Some (unedited) pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/lucyhglynn

Oh I forgot to add yesterday, galahs (of the flaming variety) and a yabby (or is it yabbie) of Yabby/Yabbie creek fame.

Today was muchly cool and I saw 54 little fairy penguins including some baby ones. The baby ones just stay by the nests making lots of noise while waiting for their parents to come back and feed them and their parents are sooo cute waddling up the shore in their little groups and then stopping for no apparent reason and then carrying on back to their nests which are scattered all over the cliff.

I also saw loads of wallabies toady. I now know that wallabies are completely different to kangaroos in that they are very small and much more rabbit-like although soooo much better than rabbits (especially rabbits in Australia as they are wiping out the indigenous species). I went on this really cool walk along the coast as I'd heard there were wallabies along that way and expected to see one or two. I'd planned my walk carefully so I'd arrive in the late afternoon which is when wallabies come out to play but I panicked a bit when I got there because the info board said the walk would take me three hours to complete and there weren't that many daylight hours left. And you know how I like to complete walks.

However I needn't have worried as I forgot I'd been trained in the Rob and David school of hiking and so anything after the Sterling Ranges would be easy peesy. So the lesiurely walk along the coastal path and back told me only just over an hour and that was with stopping to take pics of wallabies of which there were loads. On the way up, I saw 41 and on the way down 45 and I wasn't really looking that on the way back because I didn't want to stop them from wallabying about in the late afternoon sun and felt bad about disturbing them. And I even saw a mummy wallaby with a baby wallaby in her pouch. Are they called Joeys or is that just kangaroos? Anyway that was really, really cool.

Well I've made it to Kangaroo Island (KI)- the place I've been obsessed with for the past few weeks. I arrived on the evening ferry so I haven't had a good chance to see the island yet but I have already seen one of the little penguins that live on the island. In fact they live just over the road from the hostel and are so the cutest things ever. I only saw one because I decided to go out just as it started raining and I don't think the penguins like the rain but at least I managed to test out my new purple waterproof/windproof jacket and was pretty impressed.

I saw a pelican on my way to the island which is the second pelican I've seen. Other animals are: possum and baby possum, two possums in the park and two possums in a possum box, lots of beaut (Aussism) parrots in the park, a snake (black with yellow belly and pretty close...), a bandicoot (the one that ate my meds), lots of kangaroos, I think I saw a wallaby although I'm not sure if it was one or just a little kangaroo. I've heard lots of frogs croaking at night and heard lots of little penguins although just seen one so far. Plus an eagle (from the Indian-Pacific) and lots of pretty birds. Chooks (is that how you spell it) in the garden of the lovely people I stayed with last weekend and they also had a baby turtle too.

I think that's about it for now but my animal count will shortly go up as KI is the place for animals and so obviously I plan to spend a lot of time here.

Did you notice that I spell-checked my last entry? Guess you would've realised given that I finally learnt how to spell kangaroo. Bit rubbish really as it is my favourite thing about Oz.

Wasn't sure whether to write this blog but I seem to be so here it is... Hope that hasn't freaked anyone out too much. There's nothing to freak out about really, it's just that my chest is being a bit rubbish so am having a chilled day in Adelaide YHA. Which if your chest is going to be annoying and you want a relaxed day is a pretty good place to hang out. There's a lovely view of the park, nice computers, comfy sofas and newspapers (well one which some old guy has hogged although he keeps walking off and making food and drinks and seems completely unable to multi-task. I guess he is a guy after all). Anyway as I couldn't read the paper I started reading a magazine which looked pretty average from the front cover but had a really cool interview with a Paralympic athlete called Katrina Webb which really resonated with how I'm thinking at the moment.

She says: "The more I learned about leaders and successful people the more I realised that the best people were those who really knew themselves; they accepted who they were. They are people who say, 'this is me, this is what I have got...stuff happens in life, but it's not what happens to me, it's what I do about it that's important'. It's about realising, 'it's my ability to respond because that is what I have control over, and that is what is going to make the difference."

And: "Unfortunately, some people who have had a setback no matter whether it is physically or emotionally, also make a harsh judgement on themselves. My message is not about telling people about my medals, but being proud of the fact I was able to find myself to give me the inner strength to get the best out of my life."

