Boxing day - Sydney Hobart race

In true Sydney sider style we celebrated boxing day with a leisurely start and then a picnic while we watched the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. What the photos just don't show is the number of boats that were in the harbour to watch the race, every boat bigger than a kayak was gathered round the starting track and created a whirlpool of waves around the heads as the big boats left the harbour for the open seas. We watched from Middle Head where we could hear the starters gun and see the boats do the full turn around the heads and south along the coast to Bondi.

Below you can see the boats curving to the right around the South Head and heading out to the open sea. The white water is not surf!! Its the wake caused by the hundreds of pleasure craft that watch the start.

The Myburghs bring Christmas

A collection of reindeer and Christmas elves came to visit last weekend.

And even better they brought roast lamb dinner!!! Christmas can come around any day!!

So good to have these guys close by.

Snorkeling at Manly

We have had another fabulous Sydney weekend with sun and sea featuring high in what we were up to. And this weekend was extra special because Ella had her first snorkel with Brendan!!! We have been waiting for her to be big enough to fit a mask so she could try and finally we found one small enough for her little face, and guess what she is a natural!! Face straight in, breathing and floating like she has always done it, even ducking under the water to get closer to the fish.

We celebrated with a snorkel at Manly's harbour side beach where there is a large netted swimming area. We had been told this was fabulous, not because you need the nets for safety, but because the bottom of the nets are filled with sea life and most particularly the Leafy Sea Dragon, a sea horse type creature without the twisty tail but with lovely dragon like lacy wings.

In th picture below you can just see Brendan's bottom on the surface as he ducks down for another look.

Well unfortunately no Sea Dragons but there were sea horses which we have never seen before and wonderful to see out of the aquariums. Also a cuttlefish snoozing on the sand, a pineapple fish and various other harbour residents. I am constantly amazed at the sea life in this very utilised and busy harbour! Well so many swims to look forward to in the future, so many islands and pools we can now explore as a family, how marvelous!

Ella's first day as a Balmoral Nipper

Brendan and I were so proud of Ella on her first outing as a Balmoral nipper!!

The beach was filled with nippers and lifesavers as far as the eye could see and our little group raced around filling buckets with water, crawling through tunnels on the obstacle course, doing tug of war, and racing for batons in the sand. Sand flying everywhere!!!

Getting ready for the baton race.

The O'Flynn's come to visit

We have just had a wonderful visit from Andrea and Abbie!!!

We all picked up right where we left off, Ella was so excited she just about burst on the way to the train station to fetch them.

We have had lots of fun touring around sydney with visits to the Aquarium and the beach, trips on the ferry and lots of fun, food and laughter.

Come back soon!!!

The beginning of summer

OCT 2007:

This was a magical late spring day - just warm enough to want to be on the beach but not hot enough for swimming yet.

Making the day really specialPatrick took Brendan and the kids for a spin in their boat, but while they were away I saw a school of dolphins playing just off the beach.

Spring has come to the rock pools too. We spotted a massive school of tiny fish from the balcony, literally thousands of finger size fish swarming around the rocks and being hunted by four persistant shad. The photo really doesn't do the volume of them justice.

At the same time we spotted these sea slugs in the rockpools, hundreds of them where a week before there were none, wonder how long they will stay around.