Seven crowded days make one weak

ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……

Hear that? It's the sound of this weary Mumma, and Chester the Wonderlab, catching up on some much-needed sleep after the frenetic pace of Sarah's final week here.

After 2 and a half weeks filled with retail therapy, attending to travel-related admin, catching up with friends (hers and mine), enjoying plenty of niece and nephew cuddles with The Princess and Mr J, embarrassing Chester by entering him in a Dogtober fancy dress competition dressed as a fairy followed by a late night mercy dash to the emergency vet with our precious pup very sick with Kennel Cough, and savouring the all-too-few moments of just hanging out together, the pace was ramped up a notch (if that's possible) with the arrival, on my birthday, of Nolan, Sarah's …um… Significant Other.

For seven days we lurched from one sumptuous meal to another, as we tried to give Nolan, a first-time visitor to Australia, the ultimate Sydney experience.

Lunch with Sarah's godmother, Liccy, at the Tea Rooms at Watsons Bay

Breakfast at The Grounds at Alexandria

Dinner at the Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Park

Nolan even cooked us a candlelight dinner at home one evening. Yummmmm.

We kept on the move too, with the young ones taking part in the Spring Bike Ride across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and around the sights of Sydney, and outings to Centennial Park and Bondi Beach..

On their final day, along with Lachy and Merry and Mr J, we took the ferry across the harbour to Taronga Park Zoo where I momentarily lost them among the meerkats :-)

 It was a delight to share Mr J's excitement and sense of wonder at the tall giraffes,

The elephants,

And the performing seals.

Chester's recovered from his Kennel Cough, though the poor boy is finding it had to understand why he has to be quarantined and can't play with his friends in the park yet. (Three days to go!)

These two have gone home to the States.

 And I've {almost} recovered from a tumultuous roller coaster of a month during which my blog posting and reading has been far more hit-and-miss than I would have liked.

My apologies. Normal transmission will be resumed very soon, dear reader.

A fairy fine weekend indeed

The spring long weekend in Sydney never fails to lift the spirits, but mine was bookended by visits from my two darlings, Mr J and the Princess, making it extra special.

Hairdo by Mr J himself

Mind the gap!

Throw in a stroll around Circular Quay in the sunshine, a Gourmet Food Fair right across the street from my little pad, Chester’s entry in a doggy fancy dress competition, and a barbecue on a balmy evening, and I call it magical!

With the Australian Navy Fleet Review happening Sydney had such a festive vibe. It was fun to spend a few hours on Friday afternoon playing tourists in our own city, taking selfies with the Opera House framed between us and sending them to Sarah’s friends back in the USA.

These giant plastic snails, in various fluoro colours, can be found all over the city right now and are part of the Art and About Festival. We had to wait while a family of children clambered all over this fellow, clinging to his feelers and hanging from his neck. Couldn’t persuade Sarah to climb up and pose though.

Meanwhile, back at home our local park was being transformed from this…

…into this, for the East Village Gourmet Food Festival.

Joynton Park was the place to be on Saturday (if you weren’t sitting on a picnic rug beside the harbour watching Prince Harry and the Fleet Review), with local restaurants, cafes and food providores selling samples of their delicious food and drink. The day was warm and clear, and market umbrellas and gum trees provided plenty of shade to sit and enjoy an icy glass of wine.

This month is Dogtober, a month of fundraising activities – with the emphasis on fun – for Assistance Dogs Australia. There are almost as many dogs as people living in my neighbourhood, or so it seems around 5 o’clock in the afternoon when everyone congregates in the park for playtime and a chat. So it wasn’t surprising that the Dogtober Fancy Dress Competition attracted plenty of crazily dressed canine entrants.

This was one of the craziest

I could try to blame Sarah, but must confess I was a willing co-conspirator in sourcing Chester’s lolly-pink tutu at Target and his sparkly fairy wings at the two dollar shop.

Chester fitted comfortably into the stretchy dress and was very relaxed about showing his inner feminine side.