While I'm in a (positive) introspective mood, I want to say a big thank you to Angel. I just checked out her blog and as well as taking part in the Hydroactive challenge for the second year running (muchly well done there), had just been to the funeral of her friend Robyn. Angel writes "I know I couldn't save Robyn all on my own". Maybe not but she'd done a hell of a lot for saving other people, including myself.

This is what I wrote the other day on the train:

Angel taught me that not only can you have cf and have a great life but also and importantly that whatever cf does to you, you don't have to hate it. Accept it and learn to live with it and don't waste valuable energy battling with yourself. However I used to try and rationalise my irrational thoughts, there is no me without cf. I don't hate cf, I don't hate myself anymore and I don't think, why me?

The other day Rob came into my room and joked about all my medicines spread out and covering the floor (obviously) and Jono (Rob's brother) said I'd already had the piss taken out of me for having so many medicines. And I said, "I'm proud of my medicines." They thought I was joking but I wasn't. I was proud of my meds (probably for the first time). Proud of them for keeping me well and keeping me alive because I want to keep well and keep alive. I'm proud of my meds because they're me and, I think, I'm proud of being me.

I've just been trying to upload some pics onto my blog but for some reason the computer keeps uploading them into the ether. Oh well, I guess you'll just have to make do with my descriptions.

Camping in the Sterling Range mountains was awesome (good Aussie world) and Rob was especially impressed with my dedication to sleeping under canvas as every time he suggested we go to a proper campsite/hostel I kept saying it was boring.

I did a couple of really steep walks and was only a bit grumpy on the first one (Mount Trio) as it had those really annoying different height and length steps built into the path which meant I couldn't get into any sort of pace or control my breath. After about ten minutes like a true adult, I announced to Rob and David, "I don't like walk" in extra-special grumpy-me fashion. Yep, no, "Hey guys please can you slow down a bit and any chance pretty please can you carry my bag for me as I'm finding it pretty tough..." But the lovely boys responded to my grumpiness as if I'd said the above and kindly carried all my stuff to the top. Hurrah!

That afternoon, they climbed Mount Bluff, the highest mountain in the range, and I had a nice time reading my book in the sun. When they came back we cooked dinner in the visitor area (which was quite high up, so maybe they didn't climb that high afterall...) and watched the sun set over the national park.

The next day Rob picked a walk (Toolbrumup Peak which is just higher than 1000km) which didn't include evil steps although it was still pretty steep but it did include lots of bouldering at the top which was fun. Also at the top were really cool stones with ripples on them, created when the rocks were at the bottom of the sea. Going down was pretty tough too and I could hardly walk the next day as my calves were killing so much. (No longer did I laugh at David and Rob for doing stretching beforehand. But stretching? Who does that before sport except when you are at school?)

In the evenings we cooked great food on our little camping stove, had hot chocolate and some possums came to see us. And not just one possum a possum with a (big) baby on his back. I was sooo excited. I didn't manage to get a pic of them but I did get one of a possum later, although they are probably the worse pictures of possums that you've ever seen as I couldn't see in the dark and managed to get his ears in one and his tail in another. In fact, cycling through the park in Adelaide this weekend, I realised that my night vision is completely useless. Obviously I need to eat more carrots but also I have always been pretty rubbish at taking my vitamins. I know, I know that vitamins are really important for you, me, everyone but because I an't see the immediate benefits, they get left out. But now, having also just purchased a guide to Australian mammals and seeing that they are all pretty much nocturnal, my vitamin A and D tabs are going to become my new favourite meds. Plus I'll be buying a fab new torch from the camping shop.

No I haven't got a torch because I was going to use my phone for a torch, and a watch and an alarm clock but I promptly forgot all this when I decided to leave my phone at home because I didn't think it would work over here. But having left Rob now, I thought that telling the time would probably be a good thing and so I have purchased a phone. It looks pretty Lucy-proof, something I forgot about when I was buying my camera. However it passed its first test when I didn't zip up my rucksack and as I turned round it flew out of my bag and crashed down onto the granite. Luckily it was in its case. The same case that I'd just chucked on the sand the day before not thinking that it probably wasn't the best thing to do. Incidentally, Rob said he's never seen so much sand in a tent before. And we were hardly on the beach. But how is it that some people can still on towel on a beach and stay completely sand free? I only have to go within 10 metres of a beach and I am covered from head to toe.

