2008...

It’s 3.19pm, 31 December 2008.  I’m sitting here at work and I have not done anything (in a work sense) since about 9am.  But I wanted to post this as my final post for the year. 

I remember  my lovely friend Englishman Abroad posting a comment on my last New years Eve post – in it he said, Monty, 2008 is going to be your year!  And you know, it has been!  I started a fabulous new job which is still great fun, and of course, I met my gorgeous boyfriend McBrad.  I know that you, my long suffering readers, are no doubt sick to death about hearing of McBrad, but words can’t express how lucky I feel to have him.  It has been a wonderful year overall for me, starting with my little holiday romance with Mick, followed by my Mardi Gras affair with The Tourist, after which, I met McBrad.  Who’d have thought that Monty, the tart that I was, would be able to stick to just one guy for 9 whole months!!!  But I have and there are no regrets. 

I have had a great holiday in Thailand with my brother and friends, a lovely holiday in Port Douglas with my gorgeous McBrad, and a FANTASTIC Christmas with my man as well.  Next week, we depart for Fraser Island, followed by a long weekend in Perth and than a weekend in the Hunter Valley. 

I remember thinking a couple of years ago, that 1988 was my best ever year!  In that year, everything was going well…it was just a sensational year!  I was 17 and nothing was going to stop me.  Well, 20 years on, I’m 37 and finally I’m feeling like I am LIVING my life!!!  I am ME, I have no regrets, and I am deeply in love with the most wonderful man alive. 

Thank you to all of you, my lovely readers, who’ve been there for me…in your comments on my blog, in your emails to me, and for a few of you, in person.  I hope you all have had a great year, but I hope that 2009 brings you Love, Happiness and lots more blogging! 

Talk to you all Next Year!

Monty! xxx

Christmas card...

"Hi handsome, What a lovely year knowing you and having you in my life - I'm a lucky man I know...

Thank you for all your love and kindness. Looking forward to growing together more in 2009.

Love McBrad x"

What a gorgeous man. No wonder why I love him so much!

Hope you are all having as wonderful Christmas as I am.

Monty! xxx

Bling...

Well, here it is, me in all my bling glory! (and a pair of Dame Edna specs).

:-)

Christmas...

Christmas is upon us and I have been very neglectful of my poor blog. In my defence, it's been BUSY!

Kylie was last Tuesday and it was a fantastic concert! She did an awesome version of Slow, and the audience went off for Better The Devil You Know and I Should Be So Lucky! But you know what, the best aspect of the whole thing for me was the fact that I got to see it with my gorgeous McBrad. He actually was studying hard for an exam the following day, and in fact, was going over his notes while I drove to the concert. He was a bit stressed about going, but still came along because he knew it meant a lot to me...and it did! Just a sweetheart!

We had our work Christmas party on Friday night...it was themed Bling. I went a little OTT (bet you're suprised by that) and hope to post a pic of my outfit soon. It was lots of fun, and despite my earnest endeavours to avoid drinking too much, I did! I hadn't planned on spending the night at McBrad's because he's not keen on me turning up at some ungodly hour, pissed as a newt. But, bless his heart, after the 26th sms to him, he relented. I left the part at 12:30am so it wasn't that late, but could I find a bloody taxi? NO! So I ended up walking back to his place (Surry Hills) which actually was quite good - gave me a chance to sober up a bit. Of course, I was still fully kitted up in my bling and so got quite a few comments on the way home.

Saturday, we hosted our first "Our Party" which was pretty exciting for me. It was a mix of his and my friends so it made for an interesting bunch - I think there was about 30 of so in total. Fellow blogger Mike made an appearance, as did my lovely friends Evan (though, McDreamy was unable to come along sadly), Dan and Jacqui. A couple of ghosts of Christmases past were also there - namely my first boyfriend Dane and PC - just to keep it interesting. And from what one hears, some of the guests got on better than expected! :-) It was a great night and McBrad and I both thoroughly enjoyed it and I think everyone else did too!

This week, it's been all about last minute shopping - wee giftettes (as McBrad likes to call them) to purchase and wrap and I have to tell you, I'M OVER SHOPPING! Bring on Christmas I say!

We're here for Christmas day and so I'm cooking my first ever Turkey - it's an orphan's Christmas dinner. Thankfully, Tom, our resident culinary king has come to the rescue with some cooking instructions and stuffing recipes! so cross your fingers that it turns out ok.

Boxing Day, my brother Mark and his boyfriend Sim, fly in from London for 3 weeks. So we're all heading down to his beach house on the south coast so I am hoping for some decent sunny hot weather! It will be lovely just to relax and chill out, eat, drink, chat, read and go to the beach. I can't wait! I've got a half day tomorrow so I finish at lunchtime. McBrad is collecting me and we'll be doing all the grocery shopping for Xmas dinner and for down at the beach house so that will be one last chore to get out of the way! But then, 4 days of bliss!!!

McBrad also asked me today if I would like to go to Perth in January to meet his brother! His immediate family all live in Scotland however his niece and her husband moved to Perth a few years ago, so McBrad's brother (her father) is out for a visit. So looks like we'll be going to Perth for a long weekend. I'm just a bit chuffed that he's wanting to take me along to meet his brother - it's like a bit of formal acknowledgement to his family of me being his partner.

Well, I suspect that this may be my last post before Christmas so I just want to say that I hope you all have a great Christmas! This is my first one with my gorgeous man and I feel so very lucky to be experiencing it with him. I hope you all have your loved ones around you for Christmas too! Big hugs to you all.

Monty! xxx

Eventful...

Eventful was indeed the word that most accurately describes the weekend just gone!

After celebrating an early christmas with McBrad's god-daughters (who'll be overseas for christmas) on Friday night, Saturday dawned HOT and windy. Given that our party is this Saturday coming, I only had the weekend to finish off McBrad's garden. I had thought that I had left the easiest part to last - I just had a clear up a few rocks and then plant the lawn! Well, I spent most of Saturday afternoon removing stones...many of them had been concreted in by previous owners and so it took way longer and was way harder than I expected. But, by the end of the day, I'd got rid of all the rocks - I was knackered though. But no rest for the wicked - I'd booked tickets for McBrad and I to see Priscilla for one last time. I hadn't thought I'd see it again, having only seen it a few weeks ago with Tom and Dan, however a two-for-one offer was just too good to resist! The Scotsman in me (and no, I'm not referring to McBrad you perverts, I'm talking about my Scottish heritage) just couldn't say no to a two-for-one offer! So we saw it again, excellent seats and McBrad enjoyed it more this time than he had the first time. So it was a great evening. I did sleep like the dead however! I was soooo tired.

Sunday, it was the day to finish up. And finish it I did...by 5:30pm! I have to say it's a very very satisfying feeling to look at the backyard and see it now! McBrad likes it and that's the really important thing!

McBrad also bought a new car on Thursday - Noodle was outgrowing his old car so it was time to upgrade to a larger vehicle. It was a really sweet thing of him - although this was his car and it was his cash, he wanted me to be involved in the decision making process. I had to go and look at all the various cars with him, go through all the pros and cons of the various cars, work out his finances with him and help him come to a decision. He even put me on the insurance and calls it "our car".

It's just one of those things I've kinda not noticed, but more and more, there's less doubt in my mind, less concern about our relationship. Included in all of our conversations is the assumption that we're going to be together, that we share a future and that's a really nice feeling. I just feel so secure in our relationship and the direction in which it is heading!

anyway, this week it's full on preparation for our party on Saturday night, but there's one thing we must do first...KYLIE!!! yes, that's right, after months and months of waiting, she's finally here and tomorrow night, we're going! Wahooo! I'm very excited!

Anyway, I did have a stack of other stuff to say, but I can't remember! Hopeless I know!

Wednesday...

Well, it's Wednesday nigght and it's over a week since my last post! Lots to update. First major update - I'm at home on my new laptop...and before you all ask (as Scotty has already), NO it's not a Mac! But it is an early Christmas gift from my gorgeous McBrad which I am totally chuffed with! He was thinking about waiting until Christmas before giving it to me, but decided not to, due to my previously blogged home PC issues! What a sweetheart! I am the LUCKIEST man alive! :-)

Anyway, what I did want to mention was an episode last week. Last Thursday, I met up with my friend Jacqui and her sister and mum who were visiting her from the UK. We met at Opera Bar, had a couple of drinks and then, it was off to the Opera House. Why, I hear you asking. Because my gorgeous McBrad is not only the hottest man in my life, but he's also very talented. He was performing Handel's Messiah in the Concert Hall as part of the Sydney Philharmonia Choir! It was an extraordinary moment, when I took my seat, my eyes scanning the 500 member choir, looking for him. And when we locked eyes, and he smiled at me, a mix of emotions overwhelmed me! It's very difficult to describe - I was very proud of him, I was excited to see him on the stage, I couldn't help but admire how very handsome he was in his tux, and I could feel just how much I loved him. I was like a love struck teenager the whole concert - everytime he stood up to sing, I couldn't stop grinning and when he'd look at me, I had to struggle not to wave at him. It was an excellent evening!

