A naughty dog story

The staff at an English animal shelter couldn't work out why their dogs were escaping out of their cages at night and enjoying feasts in the kitchen. They installed hidden cameras and discovered that the culprit was a very clever dog named Red.

Watch the video here.

My mystery flight

The last present in my Christmas stocking was this:

So the clues were: a ferry, a zoo and a hotel... any city coming to mind? Yep, you guessed it!

I'd only been to Sydney once before, and it was only for a weekend. So when we arrived at our gate at Melbourne Airport, I was thrilled to see that I'd see the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and Circular Quay.

Now, I'm not a great flyer, and I do struggle between this and my love of holidays. I had my

Rescue Remedy pastilles packed, alongside my sleep mask (so I can't imagine the plane tilting down)and handkerchiefs and bottled water (to avoid smoke inhalation in an accident). Despite how organised I was, I was still pretty horrified to be warned by the pilot before take off that we would be expecting some rough turbulence during the flight. Thankfully our plane was equipped with television screens and Foxtel. I channel surfed until I found an old episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, and I put my headphones in and focused on Ray, Robert, Deborah and Marie, laughing a little too hard at some of the jokes. The turbulence did kick in, but I was very grateful that it was a short 53 minute flight.

We arrived safely in Sydney, and welcomed the less than 30-second wait for a taxi (that's why you travel at night!). I was happily clueless about where we were heading, so I just enjoyed the adventure. Unlike last time where we had unwittingly booked an apartment in the sticks (and paid a hefty toll fee for each taxi trip across the bridge), I was excited to see that we were travelling right into the heart of Sydney. I recognised a few sights, like the beautiful Queen Victoria Building, and realised that we were staying in my favourite part of the City- The Rocks.

As we unloaded our luggage from the taxi, I looked towards the end of the street to see this:

We were in the perfect place to explore the city, over the road from Circular Quay and . Our hotel was the Russell Hotel, boutique accommodation,

fronted by a lovely little wine bar.

But that wasn't the last surprise for me. We unlocked the room and as I stepped inside, someone else was already there! My friend Benny had flown up from Tasmania for the trip too. Benny and I partner stunted together at Deakin, and you don't get held up in the air by someone and not trust them with your life! It's always so nice to see him.

Fun in the sun with Benny in Broken Hill, 2010

We all woke up feeling refreshed and ready to see the city. While Melbourne was having a disgustingly cold week, Sydney was showing off with clear skies and toasty hot sun. With one more smug look at the Harbour Bridge from the hotel's rooftop garden, we were off.

Oh so smug.

On our first day we walked to the Bridge and admired the view over the stunning harbour. We walked up to the Botanic Gardens, and had a cold drink at the pretty little cafe there. It was like something out of a French film, with delicate little tables and curly-framed chairs. There was even a guy sitting beside us under the shady vines, scribbling words down in a leather-bound notebook. Ridiculously perfect.

We also visited the Museum of Sydney, which for the record, is not Sydney's answer to Melbourne's fantastic museum. We should have visited the Australian Museum, not the Museum of Sydney. It was interesting, though small, with an interesting look at colonial trading, as well as a really entertaining exhibit on Sydney's surfing culture.

 However as we read the information boards throughout the museum, it was hard not to miss the regular comparisons with Melbourne, and that the 2000 Olympic Games really solidified Sydney's status as Australia's greatest city. People from Melbourne don't seem to need to constantly remind visitors that our city is the greatest in Australia, even though it actually is the current most liveable city in the world. Maybe this needs another blog post as I am getting off topic. Main point: Melbourne wins!

That evening we had dinner at the Russell Wine Bar, which was expensive, but the tapas menu had so many delicious options on it. Al and Benny LOVED the coconut king prawns (and still talk about them), and my pick was the buffalo mozzarella. The bar was cosy, with an elegant peacock theme throughout. We sat on wooden stools at a table near the front with a view of the soft sunset outside.

Day two was all about the zoo. We headed down to Circular Quay, and admired the huge cruise liner in the harbour- the Princess Diamond. The ship was so big that she couldn't fit under the Harbour Bridge, because her pool deck was too high.

Still can't really even capture the scale of this ship!

We took a Captain Cook ferry out to Taronga Zoo. The zoo is set in a magnificent spot, on a hill right on the harbour. As you meander your way through the zoo, there are picture-perfect views of that sparkling water. We wobbled off the ferry gangplank and up a ramp to work out our options of how to tackle the steep hill in front of us to get to the zoo's gate.

Super lazy option #1- take a big noisy bus.

Moderately lazy, but with good views option #2- take the chairlift. I have a mortal fear of chairlifts thanks to a chairlift disaster show I saw when I was little that scarred me for life (why did you let me watch it, Mum, why?!), so despite the experience apparently being amazing, this option was out. Which left us with:

Slumming it and walking (option #3). So walk we did. But there was a lovely little lookout on the way up. Benny and I admired the view, while Al got acquainted with the local wildlife:

Though Benny the spider wimp wanted to have it killed.

The zoo was fantastic. The highlight for all of us were the sea-lions. There were two sea-lions near the entrance, one named Miya who had been rescued. Al always says that if he could be any animal, he would be a seal. And watching them glide through the water, twisting around, and almost showing off for us was such a joy to watch. And what was even better was the seal show, which you can see a snippet of here (not my video though). I felt like a little kid, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over all the clever tricks and all-round cuteness.

