Just before New Year we managed to get a lovely little place in Paddington (4/33 MacDonald St, NSW 2021) for 4th January which we were very happy about because all the accommodation was getting snapped up quickly by travellers and our money was disappearing very quickly!!

We went on a lovely ferry ride from Rosebay, which you can walk to from Bondi, to Circular Quay which is in the city centre and Jem saw the fantastic Opera House and Harbour Bridge for the first time which is always an amazing moment. We then had a wandered round 'The Rocks' which is full of narrow cobbled lanes, shops and tearooms.

We got a nice surprise during the day on New Years Eve because we got a BIG parcel full of Christmas presents that my Mum and Kat had sent to her friend's brothers flat in Sydney and we met up with them to collect it. We then went for a drink and opened them. I got some lovely perfume, underwear, sunglasses, a little travel brush, smellies and lots of chocolate which was much appreciated because chocolate doesn't taste the same here!! Jem got a hat, books, chocolate and more chocolate. We were both so made up. Mum and Kat are so thoughtful.

New Years Eve night in Sydney was amazing. We had prime position in front of the Opera House and we watched the fantastic fireworks with some friends and then got a free bus home which was brilliant.

On New Years Day our friends cooked us a lovely meal and then we headed down to Coogee beach to chill. Well that was until the lifeguards put the sirens on announcing that a Great White Shark had been spotted circling the area - we were well away from the water I can tell you!!!

On 3rd Jan we checked out of our hostal and spent the night in Balmain with our old friend Dean and his lovely wife Michelle. Then the next day we moved into our studio flat. Paddington is a really nice area with lots of cool cafes and shops. Our neighbours are all very friendly and a french girl called Natasha made crepes for us which we thoroughly enjoyed!!

We've really settled into life in Sydney and are even happier now because we both have jobs. I'm a housekeeper at a big hotel in Bondi so I can make a bed in record time now and I also work in a juice and smoothie bar by the beach which is a good laugh and I get to have lots of nice drinks. Popular juices include the 'Flu Crusher' - orange, carrot and ginger, the 'Stress Relief' - watermelon, rock melon (orange one) and the 'Veggie Boast' - carrot, celery, parsley, ginger, spinach and beetroot. The smoothies are great too! Jem works full time in a really cool wine shop so he's able to brush up on his ozzie wines ready for when we travel around.

The Sydney Festival is on at the moment for the whole month and there are lots of free events which we are going to try and fit in between work. The nice weather just makes you want to get out and about so we're going to make the most of our time here.

Best Wishes for 2008 from us!!!