So, this is the epitome of the  life Down Under - we'll miss it.
 Thank you for a wonderful stay, Reanne and Jonny - we loved it all xx

This is where the ibis are when they're not hanging out with their heads in bins - it's just round the corner from the pelicans. Above, in the trees are the most beautiful parakeets - bright green/red/yellow/orange and blue each one. A complete wonder but impossible to catch on film.

This is the width of the roads round here on the older housing estates - can you imagine the neighbourhood football or the street parties? I wish we could bottle the space over here and bring it home

Pelican and friends on a boat at Pelican Waters (yes, really). We cycled there this morning (Sunday) to take a photo of them strolling about on the shore (last time they were only about 6 feet away from us) but hey, this is Sunday morning , the day of pelican rest on houseboats, and so this is the best photo we got.

John Jonny and the Ute - just before Jonny left to go back to Chinchilla to work on Sunday afternoon

Jonny, Reanne and the Ute - taken minutes before the photo above.
So, after Jonny left, we started the packing for tomorrow (Monday) when we're off to NZ again. Reanne has been busy  making cushions, I've been blogging and John's been cooking - it's been like Jane Austen down under.

Fish on the Rocks, Sydney

So, three days in Sydney and still Jonny was an indistinguishable dot on the surf so we never did get to see him ride any waves. I suspect that he really just sat in a cafe and read the paper, then threw a bucket of water over himself just before returning to the flat.
 What we did do, however,  was to  eat the most amazing food. On Friday, we went to Darling Harbour where there is a wall on which is written the  names of the immigrants dating  from the convicts onwards. Each one has been added from the Immigration archives and the quotes from some are quite moving. One English man in the 1800's said that the first time he knew that he was going to Oz was when the jailor opened his cell door and told him that a ship was waiting for him and many others. No time for goodbyes or farewell words to family. Mind you, depending on the family, that might not be unwelcome. Anyway, we left Darling Harbour in the dusk, with all the city lights from the skyscrapers like static fireflies around us and looking up, we could still see the stars really clearly. Then we made our way to Fish on the Rocks - the most amazing fish restaurant. John and I had the tasting platter for starters and mains - tender calamari, salmon stack, barramudi with a red thai sauce, juicy scallops and so on and so on. Each mouthful was exquisite. We sat outside on the pavement and it was HOT!

Going back to Manly on the ferry was magical - the bridge and Opera House all lit up  

Sydney Opera House from the Manly Ferry on our way back to the apartment

Streuth, Bruce! Getting these photos sorted is harder than finding a shark's loveable streak. Just when you think you've got the little blighters all lined up, one goes walkabout and then just when you get used to it being gone, it comes back again. It's enough to give your wallabies the willies. (Guess what accent that was in?)

 A possum doing what possums do - take 2

A possum doing what possums do (shortly before it raided the bin)

More bird action

Going Moroccan

Eating oysters in Sydney harbour

Feeding the cockatoos on the balcony - in the end we had about seven of them

This is a David Attenborough inspired photo of an ibis with it's head in a bin. Cutting edge. 

After the museum, we went to the  Sydney Museum of Modern Art. John's expression says it all - 'what???' I'm sure you're not meant to laugh that much around serious works of art even if they do look like the dog's dinner hung out to dry. 

John looking out over the balcony at Manly beach (Manly is so named because the first Brit to discover the bay saw, on his arrival by ship, a group of Aborigines on the beach engaged in 'manly pursuits'. Simple, huh?

More wildlife encounters. After huge Moroccan meal( eaten outside and totally delicious) Jonny and Reanne took us on a walk along the coast to Cabbage Tree Bay( very Aussie- does what it says on the tin) where we found possums and bandicoots. The possums are chubby little things with big eyes and scavenge in bins or shin up trees with equal ease. The bandicoots are smaller and more timid- the possums stare you out with attitude. Possums ate seen as vermin here but seem pretty cute on the beach .........

