On Wednesday night, Steve and Tom made their way to the Barmy Army pre-test match drinks at the Cargo Bar in Darling Harbour. Alice and Marc were out on their own shopping and sightseeing trip. So I indulged in a ‘night in on my own’ – the first since we had left home in July!!!! And I loved it … didn’t even bother to cook – just ate snacks and watched TV – heaven – sounds crazy but you just miss these simple things.

Steve returned about midnight having had a fun night of Barmy Army drinking, singing and dancing – Tom returned some time later, having partied on with Tim Brooker, a fellow drinks rep from back home. We were amazed when Tom got up so willingly in the morning – the five of us set out for our day at the Sydney Cricket Ground. (I have to say, Tom certainly looked better than Tim looked the morning after)!

Unfortunately rain delayed the start of play … and so an early lunch was declared … this meant the drinking began. Some of us were more moderate than others!! England won the toss again (what a victory) and elected to bat. Although Steve considered this a mistake for England chances it did mean more interesting viewing – watching England bat as opposed to Steve Smith monopolising the day.

SCG is a beautiful ground, some beautiful old pavilions and some stunning backdrops of the city skyline.

Enjoyed the afternoon’s cricket … not as many runs as hoped … but the Barmy Army kept up their spirits.

And then, disaster of disasters, we lost two wickets in the last 5 minutes – Bairstow and Root … AND THEN … we lost Tom (Quelle Surprise)!!!

Tom had wandered off for a last minute cigarette saying he would meet us at gate 7. After a long wait we gave up – we moved on!! Tried to get into the first Barmy Army meet up at an Irish pub … it was heaving … found out afterwards that Liam Gallagher was performing across the road later hence the crowds and singing. We moved on to the Cargo Bar where we met up with Tom, ate and drank and home by 11.00pm for a much needed sleep (especially Tom) 😊❤️

That was our last Ashes Tour attendance … we’ve loved the experience and it’s especially been a big tick off the list for Steve … and he’s enjoyed sharing it with us all. Continued to watch the cricket over the following 4 days on TV – not a great end result – 4-0 to Australia … but there’s always another time!!

We spent many lovely days in Sydney – walking, beaching, sightseeing, even some shopping … but one of the best days we had was a trip out to the Blue Mountains, a recommended experience if in this magnificent city. There had been many planning discussions – Greg had gathered hundreds of brochures, Mark had discussed with their hotel reception, Steve had googled train routes, hop on/hop off bus routes etc. – Kaye, Shirley and I just sat back and awaited instruction!!

So we met at Central Station and caught the train to Katoomba – a pleasant, scenic ride. Alice and Marc had joined us too so we were a party of 8 – (Tom chose to do his own thing, continuing to discover the city areas, inspecting the bars). Katoomba is a beautiful little town with its colonial style properties – full of speciality shops and cafes, and the Art Deco styled Carrington Hotel, built in 1880, a unique heritage property. From here we selected to use the Trolley Tours hop on/hop off bus … and after some refreshment we set off to discover the 29 stops of this beautiful Blue Mountain area. We had already carried out our research and discovered that the ‘blue’ is a result of the moisture from the Eucalyptus trees (which famously keeps the koala bears in a drugged condition) creating a blue haze in this mountainous area.

The bus ride involved some steep climbs in a fairly old bus – seemed at times that we might have to get off and push! And of course that meant steep descents too, sometimes with heart-thumping drops at the side (just don’t look). Stopped occasionally for photo opportunities but kept the bulk of our time for the area known as ‘scenic world’ (or in my words, the land of transport terror – cable cars and a 52 degrees railway ride)!! Alice and Marc alighted at Gordon Falls and did the hour bushwalk to Leura cascades – they said it was stunning – came across a few creatures on the way!!

