Jen Black's Blog, page 17

Travelling highlights

 Currently sitting in the Emirates Business Class Lounge and catching up on e-mails and stuff. Thank goodness it was open! The Emirates Lounge at Sydney was closed and we had to used the Plaza Premium lounge, so we had fears about this one, but it is the major hub of the airline, and it is open.

The flight was OK. 7,600 mile in 14 hours. I watched the new James Bond and could hardly hear a word for the gunshot noise on screen and the general airplane engine noise. Good, but puzzling as to plot until I can hear the dialogue/ I thought the slender dame in the black dress and heels was the new 007 but evidently not. I think I need sub titles! Ben Fogel's wilderness retreats entertained me through all 6 episodes, but I must admit I kept nodding off and waking up again. Next leg I plan to watch Bear Grylls. I kept seeing chunks of it on a seat ahead of me and it looked interesting.

We shall be here for 9 hours, and will get something to eat and find the comfy "beds" to have a sleep. Maybe soon I shall hear news of NoVaX....

Our Australian adventure is drawing to a close.Now back ...

 Our Australian adventure is drawing to a close.

Now back in Mosman, where there seems never to be less than 3 lanes of traffic hurling around junctions and turning at right angles in the face of those 3 lanes. Scary stuff. Last night we decided to take our hosts out for a meal. We had all had a long day, but they had driven back from Brisbane to pick us up in Redhead and then driven down to Sydney the next day. Almost 800 odd miles.

A meal at a restaurant on Chowder Bay called Ripples seemed a good idea. The bay used to be a naval establishment - in fact it still is. I chose Barramundi as my main meal and enjoyed it. A chunk of fish that was moist, sweet ad succulent. I can honestly say I have never tasted a better chocolate mousse with cherries on the side plus a portion of ice cream. Two bottles of Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc-Semillion blend from Margaret River and I was in heaven.

Today, Thursday, we walked up Brady Street and onto Military Road. We walked to the cricket ground and then then along the other side of Military Road. Almost every shop is a dress shop, and each seems to have selected a certain colour as their Window display of the week. We ordered a Salami Baguette for Bill and a chicken and Arvo ( Advocado) baguette for me, plus a Florentine to share and we ate it on the bridge between malls (it was peaceful and cooler there with air con working) that crosses Military Road while we sat and watched the traffic flow beneath us. Three lanes heading in one direction, three in the opposite direction and it never stops. A fire engine bundled its way through, and we knew when cars appeared with headlights shining that the  storm was getting closer. We walked around the cricket oval and then headed home. We only just reached shelter in time before the rain came pelting down.

This evening, Monopoly is the game of choice, much to the delight of 7 year-old Alexander. 

The Strawbridge Hat

 What with wind, rain, the NoVax situation and the Omicrom virus, the last few days have been memorable, but possibly for all the wrong reasons. 

Talk of summer in Australia and you expect hot temperatures. Well, we certainly have those. I have gone around in bare feet since I got here and have never worn a jacket, cardigan or anything approaching such a garment. But...there have been some torrential rain storms, and days spent watching dark clouds drift about all day long. Nights have been sticky and hot, which isn't good for sleeping and if you sleep with an open window then the wind screams around the corners and there is a constant roar of the surf hitting the beach. 

We've spent the morning in brilliant sunshine sitting on the beach and dipping our toes in the incoming tide. Yet step out on the balcony to eat lunch and the wind almost takes my sandwich off my plate. One day I spent on the beach with my sun-hat (which you need here otherwise you might end up with a cracking headache or sunstroke.) securely tied on with a chiffon scarf - as you see in the pic. Bill found his Dick Strawbridge hat worked extremely well.

Omicrom is escalating here in spite of all the restrictions people in Australia have put up with for so long - which is why they are so cross with NoVax. If he actually steps on court in the Open, the crowd reaction will be interesting. One commentator here says "he has no idea what he's in for." We had to jump through endless hoops to get here and we are  hoping there will be no sudden changes in plans as we think about returning home at the weekend. having spent 18 hours in Dubai airport on the way out, we know our way around now. 9 hours there will be a doddle and I know where the champagne bar is now!

