Favourite movies watched (2007)

• Apocolypso (2006)
• Blood Diamond (2006)
• Rob Roy (1995)
• Zodiac (2007)
• I am Legend (2007)
• Children of Men (2006)
• Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
• Ratatoulle (2007)
• Into the Wild (2007)
• The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
• Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Sammy starts "Big School"

Wow, how the circle turns! Doesn't Sammy look gorgeous in her new uniform? And lots of room in that satchel for all her books. Go Sammy, go!

Nice photo of Jo

Collage of Sam and Matty

I'm very excited that Jo is not only now putting up pix on the web, but also becoming a fundi at Picasa. Isn't this collage great! The pictures were taken at Llandadno, my favourite beach in Cape Town. Some more pictures at the beach here. Also some great pix of Matthew's birthday.

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Ally's birthday picnic

We had a lovely picnic on the lawn outside our flat to celebrate Ally's birthday. Thanks to all those who sent such lovely birthday messages. And especially to Una for sending beautiful lillies all the way from London!! They made Ally's day.

Houseboating in Hawkesbury River

We just spent an idyllic 3 days houseboating with Doug and Claudia, Linda and Dan. Amazing food, beautiful scenery and lots of time to chill out. It was a great get away.

Swimming off the boat. The water was suprisingly warm. There were some jellyfish to avoid but all part of the fun.

As with all Dough and Claudia outings, the food was splendid and we did little but eat. Each couple was responsible for a day. Ally excelled with her Yoghurt and Cumin Lamb and prawns wrapped in pancetta ham on the barbie. Went down like a house on fire.

What would a boat trip be without a leap from the boat.

On our final night, we had a Bond night were we dressed up in "costumes" and played poker. Guess who cleaned up? Yes, Ally!! She's quite the poker player and spent the evening accumulating everyone's chips.


Ally and me in our Bond outfits. Can you see my bow tie?



And here is the whole group. We had an enormous boat, equipped for ten people, so were spoiled with lots of space.



Relaxing on the beaches along the river.

We all did a fair amount of fishing. But only Dan caught any fish - 7 of the blighters!! What we were all doing wrong is anyone's guess.

These crabs only have one claw each. Who needs two hands when one will do.

All her fish catching made Dan very popular with the local pelican.

Beautiful it was.

Doug trying hard.

Beautiful sunsets.

Ally's new T-shirt - a present from the Fletchers.

And my boogey board - a Xmas present from Ally. Perfect colour and message for Bondi Beach!

Driving the boat was a lot of fun. Had to be particularly careful aiming through the bridges.

A very cheeky jump in the lake by Dan. Needless to say, she was a lot of fun...

Wow! Go Sam

I am very impressed! We have a budding gymnast in the family. Check out the determination...

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The Prestige

My ultimate movie experience is a movie that grabs you by the short and curlies from the first frame, doesn't let go for its entire duration and then leaves you with a series of twists and revelations that leave you gasping for breath. "Sixth Sense", "Memento" and "The Usual Suspects" are three such experiences that come along once in a blue moon.

Well, I'm delighted to report I've just added another such movie to my list and its called "The Prestige" Directed by Christopher Nolan (director of two of my favourite movies: Memento and Batman Begins) and , starring Michael Caine, Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson, it is about two magicians who become obsessed in their rivalry to perform the ultimate trick. Everything about the movie is just perfect: acting, plot, script and mood.

In summary, go see it!! I'l be watching out for the next Christopher Nolan movie with excitement - the man is a genius.

Matt re-enacting the Sydney fireworks

An email from Jo with picture attached. "Here is a picture of Matt with his fireworks. Careful, almost as good as the Sidney ones!! "
I love it :)
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2007 Highlights

