Travelling in a fried-out combie

My Number One Fan

2008-08-18T23:42:00.002Z

I'm currently on a whirlwind 5 week tour of Bristol, the Isle of Man, Bristol again, London, Brighton, Leeds, Bristol again, Thetford and Norway. It's my first time back since packing the bags and heading to Australia two and a half years ago so there's a lot of squeeze in, including two weddings. The first of these was for Mike and Ella in the Isle of Man a few day ago. It was there that I met my Number One Fan.....

Mike's Mum!

And what a pleasure it was too. Winner.

Book Forty Two

2008-06-24T12:37:00.002Z

It feels like I have been reading this one for years. A good friend of mine said it was her favourite books so I thought I'd give it a go. Hmmmmmm. I'm not convinced. I must talk to her about it now that I've finished it. Aaaah, the joy of reading and the discussions that follow, and the realisation that I never take anything in, forget key bits and completely miss the point of the book along the way. I blame that nasty football injury a few years ago.....

Oh, and it’s being made into a movie as well.....

Book Forty One

2008-05-12T13:28:00.004Z

The main reason I wanted to read Jaws was to see how Peter Benchley built the suspense that gripped us all in the movie.

I don’t think he did, and to be honest, I found it rather boring. And the finale is both rushed and ridiculous. I wonder why he didn't write Jaws 2.....

Book Forty

2008-04-17T14:43:00.001Z

An interesting story, but an even better movie! Go see it.....

Shark!

2008-04-02T10:47:00.000Z

Where I live, surf and swim!

Book Thirty Nine

2008-04-02T10:45:00.000Z

Loved it. Just like I loved Book Thirty Eight, even though some of this was also made up!

Book Thirty Eight

2008-03-11T17:31:00.001Z

I first heard about this book a year or so ago when a friend recommended it to me. I then heard about it again in

Thailand

when one of the people I met over there also recommended it. And when I finally bought a copy, Sam asked me if it was the one with the root canal procedure. I didn't know because I hadn't read it, but yes it is!

I also knew before reading the book that the story was somewhat fabricated, and I also made the mistake of reading the introduction before getting stuck into it. As soon as I had I wish I hadn't. Why do they put story-spoilers before the story had even begun? Anyway, I ploughed on regardless, determined to keep an open mind. But from the first page I was hooked.

It's a story about addiction and rehabilitation and I reckon it's my favourite book of the thirty eight I've read since living in Australia. Even if some of it has been embellished, I found myself not caring, and enjoying it for what it is – a fascinating insight into the life of a drug and alcohol addict in a rehab centre. Part of me wishes that I'd read it before I found out about the controversy surrounding the book. But then I suppose I would've been disappointed, and deceived, when the truth came out. As it stands, I absolutely loved it. At least he conned Oprah though!

Book Thirty Seven

2008-02-13T08:48:00.000Z

So this is a very, very dark version of Book Twenty Nine. It's another one that made me feel sick a couple of times, and I was very conscious of the title, the cover and the content as I read it on the ferry too and from work!

It was a spontaneous purchase a few weeks ago. It's a catching title afterall and it stood out one evening when I was on a book-buying mission after work. I remembered reading a review of it in the local free MX newspaper one night and it sounded rather interesting.

It's also the first book I've read that is written by an Australian. I'm a fan of Australian movies and now I'm a fan of Australian writing. It's a bit of a sweeping generalisation I know, but I've got off to a good start with this one, even if it is rather disturbing. But then so was Wolf Creek, right?

Book Thirty Six

2008-02-06T08:30:00.000Z

Well it looks like the blogging phenomenon has finally died on it's arse, for most of us anyway (the guys at CUAS still do a great job!). I guess with Facebook having taken over the world, it's no great surprise, although I'm losing interest in that as well. Maybe I'll have more time in the winter. As you can imagine, summer in Sydney is a very busy time. That didn't stop me last year, but I've had to re-prioritise a few things this time around. So, apologies if you are missing the updates. They will be back. One day!

In the meantime, the reading continues. I recently finished Book Thirty Six. It's not as good as Book Twenty Six, but it was a hard act to follow. Given how much I enjoyed 'The Kite Runner' I was intrigued to see how Hosseini would back it up. I didn't find this story as engaging, it took a long time to really settle into it, and just as I was really begining to enjoy it, it finished.

Book Thirty Five

2008-01-14T11:14:00.000Z

Happy New Year!

Well a lot has happened over the last month or so. I should really post about it all some time as this blog is in danger of turning into nothing more than a book review website. Seven of us went to Thailand for H's 30th and NYE. It was suitably messy. Last week I went to see De La Soul as part of the Syndey Festival. They were brilliant. So much fun, in a fantastic, tiny venue. H and I went scuba diving yesterday. It was over 30 degrees and kitting up in the all the gear on the beach was ridiculous. It was great to get back under the water though as it's been more then 5 years since our last dive, and living where we do, we should't have left it that long. And coming up I've got Symphony In The Park, UNKLE, The Police and Carl Cox, plus a bucks weekend in Byron Bay, the Good Vibrations festival, Chris and Anna's wedding, V Festival and an Easter trip to Tasmania. I wonder how many books I'll be able to read over the next couple of months?

Anyway, back to business.....

Will bought me this book for my birthday back in October so it's been on the shelf for a while now. I've read a few Crime thrillers since moving here, most notably by John Grisham and Harlen Coben. But this was the first Forsyth book I've read.

And do you know what I have realised. Books like this aren't very clever. In fact, I think they are lazy. Although I may have struggled with the likes of Book Thirty and Book Thirty Four, I can now see them for pieces of genius that they are. Crime books are a walk in the park. Ok, Forsyth and others like him must have an incredibly in-depth, and rather worryingly obsessive, knowledge of the UK and US Intelligence services, but that's about it. There is no character development. Its facts and figures with convenient and ridiculous plot twists to bring the whole thing together. This book was no different and the ending in particular seemed rushed and rather disappointing.

That being said I am sure I will continue to read books like this. They often tell a good story and I always find myself looking forward to picking the book up again. I will always get a much better sense of accomplishment when I finish the likes Book Thirty Four though.

Oh, and I now have at least 5 books stacked up and ready to attack. I went on a book buying bender over Xmas and New Years. I loved it.

Book Thirty Four

2007-12-21T10:19:00.000Z

First of all, I guess I had better apologise for not blogging recently. It really is stupidly silly season over here. Lots of Christmas parties (including an epic work-do and another afternoon session in The Coogee Bay Hotel), birthday parties (50 people on Clark Island in the Harbour for Annabel's 30th), nights out, gigs (Lionel Richie – brilliant!), work drinks etc etc. I just haven't had the time. And I've also been sticking the extra hours in at work so the last thing I need when I get home is another few hours on the PC. So sorry about that.

And with Christmas, Thailand (I leave on Friday and will be Koh Pha Ngan for H's 30th and NYE) and the Sydney Festival in January (including De La Soul, UNKLE, The Police, Carl Cox and the Symphony In The Park) I'm not sure I'll be on top of the blogging game anytime soon.

Anyway, back to business. Book Thirty Four. Now a few peopleI I know have read this one. I seem to remember Kim talking about it black in Blighty, and I think Mike and Ella have read it. And in the last two months Rachel, Katie and Moe have all polished it off. It's funny how one book can suddenly seem to be the 'must read' of the moment. So, with so many people recommending it, it would've been foolish to let this one pass me by.

I really struggled to get into this one and I found the first quarter of the book really hard going, and it actually threw me a little as I hadn't expected it to be so tough. But, I just can't stop. If I could read Book Twenty Seven than, as far as I'm concerned, I can give anything a go. I'd talked to Katie about it as well – she was anxious for me to finish it so we can chat about it. A bit like a small book club really. Scary! But she told me to stick with it as she too had struggled at the start but then got into it and couldn't put it down.

And that's exactly what happened to me. After the first hundred pages or so, something happened. I'm not sure what but I went from disliking a book to absolutely loving it and I couldn't wait to pick it up every day.

It's a fascinating story, based on the social phenomenon that is high school killings. Kevin kills nine people at school one day, and in a series of letters written to her husband, Kevin's mother recounts the story of how Kevin came to be Kevin. Was it nature? Was it nurture? Were the parents to blame? Was the boy just born evil?

I must find Katie to discuss.....

Have a great Christmas everyone and all the best for 2008. I'll be back in the UK in August for Mike and Ella's wedding - I'd have been away for two and half years by then - so I look forward to catching up with you all, and drinking Blackthorn, then.

Sam and Moe.....

2007-11-29T16:37:00.000Z

.....have arrived!

Well they actually arrived nearly two weeks ago and have hit the ground running trying to sort out their new lives - flat hunting, setting up bank accounts, tax file numbers, medicare blah blah blah. It's just like watching what H and I went through all those months ago. They've managed to find a unit in Fairlight, which is right next to Manly, and they move in next week. It's a big relief considering the time of year and how many people want to live here over the summer. They've now got to fill it with furniture before the job hunting begins!

It's great seeing them and as with all our UK mates who've come over to visit, and who we haven't seen for months, we just pick it up from where we left it (in Sam's case it was about 21 months ago, at 2am on a cold pavement outside our house in Bedmo).

For those of you who know him, you can imagine how much Sam will now enjoy those Sunday afternoon beers knowing he hasn't got to drive back to Southampton anymore. Instead he'll have a short stumble home. He's already bought a wetsuit, we've had a surf and I don't think it'll be too long before he buys a board. Good times.

As a result of their arrival I've been rather preoccupied and haven't had time to update the blog with anything except book reviews, which only take a few minutes. I should really write about the Hawksebury Boat Trip a load of us went on a few weekends ago.....~50 people, 5 boats. We nearly sank one of them when we all piled on for a party one night. Maybe I'll get round to it at some point. And then there's the Sydney FC vs LA Galaxy Beckham-mania game. What a free-kick! ("It's a bender!"). And I was right behind the goal as he pinged it in.

Normal service will be resumed, although I don't know when.

Book Thirty Three

2007-11-29T15:53:00.000Z

This was the second book that my parents sent me (Book Thirty Two was the other one). It doesn't have a "Richard and Judy's Summer Read" sticker on it so I cannot confirm if their choice was inspired by the same TV show. Maybe I should check as I have no idea why they would've picked this one up off a bookshelf.

Guy loses wife, he's consumed with grief, he is the guardian of his wife's teenage son, he starts to date again. Job done.

I would never have chosen to read this but having been sent it, well I thought it rude not to give it a go. It was a nice, easy read and I actually really enjoyed it, so much so that I was even looking forward to picking it up on the way home from work. It's funny how this reading game works out. Maybe more people should send me random books? Mike proved it could work when he sent me this little beauty.

As for Book Thirty Four? Well I've had my eye on it for ages and it's hard work!

Book Thirty Two

2007-11-20T16:57:00.000Z

Ok, I'm clearly on a roll now and back into the swing of things. Well, by that I mean I have read a book within a week or so (I actually finished it last week but didn't get round to writing this post then). You may be thinking that this is a rather strange book to read.

I'd first heard of it from my uncle. He'd seen my review of 'The Kite Runner', read it and then recommended it to me. To be honest, I thought nothing more of it. Then, my parents sent me my birthday package over. I'd asked for the Phoenix Nights box set (UK comedy is greatly missed over here) so they'd kindly sent that, along with two books for my reading pleasure. One of them was Book Thirty Two. I asked why they had sent such a random choice. And no, my Dad hadn't spoken to his brother about it. Rather, my parents had been watching Richard and Judy one day, and rather like Oprah, they apparently have a book club. It is recommended as "Richard and Judy's Summer Read". Now I know nothing about Oprah’s club suffice to say that I imagine any author who gets her to talk about a book will be an instant best seller. But then aren't all books? I'm not sure if Richard and Judy have the same effect but it definitely inspired my parents to send me a copy. They haven't even read it themselves.

So, having received this book with three recommendations – my uncle, Richard and Judy (or whoever reads their books for them) – I decided to give it a go. And what a thoroughly enjoyable read it was too. Yes, it really does what I says on the tin. It tells the story of a rich Sheik who wants to see salmon running in the Yemen. He employs the services of a fisheries scientist who strives to make the dream reality. Combine this with a satirical involvement of the UK government and you've got an enjoyable, easy read. It certainly surprised me.

Sculpture By The Sea 2007

2007-11-14T20:06:00.000Z

So another event in the Sydney calendar is upon us - the annual 'Sculpture by the Sea' exhibition between Bondi and Tamarama. In fact we had a very similar weekend in so much as H and I enjoyed the weekend at Bondi, crashing at Will and James's, where we enjoyed a BBQ after we'd been to see the sculptures on Saturday (3rd). We also caught a bit of the annual 'Beach Road Hotel Single Fin Classic' surf competition. It was also Julia's 30th birthday on the Friday (2nd) night, in the Cross.

Here's some pictures. Unfortunately it wasn't as sunny as last year. In fact, we enjoyed a spectacular storm on Saturday night, which paved the way for a very hot and sunny Sunday.

Book Thirty One

2007-11-07T09:03:00.000Z

Finally, after the best part of two and a half months I finished Book Thirty One. And I bet you'd thought my reading bubble had burst. Well if you did, you were wrong! The thing that gets me is that this book is just shy of 1000 pages, but why would it take me so long to read it when before that I was reading an average of two books a month, almost all of which were over 300 pages? It doesn't add up. I read a similar amount of time, and still had the same journey to and from work. Maybe the word per ratio was unlike anything else I had previously encountered! I'll blame that.

Anyway, I did it. It was without doubt the longest book I have ever read. This one seems to be doing the rounds over here, much the same as 'The Beach' did all those years ago. I fully expect to see every rich, tie-dyed wearing toffee nosed crusty twit trust fund kid reading it in Thailand later this yet. Rah!

Putting all that to one side though, this book was great. It tells the true story of a guy on the run, having escaped from prison in Australia, who sets up a new life for himself in the melting pot that is Bombay. He lives in a slum where he sets up a free clinic, he works for the Bombay Mafia and fights against the Russians in the mountains of Afghanistan. What a life!

I've never been to India, nor have I ever had the inclination to do so and this book definitely puts a fascinating spin on the place. I still can't see myself going though.

I wonder what the movie will be like. It's supposed to be released next year, with Jonny Depp staring.

The Northern Soul Wardy Weekender

2007-10-30T19:36:00.000Z

Ok, so having just published the post below, I'll keep this short, especially as most of you would've seen the pictures on Facebook.

Wardy celebrated her 29th birthday on the 20th and she decided to go lawn bowling. H and I had played once before and the Aussies are mad for it. Obviously Mike, who plays regularly back in Bristol, was in his element, and if he wasn't there we would probably all still be there trying to sort things out. He organised the teams, told us the rules and kept everyone on their toes. I don't think he had ever seen anything like it - beer and barefeet on the hallowed turf and a guy in a tutu (you can see him in the first picture)! It was a great afternoon and evenings entertainment. Seeing him kiss the jack as he beat Kirby in a singles match was a particular highlight.

From there we kicked onto The Fringe Bar in Paddington where Sticky Floor Simo put on another night, this time to celebrate his 31st birthday.

The NAB Beachley Classic

2007-10-30T19:13:00.000Z

On the 14th I checked out the final of the NAB Beachley Surf Competition on Manly Beach, which was the richest event on the women's pro tour. Some z-list celebrity fun and games followed. Megan Gale was my favourite. It was followed by Coopers in the Shore Club.

Coogee to Bondi

2007-10-22T21:22:00.000Z

Whenever people come to visit H and I like to take them on the scenic Coogee to Bondi coastal walk. So with Jenn and Mike in town, it was on the "To Do" list. We ticked it off on the 12th. Here's some pics. Drink up ye cider Mike!

The Festival of Me (Part 33)

2007-10-15T19:35:00.000Z

I turned 33 last week.

I'd brought my birthday celebrations forward this year because Jenn and Mike arrived earlier in the week, and in the Sydney 2007 time honoured fashion, I decided to turn it into a bit of a festival. Big, big drinks on Friday night, beach, drinks, pizza, more drinks and a great game of rugby on Saturday (being a Pom in Oz is always interesting), and kayaking on the harbour on Sunday (watch the videos here, here and here).

On then on the 11th a few of us went for drinks after work (and I had had a great day at work) at the Opera Bar. H had been talking about a surprise special guest who may turn up, and he did. It was a guy called Rich who H and I met and travelled with more than 7 years ago and neither of us had seen him since then.

After the drinks H and I headed back to Manly to finish the birthday celebrations in style - with a meal at Ribs and Rumps with Jenn and Mike.

It was an excellent few days, and thanks to all those who made it so much fun.

Parklife 2007

2007-10-04T21:10:00.000Z

So the Summer has started! Or at least that's what the annual Parklife festival means to a lot of Sydneysiders.

