We haven't updated the Blog for a week or so now, and things have been going really well. Wayne has settled into his new job, and is now in week 3 at the company.

We managed to find a rental house, so decided to rent it for 12 months, allowing us enough time to look around for a house to buy. It's a 3 bedroom house with lounge, dining room and kitchen. The back yard has a nice patch of lawn for the dogs. It also has a fig tree, a lemon tree and an apricot tree. It's really close to shops, bus route and the local Kingdom Hall.

We move in on Wednesday (19th December) and our container gets delivered on the Thursday (20th December) so all is going according to plan. Rentals work slightly differently here - the landlord pays the local rates and taxes, as well as the water. We only pay the rent and the electricity.

We also bought a 125cc scooter for Leonie this weekend, so that she will be able to get around the local territory easily. Once we move into the house, we will take some pics and put them on the blog.

We miss everyone, and hope that all are keeping well.

We are hunting around for a rental accomodation in the NE of Adelaide. It's a nice area, as it's close to the Adelaide Hills, and also has lots of parks and cycle tracks. It's also close to the Kingdom Hall where we meet. Wayne has a job at last, and works for an IT company (www.loftusit.com.au) which provides Linux/Windows solutions to small/medium businesses.

We finally have the dogs, and although they both lost a little weight, seem as energetic as ever (except when it's 36 degrees) and have settled in well.

There are many lovely beaches here, and Leonie has started her own little shell collection. She uses the shells to make cards, and they look nice.

We are truly blessed by all the hospitality of the brothers and sisters here - we have been invited to so many meals, coffees, and we have been humbled by the experience.

Lastly, here are a few pics of our unit in Plympton

One day til we get our 'kids' and we are currently at a motel in Ballarat, about 100km from Melbourne.
We went on a tour of the Barossa Valley on Wednesday, so here are some pictures. South Australia produces up to 65% of Australian wines, and exports brands such as Wolf Blass and Jacob's Creek...

Here are a few pictures taken on our drive along the 'Great Ocean Road' between Melbourne and Adelaide. The route is lovely, and reminded us of Highway 1 on the west coast of America. The weather was mild, but windy, and there are so many sights to see along the route. Definitely a holiday route...

Left to Right: First sighting of wild koala, 12 Apostles, Blowhole cave (front view), Arches

Wow! 2 days on the road...we saw some wonderful sights on the Great Ocean Road. We will post some pics soon. The car went well, and we are glad to get home. No job offers yet, so will have to start hunting. We hope to go to a meeting at the 3rd kingdom hall here - will keep you posted...

We spent the weekend in Melbourne (mostly raining) and decided that it would be a bit too much for Max and Shadow if we went there on Friday, as they arrived at 4:45am, after a long flight from the UK. We decided to see them today, and spent an hour with them. They have both lost around 1.5kgs but look good and seemed pleased to see us. We can get them after a month.

We also bought a car, so now we have our own transport which will help. We are travelling back to Adelaide tomorrow and will go via the great ocean road. First stop will be the 12 Apostles... you can see more about the great ocean road at http://www.greatoceanroad.org/

Taken at Rundle Mall in the city

If you want to look at the weather in Adelaide, check out http://www.abc.net.au/adelaide/weather/

Wow! We are truly impressed with the friendliness and attitudes of the people here. People go out of their way to help you, and seem really hospitable. We have setup our bank accounts, registered for tax, and setup our medical service. Most things are online, and we are now at the library enjoying free internet access. There are also free wifi hotspots in the city - great! There are tonnes of Subway outlets, and there is also a Nandos and a Starbucks. The city is easy to navigate, and most roads have 2 lanes (or more) on BOTH sides. We will keep you updated on progress... will hopefully post a few pics soon.

We made it! We arrived in Adelaide last night and got up really early this morning to drive to the beach. Adelaide seems really nice so far - 6 lane roads, very clean and no congestion at all. Everyone here is really friendly, and it kind of feels like being in the USA. Watch out for more updates...

We've just completed the first 11 hour journey, and have 45 mins inside the terminal at HK while they refuel the plane. We didn't get much sleep and watched a few movies. We now look forward to the second 11 hour trip!

The next update will probably be from Melbourne where we will be staying for a couple of days.

Well folks, one day to go. We fly to Melbourne (via Hong Kong) tomorrow at 12:20

We are looking forward to arriving in Australia and especially to seeing Max and Shadow. We dropped them off on Saturday at the kennels, and they only fly on the 31st. We will be staying with Murray and Angela in Melbourne for a couple of nights, then head to Adelaide on the 26th.

The "meet and greet" service has arranged for us to be met by one of their reps, and we also have 12 weeks accommodation arranged in Adelaide.

Our next blog will be some time in the next few days...

We attended the last meeting with the congregation in Bedford on Thursday night. Only 4 days until we fly out to Australia. We are experiencing lots of emotions about the move - nervousness, anticipation, delight, and so on. Watch this space...

We now have a week until we fly to Melbourne. It's really amazing that you spend so much time buying a house, filling it with items over the years, and then once it is all packed away, realize that you only need the basics in life - food, clothes and a place to sleep.

We've done it! The house is sold, and we are one step closer to Australia. We are flying to Melbourne on the 23rd of October, and will arrive at our destination, Adelaide, on the 26th. A new life is about to start...