The last post!

Well, I've been back a week, and am still sitting amidst a pile of washing, ironing amd 2 months-worth of mail, but I've had a bit of time to absorb what's been happening. So time to sum up, and perhaps add some of those photos we didn't get to see.
We've seen magnificent scenery, particularly in the South Island: This is Mount Cook.



and these are the Fitzroy falls, in Australia

 We've seen the sun rise (Hong Kong)

And set - this is Hazel's farm at Gunnedah

we've seen iconic places

and done iconic things - this is the Dart River Jet

We've seen birds and plants we've never seen before (but no Kiwis) - this is a Pukeko

We've climbed the Harbour Bridge (see previous post)

and learnt to ride the quad bike (move over, Steve McQueen)

We've met dogs - Archie (Trevor and Alison's)

Bonnie (Hazel's)

and Penny (Stuart's)

But most of all, we've met people. A friend whom I hadn't seen for 18 months. Cousins whom I haven't seen for ages, some of them for over 50 years. And all their offspring, and their offspring's offspring. in fact, all the relations I've got, on Mum's side. John's the one with all the group photos; I just take snaps. Youve seen the New Zealand ones, here's some of the Aussie lot.

Errol, Marge and Joy at Fitzroy Falls

Christmas morning

Angus, aged 2

And so many more memories of people, of the different generations, all getting on together, enjoying each other's company, particularly on Christmas and New Year's Day
It was a wonderful trip, with wonderful memories. It's been a privilege to be able to travel and see all these things, and tremendous to meet up with the family. Thanks for travelling with us





Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb

Now I'm back, I can get access to the official photos, so here are some:

On the way up:

Nearly there:

and right at the top, between the two arches  (trying to look nonchallant)

 Good, or what!

Still waiting

Well, we've got as far as the airport in Bangkok.
Billed as a three hour journey, it took us twoo and a half, and was pretty scary. We had a good driver, but it was the rest! Driving on the left is the only resemblance to British driving. we were on a three-lane motorway, with no lane discipline and few sticking to the speed limit. Threr were cars, lorries and buses all over the place.
Anyway, here we are, waiting in the business lounge, drinking champaigne to while away the remaining hour and a half before our flight is called.
I think I'd just like to be home now!

Waiting

We're hanging about the lobby of the hotel, waiting for our transport to the airport.
We've been checked out for 2 hours, have had a meal and wandered round the town, and now we're just waiting.
Just over 24hrs and we'll be home.
I'll do another blog then.

Paradise

Yes, it's paradise here!

The hotel has everything we could want, without ever leaving. We found yet another pool this morning, with waterfall, jacuzzi, bar etc. Temp is about 30C, with a cooling breeze. Just outside the hotel is the start of a series of streets with bars, restaurants. etc. Last night we ate in a Thai restaurant, and as we were sitting there, an elephant walked past. I thought I might have had too much to drink! Tonight we found an italian resataurant where, because I spoke Italian to them, we got free liqueurs at the end of the meal.

This is the view of the sea from the pool. We can get to eat through a gate, and swim; it's as warm as bath-water! The sand is white, and really fine, and there are coconuts in the palms just waiting to fall (which is why I don't sit under them!). Three more days of idyllic living, and then back to reality.

I might get back on line before we leave for home, but I doubt it.

Thinking of Marjory on Sunday with prayers and best wishes.

We are Siamese, if you please!

Well, here we are in Thailand. It's certainly different from Australia (drier, for a start). I'm sorry there were no photos while we were in Australia; I was using my cousin's computer, and it wasn't up-to-date enough to manage.
Here's a photo of a koala to prove I've been there.

Cute, isn't he!
we were lucky to avoid the floods; John and Susan went up to Brisbane and then to Lismore before joining us at Hazel's farm. The main road they came along was closed a couple of days later, and we've been watching the floods in Brisbane since we got here.

Arrived in Thailand on Tuesday, just before midnight and then had a 3 hour journey by mini-bus to Hua Hin (which added to a 4 hour time change mant it was 7.00am Australian time by the time we got to bed.

Nothing to do here but relax, and it's a very luxurious situation to do just that; this is me relaxing in the foyer.
Susan has decided we need to lose weight before Suzy's wedding in 2 weeks time, so today we did step aerobics and tomorrow it's water aerobics. Mind you, all this exercise makes you hungry, so it defeats the object!
with two pools, five restaurants and all this exercise on offer, there's no need to leave the complex, but just outside the door is a wealth of  restaurants, bars, massage parlours and tailors, so we do venture out from time to time.
However, I'm happy by the pool.
Might get another post in before we come home. I can hardly believe it's nearly over.

On the farm

I'm just back from three days on cousin Hazel's farm. She is in Gunedah in Northern New South Wales, and lives alone in a 100-year-old farm owned by a relative of her late husband, raising cattle. What a wonderful experience! It's quite isolated, and the farm house is built of wood and corrugated iron, with a veranda all the way round, sulphur-crested cockatoos, galahs and fairy wrens in the trees all around, and starry, starry skies. We went out into the paddocks (huge fields) in which the grass and weeds have grown as high as an elephant's eye after all the recent rain, with my cousins Hazel and Marj in an ancient utility truck and me on the quad bike to see the cattle and the swollen river and the new windmill pumping water up for the cattle. There are usually loads of kangaroos there, (and probably were, hidden in the long grass) but we only saw one, on the second day.
John and Susan came down from Hamilton Island via another cousin in Brisbane and some friends in Lismore, narrowly missing the latest lot of floods. We all went to a wildlife park near Gunedah, and saw koalas, kangaroos, emus and the back of a sleeping wombat, as well as numerous birds, many of them beautifully coloured.
Life there is quite hard, and there is a need to be self-sufficient, drinking rainwater, and washing in water pumped up from a bore-hole; burning wood gathered from the fields. There is electricity, but only bottled gas, and no modern air-con but a cooling system using the water from the bore-hole and the leaving open of doors with fly-screens to try to prevent flies, mozzies etc from coming in. The nearest neighbours, Ruth and Malcolm, are over a mile away, but lovely, generous people who will lend a hand whenever needed.

Only 2 more days in Australia now; we leave on 11th Jan for a week in Thailand, and then we're home in freezing England. I can't believe it's nearly over.