Tuesday, March 4th ....

It was a pretty uneventful trip from Launceston to Sydney on Saturday but the lead-up to it was pretty frantic. In the morning, we took part in a car rally which has become a regular event on our calendar. We though we had done pretty well but we didn't feature in the winners' list - a bit of a let-down from last year (when we won) but it was good fun. We ended up at Gravelly Beach, where we once lived, so we had a 60km trip back to Deloraine to collect our luggage for the flight that evening.

Before that, though, we had birthday party to go to. Siatana is just 1 year old so the party was awash with young kids and their long-suffering mums and dads. Most of the families were Filipino so it was great fun. The Filipinos go all out for a party - banners, balloons, fantastic food, and even a jumping castle. We had to drag ourselves away for a drink at the Country Club to celebrate Marilyn's birthday, and then the airport.

On Sunday, we travelled to Wollongong to join our friend Robyn for her family's celebration of her birthday. She's not 70 until the 9th but she'll be on a cruise then. Again, a good lunch and good company. It was a terrific surprise to bump into Trish, one of our fellow-travellers from Nepal, at the Yacht Club where we had lunch. She'd looking well and travelling at very opportunity - a great life!

We've popped in to see Uncle Archie a couple of times and bought him a heap of new clothes. He has always been very particular about what he wears and it is sad to see him in shabby clothes, un-ironed and ill-fitting. When I went in this morning he was sporting one of his new shirts and was very proud of his new look.

Two more sleeps until we join the ship. Can't come soon enough.