Scenic world starts with the Skyway ride over Jamieson Valley and Katoomba Falls. Bravely made my way on this great thing in the sky – there was no getting out of it – have to be honest, actually enjoyed it. It was incredible looking down on the ‘tiny’ people stood on the rock levels below, near the Falls, some precariously close to the edges – what is it with backpackers these days!?

From the other side we had an amazing view of the Three Sisters and the Jamieson Valley. (Aboriginal legend has it that three ‘nasty’ sisters were set in rock – so beware)!!

Our route from the skytrain led us through some retail opportunities which we managed to resist and into the queue for the ‘scenic railway. Well, what is scenic about tipping over the side of a mountain into a dark tunnel whilst screaming and cursing is yet to be explained to me!! As we made our way to the front of the queue and witnessed the carriages literally tip over the side of the mountain in roller coaster style, I was all for going back … but oh no, we were just ploughing on with it. When the train started with us on board, it was that impending doom stuff as we neared the edge … I just held onto everything I could and kept me eyes closed … Shirley and I screamed our hearts out … after the initial ‘tip over’ it levelled into a 52 degrees descent and we reached the bottom of the valley in no time!!!

At the bottom we embarked on an hour’s walk in the rainforest – stunningly beautiful – this was the ‘scenic’ I was looking for. A fair few steps and plenty of looking out for all things slithery but a fabulous experience.

Then we had to choose between a long arduous walk up (which Alice and Marc chose to do) or the ride up in the cableway. By now we were all brave (and couldn’t face the 190 steps!) so cableway it was. Very manageable … and scenic views (probably because I actually had my eyes open)!

Hopped back on the bus after this … and by this time the heavens had opened. Back in Katoomba we decided to drop into the Carrington Hotel for refreshment, while we waited for Alice and Marc. Some drinks and shared platters – just the job … and lapped up the history and splendour of this magnificent hotel.

By the time we left the hotel and met up with Alice and Marc it was a full blown hail storm.

So, some soggy passengers made it onto the return train to Central Station, Sydney. Still feeling a little damp on arrival we were pretty indecisive about our next move – should we go home and change? No, we headed straight for an Irish pub – Tom came to meet us there and we ate the most incredible beef and Guinness pies and enjoyed the crack!! Some delays with some of the meals and the pouring of Guinness but all ended well … a great end to a great day. 😊☘️

So New Year’s Eve is our Wedding Anniversary … always a funny day to celebrate as everyone and everything is so busy. We had both only remembered ourselves the day before as we lounged on Bondi Beach … and so made an agreement to skip the last minute shopping for Anniversary cards! But 23 years is not a bad milestone … 2 years till the Silver. I started the day with a trip to church (being a Sunday) – even got to sing some Christmas carols. I had forgotten my glasses though and so had to wear my prescription sunglasses to read the words – felt very self-conscious of the rockstar image I was portraying!!! We had a chilled day, Tom treated us to lunch and then we all started our New Year messages on social media. An early rota for showers was necessary as we had to leave the apartment at 5.00pm – they start celebrating early here!!

All 9 of us had tickets for a party at a Boutique Hotel in Watson’s Bay – this included dinner, free drinks from 6.00-9.00pm, music and dancing and full view of the world-famous firework display at Sydney Harbour Bridge. We ‘ubered’ to the venue and met up with Kaye, Greg, Mark and Shirley there. Once again we found ourselves amongst the Sydney glamour set – beautiful women (and men!) all dressed to the nines! We mingled in quite easily!! At 6.00pm the cocktails were declared ready and we joined ‘the posh set’ in racing to get stuck into the free drinks. Aperol Spritz, Pimms and Prosecco in plentiful supplies. From the offset I felt ancient as young person after young person offered me their stool to sit on (did I really look that wobbly at the start of the night)!? Of course they were very polite and glamorous young people and it was an honour to be amongst them. This was reinforced later in the evening when a lady from one other ‘elderly’ group took the time to come over to us and say “it’s nice to see some other oldies here!!”

The food was absolutely incredible – a shared seafood platter to start – everything from the sea you could imagine.

