Hello from Warrnambool! I've been here since Monday and it's quite cool - I'm wwoofing and have been doing some watering and gardening in the morning and cycling around and chilling out at the beach in the afternoon.

It took me a bit of time to get used to it because obviously it wasn't KI and I wasn't getting five star treatment but it's still pretty good.

I'm not sure what happened to me in Melbourne but it was like as soon as I arrived my stress levels just went up and continued going up, the longer I stayed there. (I know that I haven't really got anything to stress about, after all, I am on a ridiculously long holiday but that's the rational way of looking at things and we all know that I'm not know for my rational thoughts).

It was as if all my relaxation and positive thinking and the stillness and peacefulness I'd experienced on KI had never happenend. When I first arrived in Melbourne, I was still able to totally relax if I tried really hard but after a few days it just became impossible. I couldn't control my breathing when I got stressed (and I was finding more and more stupid, little things so stress about) and that made it worse. And the longer I stayed in the city, the more stressed I became. So I left. I think I'll give cities a miss for a while as I feel much better out here.

Some Melbourny pics at http://picasaweb.google.com.au/lucyhglynn/Melbourne xxx

Oooh am all happy again as I had a really cool day. Jo and I went for three walks (!) which I managed pretty well considering I was achy as, (remember that Aussism?) after yoga yesterday. I hadn't been for a couple of days as my sugar levels were stupidly high on Monday which was stressing me out until I remembered that dehydration can cause that to happen which meant there was something I could to stop them going up again.

(My doc told me that while in Oz I should drink an extra two litres of water on top of what I normally drink but it wasn't really hot on KI so I definitely wasn't drinking that much and the heat in Melbourne over the weekend was a bit of a shock to the system, that and doing yoga in 42 degrees... My friend Adam, who has cf, said yesterday that he was told to drink five litres a day. Which probably puts an end to my newfound love of wine. For now, anyway.)

So this morning we went for a walk along the Yarra and then we went to the Dandenongs for a picnic and a couple more walks which gave us a highly impressive brightly coloured bird tally of: some noisy minors, a few king parrots, lots of crimson rosellas (who sat on ours heads and tried to eat our lunch), an eastern rosella, two corellas, loads of sulphur-crested cockatoo, some galahs, a kookaburra AND a pair of lyrebirds. All in the wild - pics to follow.

Getting out in the countryside or bush as the locals say, although I still think of the bush as the outback, was also really good and so I realised, again, that I'm just not a city girl and need to get back out there in nature.

Also I'm feeling better because I've now got a Medicare card and have a doctor's appointment on Monday so I can stock up on some meds. I had built this whole doc/meds where am I going to get them from thing into something that was a big, scary obstacle even though it was really easy and a huge weight off my mind. So hurrah!

I don't want to shatter any illusions about the new, happy 'living in the now' me but I have been a bit stressed recently...It's certainly harder to maintain a stress-free existence living in the city, although it is a really nice city with lots of green space and beautiful river running through it. Or maybe it's not the city at all but the fact that things are surfacing in my mind that I've been avoiding thinking about? Actually, I know it's that. I'm worried about visas and plans and flights and medicines and jabs.

But instead of following my new 'no problem' mantra, ie either accept or take action to change the situation, I'm not accepting and I'm not taking any action hence the situation doesn't change. Or rather things get worse because I know there are these nagging things I need to deal with which I'm not dealing with.

New philosophy: Maybe I should take stock of what I've achieved, rather than worry about the future?

By the way, great Eckhart Tolle quote, my favourite so far: "I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them cats." Think I might plagiarise that one.

Also to realise that going from Mrs Stress of Stressland to being someone so much more relaxed was never going to be the smoothest of smooth transitions and like anything they'll be ups and downs.

Hello there, just a quickie to let you know that I'm having lots of fun staying with Jo (my first cousin once removed) in Melbourne. I can't type much because my arms are a bit achy due to the huge amount of yoga i've been doing. I'm fully converted to Bikram yoga which takes place in 37 degrees or higher and the sweat just pours off you-it's awesome. I've done the 90 minute class for four days running now although today was the hardest...I hope i can keep it up because under the special introductory offer I had to pay for the first class and then got the next nine days free. Woohoo! There are quite a few classes a day so I really have no excuse.

