Hunter Valley
Just back from a fab weekend at the Hunter Valley where (all Aussies already know what I did) we drank copious amounts of wine. Joined by my Pommie mate Nickie and girlfriend Belinda (from Bronte beach in Oz), we blasted off in Mum’s little yellow Laser on Friday morning. Hitting a top speed of 110km/hr before the deathwobbles cut in, it took us just 2 hours to reach the wine region. Our accommodation was rustic on the outside but traditional Oz inside (ok – it had 2 spa baths, a DVD player, microwave etc) – but can I recommend Lovedale cottages as a really excellent place to stay. So we hit some wineries that afternoon, feasted at dinner and watched a really bad DVD. Saturday saw Nickie and I head off on the ‘Cheers’ minibus tour of the Hunter. We had a really good fun crowd and went to about 6 wineries – Peppertree, Tower Estate, IronGate and … well I can’t remember the names of the ones after that. Dinner was a big juicy steak and more wine! Another highlight – Zen the Dog – an Australian cattle dog who kept us entertained at the house, and also catching up with Ian and Michelle (plus kids Max and Rachel).
Chi – A good friend from my Uni days
It was great to catch up with Chi today. He was looking very fit and healthy and is enjoying a very interesting job. He runs workshops for a number of companies teaching people how to deal with aggressive and difficult situations. It is amazing how your stance, hand and body posture, can help to difuse difficult situations. He is also a Kung Fu expert so don’t cross him!. He has two lovely kids – Zoe who is a bit of a brain by the sounds of things (she is at the top of her year and wants to be a lawyer) and young Jared – both are very goodlooking kids as well. It was great to see Chi and remember our days at uni and the old gang – a very long time ago now!
Emelia and family
Saw my friend Emelia today with her two kids (Lucy and Angus). Emelia and I both used to work at MBF together – she is now working for a small company for 2 days a week and enjoying her kids. I have to say, at 3 years old I was most impressed that Lucy could spell her name, recall her phone number and recite her address. She is also very good at playing with her farmhouse models – (although fencing could be improved as some of them could have escaped)!
More Friends
Stayed last night with my good friends Mandy and Tim and their 2 gorgeous puppies – Patterson and Dax. Tim and I are old Navy buddies and I will never forget their wedding – Mandy and her bridesmaid arrived on horse back looking absolutely glamorous. Tim didn’t look too bad either I have to say – and Patterson had his waistcoat on as well.
Anyway, Mandy is a fabulous cook and as per usual cooked up a perfect curry. We are all crossing our fingers for them as they are selling their investment property in Melbourne in a couple of weeks and are hoping to make lots of dosh so they can buy their dream home in Sydney. Here’s to a successful auction!
Family Tutt (Anne, Mark, Matthew, Alex and Helena)
Stayed with my sister Anne and her family at Port Macquarie the last couple of days. They live on a 25 acre property next to the State Forest. Early in the morning and late afternoon they are visited by a family of kangaroos which chomp their grass and unfortunately, sometimes Anne’s plants too. The two boys, Matthew and Alex, had their swimming carnival on Friday – Alex got a 3rd in Breaststroke and Matthew was just glad to have made the distance (50 metres). They are off to their first Cubs camping trip today so much excitment in the house as they test out their sleeping bags and other bits of kit. Helena will be staying home with Anne and no doubt will enjoy not having Alex around who apparently keeps farting in her face!
“Nidaros”
My cousin Mark and his wife Linda visited us for dinner the other night. They are the proud owners of a new house in Dulwich Hill. It is a Victorian style home built in the 1890′s with 3 double bedrooms set on 451sqm. It has all the original fireplaces, polished floorboards, ornate ceilings, an attic room and lovely gardens (they even have a frangipani tree with fairy lights!) The big mystery though is the house name – it is called ‘Nidaros’ which I think sounds Greek or Italian. Mark has tried to find out what it means and apparently Nidaros spelt backwards (Soradin) is some weird cult or something. Anyway they move in to their new home in about a month so you can all look forward to their housewarming soon.
La Cena (the dinner for non-Italian speaking readers)
Managed to escape the unpacking and have dinner with my beautiful cousin Lisa who lives with Richard (her cousin but not my cousin) in the trendy Sydney suburb of Liechardt. They have a very cute Federation style cottage in a great location – I was also most impressed with their drum kit in their front room – I had my first ever bash and think all businesses should have a set for stressed out executives (I am sure there is a consulting opportunity there somewhere – perhaps GSK OD team!) Anyway Lisa and I walked to The Forum which is an Italian style piazza filled with restaurants and a fountain in the middle and also a merry-go-round. Lisa (or ‘barra girl’ courtesy of the huge barramundi she devoured) works in freight but is thinking that it is somehow not quite glamorous enough (I would say 99.9% of people would agree) so a change of career is in the wind for her. She is also doing some de-tox thing at the moment but couldn’t quite convince me to give up my Sicilliana pasta, grilled king prawns (I know I had them the other night too) and my cold glass of Australian chardonnay. Ciao
Unpacking
Well my stuff finally arrived from storage on Monday and I have spent just about every waking hour since either unpacking boxes, washing the dirty contents and repacking stuff. I put all my ‘stuff’ in storage over 7 years ago so you can imagine how grimy everything is – besides that, I have a lot of junk that I should really have gotten rid of before I paid mega dollars for storage. Anyway, I am now in the process of pricing everything in preparation for my garage sale on saturday and Sunday – I will be very glad when that is over and I am able to spend more time socialising.
Getting Here:
Well it took me a very, very long time to get here. First I flew to Osaka where I had a 6 hour lay-over in an airport with not much in the way of shopping. My hopes for a cheap digital camera were well and truely dashed. I then flew on to Brisbane for another 1 1/2 stop-ver but at least there was good duty free shopping there – scotch for dad and perfume for mum, but still no camera. Finally flew into Sydney – over the northern beaches then swinging in over Botany Bay – it was a beautiful day!
Family:
Was picked up at the airport by Mum and Dad and brother David was at home as he is working in Sydney at the moment. Everyone is well and looking very tanned and healthy. Had a really nice family meal – mum’s specialty which is chicken and broccoli – I will bring the receipe home to test out on the gorgeous Christos who I miss so much.
Early Days:
Well the jet-lag hasn’t really kicked in yet and I am on day 4. I have been going for a morning walk (7.30am!) each day – it is warm but not hot enough for a swim. I have also been to check out my little investment property in Alexandria – was pleasantly surprised that all was fine except for some minor outdoor work on one of the walls. The place has been empty for 2 months and the garden not watered in this time but the palms and other plants were really healthy.
Friends:
Caught up with Kristin last night. We went to Manly Beach where we had a really nice (but expensive by Sydney terms) dinner. I started with Mango Daiqeri, followed by Bruschetta, a Garden Salad and King Prawns – very yummy ($40 which is about 15 pounds). We had a good old girly natter and catch-up. Kristin was particularly impressed that my Australian accent refresher training is working – I have to say that I think I sound quite Aussie. Went to Balmoral Beach for breaky and a walk – the beach was invaded with nippers (little surf lifesavers) and the harbour looked beautiful but still too cold for a swim
More family:
And I should say more and more and more…… Neridah is pregnant with number 6 (she is due in August). All the kids (Kurt, Brenton, Eliza, Scott and Andrew) plus Peter and Neridah are doing well (Neridah hasn’t chucked up for a couple of days now). They have a nice new house in Woronora Heights which is absolutely huge. It has a 6 bedrooms, and so much storage place I am jealous – not to mention the huge deck and swimming pool. Have made a date for dinner and a swim.
Recent Comments