Australia!  We've had a great 2 weeks here, although the East coast in June certainly wasn't what we expected - as you see from the photos. With immaculate timing we arrived the day before the most serious storm to hit Sydney, IN 30 YEARS. There were land slides a little further up the coast, part of the Pacfic highway was washed away, and up in Newcastle a tanker was beached on the sand banks. But despite not been able to top up our tans and frolick...

Our travels now  bring us to Winton, and  to the warmth of our friends from our uni days. It was so good to be able to visit K and S, to visit their 'farm' and spend several days relaxing a la casa de brinkworth y thorne.  Their 'homestead' took us by surprise, with enough land to provide much of what they need to consume, and, certainly by English standards, a large bungalow. We helped out a little on the 'farm' f...

What do we like most about NZ? That you can have cereal with fresh milk for breakfast? That supermarkets have cherry cake and baked beans? The friendliness of the people - and the ease of communication with the locals? The views and clean countryside? The non greasey fish and chips? Knowing that you are at your destination during a bus ride, simply becasue there is a sign announcing the name of the place. Could it be that we so like NZ, just because it isn't...