Written 8th September 2011

Hello!

I am just in my hostel in Sydney after a great day on Bondi Beach! More about that later… I am now aiming to get up to date with this so here goes.

I arrived in Adelaide off the bus at around 8pm. I walked to my hostel and check into a room full of long stay workers. I then headed out to China town where I had some take away chicken noodles; they were nothing like Hong Kong! I then went walked all the way through the city to the main street just watching as the place just got worse and worse. It was funny, it was just like being back in Bolton on a bad night out! I wondered around for a bit and then decided the British Pub had a pint with my name on it. I had a very expensive pint on Bulmers and then trekked all the way back to my hostel. I'm glad I only had one night in Adelaide City to be honest… the morning after it was time to get out of there and I got on the bus to Port Elliot at 9.30am.

As the bus drove down the coast everything improved… the weather, scenery and my mood J I was excited to meet Uncle Len, my grandma's cousins, sisters, ex husband… a friend of the family. When the bus pulled up I just by chance saw the a street name I recognised, it was the right one… so I walked up and got a pretty big clue which house it was when I saw the BWFC sticker in the car window. I knocked on the door and it was like going home! Well at least for two days. I dropped my things off and we went straight out to get some lunch. We went down to Horseshoe bay, the main beach in Port Elliot and it was stunning! The view are fantastic and literally a 3 min drive from Len's house. We got on great and chatted about home, friends, family and my trip. After lunch Len, aged 72, walked me around the edge of the cliffs and over the headland. He really did know how to show off where he lives! From the top I could see all along the beach for miles to my left and all along the beach for miles to Victor Harbour to my right. We then got back in the car and headed to Victor Harbour, then next town along from Port Elliot. Victor Harbour is home to Granite Island which is connected by a long pier and is usually home to a horse drawn tram, however the horse died! We walked out the island and again saw some great views of the mainland. The Island is also home to believe it or not Penguins! At night the penguins come in from the sea and into their burrows in the rock. However to see them in the day you have to go to the sanctuary. This was full of penguins with, 1 leg, 1 eye, 1 wing etc…. We got their just in time for feeding time so we watched as the greedy little b*****s ate massive fish whole! We then continued our walk around the island which I am sure nearly saw Uncle Len off! It was miles considering he had a bypass last year! When we finally got back to the car we had a cup of tea and a rest before going to the local Italian for a meal. Then it was back to Len's to watch a bit of TV and get an early night. It was great for me to be spending time with someone I had a connection with, who could talk about home and knew where I was from and who everyone was.

The next day it was Father's day and as is his Sunday ritual Len had booked us in at his local café. I turned Fathers day into Uncle's day and treated Len to a great fry up breakfast and a cuppa. He enjoyed telling all the waitresses I was his nephew from England going around the world who was visiting his 'Uncle Len'. After we were re fuelled we had a drive down to Goolwa to have a look around the weekly market. We had a quick look round before being distracted by the massive steam train arriving in the station. Now I'm not one for train spotting or bird watching but as the day went on I became a fan of both. After a walk along the boardwalk at Goolwa, we headed back to the car and Len drove me to some of the beach houses he has been working on lately. They were very very posh! A great holiday home! One of them even had its own jetty onto the lake. This is when I became a fan of bird watching. In Australia I have seen many different birds you only see in zoos in England. But there is this one bird that is white, quite large and had a thin long black neck/head and a very long thin black beak. I took an amazing picture of one flying along, best picture of the day in fact! Then it was time to get down to business, went to a marina to price up a boat. I quite fancied on for $80,000 but you know I have other priorities at the moment… We enjoyed a coffee while contemplating it though. So just when I thought the day was done… Len decided to take me for another hike! I know bypasses give you a new lease of life, I know what Grandad is like, but Lens surgeon must have worked wonders! This time we climbed all the way up to the top of 'The Bluff' the highest point I think on this part of the coast. I am sure this actually nearly did see Len off! Anyway, after taking in the amazing views while eating an ice cream, they were actually breathtaking, we went back home and enjoyed a chilled night in which chicken and chips. The next day Len had to go to work so he woke me up before he went and we said our goodbyes.

I had had a great few days with Len, been spoilt rotten and been shown around a beautiful place. I look forward to Len visiting England next June, a tour of the Stadium of Light in Sunderland is already planned! Now though it was off to catch up with a friend from school, Lianne, in Semaphore, Adelaide.

Bye for Now x