Yes, the dinner at Leichhardt's Little Italy with the Dengates and the Boltons was a great success. The Sicilian restaurant we remembered from a previous visit had disappeared but another one had surfaced nearby and proved more than adequate. We provided a couple of bottles of white and red wine to start with, Judy and John ordered a lovely dish that looked like a giant fried spider nestled on top of a mound of pasta. I was astonished that Judy would even consider such a thing but she made quick work of it. John kept us all amused with a continuous stream of sketches of our adventures, including our "terrorist assault" on the pub accross from the National Maritime Museum.

Today we paid a morning visit to the Queen Victoria Building for some last minute gifts. The young Queen Victoria was there as usual in all her slendour (evidently a permanent exibit), along with various crowns, bejeweled swords, septors, and other bric-a-brac, and a circle of and tourists.

Now we've finished up our initial packing, and are sharing a few more ditties with John Dengate while we await Jenny and John Warner's arrival for our evening din-din at their favourite Greek restaurant. Life is hard!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble