Magic (?) Mushrooms, Gomez & the 'Easter' Show

Woke up on Friday morning to find that 6 mushrooms had grown in our bedroom overnight! Turns out that the heavy rain that we have experienced in the past couple of weeks has been a bit too much for our balcony doors & so has seeped through & into the carpet….the damp, humid conditions have been perfect for mould & fungi to grow. It took me a lot of effort to stop Lucy eating them, but despite magic mushrooms been illegal in Oz we are hoping to at least sample some when we take a trip up to Byron for my birthday (if we manage to stay here that long - unlikely).


On Saturday we spent a bit of time at Freshwater Beach & for the first time I experienced waves coming at me from both the ocean & the beach…peculiar. Lucy wasn’t a big fan of the large waves, or the cold water (thought it was mild myself).
Later, we headed into the CBD to see Gomez play a gig at the Metro Theatre. A really good, intimate venue with plenty of bars, staff to serve & toilets. The first act up was the Panda Band - pretty good apart from the poor 1st song - who reminded me of The Coral in their use of old-school instruments. Then came a huge, grizzly bear type Californian bloke called White Buffalo who treated us to a one-man show of upbeat country music. And finally, around 10.30pm Gomez hit the stage & they were much, much better than I thought they would be…..even though they didn’t play my favourite song of theirs – Whipping Piccadilly – the 2.5 hour set was superb….they do look like one of the geekiest bands alive though. My observation was that the front three (6 man band) looked like Vic Reeves, Chris Martin & Stato (from Fantasy Football)…. Whilst the bass player was the most laid back I have seen, hardly moving from his spot for the whole show….they probably have to nudge him from time to time to see if he’s still alive!


Sunday we headed to the Olympic Park for the Easter Show….basically a lot of ‘country folk’ coming to the city for a fortnight to show off their animals, arts & crafts….this too was a superb event, with everything very well organized – think the Aussies could teach the UK a thing or two about organizing events. The activities included, amongst others, a cattle market, dog & cat shows (made me miss Spot), variety of food stalls & a fair ground. However, the highlights of the day for me were the wood-chopping (not sure how they don’t have more serious injuries), the rodeo (one bloke was thrown off a bucking horse & you could see his arm snap, yet he still got up to celebrate) & the end of the show (motorbikes doing incredible tricks, Holden’s zooming around the ring, and a Lady Cannonball who managed to give the most unconvincing “That was really exciting” of all time). The electric storm in the distance also provided a wonderful backdrop to the show & the following firework display.

Would definitely avoid the tepid sausage on a stick dipped in tomato ketchup though….made me want to puke.

This is Sparta....

Went to see '300' on Thursday... not sure where they found so many people with six-packs...especially with Scottish accents....certainly not in my local! Anyway, the movie was an adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel, which in itself was based on the story of 300 Spartans fight against the Persian army of over one million soldiers. The movie is similar in style to Sin City (no surprise given the writer) and is gory in places. If you can get over the 'cheesiness' of some of the lines (and the 'love scene'), not hate yourself for watching the movie rather than working out, and eat beforehand, then it's an entertaining watch.

Jonah's

On Saturday, Lucy & I finally managed to enjoy one of our wedding gifts - a stay at Jonah's complete with dinner. As you can see from the view it's a pretty special place, overlooking Whale Beach...the room was lovely & came complete with large balcony & spa pool...whilst the food was excellent - we went for the seafood degustation menu. Lucy & I had a lovely time there - and if we can get a booking we'd try to have another stay before our time here comes to an end - thanks for all those who contributed.

The stay at Jonah's came after a very wet day at the races - Randwick's Easter Carnival. After thinking the day would be called off due to the weather (Sydney's tourism board does a good job keeping that a secret - 3times as much annual rainfall as London) we spent the day inside a marquee...drinking plenty of champagne, eating good food (I was a big fan of the cheese & even asked for a doggy bag!) and losing money on the horses (only had one winner, but fortunately missed the first 4 races!) ...a good time was had by all. I'm sure the talent on show would have raised a few eyebrows in London!