It was a full on week for both of us - we are both very busy at work at the moment and he was either rehearsing or performing every night last week and so Sunday night after the final performance, we just wanted to have a quiet night in. Which we did. We also had our hands full over the weekend, as Noodle had a friend sleeping over. Archie, another Groodle too, but he's white, was there for four days and nights, as his owners had their daughter's wedding to attend. So it was quite a busy weekend, trying to manage two increasingly large dogs whilst trying to keep all the new gardens puppy free. . . unsuccessfully as it turns out, but no lasting damage done. Anyway, so it was a tiring weekend.

I was out at lunch today trying to get some small presents for McBrad's two god-daughters and I noticed that there were lots of kids out. I don't want to offend any parents here, but seriously, children should be banned from the city! Clogging up the streets, running all over the place, screaming and yelling - just drives me insane!!! Let them go to the Westfields or something, anywhere that I am not! Grrr... Anyway, I managed to get a couple of small gifts for each of them, so that is one less thing to worry about.

I also went to Myer and did something very sappy...I ordered a couple of baubles to hang off his Christmas tree...one with my name on and one with his on! I know I know...it's horrifically sad, but it's our first christmas together and I wanted to commemorate it somehow.

Anyway, there's about 34 more posts still in my head and I really don't want to make this a 5000 word thing. It's a challenge not being able to post at work as I often will think of something to post there. In times past, I'd just put it straight down but now, having to go home and post is much more difficult. I'm tired after work, need to cook and eat and after that, I just want to chill. So it will require more discipline on my part.

Well, that's it. I will post more soon. Promise.

Thaw...

I didn't blog about this when it happened, as it was quite an emotional incident which took me a while to digest. Most of you, my dear readers, would be aware that my parents didn't take my coming out very well and so cut off communication. Well, on the day of my last birthday, back in April, my dad rang me. This took me by complete surprise! It was a somewhat stilted conversation, quite awkward in fact, but I was touched that he had rung. It was more of a "just checking you're alive and you're well" kinda conversation with the inevitable "so have you changed your mind about living 'this lifestyle'?" question at the end. Of course, I told him that nothing had changed in that respect. And so at the end of the conversation, it was a "we'll call you" type sign off. It wasn't an ideal ending but I was heartened by the fact that they had made an attempt to contact me. I still knew however, that I wasn't welcome in the "bosom" of the family.

Today, dad rang me again. But this time it felt a lot different. We had more of a fluent conversation - yes, we did deal with the weather, my health, work, housing market and fairly generic stuff. But it actually felt a bit more like a normal conversation that I used to have with him (pre-outing). And more importantly, there was no Big Question at the end. It kinda felt like they were going with the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. Even though the pink elephant was still in the room, it was like they were coming to accept that the pink elephant was here to stay. It's not ideal, but it does feel a bit more like a thaw in our relationship which is really really great! I don't know how things will progress, but at least it seems like progress has been made...it'll be slow, but...! :-)

On a completely unrelated topic, I mentioned how I was unable to view or write my blog at work now due to new filters. Well, it's all very strange. You see, I can log on and read Tom's blog, Muzbot's blog; in fact, most of my regular reads I can still read. I just can't read mine. When I do attempt, the filter provides a reason why I have been blocked...in the case of this blog, it's because it's a "Personal Blog" and "GLBT content". So, apparently my blog is overtly gay whereas most of you, my dear readers, are NOT! How interesting! And annoying! Anyway, so my blogging is still somewhat hit and miss, even though my commenting on your blogs may still continue.

On the weekend, I made Stage 2 and Stage 3 of my garden project at McBrad's. It's very exciting...there's only Stage 4 before it's finished. Already, he's very impressed with how things are looking and I'm quite thrilled. It's been such fun to get my hands dirty and very fulfilling to see the end result. I do promise I'll post some pics when it's done!

Anyway, that's it for the moment. Hope you are all having a good week!

Catching up...

Ok, it's been ages and I do sincerely apologize for my lack of posting of recent times. I do have a very valid excuse...well, a mildly valid excuse anyway. My PC is stuffed up (as I've already mentioned in a previous post) and I've been sick! Yes, I left work early on Thursday with a cold and had Friday off sick too! Thankfully, my gorgeous McBrad wasn't working on Friday and so took very good care of me. Such a wonderful man. Anyway, I digress.

The challenge is, when I'm at McBrad's, I'm far too distracted to actually focus on writing a blog post. And particularly last weekend as McBrad had a man come in on Friday and remove all the overgrown bushes in the back yard. Unfortunately, the man wasn't that good looking or even well built (I'd had visions of a hot tradie, sweating in the hot sun, needing to take of his shirt whilst digging...you get the drift), but still, he got the job done. And so, with an empty garden, I had no other option but to pop down to the local nursery and buy some plants and begin Monty's Marvellous Metamorphosis of the garden! It's only about 30% done but already it's looking a treat. Once it's all done, I'll take some pics and post 'em. It's quite exciting as we are having a Christmas party the weekend before christmas and I'll have the garden completed and looking just smashing!

Anyway, point is that I didn't have a chance to blog. And so I thought, I'll get to work on Monday and do a quick update. Problem was, no-one told me that work was upgrading our web browsers with new filters that filter out, yes, you guessed it, personal blogs!!! ARGHHHHHH!!!!! How the hell am I going to make it through the day without my fix of posts from you, my lovely blogger mates??? I have to say, the past two days at work have DRAGGED!!! So I'm sorry, but my blogging is going to be less than regular until I get my PC fixed or make some time at McBrad's for posting (as I am doing tonight).

Anyway, it's been a lovely weekend, with a party at my friend Jacqui's on Sat night and a restful day on Sunday with my hot man! It was funny, I had a couple of drinks with my old boss this arvo and he asked me about how things were going with McBrad and how long it's been. It's 8 months this coming weekend and I told him and he commented about how that was quite long. It was funny, but to me, 8 months doesn't sound long at all, but it feels like so long (in a good way, I hasten to add). It feels like a lifetime away when I was single and in my slutty summer/s and dating on Gaydar and all that stuff! It's only been a year since my UK trip but feels like a couple of years ago. It just amazes me that we've only been 8 months together...and that you, my dear readers, have still stuck with me and all my mushy updates about how hot and gorgeous and wonderful he is. Thank you! :-)

Anyway, that's about it for now. Just over 4 weeks until Christmas and there's so much still to do. Hope you are all having a good week!

Social...

As mentioned by Tom in his blog, we saw Priscilla The Musical on Saturday night. It's the 3rd time for me but the first for Tom. It's had a few minor changes since I last saw it (June 2007) - some tweaking which has improved it and provided a few more laughs for the audience. It was another excellent night's entertainment from my perspective. As with Tom, I do wonder how it's going to translate to UK audiences with its very Australian jokes. I think the Poms will LOVE it, but maybe they'll need to adjust some of the jokes. Can I suggest that any residents of the UK that do read my blog do themselves a favour and go and see it - I think it starts up early 2009 in the West End.

My mate Dan and I tried to persuade Tom to come out for a drink or two on Oxford St afterward, but alas, he declined. Didn't stop us however and we ended up dancing our socks off at Palms. "We love the nightlife, we love to boogie" indeed!!!

We also had a Private Client Event on Monday night - my Bank sponsors the Australian Chamber Orchestra and so they are very accommodating. Once a year, the Private Bank invites our very best clients to a meet and greet type thing, cocktails and canapes and of course, the ACO. It's a great opportunity for the Bank's CEO and Excutive Team to meet our top clients and vice versa. This was the first one that I've been to, and it was quite interesting seeing the members of some of Australia's leading families, politicians, entertainers and well known business people all in the same room. It was actually a really fun night and it was great to experience the ACO up close and personal.

Last night, one of McBrad's friends had a small gathering at his house so it was nice to just sit and chat to them and get to know them a bit better.

So that's been about it.

Meme...

Scottiejt actually stole this meme off me and adapted it rather well, so I'm stealing it back!

