Stay Left

G'day! It is 7:38 AM on this beautiful morning, making it 16 hours ahead of Alberta. The jetlag hasn't been too bad but I am super exhausted by the time 6 or 7 PM rolls around and then up around 4:30 AM. Not too bad though considering we are on the other side of the world!

We landed in Sydney at about 8:30 AM and got a nice tour of the city before we landed. Saw the Opera House and beautiful harbour. We then took off on a short flight to Melbourne where we have been traveling for the last couple of days.

We rented a car at the airport and have been driving on the opposite (please note how I am being politically correct here and saying "opposite" side of the road - just for you crazy island people who drive on this side!) side of the road ever since (well for the most part anyways!). The common phrase of the day is "stay left"! This did bring a sense of worry over me when I realized that this is how they also probably ride in the warm-up ring! With the new horse and new show atmosphere I have severe doubts that I will remember to ride right to right - opposite to the norm at home! Dressage riders hardly ever follow the rules anyways, so I am kind of hoping for the same here too!

It has been a great way to see some country while trying to adjust to the time. Dad does a great job of keeping the car windshield clean as well - for the first day of driving every time he wanted to put the blinker on, he instead hit the windshield wipers (on opposite sides of the steering wheel here)! Mother was slightly better but it still happens at least a few times a day, no matter who is driving.

To quickly sum up some of our adventures to date, we have seen penguins, kangaroos, koalas, beaches, the 12 Apostles (absolutely stunning), and the Grampians National Park.

Back to Melbourne airport today and then to Sydney for the night. Tomorrow at 1:00 PM I get to meet my horse - I am overwhelmed with excitement, but also starting to get more nervous as the time progresses. I have no idea what this horse is going to be like! All I can hope for is that we get along and can figure each other out quickly!


We are off for the day now - everyone in Canada have a great night!



Lindsay