It's true, I'm married to a 30 year old women! Mel denies being upset she has left her 20's behind however I remember how it felt a few years back... just.
As we've only been in Sydney for a few months and don't have a big social network yet we had a few quiet drinks in Darling Harbour with some friends the night before Mels birthday then drove up to Berowra Waters 45 mins north of Sydney CBD for a posh dinner on the waters edge on her actual birthday on 07/08/08. I think Mel was a bit worried when I said the weather may affect the evening slightly (it was raining on the day) and that she would need some warm clothes. Mel had visions of camping out for her birthday celebrations - after 10 years you’d think she knows me better than that, or perhaps she does and that’s a worry!
We arrived at the public wharf at Berowra Waters to be greeted by our accommodation host Barbara from Yarragal (a self contained lodge type place) who took us by small boat (the only way to travel to the accommodation) to Yarragal to freshen up before heading out for dinner. Barbara was a typically friendly Aussie taking life easy and not too seriously – I’d recommend her place to anyone and must get on tripadvisor.com to write a positive review of her abode.
Dinner was at Berowra Waters Inn, rated top restaurant in Sydney on the main food review site in Australia eatibility.com. They pick you up (again by small boat) from any accommodation on the river and take you to the restaurant door. Starting with Champagne (you understand if you know Mel) we made our way through 5 courses of divine food - presentation hard to beat and an overall great experience. One piece of advice I felt compelled to give them (Tim give advice when it’s prob not wanted I hear you say!) was that perhaps when the restaurant is quieter during the winter months some quiet background music wouldn’t go a miss went in one ear and out the other of the young waitress.
I wanted Mels 30th to be memorable for her given she is away from home and no doubt missing family and friends at times like these. I think that was achieved and worth every cent. She did get a piece of jewellery for a present as well!
Next post, Mums trip to Sydney last weekend!
Cheers
Tim
Thursday, 14 August 2008
Friday, 1 August 2008
Just on the way to work (early) today...
I decided to follow up the previous post with another immediately, so as not to dwell on it too much!
I feel lucky every weekday morning that my commute to work involves a pleasant walk from Fawcett St to the Balmain East wharf, a 10 minute ferry passing by the office (shame they can't just drop me off - it's the closest Pier you see in the photo), under the harbour bridge, past the opera house and into circular quay.
This morning was particularly beautiful, earlier than usual on a Friday when Mel and I hit the gym for the 7am spin class and just in time to see the sun coming up - stunning red skies!
I'll keep this post short and don't want to show off too much but hey if you've got it flaunt it!
Cheers
Tim
I feel lucky every weekday morning that my commute to work involves a pleasant walk from Fawcett St to the Balmain East wharf, a 10 minute ferry passing by the office (shame they can't just drop me off - it's the closest Pier you see in the photo), under the harbour bridge, past the opera house and into circular quay.
This morning was particularly beautiful, earlier than usual on a Friday when Mel and I hit the gym for the 7am spin class and just in time to see the sun coming up - stunning red skies!
I'll keep this post short and don't want to show off too much but hey if you've got it flaunt it!
Cheers
Tim
Game best forgotten - but the company was good!
I really do want to forget this game of rugby every happened but it's hard to ignore the situation NZ rugby (and it's supporters) are in. Although some may deny it, we have a problem that is not going away quickly!
I'd like to think the worst thing that happened on this cool night in Sydney at the wonderful (but less than central) ANZ stadium was the guys struggling to get the All Black flag as straight as the Aussie one - but this was just the beginning.
It's boring for non-rugby (shame on you) lovers so I'll cut to the chase (and this is just my opinion). We can no longer cope with hemorrhaging our best (young) talent to overseas teams. Where before now we had the depth to cope, with younger players leaving for overseas experiences and more money bench players are having to step up and are just not ready to do so. Worse still the new bench players (taking over from old bench players) are so young and inexperienced they are thrust into an environment they are clearly not ready for.
I won't go on but... I really felt on that winters night in Sydney I saw less real All Black quality players than I've ever seen in an AB side - and I like to think I've seen a few.
Solution - IMHO we need to allow overseas players to return to play test level rugby giving them the option to gain valuable experience from the other hemisphere and bring that back to the local game. I've seen how the northern hemisphere teams are playing over the past 10 years - they are not behind and in fact in front in some aspects of the game.
Oh and one other thing, stop letting the best NZ coaches take their skills to other international teams. Warren Gatland (Wales) and Robbie Deans (Australia) had no choice but leave NZ - it's a disgrace we let them go!
Happier times for All Black rugby not on the immediate horizon but we will pull through it and come out better. For what it's worth I think the AB's will win against Aussie in Auckland tomorrow - that will keep those in-denial kiwis happy at least in the short term!
Cheers
Tim
I'd like to think the worst thing that happened on this cool night in Sydney at the wonderful (but less than central) ANZ stadium was the guys struggling to get the All Black flag as straight as the Aussie one - but this was just the beginning.
