Fire, Flood, Pestilence

Back home in Sydney 

Once Airbnb had sorted out our accommodation issues following Danny (the loser's) disastrous double booking of the apartment we had reserved and paid for online, we were able to relax and enjoy our final few days together in beautiful Sydney. 

As this was our friend's birthday weekend and as we thought we would be staying near Darling Harbour, we had planned to start our evening at Cyren for a pre-dinner drink there, then take a ferry to Sydney Harbour where we would have a second pre-dinner drink at Buckley's before making our way to Appetito on the Rocks.

For obvious reasons we had to abandon the pre-dinner drinks at Cyren and Buckley's which we expediently replaced with excellent pre-dinner drinks at the Holiday Inn bar while we waited for the accommodation issue to get sorted.

As soon as we were happily ensconced in our suites on the 11th floor we freshened up, got changed and set off for Appetito on the Rocks which we had booked for 8:00 pm.

It had been hot and sunny in Sydney since we landed at its domestic airport earlier that day but unfortunately for us when we emerged from the station at Circular Quay, it was pouring with rain and we had not brought our brollies so we arrived at Appetito soaked to the skin.

As it was our friend's birthday we had booked a table on the terrace with a harbour view but we were very pleased that they were able to seat us inside instead.

It was another excellent evening at Appetito. The food was superb, Hunter Valley wine flowed freely and the staff were attentive and kind.

It felt very good to be back home in Sydney 

Sunday 16 February 2020

The Anzac Memorial

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anzac_Memorial

After our very substantial hotel buffet breakfast, our taxi arrived to take us to our alternative Airbnb accommodation which is where we would stay for two nights until our flight to New Zealand on the 18th.

We only had two days in Sydney with our friend so we set off on our sightseeing tour of the city as soon as we had checked in and dropped off our luggage. 

As we had not been there ourselves yet we decided to start with the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park.

"The Anzac Memorial is a heritage-listed war memorial, museum and monument designed by C. Bruce Dellit, with the exterior adorned with monumental figural reliefs and sculptures by Rayner Hoff".

It was built "from 1932 to 1934 by Kell & Rigby".

"The memorial is the focus of commemoration ceremonies on Anzac Day, Remembrance Day and other important occasions".

"It was built as a memorial to the Australian Imperial Force of World War I", sadly the sacrifice made by Australian and New Zealand troops in that war is often overlooked elsewhere.

"Fund raising for a memorial began on 25 April 1916, the first anniversary of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landing at Anzac Cove for the Battle of Gallipoli".

"It was opened on 24 November 1934 by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester".

"In 2018, refurbishments and a major expansion were completed, after which the memorial was officially reopened by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex".

"The term "Anzac" began as an acronym for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps in World War I, but it was soon accepted as a word in its own right".

"The Anzacs formed part of the expeditionary force organised by Britain and France to invade the Gallipoli Peninsula and clear the Dardanelles Straits for the British Navy".

"The Australian Anzacs represented the national effort from a young nation taking its part in the Great War.

"Reports of the courage displayed at Gallipoli by young Anzac troops, became the most enduring legend of Australian military history".

"After the withdrawal from Gallipoli, the Anzac infantry divisions went on to fight against Germany on the Western Front".

"The Light Horse fought to protect the Suez Canal against the Turks and joined the forces already fighting in the Middle East".

"On the anniversary of Anzac Day in 1918, the Australian infantry reinforced the legend when it stopped the German advance at Villers-Bretonneux on the Somme".

"Australians were successfully used as shock troops at Ypres, Amiens, Mont St Quentin and Peronne, and took a leading part in breaking through the Hindenburg Line, in their last major offensive in that war".

"From an Australian population of around four and a half million, enlistments in the army and navy numbered 416,809, a total that represents one-half of the men of military age in Australia at that time".

"Altogether, 60,000 Australians were killed and 167,000 were injured, a higher toll proportionately than was suffered by any other British Empire country". 

"It was the wish and mission of those who returned to see the sacrifice of their dead comrades remembered".