I can't believe how quickly time is going by. It doesn't seem like a year has passed since H and I went to Parklife last year.

H and I actually hadn't planned to go this year. We were festival whores last year and when the line-up for this years gig was announced we weren't that impressed. Given that it always falls on a long weekend down here we thought that we might go away somewhere instead. But one thing led to another, the weeks flew by, the festival sold out and we hadn't made any plans. Will made a late decision to go and H managed to buy a ticket off of Summers. I wasn't that fussed about missing out as Manly Sea Eagles were in the Grand Final (the rugby league equivalent of the FA Cup Final). The match was on Sunday evening so I had one eye on going out in Manly to watch the game on the big screen and take in the atmosphere. It also coincided with the annual Manly International Jazz Festival. Now, I don't much care for Jazz but it would've meant that Manly would've been even busier than normal.

However Martin came over on Saturday afternoon and he and H convinced me to go down to the festival for midday, when the gates opened, to see if I could blag a ticket. If I couldnt get one I would go back to Manly and watch the rugby. Everyones a winner. Martin came with me on the Sunday and after an hour or so of trying in the heat Martin blagged one off some guy in a carpark, for $180. Even the touts didn't have many to sell, and those that did were asking for more than double face value. Parklife it is, Glastonbury it isn't! There was no way I was going to give one of them the satisfaction of taking $250 for a $110 ticket.

Anyway, ticket in hand Martin and I cracked into the beers at Fox Studios while we waited for H, Will and Simo to arrive.

The weather was a beauty, at least 30 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. It was going to be a very good day and I was chuffed to have got a ticket. This years festival was twice the size of last years. I had visions of it being like Good Vibes earlier this year but thankfully there was plenty of space to get around.

I've been to quite a lot of festivals now and they all seem to follow a similar path. The days are spent wandering around, or chilling out on the grass, taking it all in and enjoying the sun. And when the sun sets it all goes a bit crazy. I like to call it 'The Witching Hour', or hours! Then, before you know it, the festival is over and people stagger home or to local bars and clubs. This was no different although I actually enjoyed the afternoon more than the evening. The Scratch Perverts and Freq Nasty were my highlights. I went particularly potty to a Rage tune that Freq Nasty played. I think there is a video doing the rounds somewhere! Adam Freeland, who had been the one guy I had originally wanted to see when the line-up was first announced, was very disappointing.

Next year I'll be sure to get a ticket as soon as they are released, like I do for all the other gigs I'm interested in. Afterall, it's better to be at a festival, than not to go at all.

Oh, apologies for the lack of 'people' pictures below.....

Seal Rocks

2007-09-19T21:21:00.000Z

Apologies to one and all. I've let the blog slip a bit and haven't provided an update for more two weeks.

Ok, so what have I been up to? Well the other weekend six of us high-tailed it out of Sydney, to a place called Seal Rocks, for the long APEC weekend.

We had a great time up there and the place we were staying was awesome. A nice three bedroom house with a fantastic media room built into the basement. The TV was immense and perfect for watching episodes of 'Green Wing' and Underworld's 'Everything, Everything'.

H played chef for the weekend and cooked up am absolute storm in the kitchen. We even had 'Christmas in September'. Why? Because Aussies normally do Christmas in July, in the middle of Winter, when it's cooler, and we forgot to!

Will and I went boogie boarding as well on a local break. It was the first time I'd been out on a point break. It was pretty busy as it was the only break in the area with a decent wave, but we did well in the crowd. We also went snorkelling to an island with H, pissing off the local seagull population when we arrived.

The six of us had a very relaxing time, eating, drinking and playing scrabble and pictionary. I was on the losing team, and we have to host a BBQ for the winning team at Bronte Beach this coming Sunday.

Good times.

BrisVegas, the Sea Eagles and George Dubble Ya

2007-09-05T16:37:00.000Z

Just a quick one to let you know that I went to Brisbane last week for a jolly up the river. I haven’t been to Brisbane for years so it was good to see the city again. It was a whistle stop trip as I flew up last Thursday, had a couple of meetings and a party, then back into the offices on Friday morning before flying back to Sydney. But it was a quality time all the same and going out with my colleagues is always excellent value.

And on Sunday I made it to Brooky Oval to watch Manly Sea Eagles play with a couple of mates from work. It was a scorcher, as I sat on the hill, drinking tins. Manly won the game but the second half highlight was when a guy decided to take on 6 coppers just a few feet away from me.

Spring is finally here and George Dubble Ya rocked into town yesterday for a series of meetings with a number of other world leaders. Sydney is in lockdown and I have to say I do feel sorry for those people who have spent their savings on a trip of a lifetime to Sydney this week. They get to see lots of ugly fences and even uglier concrete blocks. Sydneysiders are being given a public holiday on Friday in an attempt to keep as many people out of the city as possible so 6 of us are heading 3 hours north to Seal Rocks for a long weekend of surfing, snorkelling, sunbathing (hopefully) and good times.

It looks like the ladies of the night, and day, are up for the APEC summit as well!

Sunrise

2007-08-29T22:19:00.000Z

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

2007-08-24T11:42:00.000Z

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

2007-08-17T17:16:00.000Z

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?

2007-08-07T19:40:00.000Z

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

Shark!

2007-07-31T20:44:00.000Z

Saturday was a beauty. A bright, sunny day and no swell meant that it was time to don the snorkel and mask and head into the water for a look around. I haven't really done much snorkelling since I've been here so Saturday was the perfect opportunity to do so.

I decided to swim from Manly Beach to Shelly Beach and Fairy Bower via the shore line. I had a great time in the water, the conditions were perfect and I saw loads of cool stuff including a big sting ray and a cuttlefish, as well as loads of parrotfish . I forgot to take my underwater camera which was a real shame because the visibility was great.

Anyway, it was a little unnerving swimming with so much open water to one side of you, and for such a long distance. Maybe it's because I haven't snorkelled or scuba dived for so long. When I'm surfing it doesn't bother me at all but being able to see what is beneath you with a mask opens up a world of possibilities. But after forty minutes or so I had made it to the protected Shelly Beach. I then decided to swim over to the Fairy Bower dive site. The water was a little more choppy here as what little swell there was came round the break. I soon found myself in the middle of quite a large shoal of bait fish which was amazing. I then looked down and to my surprise I saw two 3-4 foot sharks come around the corner. Now I went to the Aquarium a few weeks ago so the species looked vaguely familiar. They were Port Jackson’s but at the time I was wracking by startled brain to work out what type they were. Nurse shark was the first thought I had and I know they have teeth. Anyway, they were definitely sharks and they were definitely very cool. I kept a nice distance but then one of them came straight for me. I immediately tried to swim away but it kept on coming. Queue my finest Ian Thorpe impression as I swam as fast as I could to the beach. Anyone watching me from the shore would have been in stitches. After a few seconds or so of frantic swimming I stopped, turned around and saw that the shark was right behind me. Once again I swam as fast as I could to the beach.

It was only when I was sat on Shelly Beach did I think that it may have been a Port Jackson. I thought these were harmless (it was probably just being curious, or it was attracted to my bright yellow fins) but even still, it was pretty scary. However I just had to get back into the water. I couldn't let this put me off as I spend as much time as I can in the water these days. So, after a few minutes I went back in. I don't mind admitting that I was pretty nervous. I wasn't up for swimming all the way back to Manly so I left the water again, walked half way back and then went in again, swimming for another twenty minutes or so. I made it back without any further incident, and was glad I overcame the fear.

It was only when I got home and looked them up on the net, did I realise how harmless they are. Apparently they use their teeth to grind sea urchins and stuff but they can carry a nasty sting in their dorsal fin. What a woos!

The valuable lesson learnt from all of this is that next time I’ll take my camera.....

Book Twenty Nine

2007-07-25T20:01:00.000Z

Ok, so this is Book Twenty Nine.....

I'm a bit lost for words to be honest. I haven't ever read anything like this before. Well, maybe American Psycho would be a distant cousin.

It only took me a couple of days to get through it but it could easily be completed in one sitting. I also bought Will a copy for his birthday last week. I can see it doing the rounds over here.

I’m not going to tell you what it's about (apart from it being about the average American male!), suffice to say you will laugh out loud, you will be shocked, you will be amused and you should be careful where you read it. The next time you are in Dymocks, WHSmiths or Borders pick yourself up a copy and read the first couple of chapters. I bet you buy it! Also check out the 'Acknowledgments' at the end – it's a nice touch.

