Author: awaywiththebirds
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The Merck girls head to the Hunter Valley
Friday May 1 Ok, you ask, why is there a picture of the colour pink? It’s a hangover (no pun intended) from last night’s game of Hues and Cues….Nell was trying REALLY hard to give us a colour clue and in her mind, Pink (the singer) was a legitimate cue until we all put her…
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The Merck Girls head to the Hunter Valley
Thursday April 30 Lesley had to leave us today because she got her dates confused and ended up with conflicting appointments. However the good news is that we have settled on our next adventure in April 2027 and everyone has the dates in their diary so no excuses !!!! The drinkers in the group headed…
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The Merck girls head to the Hunter Valley
Wednesday April 29 What’s the first thing that the Merck girls do when they get together? yes, you guessed it…. Eat, drink and be merry! This time, we are somewhere in the Hunter Valley…our accommodation, which can sleep up to 20 people, has enabled us to each have our room (although we do have to…
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Nobby’s perspective on life with Suss
Tuesday April 7 2026 Suss’s house is pretty nice. She has a hatch on her door which means I can wander in and out when I like. And I think she has bought a couple of new beds (am not sure why when everyone expects me to die soonish ) but one of them is…
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Antarctica East 2026
Jan 28-29: Last days As my final memory of this wonderful adventure ( and being a dog lover ) , I would like to introduce you to Stay, a fibreglass dog belonging to Guide Dogs Tasmania. Stay was ”dognapped” from the streets of Hobart in 1992. Stay’s arrival in Antarctica coincided with the departure of the…
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Antarctica East 2026
Jan 27: Last day at sea So this is our last sea day and we reach Timaru on the South Island of New Zealand first thing in the morning. There has been a photo competition going on throughout the cruise and I thought I would share some of the magnificent photos that others have taken.…
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Antarctica East 2026
January 26: Antipodes Island Today we are visiting the Antipodes Islands….a group of islands which Scenic has never visited before. The islands are inhospitable and uninhabited volcanic islands in subantarctic waters to the south of – and territorially part of – New Zealand.They are the most southeastern point of land in the world outside of Antarctica We…
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Antarctica East 2026
Jan 24-25: Seadays It’s another Seaday but there is plenty to do. There’s always great lectures on wildlife, the Antarctic explorers, the sleep patterns of penguins and the restoration of the explorer huts. There are 6 historic wooden huts in Antarctica – 4 in the Ross Sea area. And there’s an ongoing controversy as to…
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Antarctica East 2026
Jan 22-23: Seadays James here’s some shots of the kayakers. I’m told that they sit on top of the kayaks rather than having to climb in…is this what you did? Not sure about stand up paddle boarding …. We sailed past Scott Island, which is a small uninhabited island of volcanic origin in the Ross Sea,…
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Antarctica East 2026
Jan 21: Navigating through the Ross Sea ice Sammy, the food has been amazing and even though rich, only very small portions are served. Sally, that was my first taste of escargots and I wouldn’t leave home for them! And Anne, here is evidence of me in the salt therapy room! Ok, now if you’ve…