Very hot

Yes, it has been very hot lately and in some places it contues. Today is not even 30+ yet, so it feels ok. We are so pleased about the pool and we are in it every day, like little kids. Hubby has perfected a couple of moves to get into the inflatable ring that are worth seeing.

We had visitors from the UK for five days and it all went way to quick but it was lots of fun. For example there was fun with eggs. You wouldn't believe how much fun you can have with boiled eggs, especially if they are soft boiled.

Our son came out on Friday when they arrived and stayed over night. We barbecued and caught up on old memories. We met over 30 years ago when we all lived in Grenoble, in fact they are the ones who looked after our two year old when I went to hospital to have our first daughter.
In the morning our son made dim sums which went down a treat, they were delicious.

We also had great fun playing cards every night, something that we never did much when I grew up but I now see what I missed out on. However, I will never be good at it, my memory is not very good, at least not for cards.

The day after Australia Day which is a public holiday here, we did the big tour that we often take visitors on.
First we stopped at the big hindu temple in Helensburg. It must have been some special celebration because there were many people there. We didn't see until after our visit on the way out,  that we should have been vegetarians to go in, oups!

What I really wanted was to take photos inside of all the beautiful women and children in colorful saris but that was forbidden.

 Our itinerary also  included the Big Potato in Robertson where they have a very nice cheese shop.

This little verse should be sung to Sweet dreams are made of this by Eurythmics

We had lunch in Kangaroo Valley but it should have been in one of the wineries but we got started too late in the morning.  Kangaroo Valley has lots of cute shops and galleries and is nice to stroll around in.

We also went to Fitzroy Falls which is very nice, you can take a short walk or a slightly longer one.

Not a very good picture. There was a herd of tourists there and everyone wanted their picture taken in front of the falls

 The last stop of the day was in Kiama to see the blowhole, the little and the larger one. We all agreed that the smaller one was better.

Dave and Rhona and me in front of the "small" blow hole.

I have to leave you now and go off on new adventures but remember " Age is not important unless you are a cheese"

It just goes too darn fast!

I mean time just slips through my fingers; one day it is the first of January and then it is suddenly the seventeenth. What is happening? I really have to take more care of each day and treasure it!

We had visitors from Melbourne with us last week and J, the husband, reminded me of this time aspect, when he said that I am now on my last 3000 days. That doesn't seem much really does it? I have so much still to do. Here are some ideas. I am not going to do number two, and as far as number five, I seem to do that  effortlessly on a regular basis. Here is another website with more ideas. I like the travelling and learning ones, but the sport ones, forget it, they are not for me.

J and J (our visitors) were quite independent and went into Sydney by themselves quite a few times but we also had a few trips together by car.  One of the last day we had a nice dinner at Grissini, a local Italian restaurant in Menai which very good.

I also had a visit from an old Grenoble friend, A, who lives here in Sydney now. She brought the whole season three of Førbydelsen and we watched it all in one day. Occasionally we would get up and grab something to eat. We were like zombies (or teenagers); it was really a disgrace but great fun. Maybe we will do it next year again, since this was the second time we did it, and we seem to  be creating a tradition here. Last year was in our old house.

This is not a sign you see very often here in Australia but in Sweden it is very common, warning you of moose crossing the road.. So of course we had to stop and have coffee where we saw this in Wollongong. I had actually been there several times before, but now that they have this sign up it is easier to find. It is a cafe/restaurant run by a Swedish woman and her South African husband, called Wild Moose Cafe. They are also on Facebook in case you want to have a look.

Cheerio for now everybody and more news after the Australia Day week end, which is the 26 of January. That is when our dear friends from the UK are coming for a visit. Who knows what we will get up to with them! We have a few ideas up our sleeve, but it all depends on what they feel like doing.

Leaving you with a picture of a painting that I saw in the Wild Moose Cafe and that I really like for its vibrant colors and naïve style.

No New Year's resolutions

Yeah, that's right! I am not making any New Year's resolutions this year. It's just too much hassle and to much disappointment involved when you can't keep them. So just generally hoping for a pleasant year for everyone. However, if you are making resolutions, here are some general tips and not just for New Years resolutions:

1. Set achievable goals instead of ideal goals.
2. Expect setbacks.
3. Don't use excuses or setbacks to put it off for another year.

In fact I hardly noticed that we changed year. Here we are in the city that has one of the first and most amazing fireworks displays in the world and we slept through it all. I guess I was counting on hubby to wake me up  for the fireworks,  in case I nodded off in front of the TV and he counted on me doing the same.  We slept like like babies until early morning but looking on the bright side, we now have a bottle of champagne to drink at a suitable moment!

This is what we missed.

We have had some very hot days here in Australia, in some places near +50C but not here. We had maybe around +35C but even that that is way above my comfort temperature, so I am very grateful that the house we are renting has a pool. We virtually live in it. In fact I hear splashing right now which means that hubby is trying to get onto the giant inflatable ring. It usually takes a few tries and is quite amusing to watch. We usually have to fill up with more water too when he's had a few tries.

New Year's Day we went for a drive to the northern beaches and ended up having lunch in Mona Vale and then we drove on to West Head where you have a beautiful view over to Palm Beach.

It is called the Pacific Highway but of course it is  not the street that you drive on in Sydney but this is for the life in the ocean, for the whales and the penguins and the dolphins etc. I hope you can read it.

Other than that we have had a big yacht race  from Sydney to Hobart and again I missed out on seeing the boats start out because we forgot, but one of these days.

On a sad note, Michael Schumacher is in coma in  hospital in my second home town, Grenoble.

My thoughts are with his family.