1) What does next year have in store for me? Well, hopefully, moving in with McBrad, a couple of nice holidays, our first real anniversary! Just more of the same fabulous times that I've experienced this year!
2) What's my love life like? Do you really need to ask? Bloody marvellous!!!
3) What do I say when life gets hard? Faaaaaaaark!
4) What do I think of when I wake up? I'm not usually capable of thinking - not a very good morning person. If I am with McBrad, I'll normally just snuggle closer! He's just so HOT!!!
5) What song will I dance to at my wedding/civil union :) ? This Is It - by Ms Dannii Minogue! It's camp as tits, utterly bubble-gum pop, and really great to dance to!
6) What do I want as a career? I'm pretty damn happy with my current job - Private Banker
7) My Favourite Saying?" God helps those who help themselves!
8) Favourite Place? Lying in McBrad's arms! Otherwise, Sydney, London, Budapest and Tuscany!
9) What Do I Think Of my Parents? I love them both and respect the fact that they stand by their principles.
10) What's my porn star name? Fluffy Williams!
11) Where would I go on a first date? I'd love to go to the Opera House and see (and hear) the Australian Chamber Orchestra perform with Teddy Tahu Rhodes! But, as I've got me a gorgeous man already (and our first date is looooong finished), it's kinda a moot point. But I would still love to take McBrad there - it's just that TTR isn't performing with the ACO anytime in the forseeable future.
12) Drug Of choice? Alcohol! My ONLY drug!
13) Describe myself? How do you describe yourself objectively? Dunno. I'm a glass half full kinda guy. I was talking to The Tourist this morning (he's in London), and he commented on the fact that all my Facebook profile updates are always happy and positive. When he mentioned that, I thought about it and realized that it's true. But how can't I be happy, my life is pretty damn good!
14) What is the thing I like doing most? Snuggling with McBrad. Entertaining with friends. Weekends away at the beach house.
15) What is my state of mind like at the moment? See 13
16) How will I die? With a smile on my face

Australia...

To celebrate the upcoming spectacular spectacular movie by Baz Luhrman, Australia, I thought I'd post this little map of our fair country. It's a tourist map, so it's got all the great stuff about this wide brown land. :-) Come over and visit us...!

Update...

No, I haven't fallen off the planet - I'm still here. Busy busy busy at work and otherwise, nothing really significant to report. My bloody PC is having issues at the moment too (and don't you say anything about PC V Macs Tom) which means I can't log on at home. Thankfully, have been spending most of my time at McBrad's and so he's been letting me use his.

On the good side, I'm off with our ocean-swimming, surf-lifesaving and wannabe-restauranteur Tom and another mate, Dan, to see Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - The Musical on Saturday night. I've seen it twice already but it's in its last few weeks in Australia before it moves on to London's West End in January, and so it's my last opportunity. It's such a fun evening and neither Tom nor Dan have seen it so it'll be good to see what they think.

That's about it. How boring!

Horses...

Stupid animals...the lot of them! As you may guess, none of the flipping horses I picked won or even placed, so my first ever attempt at betting is destined to be my last attempt. I'm not really into spending money on something that may or may not pay off - I'd much prefer to spend it on a couple of drinks and have myself a hazy afternoon, or a t-shirt or something tangible. Anyway, I'm off soon - making dinner for my hot man and a couple of friends tonight AND THEN, snuggling! I'm soooo happy he's back! :-)

Today...

A couple of things...firstly, we've got a couple of little breaks coming up which have all been sorted out in the last week or so since my gorgeous McBrad returned. Firstly, the Christmas details have been sorted out - should be a lovely long weekend down at the beach house with my brother Mark and his b/f Sim and the rest of his gang! Can't wait.

Following that, I've just booked (as in this morning), 5 nights at Kingfisher Bay Resort on Fraser Island in early January for McBrad, his friend Phil and myself. Phil's a long term friend of McBrad's who lives in London and so really wanted to get out of Sydney while he's here. I've not been to Fraser before so I am really looking forward to it! And spending 5 steamy summer nights on an island with my hot boyfriend.

Following that, we've got the Australia Day weekend sorted out - a friend of McBrad's is getting married (I blogged a couple weeks ago about receiving the joint invitation) in the Hunter Valley at Peppers Convent and so that will be excellent - nothing like lots of wine tasting and a wedding to put one (by that we mean McBrad) in the mood for romance and maybe more!!! ;-)

And of course, today is Melbourne Cup. I'm not a gambling man - in fact, until today, I've never placed a bet in my life. And so today, I rocked up to the TAB and I've now got bets on Septimus, Moatize and a trifecta with Nom du Jeu, Mad Rush and Profound Beauty. I'm also in the office sweeps for Moatize (twice) and Ice Chariot. So I reckon I've got at least half a chance of winning something. Cross your fingers!

Anyway, I'm in a marvellous mood with all these holdidays/short breaks booked with the love of my life. And I was just thinking in bed last night, that you all probably think that 7 months with McBrad is not such a long time. I've been alive for approx. 450 months and so it only represents 1.56% of my life so in that respect, it is only a very short amount of time. But, this is my longest romantic relationship and so every month we pass is very exciting for me! I'm sorry if I do bore you with my monthly reminder - but every month that goes by, things just seem to get better and better. Why I am so lucky, I don't know...but I'm loving it!!! :-)

Anniversary...

There's a couple of anniversaries to mention, both of which I missed!!!

Firstly, it was my 2nd blogging anniversary on the 23rd October! Yes folks, Monty has been dishing up this frivilous floss for over 2 years now!!! Can you believe it!!! So, a big thanks to all of you who've contributed to my blog, simply by reading it and commenting as well. My life has certainly turned around in the past 2 years and even in the past 12 months since my last anniversary post...all for the better! Of course, my gorgeous McBrad is a large part of my change circumstances!

And speaking of McBrad, we achieved 7 months together last week. It actually passed us by without noticing - granted, we were somewhat in the midst of a joyful and blissful reunion and so completely forgot about everything else. I realized the next day and sent an email to him. But we already agreed not to formally celebrate any more milestones until we hit the REAL anniversary (next March) but still, thought it was worth mentioning.

We caught up with fellow blogger Tom on the weekend - we went out to dinner at Rubyos on King St, Newtown and spent a pleasant couple of hours grazing the variety of foods and drinking some rather splendid wine. I actually dusted off a bottle of '98 Cab Shiraz and it was just perfect (and Tom brought a lovely Aussie Marsanne too)!!!

That's about it. Just a quick post. Have a good week!

Smug...

Yes, that's right folks, your correspondent has been walking around today smugly smiling, happy as Larry! McBrad arrived back safe and sound yesterday morning, with all limbs intact, and so was more than taken advantage of! Three weeks of abstinence has been a killer but it was all worthwhile, let me say!

And after three weeks sleeping in a cold lonely bed, it was wonderful to have my man next to me. He pulled me into him, spooning, and it was like a bolt of lightning - it just felt soooooooo good and it had been sooooo long. I love that I fit just perfectly in against him.

Monty is one chirpy chap at work today!

Temptation...

It's 10pm on Saturday night. I'm lying on the couch watching a dvd when I receive an sms from Howard the Pom. HTP was an occasional FB of mine, who lived in Kirribilli, which is about 10 mins drive from my place. He'd message me in former days if he felt like a shag and if I was up for it, he'd pop over, we'd do the business and he'd be off again. He was the absolute true definition of an FB - there was no meaningful conversation, I don't even know his last name. I do know that he works for the same firm that fellow blogger Tom used to work for (Tom, however, does not know him). Anyway, it's been over a year since I last saw HTP, before my last UK holiday and obviously, since then I've moved on.

Anyway, HTP is seeking a liason tonight. I've told him I'm in a monogamous relationship with my boyfriend and in fact, I'm staying at my boyfriend's place tonight. He's countered with the suggestion of a threesome. You have to give him points for persistence. He is quite a nice guy, and does fit the bill physically for me and I've got to say, I always enjoyed our encounters. But, although fate has put temptation in my path tonight, there's just no way I'm going there.
I advised him to grab a cab into Oxford St, go to a bar and pick up a boy and take him home. He says he only wants me. Well, he's only human after all. I can't help that I'm the best shag he's ever had!

Anyway, it was just an interesting and somewhat different aspect to an otherwise fairly quiet Saturday night in the life of Monty!

Dot Points...

. I passed my exam - received the confirmation on Friday! Yay! One subject down, 7 to go! UG!

. Collected the mail on Thursday night and there was an envelope addressed to: McBrad and Monty! Yes, that's right, our first ever jointly addressed mail. I was very excited. It was a wedding invitation from a couple of McBrad's friends who are getting married in January.

