Back in April, on a humid + rainy Sunday evening in Sydney after a mad dash home in a downpour from the Convict Museum, I met up with Stella of ShinyYoga who took me to a blissful Yin Yoga class at her studio.  As soon as I got in the car with her we chatted like we’d known each other for years.  But my time on Spider Island (as my friend Matt so lovingly calls Australia) was limited and we had so much more to talk about than could be fitted into two short car journeys so today over on her newly designed website you can read an interview she did with me.

Click here to read and let me know what you think of my new mantra!

There were other people I wish I could have spent more time with in April. The time flew by in the blink of an eye and it’s taken me months to get back into a routine here.

Dear Australia, I’ll be back…..

This is my teapot.  It’s been with me since I first went to university in 1994.  It’s seen me through many a group of friends, many an epoch and many a crisis, because after all what crisis cannot be solved by a cup of tea and a piece of cake?

On Good Friday we were in Melbourne (only the very unvigilant reader wouldn’t know that) and Svasti took us on adventures into the Dandenong Ranges.  Among other wonderful things we went to the best teashop on earth.  Seriously every kind of tea you can think of was sold there.  And every shape of teapot.  Sadly we had limited room in our baggage (what with Himself insisting on buying that bloody boomerang ) and so we had to limit ourselves to one tin of tea.

The tea we bought was a calming, de-stressing tea of cammomile flowers, lavender, oatgrass, limeflowers and St John’s Wort.

Yesterday I opened up the packet and brewed a pot up in my ancient teapot.  The delicious tea tasted even better infused as it was with 1000 memories.

If I close my eyes I can go back there.

(if any of you listen to the Archers you’ll be aware of Phoebe who spent her Easter holidays in South Africa and cannot stop going on about it.  Himself and I feel like that right now about Australia.  I cannot promise normal service just yet)

Readers, I have so much to tell you.  We are nearing the end of our truly amazing trip and the last two days in Melbourne have been perfect!

Yesterday, one of my all-time favourite bloggers proved her fabulousness by hiring a car, coming to St Kilda to pick us up and driving us into the Dandegong Ranges to see the fabulous view of Melbourne from the top of the mountain (fabulous view slightly marred by rainstorm).

The three of us then spent the rest of the day exploring some wonderfully kitschy villages filled with giftshops, crystal shops, candy stores and animals made of old oil cans….

It kind of felt like a cross between an Agatha Christie Novel and the British Seaside in the 1970s – in the best possible way.  Check this out!

So Agatha Christie-esque was it that there was even a teashop dedicated to Miss Marple herself!

This was the most popular teashop in the history of the world!  We had to wait ages for a table.  When we finally got in the cream teas were A-MAZING!!

A truly fabulous day with even better company!

And then today we did the most touristy, tacky thing that is possible to do in Melbourne…..

That’s right, we went on the Neighbours Tour!!  Now those of you who have never heard of Neighbours may just want to skip to the end.  And those Aussie readers who think the Neighbours Tour is lame just remember, it’s up there with iron ore as one of your major exports.  Plus it’s the most watched programme of all time in Britain so indulge me OK?

For an Australian Soap Opera Addict like myself this was marvellous.  First up we visited Ramsay Street and the archdemon of all time, Paul Robinson’s house (sadly I did not get to meet Paul Robinson himself).

Then we went to the studio.  Anyone who has ever watched Neighbours may recognise a few of these things!

And then I got to meet Nell Feeney who played Queen of the Bogans, Janelle Timmins.

It was hilarious, cheesy, totally tacky and the perfect end to our dream holiday!

I can’t believe how quickly these three weeks have flown by and tomorrow we set off on the epic journey back to London.  A big thank you for all those lovely bloggers who’ve taken the time to meet up with me, it has been amazing to meet you all.  I hope, dear readers, you’ve enjoyed sharing the trip with me on here!

I guess I’ll see you all on the other side!