We had a quiet but very pleasant New Year with friends, Gina and Rod. We ate continuous snacks then walked along towards Southbank to watch some fireworks. A day later my sister in law, Annabelle, and niece, Ella, came to see us from where they were visiting on the Gold Coast. We had lunch at the pub as many places in the city were still closed from New Year. We hadn't seen Annabelle for a few years and Ella a few more than that!

A fair bit of catching up with friends has happened including Dot and Jon from Didim! We picked their brains on the coastline up to Istanbul as they travelled that last year and is our plan upon returning. We went to Auckland, New Zealand for a week to visit an elderly aunt of mine and to see friends and other family. My cousin and her partner let us use their beautiful apartment in the Viaduct area right on the marina and very close to the city and many cafes and bars etc. Luckily for us this was the week before the catastrophic weather event that flooded many parts of Auckland and closed the airport. Happy to take our luck that way and not hold out for Lotto!! After this we had a fortnight at Cowan Cowan on Moreton Island with Gina and Rod doing running repairs and planning a bit of work for Rod and Gina during the year, like another water bladder and new little shed. We still managed BBQs, fire pit meals and a visit to the Gutter Bar in Kooringal. Rod was keen to try out his new Prado on the sand - it performed very well especially as the tracks became very sloppy with no rain. I've never been so glad to get back to a double glazed, air conditioned inner city apartment after hot days of endless loud cicadas, hot nights of frogs croaking, curlews fighting outside the bedroom window, kookaburras going off at 4.30 am and a gecko chirping around the inside of the house!.

While we were away, my son Rupert, started TAFE to finish year 12 - it was fun hearing of his first few weeks on our return.

There are still so many things to get done before we return to Turkiye - eye spec for me Cardio for Peter and a trip to Sydney to apply for extended Greek visas for this year (there being no Consulate in Brisbane). Busy - busy.

Along with everyone we ae following the news of the terrible earthquake in eastern Turkiye on the Syrian border - very tragic, it will affect the whole country one way or another as I expect we will find out on our return. We are very sad for a lovely people.