. There's about 6 large hedge-type bushes in the back yard at McBrad's. Before he left, we talked about removing them as they've kinda outgrown themselves, they're blocking all the nice sunshine and they also serve to make the backyard look smaller. McBrad sent me an email last week asking if I could get some quotes from some nice tradesmen types to remove them. I thought, in my enthusiasm of having done that little garden the other week, that I would try to dig them up myself. I dug one up this afternoon. I'm now ringing up tradesmen types to remove the rest. It's a killer - I've got blisters on my soft white office worker's hands and I'm exhausted!

. It's been really busy at work this week too!

. Had dinner with my mate Evan on Thursday night. We haven't had dinner for ages - between our respective schedules, work, holidays, other halves, it's been challenging to meet up! But we did and it was great to see him again. He and McDreamy are still going strong - 18 months and counting.

. McBrad is back on Tuesday at 7.10am! I've taken the day off! I'll let you imagine what you will about what I plan to do with/to him for the day! ;-)

. I like my job and my clients generally, but it's starting to irritate me when they ring up about the Government Guarantee of their deposits. The government initially provided an unlimited guarantee however is now changing that to limit the guarantee to $1M. Anything over that, they'll have to pay a fee to have the guarantee extended. I have had a couple of clients ring me and complain about how exposed they feel, with "only" $1M guaranteed and how dare the government make them pay a fee to extend the guarantee. I mean, seriously guys, be thankful you have a million dollars in the bank in the first place - the vast majority of people are lucky to have a few thousand in their accounts. In any case, there is very little chance that any of the banks in Australia are going to go belly up - the Australian financial system is quite robust and the banks are still very profitable.

. This post is a lot bigger than I initially thought it would be.

. That's it. Nothing more to say. :-)

Tuesday night...

...and I'm here at home (well, McBrad's home, but it feels pretty much like home to me), Poison (Alice Cooper) is on and dinner is in the oven. Oh, and now Haddaway (is that how you spell it?) has come on. Glass of chardy is being consumed rather quickly.

Anyway, I sat my exam yesterday and think I did ok. To be honest, as long as I get a Pass, I'll be happy. It's exceedingly dull stuff. But it's good that it's all over...for this year anyway. Not going to start the next one until 2009 so I have a few months off which is bloody marvellous!

I've come to realize over the last couple of weeks just what a commitment having a pet is. Noodle consumes my time at home. Being a Groodle (which is a Golden Retriever/Poodle cross), she's got the insatiable desire to retrieve stuff and so is always dropping (very subtle this one) her favourite toy at my feet, so that I can throw it and she can run and retrieve it. It's very endearing but after a while, I just want to concentrate on what I'm doing. I've got to wake up earlier than normal so that I can take her for a run before I go to work. I've got to come home after work and feed her and walk/run/play with her. It's normally well after 7:30pm before I can get to making my dinner etc. And she has an burning curiosity about everything I do - particularly if it has anything to do with food. She is such a sweet tempered thing and is the most social puppy I know, but she is a big responsibility. It's not something I would've thought possible even 12 months ago but she's a responsibility that I have willingly taken on as a surrogate father whilst my gorgeous McBrad is away. It's one less thing he has to worry about and is one thing that I can do to support him.

Anyway, the official count down has begun - only 6 1/2 days until I see McBrad again! So it's only around 150 hrs to go!!! I've missed him so much!

Pet Shop Boys is on now. I was talking to my brother Mark yesterday and he mentioned to me that it's only 9 weeks until Christmas which blew me away! It's come around so quickly. It's also quite exciting as Mark and Sim are flying over from the UK and will be staying for 3 weeks! They fly in the morning of Boxing Day and so we'll meet at the beach house and have a slightly delayed Christmas! (McBrad and I will be here in Sydney for Christmas Day itself and will probably just have a lunch or dinner with some friends) So it will be great to catch up with them (and the rest of the boys - there'll be 8 of us down the coast) and spend some time in the sun and at the beach and eating, drinking and relaxing. It will also be good because McBrad will be able to spend a bit more time with Mark and Sim and get to know them better. After all, Mark's my only family member that McBrad is likely to get to know in the forseeable future anyway.

And now Tina Turner has come on. And on that note, I think I shall leave you. Ciao!

Conflict...

I had to deal with conflict this weekend...on the one hand, I had some serious study to do, for my exam on Monday. On the other hand, it was a totally magnificent weekend in Sydney, with temps in the mid to high 20's (degrees Celcius) and perfect blue skies! It was very hard, let me say. But I did manage to get some study in and will be doing more this evening. Thankfully, my exam is at noon Monday which means that I can study some more in the morning, do my exam and then go to work. Work is very understanding in this respect.

Anyway, I went to the Noodle markets on Friday night, and met up with the very charming and thoroughly modern Colin. I had originally arranged to meet up with him straight after work on Friday and we were going to walk up to Hyde Park from there, however I realized that now I'm a step-father, I did have to go home first, feed and walk my Noodle, and then I could go to the Noodle Markets. So it was a somewhat late appearance by yours truly, and by that time, the queues for food were miles long! So, I thought 'stuff it' and just had a couple of glasses of wine instead! hic! It was a relaxing evening and after a few more drinks at one of his friend's birthday party in the Cross, I headed home via a less than salubrious fast food establishment! It always tastes soooo good at 10pm after a few drinks!

Anyway, Saturday was a more relaxed day, just Noodle and I really. I took her to a beach suggested by fellow blogger Mike. The beach is right next to the main runway at the airport so it was somewhat noisy, but Noodle loved it! She was a bit tentative at first, but once she had a small paddle in the shallows, she really got into it!

Today, I was determined to study study study however a friend messaged me with an invitation to the beach at 2:30pm and my resolved weakened seriously! It was so lovely and warm and the words were beginning to dissolve into one another and so I thought maybe a break was called for. And so a very pleasant couple of hours was spent soaking up the sun and chatting. Now, it's back to the grindstone. Noodle's been fed and walked and I'm about to get myself fed too and then, more delights of the Australian financial system, superannuation, post-retirement income streams and estate planning!

I certainly hope everyone has had a marvellous weekend!

Busy busy busy...

Yes, dear friends and readers, I've been flat out this week! Work has been full on (nice for a change) and so I've been exhausted when I get home every day! Not that it's the end of it for me...I'm a step-father now (to Noodle) and so once I get home, she needs to be fed and then walked so it's around 7:30pm by the time I can start making dinner etc. But we're beginning to settle down to a routine which is good.

I also agreed to go with my friend Jacqui to the movies on Wed night - we had free tickets to see "Brideshead Revisited" - a lush, beautiful movie, but thoroughly depressing. The musical score is excellent. Don't see it if you need a pick-me-up!

McBrad and I have talked a few times, despite the awful time difference, and whilst it's lovely to hear his voice, it also makes me miss him more!!! Only 10 days until he gets back however and I'm counting down every day!!! One thing I have noticed is that his Scottish accent has become much stronger since being there...I'm back to asking him to repeat every second word he says!

I did originally plan to take McBrad down to the beach house this weekend but of course, he's not here. I did think about taking Noodle down myself and having a quiet weekend, just chilling out, reading, eating, sleeping and gardening, however realized that I have an exam on Monday, and so it's head down, bum up studying all weekend! Grrrrroooan!

I was only thinking about McBrad the other night (now that's something unusual...ha ha) and how comfortable I feel in this relationship; more importantly, how secure I feel. I know that for the first couple of months, I was paranoid that it would end, that McBrad would turn up one day and dump me...it all just seemed too perfect and easy. But now, it really feels like it's a real relationship, one that will last. I still keep pinching myself that I've snagged me such a gorgeous man of course. It was funny, the other night (Sat) when I met up with my mate Dan for a few beers, we were standing there making commentary on every guy that walked past - there were some serious shockers out there, some fairly average ones, and a few hotties. The hotties were hot, but there was NIL interest from me - I admired them, checked out their nice pecs, perky arses etc, but it felt more like artistic appreciation rather than the lustful looks that I would've had in the past, pre-McBrad. I think he's HOT HOT HOT, even though I know he doesn't have the best body on the block. But it doesn't matter to me, he soooo turns me on it's not funny. It's that absolutely fatal combination of physical lust AND emotional connection that makes what we have just magnificent!!!

Anyway, you knew I'd have to have include a McBrad commentary - I can't avoid it.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!!!

The week...