We travelled from the airport on the underground train- a splendid double decker affair but with absolutely no maps, information about stops or any clues about where we were. Very relaxed, which seems to be the Aussie way ( on the motorway, there are no No Entry signs to stop you going the wrong way down the exit slip roads. instead, half way down the slip road there's a simple sign which reads 'Wrong way. Go back'. I shall miss the resolutely common sense approach to life here!). Then on to the ferry which docks in the shadow of the Sydney Bridge and the Opera House. It's such a lovely way to travel and the lucky people of Sydney commute on the many ferries every day. Today we returned on the ferry and Jonny and Reanne went off to return some faulty shoes while John and I went to the museum of Sydney. Unfortunately, it was only open from time immemorial to 1799 as the 1800's onwards were having their carpets cleaned so we had our fill of watching the British conquer the known ( and even unknown) world over the centuries and then walked over to the Opera House to have a look round. On the way round the quay we noticed large gold discs set into the ground, each one giving information about a great Australian writer - Clive James, Germaine Greer, Barry Humphries, Mark Twain ( not Aussie but visited once) and Rudyard Kipling ( ditto). Interesting approach to defining great Australian writers.Then we ate oysters and drank crisp dry Sauvignon blanc overlooking the Bridge and Opera House which was wonderful and redeemed oysters in my eyes. I'd only ever had one oyster before and was pretty convinced that to eat an oyster was similar to swallowing phlegm. However, these were delicious and I'm now a fan.Ok, time to stop now, we're off to eat Moroccan food. It's a hard knock life..........l

Here I am lounging in a seafront apartment at Manly Beach, Sydney. The dooors are open on to the balcony and I can hear the surf breaking on the beach across the prom. If I look out at the sea, I can see tens of kamikaze ants hurling themselves at the surf- , oh, my mistake , they're surfers. A surfers life seems to be 50% paddling around like a seal on a stick, 40% swallowing water and 10% complete exhilaration. Jonny's been out 3 times now and still we can't pick him out. We have threatened to fix a union jack flag on his head or may be a gold sequinned wet suit would do the trick. Amazing!!!!!! 6 cockatoos just landed on the balcony rail and Reanne and I fed them by hand for ages. They took the bread so gently with their beaks from our hands and then held it in their feet to daintily nibble it. Earlier today, I saw an Ibis with an enormous curved beak dipping into a bin- because it had a long neck AND beak it could reach all the pizza etc at the bottom of the bin that the gulls couldn't. However, as soon as it raised the pizza out of the bin it was mobbed by the gulls so the process started all over again - a bit like feeding a family during the school holidays. On the animal theme, there's also a golden retriever which is walked along the prom here- I'm having to refrain from kidnapping it outright as I'm missing Marley so much. We've actually booked a B&B in Christchurch on Monday solely because the owners have a golden retriever. Today is Thursday and I haven't blogged since Monday- a shocking dereliction of duty. On Tuesday, Reanne and I had a girls trip out to buy a sewing machine and fabric for cushions. It all started out so well- Reanne had found some second hand sewing machines on eBay- 40 dollars and made in 1945. My first sewing machine was of a similar vintage and lasted me till about 9 years ago ( even if it did sew to the left which made all our curtains slightly skippy)so it seemed like a good deal. Reanne used her iPhone map app to guide us there and with only a couple of minor detours we got there. A very large Aussie man had the machine,and four others, in his garage like Sewing World meets Lawnmower Man. The best one had an electric foot pedal and an original handbook, quaintly written and just stopping short of addressing the reader as 'the lady of the house'. It's a German machine, Anka, and imported in 1945 - does this mean that the Germans stockpiled sewing machines during the war ready to take over the soft furnishing world afterwards? Anyway, with the sewing machine safely stowed in the boot, we set off to the fabric warehouse which was only a fifteen min drive away and not far from home. After we had exited off the motorway twice on the same slip road ( a feat made more challenging because in Reanne's car you can't brake and steer at the same time, so the trick is to slow right down and coast off the slip road at 5 miles an hour, steering hard)Reanne passed the phone to me and I managed to make it a hat trick ( the blind leading the blind springs to mind). We then made our way to the northernmost reaches of the area unintentionally, the gps on the phone led us into a hillbillies cul de sac in another suburb and we managed to get onto another motorway which we couldn't escape from. By this time we were crying with laughter. By sheer coincidence, we managed to get to the fabric warehouse and bought some fab material. On the way home, the sky went black, it rained and all the electrics on the dash board died so we had to follow behind another car at all times to make sure we weren't speeding, remembering to brake or steer but not both at once). However, it was all worth it because the sewing machine works beautifully, although we did discover that what we thought was a sewing machine with a zig zag facility is in fact a zig zag sewing machine but by the time we left for Sydney, Reanne had made one cushion and the zig zag sewing was, thankfully, both practical and decorative. So that brings us to Wednesday and a 5.00 am start for the airport. As it was a domestic flight we didn't need passports and we took only hand baggage ( johns rucksack was 70% my stuff but, hey, who's counting) so no messing about although I did have my nail scissors confiscated so that was my terrorist career cut short ( ho ho). Brisbane area is HOT at about 26 degrees but Sydney is quite cool at 22 degrees ( double ho ho). Actually, Brisbane has high humidity so it feels really close and sticky all the time but Sydney has lower humidity so it feels cooler anyway. John and I have long sleeved clothes on but Jonny has put his jeans, sweatshirt and shoes on as his toes were freezing.

