There will be time for one last breakfast and a lingering look at The Bridge and The Opera House, before we head to the airport. You know what? The splendid Lionheart picked us up in Rose Bay (home of one of my fave restaurants in the world, Catalina ) then off we cruised. Kerry always accused him of “batting above his average” when he married me. This is a family who Latest first met back in the 1970’s when he was the overseas player for a local cricket club, Essendon. I’ll spare all the fli... February 19, 2019       Brett and I made it to Melbourne! Earlier this year, I took him on his very first London bus as we were heading for a wedding in Islington. Safely, The England management go big on “taking the positives” out of every performance. Cottesloe Beach to be precise. There was also a text from Latest offering me tomorrow’s TMS lunch guest, Piers Morgan, as compensation for the missed opportunity with HJ. He survived Cyclone Tracy all those years ago by hanging onto his toilet bowl for two and a half hours. In all fairness, when we moved into our current hotel on New Years Eve, I didn’t even contemplate complaining about our room. Segways are those machines that look rather like pogo sticks with two wheels and people balanced, Today I got back on the horse. Selfies with quokkas - double yes! But we are actually here for the cricket, and I can tell that Latest has had enough pontificating about Finn v Rankin, and whether Delta will be in the gym again tomorrow morning…he’s ready for the Ashes to begin. This suburb is also known as ” Double Pay” and one glance at the seriously exclusive shops tells you all you need to know; I understand Nicole Kidman used to live in this area. Shortly after that embarrassing meeting, we heard a cheery “morning Aggers” from one of his local twitter followers, followed almost immediately by coming face to face with Michael Bevan. Of course, Latest wanted to inspect the Adelaide Oval. These funny looking birds, which he bangs on about incessantly during his commentary, turn out to be as big a nuisance as pigeons and rats back at home! Well, Jeremy – the fantastic chef at Hapuku Lodge – dispatched us with an amazing looking chocolate creation. It’s been fun; splendid food and wine, catching up with old friends, naughty days and nights with girlfriends, shopping. We were chatting with them and one was from Michigan! Captain Jason had some wonderfully laconic stories to tell during the cruise, and was also a mine of information; for instance, that small area represents 20% of New Zealand’s total coastline. Now without wishing to sound neurotic, you dismiss sharks at your peril in this part of the world. I don’t know what it’s like in your house; Latest has many talents like commentating (obviously) and booking cheap flights (very handy) and he’s a whizz with anything gadget-wise. All. Some years ago, in an attempt to ward off a mid life crisis, he and a doctor friend decided to learn to fly. And now where was that better demonstrated when we arrived at our hotel which was awash with both the Pakastani and Irish teams and their supporters, and with the delightful WAGS of the Irish team holding court with copious glasses of bubbles. So, when he staggered through the door after a day working in those blistering temperatures and having suffered so much ribbing from his Australian colleagues that he looked as though he had lockjaw from his forced smile, he just collapsed on the bed. So last night, when Latest pompously said ” The Elephant pub in Cinema Square my good man”, and the cabbie looked blank, it didn’t augur well for a good evening. What isn’t considered is just how hard it is to leave behind the family and those creature comforts we take for granted. What a tragedy his life ended at the hands of pirates. Whether that place was a slum or a swamp did not make much difference. Of course, he’d asked me for cash before he even headed to Heathrow (as they do), muttering something about Duty Free essentials (fags/vodka I assume). It’s a place one would as “picturesque but sleepy” and therefore somewhat surprisingly there were TV crews and crowds gathering on the waterfront. We saw more dolphins on our journey of about ten miles out to sea. Latest came back VERY pleased with himself – he’d flown down to Fremantle and over Rottenest Island. In Brisbane our day starts early – it gets light around 4am and as both of us are still struggling a bit with the jet lag, and I’m a terrible Insomniac at the best of times, we are up by 5. Never let it be said that a travel day is a dull day – in fact, it’s been very much one of ‘those’ days! I spent a good deal of window shopping for said pearls yesterday and now understand what to look for in terms of size, shape, lustre, inclusions etc etc. Tonight Latest will be chairing another supporters forum; last night he hosted Vic Marks, Mike Selvey along with a boisterous former Aussie player, Greg Matthews. There was also an embarrassing quarter of an hour when Jonathan had to broadcast on the Australian radio network, with the presenter clearly urging Jonathan to rip the entire team apart within their earshot. So the pilots and guides really need to time the trips to perfection  -and you need some luck. A pleasant morning by the pool with a group of cricket widows seemed a good alternative. A stroll down the market stalls involved much trying on of sundresses but – hold the front page – NO PURCHASES! He certainly knows how to show a girl a good time.So back to the cricket – what an exciting day. Of course 99.9% of the time it’s a wonderful privilege to stay in nice hotels in some of the greatest cities in the world. Luckily, the final elderly passenger was just being helped off the plane, so he grabbed the parcels and returned in time to haul his (overweight) suitcases off the carousel. Then, on our return, we found another supporter, Kevin, wrestling with the intricacies of the machines. There were a number of positive notes though; firstly, the enthusiasm of the Sri Lankans was a joy to see..,singing,dancing and playing the drums all day. I know what you’re all thinking; aren’t we honoured?! 