Just got back from our two-night stay in beautiful Sydney, where we finally did the bridge climb we got from my folks last Christmas. That's the Sydney Harbour Bridge, for those who didn't realise.

The day started with us walking from our hotel (Citigate Central Sydney - highly recommended!) across the CBD to The Rocks, where we located the BridgeClimb office. We were a good half hour early for our climb, but luckily we were able to get an earlier climb, so our wait time was cut down to only fifteen minutes or so.

There's a bit of rigmarole involved in preparing for the climb. A form to fill out, a breath test for alcohol levels, changing into the tracksuit thing they make you wear - even a metal detector to walk through. Then they give you the rundown on the use of the latch which keeps you connected to a safety rail as you walk around the structure, and the correct procedures for climbing ladders etc. All pretty straight forward.

I must admit that I was a little concerned about how hard the walk would be, despite seeing the competitors on The Biggest Loser doing it, and hearing of elderly people doing it. I'm pleased to say that even for someone as couchbound as myself the walk was a piece of cake. You're just too caught up in the view and the experience to worry about whether your legs are tired.

Our guide, Bernie, was great value. Terrific sense of humour and a real raconteur. Some of the stories he told about the building of the bridge really made me want to look this stuff up and learn more about it.

Once the climb was over we spent the rest of the day walking around the city, and then had tea at Darling Harbour. We even had a chance to wander over to Star City casino and win back some of the day's expenses. A really great day.

I have the rest of the week off (to give my thighs and calves time to recover - just kidding). Should be a great break away from work. At some point I'll scan in the photo we got of Sal and me on top of the bridge and upload it.