What a busy few days I've had!

Firstly there was the wedding - and what a wonderful day it was. It was probably the hottest day we've had since we arrived in Oz. I had stayed at Sarah's sisters the night before and spent a quiet day there while Sarah dashed around like a mad woman back in Barwon Heads and the hairdressers in Queenscliff.

We drove down to the venue in the air conditioned car and when we got out it was like a furnace. They set up the seats in the garden and it looked lovely. We had the Mistress's cottage in the grounds of the venue and I waited in there with a bottle of the wine that the venue produces.

And boy did I wait!! She was over half an hour late - not thankfully because she was having second thoughts but because her sister got lost on the way to the venue! Oh well the best things in life are always worth waiting for!

So there you are we're married!!

Good things about the day

The beautiful lady in the ivory dress

Toberlone cheesecake

Sarah's youngest daughter cracking a huge grin and saying "Hello Daddy"

Many other things too numerous to mention

Bad things - just the bloody flies.

So after staying the night in the cottage at Suma Park we flew up to Sydney on our mini honeymoon. The reason for going was to see the stage production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Lyric Theatre.

It's long been one of Sarah's favorite movies so I was looking forward to taking her and it was well worth it. I'd bought a VIP package which meant we got a goody bag with feather boa, bottle of fizz etc and included a free coctail in the Priscilla lounge - Sarah had Sex on the bus while I went for Cock in a Frock!

"A bus full of drag queens lost in the desert! Yes I know it sounds like a movie!"

The show was really good and followed the movie with a few changes - kylie replaced ABBA for example. The ping pong ball scene was there and at the end hundreds of them fell on the audience. Some of them had the logo "for external use only" on them.

No sooner had we got back from Sydney then I was out at Pauls Bucks night. I'd missed the barbie and golf but arrived in time for the meal at a German restaurant. It was an "authentic" German beer cellar but the band had an odd idea of German music as I spotted the birdie song. Una Paloma Blanca and the Loch Lomand song in there.

We had to pay $25 (£10) for unlimited beer so it got a bit messy. Sarah's brother was sick - a fact that was announced with the words "Hey the Poms spewing" I got back at 2:45 a bit the worse for wear!!

Last night we went to a carol service in a park in Geelong - carols by candlelight. It was a bit chilly and the candles kept blowing out. There was Santa and a brass band and suddenly it felt like Christmas.

Today it's Christmas and guess what we had sleet and hail this morning - just like being at home!! Coldest Christmas day in Melbourne in 150 years apparently!

Merry Christmas everyone x x

Well in the afternoon actually - about 5am UK time. Hopefully the weather will be as nice tomorrow as it was today.

I've been dispatched to Sarah's sisters house so I don't see her until the wedding. I've got my suit, the rings and all of the stuff we need for our mini honeymoon.

I went surfing today using a borrowed bodyboard. The girls were having another lesson so I thought rather than sit and watch I'd get in there and catch some waves. The surf was much more than I've experienced before in Cornwall and it was quite hard work.

At one point I got knocked over and ended up on the rocks, I found it difficult to get up and then I started to get a cramp in my leg. I thought "I can't drown, I'm getting married tomorrow". When I got to safety I discovered I'd bashed my knee to go with my cycling injury!!

Oh well - my last blog as a single man!1

The kids went surfing today - shortly after we heard reports of a shark attack off the coast - great white apparently!!!

Two days to the wedding - aaarrrrggghhh!! Sarah's dad has just arrived in Oz.

This is a beautiful place - going to be hard to come home!!

Driving down the freeway, sunglasses on, air conditioning up full blast - listening to "Last Christmas" by Wham!

It's been weird having my birthday in the sunshine! it's usually more likely to snow.

Had a good day but it's almost over down under!

arrived in Melbourne this morning but we are very jet lagged!! The house we have rented is beautiful.

second attempt!!

here I am 7500 miles from home and still only 2/3's of the way there! We are sitting at Kuala Lumpur airport waiting for a flight to Melbourne.

So what's happened so far? Well we got to Heathrow and my visa wasn't on the system so that was worrying but it eventually got sorted out.

After an agonising wait at security we were soon on the plane. The flight was nice but apart from Ben none of us got much sleep. The in flight entertainment system was good and I listened to some new music by the like Souad Massi.

