Sydney so far......

17th to 24th Dec.......

Crib at the Cathedral

I have now been here for a week and decided it was time to catch up with my diary. Just to recap, I arrived in Sydney last week-end and returned the car. I am now dependent on Jack, the train, the ferries and buses to get around. The weather here is not quite as hot as up north (that sounds odd, because in the UK the further north you go the colder it gets! - not here - it gets hotter and steamier)but, today it is 38 degrees in Sydney.

As I said, I went to the 18-footers yacht club last Saturday night with Jack and his lady friend - she is a member there - it is in Close Bay - a rather exclusive suburb on the bay - we had a very enjoyable dinner with a marvellous view of the bay. The fish here is wonderful - so fresh and flavoursome. On Sunday I went to Mass with Judy - I did not take a cardigan and froze as the air-con in the church was Siberian-like!! I then caught the train and ferry to Watson's Bay where I had arranged to meet Patricia and Tom for lunch at Doyle's on the Beach - I had my first Sydney Rock oysters and snapper fillets - all washed down with a very Crisp and fruity Margaret River Sauv. Blanc!! I do not know how I am going to ever get back to normal when I return home - anyway, I will have these marvellous memories. I would like to give a big thank-you to Tom for this great treat at Doyle's. I still cannot believe I am doing all these things which I only ever read about in books. We then went for a walk along the headland where the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race will start from on Boxing Day (I will be there to see the start of it!). I then caught the ferry back to Circular Quay and the train back to Cronulla. By the way, Cronulla used to be a very sedate and peaceful area but has been in the headlines recently due to conflict between the Lebanese and the local youth - not the kind of publicity they need or want. It seems to have calmed down now - they closed the beach last week-end and there was a large of police presence to see that order was maintained. Hopefully, things will get back to normal as it is a lovely place.

Cronulla bay

On Monday, I went into the city and bought a 48 hour city bus tour ticket for the hop-on-hop-off bus. It gave me a good overview of the city and as the tour was narrated I managed to learn a few things along the way! My friend Myfanwy is over from the UK (Cheam to be precise) so we met for lunch at the Aus Art Gallery. We then visited the Pissaro Exhibition which is there until Feb. - it was very well put together and most interesting. Her son, Simon, was also with us and we all went back to his house for dinner afterwards - he is a great cook!! He has a wife and son but he did the cooking and he obviously enjoys it as he seems to be very skillful in that area! I had another new fish (it was new to me) called Blue Cod - nothing like our cod at home - it was much tastier! We also had a starter of Sydney rock oysters - again! I got home about 10 pm after a most enjoyable day.

Doyle's on the Beach - Watsons Bay

Next day I had intended to go on the bus tour to Bondi Beach and other areas but the tour was cancelled due to a road accident so my tour was rescheduled for Thursday as I was going to Goulburn on Wed. Instead I met up with Myfanwy again and we visited the Botanical Gardens which looks onto the bay and we had lunch in the garden cafe. The gardens have lots of unusual trees and is a very cool place to be. We then made our way to the Sydney Opera House where we booked tickets for the Christmas Carol Concert and I booked some opera tickets for January - the opera season does not begin until Jan and they have productions of Madame Butterfly, Falstaff and L'Elisir D'Amore - I will be able to compare and contract with Covent Garden! After our ticket purchases we had a nice coffee out on the terrace overlooking the harbour - it was just perfect. Next stop was some shopping for classical cd's and clothes alterations for Myfanwy - yes, I may have put on a pound or two but my clothes still fit me, and Myfanwy needed her clothes taken in! When were were exhausted we made our way back to Simon and Alison's to another fine dinner but starting off with a heavy-handed Bombay Sapphire and tonic - Simon makes a mean cocktail and, I don't mean stingy! It has been great for me having Myfanwy for company as we have known each other for a long time and we share the same interests - also, she knows Sydney.

Golf Buddies at Woolaware GC

On Wed I went with Jack and his ex-wife to Goulburn to visit their daughter-in-law and grandchildren - very sadly, they lost their son in a motorbike accident earlier this year and he has left a 3-year old and a son less than a year old - not a very happy Christmas for them. Fortunately, her family live close by so she will not be alone - their house is 240 km south of Sydney. We stopped off at some great look-outs and we went through the Royal National Park. On the way back we stopped at some very old quaint little villages where the early settlers lived. When I think of the names I will edit this bit! We got home after a very long day and did not go out that evening - I was shattered!

St Marys Cathedral Sydney

Thursday I was up bright and early to catch the 8.17 train into Central Station. Just a quick aside - the train ticket each day costs Aus$2.50 which allows me to go on any form of transport all day - trains, buses, ferries - as much as I like - the best value I know and makes up for the cost of life in Sydney, which I feel is on a par with London (especially if you are not prepared to rought it and I have got used to an expensive lifestyle since I came here!!). If I keep going as I am I shall have to take out a mortgage on my house at home or get a sub from the kids! To continue with my trip - I got on the coach tour and this time went to Bondi Beach via Close Bay and Rose Bay (the most expensive bits of real estate in Sydney)- the place is full of Ferraris, Mercs and Porsches - say no more! Bondi is a smaller beach than I imagined but is usually packed with the youth of Sydney. I got back to Circular Quay at noon and had some lunch before meeting up with Myf and Alison to go to the Opera house carol concert - it was very good but, I cried my eyes out as it made me sad to think of Christmas without Michael and the family but especially him. Luckily Myf was there and pulled me together. We then did Christmas shopping - it was a real treat for Alison to be ableto shop without the baby! We gotsome nice white wine on the way home and Simon had prepared a large pan of fresh mussels for us - as usual he came up trumps.

Sydney Opera House

Yesterday, I played golf in the morning with Jack and 14 ofhis friends - I did not take part in the comp. but entered the par 3's nearest the pin - I had 2 of them and got 30 dollars which I spent on beer for them that evening! They usually get together on Friday night at the Surf Club and I went along also and played goseberry!

I have to go now as I have to get ready for Church etc so I will send this with my very best wishes for a happy Christmas to you all and a healthy 2006.

Sydney Opera House - another view

Sydney Opera House Christmas Carol Concert

Watsons Bay, Sydney