So what's next? Locusts? Really? Months of drought. A monumental dust storm covering the eastern states, and our new WHITE boat in red dust. Then, force nines storming through the anchorage causing no end of lost sleep, then, hard on its heels, a months worth of rain in two hours. Spring in Sydney. You gotta love it.........but at least all the dust got washed off and shaping us up for a couple of weeks in Scotland.

We've yet to hear Noddy Holder screaming, "It's Christmas!!!" but you can sense it coming. Wonky, tattered white and green plastic Christmas trees have been hauled out from the basement and are now adorning all the stores. Wreaths adorn the shop fronts so, as it's still only November you're not entirely sure whether it's to mark the recent passing of a loved one or an over eager attempt to bring forward the Christmas spending spirit and have the punters spend an additional few dollars for a gingerbread flavoured Coffee. (Why not just have a big slice of gingerbread with your coffee. Never quite got that one). Big street signs in Avalon are telling everyone that "Carols on the Beach" next Saturday. Avalon is a stones throw from the set of Home & Away, so maybe Carol is one of the stars.

While all this is going on we've managed, with a lot of heavy lifting from Paddy and Carolyn, to move our cardboard mountain from their garage to Time Bandit. Somehow, we've managed to make it all disappear in cupboards, lockers, under the floors and charity shops and assorted dumpsters. It's not too bad, our back steps aren't quite awash but we do need another week or so to thin out the stuff and discretely fill more dumpsters with the absolutely essential crap we've hauled half way round the world and haven't seen, let alone used for the last ten years.

But there's time for that. Meanwhile, moored off Sydney Zoo, awaiting the nighttime growls of the big cats we choke down another Pinot with the sun setting behind the Opera House.

Dust storms. Rain. Force nines. In the end, it's all worth it.