Another room, another view

Since I last posted we have moved on a few times and are now on the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand and this is the current view from our room looking out to the Tasman Sea. After Christchurch we drove to Queenstown, where we stayed three nights. While there we had a very long day trip to Milford Sound on an exceedingly wet day. The lake was grey, visibility was poor but the waterfalls were wonderful. Afer Queenstown our next stop was Lake Wanaka - just another lake really. Then it was onto the Franz Josef Glacier, where the visibility was too poor to see the glacier. Now we are spending a night in Hokitika before travelling on to Nelson tomorrow.

Room with a view

From Singapore we travelled on to Australia. First to Melbourne then onto Sydney, where we were lucky enough to have this view from our bedroom window. In both cities we went on an open top bus tour and had a walk around the Botanic Garden, which were different. Sydney having a much hotter climate than Melbourne. Also in Melbourne we went on a boat trip along the River Yarra while in Sydney we did a harbour cruise.

From our hotel room on Melbourne's Southbank we had this view of the Melbourne sky line looking towards Flinders Street railway station.

There was something very familiar about this view and also many other parts of the city. Some of you will remember the many postings and photographs of his home city of Melbourne, which David McMahon regularly published on his authorblog blog. Having read many of his postings I felt a sense of deja vu. We have now moved on to Christchurch in New Zealand where we are seeing husband's family.

Monkey business

Un beknown to us we arrived in Singapore during the weekend of the Chinese New Year celebrations. As you will see from this floral display in the reception of our hotel we are now in the year of the monkey.    

There were celebrations going on for the Chinese New Year,but we did mot manage to see much of them. We have now moved on to our next destination.

Summer in February

Where has January gone? We are into February already. Here the in the north west of England we have snowdrops,crocus, daffodils and hellebores in flower. All earlier than usual. Probably as a result of the mild weather that we have been experiencing. We have had a few cold days and a couple of frosts, but no snow. Just a lot of rain and wind. One side of the garden has been water logged and the lawn is rather soggy, but that did not stop husband from cutting the grass last week! It must be a first,cutting the grass in January. Normally it is not warm enough to cut the grass until late March.

Part of the reason for cutting the grass is that with the mild weather, it has grown at a time of the year when it does not normally do so and it is also partly because we are about to resume our gap year, with a trip Down Under, leaving at the end of the week. We shall be away for nearly six weeks, which now seems to be a daunting prospect, although when we booked the trip last Autumn  it seemed like a good idea. As much as I want to go to see Australia and New Zealand, I am beginning to be concerned about what I shall be missing at home. The Spring flowers are starting to come out and they could well be over by the time we return home. Also I have decided that I really do not mind our cold Winter weather as long as I can dress up warm. I know that this is going to be the trip of a lifetime and it will be just that, as I do not think that I shall want to go away for such a long time again.

I do not mind flying itself, but I am not keen on long haul flights and the consequent jet lag and in order to get there, there is the small matter of the long haul flight or flights. We have two seven and a half hour flights, with a three hour transit stop over at Dubai airport, about which I have heard some horror stories - I just hope that they are not true, before we reach our stop over destination of Singapore. After three nights in Singapore we have another long haul flight down to Australia, where we shall have six nights. Then we fly to New Zealand. It is Summer down there and the temperature is between 20 and 30 degrees Centigrade, which is rather difficult to think about when the temperature here is in single figures. At least I do not have to try to pack the thick clothes that I am currently wearing.

The photograph is of Lamorna  Cove - the setting for the film Summer in February.