two days in one you lucky things!

okies.. I've just about managed to scrape together enough energy to convince my legs to carry me all the way to the computer to write this blog... not that I had been mysteriously struck down by a tropical muscle wasting disease or anything ... but there was a minor scare over the weekend (more on that later) it's just been a busy weekend =]. So to start, We went into Sydney on friday morning planning a quick pinic lunch then a squiz at the Powerhouse museum, the centre for design, technology and science. v.cool. But we forgot how far away we were and that it would take at least 2 hours to get there from home, then we had to eat then walk to the museum leaving us not a huge amount of time in the place but we went anyway, as it turned out very worth it.

The main reason we went was to look at the space exhibit, pictures taken of our galaxy and beyond!, which was awe inspiring, really makes you realise how much of a tiny speck the human existence is in the grand scheme of the universe. a little closer to home I took lots of pictures of the displays, my teacher instincts getting some ideas from real students DT coursework on display .. see kids this is what you can do if you really work from day one! We were completely blown away by the displays and exhibitions, so much so we lost track of time and had to be tracked down by the security guard, who quite politly told us the museum was closing in about 5 mins. BOO!! =[ never mind, definately a place to return to on a rainy day!

Saturday was a quiet day of rest and contemplation, James cooked a tasty dinner of Spaghetti bolognese (I only advised!) which was perfect for the prepartion for the next day...Daniel and I went on our first bushwalk! Cathy invited us to join her, her dad and a few others to go on a small day walk around the Sassafras creek/springwood area. Only about 11.7km on the hottest day of the year (43C if you're interested), but it was worth it, a chance to see a little of the countryside and get to know a bit of the wildlife, inlcuding something I didn't want to meet.. a nasty bull ant tried to make me afternoon tea... a little nip on the ankle was all but boy did it scare me...the only one wearing full ankle socks and of course I get bitten! All was ok though, Frank, Cathy's dad sorted me out asking 'did I get a good look at i?' and 'is the pain spreading up my leg?', as the answer was no to both of those he said it was almost certain it was a bull ant, but to let him know if I felt it getting worse. Luckily this was at the end of the walk so only had to hobble on a few more kilometers, but as it turned out the bite was not that bad and stopped hurting after a few minutes. So much for getting in touch with nature! I'm sure this will not be the last encounter with the native bitey things. At least tomorrow they will be safely behind glass and mesh wire as we are going to Taronga zoo, which I am very much looking forward to seeing. Will let you know how it went! =] and the reason for not being able to get the computer.. well when was the last time I walked 11.7km in one go? hunk o'hunk o'burning thigh!
lots of love
G

chuck another.... steak... on the barbie!

sorry its been a while since I've blogged... nothing much exciting going on that's all.... just hanging out enjoying the storms and the heat. so our first Aussie BBQ went well, lots of food, beer, friends and laughter. Finally got to meet a few of the people I've heard so much about and share a drink and have a chat and it was great. so nice to have a BBQ and not worry if it was going to get rained off! Spent a few days at home just chilling, then Dan and I went to the Mount Annan botanical gardens which were beautiful and we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves, the most unusual thing spotted that day was the blue tree, it's a dead tree painted bright blue creating habitat for birds, insects etc.

Went to collect the bridesmaids dresses today, and tried mine on.. beautiful, perfect fit, which I was glad of as I provided the measurements and if I could get those right being a dressmaker I would have had to hang my head in shame. anyway, off to see a little of the historical town of Camden tomorrow and the groomsmen are coming down for the weekend so another weekend of meeting new people, chargrilled meat and beer (it's such a hard life hey?).