Welcome to Australia

You probably won't believe me but there is a stonking wind howling around the balcony and it is so unpleasant we are sitting inside. Dh is reading Musk's book about building Tesla cars and me writing  this and then going back to my story. I thought Australia was this pleasant, sunshiny country where tennis players melted on court because the weather was 40 degrees and climbing.

Well, I kid you not. I would not class outside as cold. Not exactly. But it is not pleasant to be out. If you find a sheltered spot out of the wind, the temperature makes you break into a sweat. Beaches must be wind tunnels of stinging sand, and we know from yesterday's walk that the sea is not for swimming as it is too rough. 

The waves may look innocuous from high up
where we are, but down on the beach they are breaking at heights that would be well over my head and the undertow is powerful. Stand still when the waves retreats and you find yourself toppling over with its power dragging you out into what we should never forget is the Pacific Ocean. There are sharks out there, and Southern Right Whales. Life guards say No swimming. Bluebottles inhabit the waters, blown along the coast from northern beaches. Evidently they look more like lobsters than the bluebottle we know, and they sting and if too many sting you at once you are in deep shit.

I remember that old ditty "Welcome to Australia..." Click here

Time to Relax

 Apologies to anyone who is confused by the appearance of my blog in the last few days. When I arrived in Oz, the family told me they didn't follow it because they couldn't read it easily. The blue background took over the screen. So I decided to experiment with backgrounds and have now got myself in a tangle. Hopefully more of you will be able to read it now, but it certainly isn't the kind of "look" I wanted. (Evidently it depends on which browser the blog reader uses as to how it looks on screen. Most of the time I favour Google Chrome.)

The odd weather continues with really heavy surf that takes over the entire beach at high tide, storm clouds, heat and occasional torrential burst of rain. It is all very restful, actually. The life savers bright orange high perch is in its usual position, but I don't suppose he is lurking there. No one is supposed to be in the water at the moment. (The pic is of a calm day at the beach.)

There is a vast store of books in this house. So far I have indulged myself and read Maeve Binchy's last book A Week in Winter, Adele Parks If You Go Away and for a complete contrast, James Rollins Excavation. Easy to guess which book belongs to which member of the family! I am now embarking on another Rollins Ice Hunt. I've dipped into the presidential chapters of Becoming by Michelle Obama, looked through James Martin's new book on Butter and I'm planning on flicking through the many Nigella Lawson books here before I leave. I enjoy her writing as much as the recipes. 

New Year 2022

 2021 has ended and I don't think anyone will be sorry!

The magpies are croaking outside and the temperature is, as it  always seems to be, averaging around 20 degrees. Some days, however, it shoots up to 35 and higher. Our first few days here were of that order and it made sleeping difficult. Overall it is a cloudy sky today  but it isn't 9am yet, so there is room for improvement. Even so, there are people on the beach and out walking their dogs - lots of dogs here! - before it gets too hot.

Part of the family is packing in order to visit rellies in Brisbane, and the rest of us are waiting to wave them Goodbye. Typically of Australia, they have 875 miles to drive to reach Brisbane from here. Everywhere is a long way from everywhere else. We as in dh and I, drove to Port Macquarie the other day and it seemed a long long way to drive but only a tiny distance on the map.

We will see them back again to take us back to Sydney.

Slow cooking anyone?

 Terrific rainstorms over the last couple of days.

On Monday we set out to go to Forster, reached Tuncurry and the first roundabout and kept going round it and back home. 

There was no hint of the storm slackening and we'd have been drenched in seconds had we got out. Later in the day there were intervals of no rain, but it was not long before it began again. No wonder everything looks so green around us. There are many trees here that have fire-blackened trunks, but most of them have a glorious green canopy.

The brewing company has had one day closed - Christmas Day. Not a long break for the people who run it. Tuesday was a canning run, so dh and Paul went in at six am to help before the normal, "open for customers" day began. Today it is a brewing day and no doubt David and Helen will come home even more tired than they were yesterday. Running a small business is no easy ride.

