Sydney

I flew from Brisbane to Sydney at sunset and it was gorgeous the whole way. I sat with my nose pressed to the window until we arrived in Sydney, where there was an electrical storm going on and I just prayed to land quickly.

The O'Dowds were there to pick me up, which was nice as it's a bit of a hike over to their place in north Sydney. They also have a large house with a pool, not too far from Dee Why Beach, where we went for breakfast on Sunday. The weather wasn't co-operating but was better than the week before when there had been big storms

Next day was better and I got the bus to Manly and the ferry to the city, a spectacular trip

Once there I followed my usual routine, galleries, parks and architecture. Plenty of scope.

Chloe had her 15th birthday while I was there. She had Happy Birthday sung first at gym, then again later at home

Darling Harbour was lovely. I took part in an interactive art experience that took part on the water. The two halves of this construction came together and there was a performance to do with WWI that went on inside.

The weather packed up the day I left and got really bad the next day, as it did in Brisbane where there were major floods. I was lucky to miss that.

Good to spend time with you again O'Dowds, thanks!