1. Coffee date with a girlfriend and the Faery, in my old neighbourhood - known as Little Italy. On the menu: one caffe latte pour moi, a babycino for the Faery, and toasted banana bread... with lashings of butter, of course.
2. & 3. First time ever on a ferry for Miss Pie. She was rapt: "I YOVE IT!"
4. Making the most of decent public transport; also Miss Pie's first time on a real train.
5. Beautiful thunderstorms! Sydney put on a couple of grand shows for us, which I wasn't expecting for that time of year. The fat raindrops smelled just as heavenly as I'd remembered.
6. More coffee, just the way I like it. Embarrassingly, a second cup would put me a bit on the jumpy side. Evidently, LA life has decreased my threshold for proper Sydney-strength espresso... but I made the most of it and barely a day went by without consuming it.
7. It was the perfect time of year for wattle galore. I couldn't get enough of that scent.
8. Harbour views from Taronga Zoo, this photo taken after my brother's wedding rehearsal. It was a glorious day to be out and about.
9. In Hyde Park, there was a busker with all kinds of balloon-blowing contraptions. We happened to be there on a quiet weekday (not sure what he was thinking?) and saw bubbles like I've never seen - large enough to swallow children. The girls had a blast playing along.
10. Driving on the left-hand side of the road again - kind of like riding a bike, I guess. It was less strange than I thought it would be, but you know what was a shock to the system? Sydney roads. Tiny, narrow, congested, and hardly ever a direct route from A to B. I never realised how crappy they were before - mind you, the majority of our time spent in Sydney was more innercity-terrain than suburbia.
Gorgeous - they are really lovely shots and great memories of your time here. I imagine looking at them now induces some pangs of homesickness.
ReplyDeleteThe streets really are something else. Being in Melbourne has spoiled me for that I think. Brisbane's streets are like Sydney's. If you don't know where you're going it's a bloody nightmare although at least that wasn't applicable in your case!
I noticed that when we lived in Melbourne - such neat, grid-like streets in general. Yes, I remember Brisbane streets... and those hills!
DeleteFirstly, Melbourne roads are the shiz. Hands down awesomest roads. I love Melbourne driving.
ReplyDeleteNB: I have never driven anywhere else. Not important.
Secondly, do you find LA driving easier than Sydney? This fascinates me. Tell me more.
Finally, your photos do something to my soul. I love your eye for things. So I shared it on the blog, oh yes I did.
And second finally, that photo of you three girls? KILLS ME. Love.
xxx
I never drove in Melbourne. Not having a car then was part of it, but you know me. Those hook turns in the CBD? Crazy. I wanted no part of that. I did appreciate the lovely straight, wide roads everywhere, though.
DeleteAnd yes, I do prefer driving in LA now. Bizarre, huh? Again, nice wide open roads. Easy navigation too, most the time. Generous centre turning lanes on all main roads, making (left) turns against traffic easy-peezy, without holding up the traffic. I just haven't - ahem - done freeways yet. Too chicken. I'll get there one day, but for my day-to-day stuff, I have no real need... and on the weekends, well, that's what husbands are for ;)
Shame about the drivers in my part of LA, though. A certain age, a certain ethnicity in particular... they are just shocking. I'm amazed I've only been rear-ended just the one time, and nothing more serious. So many close calls with idiots who don't seem to grasp the concept of a four-way stop sign (basically the same as a roundabout but with a complete stop, giving turn to the car on the right if they got there first), or pedestrians crossing. Or what an indicator is. Sigh.
Ha! Hook turns are RIDICULOUS, aren't they? I think they frighten everyone initially but they're only in a few places in the city so you get used to them - or avoid them altogether.
ReplyDeleteLA freeways = that hilarious scene from Clueless. I think I remember the roads being wide though, yeah.
I hope the driving angels stay with you. I can only imagine the craziness of LA drivers.
xx