I know for one my mum is absolutely delighted that I’m now on dry land and away from the perils of strong wind and unpredictable waters.

Cue Sydney Tornado.

In all seriousness, thank god we were on dry land. It crept up on us so quickly as we walked the coastal path from Bondi. Little did we know that after our dip in the sea we would attract the attention of a local photographer trying to capture the ferocity of the weather. Beautiful.

With Missi’s deep clean and our first day of boat maintenance out of the way I have tried to get out and about to see the sights.

 

Sydney has always been a special place for me as it’s the home of my first school, Manly High Public School. I remember catching the ‘Manly Fairy’, the commute along the beach on my envied BMX, the brown uniform, the chicken nuggets on Fridays and Veronica sticking out her tongue in Italian classes as if it were yesterday.

Early on I managed to whizz off to buy my long dreamt about trainers. It was time for my first walk/run/jog/sit on the grass in a looooooong time. What a place to do it and what a special run… 7.5km and 2 days later I still can’t walk. Perhaps more consideration should have been given to my 70ft play-pen over the last few months! I had to capture my abs (please excuse me) as I fear they won’t last. I was as shocked as you when I saw them. Turns out porridge and Nutella works a treat as does life at an angle!

I’ve already had so many special moments here. I’m hoping another onset of germs doesn’t interfere too much with the rest of the stay. My body clearly doesn’t appreciate the lack of sleep and goes a bit wild when introduced to the bacteria and viruses of the real world.

Over the coming days I plan to get festive at the Coogee Beach Christmas carols, explore the Blue Mountains, party with the sailors of the Sydney Hobart, catch up with friends, indulge in the spa and quench a thirst…