This was followed by lamb, pork and more seafood (trout and prawns) and then pavlova – it really was a first class meal, all served at the table (no queueing up for buffet -yay!!) And boy did we indulge!! And the wine and beer flowed too – there was certainly no scrimping – so by 9.00pm when the free drinks finished we were more than ready to party.

In line with the ‘target audience’ the music throughout the night was of the electronic funk kind (think I got that right)!! Tom, Alice and Marc sensibly escaped into the crowds after the meal to party 🎉 And us oldies had a go at strutting our stuff – once again the young people around us smiled patronisingly!! Full credit goes to Kaye and Greg who managed to perform their ‘rockabilly’ moves to the heavy drum and base beat!! We didn’t see much of Tom during the evening (who can blame him) but when we did meet up at midnight he had made a fair few friends. We watched the spectacular firework display together – it really was something (a bucket list item I would suggest). Partied on till 1.00am and then it was time to try and find transport home (that old joy on New Year’s Eve)! And the whole of Watson’s Bay was rammed with partygoers.

Luckily they were running free buses – we even managed to get Tom onto it. The downside was that it inched its way home due to traffic. So much so, Tom decided to get off half-way so that he could walk … he got home 6 hours later, fitting in a couple of house parties on the way!!!!

Happy New Year everyone. Hope 2018 brings peace, happiness and contentment ❤️

On 29th December we took a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Sydney … all good apart from the turbulence at different parts of the journey, but particularly on landing!! It was the ‘no hot drinks served for health and safety reasons’ stuff – so we arrived white-knuckled but happy and excited to be back in Sydney. We had arranged to meet up with Kaye, Greg, Mark and Shirley at the airport – they were flying Jetstar but were arriving at a similar time and staying in a similar area so we had pre-booked a large maxi-taxi to accommodate the nine passengers plus luggage. We arrived first and found our friendly driver, our Aussie friends however were almost an hour late … Tom kept the driver engaged in ‘happy banter’ while Steve went off in search … and unbelievably the driver remained absolutely cool – just couldn’t imagine that back home!!

We (the 5 poms!) arrived at our accommodation in Bondi Road, a huge tower block – luckily we were only on the first floor. Inside it was decorated to a very high spec – the shared areas left a little more to be desired, including the lift!! We were met by our host, Anna, a stunningly beautiful blonde Russian girl, with the shortest skirt and the highest heels I have ever seen! The tour included a trip up in a rickety lift to the 11th floor where there was a swimming pool – incredible views over the whole city – bit of a party atmosphere around the pool (not quite our scene). As with all accommodation, there were pluses and minuses – huge comfortable beds and kitchen drawers full of complimentary items such as teas, coffee, hot chocolates, biscuits, chocolate bars, crisps, sweets, cereals, spreads … on the minus side there were no wardrobes! – just a wooden ladder in each bedroom with a few wooden hangers! We were aware that there was only one bathroom but the website had indicated use of two extra toilets – well … they must have been up by the rooftop swimming pool because they certainly were nowhere near our apartment. But we managed, of course we did … some strict shower rotas especially on New Year’s Eve.

It was a fabulous location, a 15 minute walk to Bondi Beach – backpacker’s paradise. Exceptionally busy beach and an area full of bars, cafes, restaurants, shops – over the 8 days we were there we grew to love it. Steve and I pretty much stood out though as we were probably a couple of generations older than anyone else!! We just go with it though – found ourselves a little spot on the sand on the first day – tried to switch off to the Sydney glamour set around us and to the fact that the beach is one big ‘pulling arena!’ Even braved the sea (despite Tom’s scary stories of shark attacks). The waves were incredibly strong and it was quite seaweedy so I didn’t go in far – Steve went further and managed to get himself into a little trouble – found himself suddenly out of his depth and struggling to beat the current to get himself back in. I was waving to him with OK signals but he wasn’t returning the OK. I was aware that the lifeguards were stood behind me talking about Steve, suddenly the one with the fancy bonnet said “I’m going in to get him.” I thought Steve’s gonna love that!! But in the next breath he said “Oh he’s standing now” … I was relieved it didn’t end in a full scale rescue!

