It's been a busy few weeks so here's a quick round up of activities. Kylie concert in Melbourne at the Rod Laver Arena was pretty impressive. The girl flew on an angel, rode a chariot led by hunky man, sang in a fountain all in two or so hours! It was a really good show and in spite of still recovering from tonsilitis, very enjoyable. Even Steve got carried away by the pop princess and stood up at times giving it a little shake of the booty.

We went to watch the Melbourne Rebels play the last game of the season with work friends Jacqui (my boss) and her hubby Rich, Karly and Cam and Brittany. We joined the Rebelution! I've decided I don't mind rugby union - it's a short enough game with enough going on for my sport inattentiveness. Steve's verdict on the game was that it wasn't the World's most exciting game although it was close and the Rebels lost.

This was the Rebels first season and they finished bottom of the league in spite of good players Stirling Mortlock (captain of Australia) and Danny Cipriani. They've signed some good players for next season so it can only get better. Steve's mentioned a season tickets as it only costs about $200 but it might clash with is new found interest in AFL.

This weekend has been fairly relaxed. But before I tell you what we've been up to, have to wish Mum Barley a very happy birthday!

Fun started with the Friday drinks trolley and a triple date - Karly and Cam and their friends Kirsty and Chris and the Barleys went for pizza followed by a comedy club. In between was a round of jam donut shots and between us there was lots of red wine consumption.

The comedy club looked a little Phoenix Nights but the quality was better than we expected especially as the tickets were a deals.com voucher. Thank you Karly for sharing your voucher with us. There were two Chinese comedians which was interesting as I've never even seen one before let alone two in one night. They were probably my favourite performers. The headline act was a little flat but the compere was pretty funny too so all in all we certainly laughed a voucher's worth.

Both Steve and I paid the price the following day with sore heads and hangovers. The Barnes had got their cab to take them through a Hungry Jack's (Burger King to the Brits) drive through on the way home which was the solution to a hangover free Saturday. Sadly Steve's 9am breakfast run to Macca's (McDonalds to the Brits) was just too little, too late! We breakfasted and had to go back to bed finally rousing after lunch! Steve went off to watch Richmond play and I went into the city for a little bit of shopping. We met up for a drink followed by early dinner and I still wasn't hangover free so it was my first dry Saturday in a long while!

The weather in Melbourne recently has been pretty mild with blue skies and sunshine. It's not hugely warm but considering this is the equivalent to mid December, the fact that I don't need to wear a coat during the day is not bad at all. Today we decided to go for a little mosy round St Kilda. There's a Sunday arts market there along the esplanade and I've been wanting to go for a while but never got round to it.

Unfortunately as is the case with shopping this part of the World, it was a little disappointing and in spite of wanting to spend, there was nothing to buy. After a good lunch we went to South Melbourne market for some groceries for the following week. I guess although clothes shopping is not so great here, the fresh produce is far better than UK so got to take the rough with the smooth!

It was great to have a long weekend following our week away as it felt like a longer holiday. Sadly  we were delayed on our flight back which meant lost half a day and arrived home Saturday night instead of afternoon.

We had a productive Sunday and did the house clean and grocery shop before a delicious dinner at Longrain. I had a niggling sore throat at this point but hoped the alcohol and chillies would see it off. Sadly by the time I went to bed on Sunday the throat was pretty painful.

Monday was a public holiday and we met up with Karly and Cam for lunch and I seemed to have turned a corner and felt better but by the time we got home at about 3pm I was ready for bed so I pretty much slept right through from then! I had the shivers and the sweats and had to sleep in my warmest jammies, Steve's ski socks and two duvets and was still cold!

So today I went to see a doctor. GPs work differently over here as you don't have to register to one and can pretty much pick and choose. However a consultations does cost $75 and you can claim half back. So for $34.90 Dr. Ben Teoh told me I have tonsillitis. My right tonsil is particularly inflamed with a nice big patch of pus on it (delightful). He grimaced when he saw it so I can only conclude it's not pretty. So that explains my loss in appetite (that is truly a sign I am ill) and the horrible pain I'm in.

