Wednesday afternoon in Katoomba - it's in the Blue Mountains and it's spectacular. I arrived here on Tuesday afternoon and I'm leaving tomorrow Thursday morning but first :- Monday morning I was getting ready to leave Brighton Beach to travel back into Sydney to get the train to here when I got a phone call from the couple I spent Saturday with - they rang to invite me for dinner that night at one of the, if not the best restaurant in Sydney - called Altitude -...

Hi Sheila and Bruce how are you all in the old country. I am in Oz at a place called Bright le Sands beach - bit rough really but only accommodation I could find close to Sydney. Back to just before I left Christchurch (really wish I was back there). I went to the beach on Wednesday and could not believe the length of it - it went on for miles and miles without any body on it, except a few surfers - nice to look at - and a couple of dog walkers. I got there on...

Good morning from a very sunny beautiful Christchurch. VA left yesterday afternoon and left me all on my own I was quite emotional seeing her drive away in a taxi - we've had the most amazing two weeks even though the van wasn't up to scratch it enabled us to see everything we wanted see and more. Last night I spent exploring the city and felt incredibly safe - you just don't see any trouble in New Zealand - everywhere we've been it's felt safe and is very clean...

Hi again I've managed at long last to extract VA from the bathroom, she's coming home normal (ish). It's now 2 a.m. for us here in NZ we've had a bottle or two of Oyster Bay Merlot and we're feeling GOOD. By the way the Kiwi's pronounce the T in Merlot - cool it's the way forward. I've had my toes nails and eyebrows done by my personal therapist I've flown out here with me at no little expense. Not normally use to having to persuade her to do but she couldn't...

Hi, we're here in Christchurch - we arrived this afternoon VA is not here at present she's having a long luxurious bath we've booked into a hotel for her last night she flies home tomorrow and leaves me here with all this sunshire. I won't fill you in with everything we've been upto I'll just tell you a little and we can finish it off tomorrow before she goes. The last time we did a blog we'd arranged to fly to Milford Sound take a cruise round the Sound and fly...