Here we go again....G'day from Down Under!

Woooooooo!  We are here!!

Hello and good Leap Year Morning from me faithful followers! The next big Aussie adventure is under way and we are kicking it all of in Sydney!

The last time we spoke, I was logging on from my kitchen and this morning its the once every four years 29th February and I am logging on from the lovely little apartment I have shared for a couple of nights with my Pops. Its 4am and I am still living on jet lag time which is a cross between working nights with no sleep and constantly having the feeling of being on a boat!

I'm quite conscious that all we have really done up till now is get on a plane and travel for 24 hours, then spend 24 hours in this wonderful city, but you know me there is always a story to be told.

So I will summarise the highlights of the trip so far so that you can all back into the swing with me and any new friends reading (hello!!) can make up their mind if my inane ramblings will become a routine for the next few weeks.  It'll send you off to sleep if nothing else. So here goes....

Flying Emirates and realising they really do live up to the hype.

Meeting Keith the ever helpful beep beep waggon driver and expert wheelchair pusher with a sense of humour to melt my heart.

Getting on an amazingly large plane that is even more amazingly quiet and still wondering how the bloody things fly (and pondering how ships float and electricity works as I always do).

Having lots of leg room....at least for one leg! (that's one leg of the journey not personally)

Listening to Pops signing along merrily to 60's pop classics in his headphones, oblivious to the Stars in their Eyes performance he was producing for those around him.

Meeting  the lovely Bruce (for that is what he is know as because I couldnt' understand what he said when he introduced himself), finding it highly amusing when he asked for tea and ended up with gin as the stewardess clearly had the same problem with his pronunciation.

Helping Bruce fill out his landing card and hoping to God I don't see him being deported on a future episode of 'Australian Boarder Force'.

Desperately trying to find the apparently trapped rhino in the overhead locker and crush it's windpipe as it clearly had blocked sinuses causing it to make a noise enough to wake the dead.

Having a conversation that went like this... Man: 'what time do we get to sydney'  Me: '1030pm' Man: 'in the day' Me: 'no the night' Man: 'so the morning' Me: 'no evening' Man: pause to consider 'so morning then' Me: 'NO night time, dark, evening, opposite to morning' Man: 'oh...I see, the morning' with a man who I was pretty sure is one of the apparent Nigerian Princes that emails you asking for money to save his family of helpless cats or all your teeth will fall out, who was coincidentally wearing the most splendidly shiny suit jacket, which I fear was an unfortunate result of too many years of ironing rather than fashion choice.

Standing near the emergency exit door with a fidgety man who looked like he wanted to pull the door leaver that said 'pull' (but was obviously not meant to be pulled whilst flying) more than I did.

Having a hai raising beep beep ride through Dubai airport, taking out several other passengers waiting for a flight to Dehli and quite possibly destroying a mans worldly goods that were at his feet in a carrier bag  when the wheels ran them over....I've had safer tuk tuk rides in Bangkok.

Facebooking and whatsapping from the plane, using all my free internet to discuss the merits of stripy lampshades over metal ones with my boy.

Finally arriving at our lovely little apartment after a protracted wait for a shuttle bus and a rather tetchy altercation with the hotel receptionist, chatting with my Pops on the sofa whilst demolishing the contents of the overpriced mini bar (which was actually just some beers in the fridge rather than a very small bar).

Waking to beautiful sunshine, very strong coffee, flip flops and sunscreen.

Heading into the city and soaking up the iconic sights of this amazing harbour once again from the decks of a ferry once more.

Being introduced to Winston, my travelling companion for the next 10 days and taking him and my Pops to meet his best friend once again along with his 2 lovely daughters and nephew, eating steak, catching up, sorting out his pills, getting him settled and finally heading back to sleep.

That about sums it up! Fear not new followers, I don't usually ramble this much (ahem) and I don't always use bullet points but its 4am and needs must!  Of course there will be pictures, you know I love a picture, and soon I will be heading out to start the first leg of my adventure and my Pops will be starting his.  Who knows, we may even bump into each other.....

Watch out Australia, we're back!

So until later it is, as always, TTFN xx