Sydney … and the Opera

After last year's amazing experience with the Opera on the Sydney Harbour I wanted to do it again in 2015 and take as many friends with me as I could! 

  … so here we are … one year later and my friends turned out to be Annukka (Pablo's mother visiting from Spain) my Mother, my sister and Judith my Mother's friend.  My friend Julie from Canberra met us in Sydney and I would be their "tour guide"!   I found cheap airfares for Annukka and myself but by the time Mum and Jen decided to come no more cheap seats so I used my points - except the only seats left on points were for business class (i.e. the first two rows and a full free breakfast ) - but that's OKI had enough points and figured it would be a nice treat for mum and Jen ...

Day 1

So cheap flights = early flights (6.30 a.m.). I decided to fly pill-less because a. Sydney is a (relatively) short flight and b. I wanted to be on my best "tour-guide" behaviour after landing - so Annukka enjoyed herself watching me survive the flight and we decided not to eat the "muffin"  and we were very jealous of mum and Jen up the front having their full free breakfast! ... But of course they didn't have the full free breakfast ... because … well …  they already ate something at home (at 5.00 a.m.!!)   Well now I know that because there is hardly any security at domestic airports here (i.e. if you don't check luggage they don't check ID at any point) they have NO idea who is actually sitting in which seat, so I could have switched the seats and we (Annukkka and I) could have eaten the full free breakfast!!!  urgh … next time!

In my role of "tour guide" I was responsible for herding all five of us through the airport,  to the train and then the fiasco of trying to find the right bus (why not take a taxi you ask? Well - I asked myself the same question!) … and it didn't take long to realize that I'm not a very good "tour guide" !!  Regardless, we made it to the hotel that was a bus ride up a hill from Circular Quay - in an old building but in a nice area (Potts Point) .  Exhausted by now - the tour guide decided we wouldn't do much in the afternoon - just get ready for the Opera. 

The opera is outside  - on the harbour!!  

Last year it was a balmy, still, beautiful evening and pre "daylight saving change" and quite the most wonderful experience.  This year it was in between some of the most brutal weather Sydney has experienced in years and even though this day was mostly sunny it was definitely going to be cool at night especially if the breeze didn't die down. Being the thoughtful tour guide that I am, I did as we did last year and herded all six of them onto the bus and down the hill - over to the Opera early so we could sample the food and soak in the atmosphere. 

Well this year it was POST "daylight saving change" so it was quickly dark and with no sun it was quickly cooler (cold) and with the breeze actually picking up it was … well … it was miserable. 

They tried hard to look as though they were enjoying it!

After trying the food and having soaked in enough of the atmosphere we climbed up (up) to our (cheap) seats (I had no idea my mother would be with us when I bought the seats) to wait an hour or so before the start of Aida.  So up here at the top the view was spectacular and we could see forever … and ... we could also catch all of the breeze (wind) that was coming straight off the harbour.  

Nice and high up and we're nice and early - before the crowds! 

To help block the wind Mum, Jen and Judith put the cheap rain ponchos (we took in case of rain) UNDER their coats and wrapped scarves over their heads.  I loaned Julie my cardy and scarf and she wrapped my poncho around her feet . Annukka - the only really sensible one - was toasty warm in her down jacket (well she is Finnish!).  

Here's Julie wearing MY scarf and MY cardigan with MY poncho on her feet!

Me, having given Julie anything remotely warm I had and with my favourite coat that folds up into nothing and looks wonderful but only blocks out so much wind, was, by half time in the throws of hyperthermia.  

Left to right … Mum, Judith, Jen - really enjoying themselves!!

Now if I was cold - I figured the rest must be frozen - so Jen took mum back to the hotel and the rest of us lined up for all of the 30-minute break to buy a hot chocolate that turned out to be a life saver and we stuck it out until the end.  The opera was the amazing spectacle it should be and the setting so unique … but it just wasn't the experience I thought it would be. 