And the first couple of evenings we spent in the Sydney Harbour Bridge area … because it’s such an amazing place to be – iconic sights and a great vibe. Steve and I met up with Kaye, Greg, Mark and Shirley there the first night – the younger members of the ‘team’ having gone off to explore Sydney for themselves. When Alice and Mark finally caught up with Tom, he had been wandering all over the city and had discovered many quarters, including 2 hours in the botanic gardens. They sampled some bars in the city area before stumbling upon a rooftop pool party which somehow they managed to get invited into – by this time they had had a fair few drinks so were totally uninhibited by the fact that the partygoers were Sydney’s glamour set and they just blended themselves in … including Tom taking a dip in the pool – a true first night of the holiday experience. Steve and I had a much more sensible first night as it was the Parkrun in the morning!!!

We returned the following evening to the same area because we so wanted Tom, Alice and Marc to see the bridge and the Opera House and of course they loved it. Took a ferry trip to Darling Harbour, had great views of a visiting Cruise Liner.

And this was only the start … we had lots of lovely days to come ….

Footnote: the lack of Tom in the photos is due to the fact that he constantly went wandering … as he does!!!!! 😉

Still catching up on myself.  Just wanted to post up on the blog some further happenings during our time with Tom, Alice and Marc in Melbourne, before we flew off to Sydney for New Year.

Of course there was further cricket to watch and it was (as that point) decent cricket … Steve went along to the MCG again on the 4th day and saw Alistair Cook getting his 200 runs (very proud moment)!  Sadly rain stopped play and the result was a draw. The viewing had been much more chilled though and we could hold our heads high back out in Aussie world again. I have to confess to acquiring quite an interest in our national cricket – if you can’t beat them, join them!!

Had a great night out in Melbourne City – Tom had discovered a good bar on the Yarra River where we ate and this was followed by a rooftop bar crawl – the whole gang, including Kaye and Greg.  A great great city … the guys loved it and definitely want to come back for more.

The braver ones amongst us – that would be Steve, Alice and Marc, took up Greg’s very kind offer of a ride on his pride and joy – (no, not the new fitted kitchen!!) his Harley Davidson.  They each in turn had to get dressed up in the leathers – for safety of course but I’m sure there was an element of looking the part too!!! Tom and I declined!!

Greg also introduced the guys to his other ‘pride and joy’ – his Man Cave!! Steve and I had partied in the ‘Cave’ on our previous visit to Melbourne, it really is quite something to behold. Tom said he had been expecting it to be the equivalent of the shed – the British Man’s escape!! But they just couldn’t believe it, so much to look at, lots of things macho, boys toys, everything you need for a fitness regime, a cool seating area where Greg gathers with his friends for card nights (ETC!!), big boy vehicles!! Tom and Marc were blown away but even Alice said she could live there. Greg spends hours collecting and fixing up his cave – its incredibly creative – loves to water his plants too (when his mates aren’t looking)!! It’s quite a thing in Australia for a man to have this sort of space – I guess it gets them out from under your feet, but ladies, you have some catching up to do!!

Absolutely love Melbourne – we will be coming back here many times. Of course, couldn’t leave this post without pointing out a couple of their local signs.

Just love the graphics!!

For anyone that doesn’t know, the MCG is Melbourne Cricket Ground, locally know as ‘The G.’  It is the largest sporting venue in the world, holding 110,000 people. During the Ashes tour, Boxing Day at ‘The G’ is the place to be – it’s on so many bucket lists.  And Steve, being one of the world’s greatest cricket enthusiasts, had it high up on his list of things to do.  So, do it we did … and Tom, Alice and Marc joined us too.  Quite a feat getting all of us up at 7.00am on boxing day (no lie in or cold turkey and bubble and squeak for us that day!!) and off to the station to catch the 8.15am train to the ground.  Plenty of others had made an early start too – the queues had already formed.

