I have inherited this site from our three daughters who travelled the world in 2007. How appropriate then that only three days after Suzy returns home from six months away working in Indonesia that her mother becomes the Day Tripper to leave the sunnier climes of Perth to travel to Paris via Sydney, Shanghai and London - now that's what I call a direct route.

So with my clothing piled on the bedroom floor next to a new suitcase, a stack of frozen meals stored for an ever patient husband and receiving random hugs from Gen, I am almost ready to go. Soon the biggest decision I will have to make is what book to read on the plane ("not My Sister-keeper Mum, do you like sobbing in public?" says Liz) or what plane censored movie too avoid - I figure Borat won't be shown.

The photograph is a reminder of Australia and the beginning point of my travels as well as just a test to include a photograph on my first post, wouldn't it be nice to not be so technically challenged.