Settling into Sydney life and trips to Cape Town and Northern Queensland

Best images for 2007
Favourite family photos 2007

Priceless Moments

• Watching the Sydney fireworks for the first time on New Year's eve.
• Houseboating on The Hawkesbury River with Doug and Claudia.
• Fooling around with my work mates at Blackglass.
• Working on Fabricmatcher where I could really get to use my creativity.
• Getting the ferry into work each day - a great way to start the day.
• The friendly parrots who are from our hands from the window.
• Bendan and Eva arriving in Sydney and getting to swim off the rocks at their wonderful house.
• The triumphant victory of the Springboks in the Rugby World Cup and getting to celebrate with a leap.
• Dorothy from Volvo came to stay with us. 
• Getting my beautiful 300 mm lens.
• Dinner at the revolving Tower Restaurant with Roger and Lucy.
• Paddle skiing at Manly.
• Going to Cape Town for Colleen and Steve's wedding.
• Death defying leaps at Myburgh's Ravine with Russell.
• Celebrating Sam's birthday with her at her Brats party.
• Walking from Bondi Beach to Coogee - what beautiful scenery!
• A wonderful holiday to North Queensland (Daintree and Cape Tribulation) and getting to see a platyus and take lots of bird photos.
• Camping at Capertee Valley, a famous spot for birds.
• Seeing The Three Sisters at The Blue Mountains for the first time.
• Photographing the Sydney Opera House with Craig.
• Visiting Bobbin Head for the first time and seeing the mangrove crabs.
• A day out at Palm Beach with Ally and Kerri.
• Taking photos of stilts at Bicentennial Park  with my new 500 mm lens.
• Two trips to the wonderful Royal National Park. 
• An exciting pelagic trip where I got to take photos of albatrosses.
• Watching Priscilla Queen of the Desert. 
• Dressing up for a fun Bogan party.
• Xmas with Ally's Australian family in Brisbane and getting our faces painted.

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2007 in more detail


2007 has not been quite as eventful as 2006 on the experience front but that's hardly suprising considering we were not travelling for 6 months of it! It certainly has had its fair share of highlights though.


Work
On the work front, 2007 was a year of knuckling down and often (certainly in the first half of the year) putting in long hours. Not that work was all slog and no play. We merged with Ixion to form "Blackglass" and I got to enjoy a whole new bunch of zany work mates - and we had some really hilarious moments. The Christmas party was also a lot of fun. As was our Melbourne Cup lunch.

The work itself also had its fun sides. The project I think I enjoyed most was developing Fabricmatcher - a one stop shop for designing quilts and dresses online. Other memorable clients included Dulux, Hansons, La Trobe University, Virtual Medical Centre, Hot Dockets and Spring Day.

Another aspect of work I enjoyed tremendously (believe it or not!) was the daily commute. Getting the the ferry to Darling Harbour provided a wonderful low stress way of getting to and from work with beautiful sunsets thrown in. And being situated right in the centre of town was a great lifestyle location close to lots of lunch spots and camera shops (for lots of browsing and occasional buying).


Fireworks
The year began with an enormous bang with some wonderful New Year's fireworks at Mc Mahon's Point (enjoyed in style from the comfort of Blues Point Towers) and we had lots of fun with Doug, Claudia and Matt.

Later on in the year, we also got to enjoy the Australian Idol Fireworks over the Sydney Opera House. Beautiful.


Living at Mc Mahons Point
We have really enjoyed living in our flat at Mc Mahons Point - and particularly sharing it with wonderful Kerry who moved to Sydney in March. Mc Mahon's location is pefect, 3 minutes from the ferry landing, with access to beautiful picnic spots on the lawn , close to the Opera House (by day and night) and Luna Park and a beautiful public pool for swimming.

It is also close to where the action is, be it views of the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary when they came to stay, the festivities of the Harbour Bridge's 75th birthday . And to finish things off: friendly parrots who eat from our hands from the kitchen window.


Doug and Claudia
Talking of Doug and Claudia; they have been wonderful friends. Early in the year, we spent an awesome 3 days with them houseboating on the Hawkesbury River. We also weekended at Hunter Valley where we pigged out on wine, cheese and delicious chile pickle. We had a relaxing day on their new Tinnie but didn't have much luck in the fishing department!

It was very special to celebrate Mother's Day with the Fletchers and it was particularly sad and poignant for us when Doug's mum passed away from cancer later in the Year. We will always remember her very fondly as our "mum away from home" and memories of our yacht trip and Xmas 2005 will always be fondly remembered.

We were delighted for Doug and Claudia when their first child, little Lucas was born - what a cutie he is.


Brendan and Eva
2007 was the year that Bendan and Eva arrived in Sydney , much to our delight. We enjoyed many a delicious meal at their beautiful place in Mosman, celebrated the victory of the Springboks in the Worldcup Rugby (Go Bokke!) and I got to take some photos of Rebecca, Abigale and Ella at Manly and the beach at Mosmon.

One of my favourite moments was trying out the wine that Brendan and Eva made on their farm in Melbourne the year before last. Delicious it was. Ally also got to introduce Eva to beading and she became a convert. Eva now has her own blog using blogger. Good to know I'm in good company! Ella is as cute as ever and we got to share some fun swims.


Visitors to Sydney
We were also very excited when Dorothy from Volvo came to stay . With her, we enjoyed the Manly Scenic Walk, the beauty of Rose Bay, Yum Chow in China Town and the Sidney Fish Market. It was great to see Dorothy again.

