matt's on Monday and we had planned on going to see the Salvador Dali exhibition on Tuesday at Southbank. So, after a bit of a sleep in, we eventually got ourselves up and ready and jumped on the tube into Westminster station - we were just going to walk across the Westminster Bridge to the Town Hall where the exhibition was. Well, we roll into Westminster station and there's signs advising that some of the exits are closed off due to Police Request. What was that about? We walked out and all the streets around Westminster (including the Bridge) were all closed off! Police lining the streets, guards on horseback etc etc. And then I remembered that the Queens Speech was happening that day and so put two and two together. There were crowds of people on the streets, waiting. And so being the tourist that I am, I had to get closer. So walked down into the thick of it and waited. Only had to wait for about 5 mins when there was activity coming from Westminster. All these horseguards paraded past, in their thigh high boots, and shiny breastplates, and drawn swords and then, I spy a carriage. And lo and behold, it's the Queen! Unfortunately, because she was in the carriage, she wasn't wearing the Imperial State Crown, but she was still wearing a very blingy tiara and she was actually looking quite good, for an old bird! I snapped off a few pics but unfortunately, as she was behind glass in the carriage, you can't actually see her in the pics. But I was very excited that I got to see her in person, with some serious bling on! Wholly unexpected but soooo cool. The ultimate London experience!

Monty on Tour 6...

Sorry it's been so long between posts...Paris was so busy that I didn't have a chance to get to an internet cafe to update. And now, it's Wednesday and I've only got one more day left here in London before I leave the fair shores of Ol' Blighty and wing my way homeward!

Paris was splendid! Unfortunately, apart from the day I arrived (Wed) and the day I left (Sun), it was overcast and on Saturday, rainy. But that didn't stop me anyway. On Wednesday night, I was in a mood...in fact, I think I sent nearly everyone on my phone a text message which said "It's Halloween and here in Paris, Monty is on the prowl"...! And I was! Had dinner and then hit the bars of Le Marais - I was determined to pick me up a Frenchman! One disappointment...Frenchman don't seem as tall as Englishmen! There's not that many taller than I, and I'm not exactly a giant! And I LOVE a tall man! I do have to say, my Anglophilia is still as strong as ever, despite the good looking French guys I saw! There are a few friends of mine who are total Francophiles, but there's no doubting it now, Englishmen are my thing! Anywho...

Got to all the usual tourist spots of course, but also did Rodin's Museum which was fantastic! And reasonably quiet too which was a stark contrast to every other place we went! I must say that Versailles was a little bit disappointing...most of the outside was covered in scaffolding so it lost its grandeur from that perspective. And it was jam packed with tourists! I've not been more squashed in, which made me just a touch claustrophobic! But the Hall of Mirrors was everything I expected! Just amazing! When you look at the complex in its entirity, it blows me away that this was a palace for one man and his family!!!!! The extravagance of it is mind blowing!

But of course, the highlight of the trip was spending more quality time with my lovely (and now 40 yr old) friend EIB. We would go out for dinner and sit in the cafe, eating, drinking and watching the eye candy walk by (or in some cases, strut by)...and of course, chatting! I can't quite believe that we've only known each other for just over a year now - it seems like we've gone through a lot together...well, we've certainly talked enough for a lifetime of friendship! My flight back to London was at 2pm Sunday and so I left him at the Metro station at around noon. Sitting on the train to the airport, a feeling of sadness just washed over me! I don't know when I will see him again. I would love to come back to Europe next year, but I really should be a bit more fiscally responsible and save my $$$. I've had two long overseas holidays in consecutive years and so should be a bit more low key next year...but when close friends like EIB are over here, and I'm in Australia, the longing to travel is very intense! I must say, we have been much more relaxed with each other this time which has been lovely,..no doubt due to the fact that last year, we had only just met and I was obviously infactuated with him. And now that he's gone and got himself a boyfriend, he does seem more at ease as well. I look forward to many more long conversations with him on a Sunday night...he's very good at bringing a dose of reality to me, providing a more objective perspective of whatever is happening in my life which is good! Despite his recent fall from grace (which I blogged about a couple of months ago), he does still provide me with a high moral ground and a good laugh too! Love him to bits! Thanks EIB...these two mini holidays we've had have been the highlight of this holiday!!!

