Poorly lit streets of the inner city, where rugged rugged-up locals went looking for something woolly in the sales. Nowhere to have a decent meal. Reconstruction work on the Great Northern Hotel, jackhammers in the corridors, windows all Mondrian grids of outdoor scaffolding. No book shops. Humour hidden inside someone's parka pocket, out of sight of the visitor. Inability to differentiate the verbs from the nouns in spoken speech. Unable to tell the time due to missing clocks. Grey water and black skies. Glasgow in the winter of 1984.
Jonny Apples
Hi Tobes (Fat Ankles)! Good to see you have acknowledged my number 1 status in this forum...oh yeah...Hi Zane! Happy New Year to you and hope you had a good Christmas and Birthday!
Hey Tobes, I would love to catch up. Things have been a hectic blur since arriving back in Oz and we have now moved back into our home in East Doncaster. My mobile number is now 0433 106 141. Anyway, hope all is going well with you and Amanda. What is your mobile number? I have lost all my numbers after leaving NZ.
Zane, keep up the good work.
Jonny A
Toby D
Hey Zane,
I was just looking at my list of bookmarks and low and behold "offexploring" caught my eye. I thought this page may have become a bit of a ghost page. But then... I was gauging that on my levels of commitment, not yours! Very nice work. Although after reading through, I get the feeling that someone else maybe getting more use out of this page. So while I'm at it... Hi Jon. I didn't know you guys were back in town for a year! We should catch up. Have you taught Hayley how to fish yet? Sorry Zane. Just seems like the best way to communicate with Jonny. I can't believe you're still going. I'm very jealous. Amanda's really keen to come over and visit everyone. Are you coming back anytime soon?
Is it cold there? It's so hot here at the moment. Too hot to sleep w/out a/c. It's 12:30am on a Wednesday and I reckon it's about 35 degrees inside my house...
Riviting stuff, eh...
Anyway, shall let you move on to your more important postings. (AKA Jonny "Always Number 1" Apples)
Happy Chrismas/Birthday/New Year.
Toby.
Ivana
happy new year! philip should visit glasgow its an experience! much more excitin than borin edinburgh!!
Emma
Awrite phil...aye
Philip Harvey
Standing on the wall of Edinburgh Castle and nearly dying of fright when the one o'clock gun exploded right next to me, without warning. Listening to the endless tape of McGonagall verse emanating from his mouth in the Wax Museum. Visiting Lord Darnley's murder site in the turret of Holyrood House, trying to imagine the Scots thugs that the Lady Mary was expected to comprehend. Indulging in the best 18th c. B&B and reading in bed brilliant essays after the night fell at circa four pm. Wondering how you could enjoy living in a city without trees. Gazing over the black city at midday, the whole vista more like stone houses for troglodytes than anything made by humans. Edinburgh in the winter of 1984.
Zane
Welcome to 2005 everyone! A new year and a fresh new slate for messages. You can still read the old messages from 2004 by clicking on the link below. Thanks for keeping in touch! There's a new postcard from Edinburgh where I celebrated the new year. Photos will follow soon.
Zane
Ando
Hey Lewis, I know u never check ur email so thought i would say hello this way. So HELLLO, good thanks for asking. Anyway hope ur well. Love Ando, Smelly and Kelz. We all say Hi.
Jonny Apples
Hi Zane,
Did you get my text message? I hope you had a great Birthday and Christmas. Best wishes for the New Year. I had a catch up bbq with Muz, Utku, Adam and their respective partners today which was good. Matty J and Toby D were away so did not come. We talked about you and Dave and Bel and how much we miss all you dudes! Was interesting now Ads and Al are engaged (bout time!) and I am trying to convince them to have the wedding at Mt Buller! In the SNOW!!! Muzza is going good, in the army, about to buy a JEEP Wrangler! Utku still working away in your old job, quiet achiever he is! Was great to meet his girlfriend Jane who is very nice. Anyway, hope you're having fun, and hope this message keeps me at the top of the frequent messenger list!
Cheers,
Jon, Heidi and Hayley.
Zane
Thank you so much for all the Birthday messages. It helped me deal with not sharing Christmas with my real family. Luckily I have a foster family over here that made sure their adopted boy's Birthday was packed full of great food and fun. Thanks for the messages with splashes of colour dad and sorry I had to remove them. Just trying to cut down the loading time. By the way, my phone number is +447747561719. Definately works cos I had several people call and message me yesterday.
