Sunday 6th January 2008

Well today is the day!!

Quiet day together getting everything together and ready for Anita to head home....I drove her to the airport and waited until she had to enter the customs area before boarding her flight back home to Las Vegas via Hawaii

Saturday 5th January 2008 - The Didgereedoo Guy at the Quay

Anita saw another aboriginal chap playing the didgereedoo who continued to play while he had his picture taken.

we caught the RiverCat back to Parramatta and drove Elizabeth home, then back to the house for a quiet night of pizza

Saturday 5th January 2008

We picked up Elizabeth from Windsor and drove into Parramatta to catch the RiverCat up the river into the harbour and disembarked at Circular Quay..... It was a funny day sunny one minute and raining the next.

We walked the couple of minutes from Cicular Quay to "The Rocks", where we looked at an art gallery, a puppet shop, have morning tea/lunch in an Irish Tea Shop that Elizabeth goes to a little and quite likes, and got Anita's dad his birthday present ... an Akubra hat.

Friday 4th January 2008

We picked up Damion and Sarah and travelled down to Leichhardt for a meal at one their favourite restuarants - It was certainly very busy and the meal was very nice, the service was a little how's your father!

After dinner we took a little walk around the CBD of the area looking at the sights and items of interest

Then we drove into the city for Anita to see the city at night..... we drove through the Rocks so that Anita had a comparison of what the area looked like by the light of day and under night lights also

Thursday 3rd January 2008

Today we headed for Downtown Sydney, we drove to carlingford train station and caught a train into the city, we got off at Town Hall and walked up towards Hyde Park headed for the Art Gallery of NSW.

On the way we stopped and picked up some souveneers for Anita's family, then we walked through Hyde Park where they were getting it ready for the Festival of Sydney opening ceremony.

We walked down to the art gallery and spend some time looking at the exhibitions, then we walked back to Hyde Park and had lunch under a tree.... bought a couple of sandwiches and drinks. While we were having luch we got a telephone call from the real estate agent we spent time with yesterday, she had another property she thought we might like.

We caught the train back to the car and called the realtor for the address and met her there to have a look.

We called an agent to have a look at a property that we saw on the domain web site in Cambridge Park near Penrith .... nice but no Airconditioning and a liitle too high, might good if we can address those two issues.

That evening we went with Rebecca and Joseph and had dinner at the Plumpton Hotel, where Ben was working .... Rebecca loves it .... The top photo is Anita and Me that night at the hotel.

Wednesday 2nd January 2008

A reasonably quiet day around the house.... we got a little too much sun despite using sun screen ...... we bought some better rating screen, but Anita was dumfounded that we did not have 60+spf .... she says she is sending some down when she gets home.

We had an appointment tonight to meet my brother Damion and his wife Sarah at the Cricketers Arms an old hotel pub from the turn of the century 1800's inti the 1900's.

A pleasant night, both the company and the weather....Anita had met Damion and Sarah previously when they were in Las Vegas

Tuesday 1st January 2008 - On to the Blowhole

After lunch we walked back to the car and headed down to Kiama to see the Blowhole, the rough seas actually put on a good show at the Blowhole with it shooting spray high into air.

It was a really warm day and so after seeing the Blowhole we found a spot on the headland under the shade of a tree, laid out a blanket and took advantage of the cool ocean breeze ...... while Anita read her book, I had a little nap. After that it was time to start the journey home.... it was long but beautiful country and I was blessed with magnificent company

Tuesday 1st January 2008 - Lunch

We got changed and headed down to the town centre for lunch - found nice seafood store and got some fish and chips for lunch, which we ate on the foreshore under the shade of some trees

Tuesday 1st January 2008 - Snorkelling

Anita had been anxious to get into the sea and do some snorkelling, she brought her equipment with her and so we headed down the south coast of NSW towards Kiama.

The plan was to do some snorkelling at Shellharbour and to then get some fish and chips for lunch before heading to Kiama to see the Blowhole.

