It has been a year in the planning, although it sometimes has felt like a lifetime but there are now only 15 days left until we jet off on our adventure! First stop, Los Angeles USA. 60 miles (whatever that is??) south and a ninety minute ride on the airport shuttle and we will be able to pick up our wheels for a road trip across the US of A, a slight detour on route from Australia to France.

Fifteen years ago I dreamed about living in France. Twelve months ago I first made contact with Bright Rotary Club about applying for an Ambassadorial Scholarship to study cooking in France. So much has happened in that time, a whirlwind of activity, an ocean of new faces and a roller coaster of emotions. Applications, presentations, interviews and speeches. That was the easy part, the tough bit seems to be the piles of paperwork that was required by the French Consulate for our visas.

We have had to renovate our house so it is 'renter friendly' and set up the farm so it will self maintain as much as possible. The jobs are slowly being rubbed off the long list on the white board and the days are being crossed off the calander... only 15 days to go... and we still don't have our passports back from the Consulate!! arghh... We can't wait to drive out of LA into the country, pitch our tent and reelllaaxx...

Off to Wollongong and Sydney tomorrow for final good byes with friends and familly, to attend the Orientation day and put the cat into storage....

... hi ho hi it's back to work I go