As I write this it is day 80 of our trip, and we have been staying with Aunty Penny and co for a week now. We left Melbourne early on the 16th of January to catch the Greyhound bus back to Sydney. We got picked up from the hostel at 5.30 in the morning and left on the coach at 7, so luckily I was so tired I managed to sleep for the first few hours. The bus wasn't so busy this time so we got a seat to ourselves which was much more comfortable.The journey back to Sydney was about 13 hours long, which was longer than on the way there as we had more stops. It was so unbelievably boring being stuck on there for so long.There were storms for most of the journey, so at least it was nice to watch all the lightning. The scenery doesn't change at all though and there is only so long you can stare out of the window. When we arrived back in Sydney at 8pm that night we caught the bus straight to Coogee as we were staying with Claire, Fiona and Alex in their apartment for that night. We didn't see much point checking into a hostel for one night's sleep. It was nice to actually arrive somewhere and know exactly where to go for a change. The girls were very good hostesses, but we left fairly early the next morning to catch a bus back to central station, and then a train heading for Newcastle.

The train journey wasn't exactly quick, but it felt it after all the travelling we had done the day before. After about an hour and a half we got off at a town called Fassifern, just before Newcastle, where Penny and Gran were coming to pick us up. It was pouring down with rain and we nearly missed the stop as we took too long to get our stuff together the train was about to drive off. It was really good to see some familiar faces again and someone from home! Daniel's (my cousin for those of you who don't know) girlfriend Dee came too and we stopped off for lunch on the way back to the house. We couldn't see much of the scenery as it was still hammering it down with rain. It was really good to catch up and also hear all about the holiday they had just come back from. When we got back to the house I found that my memories were all coming back to me and I remembered most of it. For the rest of that day and the following one we just had a bit of a chill out. There wasn't that much we could do as the weather was still terrible. It didn't bother us really as we had been so lucky with the weather everywhere else that the rain reminded us of home! We went shopping and saw a bit of the area, and on Friday night we went to the cinema with Daniel and Dee to see P.S I Love You. Obviously us girls chose that film as it is a bit of a chick flick, but it was really good! Also there was a drama when Uncle Tony found a family of rat babies in the engine of Pennys car and had to kill them. They were cute, but they were rats. He was being called a murderer for the next few days and I don't think he'll be able to live it down quite yet.

The next day it was still raining so we went bowling in the afternoon. Justin and Daniel had gone with Uncle Tony to look at a car that Daniel wanted to buy, but Ryan and his girlfriend Mandi came too. Every time I go bowling I remember why I never go bowling as I am so rubbish, but it was good fun anyway. Gran was worried she wouldn't be any good but she got the first strike! I lost the first game, but I did loads better the second time around. After bowling we went round to Ryan's for a bit to see his new house as he has just moved in there, and also see his new massive TV! They have the cutest dog called Roxy, which is a cross maltese and poodle, or a 'moodle.'

As it was Sunday the following day everyone was off work so we went for a day out to the Australian Reptile Park and I had a great time. It's the first time I have been somewhere to see all the Australian animals. First of all we went into the spider house and saw all the deadly ones that we should be looking out for. I don't think Justin liked that part very much! We also saw some Funnel Web spiders being fed. After that they had a crocodile feeding; however that was a bit of a let down because Elvis the croc wasn't hungry and just stayed in the pool. We carried on looking around the park and seeing all the animals. We saw tortoises, reptiles, lizards, dingos, wombats, Tasmanian devils, birds like kookaburras and owls, platypuses, wallabies and loads more alligators at the lake plus much more. My favourite animals were the koalas as they were so cute. We watched them being fed, and some of them kept plodding around and trying to hug the keepers which was really funny to watch. We also saw a reptile show which was good. The keeper who presented it was really funny, and he showed us snakes, lizards, and baby crocodiles and alligators. He tried to get a boy to sit on a box with a huge lizard in it and he cried. I felt sorry for him but it was funny! It was quite interesting too and we found out a lot about the animals. After the show Justin and I had our picture taken with a massive python around our necks. He said it was an anaconda but I don't think I believe that! Either way it was huge and very heavy! I also liked the kangaroos, which were free to roam around the park, and we got to stroke and feed them. There was one male kangaroo which we nicknamed Justin 2, as he spent the whole day lounging around, rolling on his back and posing with his head on his elbows! We went into the reptile house too where they had more crocs and massive snakes and things like that, then we went home via the gift shop. Overall it was a really good day.

