Homework

Ich habe fünfundsechzig Tage für Deutsch zu lernen. Ok.. Yes I'm just guessing and hoping that is sort of correct.. Have been diligently doing my homework each day. Started with an ancient ancient copy of Introducing German... Mindlessly wrote out screeds of der den des dem; die die der der; das das des dem..,..then decided that wouldn't be much help in conversation, so have forsaken grammar now for "Das Deutschmobil..Deutsch als Fremdsprache für Kinder".. ..German as foreign speaking for children..(or some such). It features Milli and Willi, who are 2 frogs who live in a snail shell..from what I can make out..Sigh.. marginally more helpful, but I hope to progress!:)

STill it's nice to have a challenge!!.

Spoilt ! Spoilt! Spoilt!

Yes, me..... I had a birthday. I got soooo spoilt. I spoke to Chris at length on Skype in the morning,( always fun and entertaining -he makes me laugh,that boy), then wafted off while my family made lunch for me.. Megs and Christopher did fabulous prawns and snapper parcels on the barbie. .... Millie made me a wonderful moreish berry cheesecake and Tim..well Tim said he has access to Millie, so that is his contribution.!!!???wtf...hehehe...I personally think that's stretching things a bit, but I guess if he can get away with it...:)..but he DID open the beautiful french sparkling. ) Maybe that counts?.. I blew out my candles, and made a wish.. and opened my loot. And what did I get?? Toys, toys toys:) ..spoilt spoilt spoilt..that is me...
This from Barry..Yes..hello my long awaited and much coveted iphone:)

and these from Megan Tim Christopher and Millie..
oooo. .cute, small, sharp as a tack, new 50mm fast 1.8 lens
and book one of the Stieg Larsson trilogy -- the ONLY book in Sydney now it seems.. every single person on the planet seems to have read it bar me.. I'm feeling left out!!..I need to hurry and finish Lydna La Plante so I can move on to Stieg.


After lunch I played with my new toys, then nicked off down to Dee Why with Barry for dinner with Lizzie.

Thank you to all for a wonderful day..You made me feel very special..and spoilt...:)xoxox

Boating on Bantry Bay

Barry and Mark boarding Dreamwaver @ it's mooring.

Spent the weekend on the boat ( a 42 foot something or other) of the yachting variety with Louise and Mark..
Definitely earned my sailor stripes as we contended with 40 degree temperatures all day Saturday (most uncomfortable..I was miserable and hot:( )and then weathered a very exciting southerly in the afternoon which swept in and lowered the temperature 15 degrees in 15 minutes..The wind speed reached 35 knots which apparently is quite unusual. Barry had fun in the kayak

before the southerly came in, but I wasn't so brave.. maybe next time! Overnight on the boat was exciting and lovely... the boat was gently rocking when we went to bed and and we were rocked nicely to sleep with the sound of the water lapping. Waking up was beautiful.. the weather was cool and drizzly which produced a beautiful light... deep lovely greens in both the bush and the water... and with no wind the water was calm and glossy. Best of all, as I awoke the cappuccino boat was pulling up..he makes fabulous coffee and also brings the paper:) What utter bliss and decadence.. it's the life for the rich and the wanntabees:) indeed!:)

Mrs Macquarie

Yesterday was our annual pilgrimage to Open Air Cinema.
I went into town early, shopped in the city..window shopped really, except for one scarf (which you can spot down further down the page) which was on at a ridiculous sale price..
.. then walked down through the botanical gardens in the hot afternoon sun. I passed the bats(smelly)
some cute waterfowl babies a lotus plantation,
and a lake
until I reached the foreshore.

The movie of the night was "An Education", which I enjoyed although it was a tad slow and lacking in plot,but as dad says..we don't go for the movie, it's about the ambience...


which the location has in spades.

Tights and Tatts

Happy New year - Happy New Decade

For my part, I'm not sorry to see the end of the last decade.
Watching this, it wasn't a terrific one on a global scale either.

Very cool compilation though:)..Check out the link.

The Decade in Magazine Covers

Boxing Day - Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race

Boxing Day...

Awoke via the alarm to a cold dreary rainy day. Considered rolling over and letting Baz do his boat thing on his own, but decided that would be poor form.. Packed lots of food and a bottle of good wine for lunch and set off. Dropped Baz at the dockyards... no not your ritzy marina full of gazllions of dollars worth of billionaire yachts, but rather your old working steamboat dockyard full of rusty bits of metal, rusty hulls and rusty patrons....

Chris and I headed on to Haberfield in search of coffee.. Success!! not much in the way of coffee open early on a drizzly Boxing day morning in Sydney, but we managed to find a private gentlemen's club for Italian mafia overflowing with excitable and voluble patrons gesticulating and arguing loudly, who seemed to take a very dim view of their private arena being gatecrashed by Anglo strangers and a woman to boot - bet a woman has never dared grace the doors before. The management however were happy to take our money and I felt very safe with Chris, the protector, to look after me! The coffee was possibly the strongest on the planet and we left to return to the boat to see the start of the Race caffeined up and buzzing!:)





Got underway promptly, obviously thanks to the excellent coal shoveller, who had the boat all steamed up and ready to go.. into Darling Harbour, under the Bridge, past the Opera House and out into the Harbour, where we mixed it with the maxis circling around and jostling for position.

Although it was freezing, blowing ,raining and I have no interest in sailing whatsoever, it was impossible not to get caught up in the excitement of the occasion with the maxis circling,(whose names I am so au fait with now -- yes I can Wild Oats and Living Doll it with the best of them), the spectator craft jostling and the media buzzing around in a flock of helicopters above. The gloominess just added to the atmosphere and thrill of it all. Once the race was underway, we raced down the harbour under full steam (thanks once again to the excellent coal shoveller)to see them leave the heads..

A most enjoyable and fun day..Thank you Baz for the idea and Chris for the company:)



Five days later, Line Honours went to Alfa Romeo.