15th Dec - Bridge Climb and Bondi

The walk up the hill to the entrance to the bridge climb ended up the hardest part of the day for me. Once paid up we were kitted out and they really left nothing to chance. Everything had to be clipped onto you, the handkerchief, the baseball cap, my hair band, sunglasses they would be closed down if you dropped anything over the cars and trains below.

The actual climb was really easy, the best bit was at the start and finish when you climb ladders and emerge between train lines - I got a real fright when a train came past. I waved at the passengers - nobody waved back. The pace was really slow to give us really good opertunities to see (though not photo - no cameras allowed) the Harbour and the Opera House. No matter how many times I saw it, it is still amazing. We got a tacky certificate to say we did it - ovbiously will be framed and put on my wall beside the sky diving one.

Pauline and Mark (crazy people) went for a run around the botanic gardens - I had lunch. Then we took the bus with all the other British tourists (the bus was full of us) to the famous Bondi Beach. We had been told it was a bit of a dump, and is much more built up than you ever see on TV, but isn't really that bad. We stripped off to our bikinkis and lay down and while the sun was out it was really nice, as soon as the sun went behind a cloud it was freezing, made all the colder by the cold air coming off the Pacific Ocean. I ended up with all my clothes on, sarong wrapped around me with goose bumps all over. Pauline, made of stronger stuff, braved the cold in her persuit of 'The Tan'.

We stayed in for dinner with Jackie Mark and Alice, she used to us now - at least she doesn't cry when she see us like many a poor child. It's really nice being part of a family again, feeling like a real person.