We took a trip into Sydney on the 13th by bus, pretty easy here. We took a walk around the opera house with myself and Ellie singing in our best operatic voices, I am, quite frankly, shocked and outstanded that we weren't plucked off the street but hey ho, their loss! We went for lunch at a food hall (our new favourite thing), Ellie and Joey had pasta and Jim and I went Thai but the lovely lady there fell in love with Joey and snuck a free portion of Battered honey chicken for Joey. We then took a walk through Hyde park and much to everyone's disappointment, I made them all go to the Australia Museum as I wanted to learn a bit about it's history and indigenous people. However, with two kids I didn't learn as much as I wanted! There was a Tyranasaurus exhibition from China there which was great, the best bit being at the end where they had kitted out a staging area with loads of cameras and had a huge screen in front. The result being a huge tv screen with us on looking like dinosaurs were going to attack! Some areas of the museum were old fashioned old school museum, they had some more modern areas also and a kids area at the top which we locked Ellie and Joey in and they could roam around all the toys, bugs, pictures. Overall, I think Ellie really enjoyed it and Joey had his moments. We caught a bus back, ditched our stuff and headed down to Tamarama for a swim. Well, they did, my control freak OCD couldn't get in the sea that late in the afternoon so much to sort when we get back with cleaning people and objects, let alone doing all of that wet and sandy! Joey was all big and smiley when we got home, he does flicker between huge smiles and laughs and screaming through tiredness and strops at the moment, it's interesting...
We popped to Bondi junction to the Westfield shopping centre the next day (valentines day) and took Ellie out for lunch, she chose noodles at the food hall but when she sat down with it, it was a noodle soup with huge mushrooms, noodles... Traditional soup... Not what she was expecting. We took a bus back (with crazy guy shouting bye to everyone, all eyes on bus looked to the floor, with the exception of Ellie Rose Powell who looked up with a huge smile and a wave, shouting "bye bye" lovely really) we headed to North Bondi in the afternoon via bus, again, Ellie has to sit on the single seat on the fronts which Uncle Lurko has told her are special seats for special people, it's quite funny, she sits there shouting back to us saying, "I'm really special, is Joey special? Are you special?" We walked back up the beach towards our apartment. The little kids were having their surf lessons. They're so cute and so confident. Really great to watch, obviously, Ellie wants to learn now! At the other end they had a skate park, we watched the "kidney pool" and there was a girl in there, maybe 15 and she was amazing, I've never watched skaters before very impressive. Fez came for tea that night, at 12 ish we ran out of booze so they went to get some. Mum got a fairly boozy FaceTime from me while they were turned away from every bar in the area!
The next day the kids didn't wake up until 9 and I was pretty glad they were chucked out of the bars and couldn't bring home booze! After a very slow start we walked to Bronte beach in the rain / drizzle. Joey fell asleep in the pram so the others all went for a swim in the sea water pool there, very cold, but the pool was flat and still with the waves crashing nearby. Even though it was a grey day, it looked fantastic. We went and had some amazing food at one of the beach side cafés, I had a wagyu burger - absolutely amazing! We had a big old play at the park there and had a walk home. Joey went into melt down once we got home. This week has broken his routine a bit. He's really struggling to nap in the day so by 4/5 pm he is losing the plot and screaming at everything. It really is hard work, I feel a bit cabin feverish here as it's quite dark in the rooms in the back of the apartment where we spend our time so you just feel a bit locked in with no escape. Their room is very small, Joey's cot is at the end of Ellie's bed and the door opens onto it so you have to open the door about 30cms and squeeze around, I don't think this is helping him. It's fine at night, just in the day that it's a problem.
Sunday it poured down all day, it sucked, Australia in the rain - what do you do?! Shopping! But we don't have a waterproof for Ellie so luckily we had the emergency ponchos mum bought us for her. We still don't have one as they are either not about or super expensive ($120), another slap up lunch at the food hall and then a look around Bondi junction some more. It's Ellie's birthday in a week and we're needing to start thinking of presents and party stuff. We need to get it last minute as we can't risk her finding it! Coming back as we were getting off the bus Jim helped me down with Joey and the driver started to close the doors having thought Ellie was off (middle doors behind him), it was horrible, they knocked into her, then tried to close again, it really freaked her out. She's made me promise to tell all bus drivers not to close the doors until she's off the bus I the future. No harm done though, just a little shaken up. Clemmie popped over later in the afternoon, it was lovely to see her; her neighbour who knows the coastline above Sydney really well had given her a huge map book and loads of tips for us for when we head up to Brisbane, also she brought a trash mag and a bottle of vodka! What a great girl she is! It was 5 ish so Joey went into meltdown, Ellie spent the whole time convincing Jim to go to the park; it was chaos really, poor Clemmie! She headed off at 6ish in time for Ellie to get her way and go to the park. We've been trying to dry clothes all day, we're really struggling here. It's so humid and with the sea air contributing, everything just gets a little drier and warmer but as the evening goes on the winds are picking up so hopefully, having every window in the apartment may help to dry it before we pack to go to the new place tomorrow.
