With spring in fill swing Jean and I have been putting aside our museum going and been hitting the trail on the weekends. A large patch of green on the map north of Sydney called Brisbane Water National Park piqued Jean’s interest some time ago. Hunting around on the Wild Walks website she discovered track notes for a hike from Wondabyne train station through the park to the town of Woy Woy.  Wondabyne is a peculiar station. First, it's located in the very heart of the National Park on the edge of a tributary of the Hawkesbury River. Second, there's no road access to the station. Catching a train here involves either walking in or getting a boat. There's no regular service stopping at the station. One must flag down a train. The third and most important fact is that you have to notify the conductor if you want to alight at Wondabyne. The platform is only half a carriage length long so you have to disembark from the last door of the last car. Jean managed

Jean and I spent last weekend in Kiama, a small coastal town 2 1/2 hours train ride south of Sydney. The area's biggest attraction is the Kiama blowhole. The blowhole is just to the left of the lighthouse The blowhole Mouth of the semi-submerged cave leading to the blowhole Water is forced up through a combination of wave action and air pressure On really good days Wikipedia tells me the water can reach heights of 80 feet. Jean and I also got in our fair share of walking over the weekend as well. Check out the slideshow below:

Three weeks after our hot water heater went out and flooded our apartment we finally got new carpet installed. Morning of carpet installation: Everything into the kitchen! So long concrete floor Overflow furniture into the bathroom O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

Came across this article on the BBC website this morning. It's good to see a cultural exchange is a two-way street. Britishisms used by Americans

Jean not so pleased about her shackling Evidence surfaced over the weekend that Jean and Aaron, recidivist itinerants and currently denizens of Sydney, have been avoiding sentencing for crimes committed during their time in the United Kingdom. The two were convicted on multiple counts including practicing statistics without a license, consuming chilled beer and participating in a five-handed game of Rummi-kub (a direct violation of Rummi-kub rules which distinctly allow a maximum of four players). The two were sentenced to 7 years transportation and hard labor at the penal colony in Sydney. Due to a dearth of convict sailing ships bound for Austral Asia and recent austerity measures the couple were released under the promise that they would travel by their own means to Sydney. However, upon arrival, instead of surrendering to the authorities for incarceration and work assignment, the two leased a small flat in the eastern suburbs and according to all accounts have been

Me in South Wales and in New South Wales! The photo on the left is from my last visit to my sister's in South Wales ... it's only taken me over a year to think about how we both currently live in South Wales!