I’ve just woken up and remembered I’m here, in the heart of the Australian Alps. The strangest bird calls outside and – despite some very familiar weather – a very different view outside my window.

I had the BEST night’s sleep ever – an extra two hours of darkness – and now have a cuppa and am preparing for a lazy day enjoying the local environment, catching up with cousin and taking it all in. I wandered out to put the kettle on, woke the dogs, and took these:

Yesterday we surprised lots of kangaroos on the fields and drive leading down to this place. I’ve seen unfamiliar birds on trees outside. But the most bizarre sight was stepping into this shop from the long road leading to Jindabyne. Almost no other settlements nearby and suddenly this:

I think it must be the largest Christmas store in Southern Hemisphere! The…