What we have done in the last 2 weeks up until the 21st February

Our bedroom is now finished,the blinds were fitted today and we think they look very smart, the room looks bigger as the blinds go into the window space.
Last Thursday I went on a 6mile walk with the U3A, we were in the Teggs Nose area and it was very nice. The group are friendly and I will go most Thursdays while I am on long leave.

We cooked a 3 course meal at home on valentines day which was very tasty it was Delia Smiths Piedmont roasted peppers and focaccia, roast duck with the trimmings and then a tart with a soft macaroon filling topped with a few strawberries, it is a River Island recipe and we enjoyed a glass of wine or 2!! Other days we are trying out some new dishes, a new recipe for vegetable crumble was a big success, we will certainly have that again. Another day we made butternut squash soup and we have also made carrot, parsnip and coriander. We are certainly eating lots of veg, although we usually do. It is so nice to have the time to do extra cooking.

I am also taking the opportunity to make contact with some friends to organise meeting up.

This is all for now

Our Bedroom is Decorated (at last)

Having such a long period of leisure has finally resulted In our ticking off some of those tasks on our 'to do' list.
We spent the last week stripping out the bedroom cleaning it all up and painting it in fancy new colours.
We have now decided not to keep the tired old curtains and not to replace them with nice new ones.
The result is that an old sheet is serving us keeping our modesty intact.
We have, however, just ordered some attractive modern Venetian blinds so in 2 weeks time our modesty will be more easily protected.

And now going up t' North

We have had a busy few days with Stuart's brother Philip and seeing 3 of our grandchildren (and their parents).
When we come to see Philip we always stay at the Premier Inn at Junction 9 of the M1. Having stayed there over a dozen times we are always recognised and get greeted as friends.
This sounds a bit like we are being sponsored (extra nights free would be appreciated).
We are discussing our next task for my sabbatical - redecorating our bedroom. Stuart is suggesting a bright pea green ceiling, but he might not be being serious actually!

Driving Down M6

We are on our way to visit Stuart's brother and over the weekend we shall visit Tim, Kim and family.
Right now I am driving so to save my thumbs Stuart is doing this.
Compared to Australian roads this seems frantic, everybody trying to get there before every one else I guess (wherever there may be).
Fuel had gone up 2p per litre and there were queues because of the refinery going into receivership.
It is 5 degrees, windy and very wet at times.

Sunday in the Rain

We have now been back in the UK for 5 days now and I still have 4 months of my sabbatical to enjoy.
Our car is in the garage being repaired after the heater had stopped working. After a day of working on it the garage decided it was going to be a big job, so they have to keep it for 3 days. Fortunately they have provided us with a loan car and the work will be done under the warranty.
Despite having the loan car we travelled by bus into Macclesfield using our bus passes on Saturday. Sadly the this was not as pleasant as travelling on public transport in Perth had been.
We came home to a huge pile of post and a number of messages and that has taken a while to get through.
Stuart is happily reunited with his computer and is huddled over his keyboard keeping warm.

Back home

We arrived back home at 9.00am today on the 17th in the cold weather!
We left David and Angela's house at midday on Monday the 16th in the hot weather.
The flight was very good. We had 90 minutes at Singapore which is a fantastic airport.
Both flights were full. We went into darkness 3 hours into the journey and saw the start of the sunrise coming into into Manchester.
It is cold here and there has been a frost on the lawn all day, but at least it is clear and bright.
We feel at sixes and sevens today, have opened all the post and done some unpacking.
We had a wonderful holiday and have made some great new good friends and have met new members of my family and have got lots of happy memories.

Our last full day in Australia

We have had a busy day today. We were out by 9.30 this morning and we met Alex and Katherine and Katherine's Parents at the wedding venue. The wedding is taking place on 10/11/12.
It was very nice for us to see the venue. It is in the Swan Valley and it will be perfect for the occasion.
After a good look around and a discussion with a lady there we all went on to have a light lunch at a quirky cafe come gallery near by.
Stuart and I then had to say our goodbyes to Alex and Katherine and Katherine's Parents.
We then went to see a hotel nearby where some of the wedding guests are going to be staying.
Later we went round to have a cup of coffee with Pat and Philip and Kate, it was good to catch up with them again before our departure tomorrow.
We have now done most of our packing and David will take us to the airport about midday tomorrow.
We arrive back in Manchester at 7.30 am on the 17th, what a long journey!

We have had a wonderful time and it has been so nice to spend some time with family and friends and enjoy their company, thank you to you all.