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!!! :-)

Monty on Tour 2...

OK, it's now Tuesday morning here in cold, rainy London - yes, what a change a couple of days makes! It's been a few good days actually...not a lot in the way of traditional sight-seeing but still lots of fun! Saturday, we headed over to a bar in Paddington that's run by one of my brother Mark's friends, and we watched the Rugby game with a whole bunch of Aussies! (and there were some really HOT Aussies there too) The game was so so...we lost so not a lot to celebrate, but it was fun just spending a Saturday arvo with a bunch of fellow Aussies in a London bar!

Simon, Mark's b/f, decided that I needed to experience some of London's gay scene and so we grabbed the tube into the city and Soho'ed our sox off. We went to about 4 bars that I can recall, but after that, things get a bit hazy! Monty was one rather inebriated chap by night's end! Good fun, but the next day, I was paying the price for my overindulgence!

Sunday, I had organized to meet up with Matt, my friend that I hooked up with last year when I was in London. It was lovely to see him again - it's been 3 months since I last saw him when he spent the weekend with me in Sydney when he was over there on holidays. We toddled off to Covent Garden, had some lunch and had a bit of a walk around the place. I was flagging rather badly (combination of the previous night's alcoholic excess and some residual jetlag) so we caught the bus home and he made dinner and we watched some TV. PERFECT! A nice early night - and well, some, ahem, catching up on old times! He he he!

A Lovely Big Sleep In on Monday was fab - we didn't get up until about 11am! Magnificent! We grabbed some lunch and coffee on the run and hit the Tate Gallery! Interesting...but I must admit, my tastes do tend to run to the traditional. There was some lovely sculptures but some of the other so called art left me rather underinspired. But it was good to do it anyway. We walked across the Millenium Bridge into the middle of the City of London and walked some more! We ended up grabbing some toasted sandwiches around 4pm and then back home! After a quick shower, back into town and we had dinner at a cafe near Leicester Square and then...Avenue Q! I doubt that many Aussies would have heard about it, but it's soooo worth going to see if you come to London! Think The Muppets in an Adults Only musical! HILARIOUS!!! Quite literally laugh-out-loud - one of the funniest things I've seen for a long time! So it was an excellent end to a rather enjoyable day!

We were both smashed this morning - and it was an early rise (grrrrrr) - up at 7am so that he could get to Uni (and before you think I've gone twinky, Matt's a mature age student) and me so that I could get back to Mark and Simon's before they left for work. And here I've been ever since...made myself some breakfast and watched Spice Girls, the Movie! Nothing quite like a highbrow movie! ha ha! As I said, it's a bit of a miserable day out there, and so it's perfect to stay at home and catch up on my blog, my emails, my diary and some reading. Tonight, I'm priviledged to be meeting the very elusive Gay Banker for drinks and supper which is going to be great - good to be able to put a name and face to the very fascinating blog! And tomorrow, I'm meeting up with Kev in NZ for coffee and a chat and then tomorrow night, the International Bloggers Meet, with Darth Gateau, CuteCTGuy and Guy In London! So it's a bit of a blogging fest over the next 36 hours of so...think I'll need all Thursday to recover! Can't wait!!!

Monty On Tour 1...

Well, here I am in London...and it's a gorgeous day outside - gorgeous blue skies and maybe 20 degrees celcius or so! 'twas a long flight (aren't they all) but uneventful...unfortunately, although Darth did his best to arrange it, there were no really cute Flight Attendants so didn't do that much flirting onboard! But I was met by Simon, my brother Mark's boyfriend and I've come home and had a very much needed shower...almost feeling human again!

I must say, although I was only here a year ago, I'd quite forgotten how many HOT guys there are in London. Just taking the tube is a pleasant way of copping some eye candy! I knew there was a reason why I have a thing for Englishmen!!! Kid in a candy store - that's Monty!!!

