Hey Mel Happy Valentine's Day! Thailand sounds amazing, can't wait to visit a sparkly temple. I'm glad to see you read up on the political and historical backgrounds of the places you would be visiting in Thailand. Well done! It sounds really cool, hope there are just as fun activities to do in phuket. I'm looking forward to getting mum on a rickshaw and bartering for those cheap clothes. Anyway hope you enjoyed Valentine's day, hope it was ok with all those couples on your tour. As yet i have no valentine's gifts but am hoping Nick might have rustled me up a card by this evening! He just found out he is going to be working on university challenge as of monday - who is the uber geek now! Hope to speak to you soon, keep the updates on Thailand going if you can and post some piccies - it's making me dead excited about coming over! Lots of Love Michelle xxxx

Hi mel hope your having a good time looking at the photo's you are. lost my email address for a while but got it back now. my house is completely finished now thank god!!!!!!! spek to you soon i have sent you a valantine's card let me just check your address 1 Thailand road Thailand city Thailand love chris x x x x

Hi Mel, I did email you, but I don't know if you got it, was having a few email issues at work, was just thanking you for the text messages, even though they made me so jealous! Anyway, just letting you know I am really enjoying your journal, making me laugh out loud (think work think I am on something!!!!) Looking forward to reading your stories on Bangkok...... Take care... Amy xxx

Michelle - Congratulations on winning a prize for your degree! This does officially mean you are an uber geek and I no longer have even the slightest shread of respect for you left!! Nice one on the 50 quid though! Maybe now you have a super duper special degree with prizes and numerous letters after your name you could put it to use and get super duper high paid job and pay for me to continue my world travels!! Then and only then will I love you enough to call you my sister again! Let me know how it goes Mel: your less educated but better travelled little sister!!!

Hey Mel Sounds like you are having a wicked time in New Zealand you party animal. Are you sure you were not still drunk when you posted your journal entries - not sure I would have included so much detailed info about my drunken antics on a website my grandparents may gain access to! God knows what info you have descided to censor. New Zealand looks awesome and you have some cool pictures - Nick was impressed with your artistic abilities. Great photos of the bungee jump - looks terrifying. Tried on all my summer clothes for Thailand this weekend and have made a list of things to take, things to buy and things to do. My organisational skills rock! Also have some exciting news - I have won a prize for my Masters for being generally excellent so 50 pound is winging its way in the post to me courtesy of the university. Although it should be borne in mind that I paid them 3,085 pound for the privilege of doing the bloody thing so 50 pound is really the least they could do! Pretty cool still though huh? Hope you enjoy the rest of the time in New Zealand (make sure you don't forget any of my presents in the quest to rid your rucksack of precious kilos!) Missing you lots, can't believe I've only spoken to you about twice since october - you have been officially rubbish at making phone contact but your website kind of makes up for it i suppose! See you soon, lots of love Michelle xxxx

hi! how's the hearing now?? hope your ears have cleared a bit since the dive!! hope the bungee jump went ok as well, looking forward to hearing about it in your next entry! nothing much to update from this end really, had a bit of time off work recently so just been bumming round doing nothing and laying in bed for as long as possible, its been great!!! smithy's just jumped up on my lap and is trying to hit the keyboard with his paws so i think he's trying to say hello!!!!!!! hope your still having the time of your life, which i'm sure you are! think of us stuck here in the delightful aylesbury, missing you! take care, lots of love, olivia xx xx

Hi Melon , the dive sounded fantastic dont know if i could have done it i would have been scared!!! but sounds like your in a fun place at the mo - not much to update u on here the usual stuff snowed last week then it went now its mild again!!! went out woth work and saw your mummy was lovely to see her have told her will be sending lots of pics of Olivia over with her and claire so u can see her. only 2 weeks left of work yay!!!!! so busy the next few weeks passing all my stuff over, cant weait until yor back make sure you come round as soon as u can, miss u xxxxxxxx

Hi All Sorry I have not updated since Auckland - I have been to several places since - and have kept my paper journal fully up to date so when I get the chance I will spend an hour or so on the internet updating this website with pics and journal entries! Having an awesome time - New Zealand is gorgeous! Hope everyone is okay - heard about the snow - although I am slightly jealous I am pretty sure it is already a slush! Mel

Mel's Mum - how much did you have to drink - underwater fireman?! And next time please introduce your nice new friends to Claire. Re: the mars bar, I shouldn't worry too much about it, it will never get past Claire anyway! Guess I should leave a message for Mel too - hope you're enjoying New Zealand, have you been to stinky Roturua yet? Julia xx

What can I say, I get excited about going on holiday. Unfortunately I don't know to the minute, I am not clever enough to work that out in my head!! For your info it is now 5 weeks and 6 days (as if you both didn't already know)!! Also why was I not introduced to the fireman and fighter pilot?

Erm excuse me Michelle but if I could correct some of that - Claire is the one who knows exactly to the minute how long until our hols - i however must confess to having tried on bikinis and cropped trousers and looked through the NEXT Spring Summer catalogue as soon as it dropped through the door to choose some more holiday clothes!!!! You are however being honest about the flipping weather. Melanie - It was good to chat the other night and I am glad that you have got to NZ and are keeping up your standards of cleanliness with your clothes! Can I assume that the ones you have sent back will arrive unwashed!!!! I hope the KIWI experience is going well and you have met some new friends. Julia's Mars Bar is a 'work in progress' it's just so hard getting it from the shop -> home -> to Claire -> to Julia - but i will persevere. I went to Prezzo and then Chicagos and eventually the Brickies on Friday night. Funnily enough it wasn't until I ducked out the back of Chicagos that I managed to lose the Orion crowd who all seemed to be stalking me all night - I mean turning up at one venue was one thing but two ----- no really it was lovely to see them they were on their Christmas 'do' (no.2) and I was out with work as Nicky is going travelling for 6 months starting in Nepal. Zoe looks really well despite being very very pregnant and they all looked very glam (well Andrew did have an orange shirt on but I don't want to upset him as he is mending computer). Anyway I got talking to two lads in Chicagos - one was an under water fireman and the other a fighter pilot!!! that was the point I left. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures in New Zealand. Lots of love - Mum xxx

Hi Melanie Glad to hear you landed safely in New Zealand and that you are raring to go and discover yet another country. Your photos all look good, was especially excited about you finding nemo in sydney! I am sat at work bored and waiting for a client. Can't wait for the weeked, 5 day weeks after the luxury of christmas and new year are taking me a while to get back into. It is really windy here, the blind is blowing open in my room even though the window is shut and had to get off my bike and walk halfway to work this morning as it was so blowy. Apparantly the forecast is more storms, plummeting temperatures and freezing fog. All of which I am really looking forward to. I might have to revoke nick's use of my car for the forseeable future! Take care and hope you enjoy New Zealand. Mum (and Claire actually!) have already started the countdown to Thailand but as that would be wishing your trip away I am refusing to participate in this activity. Although cannot promise that I will not cave under the mounting pressure I am sure to experience! Lots of love Michelle xxx