Anyway back in the mountains, David read his book to us which was really lovely and the next night Rob continued reading and I was so happy sitting in the bush all wrapped up with five layers on, that I wanted to stay there forever.

On the final morning in the Sterling Range, Rob and David got up at about six and went for another walk. I declined the invitation due to the fact that they were firstly going up another massive hill and I could hardly walk 5 metres without extreme agony and secondly, they were getting up at 6am. When they came back, we then started the drive back north to Kalgoorlie. We stopped at Hyden and walked around a cool granite outcrop called Wave Rock, which err unsurprisingly looks like a wave. Then we drove to another granite outcrop with a cave which has some aboriginal art work in it. Even though it said no camping, we decided to camp there and I was really scared the ranger would come in the middle of the night with his torchlight and rumble us and I'd be deported. Obviously I had a nightmare about this but it was fine.

The next day we got up about 6am and although initially I was going to stay in bed, the thought of the ranger appearing meant that I jumped out of the tent and joined the boys for a walk up The Humps. I can't really describe how great this was but with the early morning sun and mist and pockets of greenery and trees growing out of the cracks and fissures (do they mean the same thing?) and little water pools on this vast outcrop, the place had a magical quality which I couldn't capture by camera. Although maybe I'm just a rubbish photographer. The outcrop used to be covered in rainforest and some little plants have managed to evolve and live on from their rainforest days. How cool is that?

Then it was home time and I did my fair share of driving including about 40km on an unsealed (dirt) road which was really good and made better because it was morning so there weren't any kangaroos jumping about. And that just about brings you up to where I wrote from Kal. Our total trip was 3,000km. Not sure about the carbon neutrality of that but it was fun. Hopefully some pictures to follow shortly.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY!!!

Sorry about before, I ran out of money and quickly had to post my blog before it all disappeared. Also as I've got less time to make my blogs sound beautiful and to compose my sentences constructively (and check spelling) you'll just have to put up with a lower-standard of writing. Anyway, things are good.

After I wrote my first entry, I went out of the shed at the campsite, crossed the road and came across a beautiful white sand beach with blue sea with pine trees behind it and ever better, I had it all to myself. Then I drove (yes, me) to Cape Le Grand national park where we camped for one night. That was where Rob and I did two walks in one day thanks to us blagging a lift from an English couple after the first walk. We walked to a beautiful beach called Hellfire Bay which again had white sand, beautiful clear blue sea (which because it was on the Southern coast was pretty cold although not too cold to paddle) and no people. About half way into our walk I'd said to Rob I couldn't walk there AND back so we could either walk half-way there or we could walk there and he could walk back and come and pick me up. He, he. Anyway he said he would do this. Ahhhh he's so sweet but in the end we got a lift which meant we could walk up Frenchman Peak which has a cave at the top caused by the sea when the sea level was so much higher a long, long time ago.

That night a kangeroo with a death-wish decided to walk into the road, luckily Rob saw it in time but I'm so glad I wasn't driving as I would probably have hit it and would still be crying about it and may even have had to run away on the next flight home. When we got to the campsite it was just getting dusk but the campsite owner-type people looked at us like we were mad and said we were brave as there was a storm coming! Rob wanted to get a cabin but I said no that was boring and somehow we managed to put up the tent in about two minutes (luckily it is the quickest tent to put up ever, ever but that was our record). Rob kept saying that the tent wouldn't last but we pitched it in the corner by the fences and tied it to the car (we borrowed Rob's brother's car and left him in Kalgoorlie!) and I said it'll be fine...And it was! Hurrah!

The next day we drove to Albany via Ravensthorpe where we visited a wild flower exhibition with hundreds of flowers that had been picked from the nearby bush. That night we stayed in a backpackers hostel which was cool and the people were really friendly and I thought, yay I can do this on my own. (Don't freak out please family).

