An Autumn Afternoon

The summery Autumn weather has gone and the cool wintery weather has arrived. We put on our sweaters and went for a walk around the Underwood Park Wetlands.

The afternoon sun lit up the trees against the dark water.

Children were enjoying feeding the ducks.

I loved the colours that appeared in the water when I uploaded this shot.

We're on the Wrong Ferry

How silly can you be?
During our stay in Sydney we were invited by Julie of Sydney Eye to a luncheon with some other bloggers. After an enjoyable meeting, lunch and view of the harbour it was time to find our way back to our daughter's apartment in Vaucluse. It was a short walk down the hill to Circular Quay. We knew to catch the Watson's Bay Ferry from terminal 4 and alight at Rose Bay. Sounds easy. When we arrived, there was a ferry leaving for Cremorne, so we knew not to catch that one. The next ferry came on the other side of the terminal but the indicator board was blank. We assumed it was the correct boat and boarded. To our dismay it turned west instead of east and we knew something was wrong. DOH! The silly seniors were on the wrong ferry. So we had a half hour tour of the harbour and ended up back at Circular Quay.  We had to wait another half hour for the Watson's Bay Ferry. So I looked around for something to photograph.

The big Manly Ferry left. The opera house became visible.

This time the indicator boards were working and we were at Rose bay in fifteen minutes, where our daughter picked us up and drove us home. Thank goodness for mobile phones.

EXCITING HOMECOMING

After spending three weeks in Sydney we were sad to say goodbye to family but very excited to be coming home because we knew we would have a brand new kitchen when we arrived. We have fantastic neighbours, Joanne and Keith. They have a kitchen manufacturing business called "Kitchen Magic." Earlier this year we asked them if they would renovate our kitchen while we were away. We spent a few days together planning and choosing appliances. We also wanted the floor fixed and relaid. It was not level and squeaked. Keith organised someone to to do that for us as well. Before we left for Sydney we emptied the kitchen cupboards into cartons and put them in the back room. I quickly took some shots of the 20 year old kitchen before we left.

Keith and Joanne picked us up at the airport. (How kind is that?) They were excited too as they wanted to see our faces when we saw the new kitchen and floor.

Wow! We were very happy with it. They had cleaned all the dust out of the house too.

Before

After

We have to paint the walls now. I'm thinking of a soft blue. A big thank you to Joanne and Keith, the best neighbours, who looked after our house and renovated it while we were away, and ferried us to and from the airport.

Last Days at Bondi Beach

After we left Carol and David's place at Vaucluse, we stayed with Sonya and Bernie for a few days at Bondi Beach before leaving for home in Brisbane. Little Fox is one week old he is getting to know his Grossvati.

"I love you Grossvati."

Later the Midwife came to give Mum and baby a check up. He had to be stripped to be weighed. He is doing well and is only a tad lower than his birth weight which is normal. 

Sleep deprived parent.

Fox gets a visit from Pepper (5 months), their mummies have been friends since this age too.

Proud Grossvati is itching to take "buebli' for a walk in his new pram. Unfortunately, it poured with rain just as we had started to walk. So we returned home and pushed him around the apartment.

The next day we flew home. It was sad to say goodbye to our first grandchild and our daughters but nice to be home again.

Last Day at Vaucluse

We stayed at Carol and David's apartment in Vaucluse while we came to Sydney for Sonya to give birth.

We woke to a beautiful sunrise and view.

The clouds built up and the rain came down. Waterfalls appeared where none were a few minutes ago.

After a rainy day it cleared and we went to Rose Bay ferry terminal to meet Carol coming home from work.  She commutes to the CBD on the best transport, a hydrofoil.

Here she comes on the gangplank.

BABY, BUBELI

Last Tuesday we visited the hospital.

Little Fox has his first bath and Mum is concerned about his crying when he was stripped. He has a plastic wrap over the cannula in his tiny hand. (Awwww) 

After the bath he soon calms down in Dad's safe hands. " Three Boys, Three Generations"

Then its time for cuddles and "pass the parcel." Aunty Carol is first, she adores him and wants to take him home for herself.

Then its Grossvati's turn, a bit hesitant at first but then he's besotted. Grossvati has given Fox the nickname of Bubeli (pronounced booebelie is Swiss for "little boy")

Words can't describe this.

