Our flight landed in Sydney on time. Like all our flights with China Eastern Airlines, we had enjoyed a pleasant meal and a good night's sleep.

It doesn't seem to matter however how good a sleep we have, we always look like death warmed up after an overnight flight - especially on our last leg back to Sydney. And it didn't matter how much I cleaned my face, blow brushed my hair under the airport toilet's hand dryer and put on new make-up, I still looked like the Bride of Frankenstein with bloodshot eyes and crumpled clothing.

The five hour wait for our connecting small aircraft flight to our closest city of Taree didn't help much either. After a wonderful trip and being spoilt rotten travelling mostly Business Class on our travels, the wait on plastic chairs in the domestic terminal departure lounge for our REX Airlines flight was a useful and timely reminder of just how fortunate we are.

Our return home to our beloved pretty little village of Crowdy Head is always welcoming. Again, we are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place - our bit of paradise.

On entering our house, I tried hard not to see the month's ground in dirt, the trodden on dead snake in our living area, the red wine spill stain over our newly re-covered lounge or the acrid smell of urine from uncleaned cat litter trays. It would all clean up in a day or two's work and hopefully next year we would find a better house sitter.....

Anyway, our four cats looked in fine condition and were delighted to have us home - and we were pleased to be back from a wonderful journey.

EPILOGUE

On our return, my mother June was desperately ill with advanced stages of cancer. Fortunately, I was able to see her and stay in Sydney at my parent's house nearby her aged care home until her unfortunate death on 18th June 2014.



Alan's brother Michael, who had been suffering from emphysema and associated heart problems - and who throughout his life had suffered more than his fair share of health and disability problems - died suddenly and tragically in Queensland on 25th July 2014.

My lovely dad Nev very sadly died on 4th October 2014 in Sydney. Again, I spent a lot of time with him during these last months and was fortunate to be with him the night before he died.

Alan's daughter Miranda who had been diagnosed with throat cancer a year before, suffered another recurrence in early 2014. After major surgery, the wonderful news is that she is now doing extremely well.

And Alan... He has completely recovered from his complex bladder cancer operation and subsequent almost fatal haemorrhage, and today his health is excellent. It had been an onerous "health trip" for him and it was wonderful that he was able to manage our travels with no problems at all. Well, that is no bladder associated problems. We will forget about the broken ribs...

2014 was quite a year. I travelled to Sydney and back to Crowdy Head on 18 separate occasions and we went to some ten family funerals in just over a year. I began to seriously write this blog in late 2014 and was still writing the last entries the night before we left on our latest trip in May 2015 to Russia and the Caucasus!

It is 26th June 2015 and we have just returned from yet another wonderful journey. After such a roller coaster year, perhaps it is no real wonder that I have only just finished this blog.