Well, I've worked the night shift (your night, admittedly) to put photos on the blog that, hopefully, don't need a PhD in Computer Genius to view. They are wildly out of order - this is a test of your concentration and I shall be setting a chronological timeline exam in the near future. If they are still hidden, then I may have to send drawings by post.
To my dear friends who are struggling with the technology and just can't find a blog reply button that works - may the Force be with you even if it is in the form of your very welcome emails. To Colin who has found the Holy Grail of reply buttons so Gill can comment, and to those of you who are over 35 and can reply with ease - you are accorded superhero status. To all those who are under 35 and haven't the foggiest what we're all struggling with - revel in it now because your children will dazzle you in the same way............

Our breakfast view at Reanne and Jonny's

The Grand Designs team - after

The Grand designs team - before

Jonny and John wandering among the seafaring hardware

Ouch!

Christmas wish list item 2, maybe without the bell ringing equipment

Political correctness gone mad (this is in Auckland but I've only just managed to get it back!)) 

On the viewing platform at the Glass House Mountains

Forest for as far as the eye can see at the Glass House Mountains........

one of the Glass House Mountains - see what I mean about Cook hallucinating?

The koala tries out the legroom in a Ryan Air  plane

Note to family - this is on my Christmas wish list

Reanne and cuddly koala

strolling in the dusk at Noosa

Reanne and Jonny discuss politics

feeding time with the kangaroos

the restaurant we had drinks in had this fab  horse made of branches

.

the horse's backside (ha ha)

Noosa at sunset, just across the road from the restaurant on Sat eve and amid the deafening roar of birds  