It's boring for non-rugby (shame on you) lovers so I'll cut to the chase (and this is just my opinion). We can no longer cope with hemorrhaging our best (young) talent to overseas teams. Where before now we had the depth to cope, with younger players leaving for overseas experiences and more money bench players are having to step up and are just not ready to do so. Worse still the new bench players (taking over from old bench players) are so young and inexperienced they are thrust into an environment they are clearly not ready for.
I won't go on but... I really felt on that winters night in Sydney I saw less real All Black quality players than I've ever seen in an AB side - and I like to think I've seen a few.
Solution - IMHO we need to allow overseas players to return to play test level rugby giving them the option to gain valuable experience from the other hemisphere and bring that back to the local game. I've seen how the northern hemisphere teams are playing over the past 10 years - they are not behind and in fact in front in some aspects of the game.
Oh and one other thing, stop letting the best NZ coaches take their skills to other international teams. Warren Gatland (Wales) and Robbie Deans (Australia) had no choice but leave NZ - it's a disgrace we let them go!
Happier times for All Black rugby not on the immediate horizon but we will pull through it and come out better. For what it's worth I think the AB's will win against Aussie in Auckland tomorrow - that will keep those in-denial kiwis happy at least in the short term!
Cheers
Tim
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Bondi beach (eastern beach coastal walk)
On the weekend Mel and I wanted something fun and free to do, having purchased a 'Coastal Walks of Sydney' book a while back (getting old aren’t we!) we decided to head for Bondi to do the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk which takes around 2 hours. On a typical Sydney winters day (fine, sunny and 20 degrees) there were plenty of surfers out and it brought back memories of South Beach in Wanganui, NZ where I grew up – it was a ‘those were the days’ moment to watch them catching waves and wiping out, I may look at getting a surf board in the near future but will concentrate on the camera, guitar and my soon-to-arrive body board for the time being.
Lunch for me was fish and chips (well we're by the seaside) then we began the walk from the southern end of Bondi beach near the Bondi Icebergs Club (which opened in 1929 and requires full members to swim 3 out of 4 Sundays for 5 years!). Of course the walk is memorable mainly for the stunning scenery of the eastern coast but little bits of history like an old cemetery along the way make it all the more interesting - Australia is truly blessed with some of the best coast line you'll ever see and when the sky is so blue and so many people are out and about enjoying the lifestyle a weekend in Sydney often seems more like a holiday away from home.
We rewarded ourselves with coffee and smoothies on the Coogee water front – still plenty warm enough in the afternoon for kids to be playing on the beach in the sand. We then headed back to Balmain so I could catch the NZ v SA rugby test with friends in our local The London Hotel (we live 160 paces from it, I counted!) – NZ lost that one in the dying minutes having beaten SA convincingly last weekend. Looks like the tri-nations is to be a close fought competition this year which makes it all the more exciting Aussie are yet to kick their campaign off and do so against SA this weekend! Mel and I have tickets to the NZ v Aus match in Sydney on 26th July - cant wait for my first live test back in the southern hemisphere!
Cheers
Tim
Lunch for me was fish and chips (well we're by the seaside) then we began the walk from the southern end of Bondi beach near the Bondi Icebergs Club (which opened in 1929 and requires full members to swim 3 out of 4 Sundays for 5 years!). Of course the walk is memorable mainly for the stunning scenery of the eastern coast but little bits of history like an old cemetery along the way make it all the more interesting - Australia is truly blessed with some of the best coast line you'll ever see and when the sky is so blue and so many people are out and about enjoying the lifestyle a weekend in Sydney often seems more like a holiday away from home.
We rewarded ourselves with coffee and smoothies on the Coogee water front – still plenty warm enough in the afternoon for kids to be playing on the beach in the sand. We then headed back to Balmain so I could catch the NZ v SA rugby test with friends in our local The London Hotel (we live 160 paces from it, I counted!) – NZ lost that one in the dying minutes having beaten SA convincingly last weekend. Looks like the tri-nations is to be a close fought competition this year which makes it all the more exciting Aussie are yet to kick their campaign off and do so against SA this weekend! Mel and I have tickets to the NZ v Aus match in Sydney on 26th July - cant wait for my first live test back in the southern hemisphere!
Cheers
Tim
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
Bridge climb, Sydney
I was lucky enough to be given a voucher for a bridge climb from my colleagues at Yahoo! in London as a farewell gift (thanks guys) and decided to use Mel and I's 1st wedding anniversary as a good excuse to use it.
After playing touch rugby on Sunday morning as usual we enjoyed brunch at a cafe in Balmain then headed for the bridge climb which is situated in The Rocks area of Sydney - obviously close to the bridge on the southern side. When you look up from ground level you get one sense of how big the bridge is but when you are 134 metres up on it's central highest point the feeling is quite different - you start the climb through all the steel (you can chose to climb over the top but we preferred to get in and around the 53, 000 tonnes of steel) there is an initial shock for most I think as even though the harnesses are very safe it's still like walking with only a few millimeters of grilled steel between you and the water well beneath.
