Sunday 31st July

Paul's birthday in sunny Oz!

Saved the city travelling until today because it was on special offer!!!
So off we went on the ferry across the Harbour round to Watson's Bay, then jumped on a bus down to the famous Bondi Beach. Lots of people learning to surf.
Sun came out from behind the clouds and we Brits had our swimmers on and most of the Bedford clan could be found jumping the Pacific waves (Katie sadly could not cope with the cold water!! What's new, said Paul!!) Katie did manage to dip her toes in!
Beautiful warm afternoon.

Back on the bus to head back to the Hotel BUT Molly spotted some good looking shops and had to jump off the bus with Mum for some window shopping. Turned out we were on Oxford Street!
Couldn't find a bus stop when we needed one later so had to run after a bus until he got to a stop. At least we made the driver smile but it wasn't good for my poorly foot!

Quick showers and a swim for some, then we were back on a different ferry heading out to Manly for Paul's birthday meal. Beautiful views of the Harbour by night plus a chat with David and Sadie whilst on the ferry!

Poor Paul only got a game of jumping frogs for his birthday! Bless!
Xxxx

Saturday 30th July

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY in Sydney!!

Breakfast at Pie Face followed by Walking the city.
Circular Quaynoverlooking the Harbour Bridge, then a walk round the quay to the Opera House and into the botanical gardens.
A walk across the city to Darling Harbour and a late pizza ( and a well needed glass of wine!)
Beautiful boat show in action and sun shining.
Another walk across the city back to the hotel and some tired people have a swim and a sauna in the hotel pool. Nice end to the day.

When George was asleep, Paul nipped out to get me a hot chocolate....well it was our anniversary!!

Friday 29th July

Last morning in the peaceful Atherton Tablelands.
Ethel very excited because decided to leave my hockey stick and stick bag with her.
Just too expensive to send home as well as taking 3 months to get back! Am glad she's pleased, I just need to get a new stick now!

Packed our suitcases again but at least it was only 6 this time!
Stopped off on the way to Cairns airport to see an amazing bungy jump with a view over the rainforest down to the sea. Oscar was very tempted so we climbed to the top to enjoy the view but not enough time to jump, so maybe next time!!

2 hour 25 min flight from Cairns to Sydney with a good view coming into the city.
Staying at the Marriott on Circular Quay which has a wonderful view of the Harbour bridge.

Went out for an Italian meal and it felt like walking out into London (apart from being warm!)
Loud and busy. Very different from our last week.

Thursday 28th July

A lovely lazy last day on the Atherton Tablelands.
Paul, George and Oscar fished for most of the day down at the Tinaroo Lake.
They managed to catch a strange yellow fish which was quickly put back in followed by a turtle who did not want to let go of the bait! Finally a Black Brim which was popped in the freezer for a later date!

A little overcast today but Oscar still managed a swim and didn't get nipped by any yabbies.
Alice managed to catch one of them to show us (A little prawn like creature)

Out to a typical Aussie pub this evening for our final meal.
We all had huge portions and I sampled my first barramundi (fish) in over 20 years!

Everyone ate and drank well and I returned home with rather a good amount of wind!!
Oh well nothing changes!!

Wednesday 27th July

Am amazing day out on the Super Skippy sightseeing tour of the Atherton Tablelands.
Skippy took us to the crater at Mt Hypipamee which was a blow hole from a nearby volcano.
We then walked along by the Dinner Falls but a bit too cold to swim with the water running straight off the mountains.
Millaa Millaa falls were quite spectacular but no one was prepared to win a certificate for swimming in the cool pool beneath the waterfall.
Onto Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine again large craters caused by underground water being heated up and then exploded out of the ground.Saw a fresh water turtle which was a treat and of course lots of Bush Turkeys (Dad's favourite!!)
The curtain fig tree was also very impressive although George asked why they hadn't just planted a few more recently! Don't think he quite appreciated how old the tree was!

Back to the ranch and now I have to admit that I have done something silly!!!
Was determined to stay on the ripstick (wobbly skateboard) for longer than 1 second. Unfortunately, I have come off worse, damaging my foot so that I can barely walk on it!!
I survived the hockey but clearly need to learn when to grow up!

