Beaches
Manly Swell
by LSP on Feb.08, 2010, under Beaches, Surf, Sydney
Its been a while since I updated…
So we moved to Manly and are getting set up in our new flat 5 minutes from the beach.
A bit of scavenging, some cheap deals and a lot of lugging heavy objects around resulted in us furnishing our whole flat – bed, 2 sofas, 2 TV’s, entire kitchen, tables, chairs, etc – for about $200…
8 phone calls later and we still dont have internet yet due to some serious uselessness on the part of our internet provider…ggggrrrr
Dont get me started on that but needless to say that having to go to check email and do uploading from an internet cafe is not much fun…
Been watching a lot of surfing as the swell has been pretty big in the last couple of weeks.
Bought a new surfboard and am gradually getting the basics whilest trying not to drown myself…
Work is slow but steadily picking up pace…
Flo is commuting in to the city by ferry for work in the CBD each day…early starts (5.30am) are harsh but she is back in Manly by 3.30pm and gets to enjoy the rest of the day.
Elsewhere, Banksy has made a movie… be keen to see that.
In the wider world, Sovereign debt seems to be giving everyone a kick in the nuts. More carnage of this nature is gonna spread particularly across Europe and, along with more bailouts (under different names) this seems likely to be the trend for the next year…
Looking forward to watching the Olympics, although Shaun White seems like a shoe in providing his head doesnt fall off again…
Hope they get it sorted cos El Nino is causing problems again, just like it did last time I was in Whistler….
Meanwhile, the weather here is sunny and hot, hot, hot, other than the occasional thunderstorm…and life is good.
Remembered to take my camera to the beach the other day so here are a few surf shots…definitely in need of a better zoom though to improve these…
Bondi
by LSP on Jan.28, 2010, under Beaches, Skate
We went for a wander down to Bondi on Australia day…
I do like it there but there are just way too many people going there all the time cos its the closest beach to the city.
So tomorrow we move to Manly permanently cos it has way more of a relaxed feel.
Really looking forward to our first proper home in nearly 2 months….
Home and Away
by LSP on Jan.11, 2010, under Beaches, Outdoors!, Panoramas, Sydney
Remember Home and Away? Flo’s aunt lives 5 minutes from where it is filmed at a place north of Sydney called Palm Beach (no palms in sight…)
We had lunch at a cafe which is used in the program and this is the view… (click and drag to control image)
Sydneysiders?
by LSP on Jan.08, 2010, under Beaches, Outdoors!, Sydney, Urban, Walks
1st week wanderings photo dump…
Snowy Uk
by LSP on Jan.08, 2010, under Beaches, Outdoors!, Snow, Surf, Travel
I got up and put on shorts and a T-shirt this morning, then surfed for a few hours, ate lunch on a restaurant deck overlooking a beautiful lagoon in the sweltering sun, had a siesta, had another surf, and then later watched about 10 multi coloured Lorikeets taking bread out of peoples hands before we sat down to a huge Indian takeaway in the balmy evening with everyone on the deck of the house where we are staying.
Then I had a look on the internet and found this amazing photo which reminded me (as if I had forgotten) why I’m happy not to be living in the UK…
Beautiful they may be, but I am definitely over snowy winters right now….
Early Days – Sydney
by LSP on Jan.05, 2010, under Beaches, Outdoors!, Sydney, Travel, Walks
At last starting to get over the jetlag of a load of different time zones in too short a period and beginning to explore Sydney a bit.
It is one feckin huge city though so just a little at a time…did the obvious bits around the Opera House (amazing views) and Bondi (havent seen so many people on a beach since bank holidays when I lived in Brighton) and Manly (like it, smaller town feel) walked a round of golf at New South Wales with my dad (supposedly one of the best golf courses here) ate in Chinatown (looks just like the Chinatown in San Francisco where I just came from) and been surfing a few times (I still suck but will improve or die trying)
Things are a little daunting, the TO DO list is looking pretty fierce…(new job, new home, new car etc) but this place has a good feel to it so looking forward to seeing how things go. The weather hasnt always been great so havent taken too many photos but here are a few…..
Sydney – first few days
by LSP on Jan.01, 2010, under Beaches, Party, Travel, Walks
So here we are…after all the planning we made it to Sydney to start the next chapter…
First impressions…lots of water, great beaches, and sooo many birds (of the flying kind)
We are staying in Avalon at the moment which is about an hour north of the centre. It is an amazing lush rainforest with a few houses plonked in it, with massive old tropical trees everywhere, and so many multi coloured and sized birds I have never seen before squalking and screeching, flitting and fluttering around the place, especially at sunrise and sunset when the frenzy peaks.
