A long holiday was nearly at an end. We checked out of the hotel and discovered once again just how wonderful fresh air can be. Our room at the hotel had been on the smoking floor and the smell permeates dreadfully. Getting out into the lovely fresh Melbourne morning was a real treat.

Despite still not being on the map of Melbourne, we managed to find our way to the Hume Highway without difficulty and began the long drive back to Canberra. We arrived not long before six to discover that Fi had a lot to learn about messing up someone’s place while they’re gone. She greeted us with open arms, put the kettle on for us, explained that there was dinner in the fridge and apologised to Denis for killing his fish. Sherrin had not been a healthy fish for quite some time so it wasn’t unexpected that he’d passed away. But Fi, in a fit of remorse, had bought another fish to replace him, who she named Darcy.

Upon arrival back home we inspected the odometer on my car. The trip to Tassie, where everything is so close together, had given us a whacking great 3,500km. It was a stunning trip and one that I am very glad that we did. I know we’ll have to go back there, because there are places that we didn’t get to and that we still want to see. But the best part of the journey was arriving home and still being on speaking terms. I was pleased to see my couch, I was pleased to see my teapot but I was most impressed with how wonderful my bed is.

Good night.