G’day from Australia

G’day mate! So I’ve finally made it to Australia. It’s funny as Australia has always been a country I said I’d never visit as I thought everything here could kill you. Snakes, spiders, plants... however I’ve heard too many cool things to not visit and met so many awesome Aussies that I had to check it out for myself. 

I was a bit anxious about the flight time but it was fine. Flight to Dubai was nice and easy, 7 hours then a mad dash to the gate to catch a 14 hour flight to Sydney. I was lucky to have a spare seat next to me so I could stretch out and sleep. 

I decided to stay at an Air BnB in Darlinghurst. It’s a great location. I arrived just before mid night and the kind taxi driver waited with me until I made it inside (had to figure out how to find the keys).

After waking up at 5:00am (and requesting a lullaby song to help me sleep from Peter, thank you baby) I managed to get a few more hours sleep before waking up and heading out for a jog. 

This seems to be a holiday ritual now. The first morning I wake up, I like to go for a jog to explore the local area. Sydney was no different and I headed to the botanical gardens for my run. 

The heat was pretty intense even at 8am but it felt great to stretch my legs after such a long time travelling. When I first caught a glimpse of the opera house over the harbour, it was breathtaking (and not just from the jogging!).

I decided to stop in the cafe in the gardens for some breakfast. The usual carrot cake and iced coffee. It’s so nice now being able to eat carrot cake and not feeling sad. For those who don’t know, carrot cake was the only thing I ate after Dean passed away and it was always my ‘go to’ food when I was sad about Dean. 

The gardens were so peaceful although there were lots of people exercising (Tai Chi anyone?) and enjoying the slightly cooler weather. 

After heading back to the apartment, it was time to freshen up before meeting my friend Jo. I haven’t seen Jo since we left school in 2002 so it was a long overdue catch up. 

We headed back to the botanical gardens. This time it was nice to simply wander around and take everything in. We headed towards the opera house and central quay. We decided to hop on the ferry to explore Manley. 

After a 30 minute ride, we arrived in Manley. It was super busy being a Sunday but it was so nice people watching and seeing families enjoying their weekend together outside. 

We headed to a restaurant overlooking the ocean to have some lunch. It was time to start on the Australian wine. I do love my kiwi wine but you can’t beat a good Australian Sauvignon blanc. 

After lunch we took a stroll along the beach and sat on some rocks. It’s been lovely catching up with each other and even hearing some gossip I totally missed at school - I do love karma. 

After a few hours chilling, it was time to hear back to the ferry. On the way back, we had some amazing frozen yoghurt - the flavours here are so good. In general the food is really good. Plenty of choice although a tad expensive. 

Cocktails overlooking the opera house were calling. We watched a storm clouds gather so much momentum. All the smaller clouds were drawn to the bigger cloud, it was majestic. 

The rain came down so fast and heavy. I do have this strange fear of thunder and lightning but thankfully it wasn’t too bad. The sky lit up over the opera house was pretty amazing. 

It felt like we hadn’t stopped all day and by the time I got back to my apartment, I’d walked over 32,000 steps. I was so beat and ready for bed. 

Strangely I woke up again at 5am. Peter (already preempting) had sent me another song (best boyfriend ever!) and I managed to get back to sleep for a few more hours. 

Today I’ve headed to Bondi Beach. It’s a lot quieter today being a Monday and the sea isn’t as rough as at Manley. I’ve been a little bit cautious so I’ve just paddled instead of going fully in, I just keep thinking of all the things that could be lurking beneath... I’ve listened far too much to Daddy. 

I hope you all have a lovely Monday. I’ll be thinking about you all on your morning commute whilst I catch a few more rays on the beach.