There are whales in the seas near Albany but the friendly boat-man called Paul said the whales hadn't been spotted for a while and as it was really windy we were better off driving along the shore and looking for the whales from there. We decided to do this although after about ten seconds of arriving at the whale-spotting site, I realised that I wasn't cut out for any kind of spotting activity as I just don't have the patience to look into the deep blue ocean and try and find minuscule black things which could or couldn't be whales. So instead we went for a walk along the shore and saw a black skink and I picked up loads of really cool shells including two sea shells which you can actually hear the sea in. I think these are quite common in Oz but it was so exciting to actually find them.

Apparently it always rains in Albany and the afternoon was no exception so we found a nice vegetarian cafe with an open fire and had some food and I curled up on the sofa and read National Geographic magazines. Rob's friend David joined us then and in the evening they decided we should call by the wind farm. (Why do I always hang 0ut with mechanical engineers?) But I didn't mind too much as it was also a prime whale spotting site and I scoured the sea for any signs of whales or dolphins. (This was easier because the viewing point was on a raised platform so I had a much better view. But the sea was really rough and it was freezing cold and so I was all wrapped up with a hood over my head as I was set to be for the next few days during our camping trip).

After that we went to the coolest campsite ever. It wasn't really a campsite just a few places where you could camp (with some toilets) right next to the sea so when I lay in bed I could hear the waves crashing on the beach. Another beautiful beach. That night when we started cooking our dinner, we realised we'd left our food box and the Esky (Aussie for cool box) in the hostel! Luckily we had enough food to eat for our dinner because mine and Rob's disorganisation meant that food was distributed throughout the whole car. (I never realised that Rob and I were so similar before...) That night a Bandicoot came by and tried to eat our dinner, and later on he came back and tried to eat my Creon (meds) which obviously had managed to spill out of pocket all over the ground. Does anyone else have this problem? I leave a trail of the little brown and yellow pills everywhere I go. David said to me earlier today that if he ever sees another of those pills, he'll think of me...

From there we went to Walpole to see the giant red tingle trees and then we drove up the Sterling Range mountains where we've been hanging out for the past few days. Now I'm back in Kalgoorlie although only for a few hours as we're off on the Indian-Pacific train at midnight which will take us across the plain to Adelaide where we arrive at 7.20am on Friday.

Will post from there. xxxx

Ooh this blogging from internet cafes is quite addictive.

The beaches here are amazing. Beautiful azure seas and white sand and no people. Rob and I walked to one yesterday in a national park and then up a hill. In fact, I think yesterday was the most productive day of my life. Up at 6 to see the sun rise- thought rob was going to let me go back to sleep but he didn't then loads of walking and then we pitched the tent just before a storm came.
Amazing stars at night and you can see the Milky Way

Hellooooooooooo! Here I am on the other side of the world in Esperance! Yes, I made it although if it hadn't been for my sis, I'd probably still be stressing at home, moving piles of medicines around the floor and not knowing how to finish packing.

Catching a chest infection before I left probably wasn't the best idea I'd ever had but it seems to have almost gone and at least I'm getting to use up all the antibiotics I've been prescribed. Otherwise it would just be a waste carrying them here.

So, the flight was amazing I had only about an hour in Dubai (where I could see them creating new islands as I flew in) before catching a connecting flight to Perth. The flight was only a third full so everyone spread out and I could lie across three seats and get loads of sleep which was muchly needed as i was so stressed before I left. It was like I had an exam or something.

Anyway, lovely Rob met me at the airport and we went to the Criterion Hotel for a few hours which is apparently the oldest hotel in Perth and is a really cool art deco building. We got up early the next day to catch the prospector train to Kalgoorlie where Rob's brother lives. The next couple of days I did lots of sleeping and relaxing. We also went to the local shops where I saw what weird colours their crisp packets are - green for chicken and pink for salt and vinegar! Yep this trip is all about the important things.

I also saw lots of mines including the super pit which is mega, mega pit with lots of trucks with wheels the size of rooms moving around like ants (not a very original description but hey, ho).

The coolest thing was when we drove on into the bush on Sunday and saw kangeroos jumping about in front of us on the road. Unfortunately I didn't get to stroke them but hopefully next time.

Other than that, I'm loving the fact that I"m here and that it's only a month past winter and it's so hot. I'm also loving the rich red earth and my lack of stress. Hurrah!

Yesterday, Rob and I drove south to Esperance which is on the coast and where it is much greener. Today we're driving to a national park.

Will be in touch xx