I spend Thursday and Friday looking for job opportunities in New Zealand and sending off my CV. My mate Gary, who lives in New Zealand, gives me some contacts. By Friday morning, I've set up four meetings with agencies in Auckland next week.
On Friday afternoon, I go for a drive to clear my head. I head down towards the Gold Coast. Sometimes my head spins, and sometimes I'm numb from the last few days. But it's anice daya and a nice drive. I decide to call in at Yatala Pies. Dean was singing their praises at Paddy & Vicky's barbie. As I sit at one of the tables under the verandah, eating a steak pie, I'm unfulfilled. Dean is a great bloke - genuine, friendly, a good laugh etc, but I conclude that he doesn't know his pies. I was hoping for juicy chunks of steak, bathing in a thick flavoursome gravy, encased in a homely pastry. The pastry is good, the gravy is a little too runny, but distressingly, the 'chunks' of meat are pretty close to minced beef. It's a nice-tasting pie, but just not chunky enough. Stockman's Pies in Bulimba, just round the road from Paddy's house, wins the prize so far.
Nevertheless it's a small but welcome 'good experience'. After a week like this one, at least it's been a good afternoon.
