Part II

After the pies we headed for Carrington Falls, very spectacular they are too. There are lots of trails to different parts above the falls but being in a rush we contented with just the top views.


The trail from the lookout to the top of the falls is made up of metal walk ways and this ancient cut in the rocks [at left] looks like an old water way.

After the falls it was off down into Kiama for a spot of lunch. I have spent many days in Kiama in past years, it is more touristy but still maintains some of it's laid back casual fishing and beach charm of old. The famous Kiama blow hole was not gushing this day, the off shore winds had flattened the sea.

Part III

We then climbed again to Cambawarra lookout for magnificent views over the Shoalhaven Area, Nowra and Jarvis Bay in the vistas, there were two navy ships in the bay but not sure if you can pick them out. There is a tea room [closed] and two communications towers at the top.

The wind was fearsome while we were there with it sounding like we were besides a jet engine as it blew through the trees.

Finely we came to our main destination, Kangaroo Valley, a gain a quaint little town all dressed up for tourists. Fran managed to drop a few bucks in one of the stores and Rolf and I had ice cream, mine was rum and raisin, very good it was.

Just outside the town you cross this bridge, not sure of it's origin then pass pastoral lands again, before a climb up to the tablelands and a run through the outskirts of Camden, Cambelltown and back into the hustle and bustle of urban traffic.

A great trip with great people.

On arrival around 6: 15 we said our cheerios and inside the house mom had oysters waiting for us, we are getting spoilt.

More pictures of the river cat trip

taken on Tuesday.

On nearing Hombush Bay these blocks of flats [apartments] come into view, they seem to go for miles.
Then the Olympic complex and the show ground is off in the distance.

Our urban trekking was curtailed somewhat yesterday, we took a walk down to the Liverpool Westfield and did some shopping for the house, some touristy things and Fran spent time in stores while I sat out people watching. The lower level of the mall has what is called "the Market" where fresh foods are sold, there is also a smaller food court where one can enjoy a snack of a coffee in relative quite.

My observations are, and this is from the time we arrived, is that the white anglo folk are definitely in a minority out this way now. Big turn around from back in the day, and no, they majority are not the original inhabitants of Gondwana.

My list of culinary delights to taste has shrunken slowly, only sausage roll and a meat pie are off the list, still have the best to come though, oysters and fish n chips, best wait for the right moment for those.

The temperatures were up in the high teens again, we were in shirt sleeves on our walk yesterday, locals still in sweater's and coats but in the afternoon most had stripped down.

We are due to go on a drive to Kangaroo Valley today then back over to the coast, forecast is for strong winds down south so we should perhaps take a woolly jumper with us just in case.

Round trip: in two parts.

As usual click on images to embigen.

Yesterday, despite Fran's apprehension of my navigation skills, we took off for an adventure on the public transport system of western Sydney.

First the 5 minute walk to the 'brickmakers' stop of the T Way. The picture at left is a plaque at the stop in honor of the first aboriginal woman granted land by the colonial government back in 1833.

40 acres does not seem like much land for loosing your culture and heritage, especially when some bloke called reverend Cartwright received a way larger lot next to Locks.

So we jump on the #80 for Parramatta [after some confusion about which side of the T way we were to board] and head into the western burbs of Sydney. Not a pretty sight so no pictures. The first part of the T way was well looked after and in a park like setting with houses either side crammed in like you would not believe with the odd Mac Mansion scattered among the single level bungalows.

We then merged with the main roads and such and into the small industrial areas of western Sydney.

On alighting at Parramatta rail station low and behold we see this bloody huggantic mall right across the street. Westfield shopping plazas seem to be everywhere you go, but this one was BIG.

In we go looking for some walking shoes for Fran, after several incursions into the big retail stores we decided that enough was enough, but on the way out I decided to try one more shoe store, 'pay less', bingo Fran scored her shoes.

On emerging the plaza we headed down familiar streets that are now closed to traffic. We [I] decided to head towards the river, on the way a likely looking cafe lured us in for the best dinky di burger I have had in decades. Johny's cafe made burgers like they should be, home made patties, lettuce, tomato, beets, fried onions, egg and bacon. Too much for us to handle but what the heck, the Asian operators sure know how to do a real Ozzie burger boy.

Continuing our walk to the river we arrived at the River Cat wharf 10 minutes after the latest departure to Circular Que. Not deterred we did a walk up above the weir to fill in time until 2:30. On the south side are the high rises of the down town and on the north side are high rise apartments. It is nice and neat but the sounds of the city does infringe, but we would say that wouldn't we. There is a nice looking bar/restaurant that greets people disembarking, they have a nice selection of beers that we did not get to sample, thems the breaks on a nice winters day.

Round trip part two.

Nearing 2:30 Fran says, "I think it's coming". I had not heard anything but out of the blue appears the cay almost as wide as the river.
The cat did a u turn just short of the weir and it was not long that we were under way and heading down.

The upper part was not all that attractive with the trees and bush right up to and into the river. We did stop at a couple of wharves to drop off or pick up. The river widened and we increased speed nearing Hombush Bay. Boats of every size from run abouts to mega yachts were moored or in marinas on both sides. Lots of high rise apartments mingled in with homes. Be a nice spot for a home anywhere down this way.

Soon the sky line of Sydney came into view, then the two iconic structures.

Then it was into circular quay, off the ferry and straight up to the train station.

After a brief recon we were up the stairs and onto platform 2 waiting for the Liverpool via Bankstown train. That line did not exist the last time I used the trains.

