I'm finding it very gloomy, as it gets dark before 5pm and doesn't get light until after 7am - which I realise is par for the course in winter, but it wasn't so long ago that I experienced this! And basically it's going to be like this for the rest of my time in Hobart. I have a flight out of here on the last Saturday in July, and basically I can't wait.

Next weekend I go to Perth to see my brother and his family, this is a trip that is more expensive than going to New Zealand, and it is only for the weekend, which fortunately is a three day weekend. My sister is giving me all sorts of advice about what sightseeing I should do in WA, but I doubt I will do any - she's also warned me to prepare for awkward questions from the children (four of them, age ranges three to thirteen), but I have said that actually I answer awkward questions for a living, so I should be all right when asked if I am 100 years old or why don't I have any children. My mother thinks it may be too noisy for me, and she may well be right, but I do have a lot of airline earplugs in my bag.

At least it may be a bit less gloomy in Perth, and possibly warmer, although I am not really feeling the cold here - it is normally a rather fresh 12 to 15 degrees, which is considerably warmer than an Estonian winter, and of course there is no snow, so I can go about. The centre of town is tiny, but I walk around it every Saturday morning, and also I walk along the waterfront twice a day during the week and often at the weekends as well. A lot of my colleagues have come down with colds and flu already, so I am hoping I do not get anything.... I want to be well while I am away from home, and for my holidays afterwards.

That's all for today, honestly there's nothing interesting to tell about life in Hobart, and not a lot of stitching progress, since I'm working all the time.