02.01.2021

NEW YEAR 2021

I have taken down my Christmas decorations, today. WoW! So early.

 One year it was Easter before I packed it all away but then I was living on  my own after my 3 children left to spread their wings. 

Spread their wings. HaH.

Eight years later two of them were back to take up residence for the next 5 years.

(6 months tops, Mum we'll be moving on ... )

The Liberals Party (Conservative) being in Australian Government for the last 7 years has done so much damage to our younger generation. Reduce full time work across the work place, two parents working but still not being able to save for a house, cutting budgets for our TAFE, Universities and public schools. No penalty rates for working on weekends and public holidays. The list goes on ...

COVID19 has knocked the stuffing out of our economy - with no end in sight while waiting for the vaccine which our useless Prime Minister has made no attempt to obtain. 

The Moon and Venus this week. 

Persistence  pays off. 

Finally, able to get a photo of them both.

Putting my superannuation to work after my retirement this year. I have been making final preparations for my 26 day trip to America with my eldest son, this has been a long anticipated trip back to the States from the last time I was there in 1999. Got some quotes from several travel agencies and ended up going with the first agency I approached.  I will be leaving Sydney, Australia on the 21st September and arriving back home on the 16 October. 

First stop Los Angeles CA, then off to Las Vegas continuing to Orlando via Houston, then to Washington DC and finallyon the 6 October up to New York to attend NY Comic Con. Leaving NY to fly to Los Angeles for a 2 day stopover then the long haul down to Sydney. The trip first involved 7 plane flights but I have reduced it down to 5 with a bus trip from Anaheim to Las Vegas and a train journey from Washington DC to New York.

About a month ago, I was chatting with my elder sister, Cathy when she invited me to join her and her husband on a cruise. They have been on about 6-8 cruises and each time have invited me along. I last went on one 40 years ago : ).  So I, once again, am dipping into my superannuation. A little stressed to be spending so much money after being on a tight budget most of my life but you only live once and while my health is good. Party time.

I will be flying over to Perth, Western Australia on the 27 October to join a Northern Australia Sea Princess cruise leaving on the 29 October -and arriving in Brisbane, Queensland on the 13 November which just happens to be my birthday. Staying a couple of days with nephews family before flying down to Sydney, NSW then a 100km rail trip north to the coastal town where I live. The Sea Princess port of calls will be Perth, WA then Geraldton, we then head further north to Lombar in Indonsesia, down to Darwin, Northern territory and the top of Australia and down to Port Douglas, Queensland then onto Brisbane. 

I have been going on extra long walks with my dog, Barney to build up my stamina. When I return hope to have lots of photos and memories. 

Fabulous old Fig tree

in the grounds of Government House, Sydney.

Love the root system of this fig tree

 along the banks of the Parramatta River in Sydney.

On the second day of 2012 we are enjoying another
 hot, dry day after months of rain in 2011.

Vivid Sydney - 2011

Lighting The Sails.

I hope to travel into Sydney to see this in person.

Watch it live on Youtube

Check local time at bottom of page -

broadcast can be viewed between 18.00pm -21-00pm each night.

Better viewed on youtube.

The ceiling in my bedroom now has a hole in it as a result of the horrendous deluge of rain we have had these past two days in Sydney and the NSW Central Coast. More here

Thank goodness, I was in the lounge room on Twitter reading the Tweets from Ausblogcon2011 when I heard a thump sound, going to investigate I found my carpet and dressing table awash in water and bits of plaster which had fallen from the ceiling. Whoops!.

It looked like the gutters had not been able to handle the amount of water rushing into them and it had backwashed into the ceiling cavity. So calls to SES and my insurance company while trying not to stress (brief meltdown) but it looks like I will be off work tomorrow while I call in a roofer to check roof and plasterer to replace part of the ceiling.

Update

The SES (State Emergency Service) came climbed up on the roof

- no broken tiles -

so cleaned out some of the guttering, no tarp to cover,

let me take their photos, packed up their truck and left.

I have edited this post and put my AusBlogCon2011 post on my other blog. Here

I will be going to Aussie Bloggers Convention 2011

in Sydney on Saturday.

Thanks to Libby of Life is a Journey not a Destination blog. Libby is unable to attend the convention and she offered her ticket (free) to anyone who commented on her blog. I WON. Yay. Very excited.

We have had a week of extreme heat of 35+ with yesterdays temp of 45C. This afternoon the weather has turned and a slight shower of rain has come to cool things down. Lovely.

Something Different

Thats the way to travel.

This video was found on this wonderful blog.

http://kittystampede.blogspot.com/

Summer Heat

It is currently 42c degrees (108F) at 4pm in my local area

‎42C on the coast today ...

this evening Darcy the cat as well as the dogs, Bailey and Kahlua

had a tepid water wash ... interesting ...they are re-vitalised

Sydney's 2011 New Years Midnight Fireworks

Thanks to imodeboi for uploading to youtube.