Sunday morning we awoke at dawn for the spectacular ocean view - those living there have it good! Had breakfast at Jonah's (again enjoying the fantastic view) & then went for a walk along the beach (why does heavy rain make the water warmer?) and a drive around the coastal region.... an early night was much needed too.... and I managed to fall asleep whilst watching Star Wars (missing the Sea Eagles 4th win on the trot in the process). Nothing much planned for this week... but Lucy starts her new job on Tuesday - she'll be just around the corner from Citi, so will be nice to meet up for the occasional lunch, etc. Please kill me if we start wearing matching outfits....

Come to Tasmania....

Just back from a weekend in Tasmania and I have to say we had a lovely time. The local food, wine & beer (if you see Moo Brew try it) were all excellent, the scenery wonderful and the people friendly & laid-back (even if some of them did look a little strange!). Spent Friday night at a quaint little guest-house in Hobart, then Saturday morning we went for a walk around the 'city' (not exactly the biggest City you'll come across) and found the market at Salamanca (wasn't he a Bond villain?!?). The food on offer was just far too tempting so I was pleased that I hadn't had more than fruit for breakfast...

On Saturday afternoon, after a brief visit to a museum or two & a visit to Jackman & Ross (a lovely cafe) we headed out to Tarraleah. About 90 mins drive from Hobart, this village grew up alongside the hydro-electric industry & at one point had 3,000+ people living there, now that's down to about 30 & until recently the biggest local attraction was 'Madame Lash' (unfortunately she got busted so wasn't there for our visit). We stayed at Tarraleah Lodge, enjoyed a bottle of champagne in the spa bath complete with views overlooking the valley, had a well presented 4-course meal & then headed out on a 'spotlight wildlife tour'. Lucy was immensely pleased to see so many possums & wallabies.

On the Sunday we drove back to Horbart, via Mount Field National Park. Went for a bit of a walk, saw some great wildlife - Tasmanian Devils (cuter than you would think), Wombats, Platypus & fed some Wallabies. Hitting Hobart we went for a fish & chip supper, a quick beer and then, exhausted, headed for the flight back to Sydney. Hopefully to find that we've got tickets for Glastonbury.....

If you get the chance to visit Oz, and have the time, then I would definitely recommend a trip to Tasmania. We could easily have stayed two weeks rather than two days....and I'm sure you'll soon be seeing the advertising as Tourism Tasmania are really starting to push it. It's amazing how few Australian's have ever been to Tassie... in fact, given how many of them have been to Europe, it's amazing how few Australian's have seen little of their own country outside of their own town!

One last thing - went to see Hot Fuzz at the cinema last week. I won't spoil it for you, but it's very much along the lines of 'Shaun of the Dead'... if you liked that you'll love this.... I found it hilarious & laughed out loud at one or two points.

Puppet Up!

Went to watch 'Puppet Up!' at the strangely opulent State Theatre in Sydney last night. Using the puppets created by Jim Henson (man behind the Muppets & Fraggle Rock), we were treated to an excellent show of improvisation. It's the most I've laughed at a comedy event since I got here (& in Lucy's words...it was MUCH better than Little Britain). It's amazing what actors can get away with saying when holding a puppet, and if you ever got bored by looking at the screens (puppets projected onto them) then you can always look at the mayhem beneath. Not sure the show will be back in the UK as they were at the Edinburgh Festival...but if it is I would recommend going along.

Yesterday provided yet another example of how changeable the weather is here in Sydney. From first thing it was a fantastically warm day (perhaps too hot) which I'm sure my Mum (who went back on Wednesday) will be sorry to have missed. However, shortly after Lucy & I left the beach (5.30pm) it started to rain. And it wasn't just rain but Hollywood style with heavy drops & plenty of it. It hasn't stopped since....and we've even got a fierce wind to contend with now.

Tonight we're off to see Ardal O'Hanlon (Dougal from Father Ted) do a stand-up routine in Parramatta - provided I can find the tickets....should be fun.

Rain, rain go away.....Walking the Bridge

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of my Irish friends... Unfortunately I didn't get to have my traditional pint in 'The Porterhouse', Covent Garden this year, but I'm sure you all more than made up for that lapse on my part. I'm sure that Mike would have loved all the adverts here for the celebrations - 99% of them started with the words 'To be sure, to be sure'. And I'm still trying to work out why the St. Patrick's Day parade was last weekend (the 12th) & not on Saturday...maybe they didn't want to overlap with the Bridge celebrations.