Well, what a week it's been! Not only a massively turbulent week for the global financial system (and the global economy) but also a very turbulent week for McBrad and myself. Obviously, as I've already posted, it's been a shocking week for my gorgeous man but thankfully, he's had so much support from his friends, both here and in the UK, (and I've gotta say, it was really lovely of you all to pass on your condolences and good wishes, via my blog, Facebook and sms) and so he's managed to get through the worst of it. The funeral was yesterday and he messaged me late last night to say that he was feeling better, albeit still very sad. So it's as good as can be expected.

As for my week, well, apart from the upheaval on Tuesday/Wednesday, it's been up and down. Thursday night I had a client event to attend. The Bank is the Principal Sponsor for Opera Australia and so the Bank and the Opera co-hosted the Opening Night of OA's production of My Fair Lady, starring the mighty fine British actor Richard E Grant. I took a couple of clients along and they loved it. I had a great time too. The production was fantastic and despite his lack of musical experience, Richard E Grant did a terrific job of Professor Henry Higgins. At half-time, it was a bit of rubber necking at the assorted celebrities which was rather fun, if a little juvenile! :-) Met up with fellow blogger James as well, which was an unexpected (and pleasant) surprise - the second time in less than a week - he certainly does get around! ;-) And the after-party with the cast at the Hilton was buckets of fun (and buckets of champagne too - hic). Didn't end up leaving until 1am which is probably not the best idea on a school night. Thankfully, we were officially sanctioned to be a little late and hungover, given that we spent the night with clients. I must say, the evening was a pleasant distraction after the previous couple of days events.

I've gotta say, I'm finding it really strange to be living at McBrad's without him actually being there. Poor Noodle still walks around, looking in vain for her daddy - she's missing him too. I think the worst thing is sleeping by myself in his bed...no gorgeous guy to snugggle up to at night, no good morning cuddle, no late night pillow chats. I miss his smile, I miss his conversation, I miss doing the mundane things with him. I just miss him.

One thing that I did do yesterday, to keep myself entertained, was to build a new garden for him. We talked about it last weekend as the back gardens have been ever so slightly neglected for the past 6 months. And so I had already decided to surprise him by doing a garden makeover on the smaller of his two gardens out in the back courtyard...originally he was going to be working yesterday (Saturday) and I was going to have it all done before he got home. Obviously, he's not here at all so the timeframe was a bit more relaxed. But I surprised myself by having it all done in a few hours. It looks sensational if I do say so myself. I do hope he likes it when he gets home.

Anyway, that's about it. A reasonably quiet weekend on the homefront - I went out for a few shandies last night with my mate Dan, and had brekkie with another friend Con this morning. My friend Jacqui is coming over tonight and we're going to have dinner and I'm going to show her a Pam Ann DVD which I've been raving about. So that's it. It's gorgeous weather at the moment, clear skies, buckets of sunshine and a light breeze. Perfect Sydney weather really! Hope everyone has had a great weekend!

McSad...

My gorgeous man McBrad received some dreadful news yesterday lunch - his mum (in Scotland) passed away quite suddenly. Naturally, he was devastated and when he rang me to tell me, he was sobbing which just broke my heart. I rushed up to his work to see him, but all I could do was hold him. I took him home, but thankfully, the afternoon was full of activity as we had to get him booked on the next flight home, and get him prepared for that and to deal with his stuff here in Australia for the next couple of weeks, so there wasn't time for him to dwell on the news. I'm going to stay at his place and house sit, and puppy-sit as well so it's going to be a fairly busy time for me. Anyway, I put him on his plane this afternoon and bade a very sad farewell to him.

It's just such a hard thing - I feel so helpless in the face of his grief - but I was glad at least that I was there for him. It's going to be a long, lonely couple of weeks for me whilst he's over there so expect lots of folorn type posts to come.

:-(

Long weekend...

Well, it's Friday and it's a long weekend ahead...Monday being, ummm, Labour Day I think. Not sure what it is really, but frankly, who cares! It's a public holiday and that's all that matters.

It's been a lovely week - I feel even more in love with McBrad than ever. I seriously thought that the honeymoon would be over by now, but it isn't. :-) He's such a gorgeous human being, as well as being thoroughly HOT!

Anyway, this weekend, the Sleaze Ball is on (as well as a plethora of other man-friendly parties). I've always been fairly ambivalent to Sleaze, though I do confess to a certain degree of curiosity about it. It's always been a "I'll do it one day" kinda thing for me and I'm sure one of these days, I will actually attend. But until that time, I'll let everyone else enjoy it.

It was apparently 35 degrees Celcius today...fan-flaming-tastic if you ask me!!! Though unfortunately, the forecast is for it to be overcast and 25 degrees tomorrow and Sunday! Terrible! But still, we've got Monday off and I'm really looking forward to that. It's just going to be a lazy weekend with my gorgeous man and to be honest, that's all I need!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

6 Months...

Today is our official 6 month milestone and so, to celebrate, I thought I'd do 6 things that I love about McBrad...prepare yourself for sappy, mushy, lovey-dovey stuff...

1. I love that despite him being quite a big, muscular guy (he's 6'2" and gyms on a daily basis), he's surprisingly gentle and tender. Of course, he's a big growly bear at other times, but that's just for fun! :-)

2. I love snuggling with him - I could do it 24/7. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, wrapped in his arms is my favourite place in the world.

3. I love his sense of humour! He's got a very dry, and very quick, wit - it took me a while to be able to sense when he was being serious and when he wasn't but I think I've got the hang of it now! When we watch dvd's like Cath & Kim, or Still Game (a Scottish comedy) and he laughs, I feel it all through him. He also has an absolute KILLER smile - photos don't do him justice!

4. I love that he has such a great relationship with his godchildren. He really takes his responsibility as godfather very seriously which is a very sweet trait.

5. I love that he has lots of good friends who he cares about. He's a very social person and includes me in his social circle - I really feel a sense of being one half of a partnership.

6. I love walking down the street, holding his hand. I feel proud to have such a HOT boyfriend and can't stop talking about him. Close friends now just roll their eyes when I start rambling on about him!

Last week, I was reading some of my older posts, from when I first started blogging (which, by the way, is almost 2 years ago) and it's been fascinating to read about me then and me now. The same Monty is there, but there's certainly differences. Anyway, McBrad loved the flowers I got him on Saturday - thank goodness, as I was up at 5:45am purchasing them from the markets - and we had a lovely weekend together. Tonight, I'm going over after work and we'll celebrate with a bottle of Moet and some dinner (and maybe some other shenanigans but I'm not going to give you any details about that).

Through the years...

Stole this off Muzbot...it's fantastic! You can do it too...just click here...






Monty in 1978...







And with my 1990 Jason Donovan mullet! Eeek!

Salad days...

Well, the weather has been sensational over the past few days. The weekend was spectacular, with gorgeous blue skies, light breezes and around 30 degrees Celcius. And it's at this time of year that I start getting serious cravings for salad! I have always loved salads...a love engendered as a child growing up in hot North Queensland where salad tasted much better than hot vegetables. And so, over the past week, I've been dosing up big time. Caesar salad is always a great choice, particularly with chicken. But my favourite is actually just a mix of green leaf, lots of corn, carrot, eshallots, tasty cheese (or occasionally feta), capsicum and boiled egg, with just a nice drizzle of home made dressing (my mum's recipe). I can eat a plate piled high with this kind of salad. And then some! Yummmmmmo!

Which is also quite good, going into summer, as I figure it's not so fattening. You may not think that this is such a problem for me, given my well documented battle to put on weight. Well, the battle is over I reckon, as I'm now developing a little spare tyre around my middle. It's a new thing for me, and the exercise regime that I'm following is pretty much just a weights only thing, no cardio. And so while I'm still building muscle mass, with my arms and legs and chest developing nicely, my gut has made its debut appearance! Eeek! So last week, now that the weather is warming up and the days are lengthening, I started walking home after gym. It's actually quite a pleasant time to walk home...there's still light in the sky, but the lights of the city are beginning to twinkle on the harbour. It's balmy and so I don't get too hot, even though I'm powering my way home. So hopefully, that will start making a difference to my little gut! I think I shall also have a chat to Muzbot as he seems to have been highly successful in developing a very nice flat tummy indeed!

Anyway, that's about it. This weekend, McBrad and I will celebrate 6 months together! How cool is that! Still amazes me that IT has actually happened - that which I'd been hoping for and dating what seems like hundreds of guys for - and things are settling down really well. I still find it amazing that after an ever changing diet of men for 18 months, I'm thoroughly enjoying my McBrad-only diet! I still think he's the sexiest man alive and can't keep my hands off him and just snogging him is enough to make me "shwing". He's just sooooo HOT!!! Anyway, I'm getting all hot and bothered here and it's probably not the right forum! Just believe me when I say, this is one very satisfied (smuggly so) Monty! But better still, he makes me happy, and I think I make him so as well (well, I do my best anyway). Saturday, he's working and I'm going to get up early (5:30am in fact) and go to the markets and buy up buckets of Oriental Lillies. He loves their fragrance and I'm going to put them all over his house so that when he comes home, it'll be rich with their hot heavy scent! But that's just the start of festivities. More about that to come.

