Thursday 28th October

Up at 6am for 6:55 bus to Sydney airport so we could sit til midday for a delayed Tiger Airways flight to Adelaide. The cloud dispersed shortly after we took off and the views from the plane were quite interesting. As we approached the desert, it was possible to make out the occasional road with an isolated car. The ground had a sepia, marbled appearance apart from small circular or oblong, fertile areas created by a method of irrigation.Recognised Gaynor on our arrival at Adelaide, instantly. She had been waiting since 10:30 (now 2pm). Drove back to their beautiful house in the hills and hit the beer when James got back from work.

James had been making hooks all day "working my butt off". So we were a couple of beers up by the time Ian got back but he soon caught up. Ian cooked chicken on the bbq and Gaynor and I were still chatting at 2am.

Friday 29th October

We went to Lofty Summit and then Clealandpark, where we saw surprisingly active koalas and fed ducks, emus and roos. It started raining at 11am and we headed off to meet Ian for lunch at Zukas for a very tasty Greek meal. We returned with Gaynor who prepared a delicious spring lamb for dinner. A much earlier night tonight.

Saturday 30th October

Ian gave us a guided tour of Adelaide with a quick photo stop at the Oval, followed by lunch in a cafe on the beach before our workshop with a group of very enthusiastic children at Cirkidz. It went very well and they appeared to learn a lot. We stayed with them for the remainder of the afternoon watching their rehearsal and final run through for a forthcoming event at a local stadium. We were both very impressed with their self discipline, confidence and presentation. It will be wonderful if we can get them over for 2012.

Went to the Adelaide Hilton with Gaynor, Ian, James, Darryl and Chris (Ian's brother and partner).Free beer in the bar, a promo for Budweiser, which rather upset Ian (the designated driver) but James was very happy. Superb food and wine and I got to have Oysters and Kangaroo in one sitting, a first on both counts and I wasn't disappointed. The company was great and we all had a lot of fun.

Sunday 31st October

Ian's chance to drink today and what better way to do it than on a wine tasting in various local vineyards. We sampled some excellent red and white wines (not Amie, she just had to watch!). It was so interesting to compare flavours produced by the effect of a different year's harvest and the changes produced by maturation. We visited 6 wineries, with the last including cheese and one where the ladies could sample exotic and gourmet chocolates.

Ian had been patting his pockets following the purchase of a bottle of wine at the first vineyard, it appeared he couldn't find the $25 change from the wine he'd bought. James wanted to know what his Dad was doing and when I explained he just rolled his eyes, shook his head and said "Dick"!

A sleepy afternoon ensued, interrupted only by James wanting his photo taken wearing various Halloween paraphernalia along with Amie and myself. A delicious beef korma cooked by Gaynor and an early night.

Monday 1st November

Ian looked a little worse for wear before departing for work, guess he'll be glad to see the back of us and get his life back! James departed for his meals on wheels (on wheels) duty and Gaynor took us to Peggy and Ray's house where we had coffee and lunch before saying our goodbyes. It was so good to see Gaynor again and she's still so very happy and contented after 30 years down under. They are truly a devoted family and we can't thank them enough, hope the Penfolds goes someway to compensate for the disruption we undoubtedly caused.

We had a guided tour of the house and garden and then walked the dogs along the beach. It was a bit windy but no rain and we returned through Semaphore, with Peggy encouraging Amie to have an ice-cream. She never needs asking more than once!

Peggy has a yellow VW Beatle which she won in a raffle and it's her pride and joy and the sort of car that should only be driven by the likes of her and Ray. They are both a bit like Maud (from the film 'Harold and Maud'), both full of the joys of life and keep themselves very busy.

Ray cooked a delicious turkey stew with dumplings for dinner. We watched some tv and then spoke to Tabby on skype before bed.

Tuesday 2nd November

Yoga with Peggy this morning. Felt good afterwards, it was very much like the relaxation and concentration exercises we used to do before sessions at the youth theatre all those years ago.

We went to Adelaide central market - beautiful fruit and veg, fish and cheese/deli stalls. We ate at the oriental food hall and then went on to the Botanical Gardens in the sunshine. A peaceful oasis in the city with a rebuilt palm house and lilly house containing a large water lilly with enormous lilly pads and of course an ice-cream by the lake.

Peggy's turn to cook - yummy fish and veg soup or veg soup for Amie. Spoke to Zoe on Skype.

Wednesday 3rd November

Went to Port Adelaide and visited the sea horse museum/factory that didn't have any dragons as their one had died and they were awaiting permission to replace it. However, we did get to see the last ones dehydrated corpse and at least it wasn't hiding behind seaweed!

Coffee in a cafe followed by a tour of the area "built on the back of the wool trade" with enormous empty warehouses. They would serve as a good replacement venue for Cirkidz but will probably end up as flats with harbour views.

We mailed some stuff back to the UK to lighten our load and then had another walk along the beach with the dogs. The evening was spent with the family, juggling in the garden and dining on crayfish and Ray's pizza. It was good fun and we were welcomed with open arms. Everyone was so friendly.