Are we there yet?

Lucy: Today we are so tired and in Robe we had to stay in a static caravan and I got a bite on the left side of my head!!!

Missing you lots Lucy xxx

Geraldine: Port Fairy (top picture) turned out to be a bit prettier in daylight but still very much stuck in its 1970s time warp. Our journey from Port Fairy to Robe involved a slight detour to Cape Bridgewater where we had a lovely lunch sitting in a beach bar - just what we had imagined being in Australia would be about. Apart from going to see the Petrified Forest (some weird rock formation) and blowholes (weird waves crashing against the shore) the trip was fairly uneventful. We eventually arrived in Robe which was a lovely place. We stayed the night in a static caravan with no bed linen for the girls! Not sure how I managed to book that one! Played the 'I'm the stupid pommie' card with the lady on reception who took pity on the girls & provided some duvets.

The next day we did the long drive up to Adelaide. After some 1200km we finally arrived at the McKendricks. Amazingly, Gary managed to find their house even though we haven't been here for 10 years.

Wildlife spotted en route: emus grazing in fields, a kookaburra sitting on a telegraph wire, pelicans, alpacas and an echidna (giant hedgehog). Amazingly the fast moving roos seem to feature as road kill fairly regularly whereas the bumbling echidna manages to get across the road without getting squashed.

The one thing this journey has shown us is the vast empty spaces in Australia. Melbourne was fast moving, crazy and crowded. The roads were up to 5 lanes wide in the centre of town. On the journey between the 2 cities the only place we saw crowds was at the 12 Apostles. The rest of the time we could drive for miles without ever seeing another car. Adelaide is much more 'small town'. Less crowded and less rushed.

We're having a great time enjoying the McKendrick's hospitality. Linda & Eric are well. Michael is studying hard for the IB which he sits in November. Jonathon was thrashed by Lucy on the wii at bowling. Chris was out & about on his bikes & Emily managed to con Eric to write a note to the teachers saying that she hadn't done her homework on account of the English people. None of the boys managed to con Eric!

Our only little problem was the fact that the boys had booby trapped our beds with plastic snakes. One very tired, tearful Lucy wanted to go home to Sandbach!

There is a menagerie here with one white cat (yes Islay it is terrorising me - Caspar's doppelganger), 2 retrievers, guinea pigs, budgies, chooks and even a koala sitting in the tree outside our room. Lots of local wine and excellent food.

We headed up to Mount Lofty today to show the girls the view. I'm off to Flinders Hospital to meet the team tomorrow.

Yes I am logging in to geraldine.masson@tiscali.co.uk. Gary is using gary.masson@tiscali.co.uk. Lucy is using massonlucy@googlemail.com. Annabelle is using ABFluf@googlemail.com.

Has Mrs Williamson had her baby yet?

Hope you're all well

Lots of love

Missing my mates

Geraldine x