On Saturday, the 4 of us (Lucy, Mum, Dave & I) did a bit of a tour of the south coast of New South Wales...Kangaroo Valley, Jervis Bay & Kiama. The weather didn't really do us much good with torrential rain & plenty of fog at times. Instead of spending time walking & on the beach we ended up driving from pub to pub & viewing the superb beaches through the window. We were a bit windswept at Kiama - and disappointed by the lack of action at the blowhole - but at least the lovely fish & chips made up for it in some way.

On the evening we went to the NRL game at Brookvale Oval - Sea Eagles v Raiders. On purchasing the tickets for 'The Hill' (literally a hill you sit / stand on) I had been warned that it was uncovered, but chose to ignore that thinking there was little chance of rain. How wrong I was...still it was only light drizzle & nothing too bad. The Sea Eagles ran out easy winners (32-6) & the one sided nature of the game left it a little flat, although the fights among the crowd & the failure of the floodlights did lead to some excitement. The cheerleaders were also worth a look. Will certainly be back.

On Sunday we were up early for a bbq breakfast on Palm Beach (home of Home & Away), again the weather wasn't too conducive to sunbathing....then to North Sydney for the walk across the Harbour Bridge to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of 'the Coathanger'. Somewhere in the region of 250,000 people walked across (not all at once) & each was given a commemorative hat. A truly magnificent piece of engineering & likely would not have been built given today's cost-benefit analysis.

After the Bridge walk we popped into the Observatory & then to the Mercantile Hotel (fast becoming one of our favourite watering holes) in the Rocks for a beer or two. Comedy moment of the week as a mother was pushing her wheel-chair bound son to the door of the pub...as they reach the door-step she slaps his back & he springs to his feet & practically sprints to the bar. Brought to mind Little Britain's Lou & Andy.

We finished off the day with a quick trip to the '5 below' ice bar in Circular Quay. Not sure I'd make it a regular place to visit but certainly worth a trip there for the novelty value. Everything - including the glasses - is made of ice, although you are warned before entering not to drink from the fountain (that's anti-freeze). Dave managed to get thrown out for taking off his gloves (you have to don jackets, gloves & boots to enter) but the other 3 of us enjoyed our cocktails & 30 mins of coldness.

Mum & Dave head back on Wednesday and whilst it's been excellent having them here (I hope they have enjoyed the stay) I'm sort of looking forward to having the place to ourselves for the first time in what feels like months. Some time alone & then we'll be ready for our next guests....whoever that may be.

Mum & Dave Engaged!!!

Monday night isn't usually the most exciting night in Sydney - professional's night I guess you could call it - but this Monday had a little bit of drama.

Lucy & I took my Mum & Dave to a bar called Orbit which is situated on the 47th floor of Australia Square Tower on Sydney's George Street. After a couple of cocktails, and with the rotating floor having moved such that we had a perfect view of the Harbour Bridge & Opera House, Dave popped the question to my Mum & asked her to marry him. (It wasn't a complete surprise to me to be honest). After a couple of seconds of hesitation (think it WAS a shock for my Mum!) she thankfully said yes & the champagne could be brought out!

Not sure of wedding plans - but I'm guessing they may well revolve around the Caribbean Cruise the two of them are on in February '08.

Teesside TinTin & What's with the TV station numbers?

Ian & Sarah (our former house-guests) put us on to this on YouTube.....Teesside TinTin basically takes clips from the TinTin cartoon & dubs them with Teesside 'craic'. Very, very amusing even if you're not from the area.... listen out for the invitation to the 'Bongo Club' - one of Boro's more notorious clubs. The link is to the RHS of this blog...

Finally for tonight (feels like a bus writing tonight.... nothing for a week or so & then 3 posts on on night) there's something that's been bothering for me for quite some time. And that's the numbering of the TV channels here.... The original station (from what I understand) was channel 9 in 1956/57... what happened to the first 8? And the current five channels are SBS, ABC, 7, 9 & 10.... what happened to 8? If anyone reading this knows then it would be most appreciated if you could share!