But another highlight of Paris was catching up with Oscar, the Frenchman that I met in Berlin last year! He's about to celebrate his first anniversary with his boyfriend which is very exciting - they got together shortly after he returned from his Berlin holiday! So it was lovely to see him again, see what's happened over the past 12 months in our respective lives.

But now I've got to finish off all my postcards and post them...of course, I'll turn up in Australia before they do but still, I am determined to send them! Other than that, there's not much else I've got to do here in London. I've said my goodbyes to all my friends (new and old), and have seen just about everything in London that I've ever wanted to see. I am now feeling very comfortable about getting around London on the tubes and buses, and am now getting a bit of a sense of direction now which is great! I love London and could so easily live here...the only thing that would worry me is missing the sun! And that's one thing I am hanging out for when I get back...to feel the warm warm warm sun on my skin! Lying on the beach! Going down to the park with my paper and reading in the sun! Wearing shorts and t-shirts!

Anyway, this post has gone waaaayyy too long so I shall sign off and get busy with the postcards! :-)

A Gay Ol' Time in London Town...

Well, my weekend turned out pretty damn well exactly as I hoped it might! Wahooooo! Monty got his shag...or two...!

My brother and his boyfriend flew over to Berlin for Carter's birthday so I had the place to myself all weekend! And so, I invited last Sunday's date, Ewen, over for dinner and a sleepover. I made a rather delish dinner for him, had the candles going, mood set! And it went off rather well. He's a great snuggler and being a couple of inches shorter than me, he fitted in against me quite nicely when we were spooning. A really sweet guy, with whom I'll definitely be keeping in contact with.

Saturday dawned and once I kicked Ewen out, I cleaned up and then did a quick bus trip to Fulham Broadway for some sundry shopping and then home again...it was a grey ol' day and so not a particularly good day to be a tourist. So, I spent the arvo watching the rest of SATC Series Four. Had a snooze (well, it was a very tiring day) and then after dinner, headed into Soho and met up with Dan from Wordage (formerly known as Dan in Melbourne) and his brand spanking new husband Steven. I had orginally met them at the Sydney Bloggers Meet in July when they were in Australia on holidays so it was great to catch up with them - they were just returned from their honeymoon and it's sooo nice to see gay married couples! The UK is so forward thinking in that respect...unlike Australia at the moment. Anyway, Soul Seared Dreamer turned up a little bit later, and then a few more of Dan and Steven's friends. We ended up at a club called Ghetto which I had never heard of and had a great time! I consumed waaaaaay too many Strongbows that night but I did meet a rather dishy Englishman called Richard with a magnificent furrrry chest and so snogged him at length before inviting him home! God I'm such a slut sometimes! Caught sight of SSD entwined with some blonde giant so I was glad that the two singles out that night (namely us two) managed to find ourselves a man each! Being rather pissed, and rather horny, I left without saying goodbye to any of the guys...which I felt very bad about the next day! Sorry Dan and Steven! But spent the night in Richards arms, my head on his lovely chest so it was a very very very good night! We woke up around 11am when my phone beeped at me (text received) - it was my Sunday lunch date (oh yes, it was a busy weekend I had planned for myself)...CRAP! I texted him back and asked if we could meet for a late lunch...and then remembered that thanks to the ending of Daylight Savings here in the UK, I had a whole extra hour! Thank goodness. Richard left and I went straight back to bed for another 2 hrs! Woke up, bathed and dressed, and into Soho to meet up with Laurent, a Frenchman working in the French embassy here in London. I had been chatting to him on Gaydar since getting back from Cairo and Sunday lunch was about the only time that we could align our schedules. Turns out, he's lovely too! We had lunch and then spent the afternoon wandering the wet streets of London, quite randomly, and then, when the rain got too heavy, we popped into the National Portrait Gallery - a very interesting place...and warm...and dry...and FREE! He had arranged to meet a friend at 5pm, so we parted ways but I'm planning on meeting up with him (I hope) when I return from Paris. If I can squeeze him in somewhere!

I found an Internet cafe nearby and so logged on for the first time in about 4 days, caught up with some blogs, email, Facebook...you know, the usual stuff. And then, it was off to meet yet another London blogger, Nick from Poobaba! And yet another great guy! He married his boyfriend in July and they've just bought themselves a house which is sweet. He is so easy to talk to, and has a very interesting job! So, a couple of shandies later, he had to go...he'd been at work all day so it was actually really nice of him that he was even willing to meet up with me at all. Once he left, I quickly finished my drink and choofed off home, where I needed to tidy up big time!

