Thanks for your mail, Jan. Easter is this coming Sunday so stock up on the chocolate eggs!! I'm so looking forward to having a long weekend - only been back from holiday 3 weeks but it feels like 3 years!! Love looking at the photos and reading the postcards - you both have a very enjoyable way of writing. Hope China is a bit cooler for you (but not too cool) - try to avoid using a credit card out there if possible as they are quite good at card fraud - Darren got his card copied when he was there on business last April. Looking forward to very long girlie chat when you return. Take care and Happy Easter to you both. Love Ness & Darren xxxx

I'm going incognito for this message incase I post it twice yet agin - I couldn't cope with the embarressment. Guess who? oh, so not that hard then? just to say hello and what will I spend my money on now that I will save a million squillion on lack of texts!! oh yes- I'll propbably spend it in euro - d! Sorry - but about time the tide turned - I've been envious of you since August. x x

G'day guys. A belated Happy Birthday to Janet, I was in Melbourne at the time. Just got back from my trip there. Had a great workshop on chondrichthyan reproduction and then headed over to the CSIRO marine laboratories in Hobart, the largest ensemble of marine scientist in the southern hemisphere. Saw quite a few specimens of new sharks and rays that they're describing. About 3 new species of wobbegong sharks to start with! Also saw about 5 undescribed species of quitarfish (aka shovel nosed rays) from Oman that I'll be looking out for when I get over there. Haven't heard anything from Oman yet, besides the fact that they haven't even looked at my proposal yet!!! Very frustrating. Could be a couple of months before I head over there yet : ( Visited the Hobart museum where they have collected all of the known footage of the thylacine (Tassy Tiger) from the Hobart and London Zoos and just happened to bump into 2 ladies who had seen the thing on a primary school trip to the zoo, so it was quite interesting chatting to them. After Hobart, went back to Melbourne for a dive (saw 2 leafy seadragons, a blue devil and a huge flathead, no sharks though!) and then visited the relies. Hope you're enjoying China and you've got your visas sorted for Indochina. See ya, Brett.

Hello Janet and Pete
Hope you have worked out your route through South East Asia now. Really looking forward to hearing your opinions of places I've been... but even more so to hear about all the places I've never been. China sounds great - but I would imagine its rather hard to get around regarding communication etc..
Looking forward to hearing more about it.
Love looking at the photos by the way.
Hope you are keeping well.
Paula and Phil xxx

Watch out for those public loos in China.... think of them as a travel experience!
Definitely buy the pot noodles for the train journeys. They have "hydroboil" type things on the trains for you to get hot water from. The hydroboils are wood fueled though. Also get some ear plugs, as you will really need them to block out all the snotty noises on the sleeper trains. We loved the long train journeys in China, but you will definitely be the centre of attention. Make sure you get the sleeper beds that have a mattress. Enjoy the wonderful people, wonderful food, and wonderful landscapes. Watch out for the panda's they are a randy bunch.... not!

The revolution will not be televised as Gil Scott Heron once noted. However, television is (also) the drug of the nation as Michael Franti so rightly observed. That is why Ground Force and Ready Steady Cook are on our screens 24-7. Thank goodness for Frank Gallagher and the mighty, magnificent and wonderful Shameless, which finished a couple of weeks ago. The man is a genius. Take that to China and barter with it ... it will go down a storm. "Now, I'm not sayin' that Shanghai is the Garden of Eden, but it's been a good friend to me, Frank Chickens Gallagher" ... Anyway, I digress. I was only writing to say that it was Jill's birthday yesterday and after 14 and a half years together I asked her to marry me .... and, inexplicably, she agreed. Extraordinary. Here's to the next 14 and a half years 'til the wedding. Life is undoubtedly sweet. I am Jim Broadbent.

Janet is now a true twitcher just pretending she is a tourist. She ticked off more birds in WA than i did!

Ben - great to hear from you, sounds like you are having fun. Say hi to Tonky for us. Jim - glad you got the postcards and i hope you are super fit for when i get back. Will be really looking forward to getting some climbing in as i am missing it so much. Say hi to Loz, he texted me to say he is hanging ten with the Bantham Massive on a regular basis. Edge - you kill me Greavsey. What may i ask was the Dept of Ed requiring of you in Hong Kong? I will never believe whinging teachers ever again. You guys swan aroung as if the planet is your classroom!!! I've heard a couple of reports about said toilets and will check it out while Janet indulges in a cocktail at the bar. Cate - super big squeeze from your biggest fan over in Perth, keep on keepin' on girlie.
Hong Kong here we come.

PS i neeeeeeed a chairman Mao watch.

J Guy Band - hope the Bulgarian Folk was a blast. We had a blistering time crossing the Nullabor with far too many dead roos to mention. I bet you are looking forward to the spring weather and summer not far away now. Sorry to hear Mum is not doing well. Obviously feeling a bit crap so far away and unable to do anything, but i guess that is all part of the decision to go away for a year. My one momento from OZ had to be a rockin good one so i hunted down my fav Triffids record, the awesome "Born Sandy Devotional" Never had a copy of it, only a tape that was worn thin years ago. Its definitely their best record. So we were driving through a part of Oz where they came from and i managed to track down the CD in a small record shop in a small town called Margaret River. Just in time too because the record shop owner said the record company had recently deleted the back catalogue, so their records will no longer be available. Shortly before that i made Janet take a detour to Jerracudup, a place in the middle of nowheresville. But i recognised the name from a Triffids song so it had to be done. It was a cross roads with a big grain barn and 2 houses!
We're now in Perth and getting all the Biz done before we leave for China.
Keep in touch old boy,
Pete

you're all officially mad. We're ignoring you. Will write a postcard soon. p.s thanks for all the birthday messages, love you really.

Word up! A quick note before an War and Peace type epic in the next few days. Thanks for the text message. Daisy had a very fine birthday and it was a joyous occasion for all concerned. Bulgarian folk music hits the village on Saturday night so we'll be down the front moshing to them with the rest of the blue rinse set. Looking forward to the stage diving from the chair of the local Women's Institute. Weather is warming up and I'm back on the bike. Took a very fine walk up Pilsden Pen last week ... the highest point in Dorset apparently. Fine views but no signs of arch drude Julian Cope waxing lyrical about what a brilliant hill fort it is. No butterflies yet but hopeful. Youth Hostel job ends this weekend. Other than that life just drifts along to the effortless beat of a NRBQ record. Hope you're both well and Australia is inspiring. Seen any dingo(e)s yet? What about cork hats? Or sheep? There must be some sheep. I remember doing it in O level geography. Hang 11 mutant surf punks.

Very many thanks for the three postcards. I'm so sorry not to have written sooner. Lawrence is in Spain at the moment, taking two cats & sister,father & brother-in-law to Steph's new house. He and I had a good first 2005 bike ride round Totnes last Sat. Most of the route was a repeat of one of your training trips, altho we did include the new cycle track to Ashprington. Di, James & I went to Zoe's in Dec, there was little snow but we managed one afternoon's skiing. Di & I went on to Venice for a couple of days and had a brilliant time walking the City. Its been very cold these last few weeks but I've been cycling to Torcross to start trying to get fit for the summer's climbing, by doing a bit of bouldering. TX is safer for blokes than Pilchards Cove! where a geezer has bolted a slab. Easter I hope will see James, Paul & I in Font, lets hope the weather stays dry. Your trip sounds a huge amazing success so far, here's wishing you all the very best for the rest of the journey. Best wishes to you both, Jim