- Needless to say, our Monday was a quiet day, whilst our legs and feet recovered from our walk...
Sunday morning was glorious. Even at 6am. In fact, more so at this time, as the crisp fresh air was untainted by the warmth of the day, but the sun was shining and the sky a glorious blue. (This was in stark contrast to the thick fog which had greeted us on Saturday morning, so thick that flights were cancelled, and we could hear ships horns all across the harbour.) And what better way to spend a lovely sunny Sunday? Walking! Not just any walk though, we had signed up for the Seven Bridge Walk. Organised by the Cancer Council NSW, this was the 9th year the walk was taking place. The route was a circuit around the harbour, taking in, not surprisingly, 7 bridges:
The walk passed through 7 villages, and each of these was a registration point and starting point, which was a great idea as it meant that the 15,000 or so walkers were spread out rather than everyone beginning at the same point. We started at the nearest point to us, Lane Cove Village, which was fantastically quiet. I had feared we would be queuing for quite a while to get our map and wrist band, but we were off walking in five minutes! We did pass a very busy point, at Milson's Point Village where people looked to be queuing for quite a while - worth remembering. Everyone walked in a clockwise direction, which meant less congestion too! Mostly consisting of walking on pavements, there were a couple of sections of bush walk, which not only broke up the concrete, but was lovely and cool. This respite from the sun was very welcome, as it was one of the hottest days we have had since being here - reaching nearly 32 degrees! What I really loved about the walk was the organisers firmly stated the walk was not a race - walkers were encouraged to stop for coffee or lunch, have a look around the various villages. You could do as much or as little of the walk as you wanted and free buses were laid on at various points. This meant everyone could have a go - from young to the old, from those not as fit, to the fitness freaks. Everyone could do their bit for charity. Not only was it a satisfying thing to do; it was also really interesting walking through suburbs we had never visited before, and noting down little gems of picnic spots, beaches, and restaurants for further exploration. We completed the walk in around 4 and a quarter hours. Not bad going I like to think!
There were a few blisters, and very sore and stiff legs, but an amazing feeling. I am not well enough to run marathons or even 10km races, but doing this, and for such a great cause, is a start! Needless to say, we did nothing but sit on our balcony that afternoon!
G'day my petit mates! I fear I am losing my Quebecois to this strange speaking country. Sorry, mum... We have had monsters up in the ceiling again!
I know! I'm sure Whiggin told me he had never had monsters in his ceiling, but I think it's the norm - we always have monsters of some kind or another in our roof. At least this one didn't wee on us. It was just plain noisy! It kept me awake for many nights in a row, running up and down, banging and scabbing and gnawing. What a tiring week that was! Apparently it was a Puss-um. Wait a minute - that sounds like a 'Strayan cat?! It's not? Oh. All is finally quiet, and I am hoping the monster has left us, but as I learnt in Montreal, it often comes back... I am so excited!!!
Today is the day our things are due to arrive into Sydney! Not only are they finally in the same country, but in the same city!! Now the waiting game is on to see how long it takes for them to go through customs... *** We did indeed take full advantage of their being a Canadian Bank Holiday on Monday, and drove North of Sydney on Sunday for a night away. It had taken us quite a time to choose where to go: in fact it took us an entire evening to whittling all the places we want to visit in driving vicinity of Sydney down to the Hunter Valley...then we had to decide which hotel. That took a ridiculously long time too - there was even a walk in-between - before we came to a decision. Sunday was a glorious day, bright blue skies and very warm, and we set out early to make the most of the day. We drove the scenic route to the Hunter Valley, which took slightly longer than the two-hour straight route, but we were in no hurry, and were far more interested in viewing some New South Wales countryside. Which was stunning. (I don't know why, but I had assumed the countryside in the whole of Australia - yes I know it's such a huge country it wouldn't all be the same - would be barren and uninteresting, but it is definitely not!!)
We stopped for a coffee in Wollombi, a pretty village with a coupe of shops and eateries, and a couple of stalls of homemade jams or sourdough bread set up in the shade by locals.
A little over a week ago, Albie and I were sat in the sitting room one evening when there was a gnawing sound around one of the spot lights above us. It moved to the other spot light, and then went back to the first - obviously the favourite light to chew. Albie has been making up for lost time with his miaow recently, so this, which made him stop and be quiet for once, as well as his goofy face and huge ears which had doubled in size at the sound, was highly amusing. Although great for Albie entertaining, this chewing of wires was not good, so I contacted our agent. Of course, this was on a Friday afternoon, so we had to wait over the weekend whilst they contacted Strata (the management company for our apartment block), who then contacted pest control, and so it was Tuesday when the pest control guy came out. In the meantime, from that Friday night, we experienced more than chewing...
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December 2015
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