Wednesday 11th June
I was up at 07.30 and said goodbye to Liz & Iain before they set off for work. I took my time in packing my bag and getting myself in order. I went out for a walk along the coastal path, strolling along the clifftops about Tamarama and Bronte Beaches. It was a grey day, with the odd ray of sunshine poking through, and it was reasonably windy, but I found it to be nice and fresh and it's a good walk. Although I had a lot of time that morning, I ended up almost running down the street to catch my bus at 12.40.
I got the bus to Bondi Junction and the train from there to the airport, where my flight to Brisbane left at about 15.30. My aunt Marie-Therese and her family live in a town called Murwillumbah near the Gold Coast, about two hours drive south of Brisbane. I had made the mistake of booking a flight to Brisbane instead of the Gold Coast airport, so I had to make a ninety minute train ride from Brisbane airport to Robyn train station, where Dad and Marie-Therese were waiting to pick me up. It was great to see them both; I hadn't seen Marie-Therese in a few years, and I was glad to get the chance to visit her and some of my cousins in their home (instead of it being the other way around).
It took us about an hour to get to the McCarthy's house, and there I was reunited with Mum, who was busy preparing a roast dinner, a great thing for a traveller to behold! My cousin Brian was there, as was Marie-Therese's husband Seamus, and they all welcomed me warmly into their very nice home. I was very happy to be there and to catch up with everyone again.