"The first Anzac Day in NSW was organised by a committee within the Returned Soldiers Association of NSW, an organisation formed by men who had been invalided home".

"Later the organisation was subsumed by the Returned Soldiers' Sailors' and Airmen's Imperial League of Australia, finally named the Returned and Services League (RSL)".

"The original objectives of the day of commemoration were to remember dead comrades, induce young men to enlist and collect money for an ANZAC Memorial monument".

"NSW Premier WA Holman's Labor government promised a pound for pound subsidy to match the money raised on the first Anzac Day".

"In 1917 the RSSILA requested that 25 April be declared 'Australia's National Day' and gazetted as a public holiday".

"Both the Queensland and Australian governments made Anzac Day a public holiday in 1921. The official public holiday was first gazetted in NSW in 1925".

The Hyde Park museum has a section which deals with the memorial concept of Anzac which I found particularly interesting as I had never really thought about war memorials as a concept.

"Historian Ken Inglis believes that the "war memorial" is a twentieth century concept which memorialised the human cost of war rather than the victorious outcome, as the former military monuments had done in the past".

"It also celebrated the sacrifice of ordinary soldiers rather than focusing on the men who led them".

"The names of those who made the ultimate sacrifice are differentiated from the names of those who returned".

"Whether returned or not, the memorials record the soldiers' service to the nation".

"This trend to list both the returned and the fallen was uniquely Australian, reflecting the all volunteer nature of the Australian forces".

We had first noticed this at the war memorial in Bondi in January and we agreed then that it would be good for future generations to read the names of all those who had volunteered at the time rather than just those who had fallen.

"Each capital city developed its own major memorial, with many smaller memorials in the suburbs, and regional areas", such as the one we had admired in Waverley park in Bondi.

The Anzac Memorial should definitely be seen if you visit Sydney. It is a moving, poignant tribute to the memory of all those who served in the Great War and should not be forgotten.

Its location in Hyde Park is perfect. We went on a gloriously sunny day so we also enjoyed a walk around the park where we admired the fountains and the ibis who were only too happy to join us on our bench in the sun (clearly hoping we may have something to feed them).

It had been a lovely way to start our time in Sydney together 

End of Summer Sales in Sydney 

As we were already in central Sydney, we took our friend on a tour of all the main points of interest which we had visited during our extended stay there in January.

We visited St Patrick's Cathedral, the Parliament building, St Andrew's Cathedral, the Town Hall the Sky Tower and the QVB.

By the time we reached the QVB we were ready for a break and a cup of tea. 

However, before doing that we decided to split up and check the summer sales for potential bargains. 

My husband spent most of his 'shopping' time in two or more bookshops mainly perusing their map collection.

Our friend gave up on shopping not long after we split up due to weight restrictions on her luggage which was already at full capacity, so she went on a Sky Tower tour instead.

I too had to be mindful of weight restrictions especially as we were already committed to taking a few extra items back for our daughter.

In spite of that, however, I did enjoy going back to some of those expensive QVB designer boutiques to see how prices had changed.

I was amazed at how much would now be within my price range compared to before.

Just as I was regretting our promise to bring back an extra bag for our daughter and her fiancé, I walked past the Luisa Spagnoli boutique which I had visited on several occasions in early and late January. 

There was a new Autumn collection which was absolutely stunning but not in the sale so totally out of my price range irrespective of luggage weight restrictions. 

Incredibly, there was only one small rack of sale items left, most of the other boutiques had two or more large racks of sale items available so it was surprising to see so little there.

When I looked at the sale items closely I could see why most had been sold already.

The price drop was phenomenal.

Outfits which were being sold in January for over $1000 were now on sale at less than a third of their original price.

I recognised several as items I had admired in January, including the little black dress with white trim which would have been perfect for our daughter's wedding but which was far too expensive at that time, and yet it was there on that rack at just over a third of its original price. 

There was only one left and it happened to be my size.

Of course I had to try it on. The matching jacket had been sold but the dress was perfect. 

Should I or shouldn't I? At nearly $400 it was still a considerable sum even though it was originally priced at over $1100.

