Held for Ransom

This watch was recently found wandering the hallways of our apartment, so we decided to hold it for ransom until the owner pays the ransom (a good bottle of red) and by coming to stay here again (this time with his lovely fiancée).

in the Middle of Summer...

We are in the middle of summer... enjoying the beach, BBQs and lots of cultural activities.
I love "our beach" early in the morning, when the sun is soft and the breeze is fresh...
when you only share it with some runners, surfers and people doing yoga.
After 10h30 it gets quite hot. I normally return home then, leaving sexy girls and boys to toast at the sun. Now I know "my beach" and I can say that there is top less and alcohol :-) but, for that, you have to come later. I knew it :-)
We also have been exploring other beaches... there are so many that you will find one for every mood... small, big, family, wild, touristic, abandoned...



We often go to the centre where most of the cultural activities take place... here, the centre is around the Opera and the Harbour bridge... you will get tired of seeing us in pictures there... I just cannot get enough... it is so beautiful!!


































Mat came to see us for a couple of days... we had such great time... we missed you Mich, promise to come next time!! We had a lovely BBQ in the terrace and we enjoyed Australian day celebrations in the middle of town. Having breakfast at the beach was an excellent idea... it has set a precedent :-). We will be back to the cafe Campos, the best coffee in town!!


































Most of you already know that I have started Flamenco lessons... well I figured out that a Spanish girl like me should know what to do when someone goes "ay ay ay ayayayyyyyy"... I cannot only offer a handkerchief :-) I could not believe how hard it is... perhaps because I am used to shake my hips and shoulders frenetically... in flamenco, I have to keep straight in a proud and arrogant attitude... Duncan get ready for my new manners ;-) It is so difficult that the 1st time we were exercising the hand movements, I felt something tickling my legs... there were drops of sweat running down my legs :-) ... no kidding...

I cannot believe February is around the corner... how the hell can we slow it doooooooown?

...and you thought you'd never see this...

Just for the record... this happened while I was on crutches and figured no would be seeing me. I had to try didn't I....

Beaches and Cricket - Summer in Australia

At last Summer has arrived in Sydney in all it's color and glory! The last couple of days the mercury has been in the high 20's / low 30's and yesterday it even challenged the 40 degree mark. When the weather sits at that level for a couple of days, there is only on thing to do... go to the beach.




Actually, we've been looking for beaches which are not so popular. This photo was taken at our local beach (Bondi) yesterday.

We spent most of Saturday lounging around the beach at "Shark Bay", a small very family oriented beach which contrary to it's name has no sharks. We also tried snorkeling, but the water was too cloudy - and we gave up after a few minutes. However, it was nice to see a few fish, albeit not too clearly.



The days before we needed to travel South to a repair shop, so we continued down to another beach - named Cronulla. A much larger beach than Shark Bay, and full of teenagers. A few years ago there was a riot here - no doubt too many hormones in the same place at the same time.

We've also been exploring the beaches South of Bondi, but we haven't been in the water too much, because the water has been quite cold here recently.

I've also had the chance to go to the cricket (click here if you want to learn how cricket works) a couple of times.

Yesterday, Paul had a spare ticket, and was kind enough to offer it to me - very kind of him given they are like hen's teeth (ie. very rare) at the moment. The main ground in Sydney (the Sydney Cricket Ground...) is about 10 minutes drive from here, so quite convenient. Yesterday's game was between Australia and the New Zealanders (kiwis), and although closer than normal - it was comforting to see Australia win. As a mark of how popular cricket is down here, more than a million people have gone to the international cricket games this year. No doubt the lead up to the world cup is influencing this.

My knee is getting better and better. I am back using the bike at the gym and walking normally, although I cannot run yet. It seems to have gone well, and I'll be looking to do the City-to-Surf run from Sydney to Bondi later in the year as something to target for its recovery.

Back Again - Happy New Year to Everyone

They say it can be a long time between drinks... so I guess you can say we've sobered up and looking forward to a super 2007.

First things first - although this is far from a news column - Matt & Michelle are engaged!!! Congratulations to you both.


We caught up with them recently on our Xmas trip to Melbourne. Elena got plenty of driving experience on the way there and way back. It was only 850km in each direction...


The themes haven't changed much since the last months of 2006, but at least the weather has.
We spent Xmas down in Melbourne with mum (Jan) and Emily (my sister). Em's pregnant and starting to look it. She's also been helping out the firefighters around her property during the fires. She's been lucky so far and escaped anything serious around her house.


While Em was working hard, we were trying to get across to see her. Unfortunately the road was closed, so we sat back on the other side of the mountains and had a glass or two in her honour!



We also met with Ian - Mum's bloke. A very good cook, never short of a humorous word and a joy to be around (Elena also said something about sex god, here, but I refuse to put such comments in a family blog).



Also down in Melbourne, I went to see a cricket game at the MCG. It was a great day - full of spectacle and atmosphere. This photo is of those noisy English fans (especially for Toby).


On New Years we went to a park in Bondi with a view down the harbour - and later went back to Paul and Maria's for a view into the city. The fireworks in Sydney were impressive this year - as impressive as the champagne which Paul and Maria cracked open to beckon in the new year. We had a great night, catching up with some friends and Paul & Maria's parents (Maria's had travelled from the States, and Paul's mum from Brisbane).


What's been happening in the last few months... too much!

In September/October we were in Europe for a few weeks for Katia's wedding. What a great night! It was super to catch up with so many friends at once. We then had a romantic weekend in Paris, and then back to Vienna, Singapore and then home.

Trip to Europe

During our time here we had a magnificent time staying with Steve and Louise , and a few days later with Arnout (vying for the title of BBQ king), Emmanuelle and Nelson. Then in Vienna we had a great surprise for Pilar - who didn't know Elena was coming, and then we stayed with our good friends Josch, Karin & Theo.


During October and November we did a course on "Changing Your Thinking" which basically helps you "re-frame" your perspective on difficult issues. The concept is also covered in the book written by the main lecturer Sarah Edelman - the synopsis can be found here.

We also went to a few concerts - U2, Kylie and Chris Isaak. The best of the lot (surprisingly) was Chris Isaak who engaged a lot with the crowd. It was held in a winery North of Sydney.


We've also got into camping - and have a 4 man tent which we've started to use enthusiastically. The first night was almost a disaster, when we arrived at the camping ground just in time for the sun to disappear. This meant spending 2 hours trying to put a new tent up in the darkness with a couple of torches and headlights of a car. At least it was memorable.


We've also been having a great time with friends here in Sydney (and Melbourne). I've been to Melbourne a few times, and some Melbournites have been venturing North. So the BBQ has had a good work out and is all ready to go for the Summer (which is just getting into swing here).

Following is a photo of elena's latest friends on the balcony...


Amongst other things we have been exploring many places in Sydney (both in the day and at night), checking out festivals around town (of which there is at least once a month), buying a new car, helping friends with projects and of course doing lots of work to regain our health and fitness. Elena has been the biggest star here, and is looking great. Unfortunately I injured my knee in October and needed it operated on During December. I still cannot run on it, but hope to be moving properly by mid February!

One of our resolutions is to keep this updated more often after our abysmal effort during the last quarter of last year. So keep checking again - I promise to improve!