They must have been expecting me...

its always nice to catch up with friends...even if they are barred

and of course one's spiritual guide...

Picnic at the fish market

You pick the fish and they will grill it for you. Prawns, herring, tuna and brill, all for 14 bucks (about 8 quid) and sit outside in the sun by the harbour. Happily chilling out after such a stressful time in Manly :-)

Too orangey for crows...

...its just for me and my dog.

Sorry, had to get that out of my system. Kia Ora from a nice afternoon in  Auckland, couple of degrees cooler than Sydney today but still pleasant. We have a week in an apartment hotel a couple of blocks up from the Sky Tower, nice studio apartment with a washing machine, fridge freezer and combined oven and dishwasher, which is a new one on me.

Curry for supper - Auckland is apparently famous for its Indian restaurants and as all the ones we visited in oz were a disappointment we are hoping for the best...

so its time to review Australia...

Have we enjoyed it? Absolutely

Are we doing the right thing? I still think so – I really can’t think of  anything better to do with the next few years.

Do we continue? You bet

Highlights:

The solar eclipse, whales at the head of the bight, dolphins at monkey mia, the wineries, the oceans, the sugarcane landscapes.

Vindications:

Buying Tigger worked well. It was comfortable and allowed us to live a lifestyle we were happy with and see what we wanted to. We bought it for what we had planned, and sold it again more quickly and easily than we had thought may be the case. And just the few days we spent in motels driving down to Sydney convinced me that we could not have toured the country like that without going nuts. We have learned a lot that will stand us in good stead for the US

Renting the house out has worked well so far. Initial tenants moved out last week with no major disasters, and the agents found us replacement corporate tenants seemingly quite easily who moved in 4 days later, so no major periods with no rent coming in.

Regrets:

Despite Maria wanting to be here for her birthday we should have started somewhere else. The Oz dollar was so strong when we started everything has been so expensive, and our worst fears have been realised in that the dollar dropped to a 3 year low last Thursday just as we started transferring money to USD, so we’ve lost another 15-20% of the money we had tied up in the rig due to devaluation. It would have been cheaper to fly her in first class for her party and out again. Oh well, live and learn – next time somewhere’s currency is so out of whack we postpone that destination.

It’s a lonely life – we met lots of new people but it’s all superficial, and I miss talking properly to old friends. The timezones don’t help and poor internet coverage makes it almost impossible to keep up on skype and fit in with UK schedules. It was great to catch up with the visitors – Kevin, Knees & Clive, Tony & Yvonne – and the locals – Jenny & Harry, Rob & Vicki, Sam & Gav – but in some ways that drove it home how solitary it has been.

oh well, must fly...

Last day in Oz

And its another shitty one with sunshine and cloudless blue skies - seriously, I have forgotten what rain looks like. And this is supposed to be the middle of winter.

Caught up with Sam and Gav last night for supper, hearing their recommendations for Vegas and  the trip they have just got back from, plus their stories from when they were backpackers in NZ a few years ago. Great to see them again as this Sydney revisit really wasn't planned, and so nice of them to let us stay at their place again.

good night out

my brain full of useless crap has finally paid off. Came 3rd in the local bar's trivia quiz last week so got 2 free steaks (and wine) for this evening, and came second tonight so won a case of beer. Cheap night out, but I only have 3 days to drink it while we still have a fridge....

Christmas in July...

... appears to be a tradition here in the southern hemisphere. It makes sense when you think about it. We are now in the middle of winter (apparently) so roast dinners and the usual winter treats that we take for granted in the UK (e.g. mulled wine) can be enjoyed without feeling the need for air-con and a dip in the pool. It's also easier for families to get together across the distances and air fares are more reasonable than during the silly season. Given that it is winter, here in Sydney we have a lovely, sunny 20C  today although it has been going down into single figures at night. So, who am I to scoff at antipodean tradition? Pass me another mince pie please :-)