Christmas and New Year!

Hello all in 2009!

So we're getting towards the end of our stay in Sydney! I wish I'd been able to update this earlier as I can't remember what we've been up to. Seeing as none of you know though I could make it up and you'd be none the wiser. Hmmm.

Anyway. Christmas day. We woke up to a fairly overcast day. All of us from the dorm decided that a swim in the sea would be a good start to the day. THe water, however, was absolutely freezing so we beat a hasty retreat to the hostel to warm up. There was a bit of lunch provided by the hostel and so we sat and ate by the beach as the weather got steadily hotter. Many drinks were had (!) and we sat there chatting until 11pm when the police cleared the area. The atmosphere was fantastic - so many people on the beach, both tourists and locals, and there was no hassle at all.

The day was marred slightly at about 1am when a drunk lad threw himself accidentally from the 3rd floor balcony of our hostel. He was very lucky to land on a tin roof on the floor below, but he still fell a good 15m. James ended up doing the first aid, which can't have been fun, and we were all very proud of him for getting on with it and taking charge. The lad has ended up in hospital with severe internal damage. What a nice Christmas!

On boxing day we went to watch the start of the Sydney - Hobart yacht race leaving Sydney harbour - very cool.

On the 27th I was lucky enough to be taken for a wonderful dinner courtesy of James' parents (THANK YOU!) at Wildfire. We were seated looking directly at the Opera House, which was beautifully lit up. Stunning food and we both laughed like idiots the whole night. Fantastic =)

Hmmm losing detail as I run out of time! New Years Eve was a day and a half. We went to Cremorne Point at 11am to make sure we had a spot to view the fireworks from. It was completely manic with people getting horribly possessive over every square inch of space. The day passed pretty quickly. Thankfully we managed to get a good view of the fireworks and they were absolutely spectacular. Definitely worth the wait! I wish I could get some photos up, but these computers are rubbish and I can't. Promise I will soon though!

The journey back took up about 3.5 hours. We were really unlucky... got a broken bus, then a broken train, then had a big wait for our final bus. People who left 2 hours later than us got back to the hostel first! However we had an unforgettable night so no complaints!

Ok... the time is going. Had a grand day at Taronga Zoo with Jimbo today. We're off to New Zealand on the 5th. Still a few bits and bobs to do here.

Happy New Year to all our readers.. (and much love to Gran, who I know reads the blog avidly!).

xxx