As I was walking out to church today, the air smelt faintly of chlorinated swimming pools and the smoky embers of a barbecue pit. It struck me as rather strange because these were smells you would associate with Summer, yet, it is the height of Winter in Sydney.

Not that it has been a cold winter. Perhaps it is just myself that has changed. Perhaps I am now more tolerant to the colder climes as I've had a year's worth of living in sub-zero temperatures. Still, having these olfactory cues to remind me of summers that I have missed was quite a pleasant surprise.

I received some excellent news regarding my forthcoming trip to the deep South and I have to say I am very pleased about it. It appears that, perhaps God has taken a fancy to me and have started answering all my prayers. I'm not a religious nut, but when I receive news like the one I had yesterday, it just reaffirms my fledging faith that, yes, there MUST be a God out there.

It might sound a bit odd but I think I'm really going to miss going to Church when I'm in Antarctica. I'm not trying to curry favours with God now that I think He's answering my prayers, but yea, I think I'll miss having my weekly conversations with Him. I've never been a religious person, at least not to the standard of the Roman Catholic church, but I do think that my faith is strong, and besides, too often do people confuse Religion with Faith.

Anyhow, two more weeks before I hit M-Town, and I gotta say, I CAN'T WAIT! I love Melbourne, I love all the people there and I love that I always have a good time! It is so much more than a holiday destination to me; at times, it feels like I'm coming home, and so, this homecoming will be pretty sweet indeed!

What do they say...Journeys end in lovers' meetings?