Christmas - Digital Version.

Thanks to ExcentricPT of youtube

Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia

Merry Christmas, Everyone.

Message to the Sun above Sydney, Australia.

Can you please take the shades off your face

and burn away those clouds.

Thanks.

St Marys Cathedral, Sydney.

Today arrived sunny and breezy, so like a flash I was up and the washing machine was in overtime, two loads are now on the clothesline outside flapping in the breeze. Lovely.

Then it was off to the local shops to buy some batteries for my flashlight, I have a LED torch that you only need to wind up to charge but I like to have a spare on hand. Picked up the Sunday papers which usually takes me most of the week to read, paid off a layby, bought some hair conditioner, pet food and a new dog blanket for the dogs bed (warm and cosy).

Listening to the weather channel giving update reports on the storm going through the south coast of New South Wales -a state in Australia-, 6,000 without power, shattered windows and roof damage. The storm is heading towards Sydney but hopefully it will have blown itself out by the time it heads further north.

Today,my son Michael is at the

100th Big Day Out
music festival in Sydney.

(www.novafm.com.au BDO photo gallery)

It is very hot in Sydney today,

 Twitter posts from the festival say 40C (100F+).
My Weather Pixie on blog reads 41C at 3pm

Mangrove Tree

outside Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney

My December 23 trip into Sydney to view the Christmas decorations and Macquarie Street Light projections.

 I arrived in the city at 3.45pm and needed to fill in time until dark so I wandered haphazardly around into stores and down arcades passing some building I would photograph later in the evening. Basically I was soaking up the atmosphere of a city before Christmas.

DAY

Pitt Street Mall Buskers

One of the Projection boxes for the 
Macquarie Street Lights display

Hyde Park Barracks - Day

St Marys Cathedral, Sydney - Day

St Marys Steps looking towards Hyde Park

Nativity Diorama - St Marys

Darling Harbour looking towards the city with an old Sydney Manly Ferry berthed beside the Pyrmont Bridge.

Darling Harbour with Imax Theatre in background.

Largest Imax Theatre in the World - Darling Harbour

The Imax's yellow/black checkered wall
 is the size of the screen.

Circus Oz - Darling Harbour

Circus Oz with Ferris Wheel - Darling Harbour

Convention Centre Tree

Maccas

Playbills outside the Sydney Entertainment Centre

NIGHT

Hyde Park (North) Christmas Tree

St Marys Cathedral- Night

NSW Parliament House, Sydney

Hyde Park Barracks - Night

Mitchell Library

Mitchell Library 2

The Mint

Martin Place Christmas Tree

Martin Place Centapah 
with Christmas Tree in background.

Sydney Town Hall

 opposite the entrance to Town  Hall rail station

Waiting for the train home at Central Station.

Early Rail Bus

The train left Central at 10.17pm amd I eventually arrived home just as Christmas Eve arrived. Exhausted after enjoying the sights the journey was enlivened by the spectators from a Mariners (soccer)Game  at SFG returning home, many vacationing children were amongst the chatty group on the crowded train. Their team's loss was now replaced by excited discussions of Santa's arrival.

Trivia: I did not use the flash on my camera at night as I noticed the light from surrounding building was enough and I am amazed by how clear the photos are.

After physio today, I will be heading into Sydney to do the City Christmas Walk 09 except instead of the whole loop I will start at Sydney Town Hall

down George Street passing by the

Queen Victoria Building (QVB)
(with the statue of Queen Victoria)

right into Martin Place then up to Macquarie Street where I will turn right again and wander down to NSW Parliament House and The Mint continuing to

St Marys Cathedral via Hyde Park.

I hope to drop into Myers and David Jones department stores to view their Christmas window displays and maybe a little shopping :) and waiting till it starts to get dark head home via Town Hall which by this time has started their Light Projections on its facade. Then back up to Macquarie Street for more Projections and hop on the train at Martin Place to head home.

I will be going over my tracks a little but I love wandering around Sydney during Christmas time, the streets are very festive and everyone is happily window shopping and buying gifts. There is always buskers in Pitt Street Mall (site of the original Free Hugs- youtube) and is always crowded with tourists watching the free shows.

(Another day I will do The Rocks, Overseas Cruise Ship Terminal, Sydney Opera House and Royal Botanical Gardens loop).

Photos Courtesy of Julie of http://sydney-eye.blogspot.com/

Martin Place Mall, Sydney

Photo courtesy of Julie of
http://sydney-eye.blogspot.com/
Brilliant photos of everyday Sydney.
I absolutely love this photo blog.