Amazing sea-lion acrobatics

Other highlights of the zoo included the reptile exhibit because I always love gawking at a scary big snake or lizard, and the Tahr from the Himalayas, which was a shaggy goat. There were about twenty of them (including a baby!) standing or sleeping on narrow and precarious ledges on the custom made steep rock formation.

The zoo ended up taking up the entire day, and we were pretty tired by the end!  But not too tired for a delicious proper German pretzel served by girls in cutesy German maid outfits and boys in lederhosen at Lowenbrau. Fun fact: if you want to be meowed at by an elderly man in lederhosen, don't miss this place!

 With the love of my life... and the other love of my life.

That night we watched the Princess Diamond leave the harbour, and went on an adventure through The Rocks to find a Thai restaurant called Sailors Thai. If you visit Sydney, you MUST eat here! We sat on the end of a long, communal table, and we were waited on by a guy who wouldn't stop cracking the sort of jokes that make you a little bit nervous. The food was amazing, all authentic Thai flavours. Unfortunately Al's was a little too spicy for his palette (the guy can't help it, he was raised on meat and three veg). The waiter noticed that Al hadn't really made much headway on his meal and said: "you didn't like the food?". Al, mortified, muttered something about it being too hot for him. Instead of bringing us the bill, the waiter returned from the kitchen with the most delicious coconut ice cream served with fresh mango. He told us that the kitchen staff felt bad about Al's meal and that this dessert was on the house. Amazing. GO TO SAILORS THAI!
I will definitely be returning on my next trip to Sydney.

*Photo credit from Sailors Thai website. 


We spent our last day in Sydney just exploring. I got a lychee ice cream at Circular Quay.

I met Captain Cook there too. I was too shy on my previous trip to ask for a photo, but when he came over for a chat, I knew the Universe was giving me the perfect opportunity.

We enjoyed a ferry ride out to pretty Watson's Bay and strolled along the foreshore beside the picture-perfect cottages.We also walked up to The Gap and watched little yachts navigate the sparkling blue.

Watsons Bay

    

The Gap

Sadly as the sun sank lower in the sky, we knew it was time to take the train back to the airport. Al and I waved Benny off at the Jetstar lounge, and wandered over to our gate (but not before stopping off at the  Victoria's Secret store on the way!) It was sad to say goodbye to Sydney, but this time around I really fell in love with the city. I know I'll be back!

Big sky country

On Christmas Day, Mum, Luke, Al and I went for a walk (with our old dog Tosca of course) to the top corner of the property.

Tosca is about 15 years old. He deserves a post all to himself, but he is a part of this story too. He's pretty blind and deaf now, and he has lost much of his country dog sense. When he used to accompany us on our adventures through the paddocks, we would clamber over the barbed-wire fences with no trouble. Tosca would stalk along the fenceline, and always knew the perfect spot to wriggle under and catch up to us. Nowadays he gets confused because of his eyesight, so it's our job find that perfect spot and peel up the bottom on the fence for him.

They call the American mid-west 'big sky country', and I think it must be just like this. There are always beautiful sunsets back home, and no matter what time of the day it is, it feels like the sky goes on forever. Which I suppose it does.

The sky was extra special on this night, as a storm headed past to wreak some havoc on Melbourne (while missing us completely). We saw lightning on the horizon, and as the sun set lower in the sky, the cranky blue storm clouds softened into pinks and lilacs, and finally a dusty gold.

All these photos are taken by Al, and I want to thank him again for capturing such a beautiful evening.

Home.

I grew up in a rustic mudbrick house, built by hand by my mum and dad. It was very, very rustic, built on a 13 acre sheep paddock, halfway up a grassy hill. We only had solar power and we weren't connected to the grid at all. We had two large rainwater tanks, and all our water came from the sky: our drinking, washing and gardening water. This idyllic hippie lifestyle was frustrating at times for my younger brother and I. We had to ration water during times of drought, and there was limited electricity through winter.

But despite its shortcomings, I wouldn't have had it any other way. While the house was never perfect, it was always a part of the family. The house was built by my parents, and they were helped by family and friends. The mudbricks were mixed and baked, the stones in the lounge room floor were set by hand, the decking was built by dad. In the lounge room above the front door, my mum sculpted a sun out of mud and its serene face still watches over the house. There are long stained glass windows at either end of the house, which the sun lights up in the morning and evening. These windows were made by my grandpa. On the western side of the house high up near the ceiling, there are six beer bottles with green and brown glass, arranged inside the wall in a flower shape. As the sun sets every evening, these bottles glow, and it's another way this house beats its heart.

It took all this love to create the place, and memories keep filling it up. Dad helping Luke and I build the cubby house, balmy summer evenings picking strawberries in the vegie patch, lambs bleating in spring, that Christmas that was so hot that the meat was ruined when Mum took it outside, and all 'everydays' where nothing out of the ordinary happened. But aren't those the best of all? Like watching ABC TV after school with Luke, drinking Milo made by mum, and ignoring the noisy cicadas outside.

And all these events, memories treasured, and moments now forgotten have settled here, breathing even more life into it. My family has given this place a soul.