However when we arrived in Kuala Lumpur Ben's pushchair has gone missing. No one knows where it is - could still be in London or in transit to Melbourne.

More later

...we go to Oz. It has seemed so far away for so long it's hard to believe it's actually here and about to happen. Yesterday was quite emotional for both of us as we spent our last day at work. Sarah had a cake, Champagne and prezzies while I got a huge card and a secret prezzie yet to be revealed. The Directors of the company are even paying for me and Sarah to go out for a meal in a nice restaurant when we get back.

Just before I left they opened a bottle of champagne which caused me to have a few tears - so soft!!

So in a few hours we're on our way. Who knows what will happen over the next few weeks but it certainly will be an adventure.

Watch out for Blogs from down under!!

Oz minus 0

Just doing the last of the packing and I inadvertently gave away where me and her are going on our mini honeymoon.

Oz minus 1

Well yesterday we had good and bad news. The ticket arrived but while we were out and a card was put through the door. So it wasn't till this morning that we got to the Post Office sorting office to pick it up. Once it was in my hands I could hardly open it due to the shaking. Thankfully after we checked it three times we decided it was ok - phew!!

We got Ozzie dollars today and bought food for the plane so all systems are go. With the weather today I'm so glad to be on our way. It was in the 100's where we are going today which was better than the thunder, lightning and torrential rain we had today - and there was a tornado a few miles up the road.

Thanks to Isadora and all those who have wished us well for our upcoming wedding.

Oz minus 3

Well it's in the post anyway and we have a Royal Mail tracking number so it should be here tomorrow or Thursday - fingers crossed. It took another stressy day to finally get it sorted out but today I sent e-mail after e-mail to the manager at the ebookers Indian call centre till he was sick of me.

They have offered compensation though!! £30 in ebookers vouchers - wow!! I spent more than that on phone calls and anyway it will be a cold day in hell before I use ebookers again.

I'm all packed as well and my bag is only 22kg so all systems are almost go. Last night we decided on the vows etc for the wedding (ones we could say without giggling!) and we confirmed the menu with the venue and booked the photographer.

Getting there slowly

Oz minus 4

Still no ticket for Ben - spent most of day stressing and on phone to ebookers. They told me they couldn't re-issue his ticket because they hadn't recieved the old one back despite the fact that it had been signed for on 29th.

It took them all day to work out that the lady who told me to send it back had given me the wrong address!!! I'm assured that it will be issued tomorrow and we will have it by Thursday - well let's hope so.

Yesterday was Christmas Pt1 and we had a lovely day. I cooked Turkey and all the trimmings. We all opened our prezzies. I got a "grow your own boobs" set from Sarah's eldest daugherD

We weighed the first suitcase today - it was 18Kg which is a good start. Mine's nearly packed but there are still 4 people to pack for.

Oz minus 6

I can't believe it - this time next week we'll be on a flight to Kuala Lumpur - well assuming that Ben's ticket turns up on time. Yes those wonderful folks at ebookers have done it again. I was told to mark the envelope "Urgent Re-issue" when I sent the tickets back.

Quite why I don't know because they got the tickets on Wednesday and did nothing for three days . I rang last night and was told there was a technical issue?!? I called back today and spoke to the woman who has been looking after us and she said they would be re-issued on Monday as the ticket office (being in Britain) doesn't work weekends!! She said they would then be posted to us - I'm holding out for a bike to my office.

So another few sleepless nights but other than that things are moving along. I finally got the last bit for my outfit - a shirt and some cufflinks. I've been looking for cufflinks for a while as I couldn't find mine which I hadn't seen since I moved out of the former matrimonial home in May 2005. I couldn't find any I liked anywhere. I asked my Dad when he came down if he had any but the ones he brought weren't me. Anyway today I bought some when I got my shirt and then I came home, went out to the garage to find mains adaptors and put my hands straight onto the cufflinks I'd been looking for

Tomorrow is Christmas day!! Ages ago we decided to invite Sarah's Nan round for Christmas dinner as she wouldn't see most of her family over the holidays as we would all be in Oz. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and it still is but....well you can guess. So tonight at 9pm we dashed off to Tesco to buy a Turkey and all the trimmings. We spent £115 but luckily we had some tesco Clubcard voucher which took a huge lump out of that. There's load of booze which will never get drunk so at least I'll have something to relieve the stress later in the week. We went for Ozzy wines and beer to get us in the mood!!