So we have finally arrived in Aus, probably 6 months later than planned with the help of extra uncertainty of the last nearly three months under lockdown. I have to say the journey here was spooky – empty roads, empty airport terminals, empty planes. The Doha to Perth leg was extra luxurious as we had a great offer for upgrade to Business Class. The staff were dressed in full protective gear with goggles, masks and full body suits – for the full 11 hours flight. I was especially impressed with the camera views on the plane which gave much better views than we could get through the windows. Delia was especially impressed with the champagne on offer at her whim! The first leg of the journey from Paris to Doha, started in daylight flying over Epernay in Champagne, Germany and then the Carpathian Mountains, before flying near Baghdad and on to Qatar. I would certainly recommend Qatar Airlines, business class especially. Landing at Perth was enhanced by being able to see the view from the underneath cameras. Arriving just at dusk we got to see out first actual traffic jam for 3 months. De-planing and heading into the terminal led us to a physically distanced queue to have our temperature monitored and a brief few questions about our state of health, then onto another queue awaiting our police interview. The two of us positioned at the end of a long table with the fully gas-masked policeman at the other end.

So why “On the Beach”? After over 6 years in France, the time had come to move on. To view the blog of our time in France (in another tab) click here. There were several reasons and one was a hankering for the sea.   Delia spent most of her childhood living near the beach at Quinns Rocks near Perth and always longed after a beach. Whilst living in France we spent several holidays in Conti on the Atlantic coast south of Bordeaux where the beach runs continuously to the Pyrenees. We also discovered that Siena absolutely loves the sand in her paws and goes crazy when she gets a chance to run free on a beach. Also in this time of covid19, where, for the moment, Australia seems to be one of the safest places to be, whilst the rest of the world goes to hell in a handbasket… Neville Shute come to mind (I know “On the Beach” was set post nuclear apocalypse in Melbourne but…).