While I was thinking about it, the shop assistant checked her computer and was happy to inform me that the price had been slashed again that morning.

It was now priced at just over $200. 

$200 (£100) for the perfect Luisa Spagnoli dress.

It was a no-brainer. I would deal with the luggage issues later but for now I just had to buy it.

The shop assistant was very sweet and actually remembered me from when we first met in January.

She said she was really pleased that I managed to get it in the end.

As this was a petite size (for shorter women), it had proved harder to sell than the larger ones so maybe it was meant to be or maybe it was simply the most fortuitous of lucky moments.

Either way, I ended up with a Spagnoli dress which I would never have been able to purchase anywhere else at that price.

Definitely try the end of season sales in Sydney if you can.

You never know, you may just find yourself at the right place at the right time, just as I did on that very lucky day in mid February 2020.

TV time coffee and cake

I was very happy indeed to have bought a unique Italian designer outfit at a fraction of its original cost in Sydney's excellent end of summer sales.

The plan was still to wear it at our daughter's wedding with a white jacket and black hat with white trim.

Of course I did not know then that our younger daughter's wedding as well as everyone else's 2020 wedding would need to be cancelled due to Covid 19. 

At that time I was just ecstatic that I had managed to buy such a perfect outfit at such a reduced price. 

I thought the occasion warranted a celebration so I decided to look for a suitable venue then call the others and invite them to join me.

The café areas in the QVB were packed out so I asked the shop assistant if she could recommend somewhere else that was a little less public.

She explained that there was a pretty little café a short walk away from the QVB on the right which was much less crowded and public than any of the QVB café areas.

I therefore set off on my quest to find this perfect café then I would call the others and ask them to join me.

 I walked in the direction I was given and about 5 or 6 minutes later I saw several of the landmarks the lady mentioned then I saw a window table with cups and a coffee pot so I thought that I had arrived. 

I walked in and sat at one of the other window tables (there were only 3 or 4 in total and only two were taken so it was certainly less crowded than the QVB).

It was quite a quirky looking café. Part of it looked like a TV studio which was one of the landmarks I had been given but I didn't realise the Café was actually part of the studio.

I sat at one of the tables and waited to be served. The people at one of the other tables looked over at me so I smiled back and was just about to call my husband when one of them approached me and asked if they could help. I explained that I was hoping to order coffee and maybe cake or biscuits for three people. 

He then smiled, looked down at his own table and explained that this wasn't a café but a TV news studio and that they were camera and sound technicians having a meeting over coffee.

It was quite an embarrassing moment really. Obviously I apologised profusely and left immediately but on reflection I couldn't understand how I was even able to walk in there totally undetected.

I am sure TV studios anywhere else are not situated on the ground floor of a building in a shopping precinct with tables and chairs in the window.

And what about security? Where was that here? Anyone could just walk in as I did. My error undoubtedly provided them with an excellent story to tell at parties but it was not the last time that I would wonder about security in both Australia and New Zealand. They are certainly more relaxed about that than we are in the UK.

I gave up on the café idea at that point; I decided to meet the others back at the QVB and we did consider afternoon tea at one of the cafés on the top floor but we thought that on balance we would rather stroll to the Circular Quay area where we could have a Happy Hour drink at Buckley's. Better all round we agreed and certainly much, much cheaper.

Drinks in Sydney Harbour and dinner in Lane Cove

Although the morning had been warm and sunny, by the time we reached Buckley's at Sydney Harbour, it was overcast and cool.

The weather had definitely changed since we left Sydney in late January.

The air was much clearer and fresher than it had been before. I wondered why that was at first but then it dawned on me that it was the first time that we were experiencing Sydney without any hint of smoke in the air.

Even on the clearer days back then, a faint smell of smoke was always lingering in the background.

It was good to experience Sydney without it, although we did miss the sun and the blue skies that afternoon. 

We thoroughly enjoyed showing our friend around Sydney Harbour.

It was bustling with tourists as usual; a beautiful lorikeet was perched on a railing next to our table at Buckley's and a group of Aboriginal musicians treated us to a display of music and dance which was truly spectacular.