On Sunday we had a leisurely start to the day, with Jonny's poached eggs for breakfast out on the terrace. Then on to the Glass House Mountains which James Cook named in about 1770 when he saw them from his boat because they reminded him of the glass furnaces in Yorkshire. So, he was probably woefully short sighted, blessed with a rampant imagination or he was hallucinating after months at sea.The view from the lookout is amazing, not so much because of the mountains,although their shapes are fabulous ( volcanic plugs, for all you geographers), but because of the miles of forest which stretch as far as the eye can see. Itbgave a real flavour of what Oz must have been like for the early settlers- dense, hot and dangerous! There are parks and picnic grounds wherever you go, with public BBQ areas, but all the tables and facilities are placed in the deepest shade leaving the areas of sunlight to the insects and Brits alone. Then onward to a Koala Sanctuary near Brisbane where Reanne and I got to hold a Koala each. It was a fabulous experience - they're really heavy and dense and their coat is woolly. So gorgeous!! ( to see the photo go to http://i.koala.net/2204824752.htm ) John and Jonny declined to cuddle a Koala and as there were no crocodiles available to have a manly wrestle with, we moved on to the kangaroos. Now this was an experience I never thought I'd have - to be in a big field with a herd of kangaroos, to have a kangaroo eating out of my hand, to stroke a kangaroo and , a couple of feet away, to watch a little baby kangaroo hop in and out of it's mother's pouch ( all I can say is that if I had been a mother kangaroo I would have invented the kangaroo pushchair). They are truly mesmerising animals- their tails are so strong, they look so prehistoric ( as do so many Oz animals - the platypus, which we also saw) and they have the longest, softest eyelashes.The funniest thing, though, was a cockatoo who said hello and goodbye as you passed- hello if you were arriving and goodbye as you were leaving. He had us in stitches. And talking of laughing- the Aussies have a healthy sense of humour- we passed a cafe called the Hog's Breath Cafe and then one called Montezuma's. Then back for a barbie with plenty of shrimp throwing action by Jonny.The mozzies can bite here at night so Reanne was wearing her long pyjamas and harem pants and I was wearing my pyjamas tucked into my Uggs- a triumph of sartorial elegance all round. Today we've been for lunch with Reanne near Mooloolaba ( which is near where she works), for a stroll along the beach and an ogle at the majorly large and expensive yachts in the marina. Another hard and tiring day in Paradise! ( ac tally, Jonny and John did mow the lawn and do some gardening, so it's just me who's been slacking). Can't believe I shall ever feel cold again..............

G'day! First, an apology. I hear that my technical wizardry has resulted in photos that can't actually be seen. This would be useful in a spy thriller or Harry Potter but pretty frustrating in real life. I can only say that I'm on to it and normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. The last couple of days has been pretty hectic. On Saturday, we went to a huge open air market where all the stalls were hidden away in the trees. It was a cross between a hippie fair and an upmarket craft fair and if I'd had a large packing case at my disposal I could have happily spent Anna, Viv and Jordan's inheritance. I could also have had a psychic reading, a psychic massage, a detection of my psychic aura / strengths/ ailments or a psychic prediction. We just managed to escape with our ignorance of the future intact. Reanne and Jonny bought a couple of fabulous wooden chopping boards and a Bonsai tree while John and I bought a bag of the finest cinnamon doughnuts which we ate while watching a lovely group of young men thrashing some guitars into submission. As we were leaving we stopped to watch a juggling/balancing street performer who made everyone laugh but whose fire juggling finale was nearly ruined when a member of the audience dropped the juggler's lighter and smashed it. In these days of non smoking, it was then a race to find another lighter and was almost funnier than the act itself. We then headed to the beach- all the beaches are gorgeous tracts of golden sand with big breakers and trees lining the shore ( either as forest or planted along paths). John assures me that the sea is warm although to be quite frank that's a pretty relative term- warm compared to any British water, cold compared to a lukewarm bath. I have paddled with abandon but my knees have not been blessed with close acquaintance with seawater. Everyone else is made of stern stuff- John and Reanne swam, Jonny surfed( an event we 'd hoped to watch but the waves are like the M25 at rush hour so it's impossible to pick out one lone surfer among the multitude of all ages, both sexes and numerous hairstyles. The only thing we could say for certain was that Jonny wasn't the guy with the long grey ponytail or the guy who wasnt surfing but was just plain being beaten up by the waves). We saw a wedding taking place further down the beach. I'm guessing that it was the first time for whoever had organised it . Therre was a romantic little muslin canopy to shelter he bride and groom, with white chairs for the guests situated next to a storm water drain that was doing what storm water drains do - draining on to the beach through hanging stinky weed. The guests were unable to sit on the chairs as those that had done had sunk into the sand. The tide was fast coming in so half way through the service, the water was lapping round the bride's satin shoes and full length meringue. The entire group were surrounded by passing public so all shots of the happy couple during the most sacred parts of the ceremony will have a background of scantily clad men, women and children carrying surf boards and ice creams, gawking. Still, none of this gave a momnet's pause to the catholic priest who was charging through the ceremony with all the speed and determination of someone racing to the pub to catch last orders. At the end of the afternoon, we headed for the public toilets where there are showers and changing facilities, carried out speedy transformations and strolled along the river for drinks. The trees along the river are the roosting places for thousands of brightly coloured parakeets and the noise is deafening. They are so sweet, sitting in pairs, chatting away to each other, no doubt remarking on our behaviour just as much as we were on theirs. We watched the sun setting over the river then had a fabulous meal overlooking the river- my scallops were to die for followed by steak which is like heaven on earth. The meat here is so tender, it just falls to pieces in your mouth. We've had such wonderful food in Oz - all good quality and excellently cooked even in little cafes.and the service is friendly, efficient and swift.

