Snakes, Cakes and Body Aches... And The Ashes!

Yet again, it's been a while since I last blogged. That must mean I've been busy? Well... Yes I have. I mentioned before that I had submitted an application to be a volunteer at the Australian Reptile Park, and unexpectedly I was successful. After being invited to a group interview at the park, I walked out with a shirt

Elvis the Crocodile

and a name-tag so I figured it had gone well! The initial idea was to give it a go until cricket season came along and then make a decision, but in the 3 weekends I have been there I have enjoyed handling a range of different snakes including Burmese Pythons, Diamond Pythons, Black-Headed Python, Corn Snakes, Olive Pythons and more. At one stage I was lucky enough to be in the show-pit with Ranger Mick while he performed the Venom Show with a Cane Toad, Death Adder and Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. As volunteers, we are not allowed to touch anything venomous so my role was to stand there holding the bag with the Cane Toad in, and the plastic container with the Death Adder. I was several meters (or yards) away from the Rattlesnake, but it was still a thrill for me. Who knows, I may even look into doing an Animal Keeping certificate? I am looking forward to completing the next stages of training which include handling Alligators. I am a long way off getting close to any crocodiles though, although I would love to feed Elvis one day (see video).

Mick & Julie support Grant Denyer! (WARNING: Language!)

I could talk about the Australian Reptile Park for the entirety of this blog, but I think it would be wise not to! I just can't wait to be back there on Sunday, and all the other volunteers and staff are so friendly and welcoming that I immediately felt comfortable there. However there has been plenty of other goings on to keep me busy, including my sister-in-law's birthday, her husband's birthday, my niece's birthday, my sister's birthday and of course my Fiancée's birthday. Trying to organise her present was not an easy task, but I've arranged for a holiday to Hervey Bay, Queensland in August. Jess and I have always enjoyed having something to look forward to, so a potential trip to a warmer place for a few days with Whale-watching, beaches, calm seas and Fraser Island is an exciting prospect for us both. Trying to organise a surprise dinner with her friends without her finding out wasn't easy either, especially when the waiter nearly blew the surprise that I had arranged with him in advance!

Me: "Table for TWO, name is Carter"

Waiter: "Carter? Table for eight? This way..."

Jess: "Wait, what?!"

They breed them smart in Parramatta...

I hope that Jess enjoyed her birthday, I'm pretty sure she did and judging by the amount of presents she received there are plenty of people out there that think as much of her as I do. She deserves it and it is so gratifying to finally be able to have this normal life together spending the big moments in each other's lives in the same place.

I am fighting to finish this blog in time for the start of the 2013 Ashes series in England which starts in just over an hour from the moment I write this. Cricket has always been huge for me, and training has started early for Macquarie University CC. We had our first session on Sunday morning and given that I haven't picked up any cricket equipment in anger since September 2012 I felt in good form. I could bowl at decent pace in decent areas for a decent amount of time, and when I batted I was hitting the ball cleanly and felt comfortable. Professional sportsmen talk about being "in the moment" when playing cricket, and while my cricketing ability is nowhere near that high I felt completely at home in my cricket gear after so long away. I've had 2 seasons before with MUCC and I respect them highly. The difference between MUCC and back at Bovey is that respect is reciprical and I thrive on that.

Ashes Fever!

With regards to the Ashes, I've been in Australia during a series once before in 2006/07 and it did NOT go well. Australia won 5-0. Disastrous. This time though, England go into the series as strong favourites and I completely believe that England will win the series. I do not think for a second that it will be as easy as Sir Ian Botham does (he predicts 5-0 to England here and 5-0 to England in Australia later this year!) but my head and heart both say England. There has been plenty of talk, and now it's time to sit back and watch how it all pans out. Dare I make a prediction? Hmmmmmmmmm.... England 3-1 Australia. I'll wait before predicting the result in Australia. Here's to another great Ashes series!