Unfortunately there was a tropical storm in the north bringing high, dangerous seas to the Queensland and NSW coastlines, of course I knew nothing of this until we tried to enjoy some time snorkelling, which proved impossible... zero visability in the water huge waves that chopped up even the normally calmer rocky area up from Shellharbour beach. It was so bad that a wave knocked me over causing me to drop one of my flippers ...... and when I did the sea stole it!! I could see it, one second it was there and the next the backwash dragged it out and it was gone.

Monday 31st December 2007

We got off to a late start this morning.... we slept in a bit and by the time I got over to where Anita was staying it was headed for 10.30a.m

We went to the Koala Park at Pennant Hills, for a look see.

It was quite warm day and so we took hats, we sat in the shade around an upclose viewing area for the Koalas and Anita overheard some visitors speaking in Spanish and so she started speaking to them in Spanish ..... the conversation went on for a while .... I knew when she mentioned me .... they looked and me and pointed a little at me and continued to talk, Anita explained to me after what was said .... One of these chaps lives in Australia and told Anita she would love it here when she moved here, he said she would have a very good life in Australia.

We decided to have a quiet New Years Eve together so when we left the Koala Park we travelled to the house, got some salad materials, drinks, some DVD's and CD's and headed back for Anita's place.

We stopped at the fish shop and bought a couple of nice fillets for Anita to cook for us.......the plan was that we would have a quiet romantic dinner, watch some DVD's and as Midnight got close drive down towards the city to catch the fireworks. But the best laid plans of mice and men..... Anita's jetlag caught up with her around 10:45 and she nodded off to sleep ..... I woke her up and sent her off to bed and set out for home and bed myself

Sunday 30th January 2007

Today we attended Church at the Oakhurst Ward together, I introduced her to the Bishop and a number of the members, especially the sisters came up to her and said hello to her and introduced themselves to her and tried to make her feel at home.

After Church we went to the house and had some lunch and then drove over to meet my very good friends Don and Marg Newton, ... a long time ago this couple were my role models and examples.

When we left there I gave Anita a tour of the area I spent time in as a youngster.

Saturday 29th January 2007 ... The Blue Mountains

Anita wanted to have her picture taken with an Aboriginal chap who was playing the Diggeredoo.

We stopped for lunch at a small.... and I do mean small .... a small house from the early part of the 20th Century turned into a sort of eating establishment and Anita had another patron take a picture of us at the table.

Saturday 29th January 2007 ... On to the Blue Mountains

When we left the Norman Lindsay gallery we continued our journey up the mountain to Katoomba, and the view into the Grose Valley with the Three Sisters.

Saturday 29th January 2007 ... Norman Lindsay Gallery

Then we drove down the street to the Norman Lindsey Gallery ... a famous Australian artist that used a number of mediums to express his views.

He was a rabble rouser who liked to shock the establishment and he was very successful at doing just that ..... his fame has allowed some of that rebellion against standards of decency to be overlooked. He also wrote and illustrated some of the most famous Australian childrens books, such as "The Magic Pudding"

Saturday 29th January 2007

We started our trip upto the Blue Mountains .... we stopped at this shop selling "Ugg Boots" boots made by sewing the sheep skin outside in, in the shape of boots, very warm in winter, and soft woollen sheep skins.

Friday 28th January 2007

We were due to leave Sydney headed for Canberra on our "Road Trip", but it didn't quite work out that way!!

I needed to see a Chiropractor for my neck, and when I got back I had an uneasy feeling about the trip .... I suggested that I felt I should contact the hotel and confirm our bookings .... sure enough there were no bookings made for us ... the lady who took the bookings was new and had made a mistake in making the reservation, so no room at the inn!!

Anita said that that was a relief as she was feeling a little car sick from yesterday and was not looking forward to another 3 hour car trip today, so we had a quiet day around the house and then took Rebecca to see "Enchanted" in the early afternoon, Joseph and Ben tagged along, everyone enjoyed the film and we had a nice day together.