Ken and Lynda

I spoke to Lynda on the telephone this morning. Lynda's husband, Ken, is a teacher on an exchange from Nottingham. He teaches in an inner-city comprehensive and he's swapped for a private girls' school in Sydney.

"You've put the fear of God into me about booking return flights" she said. They came on single tickets (with two kids) and haven't booked a return. They've decided to bail out early and head out of Australia before Christmas. I told her about the trouble we had with Qantas. I've no idea whether she'll get on a flight in December.

"Don't you want Christmas on the beach?" I asked. "And to see the fireworks at new year?".

"No. We think Christmas will be really flat with just the four of us. We are thinking of Hawaii or a snowy Christmas in North America on the way home".

I can't see the logic in this. It will be just the four of them wherever they stop over. I didn't question it.

"The only thing with Hawaii is, you know, I don't want to spend Christmas with a load of fat people in condominiums. I don't know, we'll see".

I don't think Lynda is enjoying her year in Australia. I'm not sure she's such a fan of the culture or that she's really got stuck into the way of life. She doesn't rate the schools, the food or the suburb she's living in. Her daughter is way ahead of the other kids in her class. And she's spent too much money. "I've decided I need to get some part-time teaching work" she told me. "It's so expensive to do anything in Sydney. Ken's relaxed about it, but the money situation is really worrying me. I phoned up about doing supply work but they want me to take an English test and have my skills assessed".

In many ways they have been more fortunate than us. They didn't have to look for somewhere to live, or to furnish it and buy a car. Her husband's exchange status means their schedule has been largely planned already. They've been to stay with other teachers up and down the coast at no extra cost.

On the other hand, they're stuck out in Sutherlandshire; their nearest beach is miles away. "I do wonder what it would be like to live in one of the nicer areas, like where you are" she said this morning. "Then again, we went to Coogee at the weekend. I said, oh Ken, it's just like Nottingham on a Saturday night".

No, it's not.

And then there's the fact that the Aussie teacher is living in her house back in the UK.

"Apparently his wife is rather obese" she said. "And a bit disabled. And he's got his mother in law with him as well. She's 83 years old. All I can think is "don't die in my house"".

I hope she can sort the flights out. I hope the beds are clean when she gets home.