Today, it dawned just a little bit overcast however quickly cleared and so I caught the train to Windsor and spent the afternoon going through Windsor Castle! What a place! Very cool indeed! Got some fabulous pics too! Really enjoyed my day there!

So, it's been a big weekend...a couple of shags, a bunch of bloggers, a French date, and a castle! A fantastic final weekend in London I must say, and I also have to say a BIG THANK YOU to Dan and Steven, SSD and Nick for their part in making it so! I think I have now met all the London bloggers that I reguarly read which is awesome! And tomorrow night looks like it's going to be another bloggers meet, albeit less alcoholic than last time. Wednesday, I'm off to Paris...ahhhh Gay Paris! Weeeeee!

Sam...

It's funny, out of the blue last night, I was lying in bed waiting to go to sleep, when I thought of Sam. I blame the boys...Mark and Simon...being the OLD people that they have turned into, they went to bed and turned out all the lights at 10:30pm, while I was sitting on the balcony talking to EIB. Anyway, so I had to go to bed when I was really not feeling tired at all (it's all that sleeping in that I'm doing...so wonderful). So, I'm lying there, trying to sleep, very unsuccessfully. I started thinking about Sydney, what will be happening when I get back, who'll I'll see first, etc etc etc. It's Evan's birthday, his 40th (lots of those happening at the moment in my life) and so it's going to be a rather large celebration. And of course, Sam popped into my head (being a friend of Evan's). I haven't really thought that much about him since I've been on holidays, as I've been trying, as I was advised to do, to have lots of FUN! And of course, the strange thing is, apart from the first weekend I was here, I haven't had any FUN (as in shagging fun). It's been nearly 3 weeks since my last shag!!! Crazy or what! I'm here, in London, where there are sooooo many HOT guys, and I've been going to bed like a good little virgin every flipping night!!! Anyway, back to the story...Sam popped up in my head. I really like him. He's a very sweet, funny, intelligent, good looking, reasonably sane, seemingly issue free guy! PERFECT! And you know, I really am looking forward to seeing him again! He's got a great smile, a wonderful voice and a magnificent furrrry chest! So shallow of me I know! But, despite my (to quote EIB) whoring around whilst here in London, when I get back, I'd really like to start seeing him. Of course, he may have moved on...you never know. But if he hasn't, and he's willing, then that's what I'd like to do.

So that's my thought for the day. It's kinda strange, I know, to be thinking about starting a relationship with someone, when this weekend - which is my last weekend in London - I'm planning on going out with a BANG!!! or two...or three even!!! I've got last Sunday's date turning up tomorrow night for dinner and a sleepover, and then Saturday night, I'm hoping to meet up with a couple of recently married (or CP'd) bloggers for a night out in Soho (and I'm going to do a club if it kills me)...and hopefully pick up...and then Sunday, meet up for drinks with another of my blogging correspondents and then spend the night at Matt's. So, I am going to be thoroughly making up for the past few weeks abstinence. But it still concerns me...am I really such a slut? I was reading in Attitude magazine (a British gay rag) about this guy who's 31 and claims to have had sex with 3000 guys! So my few guys doesn't seem so dramatic in comparison...but for me, given my past, it still seems like I've been round the block just a few times too many! And particularly now, when I'm desirous of commencing dating Sam when I get back, I'm still wanting a big shagging weekend! I know in my heart that when I'm with a guy, I can be (and have been) monogamous. It's been bred into me and it's what I really want. But I'm loving the freedom of being able to shag whoever I want at the moment! It's a strange dichotomy which I need to come to terms with. Am I alone in being like this?

Happy Birthday EIB...

It's my gorgeous friend Englishman in Budapest's birthday today...it's a big one...his 40th! He's not wanting a big deal made of it, but it's just too much of a momentous occasion to miss. I'm so glad that I'm in the same hemisphere as him so that I can actually celebrate with him!

Happy Birthday C...you're a top friend and I'm grateful for the circumstances that led to us meeting! It's often the friends that you find in unexpected places that turn out to be the best! And you certainly are that! Big hug for my favourite Englishman!

Monty! xxx

Monty on Tour 5...

Well, it's been a week since I returned from Cairo and I'm only now getting to post about it. What can I say...chaotic, dirty, crazy, fun, fascinating, amazing, all of the above!!! It was HOT, in fact, it felt like Townsville, my home town, in weather terms anyway...hot and dusty. But that's where the similarities ended.

