|
|
Sydney, Australia
Dec. 19th - Terrible nights sleep
DW woke up in the middle of the it and
proceeded to wake up AD, who then wouldn’t go back sleep. I
changed beds to get away from the fray. It was surprisingly
warm overnight. I continue the pattern of waking up first and
then sitting on the patio reading with Josie (the dog) chewing
on me. The house woke up slowly. Martin and Daniel are always
last out of bed. We are leaving with Bronwyn for Avoca Beach
north of Sydney this afternoon.
Everyone has bits of business to take care of this morning.
Ivor had to go get his MG licensed. Any car over 5 years old
has to be inspected yearly for defects before licensing. The
MG just got a report card of good health. Linda took Daniel
over to pick up a friend, Andrew Vida, who is staying for the
day. That made the undesirable number of 3 boys. Of course AD
was the odd man out most of the time. DW & I both worked on
the journal transfer. We don’t know if there will be internet
up at Avoca Beach so I need to send materials off this
morning.
Getting the boys in the pool and playing games smoothed them
over. They finally got along together for a while. After
swimming they became glued to the PS2. We ate lunch outside
under the Jacaranda tree. It’s a lovely place to dine. Brownyn
arrived while we were still out at the table. She’s driving us
to their holiday flat before weekend rush hour begins. It took
about 90 minutes to get there. Just getting out of Sydney is a
challenge. The roads twist and turn through tree lined
neighborhood streets instead of arterial roads like we are used to.
Avoca Beach sits in nice bowl shaped area. Hills rise sharply
on the three sides not ocean. Houses are precariously perched
to capture the views on what lots are buildable. Bronwyn and
Ted own the end unit of a 7 unit condo building. The others
rise up the hillside behind them. There’s dense vegetation in
the community. It’s very picturesque.
There was a nice surf to swim in. The water was comfortably
cool. It’s great fun to let the waves pound you and to body
surf. We ate fish and chips at a beachfront restaurant before
heading back to the condo. Everyone went to bed together
tired.
Dec. 20th - Swimming
Screeching birds woke me up before 6. It’s
amazing how loud the Australian birds can be, especially the
Kookaburra! I walked through the community before anyone else
got up. We were at the beach before 10. Clouds were gathering
which meant the day would be cooler than yesterday’s 42 C. It
had been blisteringly hot in Sydney yesterday. The waves
weren’t as large yet as last night. They build in size during
the day. AD is using Ted’s boogey board and having a great
time. DW decided to not swim. She didn’t like all the sand in
her suit. Didn’t bother AD & I enough to stay out. Bronwyn’s
two girls enjoyed swimming along the edge. I took them out to
the sandbar and held them while foaming waves raced in.
Ted arrived during our morning swim. He had a Christmas party
in Sydney last night. Lunch back at the unit and a break from
the waves. We left Ted and DW napping. The waves were much
larger and that made it difficult to get out to the sandbar. I
enjoy letting them pick me up when they crash. AD has gotten
much better with the board. We stayed on the beach until
almost 5. Ted grilled steaks for our dinner. We taught them
how to play “2UP” and played until 10. I am beginning to feel
the day’s activity in the water with sore muscles.
Sydney...»
|
|