On a completely separate note, how crazy is this whole Harry Potter thing? I walked into a bookshop on Saturday afternoon, after a bit of an all nighter in the city and Bondi, but had to leave almost straight away - it was too much to take in. I mean, shopkeepers dressed as wizards! Ok, I can understand the hysteria on Saturday but the same guy was wearing the same outfit on Sunday. Bonkers. I haven't yet read any of the books yet and really don't think I will. But now that I'm a bit of a book fan these days, maybe I should. What do you think?

Book Twenty Eight

2007-07-18T20:15:00.000Z

Finally Book Twenty Eight is complete.

I put myself into Book Reading exile for a couple of weeks as I went and stayed with some friends closer to the city. This meant I had a shorter commute, and coupled with the fact that this book is nearly 500 pages long, well it just took me a while.

When I first started it I only managed to grab a few pages here and there. That 'style' may work for some books, but definitely not for this. When I moved back to Manly I definitely broke it's back as I ploughed my way through 40 pages or so a day.

Anyway, this books is another classic. Being a bit of a reading novice I had never even heard of it. I only found it because Khaled Hosseini, the author of Book Twenty Six, said that this was his favourite contemporary book. Having loved Book Twenty Six, I thought I'd give his recommendation a go (mind you, he also recommends Book Twenty Seven and I am still trying to get my head around that one).

I knew I had a bit of a challenge on my hands as soon as it began. Reading text written in mid-western American took a bit of getting used to. But I added another reading talent to my rapidly increasing repertoire (and what a great use of that word eh!) as I soon found myself reading like George Dubble Yah talks. Actually, that's not a talent at all is it (although I actually think he is from the deepest, darkest South, but its close enough for my analogy)? Anyway, I digress. I found myself really getting into this book and enjoyed it more with each page.

It tells the hopeless story of a migrant family, driven out of their farm by drought and economic hardship, who head west in search of a better life. I haven't ever read anything like this before. It may sound pretty dull but it's not at all and the final scene is very disturbing. Maybe it's the kind of text that sits in an English departments Book cupboard, maybe not? Mike.....?

It won the Nobel Prize for Literature as well, so I guess that means it must be good.

It is.

Bad Americana

2007-07-11T21:19:00.000Z

I haven't really posted anything about my job on this blog so thought I'd do so now. I've been working for a Marketing company here in Sydney since last August. During that time I've had two jobs. The first was probably the worst job I have ever had. I hated it. I was working in an IT department and I wasn't very happy at all, so much so that I decided to quit in January. HR said that the business didn't want to lose me and found me a role in Operations. This is probably the best job I've ever had. I work with some brilliant people, on a great account and actually really enjoy being at work. Unlike the dark IT days, Sunday nights are now ok! My current contract is ending though in August and I've just had two departments wanting to sign me up. I've yet to sign my new deal, but it should be working on the same account, in the same seat, with the same great people, but with just a slight shift in focus on what I currently do - I'm hoping to get the best of both worlds so we'll see how the next six months go.

Last week we had our Half Year Party, to celebrate, erm, half a year of hard work. It was a fancy dress affair, with the theme being 'Bad Americana'. I went as a cowboy. I was loosely based on this character but most people think I was more like these guys!

I usually post pictures of my mates out of work, so here's a few of my mates from work. I didn't let the side down by taking 179 pictures of the party!

Surfers Paradise

2007-06-30T23:59:00.000Z

Last weekend H and I went to Queensland with Martin and Claire, Chris and Anna. We stayed in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast and it was the first time I have left NSW since arriving here. I had been to Surfers before though, when I was last here as a backpacker.

So the reason for the trip was to celebrate Claire's 25th birthday. She is leaving Australia soon and wanted to see the Gold Coast before going back to the UK. We managed to book a three bed apartment in the new Q1 resort. It's the tallest residential building in the world and the 20th tallest building in the world and. Our apartment, which was a Big Brother meets IKEA hybrid, was on the 54th floor, which meant we had a stunning view of the Gold Coast.

We flew up on Thursday, the flight taking an hour or so from Sydney. On Friday we headed off to Dreamworld, which is one of a few amusement parks in the area.

We had a quality day out, and get this. We got stuck on a rollercoaster. It only happens on the movies right? Well no, it doesn't. It happened to us. Fortunately is sounds a lot more impressive than it actually was. We took off on the Tower of Terror, a ride that accelerates you from 0-160kph in 7 seconds (it used to be the fastest in the world) and shoots you up the side of a tower (38 storeys high) before free-falling back down.

Well no sooner as we accelerated but the ride slowed down and we came to a stop at the foot of the climb. We sat there for twenty minutes or so until three guys and a winch came to our rescue. The ride had actually done the same thing three rides before us but we decided to brave the technical issues and go on the ride anyway. The staff compensated us by taking us to the front of the queue of the Giant Drop. It's the tallest free-falling ride in the world at 39 storeys (although surely the one on top of The Stratosphere in Vegas is higher!). Don't you just love theme park statistics? This ride was superb. And having just broken down on the ride before, which was attached to the same tower, those thoughts were very much in our mind. I am not sure how I would've coped if I'd had to stay in my seat hundreds of feet off the ground. Anyway, all was good and it was a great experience, even though I had been told off by the same member of staff who took us to the front of the ride, for trying to smuggle my camera on the ride.

While we were on the Giant Drop we could feel the Tower vibrating as they continued their tests on the malfunctioning Tower of Terror. Feeling the whole thing move as you were sat in your seat only served to increase the apprehension, and adrenalin levels. But when we got off the Giant Drop we were told that the first ride was now working and that we would be taken to the front again if we so wished. Of course we would!! So off we went. And this time the ride worked. It was a beauty and so much better than I expected. So breaking down on rollercoasters does have its benefits.

We spent the rest of the day in the park checking out the other rides. These included The Claw, Wipeout and some lame water ride were H and Anna got a soaking. There was also a Tiger show which wasn't particularly good.

But it was a top day out and we were all knackered by the end of it. We ate some tasty Thai for Claire's birthday meal.

We spent Saturday in Surfers Paradise. Surfers Paradise doesn't seem to have changed in the last 7 years. It is the Blackpool of Australia in so much as it is full or trashy bars and clubs. The beach, however, is a beauty, although the waves looked pretty average to me. When I was last here I remember a huge poo pipe running the length of the beach. This has now been cleared away (or covered up) and the beach is a lot better.

We spent the evening in Broadbeach, which is ten minutes south of Surfers. It's much nicer.

Sunday was our last day on the Goldie and we headed back to Broadbeach for lunch after checking out the Oberservation deck on Levels 77 and 78 in the Q1.

Our flight was due to leave at 6ish so we then headed south to Coolangatta to have a look around. I was pretty excited by this as it meant I got to see two world class surf breaks; Snapper Rocks and D-bah. The swell wasn't big but it was nice to see decent waves after the mush at Surfers Paradise.

What a great weekend.

Book Twenty Seven

2007-06-26T09:25:00.000Z

Does anyone out there know that this is all about?

I really struggled with this one. On a bit of a high after Book Twenty Six, I thought it was time to give this one a crack (it is also one of Hosseini's favourite books). But as soon as I started I knew it would be a mission to get through it.

I really didn't understand what was going on. Ok, it was something to do with a family in India. But that's about as far as I got. I found myself reading it for the sake of reading it, and not because I was enjoying it which was a shame. I read it because I started it (and didn't want to give in) and it was a relief when I'd finished it.

I found everything to be too descriptive and visual. Every sentence seemed to have some illustration. Nothing was simple. It was bloody hard work.

H loves this one, so does Kim and Ella. Why? Maybe I didn't like it because I haven't got a creative bone in my body.

It was also the first book that I've read where I tried to find an online guide to help me. I couldn't.

State of Origin

2007-06-18T19:22:00.000Z

Last Wednesday night six of us braved the cold (yes, we are now in winter and very occasionally we get to see our own breath) to go to Telstra Stadium and watch the second game in the State of Origin series between New South Wales and Queensland.

It's rugby league at it's best and is the biggest game in Australia. They bill it as "State vs State, Mate vs Mate" and everyone gets fired up for it. I've watched it on TV a few times before but I really wanted to go along and sample the atmosphere.

