When we were in Melbourne Aaron lead us astray and we ended up in prison! Perhaps I've been hanging out in the wrong crowds lately! (See Some unexpected visitors ) Actually the tour of the old goal was really good. They have some great actors that really bring it to life and also tell the tale of Ned Kelly. http://www.oldmelbournegaol.com.au/ In the evening we went to Circus Oz - STEAMPUNK! It was a great show - very entertaining. They have some awesome clips of some of the stunts on the website below. http://show.circusoz.com/circus-oz-video.php Inside the entrance to the big top

I'm catching-up on posting some photos we took back in June (2011), when Aaron and I flew to Melbourne to meet up with our friend Sophie. She's a British friend that I met while at Penn State and she hasn't stopped travelling the world since! She's currently living in New Zealand and was visiting Melbourne for a geosciences conference, so we headed down there for a weekend to meet-up with her. Melbourne looked vaguely reminiscent of London to me... Thames and London eye? Westminster? However Melbourne is famous for it's trams We arrived a bit earlier than Sophie and checked out the art gallery and botanic gardens. Fun water feature at the entrance to the art gallery Mum - do you recognise this style? It was by the sculptor who did the people in the Mersey! I look a bit scary! The endless ladder! A gift from Switzerland!

Here's a recent news story talking about the rail project I've been working with for the past couple of months.

Some unexpected visitors 26 August 2011 Knock knock! Came a stern rapping at the door. Aaron and I looked at each other, then at our guests, who were staring back at us. We wondered who it could it be knocking on our door in the middle of the night? Our friends Jane, Frederic, Jen and Archie had come over for dinner this evening and Aaron had made his renowned signature Mexican dish. The cheddar cheese (or tasty cheese as they call it in Australia), onion and roasted red pepper enchiladas were delicious, as were the spinach and cream cheese ones. It was the first time we'd hosted four people at once and we organised the night with little time to prepare, so we asked Jen and Archie if they could bring their own chairs and cutlery with them! They kindly obliged which meant we could all sit round the table together and no-one was relegated to the sofa. After a sumptuous dinner, a couple of glasses of sangria and some great conversation, Jane and Frederic headed out, as they  had...

A couple more things I like about where we are in Sydney is that: A) We have a kitchen stocked with important implements such as a garlic press and food processor B) We're within 15 minutes walking distance of three different grocery stores and one farmer's market. Well, it was on sale but I have no idea what to do with it. In India and southeast Asia it made more economic sense to have someone else prepare your meals versus self catering. Of course that came with the baggage of the finding an eatery that didn't appear too dodgy, fending off droves of touts, deciphering a menu(if there was one), negotiating a price(if there wasn't a menu and sometimes even if there was), and investigating the mysterious fees that often appeared on the check (napkin service charges and the like). At the end of the average day, Jean and I were often quite proud of ourselves if we had managed to feed ourselves two our three times in a day and squeeze in a sight or two. In Syd...

One of the great things about Sydney is that you can hop on a train or ferry heading in just about any direction and either be at a beach or a forest within an hour. Here are some pictures we took on a jaunt north into Garigal National park back in April. Our friend Shirley met us at the park for some bush walking. Waiting for our train at Kings Cross station. I've heard "The Cross" described as being the the most insalubrious place in Sydney. So far I would have to agree. Fortunately, there are loads of more salubrious areas close at hand. Jean reveling in the salubriousness of Garigal National Park. Jean and Shirley vying for best adventurer's hat A fairly typical water/mountain/beachscape Jean and Aaron shot Aaron attempting to demonstrate the staged candid photo to Shirley and Jean still being really confused by her husband's eccentricities. Leaving the Mines of Moria. Whew! No Gandalf! Nooooo! The beginning of a string o...

 A new theory arises about Berkhamsted figure, Peter the Wild boy. ** Who was Peter the Wild Boy? ** From feral child to "human pet" at court in Georgian England, Peter the Wild Boy caused a sensation. And new analysis of his portrait solves the mystery of the genetic condition that affected him - Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome. < http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/magazine-14215171 >