I had discovered a place running outdoor circuit training when Rowena and I went to get some sandwiches on Thursday for lunch. So at 6.20am I headed down the road to give my body a blast, circuit training is always a killer but there is nothing better for a good all round fitness hit. After filling in a few forms we all given a piece of equipment and wondered up to some outdoor courts in the park. There was a real mix of people there from rather large people to a few guys who were personal trainers at the gym, but the majority were in between. When we got started we had to get into groups of four, so we the guys headed off to the first station, I followed them and joined their four, it ... read more

After breakfast I took my suitcase down to reception to be stored until later, and checked out. Unsurprisingly my wet clothes were still soaked, so they were in a separate carrier bag, and even after stuffing my shoes with newspaper last night they still weren’t dry so I had to don on the flip flops. Luckily today it was only light rain, but I had to be careful not to slip on the wet and rather slippy streets of Sydney! I spent the morning absorbing the Sydney vibe, which had now changed to a working city rather than one of hosting the festivities over the weekend, it was still a lovely atmosphere and a lot calmer and more relaxed than London. I dipped in and out of some of the free museums including the Mint, the ... read more

Up at 8am and was greeted with very grey skies and moderate rain……hmmmm quite a contrast from yesterday’s scorching sunshine. Donned on the shorts, vest top and picked up my light weight hooded jacket. Undeterred by the weather I caught the ferry to Manly, and sat outside on the deck with 15 or so other people. Throughout the 40min journeys, slowly person by person started disappearing inside until only a couple on the row behind me and I were left. By this time the wind really was biting, even with me jacket zipped up and the rain was horizontal into my face. I stuck it out though, talking in the cloudy but pretty scenery as we passed the city and Manly came into sight. I picked up a map from tourist information when I arrived, and ... read more

Surprisingly with the limited sleep I wake up feeling fairly refreshed and excited to explore Sydney. I devoured the free breakfast the hostel provides – a bowl of cornflakes and toast if you want it, chatted to some of the other backpackers staying, and then headed into the city to the free walking tour of the city which came highly recommended by Jade. I am staying right in central Sydney, so everything is close, with Hyde Park (yes they steal all our names) a 10min walk, 20 mins walk to Circluar Quay where the Opera house is located and 30mins to Darling harbour. I was tad early for the tour so I wandered down the street we were to meeting on, which was lined with a massive Gucci, Prada and other designer stores. The streets of ... read more

Sitting in my inbox this morning was an email informing me ‘less than 48hours until the race!’. This made me rather nervous, but I know I can swim the distance and it will be a great way to document Sydney so I concentrate on everything I need to get ready before flying out. Work today was varied and very enjoyable. A mix of; continuing to write my plan of operations, soil analysis, humus testing and analysing compost tea samples which have been treated with different fertilisers. Home time rolled round in a blink of an eye, and my weekend and adventure to Sydney had now begun. I received a text informing me my flight had been delayed by 40mins, so when I got home it gave me a bit more time to finish packing and sort ... read more