Hello there Poppet, just to say that we are thinking of you and cannot wait for the next blog, when we will, no doubt, see some more fabulous pics!! They were excellent Po but very disturbing to see you so close to those crocs etc., - too close! Silly girl - whoever she was, that stood up in the boat saying - be dead in few mins...

We are off on OUR trip soon - cannot wait to get to warmer climes! Dogs will have their baby sitters as usual - which cost a fair bit but would never put them in kennels ( once was one time too many.) I know you said that it is cold in N.Z. but we have had rain for what seems like, forever (ya know) & I cannot believe it that the first time in Wimbledon - they have a new fab sliding roof - and it was sooo hot that they were going to use it for the sun - instead of the rain!

Take care of yourself Poppet -

"ENJOY THE TOUR & WE WILL BE THINKNG OF YOU SWEET-HEART."

P.S. I am still in my thermal vests! Long sleeved ones at that! Hey ho ...x x x x from us 4 ere' in Perry Green, not QUITE flooded - but there is alot of the watery stuff to come! However, we have all got our fingers crossed for a SUNNY " home coming" for Rosie Posie.

Don't forget just how much you are loved by us all back here in cold - rainy Great Britain - and we'll all see you soon - until then - keep up with your blog as they are all very interesting to read,funny,heartwarming and although some must take a long time to type - you will always have this Diary to look back on - in ten years time, you won.t believe that you DID really JUMP OUT OF THAT PLANE - and the photo's are so nice to see, we are all very proud of you. THE END - yey!!!!!!!!!

Hi Rosie, Hope you are okay. July has been a bit of a disappointment after such a bonza June - back to the April showers and struggling to make 20 degrees. Liz has been a bit busy in the garden picking the fruit and veg which has done really well because of all the showers. Me, I've been looking at the possibilities of doing teacher training next year when I finish, looking at the littlies (3-7 year olds) which might be fun. I've been intouch with a local school who are going to give me some classroom experience in September before I go back to Uni in October.
I'm also trawling through e-bay looking for a tent for us to go to the Bestival on the Isle of Wight in September which we are really looking forward to. The have a fancy dress theme which this year is 'Out of this World', and I've got this idea that we will both be going with two extra heads each, one on each shoulder - I've done a prototype moulding a head on a manakin I've borrowed using clingfilm and heatshrinking it with a heat gun, and their looking pretty good. The difficult bit is going to be to get their eyes to light up!
Not much on the big news front at the mo once you take out the Swine flu (100 000 cases last week in UK). MP's taking their summer recess so its all back to talking Eastenders and the weather.
Hope Lee recovers okay. Bet he's had worse on this trip.
Take care. xxx

Rosie Posie have you heard that Sam has had a baby girl?

Daisy was born on 14th July, weighing 6lb 4oz. Mum and baby doing well.

Lots of love xxxxx

Hi Rosie, Its good to hear from you and great to see you looking so happy and well. Sounds like Perth is a nice place but from you blog sound like Oz isn't what you were expecting. We are still reading you blog and keep up with your ramble and its great to see your still having a good time. The Wedding is now only 9 weeks away, and things are starting to get crazy. How long are you staying in NZ? and is that your last stop? hope to speak soon, keep enjoying it! Lukey x

Hello Poppet, Sorry we haven't sent you any messages lately but - you know how these things happen sometimes. Anyway, the photos of Melbourne were great!

We don't watch Neighbours, but I used to when I was living in Suffolk and now, if I remember rightly....Uncle Steve is like on of the elderly gentlemen on the soap - I do hope it is not HAROLD BISHOP!! If it is then we will keep it between- OURSELVES..... Take good care and we can't believe that your journey around some of the world's greatest places is ONLY a few more weeks away so ENJOY & SOAK UP whilst you are there - as I know you must be a bit homesick. You may never get to go so far again - unless you win the Lottery.ha ha ( sorry - hope another filling does'nt drop out now ). We are on holiday next week, well I am going tomorrow and Hub is following after - going to visit my favourite place that we have lived in this Country - Suffolk, see my old ' neighbour'!!!!....ha ha. Please take care Rosie and we are, as always, thinking of you. Au- Revoir sweet-heart.xx

Hi Rosie, Just a quickie to say glad to hear you're making your onward plans and hope the weather improves when you get to Perth. Looking forward to your onward tales. Talking of tales, if you get a chance to listen to The Mummers new album 'Tale to Tell' I'm sure it will take your mind off things when needed. Thinking of you. xx

If you met Dr Karl, you would say 'oh Doctor, can you check my pulse..' Anyway surely you'd rather meet Toadie 'OW my f***ing arm!!' I can't believe they got rid of that first bit.

Rodd*** and Federer are currently battling it out on the box - they're giving some balls a bloody good wallop! Surely that's enough to make you want to carry on seeing the world... england is very boring!!

Anyway enough from me xxx

Hey Ro Ro,

Wow, that is really weird. i have just viewed your surf photos on slideshow with Chill FM playing in background and I feel like I'm watching The Beach - very zen!

