I have heard rumors that it is really hot and sunny in Australia. So far it has been cool and rainy. We have not seen the sun in 4 days. None of us brought cold weather clothes, so we have been wearing our only long sleeve t-shirts and socks for a few days now. At least yesterday the rain held off, but today it has been relentless. We hear that sometime during the weekend the sun is going to make an appearance and the temperatures are going to approach 30 degrees Celsius. We cannot wait. Anne and Rob keep telling us that February is
the hottest month of the year here.

We did not let a little rain stop us. We borrowed jackets and bought cheap umbrellas and set off to explore Manley. Rob and Anne's Holiday House is on the Bay side of Manly. About 4 blocks the other direction is the ocean side. There is really cute walking area that connects the two. We walked along looking in the shops until we reached the beach. There is a foot path that wraps around the cove so we walked to the end to spot called Shelly Beach. Along the walk there are pewter statues integrated into the sandstone cliff that were quite clever. Conveniently placed at the beach at the end was a coffee shop with a covered deck so we had coffee and tea and sat out of the rain for a while.

We walked back along the path and stopped in this really funky restaurant called Manly Wine. It is over the top tacky and nothing matches but somehow it all works. We had a cocktail and decided that we should go pick up lunch back in the shopping district and head back to home base. The rain was getting worse so we decided to give up for today. Rob and Anne love
Australian meat pies and really wanted Ryan and Eric to try them so they went to their favorite stand and ordered pies while Lesley and I got Spring Rolls and Salads from the deli across the street.

We went back to the condo and watched the boats and drank wine and listened to Rob’s music. We all shared stories of our previous travels from around the world. It was quite a pleasant afternoon. Lesley and Anne went downstairs to the market late in the afternoon and bought oysters, fish and salad for dinner. We had a feast. I was so happy to have a proper salad. It was pretty much non-existent in Fiji and most menu’s we have seen in Australia only have Caesar salad. Those of you that know me well know I love salad and eat it 2 – 3 times per day. I was having some serious withdrawals until Anne and Lesley hooked me up.

Thank You Rob and Anne for your hospitality and for sharing your views with us. It has been
wonderful getting to know you. You are very generous hosts and we appreciate you and your beautiful condo more than words can express. Cheers!