Happy 2007 boys and girls! Hope you've all enjoyed the previous year as thoroughly as possible.
I think I can honestly say that 2006 has been the best year of my entire life. I've travelled through 12 states and 3 countries, jumped out of a plane, leaped off a platform 440ft above a ravine, shot up and down a river in a jet boat, climbed a glacier, rubbed noses with a Maori, walked behind the Niagara Falls, lazed about on exotic palm beaches and in 25C seas, walked down the Grand Canyon, viewed illustrious Beverley Hills mansions, strolled along Santa Monica beach and stayed in the heart of Hollywood. Among many other things of course.
This was the year that I did things I never dreamt I'd do, met people who have offered me insights, revelations and unique points of view, met people who are now friends for life... And to think I was going to wait until next year to leave England!
A whole load of our friends arrived in Sydney just before Christmas, which created a perfect opportunity for the greatest house party that Arcadia Street (and probably the world) has ever seen.
Emer roasted a turkey to utter perfection - moist, buttery, succulent, and delicious - and I roasted up some amazing potatoes cooked in onions, garlic and loads of butter (which is the ONLY fat that potatoes should ever be cooked in, however much Mum might disagree). Carsten prepared a delightful salad with a home-made dressing and we were ready to roll.
Conversation, eating, drinking, and general mucking about ensued for the sunlit hours of the day. Fuelled by alcoholic beverages and chocolate brownies, Farley and I invented the wonderful game of 'Leg Cricket' involving the use of a dustbin for stumps, a football that looks like a big cricket ball, and your leg. Sounds easy? I'll have you know that this is one of the most difficult and skillful sports on earth. After getting caught out - sweating like a pig and wheezing from the first real exercise in about 6 months - it was back to the table until dark, when the party retreated to the makeshift nightclub in the living room. Everyone was dancing and chatting the night away until, finally, the last dance was had around 5am. And there it was... The first house party I have ever hosted - an astounding success.
A couple of days rest and an impromptu VB session with Ian later, it was New Years Eve. We had no tickets, no plans, and precious little money so after a text from Farley & Ems we hopped onto a bus to meet them for a night of rampant spontaneity. Armed with a bottle of Jim Beam and half a bottle of Vodka we marched to the nearest off-licence to buy more Vodka, and settled down on the grass in Hyde Park for some drinks and a few energetic games of Frisbee.
After a couple of hours, Ian buzzed enthusiastically over to our little tea party and said that he and a load of people from his hostel were going to the North Shore for a better view. After much deliberation we decided to follow him to the wharf and get the last ferry to Gremorne. It was manic. There were people running around everywhere, queues all over the place, and signs saying 'no alcohol', just to add to the confusion. Carsten ran ahead and managed to be the last person in the queue for the ferry, bagging us 5 tickets and single-handedly saving the day. Good on you mate. We all shuffled onto the ferry and watched the Emerald City drift away and fall into place for the fireworks display later on.
After much chatting, drinking and eating hotdogs, the city provided us with a little teaser at 9pm for the kids... Which were pretty damn good. If these were only the titchy ones then the main event was going to be nothing short of spectacular...
I have never seen anything like it. The fireworks were all perfectly synchronised on about 4 or 5 different barges along the river. Massive, loud, and colourful, they seemed like they were never going to end. People everywhere were chanting, shouting, ooohing and aaahing, and generally loving the atmosphere that is inevitably present on NYE. The finale was incredible - thousands of fireworks all smacking into the sky at a ridiculous rate, lighting up the entire bridge and reflecting on the water.
Truly, truly amazing.
Well, after all that excitement it was time to go. We followed the group for a while before for whatever reason, Me, Carsten, Laura and Lindsay were left behind. One short phone call later and I'm told that everyone else is on the last ferry, while we're wandering around some random suburb following road signs to a bridge we know is miles away, and watching a very happy Carsten wish everyone a very happy new year with little to no hope of getting home before 6pm the next day. But then something magical happened. There in the distance was a little yellow light flying closer towards us, on which I could just about make out the magical word "TAXI". 'What the hell are the chances of flagging down an unbooked taxi in Sydney on NYE' I thought to myself. My heart leaped into my throat as I thrust my hand into the path of this moving miracle, waving manically and hoping against hope that he hadn't just forgotten to turn his light off. He stopped, we got in, and basked in possibly the greatest sense of relief I have ever had the pleasure of feeling.
$50 later we were back at the house, celebrating the end of a glorious year with some well deserved sleep.
Welcome to the New Year ladies and gentlemen. May it be as fun-filled, exciting and as life-changing as the last.
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