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.