Aunt Pauline Hi Ryan All good things come to an end! I hope that your last few days of freedom live up to your expectations and that you will have very happy memories of your great adventure. We wish you God Speed on your return journey and will be mightily relieved when we hear that you are safe and sound at home again as, no doubt, so will your family be. It has been really nice to have your blog to read and I hope that you have kept them all in a journal so that you can refer to them and refresh your memory in the future. For probably the last time - God Bless - have a good journey back to England, which I expect you will see with very new eyes on your return. Love and best wishes from me and Uncle Bill. xx

Aunt Pauline Hi Ryan Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year! We were pleased to receive your latest blog and to know that you have explored more of Australia. It sounds as though you really enjoyed yourself and have had more wonderful experiences - something you'll remember for the rest of your life no doubt. Here's wishing you Bon Voyage for the trip to Singapore and our hopes are that you will find some decent accommodation and enjoy good food during your stay there. Here the mad rush to get ready for Christmas is almost over, thank goodness. I'm hoping for a really quiet, peaceful, couple of days, so that I can enjoy dipping into some of the books I know I'll be getting, and listening to the CD's I asked for. Various members of the family have been to see us and brought a nice array of gift wrapped parcels - we shall enjoy examining the contents on Christmas day. I've already sampled the bottle of Asti which Cousin Garry brought for me (because I had to get him to open it for me as I can't manage to open wine bottles myself, even with a gadget to do so) - it is really nice, just how I like it. Anyway Ryan, we hope you have a really good Christmas - it will be very different I expect so we'll be interested to hear all about it in due course. Also we wish you the best of good fortune in the New Year, safe travelling and good friends. God Bless. Love from Aunt Pauline and Uncle Bill xx

Aunt Pauline It is me again. Just to say your very kind grandad came this afternoon and repaired our fencing for us. It is such a relief to see it back to normal and a big weight off our minds. Don't know what we would do without family members to come to our aid from time to time. We hope all is well with you since your last message, and the job you are now doing is more interesting than the last one. The pay will help nicely to keep you on target for funding your travels so we hope it lasts long enough to achieve your goal. Looking forward to hearing about your exploits once you are travelling again. Where will you be spending Christmas? One thing I'm certain of is that it will be different to any that's gone before. Enjoy yourself Ryan - keep fit and well. Love from Aunt Pauline and Unle Bill xx

Aunt Pauline Hello Ryan Many thanks for your email message which we were very pleased to receive. It's so nice to hear of your exploits even if you are only doing a humdrum job at present. We often wonder how your day has gone -because you are going to bed approximately as we are having our breakfast. Glad to hear that you have better accommodation too and that Computershare has kept you on for a while longer - that'll help to top up the coffers in readines for your further travels. Your grandma was thrilled to speak to you last Sunday and to be able to see you as well was an added bonus. So we heard all about it when she visited us on Tuesday morning - it quite brightened our day. I can see I shall have to explore more of the possibilities to extend the usage of my computer. We have had bonfire night both on the 5th November but also the last couple of nights. Pity someone was so short of timber for their fire that they had to take a small chunk of our fence, and the end panel of the fire station's fence too, as fodder for their fire. Now I have to find someone to do a repair job for us! Last night we watched the Royal British Legion's Service of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall - a most moving ceremony as always. Then this morning we watched again at the ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall and following march past of the veterans, amongst them was a small contingent of Australians. So many countries sent troops to help out in the conflicts of both world wars, and sadly lost loved ones, that it is right that all should be remembered. It is wet and windy here today and a touch colder again. You will probably have gathered that winter has come early this year after a pretty miserable summer. Don't know where autumn got to! Not much chance for gardening at present as the ground is very soggy. However, looking on the bright side, it's given me time to use the computer to catch up on my correspondence. Heard that you were planning to visit Ayres Rock if possible - I believe it is absolutely stunning at sunrise and sunset so I hope you can get there. Keep well, and continue to enjoy your stay in Melbourne. I take it that you've not had time to explore any of the immediate surroundings as yet! For the time being take care - God Bless. Love from me and Uncle Bill xx

Grandma I have been following your trip all the way, country by country, using Alan's old school atlas. It's been very interesting and I have been amazed at all the exciting things that you have done, I think you are very brave. Now you are having to work (ahhh). I hope you can keep on finding work and that you will be able to complete your trip. Grandad had a lovely birthday, we went out for a meal - my treat but he paid, you can't beat it. I think of you often, carry on enjoying yourself and we will see you next year. Love Grandma

Aunt Pauline Hi Ryan Hoping that no news is good news! I take it that you have arrived in Melbourne safely and am wondering if you are gainfully employed yet and if so - at what? Where are you living at present - is it clean and comfortable? Don't forget, you can also put a message on this message board addressed to those of us who are not up-to-date with current technology. Just a line to let us know that you are safe and well will suffice. I hope funds are lasting out so that you can occasionally update your blog and satisfy our curiosity! Take care. Love and best wishes from Uncle Bill and me.