 All very organised and civilised though – as soon as the doors opened we were quickly in – amongst all sorts of fancy-dressers, and Aussie supporters with their bucket heads, and found our seats.  Despite the current disastrous result (3 – 0 to Australia), today was a new day and we faced it with full enthusiasm.  The Barmy Army were in great voice from the off – nothing can dampen their true English spirit!!  Anxiously awaited the toss, hoping to win (for the 4th time I might add!) but sadly it went the Aussie’s way this time and they chose to bat.

Another major achievement was that Tom lasted until 11.00am until he had his first beer – a whole hour of resisting!!!!  Marc was the next to break … Steve, Alice and I resisted until at least 12.30pm!

Unfortunately not the most interesting of cricket that particular day – Australia batting and just two wickets (get me!! I’m learning all the jargon!!)  Moved down to hang out near the Barmy Army for a while – soaking up the atmosphere of the singing, the fancy dress attire and the Mexican waving.  It was an extremely hot day so plenty of refreshment was required.

We left the ground just before 6.00pm and our opponents were looking in pretty good shape – a tad short on runs possibly but despite some good fielding from England, far too many men left to bat.  But as always, tomorrow is another day ….

We’ve been in Melbourne for almost two weeks and I’ve fallen badly behind with the blog – blame the kids!!!!! Alice and Marc arrived a few days after us and then Tom two days after that … and what with Christmas and the cricket … there really are endless excuses!!! We have just been having the BEST time. Initially stayed with our amazing friends Kaye and Greg, then we moved into a nearby motel (our own 3 bedroom apartment) but still spending time with Kaye and Greg each day.  Have been doing some fitness training (well one session for me and lots of running for Steve!)  Naturally some shopping to get into the Christmas spirit – never stops feeling weird seeing Christmas trees and Santa costumes in the sunshine!  Had a night out in St. Kilda – some great dancing moments.  Kaye and Greg hosted a pre-Christmas drinks party to welcome us all to Oz – met their lovely friends and consumed much prosecco.  Some chilled time at our hotel pool as well.

So, as a means to catch up on myself, these next few blogs will be (for now) a photos with captions.

 

 

 

 

 

Last Saturday we flew to Melbourne for the next leg of this incredible journey. We had already had some phone calls with our special friends and Melbourne hosts, Kaye and Greg, and the laughter had commenced!! They came to meet us at the airport but the ‘meet up’ was a little hit and miss – they had hidden so they could jump out and surprise us and it seems we came out a different way. So that, topped with trying to connect to WiFi + our local phone had run out of charge (you know how it is) delayed things a little – but we eventually found each other … and it’s so brilliant … we haven’t stopped talking or laughing since.

Our 2nd week in Perth continued in a healthy and relaxed style – runs, walks, bike rides, swimming, bodyboarding, drives out along the coast – we felt so at home here, love the outdoor lifestyle. Enjoyed the blue skies and the stunning sunsets … also experienced some windy days being sandblasted on the beach! Walked to Hilary’s Harbour one day and after an extortionately priced round of drinks we decided to walk home along the beach – a real test to the calf muscles! Most of the beaches along this coastline have a ban on dogs but we hit upon one stretch signposted as the ‘dog and horse beach.’ Wished we’d got a photo but we were so busy dodging dogs and their owners on this short stretch of beach – never seen anything like it – everything from dachshund to German shepherd, sheep dogs, poodles the lot!! All shapes and sizes of pooches running along the beach, in and out of the water, chasing, catching and returning the various items being thrown. We felt so conspicuous being ‘dog-less!’ Thank God no horses had read the sign!!

Made it to the next Saturday park run at Neil Hawkins Park – extremely hot again but did OK. Steve missed a PB by 4 seconds – gutted!! No snakes or kangaroos this week!!