From the deck you cant see one other house, just rolling hills of foliage and the smells, sights and sounds of a jungle. There is even a bird that I swear sounds like a baboon laughing, but there aint no monkeys on this continent except maybe a few locals 
Arriving 1 day before New Years was always gonna mean we were a bit spangled for it, but after a huge meal we spent a great evening wandering around the city as it filled with thousands of people partying and watching the fireworks.
I’ve only had a small glimpse of the city so far but it looks like an interesting place.
Midnight was spent drinking champagne on the roof at Flo’s uncles house close to the bridge while watching the fireworks, and they didnt disapoint (at a cost of $1million apparently)
I will post some video of them later but here are a few photos….
Happy New Year!
Cali Christmas photo dump
by LSP on Dec.27, 2009, under Beaches, Environment, Outdoors!, Travel
Editted enroute to the airport, uploaded at the bar by the gate waiting to leave, travelling with ALL our belongings…life is pretty mobile these days, hoping Sydney will bring a little more permanence……
It has been 10 days of excess in Cali: food, booze, dollars, driving, and zero exercise……but fun times with the family…
No time to really sort photos so random selection…
Sydney here we come…!
Fiji
by LSP on Dec.20, 2009, under Beaches, Environment, Oceans, Outdoors!, Photography
1st post since arriving back in civilization, albeit of the Californian variety…
Bula, Cyclones, cancellations, sunburn, lost baggage, way too many queues, “Fiji Time”, hammocks, timeless beauty, Bula, sand, more sand, where did THAT sand come from?, beasties, bites, Bula, slow days, WIND, fast days, destruction, a very delayed wedding, mindless chainsawing, FISH, boats, saltiness,Vinaka…all sorts of highs and lows; it has been one crazy week……
We are on to the next adventure, which hasnt slowed down at all after our 36 hour travel to the US as Clara and Joe have just arrived, but after copious celebrations I just got a little time to post some photos from the trip.
UPDATE>>>
On the 14th December 2009, tropical cyclone Mick passed close to the west of the Yasawa islands in Fiji. It was the first time in 17 years that a cyclone had come so close to the islands and coincided with the day I was due to get married.
The 14th began for me at around 3.15am when I woke to the howling winds around our Bure (small beach hut accommodation). Flo was already awake and we lay listening to the angry gusts, trying to convince ourselves that the Bure was strongly built and the roof was not likely to come off. I drifted in and out of sleep, attempting to ignore the paranoia I felt that the storm surge would send the crashing surf up the short beach and straight through our front windows.
At 6am we had given up on sleep and were nervously stuffing gear into bags in case we needed to evacuate.
At breakfast in the main building, the wind was whipping through the open sided structure while the local women attempted to secure a large tarp over the gaping space. A solitary male sauntered in wearing full wet weather gear and was immediately handed the hammer amid a torrent of Fijian abuse.
A huge gust slapped through, pulling most of the tarp down and Laili, one of the hosts, burst in to a huge cackle. A picture flew 20 ft off the wall and shattered in to hundreds of pieces. At that point we decided to head back to our hut.
For the next few hours we watched the carnage out the window. The water was a moody muddy angry brown as it chopped and rolled its way back and forwards around the bay. A small black and white bird landed about 10 feet from our door and stayed there for the next hour, hunckered down in the erratic gusts that were attempting to blast it away. The trees that framed the bay were a mixture of pine and palms and the palms began to show their hardiness, with only the weakest losing fronds. In contrast the pines began one by one to succumb to the wind, splitting or ripped themselves into pieces. Coconuts roared through the air at various heights above the ground, colliding with anything and everything in their paths. After a few loud bangs on the glass and the sound of the water drum on the roof starting to rip itself away, we elected to pack our essentials and valuables and move back to the main building.
When we got there we found the locals in a state of total excitement. After their Cava ceremony the night before (which they insisted would ward off the hurricane) I thought they would be a little slow this morning, but instead they were embracing the raw nature with massive enthusiasm. Some rushed around with swimming masks on their faces (to avoid the flying sand) while others cavorted in the water. While we were taking that in another Fijian rushed past with a huge grin and a Kayak, and proceeded to try to surf the storm surge in the bay. A huge 100ft pine tree beside the building crashed down in a tangle of branches and dirt and the small thatched sun shelter by the beach ripped itself off the ground and whistled away down the beach.
At this point we retreated to the bar to wait it out.
12 hours later the storm had rumbled on to savage the mainland, while on our small island the clean up began…
Despite the destruction, plenty of life did survive while the regeneration will bring many others in to existence…
A lot can happen in a week – Fiji
by LSP on Dec.20, 2009, under Beaches, Travel
I put together a little video of the footage from Fiji…its a bit rough but it’s a busy time….!
Big thank you to Alex and Hannah for the wedding footage and also for being our witnesses.