No March 31

As a consultant, March 31 is the most stress-inducing date of my work year. It is the fiscal year end for all the government agencies that I usually work for so everything is due all at once. But this year things are a bit different. Not only did I have to get all my work finished up 'early' to be ready for our departure, our flight to Australia took us across the International Date Line so we lost a day. Depart Vancouver March 30 – arrive Sydney April 1. No March 31 for me this year!

The flight to Sydney was smooth and surprisingly quick – considering it was 15 ½ hours. Eat, movie, sleep, movie, eat, arrive. Simple. My sister Jacquie and niece Emily met us at the airport. The drive through the city took us over the Sydney Bridge, past the Opera House and multiple small harbours full of neatly positioned sail boats. Sydney is much like Vancouver – a city build up around an extensive network of coves and inlets – only tropical.

Bryan, Ben and Douglas waited for our arrival. (Family take note -Doug is now taller that Bryan). Sitting on the deck at Jacquie's house we watched sulphur-crested cockatoos and lorikeets circle the neighbourhood. A warm night in a lush a garden with a few bottles of Australian wine.