We wake up to a small amount of rain, pack, minimal drama ( weird, but I like it!) and agreed with the estate agents we could leave our luggage for a while so we head to Tamarama for one last down hill / up hill mission. The waves were phenomenal! Amazing to watch, the sun was coming out as we walked down and it was a lovely last hour or so in the Bondi area. We ate at the cafe at Tamarama and yet again the food was brilliant, that is my big surprise in Australia, the quality of food, fantastic! We ordered a breakfast roll, it came on a lovely seeded roll, the bacon was cooked perfectly, the egg poached, with some rocket (my favourite) and a spiced mango salsa. And that's just a breakfast bap! So far it seems that the most basic of expectations are exceeded each and every time. What's even more gutting by the day is our love of eating out and won't have that opportunity here this time due to the kids. Clem and Al have offered to come and sit with the kids but they're so up and down at bed time, I wouldn't do it to them (Clem and Al, the kids can cope!!!) so we take a cab to the new place, two things. One, it cost $90!!!! However, we looked into car rental and with everything here, obviously it was expensive, $100 per day then we'd be adding fuel and car seats so with the exception of taking our three huge suitcases, high chair (purchased by Clem and Al before we came) travel cot (borrowed from Clem's brother) and fridge and food bag on a bus with two kids, this was our best bet. Two, the cabby could have rivaled James Bond in a car chase, he was awesome! We dove in and out of lanes in his ancient Ford estate automatic (it had window winders in the back and Ellie asked what they were for!!) I loved the journey. When we pulled up to the new place even he was all giggles and taken away by the view, in a word, immense!
We sat, looked, kids played with the toys box full of toys, this was amazing, the two of them were contented with themselves for half an hour or so, just digging through to see what was there, also, they played together, just brilliant, Joey finally putting himself to use as a playmate! After unpacking and a quick lager we headed down to the beach. We didn't really have to cross any roads, it's essentially down some steps at the bottom of the garden (ish...)The waves are strong so we need to be careful but we all went in (even OCD Emma) and it was so refreshing, with the exception of the hell of being covered in sand after! We pretty much just came back, looked, ate, drank, looked, sat, looked, slept.......
Tues 18th... My little sister Rachel Mary Rose Powell / Boo / Aunty Boozles turns 30 today! OMG that's nuts! I miss her, we all miss her and I'm gutted we've not managed to spend it with her. Hopefully Boo, Charlotte (the middle one, not so middle acting these days either, she's almost half decent to spend a lot of time with) and myself will spend a night at the Hyatt in Birmingham later in the year and just float in a pool and eat and drink together, I am very much looking forward to that.
We headed to our local supermarket I the morning in Dee Why (weirdest town name ever) and it was like a ghost town with two supermarkets, ever so weird. We did a shop, ate some Vietnamese (whatevs, sweet and sour pork isn't typical Vietnamese.... Is it..? It was delicious) and headed home. Today is the day I break Joey, the gorgeous big fat lump of a pretty much walking baby so I guess toddler and make him start sleeping in a bed in the day again and nor now and again in a pram. It used to be twice a day but I think we've screwed with him too much but the kid needs at least one mega sleep a day. I put him down at 13:17 and by 13:23 he is silent, yaaaay! mummy wins, Joey sleeps, all is well with the universe again. He actually slept for three hours! Jim and Ellie went down to the beach body boarding on an old board left here and Joey and myself headed to BWS (Beer, Wines and Spirits) a drive through liquor shop! We went and got our "bargain" three large bottles of beer for $10, this involved walking down and then obviously, back up, the steepest hill ever. I took a photo but messed it up trying to control the pram at the same time. I would honestly say it would be similar to the last stint walking up the beacon (if you walk the side of the hill with the pram path.) The hills here, and I seem to mean Sydney as a flippin whole, are ridiculous. I had a total tomato head on by the time I got home. I took Joey to the beach in sheer panic to meet Jim and Ellie thinking I may just drink all of the beer I just bought, there and then! Once we got there I witnessed a bit of Ellie's body boarding, how exciting, I'd been pretty scared but she loves it! She doesn't go out to far and is in arm bands and it brings her right into the shallows.
We headed back and had a great bar b q with "smashed potatoes" and chicken kebabs and salads, lovely. We had the radio on in the background and "come on Eileen" came on which Ellie did at her school Christmas play (!!) so we all had a good jump around. After this we were planning on facetiming the old lady Boo, but Ellie has broken her earphones off in the iPad and the end of the jack plug has stuck in so it thinks the ear phones are permanently in so no sound! We had to Skype (how old school!) it was rubbish, on the phone it was so pixelated we could barely see Boo, BUT, the main thing was that we got to see her. She also got to see some of Joey and his new found confidence with walking. It's ever so funny, you're just stood there and suddenly he toddles up! He's so lovely and he follows Ellie around like a puppy, she loves it, she was always meant to be a big sister I think...
PICTURES
1 ellie and Jim at Sydney bridge
2 Ellie at Sydney bridge
3 Ellie at the Australia museum tyranasaur exhibit
4 Australia museum
5 Ellie's Valentine's day lunch
6 Joey's carpet patterned bruise
7 Jim and Ellie at the Bondi skate pool
8 Bronte baths with Jim and Fez
9 Joey's favourite past time is now parks...
10 wet day clothes
11 Joey at Tamarama
12 view out of the new place in North Curl Curl
13 Ellie off boogie boarding
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