Standing upside down on the other side of the world

So, we made it. We jumped on our last flight yesterday and arrived in Sydney at 2pm yesterday. We got a cab + Dave was loving the familiarity of being able to tell the cabbie where we were going and give directions.

We're spending our first two weeks in Lilyfield, in the Western suburbs, with lovely friends Lou + Gid (who put us up when we came on hols in March), while we look for a house to rent. A quick look at the rental market online and it seemed all of the lovely houses, recently advertised, have disappeared and only rubbish ones left. But isn't that always the way when you first start looking for a job / house etc?

However, it did send me into my first 'wobble' over what we were doing. All those questions about why, excatly, have we left our nice flat, cat, good jobs and our family + friends to live on the other side of the world? I dealt with it like any problem and had a nap, waking up at Pimms o'clock (courtesy of Lou) and felt much better. A lovely meal, some fizz and some good chat sorted me out even more. I'm sure there will be lots of that for both of us... so keep those emails and facebook comments coming. They really do pick you up when you're away from home.

Day 2 and we're up early, continuing the house hunt. We've got a busy day today - starting with making use of the 50m outdoor swimming pool down the road. I, for one, need some exercise as have turned into a sloth that requires 16 hours of sleep a day and can only move at a snail's pace. Then we're meeting my mum's pal for lunch and going on a serious shoppping mission for phones, computers and clothes. Our shipment doesn't arrive for another month so neither of us have work clothes.

I hear that the UK is enjoying a lovely September weather-wise. Here, it is blue skies and a very pleasant temperature. Very nice after being freezing in Santiago and soaked in New Zealand.

One final girlie comment... I raided NZ's duty free for Clinique products. Nine weeks on the road and my face had turned into sandpaper. One night of Clinique love and it's starting to return to its former self. My mission now (apart from finding a good curry house in Sydney) is to find a shop that sells Elemis. If I don't succeed, I may request a shipment to be sent from one of my London pals. Tomorrow, I'm also going in search of a hairdresser and to take Morag up on that lovely leaving present she got me... a pedicure. Thanks, hon x

x