Sunrise

We are nearly at the end of winter. It seems a bit strange typing that as it obviously hasn't felt like the winters I've grown up with. As seems common all over the world these days, the climate has been random to say the least. We've had the wettest and driest months on record for this time of year, we’ve had beautiful sunny beach days with temperatures hitting the mid-twenties and some rather chilly days where I actually saw my breath! And we’ve had some incredible storms. I haven't seen any ice on any cars though. Those days are, thankfully, a thing of the past.

Anyway, living where I live I am often treated to some of the most stunning sunrises I have ever seen and I thought I'd share a few with you. These were actually taken during last summer.....

Jervis Bay

Last weekend I decided to take H away for a break. It was the first time we've had a weekend alone together since landing here last year, and it was time to get away from the temptations of Sydney. So, I booked an overnight stay in a cottage, in Jervis Bay, which is 3 hours south of Sydney. The place we stayed at was called Hyams Beach and it has the whitest sand in the world, according to Norris McWhirter and his chums.

Now, those of you out there who know me, know that I take a lot of pictures when I go out and about. But on this occasion I didn't take one! Why? Because both H and I forgot our cameras. How ridiculous is that? Anyway, we did, which was a shame, but looking on the bright side, it wasn't a bad thing. It meant that I got to enjoy the location much more than usual and didn't spend half my time retaking shots and deleting old ones.

Saying that though, I would've course loved to have shared with you pictures of the pod of 20 or so dolphins that swam no more than 30 feet or so from us, as we walked along the whitest sand in the world (and we were the only two people on the beach!). I would’ve also liked to have shared with you pictures of the wild kangaroos we saw in the Booderee National Park, as well as the kookaburras and magnificent rainbow lorikeets. And I'm sure you would've liked to see pictures of the most enormous sea eagles I have ever seen (ok, I think they were the first sea eagles I have ever seen but I am sure they were big enough to pick up humans), They were just ridiculous. I reckon they had a wingspan of well over 6 feet.

Unfortunately you will just have to make do with these pictures I lifted from Google. I wanted to add a bit of colour to the post!

On a personal note it was a cracking weekend and really good to get away from Sydney, even though I absolutely love Sydney. H and I haven't spent much time together recently so it was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Book Thirty

I'd first heard about this book over here. Mike likes to read and has recommended a few good'uns to me over the last year or so, so when I read his thoughts on this one I thought I'd give it a go.

It tells the story of a boy who loses his father in 9/11 and his subsequent search around New York for the lock to a key he finds in his fathers closet.

There's no doubt that it is beautifully written, and it's clever use if images and blank pages create a different reading experience to that which I have encountered over the last 29 books. But my gut feeling is that I just didn't really enjoy it. I had been hoping for more. Everytime I picked it up I began to read with renewed enthusiasm, but I just didn't really get where it was coming from, or where it was going to. There were parts of it that completely threw me, but as I began to near the end I actually thought I should probably read it again. This is to the book world, what "The Usual Suspects" is to the movie world – it all fell into place when the film was watched again. I think I will enjoy this so much more if I give it another crack. If I do, does that mean it counts as another book on the tally?

And I'm not sure where Mike would've laughed out loud either!

Oh, and a review of Book Thirty One could be some time. It's nearly 1000 pages long.....

What's a Hotpot Not?

Claire "Hot Pot, Stockpot, Stockers" Stockley has decided to call it a day and head back to Bournemouth.

She's been a top friend to both H and myself over the last year or so that we have known her and she will be massively missed.

It's always a shame when a good mate leaves us, in the same way that Vans did last year, but I guess it's all part of this expat lifestyle. Lots of people come and go. On a positive note, it's not long before Sam and Mo make the move to join us Down Under.

Keep in touch Claire, and Good Luck xx