Our breakfast view over Reanne and  Jonny's  pool

Trying out the hammock

The Grand Designs team at work

Well, here I am lying in a hammock watching John and Jonny working on a Grand Designs project. I'm half expecting to look up and see a cathedral barn with concrete vaults appear before my very eyes. The idea is to construct a seating area with cushions for lounging on - with the combined forces of a landscape architect and a quantity surveyor at work, the structure is guaranteed to survive earthquakes, tornados and plagues of killer spiders ( of which there have been mercifully few so far). I'll include a photo of said hammock and said men at work when I next propel myself out of the aforesaid hammock. Our body clocks are completely at sea at the moment- a further 2 hour clock change has meant that I immediately fall asleep in any darkened room whatever the time, which has made shopping in trendy, dimly lit boutiques a hazard. Luckily today has been very relaxing. John and I went for a quick bike ride before the sun got too high- lots of wide peaceful streets of gorgeous houses set around man made canals which wind out to sea. And, joy of joys - it's all as flat as a pancake. The steepest part of the ride was the rise of two inches up the drive ( gasp, wheeze)(I obviously don't take after my lovely and energetic mum and dad- although if John and I had a tandem it might be a different story) Reanne then had to go to work and, while John and Jonny did a major washing up session ( combination of dodgy dishwasher and major meal last night- Jonny taking after his dad for fab cooking of chicken in white wine sauce and Reanne following it up with homemade apple pie. Lovely!) I skyped Jordan - so so lovely to see her although after a while she turned into a Dalek and that was that- not bad though considering we're a world apart. Bit disappointed that Marley was completely non committal about hearing my voice (wasn't expecting a fanfare of yodelling but a glimmer of interest would have been nice) After breakfast outside listening to the birds ( and, hey, the birds here are bonkers- I woke up to birds which sound like Donald Duck being strangled or like a mournful, ghostly whistle - imagine fog, London in 1930,footsteps on a wet pavement - or like a full scale chipmunk argument or like a chipper car alarm), John and Jonny set to work and I blissfully pottered about then went to the local supermarket by bike to buy ham, plasters, lager and a broom. The return journey was a master stroke of balance. As I write, Jonny is combining master carpentry with travel agent duties as he books us all a flight to Sydney for a 3 day stay. He and Reanne are going to take us to Manley Beach where they used to live which will mean a lovely ferry ride round the harbour. Auckland has the same arrangement- ferry to work over blue green sea, looking at all the fab boats and houses. Auckland is peppered with suburbs named after English racecourses or royal residences - Epsom, Newmarket, balmoral, Sandringham. There was also a Hillsborough- well known for its royal residences. It transpires that there are 1.2 million people living in Auckland ( again words of wisdom dropped from the lips of the Mastermind taxi driver) and only 4 million in the whole of NZ- which explains why it feels so roomy. I'm hoping for a taxi ride here over the next couple of days to fill in the gaps in the Ten Top Facts About Oz list. And just a few random observations about life here- the bacon is very pale in colour, you can't buy alcohol in supermarkets only in special alcohol stores, cycle helmets are a legal necessity (but only when riding a bike), it's chilly at night( blissful), there's no salt dispenser in dishwashers, Oz paper money is quite dingy in colour and I've fallen in love with the Ute's everyone drives( a pick up truck with two rows of seats). Time to drink tea...........

