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.