Now, I'm going to grab me a bus and head into the city somewhere...need to stay awake until tonight. So will do some sundry sightseeing - nothing too meaningful as I won't be in a state to fully appreciate it - grab some lunch, have a wonder around and then tonight, Mark and Simon are taking me to dinner at a local restaurant and then it's to bed for some serious zzzzzz's.

Tomorrow, one of Simon's friends' flatmate, who quite conveniently runs a bar in Paddington somewhere, has booked out a section of his bar and there's going to be a big Rugby World Cup thing for a bunch of his friends (as The Wallabies are playing England). So whilst I couldn't give a stuff about the rugby, hopefully, there'll be some nice rugger types there and after a few beers, who knows! he he he! I'm terrible aren't I!!!

One more sleep to go...

Well, it's less than 24 hrs now...I've done my online check in at Virgin Atlantic, I've mostly packed my bag, I've hopefully remembered everything that I'll need. Over the past few days, I've made my farewells to my friends...usually over some kind of beverage. So, tomorrow morning, I'm getting up, having a shower and jumping on the train to the airport! I can hardly contain my excitement! Wahoooooooo!

It's been a busy few days, but also a relaxing few days. It was the BEST feeling on Monday knowing that I didn't have to go to work the next day (Monday was a public holiday)! And yesterday, I did have it pretty easy...did a bit of stuff around home, had a massage and then caught up with my mate Muzbot for a few beers in the sun at the Commodore. Apart from his company, which is always excellent, there were quite a few tradies with shirts off, or singlets, strolling or driving past which proved somewhat of a distraction for both of us. Even a few of our fellow drinkers were quite easy on the eye. So it was a pleasant 3 hrs or so for us!

But I must say, I'm going to miss the delightful warm weather that we've been enjoying over the past week or so. It's just been glorious, and walking around today was even a tad hot! I could've killed to go to the beach, but alas, had things to do, people to see, places to go. And so, up I got at, wait for it, 7am! Yes, you read it correctly, Monty, on holidays, got out of bed at 7am! This is somewhat of a first for me, I must admit, but I knew I needed to use all the hours of the day to complete what I had to complete. And complete I did! And hey, one early morning in 6 weeks...pffft! There's still 40 odd sleep-ins ahead of me!!!

Anyway, I'm signing off for the moment...will try and keep you, my dear readers, updated as frequently as possible. Watch this space for "Monty on Tour...!"

More meme...

This has been going around the ridges so I thought I'd finally do it...