Day 2  

The tour guide decided that after  breakfast just like a million other tourists - we would catch the ferry to Watson's Bay for fish & chips - because this little ritual has become de rigeur on the tourism circuit of Sydney. So, all six of us piled into the bus for another ride down the hill.  The ferry ride gives you a wonderful view of the Opera house as you pull out of Circular Quay and a taste of the harbour with it's bays and expensive houses perched on the hills. Doyle's have been serving fish and chips for a million years at Watson's Bay 

Tourists flock for this!

and you can walk up the back to The Gap and you're almost at the head of the harbour with a view out to sea.   

At The Gap with Pacific Ocean at our back.

Back at Circular Quay and it's bye bye to Mum, Jen and Judith - Jen will herd them out to the airport because they're flying home - Julie, Annukka and I are staying for day 3. 

But day 2 isn't over and the now excellent tour guide has something special planned … 

Five years ago Annukka missed out on Cassia & Pablo's wedding lunch because Juan (Pablo's father) was too ill.   Pablo's brother and wife were there but not Annukka - but now here she was… so the three of us caught the bus back up the hill to the hotel and fancied ourselves up a bit and then caught the bus back down the hill and caught the ferry under the Sydney Harbour Bridge over to Sails and we had just the most wonderful meal.  

A little hard to tell how yummy it was!

With that amazing night-time view looking across the harbour at the Opera house there just under the bridge and the teeny tiny fireworks display that we knew was coming as part of the opera … and that Annukka could be here when she couldn't before

 … well … 

it was very special!

The view from Sails 

Day 3

Due to some not very-clever tour guiding we ended up checking out of the hotel and dragging our suitcases along the streets of Potts Point, through Darlinghurst 

(to show Annukka where C&P used to live) 

and over the freeway all the way to the train station (approx 4 kms) so we could leave our cases there in a locker while we caught the bus back through Darlinghurst and Potts Point and out to Bondi!! 

Bondi is a pretty nice beach but alas! there were no hunky surf life savers today and no hunky surfers (well just two twits but we couldn't really see them) so we did the walk up along the coast around the corner to the next beach 

but it was so windy…

 so we headed back to Iceburgs for a bite to eat 

… but the snack was sadly lacking and there were no movie stars where we were sitting so we caught the bus back to the train station and the train out to the airport  - four hours before our flight - and there we sat …  'cos when you buy the cheap seats you have no choice!

(Mostly) a good trip … 

When we arrived home Katrina had arrived for a visit 
- so we had raclette of course -
with a view of the Port instead of Sydney Harbour

Four doors down ...

Back in January/February 

- after the Canadians and Joseph left for Africa - 

mum and I were going nuts waiting for closing day on her new house!  

It was agony because we had to walk past it everyday - and poor mum just couldn't understand why we couldn't just go in and get started!  Granted the house was empty (save for one weekend when the daughter was visiting) because the previous owner was taken away with (bad) dementia (@ 67!!). 

This is the house before we moved in …not a lot of difference outside
(except for mum's patio)

So my #1 daughter came to the rescue and used her planning skills to make little to-scale models of the rooms and furniture and we spent a lot of nights moving those crazy little bits of paper around (and looking for them on the floor) - trying desperately to fit all of mum's worldly possessions into her new "home" -  a room, a bit larger than what she has been living in. 

Finally … February 27th … and we were IN - no more little bits of paper!!

 We quickly painted; mum's room, put carpet down, had film installed on the windows/doors (so no-one can see in), placed wardrobes to create a bedroom ...

 "made" a kitchen … (the sink was already there luckily) and put up the previous owner's beautiful curtains

Not sure you can see the beautiful curtains - but you can see the view mum has!

 -  et voilà ! … 

curtains at either end - panorama shows the "house" in it's entirety
 - bedroom to the right around the "corner" of the wardrobes -
bathroom out the door across the hall

I wanted to use the van to move the furniture!!   THEY said it took too long!! THEY said by the time you load up and drive around the street it's just as fast to carry the stuff  (There's a sailor's memorial in between the fourth house and ours that creates a circuitous driving route)  Urgh  I suggested removing the bollards and driving through it (the sailors are dead!) but nobody would help me - so off we went!!  … Backwards and forwards, in and out, back to #5, down to #8 - backwards and forwards.   Neighbour Mike in the second house reckoned we were making a groove in the pavement for goodness sake!!    

