Saturday - 101107

How's it going?

I can't be long: the pool beckons. We are all due to go out for a meal tonight and I need to do a lot of swimming to rejuvenate myself. I am exhausted from all the dancing (and drinking) of 'Kylie Night'. Actually, 'Kylie Night' turned out to be one Kylie song mimed to by a drag queen and there were no free giveaways (as advertised) so we all feel a bit cheated! I can't remember what time I got in but I do recall waking up on the bed at 4.45am thinking it would probably be a good idea to get undressed and into bed. So I did.

The weather is gorgeous today which is the opposite of what was forecast. Hopefully, it will be as good tomorrow for we are planning a trip to the Blue Mountains. I have been told I CANNOT and am NOT ALLOWED to leave Australia without seeing them. So I had better go - or perhaps I had better not!

Yesterday, the weather was so so but I went to Manly anyway. Manly is a suburb on the other side of the harbour and was given its name by one of the Governor's after he saw the masculine aspect of the Aborigines there. It bills itself as 'seven miles from Sydney, a thousand miles from cares'. Yes.

I walked down to the bay and then along the beach. The weather was not good enough to go swimming and as the billboards broadcast after all the rain this week it would not have been wise to swim anyway given the 'pollution' situation. As I overheard an Englishman say as he read the notice: 'the sea will be full of poo and floating nappies.' Indeed.

Nevertheless, I did go paddling and dodged all the washed up blue jellyfish. There were lots of surfers, quite far out and it was great to see them doing their thang as the surf got higher and higher. I can understand why Australians are so obsessed with surfing - the thrill of the waves must be addictive.

Getting back to Circular Quay just before 5pm I walked back to the flat and photographed the rest of the things in the Domain I want you to see. I'll get the pics uploaded when I can.

I spoke to Mummy. She said: 'I like the story about the old woman.'

Her saying that reminded me of something of the exchange which I failed to put in the blog entry so here it is as a form of encore. When I posed for the photograph she took of me, she came out with:

'Now don't stand there all stiff. Relax - put your leg up or something.'

Indeed.

I sent some more postcards yesterday. Quite difficult really to think what to put when I have done this blog but I did manage to mention on some - only in passing of course - that when we went to the Opera House we had champagne in the Opera House Bar beforehand. This is the life!

Hope you all have a good weekend and regretting that this time next week I shall be back in Blighty.