Sunset from Hill House, Mount Helen. February 2024

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

I seem to be in Sydney

So we trundled down to Melbourne, having first potted up the marmalade (which I think may need re-boiling on Friday when we get back to Ballarat - I'm not sure that it is properly set).  Then we mooched out to Clifton Hill to collect Jacob and take him to cricket training in Ivanhoe.  The Builder stayed to help with ball retrieval and a bit of bowling at Jacob while Lindsey and I proceeded purposefully to Heidelberg to collect supplies for steak night.

Zoy came for steak night :-)  So did Ant and Jess.  Plus all the usual suspects.

Tuesday saw Lindsey, The Builder and me out for an pleasant early morning walk before breakfast, then The Builder and me for a pleasant walk through the park back to Carlton where we met Robert for a delicious lunch in Donnini's on Lygon Street.  Then we went for a pleasant stroll up and down Lygon with Robert before sending him on his way, pootling about in Readings, meeting Lindsey on Elgin Street, driving out to the airport and relocating to Sydney.  Where Lindsey, Ian, The Builder and I went for a pleasant evening stroll along the waterfront and out around the opera house.

I think The Builder's feet are about to go out in protest. He can't cope with all the pleasantness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't been to Sydney for about 40 years.  I'm sure I haven't.  I remember coming in my mid-teens but I can't think that I've been since. I didn't come when Lindsey and Ian lived here for a year 30 or so years ago.  I didn't come 20 years ago when Ross brought the children to play while I was doing library school things for a few days in Canberra.  I really don't think I've been since I came to stay with some family friends when I was about 15.

Ian had to come up yesterday for a couple of days on business, so Lindsey, The Builder and I came to play too.  And I have to say that around the harbour is a very pleasant place for a couple of days holiday.  The Queen Elizabeth liner is in town (we can see her from our apartment).  So too is the Queen Mary 2 , which we can't see.  Their simultaneous presence is generating a very considerable degree of excitement amongst Sydneysiders.  There were lots and lots of people out armed with cameras and tripods last night. One of them is due out at about midday today, the other later in the afternoon. It might be worth hanging around when the QE goes out - it would be interesting to see how they get such a big boat out of its little berth!!

It is a little disconcerting when you have landed on the ground on your plane, taxied to the parking bay, the seat belt signs go out, and just as The Builder is opening the overhead locker to get down the bags - a dolorous, grave voice comes on and quite loudly, but slowly and earnestly declaims "This is an emergency announcement".  I mean - what kind of emergency can you have when you are stationary at a parking bay?  One, it seems, which requires oxygen.  The Earnest Man said so.  For technical reasons we needed to breathe oxygen normally, while the plane descended to lower altitudes.  Not sure how much lower than the ground it is desirable for a plane to descend!!!!!!!!!  And on he intoned, to the giggles of the somewhat surprised passengers.  I think the crew were surprised as well!  A somewhat surprised First Officer came on and said we should ignore him.  Which we were doing anyway.  But the Earnest Man kept on and on and on. Eventually the crew turned him down, since they clearly couldn't turn him off!!!!!!!

We have  decided to keep breathing oxygen normally, indefinitely.  And I think that makes it Lindsey's third, failed attempt to knock us off (exploding coke, suicidal wine glass, withdrawal of oxygen supplies).  I'm not sure she makes the world's most effective secret assassin.

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