There's Pablo wheeling down something else!
(you can almost see the groove!)¡

Ants somebody said - I'm pretty sure that's what we must have looked like from outer space!

looking down to the old house
there's those bollards I wanted to remove!

I  kept singing "Two Doors Down" even though it was four doors down and we were not having a party!

How to fill those shelves in the bookcase at the entrance … 

with some of the 1,000,000 photos mum has (or used to have)!!

But …. for all that walking I must say we are pretty chuffed with the results!  

Mum's room (on the lower level) is quite lovely - especially with the beautiful curtains left in the house (poor brother John climbed up and down the ladder at least 5,000 times installing them),  and mum's monstrous recliner fits in and so does one of her beloved (!!) green chairs and so does her "china cabinet" that holds 3,000 tea cups and saucers and then when we realized we didn't have  a linen closet - Barry (mum's brother) called to ask if we waned their mother's little cupboard!  Well yes we certainly did and it works just fine to hold mum's "linen"  that consists of; one extra set of sheets, two extra towels, 25 extra tea towels and 300 doilies. 

There's the china cabinet with the "linen" closet to the right
- there's the monstrous recliner and there's the beloved green chair!!

 We rolled down all the blinky plants and they looked quite lovely in the front patio - but the best thing of all turned out to be the crazy "decking" from IKEA that we put down! 

the IKEA decking that has caught everybody's eye!

Mum is quite thrilled with the passers-by who stop to comment!

OK - we haven't finished yet  - this is mum's bathroom
… this crazy spa bath has to be removed
luckily the skeleton of a shower alcove already exists
just the BRICK - yes BRICK!!! surrounds (they love their bricks over here)
need to be knocked out then the bath removed and tiles installed.

I'm living upstairs with enough "things" to get by until Joseph returns mid April. 

He's away in Africa feeling guilty but

 … hah!  …  

all of the HEAVY pieces are still waiting for him!!  

(Our lease ends mid-May and cassia & Pablo are staying in the old house until then).

The wrap-around patio doors make for quite the spectacular view

mostly the same view as before - just more of it!

... and even though I made the bedroom carpets worse by steam cleaning them

boo hoo
those stains weren't there when I started!!

 the spare parts for the dishwasher (Fisher & Pykell drawers!) actually fixed the problem !!

Fixed dishwasher drawers on left
note the corner drawers instead of cupboards!
Shame they are only deep enough to hold three plates!
I asked if they wanted to keep the stained glass windows
 - they look nice but I could easily have had plain glass so I can see out!

I went a bit crazy with the bird decals from IKEA!!

… and this desk area in the hallway 
will be good for scrapbooking … if I ever get to it!

… at night when the water is still and I look outside at the lights reflecting in the water … I pinch myself and wonder how it happened that I I am living in this beautiful house … on this crazy dock!

-------------------------------------------

p.s.

 This post probably isn't as funny as it could be - but after the sad news from my friend Harry Mah (from Nortel days in Calgary) losing his mother and daughter Whitney (Cassia's age) within seven hours of each other 

… it seemed inappropriate to be funny.

Harry said he enjoys my blog (bless him) so this is for Mothers and Daughters

 … and Harry!

Another Year … another story!

It's quiet now - down here on the dock; Christmas is over, it's a new year and the Canadians are all gone!

After five days on the road, Joseph made it back from Perth with the van stuffed full of Cassia & Pablo's (missing) possessions that were in turn stuffed into whatever sliver of space they could find in their "home"

Is it possible to squeeze one more thing in there?
Yes it was! :)

... then we were off to the airport to welcome Brenda & Brad flying in from Ottawa.  

So good to have them here if only  for 7 days!  At last Brenda could meet all of my family and my friends the she had been hearing about for 30+ years - a chance to "match the faces to the stories"!!    They came ready for heat but mostly we gave them wind!  WInd on the dock, wind at the beach, wind in the hills!  

Too bad!!  So we put on our cardys (sweaters) and did what any true-blood Canadian does when they step on Australian soil … we went to the beach.

Hold onto your … phones!

Such brave soles … too lazy to walk around the waves!

Brenda has been waiting to meet June for 30 years!