The drivers are INSANE!!! Seriously! The lane markings on the road...merely a suggestion. Road rules? Seemingly non-existent! And there were no seatbelts in the little tin claptraps they call taxis! You are driving along at 50+ miles per hour, on a congested freeway, with your driver pointing out to you interesting sights, while weaving his way maniacally through the traffic! I managed to maintain an outward calm, but inside I knew I was going to die! Thankfully, my lovely friend Englishman in Budapest was along for the ride and so we took turns travelling in the front seat!

I did have a great time there...the markets are crazy, the vendors enthusiastic and quite insistent on selling you something. And then upselling or cross-selling you more! And for the first time in my life, I had to haggle! And after a couple of times, I quite got into it! Was kinda fun!

We had traditional Turkish coffee in a great little cafe which is a Cairo institution...just can't think of the name at the moment. Even in the cafes, the vendors of leather wallets or dodgy Rolex watches harass you! But it was all fun! But thank goodness each night I got to go home to a nice hotel room and shower! Blissssss!

When our last day in Cairo dawned, there was these strange booming noises happening - we were close to the airport and so I thought it may be some kind of sonic boom from the air force jets or something. But no, it was thunder! Yes, woke up to pouring rain! What the...??? I didn't know it rained in Cairo! And not on my last morning there...the morning we had scheduled to go to the pyramids!!! But undaunted, we grabbed a taxi from a very friendly gentleman, and made our way to the pyramids! They are quite amazing...and live up to the hype! It's incredible how these things were built so many thousands of years ago, with so little technology! And survive!!! It was a lightning tour of the pyramids for us, under gray and threatening skies, but thankfully, the rain held off while we were there. But I got some great pics of the pyramids under these dark clouds...quite dramatic...and the early morning rain also had the effect of clearing the air as well.

But for me, the highlight of the trip was of course spending time with EIB! It's been a year since we met in Budapest, when I got completely infactuated with him, and we've been through a lot together (over the phone). We've managed to take the first tentative steps of acqaintenceship back then, and build it into a solid and fulfilling friendship. He's been there nearly every Sunday night as I've spilled my guts on my week's happenings, he's lived through my slutty summer, my few brief relationships, my doubts and fears, my joys and tears, and connecting with him in the flesh again in Cairo was just incredible!!! Long conversations, lots of laughs, some more intimate details revealed - I felt like we've really bonded as friends! And he's in turn revealed more of himself to me, despite his reserved English nature. He's a wonderful friend, and I'm damn lucky to have found him!

So, Cairo was a smashing success for me!

And the week since then, I've spent catching up with more friends, bloggers etc here in London. I was back Thursday and one of Mark's Sydney friends, Carter, was here on holidays. So we met up and did Kew Gardens! Magnificent in autumn...and it was a glorious autumn day too! Friday, I met up with my hunky masseur who moved here from Sydney back in July, and we climbed the 38,627 steps (or so it seemed) to the top of St Paul's Cathederal...fabulous views across London and inside the cathedral was quite magnificent too! Saturday, we hit the shops in Chelsea! And after THAT night, on Sunday, I had an easy day relaxing. I'd actually been chatting to a guy on Gaydar for a couple of days prior and so ended up meeting up with him Sunday afternoon for coffee. A charming gent indeed...in fact, I was having such a good time chatting, we had a second coffee. And then the shop chucked us out as they were closing. So we went for this big long walk around random London streets, talking and talking. We ended up back in Soho and so we dropped into The Village and had ourselves a drink and kept chatting! Lovely guy, very cute, very short! But I suspect, very cuddly! We went our separate ways, however I have invited him over for dinner on Friday night (as Mark and Simon are flying to Berlin for Carter's birthday), so who knows what will happen!!! Watch this space!

This week, it's been more of the same. Yesterday, I met up with one of my oldest friends Marie. We grew up together in Townsville and started hanging out as friends from about age 15 or so. She moved over here about 4 years ago and I saw here last year as well. So it was great to see her again, and this time, I was able to come out to her too! I hadn't told her last year as I really wanted to tell my family first. She was fine with it...suspected all along...the usual. We had a great day going through Kensington Palace and gardens, followed by a brief stint of shopping on Kensington High Street.