A large cruise liner was docked in the harbour in the usual place and Sydney's iconic yellow and green ferries were chugging in and out of the harbour to their various destinations in a steady stream. 

Although we had walked to the opera house the evening before, our friend was very happy to see it in daylight and we all enjoyed the classic walk all around it. 

The three of us had travelled to many beautiful places together since we met up in Perth three weeks earlier but there is something very special about Sydney Harbour.

It could be because that harbour with its bridge, opera house and ferries is the iconic representation of Australia which everyone everywhere is familiar with, so to actually see it in person, to actually be there, is overwhelming.

But that particular corner of the earth is also extremely beautiful.

It is the biggest natural harbour in the world and it is so open and vast and blue that it definitely impacts on ones psyche.

Apart from our extraordinary airport transfer from Hamilton Island to Airlie Beach, we hadn't felt that anywhere else in that same way but then at that point we hadn't yet been to New Zealand.

We were due to go to to Lane Cove to our friends in North Sydney for dinner later that evening so we took the metro back to our apartment to collect a packed suitcase which we would leave with them and pick up our 'New Zealand' bag which they were storing for us which contained warm jackets, jumpers, thick socks and woolly leggings. 

It was so useful having access to their garage at that time or we definitely wouldn't have been able to do all the travelling we did.

Our evening was excellent. It turned into another birthday celebration for our friend which was perfect as our penultimate evening together. 

It was also the first time that it actually dawned on us that these were the last few days we would be spending in Australia as we would be leaving for Singapore just two days after returning from New Zealand. 

That was a sad thought indeed which we couldn't really bear to dwell on for too long. 

At that point we wanted our Antipodean travels to last forever 😥

Monday 17 February 2020

All Good Things Come to an End

https://www.warmemorialsregister.nsw.gov.au/content/horses-desert-mounted-corps-memorial

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs_Macquarie%27s_Chair

Our evening with friends in North Sydney had been perfect; Aussie hospitality is second to none as I am sure anyone with friends anywhere in Australia would concur.

As it was our penultimate night together, we decided to have a late night drink in Sydney Harbour then walk home to our flat near Central Station. We all agreed the wal would be good for us after all the food and beverage we had imbibed.

The weather the next morning was overcast and cool but we had a full final together day planned for our friend which we did not intend to change unless it started to rain violently and we had no other option.

Fortunately that did not happen. We did have a few brief showers but nothing that three Brits couldn't handle. 

Our day started with breakfast at Darling Harbour which was lovely in spite of the grey skies.

We were sorry that our friend would not be seeing this area of Sydney in glorious sunshine as we had done on many occasions in January, but it was still a lovely way to start the day. 

We then walked through the CBD to Sydney Harbour and to the Botanical Gardens which she was very keen to see. Although we had been there several times already, it was lovely going back and seeing some of the familiar sights we had admired before as well as new discoveries which we had missed on the other occasions we had been. 

One of these new discoveries was a war memorial located on the south west external wall of the Botanic Gardens.

This memorial is dedicated to the horses of the desert mounted Corps.

The description of this plaque on the memorial website reads:

"Cast bronze wall plate depicting an Australian Light Horse Trooper with three horses.

A memorial to approximately 140,000 horses, only one of which was allowed back into Australia, that served in the Desert Campaign in the First World War".

The very moving inscriptions read:

Plaque 1: Erected by members of The Desert Mounted Corps and friends to the Gallant Horses who carried them over Sinai Desert into Palestine 1915 - 1918

Plaque 2: They suffered wounds thirst, hunger and weariness. Almost beyond endurance but never failed. They did not come home. We will never forget them

As 2020 marked 75 years since the end of the Second World War, it was very special to see this memorial dedicated to the many loyal animals who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Great War and whose loyalty and endurance  do not always receive the recognition that many believe they are due. 

We then walked to Mrs Macquarie's Chair.

"Mrs Macquarie's Chair (also known as Lady Macquarie's Chair) is an exposed sandstone rock cut into the shape of a bench, on a peninsula on the edge of the botanical garden where you can enjoy a wonderful view of Sydney Harbour.