Hopefully next time I blog, the antibiotics will have kicked in and I'll be happy again.

Steve and I jetted off to Hamilton Island on Saturday. Hamilton is the most developed island out of the 74 that form the Whitsundays group. It's a cute little place with a small airport, beach and various pools. There are also some restaurants and a few shops. The marina area is filled with some beautiful boats.

The weather was a little hit and miss; it is the middle of Winter after all. It rained all day on the Sunday was overcast for a while and then we had a couple of days of brilliant sunshine before the rain returned.

We were lucky though that in spite of a 4 hr delay to our flight home (the plane couldn't land at Hamilton Island airport as it was too windy), we did at least get home. Had we left one day later we wouldn't have made it to Melbourne as the airport closed due to the ash cloud.

Getting around Hamilton Island is fun. Our self catering accommodation came with a little golf buggy. If your accommodation doesn't provide one you can just hire them. The golf buggy is very useful as although the island is small there are some very steep hills.

During our time on the island, we did a couple of boat trips, sunbathed by one of the pools and droev around the island. We only ate out twice which is rare for us but the price of the restaurants versus what you get for that money isn't really on parr so we decided to buy groceries from the store and cook ourselves. Naturally we stocked up on wine and we brought some gin and vodka with us! We were only there for 4 days anyway and knew we would be waited on at our next stop.

One of the boat trips we did was on a catamaran for the day. We sailed out to Chalkies Beach where we snorkelled for the first time and it was a great experience. Steve didn't have his prescription mask then so struggled to see much that didn't swim across his face! He also struggled with keeping his mouth shut and it took many a mouthful of saltwater and lots of spluttering before he was sorted. Good training ground for the snorkelling we did later in the week.

Chalkies Beach was quiet and picturesque. You can see it in the pictutre with Steve's cheesy feet. We also sailed to Whitehaven Beach which was voted third best beach in the World by National Geographic. The sand there is 99% silica and just so soft and white. It was beautiful even on an overcast day and the water was still warm enough to swim in. Steve played beach cricket whilst I lay on the soft sand. I guess to have the opportunity to play beach cricket on one of Australia's finest beaches is an experience to treasure!

Our second boat trip was an evening dinner cruise and by then the sun had decided to come out to play. We left the marina in the early evening and enjoyed a tropical cocktail on the deck and watched the sunset before heading to the dining area for a three course meal.

The rest of the evening was spent back at the apartment re packing our bags as we could only take a soft bag each to our next destination. Naturally Steve finished the rest of the gin.

The next morning we were taken to the Hamilton Island helipad to catch our ride to Paradise Bay on Long Island. The helicopter ride was exhilarating and to see the beautiful blue sea and the islands from above was a beautiful sight.

As the chopper landed, we could see a small group of people in striped t shirts waving at us and welcoming us.

Paradise Bay is an eco resort that  generates all it's own power, treats all it's own waste water which is recycled onto the gardens, and is self sufficient for fresh water - using a combination of solar panels, batteries, a small generator, natural gas and collected rainwater. That's not to say that there's scrimping on luxury though!

Our bags were whisked away and we sat on a comfortable sofa with a glass of bubbly whilst Rosie and Steve (the managers) explained to us how the resort worked and what we should expect - lots of relaxation and some wildlife! We were also told that for the next 24 hours we would be the sole guests on the island! Celebrity life huh? Flying in on a helicopter to our own private island!

There's a communal lodge area where dinner usually takes place and there are always freshly baked goodies and a self service honesty bar. Drinks after 6:30pm are included in the rate. Staying at Paradise Bay is like spending time with friends with a make yourself at home mentality which I am a fan of and took to it very easily!

