On a dark and stormy night many, many years ago a baby girl was born, not in a manger, but in a hospital bed in a small town named Reading in the borough in Berkshire. Today, it is Berkshire's largest town, with a total population of around 355,600. To be honest, I'm not sure if it was a small town back then, but on that October day, it's population increased by 1. And that 1 was me. 

Ah to go back 40 years and resist the urge to pluck those random eyebrow hairs. Whilst I never went the Pammy Anderson super skinny brow, some plucking was definitely carried out. 

I've visited Paris a few times, the last being long, long ago. So when the opportunity rose to visit again and catch up with the Old Duck, and with a Eurostar ticket in my hot little hand, off I went. Apart from eating lots of croissants, cheese and drinking wine, I didn't have many must-do's on my list. The catacombs which I've never been to are currently closed, so one thing I wanted to do was a cruise on the Seine along the Canal Saint-Martin. 

An underwater train. The whole concept is a little mind-blowing when you think about it. But then again, we drive through some pretty impressive mountain tunnels and the Vasco de Gama bridge looks like it's just hanging there in mid air. Ships - huge mini cities just bobbing around in the water. And planes? Metal tubes speeding through the air? Yes, transport has come a long way and it's impressive.  

Another unexpected tick off the list - I must go out with Marivi and Rob more often! After what turned into a rather long drive to get the 3km from Twickenham (and hot off the heels of getting a tick by visiting Eel Pie Island) to Richmond (we were rather daft to not realise that 82,000 mad rugby fans were on their way to watch England play Ireland in a Rugby 6 Nations match at Twickenham Stadium), we finally met up with Silvia (who had by all accounts, had her own dilemmas. in arriving). Mission accomplished. Can I write without (brackets)? Obs not.

While living in London, I heard about this place and decided I had to visit. The problem is, Eel Pie Island is a private island accessible only via a footbridge, and is only open to visitors a few day throughout the year.  The island got its name from the pies baked using locally caught eels and served by the island’s residents to passing river traders - sounds delicious. Or not. Sounds more like a place invented by a slightly nutty children’s book author who got distracted halfway through lunch.

Another quick and easy tick off the list. One of the things I've missed about living in Australia, is the great Asian food that you can find everywhere. Staying near Clayton, I'd wander up to the library and pass by Banh Mi Bakery and Cafe. There would be a short line. Tradies, students, locals all patiently waiting for one of those orange bags to be filled with lunch. And on four separate occasions, I joined them. The bread roll was crusty, the pate/butter ratio perfect, some carrots and cucumber to add crunch, onion, hoisin, chillies and of course chunks of juicy roast pork along with crackle. Divine. Oh once, I really mixed things up and went the roast chicken, because I can be reckless sometimes.  

This was an easy tick off the list. I'd seen this place pop up on my feed and I happened to be going to Chaddy to buy a new suitcase. Perfect opportunity. Firstly, what is a Japanese Pancake and how is it different to a bog standard pancake? Also known as soufflé pancakes, they're all about the height and fluffiness darling!

Another one of those "lived in Melbourne for ages and never got around to it" things. So when Andrea invited me to spend her birthday with her at the Peninsula Hot Springs in Fingal, I gladly accepted. Our very special dine and bathe package meant swanning around in the adults only Spa Dreaming Centre area. White robes on, white robes off, the robe‑wearing wanderers looked like a cult of extremely cosy ghosts.

Let's have a Ferris Buellers Day off! A fabulous suggestion and a throwback to the time the Old Duck and I decided to take a day off work and go and get some things done from my list. Must have been 9 years ago or so - we were both still at Mercer and we can proudly say we are possibly the only two people in Melbourne who actually got to ride the Melbourne Star (the Ferris wheel of death, not called that because anyone died, but because the poor thing sits there rusting away - one of the less successful tourist attractions the city has ever produced). 

An unexpected tick. 12 months ago I don't think I'd even heard of Yungblud. And if I had, it certainly didn't register. But all of a sudden, his name just kept popping up in my feed and a slightly weird obsession blossomed. The fact that he was in Australia at the same time I was, and wouldn't you know it, playing in Melbourne, fueled that obsession and all of a sudden I hit pay and voila, I was going along to see Yungblud. I needed to see for myself what all the fuss was about.

All those years in Melbourne and I never got around to visiting this place. So with the temperature climbing up above 40 degrees and a couple of hours spare, off I went. The Immigration Museum is basically a look at our history and culture with stories of many of the people who shape who and what Australia is today.