Happy 2012!

Happy New Year!

Tonight we have had our first rain storm. And there was no fannying about- this was huge thunder claps and lightning flashes. The Von Trapp children would have gone mental. However, the storm is fine as we were all indoors and it made things a little cooler.

Yes,  this week while people are slowly returning to work after Christmas with all the wicked weather and wind in the northern hemisphere, my unemployed bum has rolled out into glorious hot (sometimes too hot!) sunshine and onto the beach (and other nice destinations).

Me on Forresters Beach, New Years Day

Last week of course was New Years Eve. We headed out to the Blue Mountains to have lunch with some friends, one of whom recently had a very cute baby called Leila (she couldn’t be anything else with such a name!) and is married to one of the band members of Cloud Control. You should listen to them, they are awesome!

 The Blue Mountains are absolutely stunning – as quoted from Wikipedia, ‘Volatile terpenoids emitted in large quantities by the abundant eucalyptus trees in the Blue Mountains may cause mie scattering and thus the blue haze for which the mountains were named.’

The back ‘garden’ of where we had lunch is the side of a rocky hill, with a dramatic drop to the valley at the back. Apparently there are also lots of snakes there, but gladly we did not see any..!

Josh and Elise in the 'back garden' 

Initial plans were to celebrate NYE on the beach, but instead we stayed in Parramatta, got a bit giddy on tequila, Loz and Josh showed me how to dance ‘skanking’ (no, that is NOT a pseudonym, it’s a mad way of dancing) and then we headed out for fireworks. There were local Parra fireworks on the river at 9pm –  and then we headed to Ashfield park with bubbly and sparklers for a full (albeit, distant) view of the Sydney harbour fireworks. Amazing!

Lauren and myself on the way to Ashfield Park

Josh showing up the 'historical' convict built drain in Parramatta, NYE

Instead of the traditional New Years Day spent in a 7.5 tonne truck with Paddy Wagon driving back from Newcastle feeling happy but slightly worse for wear (go Team Truck!) or feeling hungover as hell holding onto the couch for dear life while Julie Andrews sings ‘A Spoonful Of Sugar’ on the telly, this year I went to the beach. And it was bloody lovely. Loz and Josh have a friend who owns a holiday house on Forresters Beach, north of Sydney on the Central Coast. Even when we got to beach at 4.00pm it was warm enough to head down to the sand and have a quick swim. Crystal clear waters and soft sand.

That night we ate kangaroo bolognaise. Yum.

Forresters Beach

My Feet, Forresters Beach, 1st January 2012

Alix, Lauren and me on Forresters Beach

Next day, headed off to a party on the rooftop of a flat on Bronte beach. Bronte is just down from Bondi beach and has a huge cemetery! We struggled to find parking so had to walk across it to get to the party. There was some tall wall climbing to get through it and various body part were accidently exposed in the wind..

Me, rooftop garden, Bronte

 Bronte Beach, 2nd January 2012

 Met some really lovely people, sipped cold beer and had a BBQ before heading to the beach for a quick dip. I scooted off early to head into central Sydney, where (with the Opera House in full view in the background) I had reunion with the lovely Cat Dillon who I know from South Manchester Operatics. We laughed and talked crudely for hours over dinner. I’d started to feel a little homesick but she totally brought me back up.

If you ever get the chance to see the work of Rafael Lozano Hemmer – jump at it. He uses modern technology to engage the viewer into his work. The Museum of Contemporary Art currently has a collection of his work called ‘Recorders’. It explores the use of surveillance technology which can be entertaining, but has a darker background in an Orwellian sense of being watched and traced. It basically records all your patterns as you roam around the exhibition. One large room is full of hanging light bulbs – there is a device that you hold onto for 15 seconds which measures your heartbeat- once you let go the entire room goes dark except for one bulb, which them mimics your heart rate. Another room has tape measures which grow as more people walk in, another has microphones you speaks into which then repeat the message the previous person said.. maybe you have to be there to enjoy it, but I thought it was fascinating.

Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney

Interesting street art, Sydney

That was the start of my tourist day out in Sydney. I sipped iced coffee, ate fresh sushi and just wandered around, strolling into the occasional shop.. we were down the coast yesterday in Woollongong and hanging out in Parra today, but I plan to head into Sydney again tomorrow. 

Typical tourist photo of Circular Quay

Other less touristy activities include drinking G&T and becoming hooked to the TV series 'Big Love'. About polygamist Mormons. Lot's of sister wife jokes made in the household.

 I also went to the bank today to get all my money stuff sorted. The man serving me was like Daniel from ‘The Angry Boys’. I kid you not.. he is not doing himself any favours to get away from stereotypes (see video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuU_v0P-q2c 

And I killed a big cockroach (..but I did not shoot the deputy..).

This weekend, I have a day of work marshalling for a show called ‘As The World Tipped’ by Wired Aerial Theatre (from Liverpool) as part of The Sydney Festival. http://www.astheworldtipped.com/ There’s a real buzz in the city with the opening of the festival, so I’m really looking forward to working on it!

Next stop, try and find a job.. (and have a birthday)