Paul and I cooked fajitas for everyone this evening (although I had to sit down to chop the veggies) Have started drinking cider and it seems to be going down well especially with a few ibuprofen!!

Time you lot sent us some replies. We miss you all. Xxxx

Tuesday 26th July

Molly and George had a morning in Kairi school with Alice and Harry and had a fun time.
Paul and I managed a coffee together although the exchange rate is making everything expensive.
Paul and Oscar then had a game of golf with Warren whilst we others scootered down at the Tinaroo damm area.
All lovely and a bit more relaxed.

10 of us for a family meal yet again.
Ethel seems to be coping with feeding us all. Poor love!!

Early to bed and early to rise xx

Monday 25th July

An amazing day at the Great Barrier Reef.
Went out from Cairns to a pontoon on the reef with a company called Sunlover.
We all managed to snorkel and saw beautiful coral but we were almost more amazed by the lovely colourful fish who swim alongside.
We saw a clown fish nestled in the coral and were lucky enough to swim with a turtle that just appeared at our reef.
A great day finished off by the biggest burgers we've ever eaten!!
Back to Ethel's for an important shower and a final relax xx

Sunday 24th July

No hanging around this morning. Ethel off to hockey training and we went with the boys to the BMX track. The Bedford clan reckoned it looked easy but it was a different story when they got on a bike!! Exhausting, was Oscar's comment and poor George had a few tears after bumping himself but both agreed it was fun.

Lovely afternoon sitting by Tinaroo Lake which is at the back of Ethel and Skippy's property. The children swam, skateboarded,power winged and ripsticked whilst we drank beer from our stubby coolers. Perfect! Skippy cooked sausages and we all smiled!!

Now back at the ranch, still drinking beer ( yes,even me!) and looking forward to Sunday roast cooked on the barbie.

Hey, this is the life!

Saturday 23rd July

Flew to Cairns on a most amazing 2 hour flight with perfect views of the Queensland coast all the way. The Whitsunday Islands were as beautiful as I remember them and of course our first view of the Great Barrier Reef...breathtaking.

Had to hire a huge car to get all our cases in and then travelled over an hour out to Ethel and Skippy's. We laughed most of the way as it became more remote and the children thought we were staying somewhere with no electricity!!
However, they have a super pad with their 3 kids Oliver 13,Alice 12 and Harry 10 plus 2 dogs, chickens and of course Roos!
Finally had a glass of wine which tasted good!
Ethel was out playing hockey and arrived back looking fit and slim. This life clearly suits her.
We are off under the house to sleep!!!! Feel a bit like glampers!!
LOL. Xxxxxxxxxx

Friday 22nd July

Lazy morning by the pool which was perfect for me. Unfortunately, Oscar lost his retainer in the pool but hoping it won't do too much damage over the next few weeks.

We played Australia today for the Nottingham Ashes.
It was such an honour to walk out with my children carrying the flag and sing the National Anthem. Have managed to get some great photos which we will try and share with you at some point.

Unfortunately, our small but perfectly formed squad began to tire today. A new pair of legs plus some extra oxygen would have helped greatly. We were at 1-1 for a long time, but another dodgy decision gave them a pc and a goal so they finished the victors.

We have had the most amazing tournament with some very special moments.
New Zealand singing Land of Hope and Glory during our match with the Aussies and cheering us on. The friendships formed mostly off the pitch! Fran getting better and being out of hospital for three of our matches, and what a great shouter she is!

The end of tournament dinner was held at an Aussie rules club so we watched a bit of their training before the awards etc.

Bid my goodbyes to the team this evening because everyone is now going their separate ways.
Goodbyes are always tinged with sadness because it is likely that this small but perfectly formed squad will not play together again but at least we have some great memories.
Jan Baker our wonderful manager named Webby the player of the tournament which was well and truly deserved.

Onwards to Cairns and more adventures. Xxxxxxx

Thursday 21st July

Wow an amazing morning whale watching.

Went Out from Surfers Paradise for about an hour and then spotted some whales jumping and it was just awesome. We followed a couple for nearly an hour and they came under the boat and did some lovely displays for us. Just something else...Amazing.

Unfortunately, the day did not continue on such a high....
We played our 2nd match against NZ and sadly lost 3-0.
Think the legs or lack of them finally caught up with us, but they did give us all a kiwi team shirt which was great because none of us were ready to give up our lovely England shirts. There has been a lot of shirt envy from the Aussies and NZ.