Today was a really cool (good cool not cold cool as it was pretty hot) day - I went to yoga this morning and then had a lovely lunch with Jo, Ann (her sister) and Ann's sister in law before going to St Kilda. I was really looking forward to going to St Kilda as I've been missing the sea. We got on the tram (a lovely old one) from Richmond which took us all the way to the beach. It was a gorgeous sunny day with a warm breeze and we walked along the beach (paddling) and then along the pier where we bought ice creams.

It was amazing to see a city so close to the sea and at the same time being somewhere that was so very peaceful. There are penguins on the end of the pier and although most of their colony has been fenced off, I saw there was lots of penguin poo on the rocks and thought, umm I wonder if there are any chicks down there? I walked down the rocks and using my penguin nest spotting skills began searching. I checked all the little holes around the poo but couldn't see anything, but then just as I turned round, I saw a penguin right in front of me sitting very still under the rock. It was so cool, at the front I could see its head and at the back of the rock I could see its foot.

I then searched for more penguins but my penguin-honing-ability seemed to have deserted me. Then a guy who was sitting nearby (and who obviously spends a lot of time sitting there, if his tan is anything to go by) showed us where another one was. This time we had a full view of the penguin which was quietly resting under a bush. It was really great to see them and Jo and I were all full of penguin-induced smiles.

After that I went for a swim in the sea to cool off. It was my first proper swim in the sea since i got to Oz and I'd forgotten how much I love it and how different it is. I wonder if my body knows that the salty water vapour is good for me? Maybe that's why I like it so much. And the same with yoga.

Melbourne: here I am.

Once I'd booked my tickets and knew I was finally going, leaving Kangaroo Island wasn't hard and so while I'd been a bit stressed deciding when I was going to go, by the end, I was all excited about the next bit of my journey.

I got a lift into Kingscote on Sunday and had the afternoon there as the shuttle bus wasn't picking me up until 5.20pm. There's no public transport on KI apart from the twice daily bus to the ferry. It was a beautiful sunny day - although if anything, a bit hot and I was glad that I was leaving as I don't think I could cope with the weather much hotter. Anyway I walked along the beach and saw a couple of baby penguins in their nests, lots of pelicans resting on the shore with their heads tucked into their bodies and some black swans swimming in the sea, all pretty neat.

I then walked to the museum which had a hotch-potch display of old photographs, newspaper cuttings, lace, shells, stuffed animals, bottles as well as tractors(including a little grey Fergie), a forge, butter-making equipment and a lighthouse. It was quite fun and I especially liked the photo of Rachel's homestead circa 1861.

After that I walked up the hill and had a great view of the beautiful blue bay with sand banks and fishing boats. I then caught the shuttle bus to Penneshaw and had half an hour to wait before the ferry so thought I'd go and see Ray, the youth hostel guy. I wanted to go and thank him for keeping Rachel's note about work, for encouraging me to go and to tell him what a great time I had. I wasn't sure he'd remember me as he obviously has lots of guests staying but as I walked up to the hostel, he came out and said: "Is that Lucy?" I was so happy.

He'd told me to come back so I explained that I didn't come back to the hostel because I was having so much fun. He said he thought I'd get on well with Rachel and expected to see me in Kingscote someday and I'd say I was living there now. In fact, he was a bit surprised that I was leaving the island. He made me a cup of tea and we had a nice chat and it was the perfect ending to a great holiday.

I sat on the deck of the boat on the way back to the mainland watching the sun set over Kangaroo Island and I wasn't sad at all. I was so happy and had this big grin on my face. I thought how successful the trip had been, I really couldn't have planned it better. I'd been stressing a bit over the past few days that maybe I'd stayed there too long but that doubt then evaporated. It had been amazing. It was amazing. It is amazing. I would say it was perfect, but I'm beginning to overuse that word now. (Who'd have thought it?) Ray told me I had to go back but right now, I have no idea if I will.

When I got to the youth hostel in Adelaide I was still really happy. I thought about how I'd been on the train with Rob and David, I'd been so nervous and panicky, wondering how I was going to cope on my own but they assured me that I could. So when I left Maureen and Andrew and Lucy, I was confident but nervous and I sat in the park in front of the youth hostel with all my stuff and thought, this is me now, travelling on my own, this is IT.

