Hope its not Grim oop North! Onto Darwin.

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I was up quite early today, so sat out in the sun to check a few emails- was great to hear from my mum, amongst others and all what's been happening back home. After a shower I packed my bags up once again, and was surprised that everything went back in ok. I don't know why as I haven't bought anything, but it's usually the way. Anyway, all packed and ready for the off, I thanked Charlie, Terry and Will for their hospitality, and Charlie drove me to South Brisbane station to get the sky train to the domestic terminal. Again it was a lovely sunny day and the train was really straightforward-like the Gatwick express but quicker.

I was flying Jet star to Darwin which is kind of like Easyjet. Got checked in no problems and had a mooch around the shops and had something to eat. Ali and I kept missing each other these past few days, and again saw a missed call off her. I called her back where she told me it was a 'cool' 29* in Darwin at the minute- can't wait!

The flight was 4.5 hours, and I arrived in Darwin at 1545- Northern Territory being 30 minutes behind where I'd just come from in Queensland. As we landed the cabin crew made the usual announcements, please keep seated until the seatbelt signs are off, keep mobile phones off until your in the terminal, and more surprisingly, please ensure you wear footwear when leaving the aircraft......( I later learned from Ali that many people here go barefoot) the heat hit me as I walked off the plane- I was very much looking forward to 2 weeks of this! 

Anyway, Ali was there to meet me at the terminal, and I wouldn't say looking fab as always, I'd say, looking better than fab in a linen dress and golden tan, and a sparkle about her-like she'd always lived here without a care in the world. It had  been 7 months since I'd last seen her for dinner in Farnborough, but in ways it only seemed like yesterday.

One of the first things I saw was an aborigine, kicking about on the side of the road. Now, I'd (rather stupidly) thought they would be in the bush wearing loin cloths, but I was to learn that those who have been effectively kicked out of their community for whatever reason, make their way into the town where the live a kind of fruitless existence, on drink and fresh air. This guy was one of them, and probably not the last I'd see during my stay.

Back at Alis, and this was a totally different place to where I had just been staying. Her house is beautiful, (not that Charlies wasn't) and I now know what she means when she says everyday she feels lucky to live here. Polished floors and open plan downstairs, it was so big and airy. Upstairs she showed me to my room- complete with balcony, what an amazing amazing house (a far cry from the married quarters of Aldershot!) however, she did show me a picture of a massive spider she'd found in her spare room (and this was a big 'un) I so hope I don't wake up with one of these near me, as I think my heart would actually fail.

We went to pick up Sam, Alis son, who had been at swimming training tonight. When they first got here he earned the nickname 'london boy' for obvious difference in accent. Now, he sounded like an Aussie with a bit of an English twang rather than the other way round! Ali showed me Darwin ( 1 road in, 3 streets and 1 road out!) and Stuart Highway- the road which takes you through the heart of Australia, outback territory and ends in South Australia- I hope I don't take a wrong turning and end up on that! We had walk along a waterfront with a few restaurants. She told me the water here was not worth swimming in due to the amount of jellyfish. 'oh' I said, ' I thought you were going to say crocodiles' she laughed and said ' those as well'.......

We went for dinner at the sailing club which was lovely. The sun had just set and we sat by the beach against a backdrop of burning red sky,it really did look so beautiful. The food was great ( I had satay chicken) and the free glass of champagne went down very well also. It was lovely to sit chatting and catching up with Ali and Sam. Chris is on exercise at the minute, in the bush somewhere, so looking forward to catching up with him when he returns on Friday. Saw my first fruit bat, which was a big looking thing, and managed to evade the flies that like to take a bite or 2 around this time of night. Back at Alis we sat out on the patio for more drink and chatting before retiring to bed at 11ish. I'd text the girls at work to say I'd arrived ok, and they replied saying to pass on regards to Ali and family. (Ange if you weren't pregnant, you'd be on the next flight out here- you, Neil and Finley will love it)xx      

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