Victoria has resigned

(from her job), and four weeks from now she will be leading a life of leisure/ adventure!

The plan is – drive though Australia to Darwin, plane to East Timor, and from then on use any available means (except air travel) to get ourselves to Dublin. A very rough itinerary is East Timor – Indonesia – Malaysia – Thailand? / Cambodia? / Laos? - Vietnam – China – Russia – Ukraine – TBA – London – Dublin.

I am slowly getting excited, but there is still a lot to do before we leave. More for Tim than for me (he has to move house to Gippsland), but still I am slightly stressed. 5 weeks before we leave...

No seriously - what is it with Germans?

in the same week, I see two articles related to their love of getting their gear off:

Tourists arrested for stripping off at airport
February 4, 2009
Two German tourists have been detained for taking their clothes off in the lobby of a Brazilian airport.
http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/tourists-arrested-for-stripping-off-at-airport-20090204-7x69.html

Crackdown on nude hikers
February 12, 2009
Naked mountain hikers in the Swiss canton of Appenzell-Innerrhoden will in future face on the spot fines of 200 Swiss francs. A wave of naked hiking - particularly popular with German visitors - outraged people last year in the traditionally minded canton
http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/crackdown-on-nude-hikers-20090210-83co.html

Haven't they ever heard of good naked vs bad naked?

It's all happening :)

Leonard Cohen

a quick note on the Leonard Cohen concert we attended last Thursday. It was FAB! I never thought I would see him live, given that he is 75 and his last tour was when he was 60 (in his words, he was "just a crazy kid with a dream" back then :)

But luckily for me his manager stole all his money and he had to come back to work. For the better part of 3 hours he went through all his old classics (Suzanne, Partisan, The Future, Hallelujah etc). If anything his voice has become even deeper and more powerful. He also read out some songs as poetry.

Not sure if anyone else is a fan of his music, but I really enjoyed it.

Bushfire Relief Appeal

if anyone wants to help those who lost their homes to the bushfires, see here:

http://salvos.org.au/