Rob and I popped down to Tescos today to pick up some bits and pieces, and after we’d battled our way through the obstacle course of overflowing shopping trolleys pushed by frazzled mothers we made it to the relative calm of the wine aisle. The Tescos wine aisle and I have a bit of a history - I try to spend as little money there as possible out of protest, whilst the aisle tries to lure me with two-for-one offers of cheap French champagne. It’s not that I don’t like wine, in fact as my friend Kate and I discussed the other night, we’re beginning to wonder if we’re wine-oholics. No, my problem with the Tescos wine aisle is the criminal prices they charge for Australian wine - and wine that isn’t even that good!

Take the Wolfblass Red Label Chardonnay Semillion. In Australia, this would cost maybe $8.95 (AUD), or about £4. You wouldn’t bother with it though, because you could buy any number of other, better wines for a fraction more - Pepperjack, Fox Creek, Yellowglen Vintage, Yarra Burn - all are brilliant wines that cost less than $20 (AUD). None of these are available in the supermarkets in the UK, however, so if you want to experience Australian wine you have to go to the mass-marketed dross - the Wolfblass and the Jacobs Creek. This wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if it were cheap, but it isn’t - £7.19 for Wolfblass in Tescos, which is around $17 Australian. Talk about a kick in the teeth - not only can you not get decent Australian wine in the UK, but the wine you can get is double the price it should be! Little wonder I drink so little wine while I’m in the UK, I can’t bring myself to consume what is little more than watered down vinegar. I guess I have no excuse not to give it up all together and go on a detox.

 Rob and I arrived midday yesterday and, having slept for 16 hours straight last night, we decided we’d go for a walk.  Yes, it was sleeting, and yes, it was forecast to snow, and yes, we had come from 26 C weather in Brisbane.  We’re tough (and stupid).

More tomorrow when I’m not jetlagged!

Rob and I are off on another travel adventure tomorrow, heading first to the UK and then to Italy (and then back to the UK again)!  We don’t touch down in Manchester until the evening of the 20th (Australian time), so I won’t be around til then.

What’s the best quote you can think of about leaving temporarily?  I could only come up with ‘So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodnight’ and ‘leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again’, but neither seemed quite right.