I've only ever been to one game of rugby league before and, apart from the cricket, it was the best sporting event I've been to in Australia. Coming from the south of England, rugby league is rarely talked about. But for me it is my favourite sport out here. AFL is great when the game is close, otherwise it's pretty dull. I love football more than any other sport but Sydney FC did nothing for me whatsoever. Cricket is loads of fun and I'm bound to get into it again when India come over to tour later in the year. I haven't got Foxtel so watching England at the moment isn't easy. So that leaves me with the two rugby's - Union and League. I've been to a couple of union games and have enjoyed them both but I get a bit frustrated when they keep hoofing it up the pitch. Ok, there are some nices plays where the ball is spread all the way across the field (although I'm told that this can happen in league) but it still doesn't do that much for me. Rugby league is much faster and tougher. The players just seem to enjoy running into each other at full speed. You can't help but admire these guys as they smash into each other. See what I mean?

Back in England I would never have found myself thinking it, let alone saying it, but it's true. I really like rugby league. There. I've said it. I wonder if it has a 12 step program?

Anyway, Wednesday's nights game was a close affair and QLD beat NSW 10-6 to retain the State of Origin trophy. It was the first time they had won at Telstra since 1999. Before the game NSW had been told to search for some "mongrel" and "bring back the biff". Unfortuantely they were lacking in both. The hits were big but they just didn't have what it takes (we were hoping to see a lot of massive hits like these). Once again the atmosphere was a little strange. There was no segregation so there were very few songs being sung, but I did see one guy being evicted from the ground. There just seemed to be lots of beered up banter all over the place. I miss crowds singing their favourite songs at the opposition and vice-versa.

I'm not sure if it was everyone's idea of a good night out but we all seemed to enjoy the experience. I just need to get myself to Brooky Oval one day, drinks some tins on the Hill and support my local team, the Manly Sea Eagles.

The One-In-30-Year Storm

2007-06-12T22:05:00.000Z

Sydney, and parts of New South Wales, were smashed by a massive storm last weekend. The NSW Premier called it a "one-in-30-year storm", which sounds very impressive, and a bit like 'Point Break' but 20 years shorter! Anyway, I'm not going to argue with him as having seen it's effect on Manly from my unit on the beach front, I could tell it was a big deal. The Hunter Valley region (where we went wine tasting) and the Central Coast have been declared a 'Natural Disaster Area'!

The weather turned on Thursday and we knew things were going wrong on Friday when news reports covered the story of a 40 000 tonne tanker which ran aground in 17m waves near Newcastle, which is two hours north of Sydney. The pictures are incredible.

The Manly ferry service was also cancelled all Friday and Saturday. It was the first time the swell size has cancelled the ferry since I've been here. These pictures were taken early Friday morning, and before the commuters could use the service to get to work. No wonder they were cancelled!

The one thing I have learnt about the weather here is Sydney is that it is all or nothing. When it rains, it rains! It's like the end of the world is approaching. It howled all through the night and on Saturday morning I decided to take a walk along the beach and check out the damage and the surf. The sand had been blown all the way up to the wall of the promenade and had covered some of the road. This was a common sight in all the beachside suburbs of Sydney.

Apart from the odd surf movie, It was the first time that I've seen surfers being towed onto waves by jetskis. Crowds of people lined the beach watching those out into the water. The beach had been closed but that doesn't stop some people. Unfortunately this pictures do little to show the scale of the waves but they were massive.

I then took a walk to the southern end of the beach where a few surfers had made it out in the protected corner. Unlike the north end, which took the full force of the swell, the waves were a little more appealing to the surfers as they came round the headland. You can see what I mean here.

The swell over the weekend was the biggest I've seen. These were taken at the Fairy Bower point break, which is just to the right of the photos I took above. These which were were taken on Saturday, at a break called Deadmans, which is behind Shelly Beach and just to the south of the Bower.

Given the bad weather, and the fact the ferries were cancelled, Saturday turned into a local affair. H and I had made plans to go into the city but they didn't happen. Instead, I made myself comfortable in the Shore Club with an old work colleague and lots of Stella. From there we went the Bavarian Bier Café. So having never been out on a proper night out in Manly until last weekend's Wine Festival, I've now been on two! It was a good night as Manly battened down the hatches.

The swell wasn't as fierce on Sunday and I decided to have a go in it. Needless to say, the waves looked very different from my balcony as they did on the beach, and I got nailed. But it's all good experience.

Sunday evening was again spent in the Shore Club. For some reason Australia celebrates the Queens Birthday so we all had the Monday off work. The weather has cleared up considerably and the swell was a lot cleaner, but still pretty big. I went out with my board for a bit, but then changed my kit over and went back out with my boogie board and fins. I managed to make it out the back and stayed there for ages, watching the biggest waves I've ever been in, as they came through. A couple of huge ones came through, which meant lots of whistling and cheering from those out the back. It's quite a humbling experience sat on top a wall of water as it passes underneath you, and then as you watch it knock everyone, apart from those who caught it, out of its path. Next time I'll take the waterproof camera with me.

After the surf I took a walk to check to Shelly Beach, the Bower and Deadmans to watch the the last of the storm swell. There were more great waves and a great cloud formation. You gotta love those Australian skies!

Manly Food and Wine Festival 2007

2007-06-07T22:20:00.000Z

Last weekend saw Manly put on the annual Food and Wine Festival. I can't believe a year has gone since we were last there.

It is a great weekend, and loads of our mates head over to Manly for the fun and games. Kirby made an early appearance on the Friday as he came and stayed with me. We spent the evening propping up the bar at the new 'Shore Club' before gorging ourselves in 'Rib and Rumps'.

Saturday had 'all dayer' written all over it. The first glass was tasted in the early arvo and the day went from there as we walked around from place to place, drinking wines from different Hunter Valley wineries. Once darkness fell and the stalls stopped selling the wine it was time to get on the Coopers, so off to the 'Shore Club' we went again. I'd also organised a table for 16 of us on the Saturday night at 'Alhambra' tapas restaurant. As you can imagine, the meal was a lively affair and I was on hand with my trusty camera to cover the clapping, dancing and plate playing! The restaurant has a couple of live Flamenco dancers and I had heard that they like to grab people from the tables and dance with them. I knew I was in for it when one of them clocked me as soon as she took to the stage. After a couple of songs I was grabbed. I have no idea what I was thinking as I did some sort of ballet dance (not that I can flamenco, obviously!).

And I have no idea why this happened outside the restaurant afterwards.

So, from there a few of us headed in different directions. I ended up having my first proper night out in Manly, and I ended up in 'Ceruti's' and then the 'Shore Club' again, for the fourth time in three days. It was a quality night out, and given the fact that a fair few of us live in the area, I expect we’ll have many more Saturday nights out there in the future.

Sunday was a chilled out affair. I wasn't up for the crowds so instead I spent most of the afternoon sat on the beach with Kirby, Annabel, H and Katie. Which was nice!

Book Twenty Six

2007-05-31T12:39:00.000Z

It's actually a good thing that I tried to identify the difference between a good 'story' and a good 'book' here (see the Comments section). Because if Book Twenty Five is the best story I've read since being here, then Book Twenty Six has to be the best book I've read. Ok, I know I always seem to rave about the latest book that I've read, but bear with me on this.

Book Twenty Six is the first book that I've read here that I couldn't get out my head. I found myself thinking about it at the most random times. I found myself staring at it in a bookshop, even though I had my own copy. I found myself talking about it to my work colleagues about it (who does that, except English teachers?). In fact one guy even called up his missus and asked her to buy him a copy that day because she was out shopping. He hasn't read for years and he is loving Book Twenty Six. And I found myself talking to H about it in a really passionate way. Weird eh! When people asked what it's about I told them it was about a boy growing up in Afghanistan before Russia invaded, and America after. It doesn't sound very exciting but this book will knock you for six if you haven't read it.

It's disturbing. It's harrowing. It's beautiful. It's brilliant. It's a work of bleedin' genius, that's what it is. It paints a picture and you are there, every step of the way.

And it is the only book I have read which actually made me feel sick. Not even 'American Psycho' could do that!

It has definitely left a lasting impression – my only concern now is where do I possibly go from here?

I've noticed that Housseni has released a new book but I think I should leave it well alone for the moment. What if it is not as good? I don’t want it to risk ruining the brilliance of 'The Kite Runner'. Has anyone out there read both of them? I've read reviews of the new book and it does sound very, very good, but maybe it's just too soon!

Thanks to Mike and Ella for mentioning this book when you were over here.

This reading thing is great!

Australia 29 Wales 23

2007-05-29T19:59:00.000Z

I'd bought H and I tickets for this match ages ago and had hoped to keep it a surprise for her as I know how much she loves Welsh rubgy and the Valleys and all things taff, boyo! Unfortunately she found out in advance.

