Somewhere on the east coast of Australia

On Friday, the last day of the school holidays, Rob was at work, Flo was in daycare and I had managed to swap some days and get the day off with Scarlett. We had to return Flo's cot to the Galvins in Bundeena so made a day of it with a round trip down the coast via Bundeena, onto Coalcliff and Scarborough and back to Sydney. The weather was glorious and after dropping the cot in Bundeena, we made time for coffee and some climbing frame action. You could almost sense the relief in the parents at the playground that the holidays were almost over and life could return to normal again. The drive down through the Royal National Park is pretty amazing - winding roads, spectacular ocean views poking through the gum trees, rivers, waterfalls and more. Along the way a few tiny coastal villages pop up here and there on what used to be a tricky road. A new whizz-bang skydrive has now been created and the road is held up high on supports over the ocean, wrapping around the cliffs. After a photostop at what must be one of the world's most scenic playsets, we stopped for more pictures on the skydrive before a fish and chip lunch in the incredible clifftop garden of the Scarborough Hotel. This is a pub garden like no other, with views almost all the way to NZ and no fence! We had enough time for a run on the beach at Coalcliff, complete with boulder climbing - and posing - before we had to had back to Sydney. Scarlett was thrilled to be allowed in the front seat and we made a mini Thelma and Louise team. She was great fun choosing cds, listening to the news, which she declared "all bad and not worth listening to", and chattering away at everything passing by. The school hols aren't so bad after all.



In other news, I have just finished our latest book club offering, All The Colours of the Town by Liam McIlvanney. As well as being the professor of Scottish Studies at the University of Otago in NZ, Liam is book club member Clare's brother-in-law. We normally read old classics or award-winning modern books, so this was an unknown for us all, but not an unrewarding one. Liam writes vividly about life in Ireland since the troubles and the way protestants and catholics in Glasgow are united in the cause of their compatriots across the Irish sea. Liam signed a copy of the book for each of us and is an extraordinary start for a first time author.