49) The best view of Australia is from the left hand window seat flying into Sydney; if the wind direction is right, you get a stonking view of the Harbour. A great train trip should be on everyone’s bucket list – apparently through the Rockies is fabulous too. I think I’m correct in saying we have been in Perth longer than any of the other cities on this tour, and I’ve become very fond of it. Er, that’ll be all of it, everywhere. The bridge pretty much reflected the stadium; it’ll be lovely when it’s finished! Namely, the fact that your husband is away for long periods of time leading to a tidy house, the ability to eat toast in bed and control of the television remote. But a girl can have too much sun, so I hopped onto the good old Manly ferry. The toughest part of Jonathan’s job, and one he least likes doing, is interviewing the coach when the team are under such pressure. I have to say, it looked absolutely stunning from his photos. It’s a magical way to see the hundreds of thousands of people who cram onto the shoreline to be part of the celebrations  – and of course you get an unrivalled view of the firework spectacular. See you there? Good job Sir Geoffrey wasn’t there to lecture me (stick o’ rhubarb/mother’s pinny/corridor of uncertainty etc etc) but I still think I have an outside chance of selection for the game against Afghanistan on Friday. We chugged into Alice Springs ahead of schedule and trotted off to the reptile centre. And if I’m not happy, I’m going to make pretty sure HE’S not happy either! I was just checking the details when I spotted a sailing experience in the harbour. Just under 24 hours to go, and we haven’t had to open a book or have a row yet – such is the fascinating nature of this trip. An enjoyable hour was spent  wandering round the street artists who are part of the Fringe Festival. Curiously a flock of cockatoos was patrolling the ground as we finished, with their eyes on some sort of nut that had fallen from the Norfolk Pines. And it’s beginning exactly where it started; a grey, overcast Sydney. Lots of love, Gemma, and see you back in The Vale. 55) And the question I’m most frequently asked is why to I refer to Jonathan as Latest? By 10am Sunday morning I was feeling nostalgic for the frosty Vale of Belvoir. I have been thinking about the things I’ve learnt on this trip – and here’s my top 10: 1) The beautiful Marlborough Sounds make up 20% of NZ coastline. Mind you, some deliveries were clearly more essential than others – namely at one gorgeous guesthouse, where cases of wine were quickly wheeled off our vessel. for which he was fined £1000. I decided I’d head over to the city and just stroll around doing a bit of sightseeing. Don’t be fooled by this seemingly idyllic family of black swans we saw when on our bike ride – there’s every chance this is Dad and Uncle with the kids. First, there was shopping to be done- Uggs to be bought in preparation for the distinctly inclement weather back at home. They are so incredibly tame that you can get really quite close to them, and I never get over seeing these animals that are the ultimate symbol of Australia for me. The majority of our fellow travellers have been mainly Australians, who have spent a lifetime wanting to do The Ghan trip and they’ve been determined to have a party, including a couple who liked it so much they travelled both up and down with just a night in Darwin. 2) Sperm whales dive underwater for 45 minutes at a time. In the. Glenelg was our initial choice, but we’d been recommended a quieter and more laid back beach. And, just as an aside, the toilets on the beach were immaculate, which begged the question who, So here it is, the very last post from Mrs Aggers on tour. Only that didn’t come so, stumbling around, we dressed and staggered down the concrete stairwell of the fire exit. 30) Diva moment: several room changes at the hotel in Perth. As a visitor, one of the nicest ways to see Melbourne is the free Circle Tram. Have England’s cricketers had as good a day as me…then again, do I care? Dark, brooding – weighed down by probably the only thing to slow him down (his baby) – his moustache growing to the left, growing to the right. Thank you Santa! Well done everyone – MND is a wicked disease and claimed the life of my first husband. It’s fair to say our cabin is bijoux but perfectly appointed, it’s like one of those London flats when the bed folds down out of the wall and one of you has to sing very loudly when the other is on the toilet. 27) Nearest miss of the tour: NOT meeting Hugh Jackman. Unfortunately credit card security seems to be a bit erratic out here; shops and restaurants routinely fail to ask you to put in a PIN – and then your home country declines the transaction. So, in no particular order, my top 3; it’s Sydney for an iconic holiday. Dan circled the helicopter round and round, just 500 feet above the water. Knocking back the first mouthful he discovered, to his horror, that some scurrilous former guest had drunk the wine and substituted it with, We were rudely awoken this morning by that most dreaded of hotel sounds; the middle of the night fire alarm. I took a snatched photo and scurried away. Although we are a long way from The Vale, one of my closest pals arrived in Melbourne this morning. Sometime…. I was expecting the usual ” hello Blondie”; I’m never quite sure if it’s just because he can’t remember my name, or whether it’s a Yorkshire term of endearment! We’ve also been black water rafting in New Zealand (Latest had a complete sense of humour failure in his wetsuit); game viewing in Zimbabwe (he’s a whizz at spotting different types of antelope) and visited most of the wineries of the Southern Hemisphere(me on Sauvignon, him on Chardonnay). 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