Monday 26th March 2018 ‘Lachlan Maquarie, a Scotsman who was governor of the colony in the first part of the nineteenth century, and whose principal achievements were the building of the Great Western Highway through the Blue Mountains, the popularising of Australia as a name (before him the whole country was indifferently referred to as … Continue reading Of Colony and Convicts

Sunday 25th March 2018 Yesterday’s rain had cleared and the sun was cracking the paving slabs as our two heroes trotted west along George Street heading for the harbour. We might even have held hands, we probably reminded people of the ‘start-right kids’. George Street is the main road through Central Sydney and is full … Continue reading Sidney Harbour, Manly and the Northern Beaches

Sunday 25th March 2018 I am writing this at four in the morning, unable to sleep; just when I thought I had got to grips with jet lag! Yesterday we crossed the Equator and into the Southern Hemisphere; six hours later we landed in Sydney. We are now ensconced in our hotel on the border … Continue reading Australia Here We Come!

Wednesday 21st March (including Tuesday 20th) So big a day in fact it was almost 48 hours long! As you saw from my temporary post, our first encounter with jet lag has been as disorientating for us as it is for everyone but, no matter, Singapore is worth it. Even as we drove from the … Continue reading A Big, Big Day!

Wednesday (or is it still Tuesday?) 21st March 2018 Greetings blog fans! Just to let you know that we are in Singapore and a proper post will follow tomorrow (or is it the day before?) when we have got used to the time difference. in the meantime here is a picture of a big aeroplane...

Monday 19th March 2018 “I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it!” … sang the Pointer Sisters. Still you will be pleased to know that I am not going to lose control even if I like it. I woke up this morning at 0500 and couldn’t get back to sleep because today’s the day … Continue reading The Adventure Begins!

Thursday 15th March 2018 There are moments in time that will live long in the memory, if not forever. When Wendy and I were working we used to call them ‘mental photographs’, images and impressions of magical moments on holiday to recall during the darker moments of working life. Now that we are always ‘on … Continue reading The Rainy Day That Became The Snowy Day (and will live long in the memory!)

Wednesday 14th (Pi Day) Happy Pi Day! To celebrate Mathematics Week today has been christened Pi Day by our American cousins. What a difference in two days – right from ‘cock crow’ the sun was shining in a gin clear sky. The sunshine had an invigorating effect on the revellers and we were all up … Continue reading The Magnificent Eight and the Sunny Day

Tuesday 13th March 2018 We woke this morning to find a further 6 inches (15cm) of snow had been added to the general snowiness and it was still coming down hard. This raised the excitement levels to near fever pitch for both the skiers and we non-skiers amongst us. Somehow we had all missed Lesley’s … Continue reading The Magnificent Eight and the Snowy Day

Monday 12th March 2018 Thanks to the wonders of budget airlines, coastal airports and Alpy Bus Rose and Martin and Colin and Fiona sont arriveé â Chalet Frollie. Within minutes the joint is rocking, the wine and beer is flowing, people are jostling at the food preparation counters (well the women mainly but Martin tried … Continue reading On Est Complet!