We did sausage and mash with onion gravy for them last night. Today it is going to be slow-cooked lamb. Hope we get it right in a slow-cooker we have never used!

Musical magpies

Christmas has come and gone once again.

Yesterday was blazing hot and most unlike a British Boxing Day!

I wrote a chapter yesterday - time to get back in the groove rather than all this lolling around relaxing.

Last night we had lightning and they tell me it rained through the night though I was fast asleep until six o'clock. I think it is the local magpie family that wake me so early. The family of three sit on the whirlygig washing pole, groom themselves and talk to each other and the world at large. It is quite musical (once the ear is attuned.) 

OTOH it could just be the light itself waking me.  What I can tell you that it is pelting down this morning and we can hardly see the beach. Right now the birds are ducking under the many balconies around here to take shelter, and no one is wandering abroad except for a couple of dog walkers.

 Update: Rain

Barrington Blonde and Double Treachery

 It looks a tiny journey on a map.

It comes as something of a surprise that the distance between Mosman and Redhead, near Forster, is a car journey of four hours. (Evidently the rail lines go nowhere near Forster, so that is a no-no.)

We travelled up Wednesday and our first stop was the micro-brewery - thecoastalbrewingcompany.com to greet David and Helen, who were hard at work serving customers. I have now tried several beers, all of them with exotic sounding names. They sell fresh craft beer to restaurants, bars, clubs and pubs and not least, onsite and through bottlestores and bars.

Names like Barrington Blonde, Black Head Milk Stout, Bluey's Brown, Bo Bo Blood Orange and Double Treachery figure in the list - you'll find them all listed on the website, with tasting notes. 

Next day Bill and I took a quiet walk on the beach for an hour in the sunshine. Only dog walkers and a few surfers were out that early - it was around nine thirty. Ten years ago we set out to walk from end to end of the beach you see in the picture - Diamond Beach - and we never made the whole nine miles. This time we did not attempt anything so ambitious. From the house it is an easy walk over the grass to the lookout point over the Pacific Ocean, and going down the five flights of steps (15-20 steps in each flight) was easy. Going back we stopped and enjoyed the view at every landing.

Anniversary dinner

 Tuesday 21st December - even though we are in Oz, we still remembered that it was our wedding anniversary - 25 years together and still happy!

We spent some time wandering around the main streets of Mosman (no double "s" as I had it earlier).

A day or two ago we walked down to Balmoral beach located at the bottom of the steep hill in the pic. Much of Mosman is built on hills with surprising views and steep descents around twisty corners, but today we walked in the other direction and sampled the shopping outlets which are thankfully line a long a street  that is mainly flat. We visited Harris Farms - the most gorgeous supermarket with wonderful fresh produce, and bought some sun tan cream which is necessary - we both got sunburned the first and second day out  - and I mean burned! 

A sandwich, freshly made, served as lunch and more strolling followed. The shops are small, no departmental stores, but they are expensive. When you live in an area where 34 million dollars is not unusual for the price of a house, then the folk who live there will have plenty of dosh to spread around. The designs are all individual  - no estates, council or private, here - and many are super luxurious. Many houses are a hundred years old and are built in what seems to me to be an ornate Edwardian style. Others are more modern. Some are white concrete, but Expensive White Concrete. After a visit to a pub for a swift half and a cool down in their air conditioning, I got very brave and bought a bra. Probably the most expensive bra I've ever bought, but hey! we're on holiday.

Visited a grog shop and bought some champagne to take to Redhead tomorrow and made our way home. Later Paul drove us down to Spit Bridge where Bill and I had an anniversary dinner at Chiosco - swordfish steaks and Cannolo with an Italian Prosecco to introduce a bit of fizz. The sun blazed down so strongly through the open side of the restaurant that I protected my denim-clad leg with a paper napkin for fear of being burnt again. We enjoyed a delightful meal served by a chatty waiter from Bergamo in Italy. (Earlier it was a bar keeper from Whitehaven in Cumbria who thought he  recognised Bill's accent) With water on two sides and some of the sleekest, most expensive boats all around us it was a lovely evening.