… …we also went to the hills to see June and Fiona & Graeme and their apples! …. and then to town to shop until midnight (girls only)  - Brenda was having  trouble with Christmas decorations,Christmas songs and all things Christmas with no snow  … so shopping outside until late into the evening in summer clothes was almost too much for her…

Late-night shopping on Rundle Mall

 They were even showing Love Actually in the middle of the  (outdoor) mall!  ...and it was crazy with people -  it was after all -  the last Friday night before Christmas and if they weren't shopping they were coming or going to a party!   

The train trip home was another experience for poor Brenda!  There's all kinds that live along the railway line that goes to our part of town; and at 11.00 pm on this special night - they were out in full!  The guy getting arrested at the station, the girls on the train crying, the ones who were caught with no tickets … and … the guys coming home from their Christmas party who bought their leftover beers onto the train with them … and kept on drinking!  Ah yes - so delighted to share that with my friend!

(no pics of the train trip!)

Then we left to show B&B a bit of the typical South Australian countryside - which of course included some wineries in the Barossa Valley

At Maggie Beer in the Barossa Valley

 and then "up the river" - The Murray River (our only river) ...

The point of this trip was to show B&B the drier side of Australia
- I think this does it!!
That's our sad excuse for a river down there!

… where the temperature finally warmed up (38c) right when we couldn't be further from a beach - so we cooled down the hot tub and cooled off in there.

By the time we arrived home it was two days to go to C.D.  We had more guests arriving so we shipped Mum off to Jen's and gave her room to Lisa and Lacey -friends of B&B's from Ottawa who are living in Aus & NZ.

Lisa, Lacey, Brenda, Joe, Brad, Cassia, Pablo - Merry Christmas morning … on the dock!

I think shopping at the frenzied Adelaide market for a Christmas Eve party with my family and a Christmas Day lunch outside with my family was about as Australian-a-Christmas as you could get…Well maybe not a modern Christmas (these days people have cold meals at the beach) - but for my family; it's full-on roasted meats and five million roasted vegetables and even a hot pudding to accompany the pavlova for dessert ... if you are "lucky".  If you are really lucky it is NOT 38c and we were - it was a lovely day for all 19 of us to sit outside at my brother's house.

Ooops - no pics of Christmas dinner! :(

Boxing Day trip to "Victor"  to see the coast on either side of the peninsular and visit with Jasper and his mum and dad and the other grandparents.  

Any excuse (to force guests) to visit our g/baby

Then … next morning they were gone! (sad, sad face). 

well joseph seems slightly sad!

They took off on a crazy bus trip along the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne where they spent a few days and then a few more days in Sydney et voilà they (like the Ross') are all back home into the freezing cold weather while we swelter in our first really hot spell of the summer (43c).

No Lacey -you can NOT take the kangaroo back to N.Z.!!

Come back soon dear friends  - we loved (both) visits!

… and now the he countdown is on until:

- Joseph leaves (Jan 16)

- we take possession of the new house (Feb 27th) 

- Julie Gates visits from Ottawa (to take me to the Foo Fighters concert) (Mar 6th), 

- Pablo's mum comes to visit (all of April), 

- Joseph is back from Africa (April 17th) , 

- we move out of this house and into the "other" one (May 1st)

- and leave for Ottawa May 17th. for four months!

Happy New Year - stay warm or cool - as is appropriate!

Visitors and a wedding …

… Of course it's been crazy these past few weeks - but a pretty fun kind a crazy!!

We turned on a 35c welcome for Ken & Eileen (Ross) - a nice warm welcome - but not too hot to bird as it turns out!  Ken & Joseph took off birding and we barely saw them again until three days later when we left on our trip up north.



Through the Clare Valley (wine tasting and eating) and to the Flinders Ranges (to camp!!) and the highlight (for me) lunch at the Prairie Hotel in Parachilna!

My highlight- it's on the edge of the dessert in the middle of nowhere
…the boys had goat and emu burgers!!

  

For the others the highlight(s) were (of course) some birds !!! 

We nearly killed ourselves trying to find these horrid little birds!

After two days of camping  Ken & Joseph took off in the van to look for… more birds … and Eileen and I went home to recover (pedicure) and be ready for the next trip … 

south this time to Victor Harbor!  ….  I even joined them for some birding (!!) 

birding at the mouth of the murray river (Goolwa)
oh! the joy of birding!

