So as you know I have followed my fathers' footsteps and am working in The National Bank of Australia. However what I neglected to mention was that I work for the legal department, yes I am surrounded by very intelligent, intellectual people! Flash back to school - scary! So our story starts during the World Cup, I was in my office and I hear people talking about how the Socceroos are going to win the Cup. I just had to intervene, and shock horror it was between the corporate managers. Good move Dave! Anyhow there was another lady there, who seemed to love her football. We got on like a house on fire; her name is Mary-Frances, a really cool 25-year-old Australian lawyer on secondment at the bank. We chatted everyday about the football, and life in general... shes wicked, has a brilliant sense of humour and the biggest smile on her face. During one random conversation she told me that Home and Away is filmed in Sydney. Why did I not know this? Home and Away, remember after Neighbours at 6pm every weekday, Alf Stewart, Pippa and the Caravan Park, Irene Roberts not to mention Dieter Brummer and Melissa George! It's still on over here and quite dramatic, killings, teenage pregnancy, lost in the bush, etc. One night while in the fridge I get a text from Mary-Frances saying she was heading to the North Beaches at the weekend and would I like to join her? (In all honesty I had pestered her for months about it!). I think it was mainly due to the fact she had just bought a new car, named the Black Pearl, and wanted to show it off. To my surprise it's a Black Corsa...(to all of you that don't know - I sold that beautiful rust bucket before I left!). I tried to introduce her to the musical genius of Feeder along the route, with limited response, so cheesy radio ensued! Now there are many beaches on the way to Palm Beach where the Surf Club, wharf, lighthouse and beach are. The scenery at this end of Sydney is gorgeous. People play on golf courses by cliff faces, while the ocean roars into the rocks just below metres away! It was a gorgeous ride, along the back streets, by the coastal retreats. Palm Beach itself is on a Peninsula, and from the lighthouse which both Mary-Frances and I hiked to, (with slip on shoes) the view is stunning. The Beach arches around on sides, the open ocean on one side and the harbour on the other. It's by far the nicest beach I have seen in my travels so far. Note to any Home and Away fans...who jumped off the cliff into the sea to get help one time? We saw the Surf Club with the General Managers name, Alf Stewart on it - How cool! She also showed me where they film the wharf scenes, and the walkways to the beach are really familiar. We also had the greatest Fish and Chips, which were interrupted by the largest duck attack ever (they just appeared from all sides!) Luckily I was trained in the art of running! The weather was fantastic and the company was humorous (to say the least!), actually if I have to be honest I would like to thank Mary-Frances for one of the best, most fun days I have had in Sydney, she is brilliant. I do have a nickname for her, but she threatened to sue me for libel (think that may mean slander!), so I have to keep it to myself for now! Don't want to mess with a Lawyer. This will be my last day out until Julian gets here, a week tomorrow! Am really excited now. Roll on the Sun, Sand and Surf!