Does someone love you? Yes, but they're family - it's their job.
Do you know anyone named Dave? I actually have 7 Daves in my phone!
Ever kissed anyone with the name starting with a J? Actually, I've kissed a few J's
Has anyone ever mistaken you for a family member? Only on the phone - I'm told I sound like my brother Mark.
What colour are the walls of your parent's bedroom? White'ish
Do you think that hair extensions look skanky? Can't say that I would be able to tell to be honest.
Are you named after a grandparent? Nope
Say you were given a drug test right now. Would you pass or fail? I'd so pass!
Are you taller than 5'6"? Indeedilly I am
Do you know anyone in jail/prison? Nope
Ever see a dead body? Nope
Do you like the colour green? Yeah, I quite like it.
What is your best friend's Dad's name? Not sure
How old are you? 36
Who was the last person to send you a text message? That would be Kev in NZ - we're meeting up in London next week
Ever drove into the ghetto to buy drugs? I have never taken drugs in my life so no need to drive to the ghetto...
Last restaurant you went to? Some Italian place in Leichhardt with Sam the other week
What is the weather like today? Gloriously warm, buckets of sunshine, breezy. Perfect Sydney weather!
Last voice mail you received? From my mate Dave (one of them) on Friday night apologising because he wasn't able to come out to celebrate my holidays.
What did you do yesterday? Spent the day cleaning my apartment and preparing for my soiree
What's the first thing you would do with five million dollars? Throw a party to celebrate with my friends - in Mykonos
What nationalities are you? 4th generation Aussie. My father's heritage is originally Scottish
How many hours did you sleep for last night? Ummm, I got to bed around 4am so I didn't actually sleep much at all last night, I slept until 2pm today so all up around 10 hrs.
Any upcoming concerts you want to attend? You betcha - Spice Girls! (sad I know)
Who's the last person that you felt was stalking you? Don't think I've ever been stalked...
Have you ever been on your school's track team? Not track team - I was in the tennis team however
What jewellery are you wearing? Three gold rings, and my gold chain
If all of your friends were going on a road trip, would you? Absolutely!
How much money do you have? After this holiday, I'll have none! ha ha
Do you swear at your parents? Never
Is your phone right beside you? Yep
Have you cried today? No
Do you think that someone is thinking about you right now? I'd like that to be the case, but I doubt it
Do you untie your shoes every time you take them off? Of course!
What is the colour of your bedsheets? Cream, with little navy and burgundy pattern things
Have you ever crawled through a window? Yep, whenever I forgot to take my house keys to school, I'd have to break into my house through my window
Are you photogenic? You be the judge of that...you've seen my pics
What's your star sign? Aries
Where do you spend most of your money? My favourite store, David Jones'
What was the last thing you did? Have lunch...at 4pm!
Do you have a tattoo? Nope
Do you still watch cartoons on Saturday mornings? I prefer to sleep in on a Saturday morning...and I don't like watching TV during the day...
Is there a secret you've never told any of your friends? Of course, a boy has to have some secrets...
Have you ever told someone you loved them but didn't mean it? If we're talking about the romantic type "I love you", then no, because I've not spoken those words to anyone...yet. I'd like to change that however! :-)
Have you ever changed your clothes while in a vehicle? You bet.
What are you doing in 2008? Hopefully, settling down with the man of my dreams! ha ha!
What is your ring tone? The theme from Austin Powers! Too cool for school!
What were you doing at 2am last night? Dancing my socks off with my lovely friends Evan and McDreamy
Are your parents married/divorced/separated? Nope, they've been married for 44 yrs now
What are you doing tonight? Watching Idol
What are you doing tomorrow? Well, while everyone else is WORKING, I won't be! he he he! I've got a massage booked! And I'm meeting up with a friend for coffee.
Who did you last message on Myspace? As Tom said, Myspace is sooo last year!
What's your opinion on sex without emotional commitment? I've had my share of it, but much prefer the sex with emotional commitment.
Does it annoy you when someone says they'll call but never do? Absolutely!
What did you dress up as for your first Halloween? Have never done Halloween
Favourite Disney movie? Pretty Woman (yes, Disney produced it)
What is the wallpaper on your cellphone? It's some kind of Ferris Wheel thingy

Long weekends...

Don't you just love long weekends? This one has been particularly good for me, as it's a 6 week long weekend but for most folk here in the Emerald City, it's a 3 day weekend thanks to Labour Day or something! Just having that one extra day feels so good! I'm afraid I consumed wayyyy too much alcohol over the course of this weekend, so today is my dry out day!

Had some friends over last night which was lovely; good to catch up before I choof off for 6 weeks. When they had all gone home (with the exception of Evan and McDreamy), I was still in a bit of a party mood. So, bless them, they took me out on Oxford St and we had a bit of a dance! It was a fabulous feeling I must say. I was only a little tipsy at this stage, and the three of us were on the dance floor full of guys, Go West (PSB) was blaring out and I suddenly had this realisation that exactly one year ago, I had come out to my brother Mark in London! I regard telling him as my official "coming out" date and so, here on my first anniversary, I was dancing with my two wonderful friends Evan and McDreamy in a gay club in Sydney and loving every minute of it! It's difficult to describe here, but it just felt really right. I feel like I have finally found my place in this world and despite the traumas of the past year, I have no regrets in completely turning my life upside down and coming out.

Eye candy...

Yummmy! Wish I could take him on holidays!