2007 was also the year that Roger (Boet) and Lucy came to stay. They are based in Melbourne. On their visit to Sydney, we enjoyed an outing to Manly and had dinner at the revolving Tower Restaurant . What an excellent meal it was and the 360 degree views were superb.


Family Events
There were also some big life events for our family in Cape Town this year. Sammy started "big school" and looked cute as a button in her school uniform. We were very excited to be in Cape Town in April when Sam had her Brats birthday party. Mike was re-united this year to his family and he got to see his grandkids - very special. Also Rolo joined the family and grew very fast . Mum and Mike moved to their new flat - and are comfortably settled after some initial hiccups. Poor Robyn had a tough time this year with injured shoulder and wrist. We hope 2009 is a much better year for her! On the London front, Bronwyn and Mark got married this year and we are delighted for them.


Our visit to Cape Town
While we were in Cape Town, we also attended Colleen and Steve's wedding. It was a very special event and we are delighted for them both. Before flying back, I also got to climb Myburgh's Ravine with my best mate, Russel, who we miss terribly. Russel had an interesting year as always, starring in Hollywood movies and leaping in Lesotho . He has now moved to London to be re-united with Colleen and Steve and Dave, to mention but a few.


Sport - or lack of it
On the sport front this year, we attended a few games at the Sydney Stadium including the Sydney Swans verse the West Coast Eagles and the TriNations . Then of course there was our glorious World Cup Rugby win.

From an exercise year, 2007 was a rather sedentary year. I joined gym but never really got into it. I bought a bike but have not ridden it much. Towards the end of the year, I took up paddle skiing and that's been more of a success. I'm enjoying it immensely.


Outings around Sydney
We had several fun outings too as we explored Sydney and her surrounds. Our walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee was awesome. There was our trip to the Blue Mountains where we had our memorable view of The Three Sisters. We visited the beautiful Bobbin Head, Palm Beach and the Cumberland State Forest. Also Deep Creek , Bicentennial Park and two trips to the wonderful Royal National Park. We also enjoyed the Sydney Noodle Market and North Sydney movie festival. And there were some photographic safaris to Taronga Zoo. Not to mention a fantastic (if rather nausea inducing) Pelagic trip to see Petrels and Albatrosses and a great weekend in Capertee Valley.


Holiday
We had a wonderful holiday to North Queensland this year - an idyllic two weeks of birding, exploring forests and mangroves, resting and lazing on the beach.


Nostalgia
2007 was a year of nostalgia and special memories. Mum found a whole stack of letters from childhood and old essays which are now on the blog. Also, we had Gramp's war stories transcribed. Not to mention the fact that I got in touch with a whole bevvy of old class mates and friends through Facebook which grew like wildfire this year.


House Hunting
We did lots of house hunting - must have seen over 75 houses on an array of Saturdays. The perfect house (Number 57!) came along but we were not quick enough in putting in an offering - gutting. Since then we have not found the right one. We'll be continuing to look in 2008.


Entertainment
On the entertainment side Potter mania ruled this year. We got to read JK Rowlings final book and it did not disappoint. We also watched the 5th movie. A big highlight was our enjoyment of the musical, Priscilla Queen of the Desert . What a fun show - one we can heartily recommend! We also went to some great parties at friends - the most memorable was our Bogan party.


Xmas 2007
We spent Xmas with our Australian family in Brisbane.


Wildlife and Nature Outings

• Holiday to North Queensland
• North Queensland
• Scary spiders - and here
• Blue Mountains
• Pelagic trip
• Bobbin Head
• Deep Creek
• Bicentennial Park
• Royal National Park
• Capertee Valley

Life Goals Achieved this Year

• Identify 1000 birds in the wild
• See a sea eagle
• Explore the Great Barrier Reef
• See a duck-billed Platypus in the wild

Favourite Movies

• The Prestige
• Into the Wild
• Pan's Labyrinth
• Children of Men
• The Illusionist
• Apocolypso

Favourite Reads

• Lee Child's Jack Reacher series (brilliant!)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (JK Rowling)
• Cider House Rules (John Irving)

Looking Ahead

• We are looking forwards to a great 2008, particularly our trip to New Zealand in March with Mum and Mike.

Related

• Spiritual journey (2007)

Sydney New Year Celebrations

Oh wow, we had the most fabulous New Year's Eve. Not suprising since we are living in the best place in Sydney to view the fireworks. Ring side seats from our flat window without moving a muscle.

Literally thousands of people descended onto the parks around our flat to watch but we were protected from the hordes by specially erected fences around the property. Doug, Claudia and Mat came to celebrate with us and needed special cards to get in.

