Truly, the (blogging) force has been weak of late... Being in Queensland may have had something to do with it. That and, to be honest, we've simply not been doing anything frightfully exciting - no waterfalls, no hot air balloons, no castles, operas, galleries or symphonies. It's not that the Gold Coast is the land that culture forgot... not entirely anyway - they're performing Aida on Main Beach next week which will doubtlessly be stunning. What we've really been doing? We've been 'retired' on the Gold Coast - which is a hugely popular activity participated in by the vast majority of the population. Many of whom (though not all) also drive like Formula 1 drivers in their spare time. Exactly like Formula 1 drivers, just minus skill, aptitude and training. I'd like to say I'm kidding, but we've never had so many near misses, anywhere in the world... like the day some Aussie bloke took out his ute and trailer and didn't quite manage to connect the pair prior to setting out to terrorise the neighbourhood. Nothing quite like seeing a rogue loose trailer flying down the street all by itself. That aside the weather at least has been lovely. Literally two days of rain in two months. Clouds in the sky are now cause for wonder and celebration. We are utterly bamboozled by Queensland's winter weather. It has been unseasonable - apparently. Very mild winter indeed. So mild that it was 31 degrees last week. In winter. We're going to be wearing the same wardrobe as we head into the tail end of a European summer. Speaking of wardrobes, we freely admit we are hard on clothes. We get our favourites then wear them to death. Our checked bags weigh in at 23 kgs almost to the gram - which is quite a bit to travel with, but in our defense does include everything from wellies to fur coats to swimwear - we can cope with anything from Minus 20 to 45+ degrees. But we are hard on our clothes. Spending 2 months on the Gold Coast meant the opportunity to indulge in thrift/op-shopping - one of our favourite past times world wide. Our wardrobes have been replenished, we have some knockabout gear for the Irish country housesit coming up and I personally have taken the chance to add to my 'getting a bit big' jewellery collection - A NZ greenstone jade pendant, a couple of Citizen watches, a nice Swiss watch, a strand of pearls and some pearl & gold earrings. Hours of fun had by all out bargain hunting. Between 'finds' we've enjoyed loads of quality time with James's mum Joan and been out to our fave spot the Beach Cafe for breakfasts, off for Asian fusion lunch specials at the world famous Kampung Malay on the Gold Coast and indulged in Indonesian at Manado in Southport. Our first month long stay absolutely flew by and we miss our mini-schnauzer girlfriends Coco and Lily dreadfully. Life is cuter with them in it that's for sure. Luckily we had the chance to enjoy a great lunch with their darling mum and see the girls again - it's a peculiar feeling returning as a guest to a home we have actually lived in - it's like having x-ray vision, particularly in the kitchen, as you know where everything is. The second month with Harley the semi-Rottweiler also passed quickly - as time always does when a long flight and a change of scenery is approaching. We started packing a week ago - very similar to The Big Bang explosion - just in reverse. As soon as we started, Harley was mildly concerned - last time bags came out, his owners disappeared (he was so cute to watch when we miraculously delivered them home from the airport last night!) One of the highlights of the dining calendar over the last month was visiting the Intercontinental, Sanctuary Cove for our 12th wedding anniversary - their Saturday seafood buffet may never be the same. It was also a momentous occasion because it was our first use of Uber (that's a ride-hailing app/sharing economy sensation/really cheap taxi service for those unfamiliar with it). So we went to town a tiny bit on the wine buffet - always fun. Harley stayed home and watched the Saturday night footfall - so huge night in for him. We figure using a rough average of 3 km a day, though likely much higher, that we've walked at least 180 kms over the last 2 months. Which certainly does sound impressive but was very easy at the time - and now we're thoroughly trained up for a walking tour of Brussels when we arrive on Monday. What we can do with a break from is actually blockbusters. Thanks to Netflix, Fmovies and a smart telly, we have been utter Netflix box set tragics lately - and can highly recommend Outlander, Ozark and Designated Survivor (series) and The Accountant (movie) on Netflix and of course, Game of Thrones 7 on Fmovies. Really must plan a trip to Dubrovnik at some point for some Game of Thrones sightseeing. We've not ventured far from regular haunts and home on this trip - enjoying the beaches and canals just so much. We did however venture beyond the edge of the map just the other day... All the way down to Palm Beach to check out the RSL Art Union's latest $4 million prize home. Absolute beach front and we'll likely fly back to Oz next May and live in it for 4 months when (not if) we win that particular raffle. Then sell it and feed the bank account. Ahhh... the plans we have made. Moving right along, that's what we did this morning. 7.30 am and it was off to Brisbane airport to start our next European adventure! The time in the lounge just disappeared - two hours gone in a flash - our favourite things at the Qantas lounge in Brisbane? The fresh juice maker (watermelon, pineapple and mint - a never fail combination) and the DIY toasted sandwich station. Ahhhh... The flight to Adelaide landed 30 minutes early and we're now cooling our jets in Adelaide for 8 hours. And so, the force has returned with a vengeance and the blog, she is done. Whilst I don't imagine we'll be hot-air ballooning or whale watching in Brussels over the forthcoming week, I'll definitely put fingers to keyboard and ensure at least one update emerges. As for culture... it's Free Sunday on 3 September and we'll be in Paris - Musee d'Orsay here we come and hopefully a couple of others... saving money - every which way but loose...