Friday 27th April

We're here at last - we've arrived back in Sydney. It's weird to think that it's now time to stop and do some normal things like flat and job hunting. We hire a car and drive around some of the eastern suburbs and the central business district to familiarise ourselves with the layout and to check out places to live. We settle in Kings Cross. It's very like Soho in London but greener - there's the eclectic mix of prostitutes, girlie bars and sex shops combined with some really chic eateries and bars and some lovely residential areas and large well kept parks.

We walk around in the evening and see large fruit bats flying overhead which is just amazing. Then while we are driving around the harbour area in Woolloomooloo a massive fireworks display starts overhead. What a welcome to Sydney!

Saturday 28th April

More shopping is required - Simon needs a suit and I need more shoes - obviously! We enjoy just wandering around and checking out the shops, the fashion and the sunshine.

Sunday 29th April

I have two job interviews tomorrow and we've got flats to see so I spend some time researching and preparing for the interview. Eeek! How nervous am I?

Monday 30th April

I go for an interview with a recruitment agency called Stopgap who also have offices in the UK. It goes well and they want to put me forward for a job at an agency called Lavender - it would be freelancing on Westpack Bank.

However, Annie Corbett (my Creative Director at Crazy Horse) very kindly gave me the details of her friend who is the MD at an agency called RMGConnect (part of the JWT and WPP group). I head straight there and am interviewed for a role on HSBC Bank. I have to wait until Wednesday to find out if I've got the job as Liz Smith, the Client Services Director, (who is also an english lady who worked with my MD Belinda in a previous life at Wunderman) is interviewing 2 full time candidates. So fingers crossed for that one!

In the evening we meet up with Chris Page, a friend of Simon's from the hockey club in Tunbridge Wells. We head out and he buys us champagne to welcome us to Sydney - I could get used to this! After 2 bottles it also seems to go surprisingly well with the gourmet pizza we were munching too. Mmmm.

Tuesday 1st May

Lots of flat hunting and suit buying for Simon going on today. We seem to be spending half our life online and on the phone arranging to view flats, going to see them, nope it's not what we're looking for (Simon's the fussy one, not me, honest - hee hee), let's go to another internet cafe and look for more..... Phew!

Wednesday 2nd May

Success - we've found a gorgeous flat in Elizabeth Bay. The views look out over Rushcutters Bay where the local yacht club is. There's also a large park nearby where I can go running too. Fabulous daaaaarling! All I need now is a job!

Thursday 3rd May

Hooray - I got the job at RMG Connect working on HSBC. I'm delighted. Simon and I spend the day at Manly beach to celebrate. Ah - this is the life.

Friday 4th May

Simon has his job interview lined up for this afternoon with the guys from Pitney Bowes - he used to work with them in the UK so it's looking promising. We spend the morning milling around Kings Cross and just after lunch we go and get the keys for our flat. While Simon goes off for his interview I take our stuff to the flat.

It's fantastic to have our own place and the flat is as great as I remember. Simon's interview goes well. His contact is going to put a proposal to the MD on Monday that Simon comes in to work with existing salesmen going out to pitches with them as a support role to help them improve on sales technique and product knowledge. Pitney Bowes is fairly new in Australia so their salesmen are quite inexperienced and don't know the product all that well. It would be a perfect temporary measure for the company and for Simon too. How cool to have a job role created for you! Hopefully the MD will bite - we find out next week.

Saturday 5th May

We go to the Paddys Market and also one down at The Rocks and look at all the lovely souvenirs we'll come back and buy just before we return to the UK.

Then I head out and get some food from the supermarket. It may sound silly but it's been so long since I've been able to cook in my own kitchen that I can't wait. I even prepare a lasagne and some pancake mix ready for Kate's arrival tomorrow night.

Sunday 6th May

We go to the Kings Cross food and wine festival which is quite a small affair. But it's interesting to see their Mayor and their MP are both women. Also, neither of them wear a suit on the small stage where they are introduced by a large drag queen! Priscilla Queen of the Desert eat your heart out.

We meet Chris Page for Sunday lunch and go to the famous yacht club which is in the park only 5 minutes walk away. We walk around Rushcutters Bay and enjoy the sunshine. This is the life!

Kate arrives in the evening and in my frenzy of culinary madness last night I'd prepared a homemade lasagne - they always taste better the next day. As Kate knows I'm not renowned for my cookery skills as I'm usually too busy to spend much time on it, but as I'd really made this a labour of love it actually turns out rather well. 

It's lovely to catch up with Kate - I'm just gutted that I've had to start work when she'll be here staying with us all week. Hayley and Iain, who we travelled with in Africa, also arrive tomorrow so we arrange to meet up for drinks in Circular Quay.