On Thursday, leaving my mum to sleep off any jet lag, I went to work early. I was so tired I was falling asleep on my feet, but I'd already made my first plan for that evening - surprise number one, if you like. By the time I finished work I had just long enough to get home, shower and change before heading straight out again - I was taking my mum to see a little known operetta, The Gypsy Princess, at Sydney Opera House. Despite my anxieties that we wouldn't make it on time - the lady who sold me tickets had warned me there would be no late admittance - we were fine. I'd never been to the Opera House before and it was quite an experience. The theatre itself was surprisingly small, but the production was enchanting. It was a lightweight romantic musical with fantastic costumes and sets. We both love a song and a dance, and it reminded me of being in school musicals. The moonlit view across the harbour during the interval was almost as magical as the show itself, and we both agreed it was a wonderful evening.  

Unfortunately I had to be at work early the next day. I'm starting to find this burning the candle at both ends business pretty exhausting. Still, I impressed myself by refusing to host - I do value my feet - so it was a pretty painless day. In the evening I took my mum to Darling Harbour to see if she'd be enjoy it as much as I do. She agreed with my that it was a lovely, lively area. We ate a cheap meal of moussaka and pasta, as my mum was suffering from what she called 'day two sickness'. After that we took an evening stroll round the city, only to be beaten eventually by the viciously heavy rain.  

On Saturday morning I had to drag myself into work again, although I was kept going by the prospect of a couple of days off. Besides, that night was one of the biggest nights in the Sydney calendar - the Mardi Gras! I finished work early, which was fantastic because it gave me time to buy a picnic and a box of wine before meeting my mum. From my months here I've learnt to come well-prepared for all big occasions. We headed down to the parade route pretty early so there'd be a chance of us actully seeing it, rather than just the backs of heads. For anyone who doesn't know, Sydney Mardi Gras involves one of the biggest gay and lesbian parades in the world. Thousand of people turn out to watch, dress up and generally go crazy for the weekend. We settled down with our wine, acquired some spangly headbands and enjoyed the parade. It was a fantastically colourful collection with highlights ranging from the in-your-face dykes on bikes through well co-ordinated dancers, the strongly cheered police section and some topless women on stilts who'd painted themselves green.  It was a great evening, but one of those you definitely had to be there for, because of the tremendous atmosphere. Everybody was so friendly and all around there were rainbow flags, outrageous costumes, flying ticker-tape and exploding fireworks. Not an evening we'll be able to forget easily.  

I woke up at the Dive Hotel, which I cannot praise highly enough. It has funky, spacious rooms, a homely feel, a great location and a communal breakfast, all of which really sets it apart from other faceless hotels. I love Sunday afternoons and this one was no exception. The sun was shining brightly, so we headed to the beach to be lazy and watch a surf competition where the contestants battled with dangerously large waves. In the evening we went out for dinner at Pacific Seafood Restaurant in Coogee. Before I left, Brian told me to eat swordfish for him, so I thought it would be rude not to. For those who have never tried it, it's a meaty fish which tastes almost like smoked chicken! My mum had barramundi, which was more like fish and chip shop haddock, but it was all delicious. We also went all-out with dessert and coffee, so that I could give a really professional opinion of the place. I would say it does lovely meals which aren't too pricey, and if you like fish you'll love this place. Now I feel like a young female Michael Winner (or the Guardian equivalent..!)

That night, a raging storm kept us awake which was unfortunate as Monday was the day of my second surprise - a Wonderbus day tour which included a dolphin-watching cruise and the Hunter Valley. We almost decided not to go, but somehow made it to Circular Quay for 7am - 30 minutes late. It didn't matter though because our Wonderbus (the wonder is how it gets anywhere...) was late too. Despite driving at breakneck speed in a bus with the world's worst suspension we still managed to arrive late at Port Stephens, where we boarded a catamaran in an attempt to see some dolphins. The captain seemed a little pessimistic about our chances, but towards the end of the day we were rewarded with the beautiful sight of two mother and baby bottlenoses arching gracefully through the water with perfect synchrony. I know there are dolphins off Swanage, but they're still beautiful.

After this we made it uneventfully to Oakdale Nature Farm where we could interact with various animals from sleepy koalas to tame kangaroos, vicious emus and a goat by the name of Billy who would not stop crying when we left (look at Milly's photo gallery). There were five entertaining and outspoken gay men on our bus, and they adopted Billy as their mascot. Our last stop was the Hunter Valley and this was where our driver got hopelessly confused - and my mum ended up helping him with directions. By the time we'd driven all round the area we had about 10 minutes in a couple of estates before being shepherded back onto the bus again. The driver was teased something awful all the way back, but at least it made for an amusing and again unforgettable day. It also made me decide against trying any more tours of this type, as all I wanted to do was to have a relaxed stroll round the vineries, which unfortunately wasn't to be...  

On Tuesday I had to rise early for work - it turned into a long day but I wasn't particularly concerned as tomorrow was surprise number three, and gave me three whole days off!  

Moving swiftly on to Wednesday's surprise - we were off on the plane to Melbourne! It's only a short flight, and the fares are brilliant at the moment. I was also really looking forward to a change of scenery from Coogee, much as I love the place. We were actually staying in St. Kilda's, which is just out of the city although easily accessible by tram - Melbourne's primary source of public transport. Neither of us were quite prepared for how hot it would be compared to Sydney and at first we were disheartened, especially as the beach at St Kilda's was nothing to write home about. Then we headed for the Royal Botanical Gardens, complete with fruit bats exactly like the one in Sydney, and simply relaxed in the shade under a big tree. After this we felt inspired to explore, and found that Melbourne is absolutely lovely. We walked beside the wide Yarra River with its many active rowers stopping at the giant Southbank plaza for a smoothie. Just on the opposite side of the river lay central Melbourne, with its interesting skyline and grid street layout (look at Milly's photo gallery). We wandered around the city simply looking about before heading home to try and find some dinner. Eventually we decided all we wanted was fruit and wine and I was very pleased to return to our apartment for food and a shower - long may these work-free, sunny days last!

Until next week, Milly