And today, I met Soul Seared Dreamer! What a great guy! We did Madam Toussads, which was interesting...highlight was a picture of me with Kylie!!! And then the London Eye! Perfect day for it...gloriously sunny, clear skies and you could see for miles! I will have a bucket of pics to download once I get home and will post the best!

So it's been a full few weeks I have to say! I can't believe how many people I've met, caught up with etc! It's been the most social of holidays I've had and I'm loving it!!!

One year on...

Yep, that's right folks...it's my bloggiversary! Exactly one year ago, in a hotel in Bratislava, I wrote my first ever post on this blog! And what a year it's been! When I was contemplating this particular post, I had originally thought I could do a bit of a stats thing...how many guys I've dated in the past year, how many different guys I've shagged...that kinda thing. But then when I counted them, I realised that despite my very conservative upbringing and life until last year, I've been quite the slut! I actually shocked myself! And so, I decided not to post the numbers lest you, my dear readers, become so appalled that you all stop reading! :-)

But there have been some great things happen over the past year, things for which I am deeply grateful for. Foremost is all the friends I have made. My lovely friend Englishman in Budapest, my dear sweet Evan and his wonderful boyfriend McDreamy, Muzbot who's undertaken a process of educating me in many things gay, DG, the first guy I ever met off Gaydar and now a good friend...in fact, there's probably too many to enumerate here, but suffice to say, it's been grand!

I remember when I was dating Bruce a couple of months ago, he asked me if I was happy. At that time, I kinda hesitated and then answered him in the affirmative, but seriously, I hadn't really thought about it properly. This holiday, coming as it has, exactly one year after my last one (Monty's Shagging Tour of Europe), has been a good opportunity for me to get "out of my life" and look at it with a degree of objectivity. I've been going through a whole bunch of 1 yr anniversaries over the past few weeks, and I've been thinking back to who I was at this time last year, the things I've done, the people I've met, the experiences I've had, and when it all comes out in the wash, YES, I am happy! It's been a topsy turvy year, no question about that, and there's been some good stuff and bad stuff happen, but I know that coming out has been the single most impactful thing that I've done in my life and it's the thing that's finally allowed me to be really me! And really, that's all we can ask for isn't it. I actually quite like who I am, and am gathering a great circle of friends around me who are becoming my "family" and hopefully in time, my real family will come to accept me for who I am too. Yes, I'd like a man, I think that's glaringly obvious to anyone who's read this blog for more than a week, but that's only going to enhance my happiness, not bring me happiness. Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

I've also been thinking about blogging as well. It's been a great outlet for me...for when I've been confused, or a bit down, or when I've been gloriously giddy...and your comments have all been very much appreciated! I've got a readership drawn from Australia (of course), New Zealand, USA, mainland Europe and the UK, and I've managed to meet quite a few of you. And I'm still meeting more - in fact, I'm about to go and meet up with Soul Seared Dreamer today and Tequilla Mockingbird next week. And so it continues!

This is a bit of a ramble, but hey, it's my 1st blogging birthday, so I figure it's allowed! Thanks to all of you for the part you've played over the past year!

Monty! xxx

Grrr....

This is just a quick post! How annoying is this...last night (Sat), my brother Mark and his boyfriend Simon took me out to see "Wicked" which is a West End musical here in London. It was a great night, lots of fun! The plan was that we'd go for a drink or two before the show, and then after the show, they were going to take me to one of the big London gay clubs! I was really really looking forward to the whole night!

Well, the show ends and they're both yawning and saying how tired they are! What the...? They ended up putting me on a bus to Soho and went home! And so I toddled up to G.A.Y Bar but it was B.O.R.I.N.G. And it started emptying around 11:30pm and I really didn't want to trawl Soho looking for another bar. I just don't know London well enough. I was really in the mood for a bit of a dance too, but the thought of going into a strange club was just a bit daunting for me!

What's the use of having a gay brother with a 26 yr old boyfriend who both live in London, when they act like flipping 50 yr olds! Geez Louise! I think I need to meet me some SINGLE guys here in London who can take me out!

Monty on Tour 4...

Well, tomorrow morning at some extremely ungodly hour, I'm getting up so that I can catch a plane to Cairo. I'm very excited, not only because I'm going to Egypt, but also because I'm seeing my lovely friend Englishman In Budapest! Cannot wait to see him and catch up on all his news...and what news he has! Apparently, he's gone and got himself a boyfriend!!! So I've got lots of interrogation to do!

Anyway, I think that I'll probably be offline for a few days until I return...next Wednesday evening. Wish me luck! :-)

Confidence...