Enjoy your week everyone! :-)

More Monty's Miscellaneous Musings...

I knew, it's been over a week since I last posted. And it's not like I've not been doing anything, I've been doing heaps. But, I think it's getting all rather repetitive...McBrad and I going to dinner, me in love with McBrad, life going along smashingly well blah blah blah. There's only so much mush that I can take, let alone you, my dear readers.

Anyway, it was a lovely weekend last - the temperature hit around 29 degrees Celcius on Saturday, and as McBrad was working, Noodle and I had the day together...bonding. It was a lovely day, playing in the park, taking her for a drive etc. Saturday night, we (McBrad and I) went to the Brandenburg Orchestra who were performing Handel's Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks (complete with pyrotechnics). FANTASTIC evening!

It's been quite splendid weather this week, albeit slightly cooler. But today is back to 27 degrees, flawless blue skies, buckets of sunshine and tomorrow is predicted to hit 31 degrees! Very Very Exciting!

Last night, McBrad had choir practice (he's in the Sydney Philharmonia Choir) and so I met up with him after that at 9.30pm. They rehearse at the STC Wharf in the Rocks and I actually turned up about 15 mins early. So I wondered down to the end of the street to harbour's edge, directly opposite Lunar Park. It was a glorious balmy evening and the moon was a warm golden colour, very low in the sky, just above the horizon. I've never really contemplated the Harbour Bridge from that aspect (normally from the city/Circular Quay side) and I've got to say, it's even nicer - the curve of the Bradfield Highway off the bridge is very apparent and would photograph quite well. I must remember to go down there one evening with my camera. Anyway, I just stood there for about 10 minutes and it was so calming, the dull roar of the vehicles way above me on the bridge, the moon rising above the apartments, the dark water of the harbour, the ferries chugging past me...delightful.

Anyway, that's about it. I told you, nothing that spectacular. Oh, apart from the fact that I received my Kylie tickets on Tuesday!!! Wahoooo! Very excited about that!

It has been flat out at work...good flat out by the way. Unless you've been under a rock, you'll be aware of the turbulence in the financial markets recently. Here in Oz, it's not had as significant an impact as it has in the US and UK. But even so, people are skittish and nervous, which has worked very much in the favour of my employer - one of the Big 4 banks in Australia. I've had clients transferring megabucks from other institutions over to us, because we are perceived as being a solid, safe, conservative institution. So it's been quite a successful week for me, and next week promises to be the same. So, as in all situations, there's winners (us) and losers (everyone else).

Well, hope everyone has a great, sunny, warm weekend!

Monty's Miscellaneous Musings...

Firstly, it seems to be International-Meander-Slowly-Down-The-Street-Day today. Walking around at lunchtime was highly irritating, with everyone seemingly intent on wandering all over the footpaths, stopping at random occasions and just generally being as slow as possible. Drove me INSANE! Can't these people move over to one side to allow those of us who actually have somewhere to go, get there in the most time efficient manner possible???

Anyway, I purchased a couple of lovely shirts and a gorgeous tie from DJ's today...part of my little bonus splurge...the bulk of it I've been sensible and saved, but I did allow me a small amount to blow on whatever I felt like (plus an allowance to blow on my gorgeous McBrad).

I've also read that it's going to be 24 degrees Celcius and sunny on the weekend - it's almost summer weather! How fabulous is that going to be! I can't wait - it's practically beach weather. It's rather exciting actually...I was just thinking that I've not enjoyed an entire spring in Sydney for several years, having been in the UK/Europe for Sept/Oct of the last couple of years...in 2006 for "Monty's Shagging Tour of Europe" and 2007 which was basically "Monty's International Bloggers Meets" (and a few shags thrown in for fun - errr, not with the bloggers...just some random British boys). Anyway, it will be lovely to enjoy the change from the bare trees to the first buds (already happening) to the full blown bright zesty green leaves. I can't wait.

My brother Mark rang me from London yesterday...he and Sim are flying out Christmas day and will arrive Boxing Day morning and so we'll be having a slightly delayed Christmas down at the beach house which will be fantastic. But what he was ringing about was NYE. He wanted to know what we were doing, if we were going to one of the big dance parties, where we'll watch the fireworks from etc. The thing is, I couldn't really tell him what I was going to do as I need to talk to McBrad first. It was the first time that I couldn't just commit to something as I would've done 6 months ago. I don't mind, let me hasten to add, it's just different now that I'm one half of a couple. I'll have to chat to McBrad and see if he has thought about it, and we'll need to come to a decision as a couple. It's kinda nice actually.

So there's the few things that have been on my mind.

Veging...

Well, it's Sunday afternoon and I'm here at McBrad's place. We had a dinner party last night with a few friends - nothing new there. But one of them is a vegetarian and so this was something new for me...having to cook WITHOUT meat!!! Now for a Nth Queensland bred carnivore, it's just not an option to have a meat free diet. So it was going to be a challenge to make an entire dinner without any animals being killed and cooked. But, thankfully, McBrad used to be a vege and so still had quite a few vege cookbooks. So, a desperate scramble through their pages resulted in an Orange and Carrot Soup for starter (which McBrad cooked), a Pumpkin, Spinach and Walnut Pie with steamed brocolli and Cauliflower Cheese for mains (which I cooked). We bought a Mango and Cocunut torte for dessert. I've gotta say, despite deeply missing my meat, it was a rather pleasant dinner. All the guests seemed well sated at the end, 5 bottles of wine were consumed (this may have helped) between the 5 of us, and no-one was violently ill. So a successful evening from all accounts.

McBrad had to work today so he left me in bed at 6am (which is terrible - it's that time of morning when you really feel like snuggling with the very hot man next to you) and so I had a bit of a lie in, then got up, fed Noodle the leftovers (we weren't sure if she'd be up for a vege breakfast but she thoroughly cleaned her bowl so obviously she's not fussy), took her for a walk, did all the washing up and then grabbed some lunch and read the paper. So it's been a fairly busy day really. And thankfully, it's been sunny and quite mild today - a nice change from the downpours of the past 36 hours. Tonight, McBrad's taking me out for dinner - not sure where yet. It's been another lovely weekend really. I'm eating a slice of the Mango and Coconut torte as I type this and I've gotta say, it's better the next day! Yummmo!

I've also discovered Scrabble on Facebook, thanks to Martin at TGLATEOTD and so stayed up until 1:30am Saturday morning playing. I LOVE Scrabble! So I'm excited about that!

Otherwise, it's all good here in my life. McBrad will be home in about 30 mins time and that's something to be excited about! Hope everyone else has had good weekends!

I'm loving this at the moment...

OK, this probably seems very crass but I actually listened (for the first time) to the lyrics of Danni's first really big hit "This Is It" the other day and at the risk of sounding shallow, it's exactly how it was with McBrad and I.

This is it
This time I know it's the real thing
I can't explain what I'm feeling
I'm lost for words
I'm in a daze
Stunned and amazed
By your open ways

You smiled at me
And suddenly
The wheels of love began to turn inside of me
Hey, you said hello
Oh, I felt aglow
Right then and there I knew I'd never let you go
'Cos I know...I know

Oh, the touch of you
Is something new
Nobody ever made me feel the way you do
Whoo, it's heavenly
Oh it's ecstasy
The way you make me feel when you make love to me
Oh yeah...Can't you see

This is it
This time I know it's the real thing
and I can't explain what I'm feeling
I'm lost for words
I'm in a daze
Stunned and amazed
By your open ways
This is it
Oh yeah yeah yeah

The prose aint Tolstoy, but you get the drift. I love the upbeat feel of the song - I always feel like dancing to it - and because it says how I feel about McBrad, it's rocketed up the list of faves on my iPod.

Anyway, that's about it for this week. Having a fairly quiet weekend - dinner party on Sat is about the wildest it will get. Otherwise, it's sleeping in both days, coffee and bruch with the puppy and me staring blissfully into McBrad's eyes. Y'know, the usual.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Rant...

It's been a while since I've had a rant, and I know how much you enjoy me standing on my soap box, railing against some injustice (real or imagined). So here it is...

I actually read this comment on Gay Banker's blog which really annoyed me...

