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I like this. Thanks Eleanor!

So I’m back from Oz – we got back yesterday at 1pm. And I’m gutted. I’ll pop up some other things we did in Sydney once I’ve finished geotagging all my photos, but I’m am not happy to be back. Say no more!

So Jill and I have spent our first week down under, and it’s just been amazing. Read on for more about what we’ve been up to in our first week!

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I’m off to Sydney for two weeks! Totally can’t wait even though I won’t get there until Monday morning.

Not sure if I’ll get time to blog when I’m out there or not, if not catch up when I’m back I guess!

Well it had to happen sooner or later, but I’m really surprised to see Hollister arriving so quickly in Belfast. I’d assumed being across the water from the mainland that it would take longer, but lo and behold, a Hollister hoarding has been erected on the lower level of Victoria Square in Belfast.

The store will apparently be 8200 sq foot, but no word on when it will be opening yet.

I’m a bit sad to be honest, it’s like when McDonald’s first appeared in Scotland (in Dundee, my home town), it took the specialness away from it. However my sister (fashion assistant at Tatler) has kindly agreed to start looking into new and upcoming brands that I can go checking out. Cheers sis! And it will help avoid the whole £20 shipping fee their website charges for shipping (from the US as there’s no from the UK shipping option).

I really wanna go and see 500 Days of Summer when it comes out. I think I probably act a bit like the guy in it, and I totally fancy the girl in it too. And she seems like the kind of girl I always fall for. So all round good reasons to go and see it. It’s had mixed reviews, but the majority seem favourable.

I am a bit concerned though that it might be a bit of a ladies’ film, but it doesn’t seem too much like it. Anyways, if any ladies want to visit the cinema with me to see it, feel free to drop me a line! The movie’s out on the 2nd of September in the UK.

Yum lunch for me this week – smoked mackerel salad with brocolli, couscous, cumin, lemon juice, toasted hazelnuts and sunflower seeds, dill, rocket and chopped dried apricots. I cannot express how delicious it is!

And some in season Scottish raspberries for dessert.

Me any my mate Jill are off on one of these soon! A couple of us had been looking to get away from the dreadful Belfast summer to someplace hot for two weeks. Amazingly I managed to discover a little known, short-term offer on BA.com and Jill and I managed to score two return flights to Sydney, Australia for only £215 each – everything included! They’re usually about £700-£800.

So at the end of August, we’re off to Oz for two weeks. I can’t wait! I’ve been once before, but it was a family holiday for the Millenium, so I’m looking forward to exploring Sydney with a mate. We’ve already got our apartment booked and both wanting to take a surfing lesson, so nearly good to go!

The long flight doesn’t really bother me to much, although our layover in Singapore is only around an hour on the way back – I would have liked a bit longer there to go exploring. At least we’ll get in the lounges with my AA Platinum card!

© BBC

My latest series – Gary & Danielle’s Northern Exposure – is now available on the iPlayer – programme 1 went out last week, and I was really pleased with the feedback. The programme seems to be on series catch-up so will be available on the iPlayer until a week after all six episodes have transmitted. Hopefully it’ll inspire people to go out and do something different in Northern Ireland this summer (if the rain stops, boo!)

The show’s going out at 19.30 on Fridays, with a repeat at around 22.20 on Sundays on BBC One Northern Ireland. If you’re in the UK, you can catch BBC One NI on channel 973 on Sky Digital and channel 863 on Virgin Media.

TV really sucks at the minute for me! Prison Break*, The Wire and The Shield have all finished for good, leaving me with a dearth of season passes on my Tivo. Anyone got any ideas for what could replace them in my televisual viewing? At the moment I’m starting to get into True Blood which looks pretty promising, but that’s only on once a week!

Dexter is another of my faves, so I’m looking forward to Season 4 which starts in the US in September. If you’re a Dexter fan, check out the Season 4 preview here.

* I haven’t actually watched the last seven episodes of Prison Break yet, so no spoilers please!