Samantha's Guest Blog

With apologies for the delay in posting this! 

After months of planning & having just managed to escape the snow in England 4 weeks ago, we (Tom & Sam) began our Australian adventure.

Neither of us had been to Oz before but our expectations were high!  Obviously our main reason was to visit Mark and to see if life in Sydney was really how Mark portrayed it...  Without hesitation, it exceeded all of our expectaions and more, and we have had an incredible time!

We had 5 days in Noosa, a 3 day trek in the Outback, 2 days in Mudgee with a smidgin of wine tasting, a real Aussie Christmas hosted by Gill's parents, we climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge & had an amazing New Year's Eve with a jaw dropping fireworks display!  Aside from our non-stop activities, we did, believe it or not, get a chance to spend a great deal of time with Mark...

Another reason for visiting was of course to meet the infamous "Gill" who appeared on the blog a few months ago.  Knowing Mark, Gill must have been pretty special for him to include her on the blog, and I would have to agree...  She is pretty much the only person I know who can bring Mark down a peg or two in one graceful swoop!  Really, it is a joy to witness!

On a serious note we have never ever seen Mark this happy, so although leaving today was horrendous, we know he's got nothing but good times ahead with his new life in Australia.

Thanks again Bro for a "Bloody Ripper time!"  We WILL be back!