"Simple old truth: if you go out looking for love you'll never find it. The number of times I've seen people go out to 'find a boyfriend'... (almost) always ends in disaster. That kind of search is basically egocentric and selfish. You're out there looking because it's something *you* want to have or because you have so much love that *you* want to give to someone. It's rarely about the other person. It's all about you.Most of the time true love comes about when you accidentally find someone that you're compatible with, ie when you're not *looking*, you're just *doing* what you usually do, day in, day out and *bam* there he is. You start off travelling in parallel. The trick to longevity is figuring out how to keep travelling in parallel without losing too much of yourself."

What is it with these people who seem to have a problem with guys going out looking for a boyfriend??? Seriously, get over it! "Simple old truth: if you go out looking for love, you'll never find it." Bollocks!!! What a load of crap! Maybe you were a lucky one who was just toddling along, "not looking" and then Mr Right just turned up on your door. BUT that doesn't mean that it happens to everyone! It really cheeses me off when these kind of guys seem to act like they have some moral superiority because they were "not looking". What's wrong with looking for Mr Right? And what's with the assumption that all guys who are out there looking for Mr Right are automatically desperate? Just because a guy would like a partner in life and has got the balls to go out there and try and find him, is it a given that he's some kind of stalker-in-waiting? NO!

I know when I was looking, and when I did my rant back in January, there were comments about the fact that I shouldn't be actively looking but to just "let it happen". Well, I didn't stop looking and see what happened...McBrad! I'm very happy that I didn't let the condescending attitude of some put me off my search. There were also comments cautioning me not to come across as desperate...well, I don't think I did but there you have it, the assumption was there.

I'm reading a couple of blogs from lovely guys who are looking for a boyfriend, but when I read their posts (and the comments), you can't help but get the impression that they feel a little bit embarassed or ashamed of the fact that they're out there looking. Well guys, don't be! It takes guts to put yourself out there and openly admit that you're looking for a boyfriend. If you're lucky, you might stumble across the path of Mr Right and that's fantastic. But if you don't, good on you for going out looking. More power to you for actually getting off your arses and searching instead of just moaning about wanting a boyfriend.

I also have an issue with the idea that looking for a boyfriend is selfish. Why is it selfish to want a partner in life? Again, it's the condescension that "looking for love" is somehow inherently inferior to just "accidentally finding" it. It really annoys me! As far as I'm concerned, those guys who confess to "looking for love" are just being honest. Granted, there are guys who are genuinely not wanting a relationship, for a whole host of reasons and you have to respect that, but the ones who are ostensibly NOT looking for love but jump at it the second they find it are, from my perspective, being hypocritical when they decry others for looking for it.

OK, that's it, rant over.

Gods of Football...

Seriously, go to this website and vote for the hottest man in football - either NRL or AFL. They're all hot hot hot - it's rather pleasant eye candy, let me say!

And the hottest of them all is the guy on the left - his name is David Shillington. Yummmmmo!!!

Spring part II...

Forgot to mention in the previous post...

I went to David Jones yesterday at lunchtime (their Castlereagh St store). It's their Spring Flower Festival and seriously, go and have a look (if you live in Sydney). It is gorgeous! The theme this year is "A riot of colour" and it is - magnificent arrangements of orchids and oriental lillies, with parrots perched on the branches! Exotic and amazing. When the florists were given the job, they must have wet themselves with delight at the sheer scale of it, let alone the theme. Wonderful.

Spring in my step...

I do have to apologise - my blogging has been somewhat hit and miss of recent weeks. I will try and be more regular going forward.

Anyway, it's just going to be more of the usual romantic mush from me, so consider yourself warned.

I spent the entire weekend at McBrad's which was splendid. There was a moment part way through the weekend when I stopped and thought...'this is as good as it gets!' But the funny thing is, I've had a few moments like that over the last few months but it just continues to get better! Everything just seems to be going fantastically well. It never fails to surprise me that McBrad continues to be his gorgeous self, continues to profess his love for me and continues to want me around! And this is completely reciprocated, trust me!!!

Now, Friday was officially 5 months for us! That in itself is great! But after celebrating 1, 2 and 3 months together, we made a mutual decision not to make a big deal of 4 and 5 months, but rather wait for 6 months. Despite that, waiting for me when I arrived at his place on Friday evening was an array of presents. It was very sweet of him and I was very touched. I had only brought a bunch of flowers for him so I purchased a really nice bottle of champers for dinner. It was a lovely dinner and a wonderful evening and it just reinforced to me how lucky I am! I am sorry to go on and on about this, but I can't stop grinning.

Anyway, suffice to say that Monty continues to be a happy chap!

On a different note, as has been mentioned in other blogs, it's Spring here in the Antipodes and we've had some glorious weather - beautiful big blue skies, buckets of sunshine and daytime temperatures in the low 20's (degrees Celcius). Just perfect. The trees are starting to sprout leaves, flowers are starting to bloom, the days are slowly getting longer and longer. It's magnificent.

AND I got my results from my recent DFP assignment - I passed so I'm happy (17.75 out of 20 - not my most splendid result but a pass is a pass and that's all I need). It was a stress to get it done (particularly after I lost half the assignment 2 days before it was due) and so passing it has been a relief! Now, next step is the exam - I have 2 months. But I think I've broken the back of it so the worst is over.

I was reading a couple of my posts I made about dating over the past couple of years and it was interesting to see where I was at back then. To see the issues I was dealing with, and how I was dealing with them - it was a good reminder about how good I have it now. I'm reading a couple of blogs that appear to be somewhat similar to mine 12 - 18 months ago and it's fascinating to read them. I've added them to my blog roll and I hope that I can be as encouraging and supportive to those guys as many of my readers were to me in those dark days of my single sluthood!

Anyway, all good in the life of Monty at the moment. Hope all is good in your world too!

Kylie's coming...

14th December, here in Sydney!!! Am I excited? You betcha baby!!! Am I going? You betcha baby!!! Am I gay? Hell yeah!!! Wahoooooooo!!!!!!

Monty's Miscellaneous Musings...

Lots of small stuff to say today.

Firstly, and this is quite late, I just want to say how cool it is that Matthew Mitcham won gold for Australia in the Diving at the Olympics. We were out at the Oxford Hotel on Saturday night and when we walked in, it was strange that the whole bar was watching TV. When we looked at what was on TV, we understood...it was the diving and all the guys were ogling all the diving boys. But then Matthew Mitcham came on and did his fabulous Olympic record dive and the whole place errupted in cheers and clapping. It was great to see that this guy had the courage to out himself - the only male Olympian to do so - and to win gold, with an almost perfect dive, was outstanding! Well done Matty! I'm sure we can expect that he'll have a whole float dedicated to him next Mardi Gras.

I was home Saturday morning, just doing some cleaning up around the apartment. I must say, I'm barely there anymore and so just doing the chores etc is becoming increasingly challenging, from a time perspective. Granted, I'm not there to mess the place up, but still, dust accumulates. Anyway, I washed my sheets and put a new set on the bed, but of course, I spent the weekend at McBrad's so it wasn't until Monday night, when I dragged my weary body to bed, that I remembered. It was soooo delightful to slide between lovely fresh sheets. One of life's little pleasures and even better when it's unexpected.

Despite Muzbot's warning, we saw The Strangers last night...grrrrr. I was scared half witless and poor McBrad must have my handprints inbedded in his legs from me squeezing them so tightly! I squealed like a girl at all the right moments, but was also annoyed beyond buggery by the illogical actions of the characters. I mean, you are being terrorised by 3 crazies wearing masks, who are outside your house, so what does the male character do? Why of course, leave the female behind in the house, while he goes outside to the shed to try and use the phone there! Hello! Does anyone not think it's better to stay together??? Strength in numbers and all that??? Seriously, I'm getting the living daylights scared out of me whilst I can't help but get more and more annoyed by the minute. Very frustrating. It was, however, lovely to snuggle up in McBrad's warm comforting arms as I drifted off to sleep!

Oh, and here's a lovely picture for the day...it was emailed to me by one of my trusty band of gay colleagues. Very nice indeed...

Speaking of which...check out this website - and vote for the hottest guy in football - either rugby league or AFL. There are some prime specimens there!!!

Anyway, that's about it for the moment...nothing momentous. Have a great week!

A photo...

I was just looking through a few pics that friends took of our holiday in Phuket in April and this one caught my eye. I really like it. I'm not posing for it. It's just me but a very different me from my usual life. My legs aren't stick-like as they once were - they look like normal legs with flesh and muscles (albeit small muscles). They're still blindingly white but nothing (except fake tan) is going to change that. I'm relaxed, I've got a bit of a goatee happening, my little Aussiebum togs, and a really comfortable white shirt. And I'm on the yacht! It was a lovely day, spent with friends and family. Fond memories.