... they found the elusive plover!

Ken had to sit and watch the plover until we girls arrived
…oh the joys of birding!

and then the boys took off in the van again for (even) more birding on the Coorong and Eileen and I stayed at Simone's parent's beach house to enjoy the beach and surrounds (shops!!)

This Mallee Fowl was the one that excited the boys the most.

… especially this one where he is scatting his mound!
oh the joys of birdwatching!

In between the trips and the birding we ate; raclette and paella  

… and then they were gone (flying) and so were we (driving for 3 days) to Perth! 
 ...Perth Western Australia - because that's where Erin (Ross) was marrying an Australian (!!) Tom and all of us Dafoe's were invited!  

So Cassia & Mischa flew in  … alas! no Simone or Pablo … and the four of us stayed together in a cute cottage and did some bonding (poor darlings!).




Round at the Ross' house it was a little more tense…

Ian arrived jet-lagged and with laundry and … as it turns out … not quite enough clothes for all of the social events (one suit = not enough!) So Father of Bride had to drive Ian in Erin''s suspect jeep downtown (wait till he sees the price of clothes!!) with the stress of trying to stay on the proper side of the road.

Then there was Erin project-managing her mum Eileen  - ever the good mother- agonizing over the flowers. Flowers for the reception, flowers for the wedding, boutineers and corsages …  and  … the bridal bouquet!!

Woah! Not your average bouquet  this one! - 
THIS one included a pineapple!! along with various other native flowers/plants!!  

The good mother that she is, came through for her darling daughter and the bouquet looked amazing -  but it weighed a friggin' ton!  (The customary throwing of the bouquet was cancelled for safety reasons!! )

Eileen made both of these (not the champagne!)
… in the end Ian was the only person who could carry the bouquet!! :)

Such a beautiful MOB
who even had to make her own corsage!

Cassia & I were hanging around so they gave us some "simple flower arranging" that had both of us in a lather!

These were for the tables at the reception restaurant
not bad Cassia!

More project managing; punch for post-wedding drinks needed, lunch for bridal make-up photo session and of course breakfast for 20 the morning after!  Woah - we can do that!!

… and somehow in the middle of all this-Erin & Tom managed to transform their backyard into a thing of beauty 

Of course - this special black cockatoo appeared just before the wedding started
…a sign of good luck I'm sure!!

It did not took like this the day before!

Erin's Scoot!

...and then there we were sitting in the spectacular sunshine with our parasols and fans

Well this is Tom's mum (centre) and friend and sister sitting ...
 ...

                                                         … and then  Erin and Tom arrived ...

 and she took our breath away...

 -  and her mum cried and her dad didn't forget the rings…

 and the mum's witnessed the signings et voilà- they were married. 

A gift from Tom's brother (who couldn't attend)
...I hope you can read the text

The champagne flowed, the oysters were shucked and it was a joyous occasion!

The Oytser Shucker waiting to shuck

… and this is some of the 200 dozen oysters he shucked!

The restaurant was a tad too far to walk so E&T hired a pretty funky limo to ferry us all!

Swallow Restaurant
a long-narrow newly-award-winning with the most wonderful food and ambiance

Who knew Kenny could trip the light fantastic so well!

Such a lovely couple!

Not only was it an amazing and special wedding- but it was also the most wonderful weekend of partying, talking and laughing (and some crying) and more talking - all thanks to Erin & Tom's super duper organizing of not just a wedding but pre and post parties to boot! 

Friday night pre-wedding party

... and a break from the flowers for Eileen

Sunday morning brunch at E&T's
this time the boys needed shading!

Then as if that wasn't enough they invited us all to join them on their honeymoon!

So here we are two days later - in the Margaret River area with more talking and laughing (well we are still laughing) and then I'm off home (flying urgh!) and Joseph is driving the van back alone full of Cassia & Pablo's meagre possessions that he'll pickup in Esperance on the way.  Provided there are no birds to make him stop  he'll be back in five days and I'm just hoping he is back in time to greet our next guests … the Elliotts!

… and I'm absolutely sure I won't be writing again before Christmas so Merry Christmas to those of you who found time to read this!!