We had a relaxing and delicous dinner in the comfort of our flat while the thousands below fought and jostled for position. Then we ambled down to watch the fireworks from our flat parking lot so we could take in the atmosphere.

The anticipation of the crowds was electric and hundreds of boats also arrived in the bay to watch. When they arrived, the firework show was truly breathtaking - 3 tonnes of rockets went into the sky - $ 11 million worth. A pyromaniacs wet dream.

In true organised Aussie style, there were two shifts of fireworks - one at 9 pm for the kids and then the grande finale at midnight. Only problem was that when the families left after the first shift, others were arriving for the late show and there was something of a crush - to the extent that there were parents handing their kids over the fence of our flat to protect them. Then the police moved in and strict laws were enforced. Hundreds were held back and not allowed into the park.

And of course, we were watching all the furore from our safe and spacious confines - oh the life!!

Below you can see the hordes of people - a view from our kitchen window. Many arrived before 10 am in the morning to ensure a good position - some even set up tents. Oh how they suffered through the hot and windy day while we watched from our shady apartment.





Here we are enjoying the atmosphere in the park outside our flat.


Of course, I had my camera out in an attempt to capture the spectacle. Very hard it is capturing fireworks - I had to do some research on the web to find the settings. Mostly its just trial and error - I clicked through the entire show and only got about 5 good shots. Thank goodness for digital!



The bridge of course was a centre piece in the spectacle with the Opera House in the background. Often in the UK we would watch the Sydney New Year celebrations on TV (Australia is of course one of the first to celebrate) - and I had to pinch myself that we were actually now here watching it first hand.



As the show proceeded, the firebursts got larger...

...and larger. The fireworks were not just over the bridge but in dozens of spots along the river and at one time the entire Sydney skyline was lit up. Photos of such event was unfortuntely hopelessly over exposed. Next year!

After the fireworks there was pandemonium as thousands started the hard work of making their way home. The river too was a flurry of activity as all the boats too headed for home. We ambled to the lift and made our own epic journey to the 14th floor.

Ally and I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy 2007 - may it be rewarding, healthy and fun and filled with laughter.

Video Highlights
Mature behaviour at posh dinner party

Before the fireworks

The fireworks show

Our friends again

It gives me such a thrill having these little fellows drop by our balcony to say hello. The bridge in the background is the Anzac Bridge, second only to the Harbour Bridge in its architectural splendour. I drive across it to go to work every morning.

Fishing in Sydney Harbour

I woke up at 5 am to join Doug and Claudia on an exciting fishing expedition - something I haven't done since I was 7 years old. We hired a motor boat in Rose Bay for $20 an hour (what a steal!) and spent an idyllic morning exploring the harbour and fishing to our hearts content.

Dad taught me how to cast when I was a very young pup - and must have taught me well, for I still remember vividly how to do it. My memories of tieing fishing knots are not quite so steadfast and I needed some patient reminding from Doug .

I'll never forget my first fising expedition with dad. After learning how to set up my rod, I cast into the Uilenskraal Lagoon and literally 50 seconds later pulled out a 3 kg steenbras. Exhilerating it was. After that, I never caught another thing, despite many hours of trying. Talk about beginners luck!



Here is Claudia with her Xmas present. Doug bought her the net, a rod and a full fishing box of tackle and wrapped it all individually. Talk about a clever present. In our relationship, it would be the equivalent of me buying Ally a set of camera lenses!! Not a bad idea :)



Suddenly there was a mighty splash and this enormous, thrashing fish leapt over our boat, in a desperate attempt to escape my hook. For a minute, I thought our boat would be dragged out to sea, "Old Man and the Sea" style.



But I managed to hold fast and after a terrific battle between man and fish, I pulled him in. Holy Mackerel, what a beaut!!



So after playing with my bait in such a fashion, we decided to go and pick up Ally from our flat across the bay (Ally had decided she wasn't wasting a perfectly good sleeping in opportunity to come fishing at 5 am in the morning).
An epic journey it was past Mosmon and the Opera House and under the Harbour Bridge. Ally was waiting for us on the beach outside our flat and she then joined us for a bit more fishing and a relaxing trip back to Rose Bay to pick up our car. You can see our flat in the background, under the bridge.



What a lot of fun it was. Who cares that we didn't catch any fish. We did catch a little squid (too cute to keep) and Doug narrowly missed on a big crab. Now we are dreaming of hiring a bigger boat and doing a bigger expedition. Maybe some time in 2007.

 
Sydney skyline - not a bad back drop to a fishing expedition. Yes indeed, its a tough life out here in Australia!




Some video highlights from the day

View our epic journey on the boat