brothers and cousins

A wee entry to celebrate my brother Graham and my cousin Kate!!

Kate's been traveling through Australia and New Zealand for just under two years now. Here's her last entry:
"last time i wrote, I was just leaving adelaide, where I'd been for 5 months, with many happy memories and heading westward across the huge expanses of the nullabor plain to WA. Well, since then Ive driven over 13000k (8000miles) seen many amazing things, and become awestruck at the sheer enormity of this dry, hot continent. a million miles away from scotland in many ways.

My first stop in WA after waving goodbye to my two nullabor companions was to do some woofing at an ecological community on the south western coast. A beautiful area, very green, with lots of trees, and an interesting coastline. The woofing was fantastic. Stayed with a lovely family who made me feel very welcome and were more than happy to share their extensive knowledge of sustainable living and community. I spent most of my time there in the veggie garden and as i was there for a month, got to see the plants growing which I'd sown- very satisfying. Amongst other things i also helped out at some elderly neighbours houses, did a few days work at the nearby centre for sustainable living and took part in community working bees.

The west coast is amazing...the bits I loved most were visiting Nigaloo marine park and snorkelling on the reef there- a bit like the great barrier reef but closer to shore. We snorkelled in a couple of different places, and despite my almost paralysing paranoia about sharks I managed to relax and enjoy it. Saw so many different coloured and shaped fishes and was just fantastic to get a glimpse into their little lives for a while. The last day we were there we went to an idillic snorkel spot in turquoise bay, we were just about to get out when Kevin tapped my shoulder and pointed- omg! a shark!! my worst fear, and my first thought was...oh, its not that big is it.it was a little reef shark. amazing to see it but i still got out of the water rather speedily. "

Now to be clear - she's one cool cat for having had such exeperiences. But, you know what? Even in Scotland she was an overall inspiring and envigorating person!

Meanwhile, my brother Graham has spent the last few months sailing from the Panama Canal towards Australia. Here's one of his last entries:

"We are currently en-route to theTuamotau Archipelago, but when we arrive in Tahiti, (10 days or so) I shalldefiantly be calling in. The Marquesas Islands ended up being a verypleasant refueling (both the boat and crew) point and both the islands wevisited were charmful and full of character and of course six days was notnearly enough. The first anchorage was called on a tiny island (pop. 1,000) called FatuHiva with a splattering of other yachts, including one registered inAberdeen. 38 feet, steel, ketch which left from Peterhead a couple of yearsago, sailed by Tam fae Kemnay who has a strong Aberdeenshire accent. Mad... "

Crazy, in fact!

much love,
Robyn