Anyway, it was our third time going back to Telstra Stadium together. The first was when the Wallabies beat England. The second time was when U2 played. I'd also been to see the Swannies beat the Dockers on my todd.

Wales arrived here with a seriously under-strength side. Now I don't know anything about Welsh rugby but it didn't sound good when the news reported that they'd left 18 players behind. I was hoping to bump into my mate Jonathan Davies at the game. Well, he was my mate for about 2 seconds when I threw myself at him at a LTSB Christmas Party a few years ago. You see, I thought he'd be impressed that we had the same name. He wasn't. Nor was Lawrence Dallagio at the same party - I threw myself at him and my name isn't even Lawrence.

Moving on. One of the taffs we were sat next to on the train to the station said that the Welsh were fielding more players with international caps than the Aussies. I didn't believe this to be true but he blatantly loved his ruby and clearly knew more about it than I did. Who was I to argue? If it was true, this was good news as I was fearing a massacre and I wanted to see a close game.

I'd bought us some excellent seats, up nice and high and pretty much on the half way line so we were all set for a good game. It's nice being able to drink a beer and watch the game, it's just a shame the Toohey's New tasted like it was lined with tequilla. I normally love tequilla but not like this. Shite!

Before the game I'd told H I'd be backing the Aussies. But as the teams came out I found myself thinking that I should probably get behind Wales. I don't know why I thought this. I'm more Australian than Welsh! Maybe it's because I lived in Bristol for five years so am nearly Welsh. Plus I spent a couple of wicked camping trips in The Gower. Oh, and I was at the Millennium Stadium to see Danny Coles send Brighton into League One. Or maybe it's because I still thought of Wales as the underdog, even though they were supposed to have more capped players on the field (if the taff on the train was right).

I was, however, somewhat surprised to find myself jumping out of my seat as Wales scored a breakaway try in the first few minutes. Wierd.

The game itself was great to watch. Wales so nearly won it. A great drop goal with a few minutes to spare put them 23-22 in front but Australia won the game with a converted try after the hooter had gone to signal time.

It was a shame the stadium was only half full (~40k). For a rugby made nation, the Aussies go about supporting their national team in a half-arsed way. Like the England game last year, the stadium was pretty quiet for most of the game and any atmosphere was created by the visiting supporters. I don't know why so many Aussies decided to stay away. Maybe it's because the games are shown on TV, and the games aren't as important as World Cups but that shouldn't really matter. It doesn't to England and their rugby or football fans who always pack stadiums and sing their hearts out.

Anyway, rant over.....it was a really good night out. We were both disappointed Wales lost but I got over it a lot quicker than H.

Mum and Dad Down Under (3)

2007-05-23T08:46:00.000Z

Again, apologies for the late post and the "we did this" and "they did that" format but this is the last one covering Mum and Dad's trip to Australia.

Mum and Dad arrived back in Sydney on Friday night (4th). H and I met them back in Manly after we’d been out in the city for a few post-work beers. The weather over the weekend was stunning with temperatures again in the high twenties. May in Australia is the equivalent of November in the UK and I think they were both impressed.

We spent Saturday (5th) afternoon in the city. I went to the Fish Markets with Dad, H went to Paddington Markets with Mum. On the way home a lady began frantically running round the ferry shouting "I've lost my son. Has anyone seen my son? Help me please, Help me". Losing a kid on a ferry has to be a nightmare but I was sure I hadn't heard a splash although I was primed to jump out of the top window. Seconds later he was found hiding under his seat. He was 4 years old and looked like a real handful He even tried to hit Dad. We met back up with H and Mum in Manly. H and I went out for some beers with Katie and family Ward whilst Mum and Dad cooked dinner – prawns, snapper and barramundi! Result!

On Sunday (6th) we decided to do the Manly to Spit Bridge walk. We had done this walk with Mike and Ella back in December (starting at the Spit). Back then we got nailed by a storm and had to bail three quarters of the way round. However the sun was still shining on Sunday and we decided to start the 10k walk in Manly. I thought we would go half-way before heading back but one step led to another and before we knew it we were past the point of no return. Just over three hours after starting we arrived at The Spit. Once again I had chosen to walk in thongs, which aren't the most suitable footwear for that type walk and my feet were ruined for most of the week. We got the bus back to Manly, H and I jumped in the ocean and we all promptly collapsed in front of rubbish TV.

The folks spent Monday sight-seeing. They went up the Sydney Tower and took a walk around the Botanic Gardens. H went to see Dylan Moran in the evening. Mum and Dad took be out to Jellyfish.

They spent Tuesday in Manly and in the evening we all went out for the mighty $10 steak at The Ivanhoe. The even mightier Coopers Green is now on tap in there. What a result.....

The folks met quite a few of our friends on Wednesday night when we all went out to The Malaya on King Street Wharf. We'd all met beforehand in Pier 26 where Katie had her handbag nicked from the table we were sat at. Quite unbelievably she got a call from the police an hour later saying someone had found it on a rubbish bin nearby and they drove it round to her (when does that ever happen?), minus $20 and a lottery ticket she had bought after finding a 4-leafed clover stuck to her ankle whilst playing netball (she never checked the numbers to see if she had won!. She thought she had lost everything, including her mobile and flat keys!

Ok, moving onto Thursday and Mum and Dad spent the day on the Sydney Explorer and Bondi Explorer buses – a great way to see the city.

And Friday, well that was their last full day here and they spent it in Manly. It was also Kirby's 31st birthday so after a couple of beers with him on our way back to Manly, we met the folks off the ferry, went for a drink in the Wharf Bar and then ate at Rib and Rumps again. Pure gluttony and I love it!

Mum and Dad left on Saturday (12th). We saw them off at Manly wharf – they didn't want us to come to the airport. Whilst the 'Arrivals' gate is a happy place the 'Departures' is a sad place. Apart from those people going to New Zealand, everyone who leaves Sydney at the International Airport is going far, far away and it means people won't see each other for a while. It was easier saying goodbye in Manly and a whole lot easier than the goodbyes at Heathrow when we left last year. It's also easier for my parents as well as they can now see why we want to live in such an amazing place, they can visualise everything and they can put faces to the names we mention.

Book Twenty Five

2007-05-16T08:44:00.000Z

At 573 pages long, this book was a monster, and the longest one I have read since starting this voyage of page-turning discovery.

I managed to keep the reading alive while the parents were here as I still had to go to work and commute to and from my desk.

Anyway, of all the books I have read since being here I think this has to be the best story by far. It's great.

But why did I choose this one I hear you all thinking? Well I work for a Marketing company here in Sydney and I work on the Virgin Blue/Velocity account. And one day were were all given a copy of the book – as well as a rather fetching Virgin Blue 'reversible' beanie hat, a Virgin Blue polo shirt and some Virgin Blue fridge magnets.

I love freebies!

Mum and Dad Down Under (2)

2007-05-11T09:10:00.000Z

So Mum and Dad spent their second week in Australia in the Red Centre and Cairns. After a wet week in Sydney I expect they were looking forward to some sunshine, especially as the weather had been toasty in both places. It should therefore come as not great surprise that their full day at Ayers Rock was a wash-out because of rain! Yes – it really does rain in the desert. Unfortunately this meant that their Sounds of Silence meal had to be cancelled. Still, the rain did mean that they were able to take some incredible pictures of Uluru. In almost every picture you would've seen it looks orange or red. Well they managed to capture it looking blue! They also saw that it had it's own cloud! Even though it rained they still had a great time.

From Ayers Rock they travelled to Cairns where they were book on a day-tip to Port Douglas, Cape Tribulation and the Daintree Rainforest. The weather was much better up there and the trip was a winner. In fact they said that the beach at Cape Trib was the nicest they had ever seen. They also saw some salt-water crocodiles which was nice!

Whilst they were away Sydney had some great weather for this time of year. In fact we hit 29 degrees which is some kind of record for this time of year. Unfortunately I was back to work so I only got to see the nice weather out of my office window.

To save themselves a massive amount of time when they get back to Blighty, the folks have decided to allow me to go to all the blogging effort, rather like Mike did when he was here. So enjoy the pictures. There's loads of them - especially Ayers Rock which really does change colour in the sunlight!

A Year Ago.....Today!

2007-05-02T19:40:00.000Z

H and I arrived in Australia as residents!

