Hi Alan, great to hear from you and the news from back home. Totally forgot about the election. When is it due? Great to hear Abigail is having fun in Disney. We have just updated another postcard for Beijing so you can read what we've been up to. Its always great to hear from friends back home so thanks for getting in touch. We are a bit travel weary at the moment and are looking forward to getting to a nice beach resort in Vietnamn somewhere where we can hole up for a few days, but that is a long ways a way at the moment. So for now we gotta keep on moving..................... XXXX

It is the Easter break and I'm in school again (need to adjust life's priorities!). Janet thanx for your email have forwarded your request to NJ (did try to email you from school - not sure if it worked). Played with Julian Lloyd Weber and the PSO a couple of weeks ago - a great night. Rob R abd I went to Brands Hatch to breath in some NOX gases last Monday. Have tried to tackle sections of the jungle that is officially my back garden this hol. Hopefully having a lawn laid in the next few weeks. Still jealous beyond belief of you guys... still maybe you are missing Devon a little bit? When you come back we may have a new Political party in power (General election soon) / new King and queen (Charles marrying Camilla)/ and I doubt you will recognise anyone from Eastenders! Abi is in Euro Disney at the moment with Cate and her parents having a fab time. She is so talkative at the moment. Well must get back to work. Take good care of each other. x

Beijing - cold, grey, noisy, hoiking and spitting. Bad communication, shifty characters, pulling little red books from deep suit pockets, hooky gear, scarey food, smog and a blurred sun, peeling temples, bad toilets and bad bad smells. Everyone on the make and trying to relieve you of your western cash. Hmmm. Is this a great place to be? Its been fun but i'll be glad to leave. This place has the greyness you imagine of a communist country. We leave on Thursday.

Having problems sending group emails. We are in China, in Beijing (staying only a 2 minute walk from Tiananmen Square) and have seen the Forbidden City - care of Roger Moore - and Tiananmen Sq which looks beautiful at night. We have been offered various memorabilia of recent vicious dictators e.g. Chairman Mao watches - with a waving second hand = classy; Sadam Hussain playing cards - only 33p!! Bargain. Had dinner at the Donghuamen night market, choices were: (all on a stick), mouse, snake, scorpion, silk worm, frog, - you get the picture... luckily they also had tofu, brocolli and my personal favourite fried strawberries! Off to walk 10km along the Great Wall tomorrow, not sure how it will go, we've been fairly sedentary for a long while now.

hi dad + janet
just a note saying hello. How are you? hope you are having a HAPPY HONG KONG EASTER.I certainly am.
Joel is down now and I am having fun. My family are too. school is cool. we have our SATs coming up next term. The photos are amamazing. Chocalate chicks and bunnies arrived to fill are tummies. yum yum.

miss you lots and lots and lots
love from me xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Nee How (I have no idea how to spell that), got your postcard of the megamouth shark yesterday. That was specimen #3 that washed up at Mandurah. I was lucky enough to dissect specimen #17 and got a paper published from it. I found out that the funding approval committee in Oman is being restructured, which is why they're taking so long to get me over there. Very frustrating. Could be a few more months yet!! Had lunch with Dad's uncle Vic & aunt Penny (from WA) on Saturday at Robs. You would have passed them on the Nullabor somewhere. They're taking a year to drive around Oz. Sounds like you're enjoying HK. Janet - you're going to have to work on that Budha butt of yours if you're thinking about getting any more clothes over there ; p Hope you've got your visas sorted now. See ya, Brett

Having fun in Hong Kong. Seriously cannot believe how many people there are. It is impossible to walk down the street. Imagine all the people on Oxford St + all the people in Times Sq and then times it by an astronomical number and squash them all into a few streets and you are somewhere near imagining it. As you may have guessed Pete has begun his "get me out of this city!" muttering sessions. I hope all teacher and student types are enjoying their Easter hols, I ate a Mars bar as sacrifice to the Easter bunny... couldn't find a chocolate egg anywhere and figured that Chinese century eggs (cracked then boiled in dye) are not quite the same thing. I bought a gorgeous Chinese dress (13 quid!) after going through the embarrassment of being a size Large in this teeny tiny Asian world. We are busy living it up, Pete adored his Afternoon Tea in the Peninsula Hotel - even agreed that it was worth paying half our daily budget for it!! Note for Sally, Paul and Edge : loved the toilets! Saw a very big Buddha today - not sure if that is sacrilage on a Christian holiday but there you go, if I can't have chocolate eggs I shall rebel completely... I know what my religion is all about.

Hi Janet and Pete. Sent you an e-mail Janet. My Bengal cat I got from Woodside Animal Sanctuary, named Jonny by us, is settling in well. He was so noisy at first but has settled after three visits to the vet in a week! Saw Paul Weller the other night (at a gig, not on the street or anything!) which was good. Going to Budapest next week. Just broke up for Easter. Rob got head of Year permanently and Lorna has got the other post when Su hands in her notice. Helen Ryder is leaving, she is going to be Head Of Psychology at Ivybridge. Am gutted about that and will really miss her. Keep in touch, enjoy China and am envious that you are in Hong Kong. Love Lisa xx

Hey! Thanks for the email, me and the rest of the tutor group still miss you loads, hope your having an amazing time out there, i thought you had forgotten about us all until we received the postcard! So i was pretty happy about that :P
GCSE's really soon...coursework is looming down and i've got loads of stuff to get in, but i'll know i'll get it done, mrs jones has been really supportive which i'm glad about, did you remember it was my birthday on the 22nd?? It's good being 16 finally! Just the whole idea of bigger responsibilities and all..growing up really sucks.
Hope your doing well Miss, i'm sure you've seen some amazing sites and things your going to treasure forever,
Lots of love,
Miles

Hey guys, thanks for the regular updates of your adventures, I am green with envy. The photos are a good laugh, one of a pouting Janet (something about the sun going to her head?!) it must be genetic cause I've seen that very same face on your little cousin back in Adelaide! Hope your birthday was a momentous occasion Janet, the big 31! How does it feel? Can't remember? Must be old age! Anyway, have a great time in Chiina and I look forward to seeing more photos of your adventures soon, happy Easter and safe travels, Peter.

J Guy Band - Oh My God. Rockin' Good News.
Winnie, if you are out there in Cyber space, leave us a message. xxxxxxxxxxxx We miss you.

Hi, we have arrived safely in Hong Kong and are now in the midst of a major city. So much neon and so many people! Have had our first real life Chinese meal (thankfully failed to embarrass ourselves re chopstick use) and strolled around the incredibly busy city; all shops open even at 10pm, with no sign of the place going to sleep yet. We are staying in a tiny guest house in a massive skyscraper building, complete with shower quite literally over the toilet! All good fun.
Squirt, did you ever get my answerphone message, garbled and the machine seemed to run out? Wanted to talk to you before I left Perth but time difference made it impossible to find a time when we were both awake! Any way will email you as soon as poss. Congrats to J & J