Back to normality

It's a comment on modern life that we, collectively, rely so heavily on the internet that when you're not connected day to day routines become difficult. Without it you feel like the poor relation. That's how it's been for us since we've been here. But not any more - we're now connected! No more evening walks/drives up to the university campus to latch on to the wifi there. No more sneaky peaks at Facebook on the office PC over lunch time. Perhaps it's a comment on Australian inefficiency that it's taken 8 weeks from ordering to delivery but I won't bore you with the details. Regardless, we now feel normal.

Wilderness

We took our first trip out of Greater Sydney last weekend. It was quite an eye opener. We drove an hour and a half west to the blue mountains and by the time we got there it already felt like the wilderness. It's just a blip on the Australian map and it was easy to imagine miles and miles of the same nothingness all the way to Perth on the west coast (a mere 4000 km) Yes, I know I have a vivid imagination! See the photos below for a taste of the wild west.

Blue mountains photoset

Homesick??

Despite the feeling that things are finally slotting into place here (see previous posts!) it’s fair to say that the honeymoon period is over. We’ve been here two months now so perhaps our subconscious minds are realising that we’re not on a holiday after all and in fact we’re here for the long-haul. All three of us are feeling homesick to varying degrees and for various reasons, perhaps it’s the thought of Christmas away from friends and family that’s reinforcing this. However we realise that the best thing to do is to focus on all the positives of living here - and there are many (see previous posts!)

Yesterday slotted into the category of compensations!! Here’s how it went:

We set the alarm early to get out on the bikes before the traffic build up (starting the day early seems to be an Australian thing to do) and so Niall and myself were setting out under a clear blue sky by 7am. We rode the 20 miles out to the coast and stopped for coffee and warm muffins by an inlet, Church Point, with yachts and rowing boats in abundance. Then around a loop on smooth roads where cyclists were in the majority and cars were giving way for once. Returning home to find Ros resting after her morning run we dived into the swimming pool to cool off. A quick lunch and we were heading out to the coast again, this time in the car. We parked at Palm Beach (where Home and Away is filmed - apparently) to start a bush walk to Barrenjoey Lighthouse on a rocky promontory 400 metres above the beach. The immediate area was ravaged by bush fires a few weeks ago so it made for a strange landscape - black trees with no leaves but with green shoots of life sprouting from the ground. By way of contrast the walk back down to the beach was very lush and tropical - a testament to the effectiveness of the fire service here who must have contained the worst of the fire. We grabbed the things from the boot of the car and spent a couple of hours on the beach and in the surf. Niall now has a body board and he was perfecting his technique (aided by a brief expert demonstration from his dad). The day was still young as we drove down the coast towards home so we stopped off in one of the small towns, Avalon, for a bite to eat. We found an Asian street food restaurant and sat outdoors eating fish cakes, dumplings and tai green curry. The end to a perfect day!

I can't claim that every day is like this, the highlight the day before was a trip to Ikea for example, but we're determined to maximise the opportunities life here presents, it's a good balance.