Thursday, 31 December 2009
Australia November 2009 - New Year's Day 2010
This blog is a collection of email I have sent to various people over the last two months and now collated so that you may share our experience if you wish. The latest news, New Year's Day is at the end complete with video of the Sydney Harbour Fireworks.6 November 2009
Thought you might like to know how we are getting on in our first week away.
We had good flights, first one 12 hours and second 8 hours with 24 hours in Hong Kong, stayed at what is reputed to be the best airport hotel in the world, The Regal, it is only a short walk from the airport and very comfortable with all our meals, including champagne included for £122.
We were met at Sydney airport by Ted, a Rotarian, who has been a good friend since we arrived, we met his family after our arrival and had drinks at their home on Sunday evening. Monday Carol and I did a bit of shopping in the Central Business District of Sydney, we travel mainly on the ferry system which is brilliant.
Tuesday I had a 7.00am Rotary meeting and made a few new friends, we are going to the theatre with them on Sunday and a film on Wednesday.
The weather on Tuesday turned a bit warm, 38 degrees centigrade to be precise, phew!
On Wednesday I went to the Sydney Probus club and was warmly greeted, especially by those members who have some connection with Devon or Torquay, one member who went to school in Torquay invited me to sail on Friday.
Thursday, I played golf with my new found friend Ted, he is really good company, plays at about the same standard as me. We had a drink at his home when we had finished.
Friday saw me racing in a 30ft yacht with a crack team who won their class, not sure I had a lot to do with the win but it was certainly very enjoyable and I learn a lot.
Today I am having a rest, and Carol is going to her first meeting of the NSW Doll Collectors Club.
So, a pretty busy start to our holiday.
23 November 2009
Carol and I have been in Sydney for three weeks and I thought I would pen a few words.
I think television has made English, as spoken in England a more universal language, there are very few colloquialisms that I have encountered whilst in Sydney, one is ‘boned’ as in ‘skint’ or 'broke' the other is ‘eventualise’ as in may or may not happen, it seems it is a word they have recently discovered and has to be included in every conversation such as “I’ll eventualise that in my diary” or “I’ll eventualise the cancellation of my order”. Even the Sydney accent seems softer than when I was here in 1964. 'Ocker' describes an Australian with his tinnie in his hand - think Onslow in Keeping up Appearances.
When I visited Sydney in 1964, one did not mention the ‘C’ word (convict history) since 1988, the second millennium of European Australian history they have become very aware of their ancestry with whole proud dynasties originating from the original convicts.
The overwhelming first impression visually is of a very young country, very few grey haired people, but enormous amount of pregnant young women having their second, third or fourth child and pushing the other two in baby buggies with a toddler hanging on behind, I came across a family yesterday with 7 children with the oldest aged about 8 years with two babies in arms and another on the way.
The reason, there is a baby bonus of $5,000 for each birth and $10,000 for twins, if you work on two dollars to the pound and you will see this is definitely an encouragement. On top of this young people get a $21,000 grant to buy a new house.
Food and alcohol are much the same price as in the UK, either eating at home or in a restaurant. Almost identical choice of food, as in the UK, although I did have a kangaroo burger the other day which was excellent.
For snow birds like Carol and I there is no need for much to be spent on clothing, shorts and half sleeve shirts are all that are required for daytime wear and in my case a pair of slacks for the evening and a skirt for Carol.
The beaches of Sydney are truly amazing. In the UK we hear a lot about how worried the Australians are about exposure to sun, particularly on their beaches and yet there is hardly a sun umbrella to be seen and only one beach, Manly, is it possible to hire one, similarly with sun loungers almost nonexistent, everyone just lies on their towels. The beaches really need some Italian immigrants to set up their usual rows of loungers and umbrellas.
Most sun worshipers don’t go near the water for fear of sharks, some beaches do in fact have salt water swimming pools and a few beaches have shark nets about 100 metres off shore. Shark attacks have increased threefold in the last decade with quite a number happening in and around Sydney this year. I for one am keeping out of the sea!
The weather! Well, what a difference to the UK. Whilst you are having a never ending deluge and gale force winds Sydney is in the midst of a heat wave that even the locals are complaining about. Most days temperatures are in the 20’s which is very comfortable, however, the day after we arrived it soared to 32 degrees for one day, then comfortable weather for two weeks, then three days ago it became very hot to an unbearable 42 degrees yesterday, that’s 108 degrees Fahrenheit.
When I suggested air conditioning be put into our bedroom the owner of our apartment suggested that we should do what Australians do to keep cool at night and have a cold shower with our clothes on and go to bed soaking wet. Can you imagine any owner of rented property in the UK suggesting giving their bed a good soaking?
We have not tried it yet but if it gets any hotter I guess we will give it a try!
The lasting impression we will have of the people of Sydney is the way we have been accepted as friends. Hardly a day goes by when we are not socialising. With my Rotary and Probus connections we have already had outings to the theatre, cinema and been invited to their homes, given lunch at the golf club and a tour of the North Sydney beaches. I have played golf three times and crewed in a yacht race three times. We have won twice and came second once. Carol has met up with doll collectors and is off to doll shows, doll auctions, and what I call doll tea parties. In fact between now and the New Year I have four parties to go to and Carol has five.
The owner of our apartment has invited us to stay at her guest house in the Blue Mountains this week for three nights at no cost to us and we are going to hire a car and stay in the Hunter Valley on Christmas and Boxing Day.