Final game tomorrow which is being played as 'the Ashes' so a lot to play for.
We will be walking out to the National Anthem again which is also very special.

Think Molly is going to carry one of the flags this time seeing as the two boys did it last time.
Love to everyone. Xxxxx

Wednesday 20th July

Gosh so much happening and not enough time to find somewhere with WiFi!!

Day off from hockey so we went out into the Queensland country to see my Godparents.
The children were amazed to see all the fruit trees in the garden. They picked lemons and we immediately made lemonade with some oranges for a snack. As well as seeing the tangerines,pawpaw, pumpkins, tomatoes, lemon grass etc etc.

We then drove back to Brisbane via the X country road with a lovely view of the Glass House Mountains with banana and pineapple farms.

Had supper with Victoria and Sarah (My Godparents children) who now are married with their own families. I remember spending the Christmas of 1988 out on their farm near Toowoomba where Sue and I had a great time with the two girls.
Supper for 17 of us was amazing and we were pleased to hear that Victoria and her family will be visiting England in the winter of 2012 so we can hopefully repay their hospitality.
May need the help of Darryl though because I think her hubby is partial to a few beers!!

Struggling to upload photos from our album because for some reason the iPad only likes photos that IT has taken. Hopefully find a techy soon who can help us otherwise it may be over to poor Bruce!!

Wed 20th July

Quick hockey catch up cos still struggling to get WiFi.

Drew 2-2 with NZ which was very disappointing cos we were a goal up until a suspect umpiring decision gave them a penalty corner on the last play of the game which they scored.

Tuesday we faced the Aussies and it was much more physical game.
1-1 at half time and a tough second half but Webby our super star forward scored a solo goal hitting it beautifully over the diving keeper. Great 2-1 win so lots of smiles.

Paul is managing to tweet much easier so if you want to follow the action you can look him up as Paul Bedford or Suffolkyellow.

Discovered yesterday that the tournament is running as a test series so every game will count towards a final winner. So we play tomorrow in a good position.
Love to all. Xxx

Monday morning

After a hearty breakfast, the sun is finally shining. Hurrah.
Swimmers on and we have made camp on the side of the pool for a little r& r.

First hockey match today and it is all looking a little daunting.
We are down to 11 players having had one player admitted to hospital from an allergic reaction to a bite which happened in England! We're hoping she's on the road to recovery today.

Australia and NZ are very well established with 5 teams each here from over 35 to over 55 plus 16 in each squad and managers and physios etc. This is the first year England has been invited so all very exciting. Have to sing the National Anthem on the pitch today and have to confess that I only know the first verse!!

Met up with Volker and his wife for a meal last night. Volker was my boss and head chef over here in Surfers Paradise when I worked here over 20 years ago. The whole area has changed dramatically but still beautiful beaches.

Surfers Paradise

Can't really name the days because not really sure what day it is!!
We all managed to have about 12 hours sleep last night which has helped because it was pretty much the day from hell yesterday.

Landed in torrential rain and it continued all day.
First training session on Aussie soil was in a rain jacket!!

Fortunately the sun is out today and we are off for a drive to the beach and have a look around.
Will try and upload some photos when I have time to read all the instructions thanks to Hugh for his patience.

Singapore Airport

5 tired people in Singapore airport  xx

George has just come home after his last day at St.Edmunds with his shirt signed by all his friends

Thursday 14th July. D-day!

The day has finally arrived and stress levels are running high.
Busy finding chargers and 'sinking' items onto iPad.
In fact this whole iPad thing has taken hours!

T-1

Oh my word....leaving tomorrow and no where near ready.
Got another full day of business which does not include packing so looks like another late night! Who knows, I may even enjoy a long flight of sitting,sleeping and being fed. Sounds like my ideal day. Oh hang on, I was forgetting that I will be sitting next to my children. Maybe I can get on the flight late and then we will all have to sit apart!!! Did I say that??

T-3

Ok stress levels are getting higher however....am now waxed to perfection(thanks Jo)and nails look fab, so who cares about packing..Aaaagh!!

Sunday T -4

Just had a BBQ and had a few lessons on how to use a blog, how to use an iPad and am now all learned out!!