OK, this isn't a post about my holiday but it's something that I've been thinking about in light of a couple of recent events. I've never been a confident person...I've always been unsure of myself, doubting my social skills, particularly with new people. I've always struggled to meet new people, always having preferred to hang out with my friends and to stay within the limited (but safe) circle of close friends. Coming out, I've been forced to expand my horizons in this respect. I remember the first time I met a guy via Gaydar - I was almost physically sick I was so nervous. Thankfully, DG was very understanding and kind and has become a good friend.

But a comment that Gay Banker made caused me to stop and think about this aspect of my personality...he mentioned how nice it was to be able to hold my hand at dinner (I'd been talking about my parents and had got quite upset and he impulsively reached over the table and held my hand). And you know, even 6 months ago, I would never have even considered doing something that "gay" - I was too worried what other people might think/say. Even last night with the London Bloggers, we were just being a bunch of gay boys out, not caring about what other people thought...when we parted company, it was with much hugging and kissing and I didn't care.

I haven't really noticed this, as it's been somewhat of a gradual change I suppose...from being a shy, and very nervous gay guy, to being someone who feels relaxed and confident in being a gay guy. But thinking over it today, I came to the realisation that my lack of confidence was probably also a result of the fact that, although I knew I preferred guys, I lived a double life. I was in effect living a lie for several years and lived in constant fear of someone finding out! And that does shatter your confidence because you're forever looking over your shoulder, second guessing yourself and always alert that I was acting/speaking straight. BUT now that I've come out, I'm finally able to be me, to be a 36 year old gay guy and that's a very liberating experience. But it's also been things like persisting with the Gaydar meets, forcing myself to meet strange guys (and some of them were strange), going out on Oxford St to gay bars, putting myself in very uncomfortable situations that has also contributed to my newfound confidence. And so, meeting up with a bunch of bloggers whom I had never met before did not phase me in the slightest! And how good has it been! No longer do I worry what someone will think about me being gay; that's me and so what! After all the hard yards that I've done over the past 12 months, it's all paying off. And how fabulous is that!!!

Monty on Tour 3...

I'm exhausted!!! I was just talking to Darth Gateau and realized that I've not had a night at home since I got here! It's been an absolute whirlwind! And I'm loving it!

Well, as mentioned in my previous post, I had arrange to meet up with all the bloggers. Tuesday night, I met the very charming GayBanker! We met in a bar in the City that used to be a banking chamber (how very appropriate) for a warm'ish beer which was actually quite good! I could get used to it! We went to dinner at a restuarant with some amazing views of London (thankfully the rain that had poured down all day had miraculously cleared up and it was a fine, clear evening) and I must say, he's an exceptional dining companion! Read his post about the night, as he puts it so much better than I - but I just want to say that I had a great night with him! Meeting bloggers can be a challenging thing - some bloggers seem completely different in person to their blogging personality, some you form a picture in your mind and they can turn out nothing like what you imagine. But I must say GayBanker exceeded my expectations!

I then met up with Kev in NZ yesterday - we had lunch at a pub called The Albert - somewhere near'ish Victoria I think - and then went for a nice long walk along the Southbank of the Thames from Westminster down to the Tate and then, back across the Milenium bridge and into the City! It was also great to meet him and enjoy a bit of mutual eye-candy spotting! He agrees with me that London is full of HOT GUYS!!! So it was a great afternoon! I'm now working on persuading him to visit Sydney soon!

And then last night, I attended the inagaural International Bloggers Meet - Darth Gateau, CuteCTGuy and Guy In London were all in attendance and I must say, it was a seriously FUN night! Copious quantities of alcohol were consumed, underwear preferences revealed (quite literally), hairy chests exposed (mmmmmmm...) and nipples tweaked! Just the usual stuff that happens when a bunch of gay boys get together really! LOL We're hoping to repeat the evening at least one more time while I'm here in London!

Today, the weather is looking quite good - the sun is out and it's pleasantly cool. I'm about to choof off to the shops to purchase some groceries - I promised Mark and Simon that I'd make them dinner tonight so it will actually be lovely just to be at home and catch up on what they've been doing in the past few days - I have not actually had a proper conversation with either of them since Saturday night! It's been ships in the night since then!!!!! Crazy!!!!!!

But I do have to say, I'm having the time of my life - this holiday is turning out to be the BEST EVER!!! :-)