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For Australia Day celebrations Laura and I were invited around to our friends John and Colleen's new digs.

They've moved to a massive apartment at Point Piper (where all the megastars and millionaires live) - up high and overlooking the harbour.

Besides us were a number of John and Colleen's friends, including an old work buddy of mine Glenda and her family.

The hosts cooked up a storm which, was delicious, and we spent much of the rest of the arvo drinking beer and watching cricket. Just how Oz is that?

No it's not - I made that bit up. It's actually "le plu-mer". Nah, that's made up too.

Bought a nice little 32" plasma tele today - just in time for the new season of 24/Survivor/Footy/Athens Olympics/Finding Nemo. Actually that too is a lie - I bought it earlier in the week - it was just delivered today.

Do I like our new tv? Oui!!!!

[Not a typo - Leura is a place in the Blue Mountains]

Having not learnt our lesson about the extreme heat (still much better than Brissie though), Laura and I decided to join the Girls Ride Out group ride to the Zig Zag Railway.

Unfortunately we were only half-assed about it, so made the first checkpoint neat the Airforce base at Windsor about a half hour late. Undeterred, we proceded, making good time along the world's best riding road, the Bell's Line (of Road).

When we arrived there was an awful lot of bikes (I'm guessing 50) but very few people (I'm guessing 5). Apparently we had missed the train that most people went on, and as it was very hot and my leathers weren't being forgiving, after a short beverage break we were on the road again.

Continuing on with our big loop of the State, we decided to get back onto Bell's and head towards Mt Victoria, then keep going to the Blue Mountains. The sun got hotter, the air got drier, and the clothes underneath my leathers just got wetter. We finally settled on some cafe in Leura - the name of which currently escapes me - where we fed (but mostly just rehydrated).

Bring on Winter I say!

It was a stinking hot day, New Years Day, though not nearly as hot as it had been in Brisbane. Laura and I picked it as a good day to fire up the bikes and go for a ride, so we decided to go out to Stanwell Park.

Stanwell Park has a lot going on about Lawrence Hardgrave. Who's Lawrence Hardgrave? He was the dude on the old paper $20 note, you know, the one surrounded by box kites?

Anyhow, we had a brief lunch stop at the Box Kite Cafe on Lawrence Hardgrave Drive (at least someone's cashing in), before a more lengthy and thorough exploration of the surrounding areas.