I still can’t work it out – how come we’d been in a plane for 33 hours and its still Sunday in the UK ? Strange thing time . . . . Anyway after an exciting start at Birmingham Airport which saw our own British Grand Prix race being held between Pershore and Birmingham and the girls looking every inch the glamour part, the journey settled down the usual flight excitement of take off / landings interspersed by the monotonous waiting in transit lounges. Dubai airport was extremely clean – so good were the cleaners that they were asked to clean to outside of the roof ! Nothing difficult in that except that it was domed in shape.
The 14 hr flight from Dubai was made a little easier for the girls as they found a rugby team from Halifax were also touring Australia and rumoured to be staying at the same Lodge as us !! Lodges OK – if you like dormitories and bunk beds . . . takes me back to the good ‘ol days of Youth Hostelling . .
Arrived in Brisbane 6.30 am - got through customs with little difficulty – despite one girl ticking the declaration box stating that she was carrying weapons of mass destruction and met our coach driver. Got to the Sleeman Sports Complex with the girls grabbing a breakfast. Advice from Australia was to keep the girls awake as long as possible soa s to acclimatise to the Aussy time so we changed for our first training session in a car park in the heat – I forgot to tell you its 25°C and baking. The girls worked hard and sweated up nicely before lunch and the swim test . . . . which we have been threatening them with for the past 8 weeks but have not had the opportunity. Now in this Commonwealth state of the art pool they have just completed their 25m swim test as well as completing the Synchro-swimming challenge led by Lian Young, much to hilarity of the watching crowds. The girls are ready to surf.
For the naturalists amongst you we have seen crows that look like magpies and no reptiles or marsupials at all yet. Hopefully by the end of the tour we can cross several of them off our I-Spy-Animals list.
We have already made good friends with the staff here at the complex and ALL are incredibly friendly and wanting to now what we are all about – dressed as we are in the smart suits. Met a female SHOZZA would you believe – no I didn’t think you would !! But I have.
Supper to follow and by then I think we will have had enough of our first day in Australia . . . now to find a wifi to get this all back home.
Pictures to follow . . . look out for the magpie . .
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