We made it up to the city one day to watch a one day cricket session, Australia v England B teams. Getting in practice for the hours sitting in the sun, ripples of clapping, the lovely sound of leather on willow. Got to see a little of the city too, beautiful parks alongside the Swan River – lots of Christmas gatherings taking place.

On Wednesday we moved down into the city for our last three nights in Perth. Took a leisurely drive along the coast road – settled into our ApartHotel – very nice too. After a swim to cool us down we decided to try and find the Barmy Army meet

up. Found the Crowne Perth and enjoyed a lovely meal, some drinks in the Sports Bar (watched a great boxing match), even had a little dabble in the casino … but didn’t quite find the Barmy Army – turns out they had met up in the nightclub. We had fun anyway and seeing the decorations made us feel a little Christmassy.

And Thursday, of course, was the big day – our first day at the Test Match. We were up early and set off by 8.30am – wanting to soak up as much of the atmosphere as we could. Excitedly queued with all the other early arrivers …. only to find out that we’d been scammed with our tickets and they could not accept them!! Horror!! Luckily they allowed us to buy some other tickets so the day was saved. We found Andy and Fran and set up camp at the back of the grass bank, nearish to the Barmy Army but not too near – a perfect spot – a wall to lean against, perfect view. And despite some early disappointments with Cook and Root, we were there to witness the Malan and Bairstow partnership, both achieving their centuries … so hopes were getting high … and the day ended with some optimism. Great experience – I learnt a lot about cricket (asking lots of intelligent questions during the day)!! We managed to resist the great beer run – watching other spectators get wobblier and wobblier during the day was enough – stuck to water to avoid getting heat stroke! We mingled in with the beefeaters, Father Christmas’, Charlie Chaplins, convicts etc. – such a spectacle when en masse. Of course, stopped off at the nearest pub after the game and got chatting to some great Aussie supporters. After a few jugs of beer we were adamant it was going to be an English victory!!!!!!!!!!

On our last day in Perth we took a river cruise to Freemantle along the Swan River. Very chilled, supping wine and with running commentary about all the beautiful residences and sailing clubs along the banks of the river. Had a final wander around beautfiul Freemantle (naturally involving some ‘bar’ time to watch the cricket!), beautiful meal in a tucked away tapas restaurant and then caught the train back to Perth, costing $1. Early night as had to be up at 5.00am to get to the airport.

As I’ve probably mentioned before – we have loved Perth, could so easily live here. One strong memory however will be the endless rules and the signage that goes with it, particularly at the beach areas (no wonder one of the national games is called Aussie rules)!! Even at the WACA we were constantly being reminded via the huge screens about the fines and imprisonment imposed for inappropriate behaviour, including pitch invasion! Boy, they love a good sign: …..

So, it’s now Tuesday morning (have been trying to finish this blog for days)!! Will save our first few days in Melbourne for the next blog – having SO much fun 🤗 and only days till Tom, Alice and Marc arrive!! ❤️❤️❤️

We caught an early evening flight from Phuket to Perth, via Kuala Lumpur – with the time difference it meant we were travelling through the night, arriving in Perth in the early hours. We therefore treated ourselves to flatbeds on the 2nd leg of the journey (special offer!!) which made sleeping so much more comfortable – just had to battle with ‘do I watch films or do I sleep!?’ All went swimmingly well and we picked up our rental car at Perth airport (slight blip in that we had booked it from the following morning – but hey, they had one to rent so all was well. We have our own wheels again!!! Steve happy to be back motoring and I practised my best navigating skills as we made our way north from Perth to Mullaloo.