Notes on a Scandal / Pan's Labyrinth

A week or so ago Lucy & I headed to Manly cinema to watch 'Notes on a Scandal' - it was the first time in an age that we'd had the opportunity to catch a movie (both working longer hours so miss 7pm showings & 9.30pm showings are just too late).

Whilst the cinema itself was very average (extremely uncomfortable seats), the movie itself was very good.... superb performances from Judi Dench (a cynical, veteran schoolteacher with lesbian tendencies) & Cate Blanchett (a younger teacher who is recruited to the art faculty). I won't give too much away but won't harm to say that young Cate is a bit careless & old Judi is only too eager to scheme away in her devious way to exploit the situation. Perhaps a bit slow moving, but amazing the lengths that some people will go to in life to 'twist things' their way. We had a cheeky pizza on the way home at the nearby pizza shop - wood chip on the walls, tiny tables - felt like something from a 70s movie (a bad one at that) - but great pizza & beer!

After not visiting the cinema for weeks, we managed to make it twice in one week by heading to Collaroy cinema (our favourite - with it's art deco style, old school seats & chandeliers in the theatre!) to watch Pan's Labyrinth.... like a number of people I think the 3 Oscar wins influenced us a little. This movie could be summed up as 'weird & wonderful'... gruesome in parts, and the depravity which some people have in the name of a cause is truly astonishing (you wouldn't want to be married to the lead male character). A 12 yr old girl copes with the repression & cruelty of her step-father in Franco's Spain by retreating into her fantasy world - with a twist in it's tail....a recommended watch.

Mum Hits Town....

It's been a while since I had the chance to update my blog - but it's been a busy week.

Last weekend (the 3/4 March) Lucy & I headed into Sydney for the Mardi Gras Parade (turns out they love a parade in Sydney - Australia Day, Chinese New Year, Mardi Gras & then today it's St. Patrick's Parade - don't ask why it's a week early - then next week the walk across the bridge). It was something I'd looked forward to doing as one of 'THE things' to do in the Sydney character. Whilst both Lucy & I had a great time watching the parade pass by there was far too many people packed into a relatively small place & without the help of the Big Screens it would have been impossible to see anything. After that we met up with Ian & Sarah (who had stayed with us recently) & headed to the rocks for drinks. Several glasses of wine, cider & jagermeister later and by 4am we were on the night bus home.... needless to say we were not feeling the best on Sunday!

My Mum & Dave (her b/f for now, but thinking more news to come on that) arrived on Monday morning & it's been a busy week since as I try to cram as much of this brilliant country into her short stay. After a relaxing day on Monday - a walk into Manly & a couple of beers - we headed to the Hunter Valley on Tuesday (think I went overboard on the wine purchases but just couldn't resist), then Wednesday Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. A fair bit of driving which left my Mum gasping for her cigarettes but I think the scenery (if not the wine) won her over!

It was then back to work for me whilst my Mum explored Manly & the City (they got lost) for a couple of days.

The last couple of days have been a it of a whirlwind. Saturday we got up early for breakfast at Bower Restaurant (overlooking Shelly Beach - great views) and then rolled into the car for a drive into the car for a drive into the CBD. Sort of tried to pack as much into the day as I could so that my Mum & Dave could look around for themselves when alone this week..... so Hyde Park, Darling Harbour (complete with ice-cream), followed by a brief ferry ride to Circular Quay (via Balmain & Luna Park) & a walk around the Rocks (which has a lovely market on a weekend)....we had every intention of subsequently going to Bondi but got caught up in the Mercantile Hotel (an Irish Bar in the Rocks) & ended up staying there until heading for a great steak & on to the Warratahs game at Aussie stadium (they lost again - but a top time was had by all).

Today (Sunday) we headed to Bondi - guess it's somewhere most tourists head to - Mum & Dave were very impressed by the view (check out the pic) - and we had a lovely walk along the coast from Bondi to Bronte (& back again) before heading back to Manly for a late lunch & a dip in the ocean. After a great weekend (even Boro managed to take Utd to a reply) think we're all a little tired this evening, so having a quiet night in with a bottle of wine or two.

Mum & Dave head to Adelaide on Tuesday - back here Thursday evening.