We are now halfway to becoming Australian citizens (assuming we don't get caught up in the new legislation that's been doing the rounds since we've been here).

Back in February last year I wrote this. Given that a year is a significant milestone I should probably get round to reviewing it at some point.

In the meantime, I have two questions that you might be able to help me with. I have been unable to answer them during my time here. Any takers anyone?

1) Why do surfers run to the beach?

2) Why do people on boats wave at each other yet people on buses, cars, motorbikes and trains don't?

Mum and Dad Down Under (1)

2007-05-01T20:28:00.000Z

Mum and Dad arrived here on Saturday 21st April. It's their first time down under and I was obviously really looking forward to seeing them, especially as I hadn't seen them in more than 14 months, the last time being the emotional farewell at Heathrow Airport.

After a dad spent cleaning the flat H and I made our way to Sydney Aiport to welcome them off flight QF32 from London via Singapore. It was fantastic seeing them and a very happy start to the holiday. There's something rather nice about the Arrivals area of Sydney Airport. Because we are so far away from everywhere else, people really go to town when seeing friends and family. It's a happy place.

OK, this blog is a bit of "we did this and we did that" but bear with me, it's for their benefit when they get home and do their own blog.

We spent their first day here in Manly where we took a walk to Shelly Beach and the Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve. I took them to the Opera House that evening where we saw the Cologne Philamonic Orchestra do some Vivaldi (The Four Seasons.....very nice), Elgar, Mozart and Tchaikovsky in the fabulous Concert Hall. They loved it, and it was a great way to start their 3 week trip here. We ate in The Rocks afterwards and then watched this beast of a storm roll in. The lightning display over the harbour was amazing. Unfortunately the storm hung around for the next two days.

Martin was an absolute legend by lending me his brand new Ford Focus for the first week of their trip, a week which I was also able to take of work, and I had planned on using it to see some of the surrounding area. As a result, we headed up through the Northern Beaches to Palm Beach on the Monday. It rained for most of the day which was a shame but it's all pretty stunning up there.

We woke up to more rain on Tuesday. The weather reports seemed to suggest that the rain was coastal so we decided to head west, to The Blue Mountains. Unfortunately it rained there was well and the mountains were surrounded in fog. It was so bad that we could barely see any of the Blue Mountains and what we did see was most definitely not blue! You can see how bad it was in the shots below. I have also posted a couple of pictures that Mike took from the same spot back in December. You can also compare this and this!

So, moving onto Wednesday, which was Anzac Day and a public holiday. It rained some more. However we did manage to get up to the North Head National Park for a look at the city. It was raining over the city. Luckily we were ok.

Thankfully the weather on Thursday changed. It was beautiful. Seriously, it didn't rain at all. We had planned to do the Coogee to Bondi walk when it was a fine day so off we set via JetCat and bus. We arrived at Coogee late morning and walked to Bondi. It was great. We had lunch in Bondi and took it all in. It was very nice seeing the sunshine. Mum then came out with a belter. She enjoyed the walk so much that she wanted to walk all the way back to Coogee. Dad was well up for it. I was shocked. I'd done the walk three times before, but never twice in one day. Anyway, off we set and it was a beauty. We even shaved 15 minutes off the time it took us to walk to Bondi. Mum and Dad are very fit!We headed back to the city afterwards, had a drink in The Opera Bar and then met H in Darlinghurst for Thai (you know the place Mike).

Friday was a dry day but very very cloudy. I had a surf in the morning and we spent the afternoon in The Rocks. H and I took the folks out for a fantastic steak on Friday night at Manly's Rib and Rumps. Damn tasty!

Saturday was a mixed bag and after a lazy start to the day we all headed into the city for a walk around Chinatown before eating in Darling Harbour, where there was an Indonesian Festival in full, and very loud, swing. It turned out to be a beauty of an evening and Dad and I went off to the SCG to watch the Swans thrash the Melbourne Demons at AFL. All I could get were "Obstructed view" seats - the very back row of the Brewongle stand, which meant that we couldn't see the scoreboard or the big screens. They weren't bad seats at all and it's better to be as high up as possible when watching the AFL. It was Dad's first AFL experience and he was pleased to see the fingers.

Sunday was a real winner. Really clear skies and lots of sunshine. After a leisurely morning (quality surf for me) I drove us all to Watsons Bay and the Gap Bluff which is located in the Sydney Harbour National Park at the South Head. The plan was to have fish and chips at the famous Doyles Restaurant. What we didn't plan for was the huge number of people who had the same idea. Anyway, we eventually found somewhere to park before enjoying fish and chips at a chaotic takeaway. We followed this with a lovely walk around the National Park. Once again we were afforded beautiful views of the city to one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.

So all in all a fantastic week, even though the weather was pretty rubbish. But then again, we are in the midst of autumn with winter only a month away. It comes with the teritory. Having said that, I'm back at work this week - it's sunny and mid-twenties and set to stay for the rest of the week. The folks are off exploring the Red Centre and Cairns and are back on Friday for another week.

Book Twenty Four

2007-04-23T11:03:00.000Z

Does anyone know what the hell this book is all about, cos I certainly don't!

And if you're wondering, no I didn't buy this. I only read it because H had finished reading it.

As for personal records, I have now read twenty four books since I arrived here in May last year! Averaging two books a month, I have to say that that is bloody good going. Well done me!

Oh, and my parents are here now so I may not be online for a while.

Greedy's 30th Birthday Pirate Booze Cruise

2007-04-17T21:02:00.000Z

Rich Greenfield turns 30 this week so to celebrate he decided to charter a boat around the harbour on Saturday and invite his friends to come along dressed as pirates. Yep - it was to be a fancy dress booze cruise. As is always the way with these things, the costume is genrally left until the last minute. I'd heard rumours about a quality fancy dress shop near my place of work and finally got round to checking it out last week. It did the job.

Claire picked H and I up from Manly and took us back to her place where we got changed. This meant walking through Neutral Bay in full costume as we looked for a taxi. We boarded the boat at Kirribilli, directly opposite Oprah’s House and just down the road from Big John's.

We met the rest of the Manly crew on the boat, as well as the birthday boy himself, and set sail for picks up at Balmain and Darling Harbour. The Japanese tourists loved it when we rocked up to pick up more pirates from the Aquarium jetty. We ooooo'd and aaaar’d our way up and down the river, getting pretty decent reactions from everyone we past. Having a pirate ship interrupt your wedding is surely one of the risks you take if you choose to get married next to the river.

The captain took us quite a way inland before returning to the Harbour where we cruised around, under the bridge and past Oprah. Everyone had a blast and it was a quality day out. The Coopers was flowing and the hosts managed to knock together a fine feed for everyone. I'm not quite sure how a pirate dance-off came about but it was funny to see.

The cruise finished up at 6ish where we all piled into Pier 26, a nice bar on the waterfront in Darling Harbour. Quite how we were all allowed in, in full kit and fully beered up, was beyond any of us and it wasn't long before we were ALL barred from drinking. The party then moved to The Forbes Hotel in the city before H, Will and I had to leave and head off to The Metro to see Gomez with Simo. I was going to go as a pirate but by the evening I was sick of the wig (and everyone else was sick of the chest wig) so I got changed and got into gig mode. It was a top way to finish a brilliant day. Gomez rocked and the venue is probably the best one I have been to. Really small and very loud. Will got so trashed he bought tickets for the gig on the Sunday night as well. So that's three Gomez gigs in 7 days for him. Good work. Oooooo arrrrrrrr.

Book Twenty Three

2007-04-14T12:04:00.000Z

One of my mates at work recommended this one to me so I thought I'd give it a go. It also interested me because I have a couple of things in common with it.

It's an interesting story but I thought it was an average read. After 300 pages or so of prison life there was only so much of the story I could take. And when it ended I really wanted to know what the guy was up to now – especially as he was released in 2000, the book was first published in 2003 and reprinted this year. Unfortunately you don't find out. It was a bit like reading Tony Adams’ autobiography – I got drunk and did this, I got drunk and did that, I got drunk whilst playing football.....blah, blah, blah, except with cocaine.

The Easter Weekender Part 2 - The Great Escape

2007-04-11T21:20:00.000Z

The Great Escape is a three day festival out by the Olympic Park. They sold day tickets for those of us who didn't fancy going for all three days so H, Will and Katie and I went on Sunday. It was completely different from the other festivals I have been too in Australia. This one reminded me of the Ashton Court festival back in Brizzle, except it was much smaller. It had a ferris wheel and dodgems!