Found our airbnb, beautiful neighbourhood – all the houses (and gardens) are immaculate, large, well-designed and such individual styles – in fact most of the Perth area seems to be that way (so perfect it’s practically Stepford Wives)! We have a fabulous self-contained apartment (Lesley and Shane, our airbnb hosts have the amazing house attached) and a pool for our sole use. We have a double garage (with remote control shutter) which we can actually fit the car into (that just doesn’t happen back home)!! And lots of extras – bikes, surf boards, table tennis, darts, beach chairs, snorkelling equipment, cool boxes, fishing gear …. you name it, it’s here for us to use!! So we are in fact making the most of using these great facilities and at the same time taking the opportunity to cut down on our spending for the fortnight – claw a bit back as they say. We’re eating in each day (really loving the chance to cook again) eating (and drinking) healthily, not spending out on tours but taking ourselves off in the car instead, exploring this beautiful coastline of Western Australia. Most mornings we’re up at 7.00am and out running/walking for an hour, then straight to our magnificent local beach for swimming and bodyboarding, returning home for a breakfast of fresh fruit about 10.00am. It’s a good life – Perth is the place to be.

We’re on the Indian Ocean here and the sea has got to be the clearest sea I have ever seen, just perfect. The waves are something else though – so strong when the wind is up. I had a bit of a tussle with the bodyboard last week … and the bodyboard won! … managed to bruise my ribs on my first attempt at bodyboarding (and I’m a well practised Cornwall bodyboarder). Sticking to swimming from now on and letting Steve carry on with the manly surfing stuff! Mornings are mostly calm in Mullaloo, permanently sunny, and a wind gets up in the afternoon – it’s called the Freemantle Doctor – and boy does it get up!! Hold onto your hat stuff.

We took a drive down to Freemantle on Monday – such an interesting town. It is where free settlers arrived in 1829 and it became established as a British colony. British convicts arrived in 1850 to boost the colony’s labour force – their first job being the building of the prison (how soul-destroying that must have been). We visited the original gaol (the Roundhouse) and Freemantle Prison, learning so much about the history. Gorgeous town of colonial style buildings too – interesting shops, cafes and bars. Hoping to go back there for an evening.

Of course on Saturday we were up early to find the local Park Run – it starts at 8.00am here as opposed to 9.00am at home (I wonder why)!!! I only meant to go to spectate but got talked into giving it a go – we both enjoyed it and got talking to many lovely people, including one lady, Ali, who had grown up in Milton Keynes. It was already pretty hot by 8.00am but there were areas of shade along the path – a little daunted as part of the pre-run talk said to look out for snakes and call out to people in front and behind if you saw one on the path!! Someone had apparently seen a kangaroo just before the run! Planning to go back again this Saturday – gulp!!

All’s being going along so well … and then there’s the cricket!!! Of course, tuned into the Adelaide test match, a few days of being disheartened and then there was hope … and then it was all over!! Hopefully the boys will pick it all up again in Perth – where Steve and I will be next Thursday – hoping to meet up with Andy and Fran too. Fingers crossed they win this one, otherwise our days at Melbourne and Sydney test matches might be a little fraught.

So we’re perfectly relaxed and enjoying this lifestyle … but of course nothing’s perfect – all I can say is ‘flies’ – where do they all come from in such a clean place!? That plus the constant ‘beware of snakes’ signage! But don’t worry, we’ll battle on for another week! 😉

Where did that month go?  It certainly speeded up over the last two weeks since Alice and Marc joined us.  We have LOVED it.  Particularly the people who are so smiley, calm and welcoming – it is a land devoid of aggression or stress.

Despite hangovers, managed to get packed and sorted and then hung out at the hotel until it was time to go.  Would you believe it was still raining today – Bobbi said Phuket was crying because we were leaving!!

The time came for goodbyes – thank you so much Bobbi, Pen, Tip, Nan and Mr. Lec.  – you are all amazing people and it’s been a fabulous place to stay.  We’ll be back!!

Also we had to say tearful farewells to Alice and Marc – they were leaving later that night to fly to Cambodia .. then on to Vietnam … then  on to Malaysia … and then in 3 weeks time we will meet up again in Melbourne (can’t wait).

And so to Perth, Australia …