There are two boats at Paradise Bay - speedboat and a catamaran. Usually after breakfast the skipper comes round and has a discussion with the guests as to what they'd like to do. Given we'd already had breakfast, our discussion took place over the bubbly and a freshly baked muffin. We decided to take the speedboat out and visit some bays and do some snorkelling.

Our skipper John and deckhand Sara were great. Sara had this great knack of knowing just when you could do with a towel or a spray jacket or just some help. I could get used to having a Sara around! We did some snorkelling around Blue Pearl Cove and this time Steve had a prescription mask and could actually see the coral. The snorkelling at Chalkies was good but this time it was even better.

Lunch was at the aptly named Luncheon Bay which was a beach area that we had to ourselves. Sara and John dropped us off and took the boat round the corner so we could enjoy the beach. Having a yummy picnic on a secluded beach on a beautiful day was certainly a special experience.

Our second boat trip on day 2 of our stay was also by speedboat. This time our skipper was Matt and we were joined by a honeymooning couple from Boston. Matt informed us that the weather was going to change overnight so we should take advantage and get to Whitehaven. Lucky us, returning to Whitehaven for the second time. This time the sky was blue and the sun was out and we enjoyed a walk along the beach and a short lie down on the soft sand.

Lunch took place on Honeymoon Beach (appropriate for our companions) and was once again deserted except for the four of us which was lovely. There was some snorkelling in the afternoon before we headed back to Paradise Bay.

And indeed the weather did change overnight and the rain came in which meant that we didn't really want to go out on a boat on our last day. Instead Steve and I spent the day reading and curled up on one of the big sofas in the lodge area.

After each boat trip, it became the norm to head to the lodge area for a hot drink and we would see Edwina the resident wallaby. She loves banana and Steve would feed her. She is so lovely. There are a few wallabies including a new joey at Paradise Bay but Edwina is the one who will come right up to you.

There's also a family of curlews, some wild turkeys and two big goannas which we didn't see for which I am quite thankful.

I've told you about Rosie and Steve who run Paradise Bay and the two skippers John and Matt as well as Sara. The other members of the team (as well as all those behind the scenes) are two couples: Luke and Bronwen and Todd and Sophie. The two gentlemen are chefs and their other halves are like front of house managers. The two couples take it in turns to work at Paradise Bay and time off is at Airlie Beach on the mainland. Every day the speedboat brings Sara and the skipper as well as other staff members to Paradise Bay. They do what they need to do whilst the guests go on their boat trip, and when the guests return, everyone except for Rosie and Steve and the host couple on duty go back to the mainland.

Our first night we dined outside with Rosie and Steve. Todd and Sophie joined us for our main courses. Dinner starts with cocktails and delicious canapés served in the communal lodge. Sophie and Bronwen are good cocktail makers. During our time there we had tropical daquiris, strawberry margaritas, Midori splices and blood marys!

Canapés are yum too. A scallop and chorizo with caramelised onion sticks in my mind as well as a very tasty bruschetta and a spoonful of parmesan risotto.

Our second night dinner was a private balcony dinner and Todd and Sophie served us. This made for a different experience but also good fun. Steve had his iPad playing music for us and we could hear the waves. This meal was Steve's favourite. We had a beautiful barramundi and chilli king prawn appetiser followed by roast pork belly with some very crackly crackling. Dessert was a cheesecake with Cointreau strawberries and some dollops of milk chocolate mousse. Compliments to Todd! The rest of the evening was spent in the communal lodge where we enjoyed chatting to our host couple and learning more about them.

Our third dinner was cooked by Luke and hosted by Bronwen. Todd and Sophie headed home and we met Luke and Bronwen - two Brits now in Australia. We had a communal dinner in the lodge with the Boston honeymooners and another British couple from Taunton. We started off with a delicious duck salad with an Asian coleslaw and followed it with beautiful poached salmon with a delicate tomato mousse. Dessert was an Italian meringue with Winter fruits.

Our time at Paradise Bay was wonderful and we loved it very much. We'd love to return at some point and enjoy more of the genuinely warm hospitality.