It was also the first time that I've turned up to a festival for the last day. The only other three day event I have been to was Glastonbury back in 2003 and I was there for the entirety.

I wasn't particularly fussed by any of the music on offer. I'd seen Gomez before, and I've never been into The Lemonheads, but they were the biggest bands of the day (as well as The Roots). Will and H were very excited about seeing The Lemonheads and as they came on stage we made our way to the front of the rather peculiar Riverside Stage setting (lots of people sat round at tables watching the band – very chilled!). Now, the girls seem to love Evan Dando – hence the reason I took a few decent shots of him. I can't see what all the fuss is about – but H is a big, big fan. I asked Katie what she thought. She said "He’d be good for a Featherlite". Brilliant, and the quote of the day.

The gig was cool. I got into it the more it went on even though I only recognised one of their tunes. H and Will really enjoyed it. Here's a few videos;

Great Big No
Into Your Arms
Rudderless

From there it was off to The Village Green to catch the end of Fat Freddy’s Drop, a Kiwi dub band which Andy Simpson would love. They were perfect for the setting as the sun began to go down.

Next up.....Gomez! As I mentioned above, I saw them last year, at a tiny venue in the city. I didn't know much about them then but liked what I saw, although I wasn't blown away. H and Will were always banging on about them and Chris Cook, and old flatmate is a big fan. Anyway, the gig on Sunday was brilliant. The stage was at the bottom of a hill so everyone could get a great view and the organisers had put down loads of hay to soak up the rain that had fallen over the weekend - this ended up being thrown around by the crowd, closely followed by thongs and a pair of sunglasses. It was funny to watch and the atmosphere was quality. Gomez seemed to really enjoy the occasion as well and they played a great set. The lead singer has the most incredible voice.

Check out the vids;

Here Comes the Breeze (here and here) and Whippin’ Picadilly

H, Will, Simo and I are going to see them again on Saturday, at a venue in the city, and I'm really looking forward to seeing them again. I'm now a fan.

Once the gig had finished it was time to hit the fairground rides, in particular the dodgems. Great fun. H and Katie went on this ride which was comedy to watch (especially the end). Apparently Katie's got bruises! The evening finished with a go on the Ferris wheel. It’s nice being able to see the festival from up high – even though it didn’t feel very safe.

We left the venue at about 8pm, so we missed The Roots – but we had a two hour mission ahead of us getting home. And H and Katie were in a bit of a mess!

The Easter Weekender Part 1 - The Hunter Valley

2007-04-09T21:19:00.000Z

The long weekend here got off to a flying start last Thursday night with a huge night out with my work colleagues in Pyrmont. On Friday H and I took a walk to the Cabbage Tree Bay and I then had a surf with Martin. A few of us went out in Manly on Friday night to celebrate Simone's birthday. We ate in this really bohemian restaurant which looked like someones house, except there was a tree and a bike in the bath and there was a jazz quartet playing very loudly. It was loads of fun though and the booze was flying, especially the sangria. Unfortunately I forgot my camera so there's no pictures of that night I'm afraid.

Another hangover followed on Saturday morning but we had to be up really early because eight of us were booked onto a tour of the Hunter Valley wine region which is a couple of hours outside of Sydney. We had decided to do it this way so we could all have a drink. Neither H or I had been to the Hunter Valley before and it was the furthest I have been out of Sydney since we arrived here last May (I've been having too much of a good time in Sydney!).

We left Sydney at ~8am and headed north past the Hawkesbury River. The tour took us to a cheese tasting shop, a chocolate tasting shop, a beer tasting brewery, three wineries and a restaurant for a gourmet lunch. The wine tasting begun in earnest at about 10.30am at the first of the wineries, 'Tempus Two'. It is quite a famous winery and our tour guide, Nigel, told us that it was the "nightclub" of the wine world. From there we went to a winerie called 'Mistletoe'. The Rosé Wine caught our attention there. It was then to the 'Blutongue' brewery for some beer tasting before lunch. The last winery of the day was 'De Bortoli', an Italian establishment which did a rather nice Semillon. There was also a bit of an Easter Fair going on there.

We got back to Sydney at 6ish and headed back to Manly. It was a quality day out and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Seeing as word of mouth is a great way of advertising, if you are in the area, and fancy tasting some local wines, then check out these guys.

V Festival 2007

2007-04-02T22:04:00.000Z

V Festival came to Australia for the first time this year and it only seemed appropriate to go. Actually, to start with not that many people were up for it. Kirby and I got our tickets a while ago, H managed to blag guest list via Katie and Gareth while Deano, Martin and Claire picked up their tickets even cheaper than face value on Ebay. The festival hadn't sold out.

I don't know why it didn't sell out. It was held on the same site as Good Vibrations, which did sell out, but that festival was for too busy (as you can see in the pictures) and maybe many people thought this would be the case with V. Luckily it wasn't. The festival was spread out over the same area but there were only 3 stages instead of 5. Because there was a few thousand less people in attendance there was plenty of grass to sit down on and chill out. And the festival was sponsored by Coopers Green, which is my favourite Australian beer (unfortunately there was only one Coopers Bar so the queue was huge, as you can see below. Fortunately though, Australians have it all sorted when it comes to getting booze quickly and you didn't have to wait too long). Winner! The weather at V was perfect for a festival as well, with the temperature in the mid twenties.

H and I went into the city with Katie and Simone and made our way to a pub in Paddington, near the entrance to the site, where we met everyone for a few pre-festival Coopers, Coopers.

Once we'd entered the site - which took ages because you had to queue to show your ticket, then queue to get a wristband - we spent some time relaxing on the grass whilst drinking Coopers and taking in the afternoon sunshine. Everyone was up for a good time.

The line-up was quite strong, with the likes of Jarvis Cocker, Beck, the Pet Shop Boys, 2 Many DJs and the Pixies all playing, but Groove Armada was the act I was most looking forward to seeing. I've seen them before in Bristol, when they played the Academy, but apart from TV footage, I'd never seen them pay at a festival. I was hoping that tunes like 'Easy', 'Madder' and 'Superstylin'' would be great moments and they didn't disappoint. All of our mates loved the gig. Naturally I took lots of pictures and videos so here they are;

Groove Armada Intro - here and here
Easy
Chicago
A Song For Stan
Madder
Superstylin'

There's a couple of random videos taken during their set as well - here and here.

I reckon that set was one of the best festival experiences I've had since arriving here. The atmosphere was incredible, as you can see in the videos (sorry about the sound quality, by the way!).

After Groove Armada finished it was time for a pit stop for more Coopers as we walked past Beck on the main stage. By this point a few people had gone off to see different acts, and H, Martin, Claire and I headed off to the Other Stage to watch 2 Many DJs. We had hoped to meet Kirby there but given the number of people there, it was always going to be difficult.

2 Many DJs played a wicked electronic set which was just what we needed.

Here's a few videos;

Lithium
Pump Up The Jam
Blue Monday

From there it was off to the main stage to catch the last half hour of the Pixies. H had gone off earlier to meet Kirby so I checked them out with Martin and Claire. I only know one of their songs, 'Where Is My Mind?', and that was thanks to 'Fight Club', but it was nice to sit down on the grass, chill out and listen to the end of the set.

We had planned to meet everyone at the end if the festival by the cannon at the edge of the site! Unfortunately a fence put paid to that idea so a plan was formed to meet in a local pub, which was having a bit of a festival after-party. We also got to see the last twenty minutes or so of Liverpool thrashing Arsenal 4-1 and the start of Man Utd againsy Blackburn. For Premiership starved me, that was great. The DJ also decided to stick a few tunes from'Lovebox' on which the crowd seemed to enjoy as most of them had just seen GA at the festival. I'm not sure why he followed that up with a remix on 'All Night Long' by Lionel Richie but he was one of those rubbish pub DJ's who likes to talk over records! Time to leave.....

I left with H and Claire and we had one hell of a mission getting home.

It was a brilliant day out. Next up, it's The Great Escape festival.....this weekend!

Another Nice Storm

2007-03-29T19:30:00.000Z

It's been humid here for a few weeks now so, not surprisingly, we've had some quality storms. We had another nice one last week (20th).

I tried taking some pictures but it's not easy. I tried resting the camera on the balcony with a 15 second exposure time. I tried my best not to move the camera, which was particularly hard when I saw some huge lightning. And I tried taking photos with different ISO settings. I also tried taking pictures of trailing car lights.

Anyway, this is what I came away with. It was a big hit and (mostly) miss but I'm quite pleased with the results.