Life in Hornsby

Greetings friends....

Thanks for the sweet notes. You have no idea how happy they made me. I apologize for the delay in catching up but I haven't been able to access my blog. I'm sitting in an internet cafe at the Hornsby Mall. It's Thursday, so it's open late.

Ok, I'll quickly update you. The plane ride was excruciatingly long which was expected. Once I got to Hornsby, it was a chore to stay awake but I did. Diana had her first day at Barker so it was good to see one another. I reported for duty yesterday morning and it's been a whirlwind ever since. The people at Barker are truly warm and inviting and have made me feel right at home. I even have my own desk in the History Department. Cool, huh? They are actually going to make me work next week and I'm thrilled about that. I've learned so much about their culture and their interests over the last two days. Did I mention the fact that I'd already taken about 200 pictures?

Australia is a beautiful place. The weather was warm the first day and has gradually cooled off. Our sweaters are coming in handy. This weekend we are going to take the train into Sydney and do some sightseeing and shopping. Our apartment is lovely. We each have a bedroom and a bath and share an amazing wraparound balcony. It's such a nice home away from home.

I'm having so much fun and meeting so many new friends. I can already tell that it's going to be difficult to leave. Take care, don't work too hard, get some rest and be sure to check back. Again, thanks for the kind words; you guys are so special to me. I'll write again when I get a chance.

Til then...
Ann

Anticipation

The countdown begins! Four hours until I leave for the airport. Six weeks is a long time to be away from home. Packing for such weather extremes has also been interesting. The only attention Hawaii gets in the suitcase is a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, a swimsuit and slippers. Thank goodness, there's a WalMart in Hilo. All the flight, train and b&b reservations have been made. My suitcases weigh in at 49.8 pounds each and I have enough magnets, pins calendars and books to share with most of Hornsby. I keep thinking how much less weight there will be on the way back.

My next entry will be from Waitara. Diana should be there by now and hopefully, introductions with my new Barker friends will be only hours away.

Take care my friends and hopefully, I'll have lots of "goodies" to post.

Til next time,
Ann