What a foul 'British' day, weather wise. Woke up to a grey mist over the harbour and rain, rain, rain. So heavy and non stop pretty well all day.

Had breakfast in the hotel and then taxied out to Macquarie Park, half an hour away over the other side of the harbour. Quite exciting to drive over the iconic bridge for the first time. Shame it was in the pouring rain. Had a good and useful business meeting with a Maun distributor. Then took a cab back to the hotel, still in torrential rain, before heading back out again to hit the shops - with purpose, as we had decided we could cull the amount of stuff we are taking on our 5 internal flights providing we have those items to come back to for the end of our stay, so we had decided to buy a new smaller suitcase. Leaving our big one here to collect when back in Sydney.

This done - nice bright red Samsonite - and the shopping malls around George Street, Pitt Street area explored, we hailed a cab in the downpour and came back to the hotel. Relaxed for a while then, as the rain seemed to have stopped, we walked down to the Opera House for a glass of Marlborough East Sauvignon for me and a beer for Eddie. And then the rain began again!

While we were sitting at the Opera Bar watching the world go by, a mega enormous cruise ship that had been docked at the passenger terminal opposite blasted its horn to announce its departure. This ship - the Celebrity Solstice - has to be the biggest cruise ship I've ever seen. Googled it - 2850 passengers. It was enormous. Looked just like a floating block of flats. Reminded me of the dreadful Park Hill flats in Sheffield in the 1960s - so hideous they were listed in the 1998 as an example of utilitarian post war architecture (now largely regenerated). It wasn't until the Solstice had moved off that we realised what a blight on the view it had been. It completely obliterated the passenger terminal, the Rocks area and up to the Harbour bridge. We hope the ship had had to pay a huge excess on port fees.

Another respite in the rain somwe headed back to the restaurants closer to the quayside. Had a cocktail while deciding where to eat and then the heavens opened again. Suddenly the hotel seemed the most appealing place for dinner. Umbrella up, heads down, huddled close, we frogmarched up the hill to the Intercontinental. Delicious steaks in the grill bar. Back in our room, last nighttime look down into the harbour. All set to check out at 08.30 am.

All in all, it's been a bitty day, but still good to be here nevertheless. More business meetings tomorrow, then the flight to Melbourne. Will post a few pix of today tomorrow.