Christmas day was a lot of fun. There was so much food at Paul & Lauren's place where I enjoyed lunch that I'm sure there will be plenty for meals over the next few days. Same goes for my house where, without my presence, they enjoyed a smorgesboard of food prepared by Dave, the resident chef. I've been snacking on the left overs today... quality.
I did have a great 27th Birthday and Christmas in London. Extremely cold but no snow. That will have to wait for New Years in Edinburgh. Can't wait.
Photos from my party last weekend and yesterdays Christmas are now up. So rather than go on about what I got up to you can just have a look. Have a brilliant New Year! Cheers, Zane.
Dad
Happy Birthday Zane
Missing you heaps mate !! - Telstra says your mobile is not connected ??
Happy Zane,I really love you.Happy Christmas,Solly
Happy Christmas & Birthday.Do return my calls sometime.I will always call you straight back if you so require.All the best for your chilly New Year in Scotland.Yaaairss.Mick
hi Zane its dion i got a mobile 4 x-mas my phone number is 0409331950 ill send u a text hope u have a good 1mmmmmm8888!!!!!! Dion
hey zane hows it goin mate its azza here your coz, i hear england is goin off this time of year, clubbin capital of the world cant wait to catch up with ya. merry christmas and happy birthday man that sucks by the way only one pressie, you got ripped off!!!!!! take it easy bro enjoy the poms hehehe =) !AzzA! ps. drop me a line one day no. is 0432-506-225. have fun man cant wait to see ya again, AzzA
funny how things work out. we should be at Carnegie but find ourselves at Macleod. seems Finn took on a dose of Croup last night (Christmas morning) and did not make it home until about 11am, well after we had to make alternate arrangements. Anyway, Finn has recovered (more or less) and a good time has been had by all, except those absent, who have had to make their own fun. Finn is unaware of his sitaution (ie. absence from good times), but you are obviously well aware of your distance from us, and must make your own (fun that is) which you will do quite successfully without us. so all power to you - we are of course diminished by your absence - so who is having fun now? yours in large quantities of red wine...Seb
Happy Birthday Zane . We are all celebrating in our way - some more than others...hope you manage to have good things happen too- I remember you really know you're gone at this time of year . Take Care Love Katy
Dear Zane, wish you a merry Christmas and a happy birthday. Love Maggie-Anne.happy birthday hope you have a merry christmas.love jordan.
The afternoon is bleary. Very much good cheer, including veronese campofiorin red and metala of langhorne creek. The machine here in the Bundoora region of the Port Phillip Settlement continues to compute in a way that can only be achieved by best practice binary digitalisation. Thank you. We can talk to you on Christmas Day in the morning (London time) during the afternoon (Australian Eastern Standard Time) as though it were a pinch.
Bridie needs some guidance with keys. Here verbal skills are much more advanced, to the point where she repeats most things you say to her.
Zane, tell us where you are Christmas Day, what you did.
We are all thinking of you and hoping you are well in the bleak midwinter in England.
Dinner: antipasti, cakes, salmon, turkey, salads, ham on the bone, icecream, plum pudding, coffe, sweet wine
Philip
Hi Zane and again I wish you the happiest of days on your birthday. Have had a lovely day at Macloud ( sudden change of plans probably touched on earlier) and am full as a goog on a sumptuous meal. I hope you have had a good feed and plenty of festive cheer with friends. I only just found out that Bree has come back from the U.K. I guess she isn't your only friend. Thinking ofyou as always with love and affection, Mum xxx
To Zane, happy birthday and merry christmas, i miss you, i love and cant wait to see you. i got a video now, scanners and dino kit for christmas (wheres my pressie from you?).
love from justin (typed by azza)
love to you Zane, (Carol here) at the moment we are all searching for Maggie-Anne's beenie kid, latest lady-bird, hidden somewhere by Bridie who is very jolly and well fed with non-toxic coloured chalk.... and as I type this Aaron has just found it - under this computer! ...now Grandma
....Zane, missed out on your birthday cake, although we did have enough to eat, of course. You must an expert on Engish hampers by now. I hope you enjoyed it. Believe you're off to Scotland for the New Year. Somewhere in the dim distant past, but unrecordered, Grandpa's ancestors came from Scotland (onhis mother's side). good luck with the job hunting, lots of love.
hey there zane, hope your having a great time over there. i wish is was as cold over here, i cant stand the heat. did you get anything good for your birthday or christmas? sorry i couldnt send something :( and that i cant string my sentences together. i have a new e-mail its [email protected]. i will deffinately reply as i have to look at my email for job offers. hope to see you soon. lots of love candice xxx
Love from everybody.
Bridie has a version of the Happy Birthday song which goes:
