Palm Beach is the place to be in the middle of a Sydney winter

Spanner drove up to Palm Beach yesterday to show his dad heaven.

Not that the old codger is heading off to the other side just yet, but Palmy (as we pretend-locals like to call it) is a heavenly place.

It has sailing nirvana, Pittwater, on one side of the peninsula and magnificent surfing beaches on the other.

Spanner told me the water was warm enough for a swim. I'm soooo jealous because I'm stuck at home on the computer supposedly doing real work that contributes to my paid job. It's not fun because I would rather be in Palmy or writing.

I am tired of winter, though many would argue I'm a lucky sod for living in GodZone, with its mild climate and good coffee.

But even these things haven't saved half of Sydney from the swine flu and every other lurgie imaginable.

To make matters worse, tomorrow I rejoin my sniffling, snuffling sneezing fellow commuters on the bus into town in peak-hour traffic.

Back to work.