I promise I am sending warm thoughts to all those stuck in the pooey snow =[

catch you later!
XX

Manly up man!

oooh I have forgotten how much I like cycling but boy, do rental cycles have hard seats! OUCH! still it was worth it, calories burnt amazing view found, job done. We went to Manly which is on the north side of the harbour. a short ferry ride over with all the other tourists, but we soon left them behind by zigging down a side street! very lovely seaside town with a nice beach, boardwalk and plenty of restaurants, cafes and bars! It was kind of like Eastbourne would have been in it's hay day on a really hot day! we compared the fish and chips from the chippy... not bad, bit smaller portions but very tasty and since both Dan and I have wedding outfits to fit into(!) that was not a bad thing. All in a very nice day. That's it, will let you know how the first Aussie BBQ goes tonight =] no we have no shrimps but plenty of steak! =]

Sydney, Sydney, Sydney

well what an introduction to the city... first movie location spotted; the bridge in the Matrix, only minus the rain and the dark glasses. Not quite the same but we got the picture. Parked the car and embarked on the walking tour of central Sydney. All I can say is that we are truely grateful for the wonderful tour guide that is Lisa, for knowing her stuff and getting us orientated with what turned out to be a rather lovely city. Not that we were expecting it not to be but cities are not usually mine or Daniel's cup of tea.

clean, relaxed and very "familiar" we felt right at home. I cant tell you the exact route but we definately walked a very long way, of course stopping off at various junctions for refreshments.. of the sweet and savoury kind (must keep in mind our mantra) finally sampling the delights of china town. Oh yes first australian chinese meal!. So heading back to the car full, tired but very happy, with a very clear run back home.

Next stage is planning what we are going to do the rest of the time we are here, taking into consideration some of the obligations we have and timings etc. still thats part of the fun!.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As the title says officially I celebrated the new year before any of you... =] but its taken me a day and a bit to put in another post... and it's not because I was hungover, no that's right, first sober new years in 11 years.. We went to Mrs Macquaries Chair to see in the new year along with 20, 000 other people. now I'm not usually one for crowds but it was absolutely fine, we found ourselves a good spot on the grass and settled in for the day. Yeah we got there at 1pm after being in the queue for about an hour which considering its size (see pictures) was not too bad. They were checking all bags and not letting through unopened containers of drink or glass. anyway with eski in tow, a sunshade, tarp, blankets etc we were good to go. We spent the day grazing on the food and people watching, Lisa and I had to put on our sunglasses even though it was cloudy to avoid anyone noticing our stares!


The constant stream of people walking back and forth in front of us was studded every now and then with a whole group of police and internal security keeping an eye on the crowd so I can hand on my heart say I felt the safest I've felt at such a large event. The day passed by uneventfully, just like a picnic in the park with 20,000 other people mind, the only blot on the day was that James (Lisa's future hubby) was not able to join us, as he was fighting the last dregs of a nasty bout of food poisoning! =[.

so dusk rolls in and looking up at the sky what do i see but a number of pointy, winged furry things.... yep you've guessed it... BATS! Swooping around far above us, but they soon legged it (or should that be winged it?) as soon as the first fireworks went off which were at 9pm, the family fireworks, which were quite impressive, gave us a taste of what was to come. After these we decided to relocate to try and get a better view of the bridge, which we did after much scouting and boy am I glad we did, although our view was slightly obscured by the big old fig tree we could still see a quarter of the bridge and the opera house through the tree. Yes it was as spectacular as it looked on TV. The theme was spirit and to get into the "spirit" of things we were asked to wear something blue, not a problem for me as that is part of my colour scheme for my summer wardrobe! It was so nice to see so many people joining in.

so after the fireworks we packed up the stuff pretty quick as we had at least another 2 hours journey home, walking to the train station with everyone else, we just made it onto the train with no waiting and on to the station where we had parked, not worries or delays and we were all safely tucked up in bed by 2am =]

As I said before first sober new years in a long time but waking up the next day with no hangover (well, still feel rough because of stupid jet lag) and full memories of the night definitely the way to go! I hope all of you had a wonderful new years celebration!

so today a day of nothing much just a visit to the food porn emporium, but tomorrow a proper journey into the city (did a drive though the other day but didn't stop) I will let you know how it went! =]
lots of Love
G & D
XXX

P.s I've got a few of photos of the fireworks but to be honest the're a bit shit so I have to go through and pick out the best. =]