On we go ...

After a few months' absence, I'm back in cyberspace to share the continuing journey with you. I'm now back in Portugal with my love Niki, embarking on the next stage of our travels. Over summer, when Niki spent a month with us all in Australia, it has become clear that we're going to work towards Niki joining us in Australia from next July onwards, while at the same time keeping a distinct presence in Portugal - one thing is for sure, we want to be together, in the same time zone, in the same space, breathing the same air, rather than sharing our lives through the Internet. And, needless to say, I want Tess, Yarrow and my extended family to be part of that, too.

So, for the time being, I'll be travel between Down Under and Up Yonder. For this first stint, until early November, the horses are on their own, lovingly cared for by Maxine and Jenny; the cats are being totally independent but enjoying the company of builder Red, painter Johnno, gardener Duncan, feeders Ton, Ellen and cuddlers Tess, Yarrow and Mieke (and the occassional invasion by the neighbourhood's stray Tom.

Portugal so far has been very hot and sunny - it's autumn here, right? Don't you love the subtropics? The silent warbles of Pearces Creek have made way for the noisesome noises of the city. In order to create space, Niki and I have moved around furniture and rooms and have moved the study into the Marquis (more or less hanging off the building!) giving us a view over Povoa St Adriao and the hills in the distance; the bed, much too short for the likes of me, has been temporarily dismantled to be moved to a new bedroom where Tess and Yarrow will stay when they come and stay with us in December - January; and what used to be the study is now being turned into a teen bedroom ...

I'll keep you posted again, as I did before ...