Our guide/photographer was of the humorous type which put everyone at ease and within 45 mins or so of climbing we made it to the top. It was a fantastic way to celebrate our first year of marriage and something I will never forget. No anniversary could go by without a beverage of the alcoholic kind and we enjoyed this at the Harbour View Hotel in The Rocks.
Thanks again to the C&C crew at Yahoo! London and to Mel for agreeing to come along for the climb!
Tim
After playing touch rugby on Sunday morning as usual we enjoyed brunch at a cafe in Balmain then headed for the bridge climb which is situated in The Rocks area of Sydney - obviously close to the bridge on the southern side. When you look up from ground level you get one sense of how big the bridge is but when you are 134 metres up on it's central highest point the feeling is quite different - you start the climb through all the steel (you can chose to climb over the top but we preferred to get in and around the 53, 000 tonnes of steel) there is an initial shock for most I think as even though the harnesses are very safe it's still like walking with only a few millimeters of grilled steel between you and the water well beneath.
Our guide/photographer was of the humorous type which put everyone at ease and within 45 mins or so of climbing we made it to the top. It was a fantastic way to celebrate our first year of marriage and something I will never forget. No anniversary could go by without a beverage of the alcoholic kind and we enjoyed this at the Harbour View Hotel in The Rocks.
Thanks again to the C&C crew at Yahoo! London and to Mel for agreeing to come along for the climb!
Tim
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Melbourne for the weekend
Last weekend Mel and I headed for Melbourne, we had heard a lot about it and I were actually worried we would prefer it to Sydney. While it was great to catch up with friends it did not appear to have the vibrancy and huge choice of events going on that Sydney does. What we did enjoy was the cafe culture, even though we are not big coffee drinkers it's nice to see people sitting out on the cobbled streets enjoying a non-alcoholic drink and a chat - it creates a vibe in itself and reminds you it's not always necessary to enjoy time with friends only in a pub!
A trip up the world’s second tallest residential building the Eureka Tower was one highlight not to be forgotten - 300 metres tall with 92 storeys! You get a great view of all the main city attractions including the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and Telstra Stadium. The lift is the fastest in the southern hemisphere and travels at 9 metres per second.
Hosier Lane was another highlight, the photo on this post is taken here where artists are encouraged to express their creativity on the walls! Some great art work which I imagine is forever changing - not to be missed.
The NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) was also great, lots of local aboriginal art on display that reminds you just how creative and talented the indigenous people of Australia are. Photos from the NGV are on my Flickr account.
I would say Melbourne is a great cultural experience and definitely worth the trip but in terms of living Mel and I will stick with Sydney for now anyway. I just love catching a ferry to work everyday now we are settled in our house in Balmain - photos of that to come soon!
Cheers
Tim
A trip up the world’s second tallest residential building the Eureka Tower was one highlight not to be forgotten - 300 metres tall with 92 storeys! You get a great view of all the main city attractions including the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and Telstra Stadium. The lift is the fastest in the southern hemisphere and travels at 9 metres per second.
Hosier Lane was another highlight, the photo on this post is taken here where artists are encouraged to express their creativity on the walls! Some great art work which I imagine is forever changing - not to be missed.
The NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) was also great, lots of local aboriginal art on display that reminds you just how creative and talented the indigenous people of Australia are. Photos from the NGV are on my Flickr account.
I would say Melbourne is a great cultural experience and definitely worth the trip but in terms of living Mel and I will stick with Sydney for now anyway. I just love catching a ferry to work everyday now we are settled in our house in Balmain - photos of that to come soon!
Cheers
Tim
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
Sydney Wildlife World
Well I've been in Sydney over 4 weeks now and getting to know it pretty well. We've found a nice house to live in at Balmain East and will be able to catch a ferry to and from work with a nice little walk at each end. We take over the place on June 14th and can't wait to be able to unpack properly and put the packs/suitcases away for at least a few months. Next trip planned is back to NZ for Steve and Sara's wedding in Gisbourne.
Last weekend we took a trip to Sydney Wildlife World which was fantastic. Lots of spiders, lizards, snakes, koalas, wallabies and other Australian creatures - so many of the worlds most venomous snakes are form this country including the Inland Taipan which is small in size but the most dangerous of them all!
One of my favourite creatures was this little lizard (little in comparison to some of them anyway) who was very friendly and did not mind me poking my camera around in his/her face!
Plenty more photos of the trip to this park and others from around Sydney available on my Flickr account. I plan to take a photography course very soon so we can all breath a sigh of relief.
Cheers
Tim
Last weekend we took a trip to Sydney Wildlife World which was fantastic. Lots of spiders, lizards, snakes, koalas, wallabies and other Australian creatures - so many of the worlds most venomous snakes are form this country including the Inland Taipan which is small in size but the most dangerous of them all!
One of my favourite creatures was this little lizard (little in comparison to some of them anyway) who was very friendly and did not mind me poking my camera around in his/her face!
Plenty more photos of the trip to this park and others from around Sydney available on my Flickr account. I plan to take a photography course very soon so we can all breath a sigh of relief.
Cheers
Tim
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