Our Bubeli

Like all parents, they think he is the most beautiful baby in the world.

WATERSPOUT

It was a cold and stormy day yesterday. We were blogging away when our SIL, David said, "Hey, look out of the window."

This is what we saw...I grabbed the camera and was lucky to get these shots from the balcony. Waterspouts are mini tornados, they usually lose momentum before coming to land.

A Full Day with Bloggers, a Teenage Sailor and a Baby.

Last Saturday we went to the city by ferry to meet some Sydney bloggers for lunch.

It happened to be the same day that 16 year old Jessica Watson returned to Sydney after sailing solo around the world non stop and unassisted. She is the youngest person to have done this.

Sydney siders came out in droves to welcome her home. (to Australia, she actually lives in Buderim  near Brisbane) However she was running behind schedule to the strong winds and choppy seas outside the harbour.

So we didn't stay as we had a lunch date with the bloggers. However, we were a little early so we stopped by this Belgian Chocolate Cafe for a hot chocolate and I thought of my Belgian blogger friend Gattina and wished she could be meeting with us too.

We walked to The Rocks area and then tried to find the Glenmore Hotel. We were going off course when blogger Joan recognised me from my blog and called out to us. She then lead us to the right place. After climbing many, many stairs we found the Rooftop Restaurant and a magnificent view of the harbour. 

Soon everyone had arrived and it was a fun time meeting each other and chatting mostly about blogs, bloggers and cameras. (I wonder why). This photo was taken by another patron with Julie's camera.

The happy bloggers are from L to R are Bill, Diane, Jim, Julie (the organiser), Ann, Joan, Michelle and Peter.

After lunch and many hours late we saw Jessica sailing into the harbour with a flotilla of well wishers and a water canon boat leading the way. She will land next to the Opera House, where thousands of people are waiting.

Her tiny pink yacht, "Ella's Pink Lady" is on the left under the Opera House roof.

She was a brave clever girl to be able to complete this challenge in such a tiny boat 10 m long. Apparently she was knocked over many times in rough seas.

On the way home we called in to the hospital to see our newest member of the family but he wasn't very interested.

Proud Grandparents

Fox William born 13 May 2010

Poor little fellow had a temperature due to an infection, he was treated with antibiotics a few hours after this shot and is under observation for the next 48 hours. He has responded well so far.

SYDNEY SUNSET

The other evening, Carol and David took us up the hill to the next suburb called 'Dover Heights' to a small park where we could watch the sun set over the city.

I preferred to use the telephoto lens rather than wide angle, therefore I couldn't get the city and the bridge in one picture, so you'll get two pics.

Local children were playing football and people were walking their dogs in the park without looking at the magic being woven in front of them, they are so used to this scene every evening. I turned my back on the scene and saw......

this house across the road from the park. Wow! What a view they must have.

The sun slipped away .....

and the sky deepened....

providing a variety of canvases.

Coastal Clifftop Walkway

When we stayed with Carol and David on the weekend at Vaucluse, Sydney, they were keen to take us on the clifftop walk to Watson's Bay in Sydney Harbour. The harbour's real name is Port Jackson but most people know it as Sydney Harbour.

So we set off about 11:00am and followed the path along the cliff tops facing the Pacific Ocean. It took a long time because we kept stopping to take photos of the terrific scenery. 

Above we are looking back from where we came in the south.

We passed the Maquarie Lighthouse, the first lighthouse built in Australia. I had to capture it through a chain wire fence hence the angle. 

Out at sea there was a tall ship, it reminded us of how it must have looked when Captain Arthur Phillip  sailed into the harbour in 1788 to start the first settlement.

We walked further north and came to the heads. We are on South head looking at North Head.

Then we could see down the harbour.....

towards the city and the bridge. It is a breathtaking view. Next Saturday, Jessica Watson our 16 year old sailor will sail in here after sailing solo, non stop around the world. The harbour will be full of well wishers, it will be a big celebration for the youngest sailor ever to do this.

We strolled down from the cliff tops to Watson's Bay, the first bay in the harbour.

We had a cool drink there before heading back.

One last look down the harbour to the city, then we climbed back up to the cliff top walk. 

After the long walk we were happy to see the apartment block where Carol and David live, in the middle level behind the tree.