With February fast approaching, I am calling time on my blog with this final post.
In terms of the overall trip, I had an absolute ball and returned to work three weeks ago with a real spring in my step. Given the backlog of work awaiting me, this lasted for at least 48 hours.
Jayne, Annabel and Simon also enjoyed their three weeks down under - even the cricket-related bits (especially the Barmy Army songs). The trips that I did not report on in any detail – Penguin Island, Rottnest Island and Fremantle near Perth, the Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles near Melbourne (including an unforgettable helicopter ride), Bondi and Manly beaches, Featherdale Wildlife Park and the Blue Mountains near Sydney – were all superb. As was the hospitality of Steph & Paul in Perth and Andy & Carolyn in Sydney – it was great to catch up after so much time had passed (likewise with Sally and her family in Adelaide in the early days of my trip). Thanks everyone and we hope to see you again soon.
I really had little idea what to expect but it truly was a fantastic experience to meet so many fun people travelling with the Barmy Army, in particular Robby, Gabie, Rob, Steve, Adam and the many kind people sitting with us in Sydney who saved our seats on the final day when it seemed that every England fan in the ground wanted to sit in our block. It was also great fun to catch up with Jon and Shep and their mate John in Adelaide, though my liver would have struggled to maintain that pace for too long. And how could I forget the Indian Pacific train journey from Adelaide to Perth – everyone I met was great company and had some amazing life stories to tell over a glass of wine or five.
To Jayne I owe a very big thank you for letting me live the life of Riley while you stayed at home and looked after the kids, house, school, domestic chores, Christmas presents, etc. etc. (so what was any different to normal? you may well ask). I hope that coming out to Australia for the last three weeks somehow made it all worthwhile.
In terms of the overall trip, I had an absolute ball and returned to work three weeks ago with a real spring in my step. Given the backlog of work awaiting me, this lasted for at least 48 hours.
Jayne, Annabel and Simon also enjoyed their three weeks down under - even the cricket-related bits (especially the Barmy Army songs). The trips that I did not report on in any detail – Penguin Island, Rottnest Island and Fremantle near Perth, the Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles near Melbourne (including an unforgettable helicopter ride), Bondi and Manly beaches, Featherdale Wildlife Park and the Blue Mountains near Sydney – were all superb. As was the hospitality of Steph & Paul in Perth and Andy & Carolyn in Sydney – it was great to catch up after so much time had passed (likewise with Sally and her family in Adelaide in the early days of my trip). Thanks everyone and we hope to see you again soon.
I really had little idea what to expect but it truly was a fantastic experience to meet so many fun people travelling with the Barmy Army, in particular Robby, Gabie, Rob, Steve, Adam and the many kind people sitting with us in Sydney who saved our seats on the final day when it seemed that every England fan in the ground wanted to sit in our block. It was also great fun to catch up with Jon and Shep and their mate John in Adelaide, though my liver would have struggled to maintain that pace for too long. And how could I forget the Indian Pacific train journey from Adelaide to Perth – everyone I met was great company and had some amazing life stories to tell over a glass of wine or five.
To Jayne I owe a very big thank you for letting me live the life of Riley while you stayed at home and looked after the kids, house, school, domestic chores, Christmas presents, etc. etc. (so what was any different to normal? you may well ask). I hope that coming out to Australia for the last three weeks somehow made it all worthwhile.
Finally, to all readers – I hope you enjoyed reading the blog over the last 8 weeks. I really appreciated all the feedback, whether positive or not, including the many comments received by email from those who couldn't work out how to post them on the site itself. You may even have given me sufficient encouragement to do this again at some point in the future. But for now – it’s over and out.
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