The weather was back on form the next day unfortunately. We went into Newcastle city for the first time as we had to apply for our tax file numbers so we will be ready to start work. We were going to have a look around the city after that but it was pouring with rain and very windy. We stopped for lunch at an Irish pub which was lovely, but it was the poshest and cleanest Irish pub I have ever seen so it wasn't very authentic I don't think! Anyway the fish and chips were nice. We went back to the house for a movie afternoon in the rain, but Pen took us back via the beaches on a nice scenic route so we at least got to see them.

The following day after that was the one I had been looking forward to the most - the day we went to visit the wineries! The weather was nice today luckily, so we headed off late morning to the Hunter Valley. Penny drove which was good as it meant we could go where we wanted unlike the organised tours. We stopped at the information centre first to pick up a map then off we went. The first winery we went to was called Peterson House, and they specialized in sparkling wines. They were all lovely and we even tried a sparkling red wine which I hadn't had before. They had a chocolate shop there too, which we had to stop in of course! We bought quite a lot of stuff in there and they had loads of nice sweets too. Justin bought some chilli sauce which is 10/10 in hotness and burnt my mouth for about two hours when I tried the tiniest bit of it. We thought we had better stop for lunch before we drunk too much more wine as we didn't want Gran to get too tipsy, so we went to an Italian restaurant and I had some nice pasta. All together we went to about 4 vineyards for tastings, and a few more to look around. We also went to the church near the Hunter Valley Gardens that people get married in. One of the wineries we stopped at included McGuigan's (but I can't remember the name of all of them) which is quite a famous one and Justin bought some port there, but I didn't like that. We also went to the Hunter Valley Cheese Shop and tried some lovely cheese and different foods before we went home. I had another great day there, and we managed to try loads of different wines, chocolates and cheese! Mmm I can't think of a better way to spend a day! That evening all of us trailed to the cinemas to watch another chick flick (Sorry boys!) 27 Dresses. It was a good film that we all liked, but the best bit was seeing Gran have a grin on her face the whole way through and then cry at the end of the film!

In the morning all the girls and Faye (Penny's friend) went for a walk down to Lake Macquarie. It is the biggest saltwater lake in the southern hemisphere I think and has lovely views. Justin chose to stay at home as he had already been swimming and done about 100 laps of the pool so that was enough exercise for one day. We walked all the way up to Stinky corner, which is called that because it tends to stink obviously, and then back again. It was nice to see the views and have a chat, but the best part of it was the ice cream we had on the way back! We waited for Daniel to get back from work that afternoon and then we went ice skating. I was really looking forward to it as I always used to love going and I haven't been for years. However I think Justin was a bit nervous as he hadn't been before and was worried he was going to fall over. In the end he did really well though. He was a bit wobbly at first and had to hold onto the side, but he was doing well by the time we finished. I wasn't as good as I had been but neither of us fell over, and it was coming back to me by the time we finished after an hour or so. Daniel and Dee came too, and Gran and Penny came for moral support. They sat in the café while we skated as i t hadn't occurred to Gran that it might be cold.

We don't know how long we are going to stay here for the moment, but we are being too spoiled to leave yet, and will stay for as long as Gran does at least. We have stuff planned for most days to come too. Penny is a great cook and we are getting fed so well with a constant supply of food and drink. Every dinner we have had has been so good, and we have been out for lunch at some really nice spots too. Its good being back in a proper home and having our own bed and room again. I think I could get used to this!