Aunt Pauline Hi Ryan Once again it is time for you to move on. We hope you enjoyed touring New Zealand's south island and look forward to reading about it and seeing more photos in due course. You've certainly enjoyed trying out all the sports on offer - very brave of you! Hope you have a decent and safe journey to Australia, and that you find some employment soon so that you can live comfortably while getting your bearings. I've heard that there are plenty of job vacancies there but whether they will be to your liking is another matter. Heard too that the back-packers' hostels have mixed sex dormitories - another new experience!!! Anyway, we wish you all the best for the period of your stay there. Love from and best wishes from Uncle Bill & me.

Aunt Pauline Hi Ryan This is the second time I have typed this - the first one just would not "send". Hope I have better luck this time. Many thanks for the postcard sent from New Zealand and delivered by your Grandma - so thoughtful of you - it really made our day. I have enjoyed all your photographs which I watched on the slideshow option - an impressive record of your travels. Keep up the good work. Was your sky-dive one of sheer terror or was that a grin of delight all the way down? I'm glad that I didn't know when it was taking place or I would have no finger nails left! Heard that you have acquired a guitar; is it just for your own amusement or are you intending to try and raise more funds by busking? Whatever - enjoy making music and possibly entertaining you new friends. Did you enjoy your bus tour? Its a good way to explore a large area in a short space of time. By now you will be travelling round in a hire car to explore even more of New Zealand - I hope it hasn't disappointed you. Keep recording it on camera so that we too can enjoy some of the wonders of long distance travel. Was your shopping expedition for warmer clothes successful? How do prices compare with those back in the UK? Anyway, I hope that you are warm and comfortable now. There's not much news from Northfield except that it is another wet Sunday - otherwise I would be working in the garden! We hope that your tour of New Zealand has lived up to your expectations and that you continue to enjoy yourself. Take care - God Bless. Love and best wishes from Uncle Bill and me.

Dad Hi Ryan. glad to see you are finding the odd thing to do in New Zealand ( I now have your picture skydiving as my wallpaper ) cant wait to see the bungie jump!!! Adrian tells me you have bought a guitar on your travels ( couldn't see it as you left the aircraft ) We go back to Turkey on the 20 Sept for three weeks I know you will be in Australia before then so hope to speak to you on skype before then. I have now got a small notebook computer that i will be using to keep in touch with you while we are away. can't get the video working as yet. Take care, speak soon, Love Dad & Susan xxx

Aunt Pauline Greetings from Brum, Ryan. Hope that you had a great time on Fiji, and especially enjoyed the food, scenery etc. Guess it's about time that you are continuing your travels - New Zealand I believe - so we wish you a safe and pleasant journey again, and a really happy time exploring the country. It was your grandparents 58th anniversary yesterday - they spent it redecorating their kitchen! Love from yours truly and Uncle Bill.

dad Hi Ryan, glad to hear you have arrived safely in Fiji as far as we can work out you are now 11 hours in front of us and by the way did you miss the 31st July completely? It was great talking to you last week and even better to know what a marvelous time you are having. We are assuming the computers are better in Fiji (since you had only been there two hours before updating your blog) and we are expecting to see some photographs soon. Everything is fine here, even the sun shines occassionally. Let us know how you get on with skype but if that fails you could always use Windows live messenger. Don't get sunburned. All our love Dad & Susan

Mum Hope you've arrived safely in Fiji and that you had a good flight. Enjoy yourself over the next two weeks lazing on beaches, snorkeling/diving in clear blue waters, bike riding or hiking to the mountains. I'm not jealous! Get in touch soon. Love Mum

Aunt Pauline Hi Ryan. Glad you've enjoyed your trip to America. Looking forward to an update on your blog so that all the family can all share in your experiences. We wish you a safe and pleasant journey to your next destination. Good luck and God speed from Aunt Pauline and Uncle Bill

Dad Hi Ryan hope everything is well with you and its the fact that you are enjoying yourself so much that keeps you from updating your blog. I have tried a couple of times ringing you and as you know only managed to speak for a minute on your birthday. If you can let me have a landline number and the time you are available I would like to try that. We are back from turkey now until late september and can't belief you have only ten days left in the US. We both thank you for our birthday cards didn't realise you were so organised. Hope to speak to you soon. Love Dad & Susan

DAD Hi Ryan many happy returns of the day love Dad Sue