betska's VirtualTourist Home Page

These guys are also known as Alexandrae Parrots. They are not native to the Port Stephens area, but come from the Western Australian and Northern Territory desert areas.
They make fantastic pets as they are friendly and very gentle.
We only had Max for a few years, and then bought a baby named Ozzie as a companion for her. Unfortunatly Ozzie died and not long after that, we noticed Arnie strolling around the backyard - we think that it really was meant to be that he picked our yard!
They really are more human than birds though - they like nothing better than some cheese & biscuits or even a slurp of warm coffee.
They are also rather partial to pasta or a chew on a chop bone.

The light of my life is my son Ashur. He finished school last year. This photo is taken at his year 12 formal

Proud mum & dad

Another driver on the road.....

18th birthday-legal at last! (at least in Australia)

About me:
I grew up in the north-west suburbs of Sydney. Carlingford and then North Rocks.
I bought a one-way ticket to London when I was 20 and I suppose that's the start of my addiction to travel - I just felt the need to go - no looking back!
I scored a job in London working for Esso on the "Fife Etheylene Project", my job was to help prepare all the paperwork to support applications for government grants - sounds pretty boring eh? but I was lucky enough to work with a lovely Scottish lass named Anita. We had so much fun together in London! All the project managers would fly back to Scotland Friday lunchtime so we were able to raid the bar fridge and play space invaders on those monstrous old computers! Anita has become a life-long friend and now lives in Sydney with her husband and two sons.
We both moved up to Scotland when the Fife plant became operational to train the locals in the accounting area. How funny was it - us in our hard-hats, safety glasses and heels! Needless to say, I fell in love with Scotland and decided to stay and find work in Edinburgh. So most of my 20's was spent working, doing some pretty serious partying and of course constantly getting those stilletos repaired following some strange incidents with cobblestones!
I lived up near the castle in Edinburgh on the Royal Mile. We (4 girls) shared a 2 storey apartment with a very old, well worn stone spiral staircase. Fun trying to manage the stairs after a big night half p**shed. We had some amazing haggis parties there.
In between working, I was able to do a bit of wandering around Europe:

Dublin for a few rugby trips
Northern Ireland
Russia
Holland
France
Belgium
Germany
Austria
Italy
Yugoslavia
Greece

I was finally forced to escape UK after overstaying 2 visas (the days before computers knew so much about you) via ferry to Belfast, train to Dublin and a charter flight from Dublin to Athens, I spent time travelling with my brother and his girlfriend by combi van through Europe, Turkey and Isreal before spending 3 months in India & Nepal on our way home. Of course all of these photos are non-digital. There are some beauties so as I find the time I will scan the good ones.
Culture shock set in on my return to Oz in 1989. I was horrified at the thought of a "normal" job" living at home in Sydney and promptly got a job at a ski resort called Charlotte Pass in NSW where I met my son's dad. We are not together now but have always maintained a good relationship for my son's sake.

NOW?
Moved out of Sydney 12 years ago & paying off a house in Nelson Bay and constantly scheming and planning that next trip away

Since Europe :

Bali 1995
Bali 2001
Surfers Paradise 2002 & 2003
Thailand 2004
Cairns 2005
Surfers Paradise 2005
Thailand 2006 (with my son)
Vietnam, Cambodia & Kuala Lumpur 2008 (also with my son)

What's Next:

The big dream is doing Mexico and central America. Possibly starting with some Spanish lessons in Guatemala. Not sure when that will happen as I keep caving in and doing smaller trips, the itchy feet just can't wait.

If I give in again it will be to do 3-4 weeks in Laos in March 2009

Next will be the big Aussie VT meet up in the Whitsundays in Sept 2009 - can't wait for that, I have met so many lovely people here and can't wait to actually meet them in person!!!!!

Which brings me to how I got here. Like most people, I stumbled upon VT by accident. I followed a link from another Asian forum via a post by Cathy&Gary from Adelaide. Their Phuket pages here on VT won me over. Such a simple & uncomplicated site, I started out just asking questions, but in the past year I have realised that there is so much more to it than just using it for planning a trip. So "Thankyou Cathy & Gary" !!!!!
It's a wonderful world out there to be explored and for us all to help each other.

By the way, if you are a "Powderfinger" fan please let me know. I am a mad keen fan and have every album they have made (I think) and Bernard is my hero!!!