All well here in warm and sunny UK! Have got a week's holiday next week so obviously it will now start to rain!

Don't worry about the tooth, I will hook you up with a dentist upon your return.

Keep blogging - loving the updates
xxxxxxxxxxxx

ps sue and michelle ,workmate. are coming for a sleep over this weekend so could be quite a party at the windmill xx

hi love ,well your either in melbourne ,perth and with or without lee. HOPE HE MANAGED TO CHANGE FLIGHTS.Dont forget , in New Zealand it is mid winter there ,so be prepared.Does the water really go down the drain anti clockwise thats weird !nothing new this end . Back to work hopefully next week, saw stuart and jordan last weak at sues,well they havnt changed a bit but its great fun embarrassing them stu still goes bright red . suespoodle is just like nicola .and poppyis just like you ,big and small she sends her love also carolines youngest is at last getting married this month . THEY all send their love... love you plaits mummmmm x

You poor old sausage! Best not to buy another lottery ticket and to stay away from Woolworths in future? I have just come back from Taunton and am now going to watch the Women's quarter-finals - which will be so boring up against the match that Andy Murray won last night! Steve only got in at the end - but I really thought Murray was going out, after the first set!! Old news now but it was a great match and played with the new roof on Centre Court, just wish we'd been there! It is a definate for next year though - as Hub's outage is later in the year......so far! He is still doing his extremely long days and has to have a day off, every 13 days - otherwise he would go in...he loves his job, thank the Lord.

Wisdom teeth & Hub don't get on very well!!!! Yes - he had to go and have his removed in Hospital when we were living in Northiam, East Sussex. Dungeness P.S. You and George came and stayed for 2 weeks - do you remember? The house used to be an old Girl's School - you were both so young then! We all went to see a show and George spent her whole time eating a box of Malteeser's and looking at everybody else and taking not a blind bit of notice of the Pantomime...hilarious! She was very young then and did'nt quite know what to make of it all - bless! I must look at my diaries and see the year - although it will make you feel old and make us feel ancient, as we are of course!!!!

I was just speaking to Hub and I should have asked him then - but he only phoned to say that he was still on top of the ' pile cap' ( REACTOR ) and it was very black up above and he reckons that another big storm is on it's way to us ere' in P.G.!!! Which for me means 2 nervous doggies and lots of cuddles for them, they are petrified of the thunder etc., Hey ho! He said he willl be thinking of you on your journey on Thursday and hopes, sincerely that your tooth doesn't play up too much on the flight. Best get some pain - killers, just incase. Steve had a bad abcess on a flight to France one year and had to go and see a dentisit as soon as we landed. our school french was rubbish and I thought that he was going to knock the drill out of the Dentist's hand...but as soon as it was drained ( sorry if your'e about to have your meal!! ) it was o.k. and he waited until he was back at his own Dentist to let him finish the job. However, he still has SO much trouble with his fillings and I haven't had to have anything done to my teeth since we have been married, which is just as well because - he spends a fortune on his, just to keep them!!!!

Stay safe Poppet, we love you and are always in our thoughts & prayers.xx

Hello Rosie,

Apologies for not blogging recently, like you been a bit on the busy side with end of term stuff and a week catching up on jobs. Photos are looking great. Love all the animal stuff too. NZ doesn't have a lot of natural fauna when you get there so stack up on all the cuddly stuff while you can. NZ has more of the imported stuff that's from Europe than there is native but it does have some special sea-life to go and find, huge Hooker sea-lions, Yellow-eyed penguins and of course the whales and dolphins. You'll probably only get to see the Kiwis in the speciall sanctuaries although I bellieve you can still see them in the wild over on Stewart Island off the bottom of South Island; however the countryside of NZ will make up for any lack of wildlife. The main pest is the Australian possum that kills the trees because they strip and eat the bark. You'll see them dead in the roads in this frozen startled image, paws held aloft, eyes and mouth wide open as if they have suddenly stood up and turned to face the oncoming vehicle with just enough time for them to realise they're standing in the wrong place at the wrong time and they're about to die. Hold your breadth when you get near cause the dead ones stink to high heaven. Don't know anything about Western Australia. There's a lot of wilderness by all accounts but I believe the world's biggest alluvial gold nugget was found somewhere there, enough to pay for your trip no doubt, but as it was in the middle of the Western desert not worth the risk of looking for another.

Liking your observations re cultural diversity. The one about being find for parking the wrong way round on the roadside comes from us I'm afraid. It use to be in our Highway Code for years then it was dropped though still advised as good practice; there was a time when the bobbies would give you a ticket for any cars parked facing the wrong way but that disappeared maybe 25 to 30 years ago.

Recent news now being dominated by the demise of Michael Jackson (bit sad really) and our fab heatwave - nice. And of course Wimbledon and Andy Murray through to the last 16 and looking on form could go all the way.

Another day going by already - I'm on dinner-duty tonight, so I'll think there'll be lots of strawberries and cream for afters while we tune into Glastonbury mmmmmm!

Thinking of you xx