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Just to let everyone know that we have arrived home safely on Monday night but there were phone dramas at home - our phone line and ADSL line were all down and Telstra could not schedule us for repairs any faster than COB today - and it has all been fixed.

We flew out of Cairo at 12.15pm on Sunday on schedule and after a one hour stop at Dubahi we made it to Singapore on time. There was a 4 hour lay over here to await the direct flight to Brisbane and this also took off on time and landed in Brisbane 3 minutes early. I am always amazed how you can fly for nearly 20 hours and land 3 minutes early.

It was great to get into own bed even if it was midnight but then came the unpacking and loads of washing on Tuesday and the discovery that our phone was out of order.

But all is good and Kay is still recovering from jet lag but I seem OK and have cut the grass, fully unpacked and washed the car as well. I have been in contact with some people about some work opportunities and life is beginning to get back to normal.

I hope everyone has enjoyed folowing our journey and am sorry about not being able to upload photos but for a free sight, it would have taken all the space available.

The Milne’s are now in Cairo Egypt and we look out our hotel window and see 2 pyramids. We have been to the Egyptian Museum, the Islamic Mosque, the Coptic Christian area and a perfume factory. Food has been OK and Ian has even experimented with some local tastes and is not starving. We have to buy water for personal use – even to clean your teeth ! There are only 3 of us on our tour so it is like a personal tour for us.Tour guides have been great and can tell us everything about the local tour points as they are all graduates of the Cairo University with degrees in Hospitality and Egypt history.Everything is on the expensive side in the hotel and if you walk outside you will be accompanied/followed by an armed police officer who are stationed all along the roads and one is even inside our hotel as everyone has to go through a metal scanner to get in. On the streets you are constantly approached by locals wanting to sell you something. Donkey/horse and carts still get around the city with produce, rubbish and anything that needs to be carried. I would hate to drive here and I think car horns will wear out before the car needs to be updated because they are used. Internet access is not readily available and it has to be paid for and it is not cheap so don’t look for too many updates. We might get better access next weekend when we stay at the other hotel in Cairo and just before we leave. Remember, we will be home early in the first week in August.

Have had a real interesting time and we are now located at a village called Strathaven (pronounced straven) where my cousin and his partner run a pub called the Star Tavern. The nomads travelled across the water to the Isle of Arran on Tuesday for a great day which included touring the Arran Castle and a look at some of the different villages on the island before returning back on the car ferry around 5pm.

Today we took off for Edinburgh (about hour and half drive) and we went looking for the royal yacht Britannia which has been berthed there and now allows people to tour the ship from front to back and you get to see the Queens bedroom, the main dining room and the cabin used by the Captain, officers and crew.

I am honoured to advise that Mr and Mrs Milne from Brisbane took afternoon tea on the main deck of the Britannia and could quite get used to it as well.

The ship has a lot of bits and pieces still in place as it was when it was in active service.

We return back to Aberdeen in the morning and have a week left in town before we leave for Heathrow to fly to Egypt.

Weather has turned cold but it is still fine. We have had a great time and have now seen all my uncles/aunts and only have 1 cousin left to make contact with. There are 8 2nd cousins and tally is 4 so far with one in South Africa which makes 3 to go and shouldd see 2 more next week.

We are scattering my parents ashes on Sunday and looks like all Dad's siblings will be in attendance.

I have just had a wet nose thrust against me from a crazy labrador called "Danny" - I am told crazy by name and crazy by nature.

We only have 2 weeks left in Scotland and then on to Egypt.

Back in Aberdeen and we have hired a car (Vauxhall Corsa – don’t get them in Oz) for a week and visited another uncle on Friday and had a great time catching up on family news. Today we are back down with my Uncle Malcolm for a BBQ because a cousin is coming up from Edinburgh with her partner so it will be a good chance to catch up with Nicola. We have seen her a couple of times as she visited Australia in the last 6 years or so. The weather is again fantastic and we have been outside for the whole time in the sun !!!!!!I have spoken to another cousin who runs a pub south of Glasgow and we off down there on Tuesday to see him and will probably be away for the whole day.Weather is still fantastic with plenty of sun and warmth and it was tipped to end with storms at the weekend but reports are changing to say that they may have it wrong and fine weather should last through the weekend – that is good for us.Had a hair cut to trim her golden mane so she walked into a hair dresser and had it done this morning for a cost of 14 pounds – but she is just happy to have it cut !!!Interesting, they have been advertising Australian wines a lot and there is one supermarket chain that re-labels South Australian wine with their own label. We can buy 3 bottles for 10 pounds which is good value.