I’m writing this highlights of 2018 on the verandah of Riverbend books in Balmoral, Brisbane, with a flaming red poinciana tree shading me from today’s 30 degree celsius scorcher. Summer is blasting Queensland with a vengeance. Thousands of hectares of forest burn as I sit here sipping green tea and hundreds of families face a homeless year-end holiday courtesy of climate change. Meanwhile the Australian Federal Parliament is imploding…..
Leaving the folly of national politics aside, 2018 for us has been an epic year, most memorable as the year our sons became fathers to two bonny, baby girls, one in Melbourne, Australia in March, the other in Edinburgh, Scotland in April. We’ve watched on as Cameron and Tristan fell in love with their daughters and created warm, loving families with their beautiful, strong partners.
The year kicked off with my hairiest personal challenge yet, a month-long sailing adventure (sans Stuart), pushed by Tradewinds from Cape Town, South Africa, via St Helena to Cabedelo, Brazil. 
Skyelark delivered her crew of six (pictured above enjoying our first beer in Brazil) another exciting passage filled with personal challenges, beautiful sunrises, sunsets, countless flying fish, dolphins and hilarious afternoon radio quizzes with the rest of the World ARC fleet. Swimming in the seemingly bottomless azure Atlantic Ocean a thousand sea miles from land while hove to was a unique and unforgettable experience for me.
With my favourite watch buddy, Tim (above) and Skyelark at anchor at St Helena.
A bonus was the too short time I had in Cape Town before the voyage to climb Table Mountain and tour the Cape.
Life at 63 really doesn’t get better than this, hands free Tradewinds sailing!
Once on land I was blown away by wildlife experiences in the water world of the Pantanal with real life Brazilian cowboy, Paulo.
And perplexed by Rio’s completely crazy Carnaval.
Rio’s beach culture is a little different from Australia’s but cruising the bay on an SUP made me feel right at home.
Back in Spain I sampled an alternative Carnival, in Cadiz!
And revelled in some of the world’s best flamenco amongst dear friends in Jerez.
maestro Angel Muñoz
Siblings Pilar Ogalla and Juan Ogalla after his knockout show.
Sandra Carrasco and Company
Triumphant husband and wife Pilar Ogalla and Andres Peña take a rapturous curtain call.
Completely different from Skyelark, but almost as special, was our week on the grand old dame, Irene of Bridgewater, out of Oban to Scotland’s Western Isles. As well as sailing we sea kayaked, hiked to breathtaking viewpoints, celebrated Stuart’s 67th birthday, and I swam an obligatory lap of Irene in very chilly waters.
A return to Paris for Roland Garros, this time with great friends Jean Louis and Liz, followed by a seaside sojourn in Ile de Re, showed off France at its very best.
My tennis hero, Rafael Nadal.
Slightly tipsy post prandial cycle home.
Portugal treated us well too with many kilometres of walking in Sintra and along the northwest coast.
Since our Elliott family reunion in the Dordogne in June (photos below) to mark Stuart’s brother James’ 70th birthday, we’ve been working to make our newly built home on Gypsy Hill in Broken Head, New South Wales, a comfortable place for friends and family to visit.
I take my hat off to Stuart who shepherded the project through to completion despite daily trials. Reviews thus far have been positive. The first inaugural flamenco weekend nearly got blown away in a tempest, but we pushed on with an intimate indoor evening of song, dance, poetry and castenet performances. Very special. Book club friends also pronounced the cabin and house very comfortable and we plan for mire of the same in 2019.
My second Byron Writers’ Festival was enlivened by outstanding authors, principally Michelle de Kretser, who went on to win her second Miles Franklin literary award for favourite book of the year ‘The Life To Come’. I urge you to read her work. Next year’s festival is 2-4 August. Don’t miss it.
We’re also glad to have made it to Tenterfield in September for the very first Peter Allen Festival, made even more special by being hosted by friends Suzanne and Tim.
A swift trip to the UK in November for our niece, Sally’s 40th birthday weekend celebration in the seaside town of Swanage, capped off the year’s travel perfectly. The Elliotts were on fine form with many tiny people being passed from arms to arms or chased around the house.
We’ll spend year-end on The Hill with Cam and family working on our croquet and boules skills and keeping a baby Melburnian cool.
2019 trip planning is well in hand with a six-week combo of Kerala, India, and skiing in the Italian Dolomites starting early February. My clinical drug trial, testing a brand new Rheumatoid Arthritis immunotherapy, will have finished by then. Regardless of the outcome we’re all systems go for another thrilling year. Hope you can stick around for the ride!
Never Ending Gap Year 