This time, when I got to the youth hostel I felt like a hostelling pro - so confident and relaxed, and yet, I couldn't believe I'd been there six weeks ago - it seemed like I'd been there only yesterday. Six weeks, six weeks is ages. Now it seems weird that I'd been on KI for so long. But it did feel good to be travelling again, especially with such a successful few weeks behind me. I was on the move, only with more confidence now and with a glow of excitment, wondering where it will take me.

So, finally I'm packing up my things are moving on from KI. It was a difficult decision to make but luckily I made it (and booked my tickets) before the sun came out and the sea warmed up and everything became even more peachy than it was before.

This week I've spent quite a bit of time reading on the beach, been for a couple of brief swims, tested out the lilo, finished painting the beach shed and put hooks up, went for a few walks along the beach and a walk up the cliff, saw a little black tiger snake and a big black tiger snake, went to Stokes Bay which you have to walk through rocks to get to, saw a baby koalie on the back of a mummy one, paddled in the sea, fed Min the kangaroo again, ate dinner in the taverna, cleaned some silver, the car, the kitchen and the oven, put some kites together, drove to Kingscote and went to pick up some bread from the airport, saw two kangaroos fighting, saw more kangaroos grazing, transplanted some grass (and in doing so, nearly cut my food in half), watched some films and did some yoga.

Today I went to yoga and realised that while I'd been doing a bit of yoga with Rachel and Jess it's not the same as a class. Rachel took a two hour class this morning and I felt so, so good afterwards and dived in the sea to cool off afterwards. The bay is beautiful and clear with lots of pretty fishes although it's a bit cold for snorkeling just yet.

This afternoon, we went to the Parndana (local town) show, were there was a sheep shearing competition, dog jumping and a petting zoo but no horses because of the equine flu outbreak. The petting zoo was good (I was the only adult sans child in there) but the kids were giving me a heart attack as some of them were squeezing the chicks so much, I kept expecting them to be asphyxiated. Luckily there were no casualties. Despite their manhandling they had no problems picking them up but when I tried to, I was pecked by the mother hen. Jack, Sandy and Cass's dog, (Sandy and Cass work here) won the dog jumping competition by jumping onto the top of eight straw bales which was pretty cool.

And finally, here are my pics from KI - mostly animals and scenic views (with a few drunken escapades) which pretty much sums up the six weeks I've been here. Although they seem to have filed themselves in the most random order, I'm not sure why.

Awesome. On Saturday, I went horse-riding with George. We floated the horses back to Rachel's and then took the horses for a walk along the cliff. George's dog Gemma came too and ran off a few times to chase wallabies although she was very good and came back when she was called. When I saw my first wallaby, I was so excited but now I take them for granted. It just shows you how quickly you get used to things. Wallabies, kangaroos and echidnas have become just a part of life, although I still get excited about koalies.

As we were just about to take the horses on the beach, we met the guy who organised the penguin census and I felt like I know more people on KI, than anywhere else in the world. If you meet someone two or three times you feel like they're your best friend and it's easy to think that when everyone's so friendly. On a remote island like KI, you have to be pretty reliant on your neighbours, so it helps to get on with each other and there's nowhere to hide or escape to so you might as well be friendly. Or maybe I've just met the nice people.

We walked along the beach to the river at the other end but George's horse Susie, an ex-racehorse, was pretty nervous of the waves and was pretty aggitated on the beach so I had to go in the sea on Dinny to show her that they weren't scary at all. It was good for practising my horse-control and basically the coolest thing ever or, as cool as (Aussism for saying something is very good, as in Jono told me I was trendy as, which he meant as a compliment, I think but I found pretty amusing in a fill-in-the-blanks way).

On Saturday, I stayed at George's and had a few drinks... Anyone reading this might think I've suddenly turned into an alcoholic but it's so exciting for me to drink and just enjoy the evening, or not to drink and enjoy the evening. I didn't used to drink because it would make me so depressed or if I did drink, I'd drink to get drunk, to forget, to escape, to not think. Incidently, why do you think I slept all the time?

