You won’t need a coat.

It had to come. Years in the planning. Over in six days. From rocking around the Rocks to paddling in the Aussie Pacific to elbowing our way around the Blue Mountains in a juggernaut to a tearful farewell at Katoomba Station. We are back on our own. But before that we had more tour highlights with a quick walking tour around Katoomba after vacating our wonderful digs and breakfast at a rather cool coffee shop called Tempus which like our own Merchant Hotel was originally a bank. The original safe still in place. From there we revisited the Carrington Hotel and then through the Cellars and Deli where we visited the original cellar. Apparently this building also was the venue for a brothel and you could see where the carriages of the clientele were parked if you get my drift. Anyway we had to hasten Steven on as he got into a discussion with another local about a secret tunnel that may or may not have existed back in the day. We eventually made it to station and bade e to S&S and Mrs Verno had a tear in her eye as the train left. Susan was planning to visit N.I. In a few weeks time but the kerfuffle in the Middle East had put paid to that. A great shame. The journey into Sydney passed uneventfully and I used the time to compose the previous edition of this tome. On arrival we relied on the assistance of a helpful police man to point us towards the light rail stop at Haymarket and within 20 minutes we were checked in a resplendent in quite a generously proportioned room. I would love to know who is paying for all this. When I find out I’ll be sure to thank them. We had a wee sleep and emerged from the hotel to find a shop called Chemist Warehouse to buy some Dove soap having left one of ours behind in Singapore. That’s a line guaranteed to elicit sympathy. We returned to the hotel and then re-emerged just in time for an almighty deluge to hit Sydney. That was that then. Tea was had in the hotel and by that time the rain had subsided enough for a quick sally to Darling Harbour. Cannot wait to see it in daylight but it looked quite good at night. We were the only folks with jackets on despite the drizzle. The fact that we were melted with even the thinnest of jackets on might explain why no-one else was similarly attired. We returned to the hotel in time for Mrs Verno to find a substitute for a Singapore Sling which to her credit she stoically succeeded in, twice. Hats off to her. Bedtime now and the plan for tomorrow is to investigate Darling harbour and possibly the Maritime Museum and walk to the Opera House. As always we’ll keep you posted.