Everyone left Lorne on the Thursday, except me. Roy and Robyn went off to Adelaide, Graeme, Rae, Mum, and Dad went back to Melbourne so Mum and Dad could go for their week in Fiji.

I stayed. I got a room at the Erskine River Backpackers hostel, and did some more hiking for a couple of days.

The snake sign is at the beginning of the trail to Allenvale. I walked up the beach from Lorne to the St. George River. I looked at the sign, decided I wasn't planning to camp so I wouldn't worry about it, and set off up the trail. It was a quiet and soothing walk, through the forest with singing birds, lorakeets and cockatoos and king parrots all around. At Allenvale I found the trail for Phantom Falls, and continued on. It was a bit uphill. Eventually, the trail went down into a canyon and another sign announced Phantom Falls. Phantom was a good name, certainly, because they weren't there. Down at the bottom of the dry canyon, an older man was having his lunch. I was a bit worried about that, as I was now about 10k from town, and as you may know, I read far too many true crime books.

As it turned out, he was the least of my worries. I went around a fallen tree and started walking down towards the staircase up out of the canyon, and things slithered out of my way. Snakes. Skinny little things. With brown heads. Snakes were turning their heads to look at me disdainfully, and then continuing on their way. I made some squeaky incoherent noises, leapt back, and went to turn around. More snakes. Still squeaking, I walked a few more steps. Three or four more snakes decided that they needed to leave one side of the path for the other side. I made some more noises, and then somewhere in my head, under the hysteria, I knew that I couldn't turn back, as it was too hot and I didn't have enough liquids left to hike back the 10 or 12 k I had already come. Presumably, since I hadn't seen a single snake until this point, they hung out in the canyon. The snake pit. If I could get up to the staircase and get out of the canyon, I probably wouldn't see any more. So I set off, stomping my feet and yelling, "Snakes, get out of my way, snakes, I'm coming through, I hate snakes, and you don't have ears anyway but it makes me feel better to yell, snakes, coming through" until I reached the staircase. Sure enough, once up and out there were no more. Although, before my heart returned to normal, something wrapped itself around my ankle and I went hysterical again for a second or two before I realized it was a piece of bark.

I don't know. I figure the guy sitting at the bottom of the canyon must have heard me. If so, I hope he got a good laugh...

A kookaburra and his family visited us, at the Lorne house. And Roy and Robyn and I went out to the Gray River koala reserve. Koalas were all over, in the trees, and they were fast asleep. We were talking to this one and he didn't even stir. Roy wanted to pet him, but Robyn and I talked him out of it.

I liked Lorne. Did a lot of walking there, too. I especially enjoyed a hike up through dry forest to reach a lookout, with this view.

And after the wedding we drove up the Great Ocean Road towards Lorne, where a house had been rented for all of us to stay in for the week.

It was warm in Melbourne. Much hotter than home. 28 degrees. I took full advantage of it, spent every minute I could outside. It'll be a while here before we're outside without parkas and toques and mitts on.

Melbourne is a good city to walk around. I think I wore out my shoes. For most of the time I was by myself, as Dad isn't up to walking much anymore and everyone else had wedding preparation things to do. Except Robyn, so she and I took the tram to St. Kilda, the morning before the wedding, and walked on the seafront.

The wedding was held at Montsalvat, a beautiful place that used to be an artist's colony.

This picture is taken from the back of the Old Melbourne Gaol. I spent quite a long time reading all the exhibits on the walls, and was interested to see that it is possible, according to one death certificate, to die of too much 'self-stimulation'. We have a few regular visitors to our cell-block at home who might benefit from that little bit of information.

Australia was an adventure. Partly because I was escorting my parents on the Vancouver to Melbourne portion of the journey. My dad, who's now seventy, did very well, he was cheerful and excited to be going, but the trip brought into stark relief, for me, my mother's increasing mental confusion and emotional fragility. She had a couple of bouts of alcohol-induced tearfulness, which, to my chagrin, I found very annoying. I would like to think that I could be sympathetic, but I guess the past year or so of dealing with the emotions of drunks in cells, I find that I'm just not. You're drunk. You're crying. Yeah, you and all the other drunks. Oh, right. You're my mother.

There were funny moments, though. Mum has been given a walkman, and she likes it. She puts the headphones on and sings along. People gave her some funny looks. Also, on the plane when she was listening to her music, she kept thinking of things to say to me, while she was still hooked up to the walkman, and yelling them in my ear. At one point, when the flight attendants were about four rows away, she suddenly shrieked, "Tell them I'll have white wine!". Everyone around giggled, even the happy flight attendants (Air Pacific cabin crews are the most laid-back on the planet) but then when they came by, they gave her red wine and she didn't notice until my father pointed it out.

Well, Blogger is giving me a hard time, I'm not having any luck uploading the pictures of my trip. But I'll try again.

I'm jet-lagged. I feel strange and out of synch. Rachel's teacher, Christy, says it's because your soul only travels as fast as a horse, and so you have to wait for it to catch up. So I guess my soul is swimming around in the Pacific. Hopefully it knows I came back home, and it doesn't have to swim all the way to Australia and back. Because I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have arrived in Australia before I left. I keep falling asleep when I sit down. And my brain is anxious. And my feet are still swollen.

Happy Feet, yes, Ed, is a cartoon about penguins. I don't even remember what the scene was that made me cry, some boy-penguin/girl-penguin thing. I get emotional when I fly.

This is Delia's tag.

1. Where is your cell phone? I do not own one. They don't work up here.
2. Your spouse? Watching American Idol
3. Your hair? Down my back. And orange, again.
4. Your mother? In Tahiti.
5. Your father? Ditto.
6. Your favorite thing? Rachel.
7. Your dream last night? I don't know, but I woke up in a hotel room and didn't know where I was.
8. Your favorite drink? Grapefruit pop.
9. Your dream car? I'd rather have a button-start snowmobile. I get tired of putting my shoulder out pulling the start cord.
10. The room you are in? Dining room. Where I can hear American Idol but not see it. And Rachel is standing next to me.
11. Your ex? Ex what?
12. Your fear? Dying.
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? Exactly what I am right now.
14. Who did you hang out with last night? The bartender at Montana's. And Madonna. I couldn't sleep so I watched Desperately Seeking Susan.
15. What you’re not? A good housekeeper
16. Muffins? Blueberry. Or Lemon.
17. One of your wish list items? Snowmobile as above.
18. Your dinner tonight? Chicken.
19. The last thing you ate? Strawberries after Cubs.
20. What are you wearing? Green shirt I bought yesterday, jeans, my bracelets from Tahiti, Grannie's cross.
21. Your tv? Is currently tuned to American Idol.
22. Your pet?Joeby, who is a goof but very loyal.
23. Your computer? My mother-in-law's old laptop.
24. Your life? Wheeee.
25. Your mood? Really good. I'm home with my family.
26. Your holidays? Oh, just did that.
27. What are you thinking about right now? How to get Rachel to stop putting herself down.
28. Your car? Don't have one.
29. Your work? I start MONDAY woohoooo.
30. Summer? Well, it'll be here. It's still minus 20 or so. But I'm sure it coming.
31. Your relationship status? Good, I think...
32. Your dream vacation? Hiking anywhere. With Rachel.
33. When is the last time you laughed? Very recently.
34. Last time you cried? On the trip home. About Happy Feet. I was tired...
35. School? Well, not at the moment, but I don't rule out the possibility of a Master's. When I'm done having fun up here.