And here we are in Oz, in Jonny and Reanne's pool

John lounges by Auckland Harbour. Note the tallest tower in the southern hemisphere in the background.

John getting down and friendly with the locals in the  Botanical  Gardens

We are so loving getting your comments on the blog and your emails with all your news. So over the last couple of days ......... Viv has managed to include messages in the Draw Free game- so weird watching the writing appear bit by bit on the screen as if written by an invisible hand. David- don't you just long for the NZ common sense to H &S in England? nick - loving your family crest and the lingerie method of remembering geological features. Jordie - amusing to hear you trying to be super rational after half a pint of shandy. Gill - love the thoughts on the mysteries of blogging. Anna- enjoying the day to day trials of inheriting 2 small girls. Love to you all xxxxxx

Crashed out on hotel bed after lovely day in Auckland. Peter suggested we visited the Botanical Gardens here for coffee so we did - Peter, please note! We wandered through the gardens taking lots of photos and soaking up inspiration. All the plants which we hothouse in England are just out in flowerbeds over here, in great profusion and colour. Banks of purple and white, red and orange, great sculptures and water features and an old boat. We thought we could steal this idea and have an old boat and some rigging plus a gazebo that looked like a little theatre as a reflection of our interests. Of course, this would also mean we would have to have a bar of chocolate sculpted in shrubs and a crossword made of gravel. After the gardens, we dropped off our hire car and got a taxi to our hotel. The taxi driver took it upon himself to draw up a tourist itinerary for us.His programme included 2 museums, a ferry ride to a nearby island and a couple of shopping centres. Now, we can move pretty swiftly when necessary ( really?)but packing all this into the four remaining daylight hours did seem a tall order even for the most applied American tourist.(He also told us that Auckland is the tenth largest city in the world and that the Sky Tower is the highest building in the southern hemisphere- trivia buffs of the world please let us know if this complete baloney)So we strolled down to the harbour, marvelled at the indecently large boats ( which made small tower blocks look paltry), ate Mexican food and soaked up the atmosphere. As I write, John keeps snorting with laughter while reading the The New Zealand Herald ( NZ man fathers 82 children, vicar bangs on car windows at traffic lights to demand donations etc)- I'm guessing it lacks the gravitas of the Daily Telegraph but more importantly, it also lacks the crossword. So, now we're going to read / watch TV and have a carpet picnic of apricots, nuts and dark chocolate ( a combination which Nigel and Orasa prepared for our mountain trip and which was delicious) in preparation for our 6am start tomorrow when we fly to Brisbane. We're very much looking forward to seeing Jonny and Reanne and catching up with all their news, not to mention seeing their new house and it won't be a huge wrench to leave them with the ski gear and bedding currently in our suitcases! Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Ps photos will be included when we get to Oz Pps what a wonderfully small world we live in - we just sang Happy Birthday down the phone to John's mum in Spain. Maybe, this is like the Truman Show and this is only a NZ film set set in Pinewood Studios in England and our 27 hour plane trip was just a bumpy ride in a big tin can. Or maybe I need to start on the chocolate........

Lovely Mandy, peter and Blake with dog whose name is a Maori word (?) which i have no idea how to spell!