He paraded beautifully in the circle, and was rewarded with a lovely prize package - porcelain doggy bowl, some treats, poo bags and holder, a certificate and a medal for 2nd place!

His certificate says he was the Best Fairy. (Shhhh! Don’t tell Chester, but he was the only fairy.)

He spent the rest of the afternoon happily being led around the food fair on his lead, dressed in full fairy kit and basking in his newfound notoriety, sniffing and kissing poodles and puggles, and posing for photographs with dozens of strangers.

It’s hard to believe this was the same Chester who only months ago was so wary of small, jumpy, yappy dogs and prone to lunging unexpectedly in the direction of one of these high spirited little pups if he felt threatened. I think the secret lies in the increased contact he now has every day in the park with dogs of all breeds and sizes. Perhaps he’s come to realise they’re not so scary after all. (Hmmm…one might draw a parallel with humans of different races)

At the end of the day we enjoyed our dinner on the balcony, being entertained by the rainbow lighting and the music from the $150 a head dinner in the marquee below, and watching the stupendous fireworks, sound and light display on TV celebrating 100 years of the Australian Navy.

Magic!

So how was your weekend?

Di

June Photo a Day Digest 1

Day 1 – B is for… basin

This is the washbasin in my brand new (renovated) bathroom.

Day 2 – A moment

Sun glinting on the windows of an apartment building in that moment before the sun finally disappears over the horizon.

Day 3 – On your table

I made this miniature bear.

Day 4 – After dark.

The Sydney Opera House lit up for the Vivid winter light festival.

Day 5 – Environment

Day 6 – Transport

Mr J riding his scooter with his Daddy guiding.

Day 7 – Bright

Tonight I attended my godson’s birthday dinner and the table was decked out in his favourite colours, orange and bright green!

 Di

May Photo a Day Digest 2

Day 7 – Something beginning with F

Fez, on a market stall in Jerusalem last year.

Day 8 – Shape

Circle

Day 9 – A snack

Day 10 – Stars

On fabric, of course.

Day 11 – A smile

That’s Mr J’s specialty.

Day 12 – Mother

Mine is looking pretty (and pretty great) at 87.

Day 13 – Sunset

Over Sydney Harbour.

 Di

My Australia Day in Sydney

I’m forever grateful that, in God’s providence, Captain Arthur Phillip chose January 26 1788 to row ashore in Sydney Cove and proclaim possession of the eastern seaboard of Australia (at that time known as New Holland) in the name of King George III of England. This isn’t because I’m a monarchist, but because his timing ensured near-perfect weather for Australia Day celebrations down the centuries.

January 26 falls right near the end of the school holidays, at the height of our summer, and is usually comfortably warm and sunny.

Today was no exception. This was my view of our glorious Sydney Harbour at 8am.

I enjoyed breakfast with friends, freshly cooked on the barbecue, a great way to start the day and as proud Aussies we hung our flag on the fence.

Colourful bunting decorated the yacht club and the sun shone as the tables on the lawn above the beach quickly filled with picnic-ing members. 

One of the highlights is always the Great Ferry Boat Race where three vintage Sydney ferries, decked out in the bright colours of sponsors and laden with excited passengers, race each other down the harbour, around the island directly opposite the yacht club, and back to Circular Quay. The rivalry is all good-natured and I’m not sure anyone really cares who wins, but with the hundreds of spectator craft providing a busy escort it’s always a spectacular sight.

Helicopters flew past us later with the Naval ensign and the Australian flag, and Air Force jet planes shot past above us with a deafening roar.

 

On the ground, and even more thrilling for me, was a visit by Mr J, seen here after consuming his first ever chocolate Paddle Pop!

 

He’s just at the age where he loves to dig a big hole in the sand with his spade try to fill it with buckets and buckets of water, undeterred as it seeps away just as quickly.

 

I hope I’ve given my overseas readers a sense of my Australia Day, and my pride in our country.

If you’re an Australian reader how did you spend the day? I know Rachael went to a most unusual event.

As for my family, we had a ball!

 Di