Melting moment...

Last night, we had a client seminar which was OK. After these things, the Bank always puts on drinks and canapes so that the clients can mingle with the Bankers/Advisors and the speakers. The client that I had invited had dinner to go to so he left straight after the presentation so that left me to be free and easy with the drinks! So I had about 3 glasses of wine and a few nibbles. I really felt like slamming some serious alcohol down as I'd just completed my DFP assignment (which was a complete nightmare - damn computer lost half of it and I had to re-type it yesterday afternoon) which is due today. Anyway, it seemed like a few of my team felt similarly, and so once we were booted out of the Bank drinks, we headed down to GPO for another round of drinks. We all had a couple of glasses and then that bar closed. So we toddled off to a new little wine bar that's opened behind Ivy for another couple of glasses. I was, by this stage, rather merry and so decided that a visit to McBrad's would be in order - normally, he's not keen on a tipsy me turning up at his door late at night but for some reason, I thought that he'd be fine with it and so grabbed a taxi and hightailed it over to his. I let myself in, had a quick shower and then crept up to his room and slipped into bed next to him - not a protest in sight. It was lovely.

But, I was thinking of just dropping him a quick sms or email this morning, just to say sorry for waking him up etc, when lo and behold, he emails me! "If I am really honest, I did enjoy the snuggle last night, you were all smooth and snuggley ". Talk about making me melt, I turned all gooey when I read that. What a sweetheart!!! Is there any wonder why I love him so much!!!

Speaking of lovely moments...we had planned for me to spend last Sunday night at his (as I do pretty much every week). Normally, I've been driving over to his and driving home in the morning as you can't park in the street all day (it's a one hour limit). But my car has been broken into twice now while parked outside his place and so it's a bit of a concern. Anyway, on Sunday, he drove over to my place (a very scary thing for a gay guy...driving over the bridge to the "dark side") and collected me which was a very sweet thing to do. We went to dinner in Newtown and then drove back to his place and watched a DVD, me snuggled in his arms. It has actually been several weeks since we've done that - we've been out lots with friends, or to the cinema etc and so Sunday night was just wonderful. You know those nights where you do nothing special, but the night is just special anyway? It was one of those nights!

I've turned into a drooling idiot haven't I? Can't help it I'm afraid. Sorry. :-)

Gratuitous Eye Candy...

Just some Friday eye candy - thanks to my little posse of

gay colleagues throughout the Bank who keep me updated with all the good emails with the hot guys. I have no idea who this dude is...but he's a mighty fine specimen!!! It's obviously a calendar so it any of you out there have this rather delicious dish hanging on your wall, please let me know who he is. :-)

What kind of wine are you?...

For my 300th post (yes, I can barely believe it but I've clocked up 300 posts), I've decided to steal a meme off Tom, who stole it off James...

You Are Merlot (this I am not happy about. I find Merlot very blaahhhhh - it's so insipid and smooth and bland. There's no spice, no kick, no earthy robustness - it's like easy listening music. Shiraz, on the other hand...)

Smooth, confident, and popular - you're the type most likely to order wine for the whole group.You seem to breeze through life on your intuition and wit. And no one seems to mind! (OK, this is getting better)

You're comfortable in any social situation you find yourself in, and you never feel outclassed. (well, I'm a classy guy, what can I say!)

And while you live a charmed life, you never let it go to your head. (Charmed life? Well, I've got McBrad so yes, I think I'm living a pretty damned charmed life!)

You are truly down to earth and a great friend.

Deep down you are: Balanced and mature

Your partying style: Surprisingly wild... when you let loose, you really let loose (very true actually)

Your company is enjoyed best with: Some greasy pizza (disagree deeply with this one...would have greasy pizza maybe once a year! And when I'm having it, I'm not good company)

City2Surf (part II)...

"Congratulations [Monty]!
In 2008 you were 51,930th over the line with a time of 155:51"

This was the message that I received from the organizers of the race! I was about 30 mins quicker than I thought, so I'm impressed. AND I beat about 20,000 people! And here's a picture of me going over the finish line...

Crest...

What a cool idea...Kezza's blog led me to this website in which you create your own crest...so I did. Here's the result...it aint perfect, but there's limitations on the site as to what elements you can put in. Anyway...

City2Surf...

Well, I finally allowed myself to be pursuaded to go into this year's City2Surf - a 14 km "fun" run between Hyde Park in the city to Bondi Beach. Thankfully, the Bank paid our entry fee and gave us a free singlet and provided hot food, copious amounts of alcohol and massages at the end otherwise I wouldn't have done it. As it was, I walked it...I'm not that silly to attempt to run it! Instead, it was a lovely meandering Sunday stroll - and it was quite a pleasant day I must say. For the most part, sunshine and a light breeze, some fabulous views of the city and harbour, and this group of about 8 hot boys dressed only in their Budgie Smugglers kept me entertained. Unlike Tom, who's practically a professional, we started in the "Back of the Pack" and so it wasn't until 10am (ie a full hour after the start) that we actually ran over the starting line! This was about 20 mins AFTER the winner had crossed the finish line! Anyway, I must confess to having enjoyed the day much more than I had expected.

Really Hot...

We went to one of McBrad's friend's birthday party on Friday night - just a gathering of friends at a local pub. It was a lovely night, we had a few glasses of chardy and chatted and departed by about 11.30pm. Anyway, Monday afternoon, McBrad receives an email from said birthday boy thanking him for coming to the party and for bringing me along as well. And to quote: "I was hearing lots of comments along the lines of: "[McBrad's] boyfriend is really hot!".

You can imagine that I was chuffed as chips and I've not let McBrad forget about it all week! he he he! He's now regretting forwarding the email to me!

McBrad was booked up on Tuesday night - he was seeing an Sydney Dance Company production at the Carriageworks - one of his friends had booked him a ticket to see it for his 40th birthday present (which was in Feb). This was fine, normally we spend Tuesday nights together but this had been booked for more than 6 months (before I was on the scene) and it was a present for McBrad so I didn't mind at all. Anyway, Monday afternoon, he rang me and asked me if I would like to come along. Obviously I did, but didn't want to come between him and his friend as it had been a couple of months since they had last caught up. And, I didn't want to go if I was going to be sitting by myself in another part of the theatre for the show. Anyway, he rang his friend and an hour later, phoned me back and confirmed he had an extra ticket next to them! And we had a lovely night out on Tuesday! It was soooo sweet of him, going to all that effort to include me when he really didn't need to. How lucky am I to have found such a gorgeous boyfriend!

And as I said to him later that night, I may be "really hot" but I reckon I've got me the HOTTEST boyfriend around!!!

Working...

Well, it's a Bank Holiday here in NSW and in a a move highly unMontylike, I decided to work! Yes, can you believe it!?! Our boss asked if anyone wanted to work today, just to man the phones and make sure everything continued ticking over. - those who volunteered would get a day in lieu.

Now I've NEVER done this before, but seeing as how I have just come back from two weeks annual leave (one of which was spent soaking up the heat in FNQ and the other at home, getting my car and tax stuff done), I thought I'd receive more benefit if I had my day off next month. It'll work out very well, because McBrad usually works Mon - Thurs and so I'll have my day in lieu on a Friday and we can have a nice long weekend down at the beach house. September down there is always lovely - it's still cool, but the weather is normally quite mild.

And to be honest, it's been dead quiet today - I've done a couple of emails and rang a client or two (and they were most impressed that I was being so diligent in working today) and not much else - caught up on all the blogs, all the news websites, shopping websites etc. Wandering around at lunch time, the streets seemed a bit quieter - I'm down near Martin Place which is the epicentre of the finance industry in Sydney - and our building is almost deserted.

At Tom's suggestion, I even went and bought myself a couple of cupcakes and had them for afternoon tea, accompanied by a cup of Lady Grey. Perfect. It's nearly 4pm and I'm about to log off and go to the gym. So it's actually worked out rather well...what could've been just a wasted day off will be converted to being a very useful and quite fun day off. How good is that!

On a different subject, thanks for all the questions that have been thrown at me (see my last post). Feel free to keep firing away if you have any more - it's been rather fun!

Questions...

Ok, I've decided to something a little bit risky. Muzbot did this a while ago, and at the time, I thought he was very brave. But I think the time is right for me to do it now, so here goes.

Feel free to ask me any question you want to - I will endeavour to answer as truthfully as possible.

Now, it's over to you...