Anyway, I won at Scrabble and played the guitar. I remember D, A7 and G from when I played the guitar at primary school and I've now learnt A, C and EM. Woohoo!

This week's gone quickly. In fact, every since the clocks went forward, the days have gone even quicker than before - which is saying something. I've never known days to be so speedy - except when I sleep all day that is. Or I should say, when I used to sleep all day long because sleeping all day long isn't happening anymore. No, no, no.

Anyway, today I sheared a sheep (or is it shore?). OK well only a tiny bit at the end but it was pretty cool and I even have some pics (shock) although I have to admit that I did cut the lamb's bottom as I was too busy smiling at the camera... But as the shearer said, sheeps don't feel pain, right. I also held a lamb although I gave it to George when the elastic band was being put on its tail and balls... Didn't think I'd be able to hold it still enough for that as I could hardly stop it wriggling out of my hands when I was just holding it. The peeps (George's friends) I was helping said I'd make a good shed hand as I was good at sweeping up the lamb's tummy wool and other the lower quality wool from floor. So there's a job for me in NZ.

On the way too and from the shearing, I saw the local koala (or koalie as I like to say) hanging out in its tree. On the way it was eating and on the way back you could just see a really big grey lump in the branches. Coo-el.

Yesterday, I cleaned out the back of the beach shack and started painting it which was fun although not as good as my job the other day when I had to clean out the spa. Cleaning the sand out of the spa was tough because it's on the cliff overlooking the beach so obviously I had to warm it up and float around like a mermaid while trying to get the sand out using a towel. Predictably, it took me a while to perfect my sand-removing technique.

Other things I've been up to: Last Friday, which was a gorgeous day and I read lots (and did lots of philosophising on the beach) we went to the taverna for dinner. The taverna is right on the beach and it's all set up so pretty-like with lots of candles. And while Rachel and Jess cooked for me, I had to collect firewood and light the fire. I've now perfected the technique of lighting the fire with one match which isn't actually that difficult when you've got loads of kindling and paper. There was a full moon, which I've now learnt was a harvest moon and because of refraction (maybe?) the moon looms very large and low in the sky. It looked pretty amazing and was so bright so we could see the waves lapping at the shore as we ate yummy food and had good wine (again).

On Saturday the weather turned and we cleaned up the houses ready for the guests which included my spa (ahem) work. There were guests in Saturday night and when there are guests in, it means everyone else works in the evening but not me - that was when I wrote part one of my new philosophy.

On Sunday (my last post), I went up to Kate's and saw her animals. She's just got another baby kangaroo called Bouncy to add to her menagerie. Min, the kangaroo I fed last time, had been a bit ill so I had to hold her still while Kate gave her an antibiotic shot. She's so cute and I held her paws as I cuddled her. I then went to the beach which was awesome as the sea was so rough and the beach was only a few metres wide, compared to the thirty or so it normally is. Where does all that water come from? In the evening, I finished reading The Prophet, which I'd dismissed (or rather not appreciated in the past), lit a fire in the homestead (main house) and then Jess bought me a cheese platter and wine.

Monday, I did some washing and then we did yoga and had dinner in the Cliff House - look on the website to see its coolness. My job was to light the fire. In front of which is a pit with fluffy cushions and rugs where we hung out and drunk more wine and ate chocolate. (A lethal combination, me and fluffiness and wine but somehow I didn't spill anything.)

Tuesday we went to Kingscote for lunch (via some puppies - they were so cute, three of them hanging onto their mother to drink at the same time) and did some shopping, then came back and did yoga which nearly killed me (esp my abs - two days running tho, pretty hardcore) and then had dinner in the homestead.

Wednesday, I did more laundry in the morning and then babysat for George's kids in the afternoon.

One of the things I love most about the island is the animals, and the space, although obviously the two go together. George has got loads of animals: one horse, three ponies, a sheep, a pet magpie (Aussie magpies are much friendlier and lots of people have ones they've rescued as pets), some other birds, a feral cat called Snorkel who's now not feral at all, a dog and probably some other animals I've forgotten about.

The animals and space, I love it. Oh and the scenery is pretty good too. And the people really friendly and 306 other reasons why I don't want to leave.