Thanks Cat.

Well I finally made it to Australia after Trump’s Folly in Iran. Switching flights from Emirates to Cathay Pacific and undertaking a 45 hour journey from home to hotel, via Manchester, Heathrow and Hong Kong. Melbourne was warm and noisy. People are young and anywhere indoors is incredibly noisy.

I am here to find gold. That is my duty as a husband and my necessary purpose as a man. It is our Golden Wedding Anniversary on the 6th of November this year, although it feels like we’ve been married longer than that. In-joke not a derogatory remark, which is remarkable for me. I’m going to find Margaret Smith, nee Lomas, enough gold to make her a ring to celebrate that occasion, so I am here Aussie gold hunting.

I spent the first three nights in Melbourne, meeting my good friends Damien and Maria at Donovan’s in St Kilda for a slap up feed. Such a joyous occasion.

Then this morning I escaped in a motor car at 05.30, driving up to Maryborough in the old goldfields to hire a metal detector from Coiltek Gold Centre there, and become trained in its proper use.

Tony was my trainer.

Linn and Ian were my fellow undergraduates. This photo was taken late in a warm afternoon when we required rest and rehydration, and the pose that I caught them in, with a surreptitious snap, is not reflective of their benign demeanours. Nice folk.

We didn’t find gold but the trainer did. Boooo! A tiny piece but at £3700 an ounce out here then every bit counts.

Then tonight I had fish and chips in Maryborough before scooting over to Moonambel. A cute village which you miss if you blink and which has an array of folk visiting each day. This is the bush, dotted with vine growing farms.

It’s lovely here. This is the view from my hotel window.

The people are friendly and funny, if a little eccentric.

One bloke brought in a small scorpion in a plastic jar. Apparently its sting releases the part of the brain that controls pain. He was stung by one and had three months of agony.

I’m happy that this is my base. English breakfast and very reasonably priced meals. The owner’s father was from Sheffield. Small world.

The water is from a bore hole so is not drinkable but there are jugs of drinking water around. The communication is direct.

I’m all kitted out and ready to go!

Tomorrow is a later breakfast at 9am then I’ll be off into the hills.

Night night.