This week’s diary, today Carol is out shopping whilst I catch up on emails and accounts, tomorrow starts with a Sunrise Rotary meeting for Carol and I (Carol is a regular Rotary attendee now) followed by a train to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains for three nights, then on Saturday Carol and I will meet Michael and Gillian, Michael is a first cousin of mine that I have never met who lives in Canberra and is going to be in Sydney for the day. I discovered him whilst researching my family history, quite exciting really.
On the Saturday evening we will be going with Rotarians to a meal and concert. Then on Sunday Carol is off to the first of her Christmas parties.
For my birthday on 19 December we are taking Rotary President Ted and his wife Dawn to a Sushi restaurant as a thank you for all he had done to make us feel so welcome.
We have two trips to the Sydney Opera House planned the first to see a concert hosted by Barry Humphries and a Cat Stevens concert.
We are enjoying ourselves so much we have booked to return for 6 months next November, health and wealth permitting.
3 December 2009
Our life style is really suiting us, the current temperature is a blissful 23 degrees.
We are in the process of taking a long lease on a one bedroom apartment so that we can have a 'home from home' to return to each November.
Carol and I met my first cousin Michael and his wife on Saturday, never having met before we all got on really well and have arranged to meet up again before we leave Sydney, next week we are invited to the home of another cousin, I am beginning to feel that I have as many relatives that care in Oz as in the UK.
Looks like the weather in Torquay is destined to be as bad as ever for the next couple of days at least, I do feel sorry for you all, I remember that only a few years ago summer weather seemed to continue until after our January departure to the Caribbean, I have been known to wear short sleeved shirts to the airport.
15 December 2009
Carol's big news today is that she has had hair 'done' in Sydney's poshest hair stylist I could not believe it when she came home with A$480 ( £266) less in her pocket.Our other big news of the moment is that we take possession of our own permanent leased apartment on Monday.
LARGE FULLY RENOVATED STYLISH AND SLEEK ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT WITH PARKING !!!!!!!!
Welcome to this Large Newly renovated one bedroom apartment located on 5th floor of security building with lift access.
Everything brand new!!!!
Featuring polished wooden floorboards throughout. Open plan kitchen with double dishwashers,
fridge and smeg microwave. Plenty of cupboard space.Trendy bathroom with frosted sliding glass doors. Bedroom with built-in cupboard.
Stylish pull down blinds. Balcony overlooking sparkling Berry's Bay water views extending to Anzac Bridge.
We have a new pet!
The residents in an apartment above us feed the wild birds and we get many different species visit our balcony to break the journey upwards. We frequently have 20 to 30 lorikeets sitting in the trees just in front of us.This little fella is the friendliest and very tame, Carol has named him/her Kiki.
During this week we went out to Wyee, about 2 hours train ride north of Sydney to see my cousin, Ralph and his wife Eveline. They made us very welcome, we had a great day.
I have purchased an Akubra hat to make me feel like the part time Oz that I am becoming and go round saying 'g'day, no worries mate'
25 December 2009
This is Christmas afternoon and I am sitting/lying in bed in an air conditioned room in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 20 degrees, looking out of the window at, would you believe it, RAIN! Could almost be in England.
We are in the Hunter Valley for Christmas, 2 hours drive north of Sydney and yesterday was 32 degrees and glorious sunshine sitting around the pool of our hotel, our waitress last night said if it rained today it would be the first rain on Christmas day for at least 12 years in the Hunter Valley.
We went out for a drive this morning and have only just got in, can only say the countryside is "interesting" lots of really small vineyards set in rolling meadow lands and vast areas of bush mainly populated by eucalyptus trees. Whilst the Hunter Valley reminds me of rural England some of the villages set amongst the vineyards would best be described as shanty towns.
One term used over here that amuses me on the road signage is "Driver Reviver" - we call them service areas.
As far as the weather - well!!! We certainly chose the right winter to be abroad.
A bit of gizmo that I have bought whilst in Oz is an Iphone 3gs (unlocked so I can use it in Oz/UK) it is the 32gb version that has built in GPS. As well as having the Oz road maps I have the UK road and Navionics marine charts. What am amazing bit of equipment it is.
Also been keeping up to date with the UK news via Sky on the Iphone so have been seeing the snow around Reading and all the abandoned cars.
1 January 2010
A Very Happy New Year to you!
We live in Sydney at McMahons Point which is the number one hot spot for watching the fireworks, there were 1.5m people watching 2.5 tons of fireworks and a good portion were just down the road from our apartment.
We were due to go to a party on the next point about a mile's walk from us and left at 8pm but the police had a lock-down just up the road from where we live and anybody leaving the point would not be able to return until after 2.00am. We were also told that the police had closed all roads connecting the two points so we returned home for quite an interesting evening.
There was probably 50 parties and barbecues going on all around us, we are on the fifth floor so the aroma of beef cooking wafted up, we had not planned to eat at home and had nothing that was not frozen so the smell of cooking was a bit of torture I satisfied myself with a cup-a-soup.
The sound of party music competing into a cacophony of sound and party revellers certainly got us in the spirit of the occasion, as did a glass of wine or two!
The temperature at midnight was 26 degrees and humidity about 90% so it was warm. Sydney can rightly claim to have the best show in the world, whilst the balcony of our apartment does not have a view of the bridge there are barges in the harbour and up the Paramatta River and each one of the 4 barges we could see put on a display that London would have been proud of.
Australians could be described as 'tinny' (Jammy devils to you and me) and no matter how menial a job they do, they appear to be happy in their job.
Australia has virtually no national debt, it has untold amounts of undiscovered mineral wealth and it's people are happy with their lives and have every reason to be, so last night's partying which went on long after we went to bed was a joy to listen to, so I guess we had a really good time in maybe a strange way.
See New Year's Fireworks Sydney Harbour
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