Slow and not very attractive trip saw us alight at Liverpool, do another short recon, up and down the steps to this large bus terminal, recon again, onto a #80 bus of the t way and a short time later alight at the "brickmakers" stop.

Right proud of myself I was, we had made it.

Monday, we took a short walk down the back streets in the morning, stopped in to visit an old buddy from my teenage years, his father ran a successful gym in the back shed, we chatted and caught up for couple hours then contunued on with the walk after promising to get together again at a later date.

The afternoon was really warm again so Fran decided to rake the lawn and do a general clean up at back of the house. Of course I did all the heavy lifting but managed to get some photos in while on a break.

The house was the first built on Mansbridge avenue [back in 1956 or so] when it was a new subdivision. Many changes have been made to the garden in the ensuing years.

We sat out the back around 8 pm, it was 10 degrees, not a bad sort of temperature for the winter.

So Tuesday, if it is nice, we will venture further afield.

Down memory lane + those pesky watermelons.

Well not exactly a lane but the streets of down town Liverpool. We did a walk from moms to Westfield shopping center to have a geek at what changes have ensured in the decades since my pre teens.

Not a pretty sight I can tell you, call me old fashion but if this is progress then bugger it.

The top photo shows the original School of Arts building on Macquary street. I spent a good part of my miss spent youth in there, top floor playing snooker and playing cards in two rooms in the back. Not exactly legal cards either. Still it was not all miss spent, I learnt some valuable life's lessons there for sure.

Then the is the photo of memorial that caused quite a bit of controversy I here.

Further south is the neighborhood up around Norfolk St. where my paternal grandparents lived. The only original building is the Baptist Church which is surrounded by large buildings of flats. Just up Norfolk St. from there [the lighter building behind the red car] is where Nan and Pops house used to be. All the houses that were in this area were on large lots of land, Pops house had a veranda on two sides with lots of character inside, plus lots of kikuyu grass front and back that was a bugger to mow with a hand push mower.

Now we have those water melons that seem to pop up out of nowhere. These ones are down at the green grocers at Flowerdale Mall. At $1.99 a Kg you get a better deal than the 55 buck one that caused all the controversy in Northern Canada a couple of years back

These ones are seedless and are shipped in from the Northern Territories, not short trek either.

We have promised to buy some this week to give them the taste test, so check back for the results eh?

Down the booze store only found one type of my old favorite beer. Lots of other brands and styles, most I have never heard of, but just one Resches, it was GOOD but still await and long for a schooner of the draught.

We spent Friday in long conversations with mom, going to Casula Mall, small by mall standards but everything imaginable was there, including oysters in the half Shell that we will have to go back for.

We then spent time in long conversations with mom, doing odd little jobs around the house, going down to the smaller mall at the end of the street and in long conversations with mom.

Did I mention mom likes a chat?

At the local mall there is a butcher shop of types, you walk into this large cool room where fresh meats are wrapped and sized in weighted portions. I had mentioned to mom if she had seen any veal around and she said it is usually hard to find these days, well not in this particular shop, there was veal of any cut and some already breaded for cooking, and their open 7 days a week, and you should see the prices, or maybe it best if you did not.

Came across some water melons sold by the kilo in another store, will have to go back and asked to take a picture for the folks back in the north.

Except for one German owned super market the rest of the shops there are all the old style, like a cake shop, fruito, the butcher shop etc, and very ethnic orientated, not that there is anything wrong with that.

I had bacon and eggs for brecky, never knew there was so many styles of bacon and have never seen brown eggs so large [jumbo they are sold as] and the yokes so deep yellow, like the color of orange skin.

So in the absence of spectacular snow capped mountains and ice chocked seas I will most likely be writing about food & booze for the next little while.

Grandma, muma and papa to be at Toronto Island.

On the way out to Goose Bay, at GB airport and at hotel in Halifax the morning we were due to fly out of there.

Am I having fun with the new Dell laptop that my siter ordered, it arrived yesterday just after we did. It is for my use while here then will become part of sisters home computer network.

Set up with Virgin mobile wireles, which is OK but can drop signal at times, it is connected to the mobile [cell phone] network here.

There must be worse views than from an Air Canada 777-200 while on a holding pattern [due to closure of one runway] over Sydney Oz. Amazing senery to the Blue Mountains right down to the beaches both north and south and Sydney Harbor and environs, eat your heart out St. John's Nfld.

Sister PAM there to great us, lifted Fan right off her feet, could not get me off the ground. In quick order we were out of there and with all the new express ways and new roads were were back in the old home town in no tome at all. many changes that I/we will have to adjust to, especialy mom who is frail of body but still sharp of mind.

In TO the morning of our departure rooks nest drove in to have coffee and a chat at the hotel, it was great to finely meet a fellow blogger, especialy one so full of life and energy as rooks nest.

Our original plan for a longer visit and a meal was changed due to a grand son being taken to hospital, we hope for a quick recovery.

TO, sound great

but the sounds and smells are not for us by jove. Took a trip to TO Island, nice there with lots of greeenery and birds and ducks.
Be happy when we finely leave here Tuesday evening.

Well we are here

in the big TO, bloody foggy in Halifax, rough ride in air to here.

Had comped room, no comped late meal but 3 comped breakfasts, so cant complian.

GD due in at 1.

So here we are,

in bloody Halifax waiting to go to airport for flight to TO at 9.

Long story but we will hope the fog lifts so flights can get in.

If you are reading this Ex Sham; if we are not at TO hotel you know why.