Last time I was in Sydney, I didn't even get to go outdoors, so this visit has been a little better from the outset.

Yesterday we woke up to a full cooked breakfast by Corrine, which was a soak for the night before spent watching the Ireland/Australia match at the local Irish Pub. Bitterly defeated, but surprisingly happy (esp. Heather) we spent the night drinking with an Irishman (John) and his Australian girlfriend (Sarah).

The night's sleep had been somewhat punctuated by the house cat. Called Bailey, I will refer to him as Captain Insane, because, as the name suggests, the cat was not normal. He spent the night jumping from bed to bed, fishing balls out of the pockets of the pool table, jumping at walls and trying to open cupboards. He also tried to eat my leg, scratch James and knock over Heather's last vial of contact lens solution. I think he also set of my allergies. I am feeling a little fragile right now; mostly a sore throat and runny nose, and I'm crossing my fingers it is nothing else. I do however, feel like I am the safest tourist in Eastern Australia, travelling with two pharmacists.

Once up, we took a look at some local markets and the war memorial before boarding the coach and moving on to here (Sydney). We booked into a hostel, got ourselves a steak and went for a walkabout on the harbour front. All the obligatory photos (it's fantastic) and ended up walking across the harbour bridge before taking a couple of pots at the Opera House bar.

This morning we're looking into things to do. I think we've got a few ideas knocking around...