It was hand carved by convicts in 1810, for Elizabeth Macquarie, the wife of Major-General Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of New South Wales.

The peninsula itself was known to the Gadigal as Yurong Point, and is now widely known as Mrs Macquarie's Point".

"Mrs Macquarie was the wife of Major-General Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821.

Folklore has it that she used to sit on the rock and watch for ships from Great Britain sailing into the harbour.

She was known to visit the area and sit enjoying the panoramic views of the harbour.

Above the chair is a stone inscription referring to Mrs Macquarie's Road.

That road was built between 1813 and 1818, and ran from the original Government House (now the Museum of Sydney) to Mrs Macquarie's Point.

It was built on the instruction of Governor Macquarie for the benefit of his wife.

There is no remaining evidence of the original road, other than a culvert over which the road ran—the Macquarie Culvert.

The stone inscription reads as follows.

"Be it thus Recorded that the Road Round the inside of the Government Domain Called Mrs. Macquarie's road

So named by the Governor on account of her having Originally Planned it

Measuring 3 Miles, and 377 Yards

Was finally Completed on the 13th Day ofJune 1816"

The peninsula sits between the Garden Island peninsula to the east and Bennelong Point (where the Sydney Opera House resides) to the west.

The chair itself faces north-east towards Fort Denison and the Tasman Sea.

The area around it on Mrs Macquarie's Point is a popular lookout position for the view to the north-west of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

We were told that this is a popular viewing spot for the many thousands of people who flock to Sydney for the city's spectacular New Year's Eve firework display. 

When we stood at the water's edge with the most perfect view of both the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, I could totally see why.

Final Trip to Manly

There were so many places in and around Sydney which we would have loved to visit again with our friend but as we only had that one full day together, we had to choose just a few.

We were pleased to have spent the morning at Darling Harbour then to have walked back to the Opera House area and to have shown her Sydney’s beautiful botanical gardens where we were all able to admire the glorious harbour views from Mrs Macquarie’s Chair.

A fleeting visit of the State Library was a bonus before we returned to Sydney Harbour to board our ferry to Manly.

She was keen to see Manly as her son had recommended a good restaurant there which we were all keen to try so she booked it for all three of us for 7:00 pm.

The walk back to the ferry port from the State Library was delightful.

We walked through the botanical gardens again where we enjoyed that glorious view for one last time.

We even saw what must be one of the most pleasantly situated open air cinema anywhere in the world. It was right on the water’s edge with views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge behind it.

My husband and I decided there and then that we would definitely try and book it for one of our last nights in Australia on 10 or 11 March after we returned from New Zealand, before setting off for Singapore on the 12th.

The weather had been dull and grey all day but not long after we arrived in Manly it cleared up a little and we even saw some sun so our lovely coastal walk there was even better than we originally thought it would be.

We walked along the sea-front and admired the beautiful views; we pointed out the two heads to our friend and I even showed her the spot where I mistook a man on a body board for a dolphin.

She was surprised to see signs alerting people to the presence of foxes and stray cats which in Australia are dealt with ruthlessly and expediently in order to protect the natural fauna and flora from imported predators.

We never think of cats as predators in the UK but in Australia this is a serious problem. Not only are there an estimated 6.3 million stray cats all over the country but the Australian climate is so favourable to them that they grow to three or four times their original size.

Controlling stray cat numbers is vital in both Australia and New Zealand in order to protect the natural fauna which is clearly threatened by an ever increasing number of both stray cats and foxes.

I must say I do not like the idea of people hunting down and shooting or poisoning these poor, innocent creatures who were brought to these lands as pets and probably released into the wild when no longer required.

It is always man behind issues such as these and as ever, animals pay the price.

I can see why it needs to be done but maybe a more humane culling or spaying programme may be a better option all round.

Four Pines and Garfish

We started our evening with aperitivo at Four Pines where our daughters and North Sydney friends took us on our first outing to Manly back in late December.

We ordered the same ‘taster paddle’ for our friend which we had enjoyed before and started chatting with a family group at the table next to ours who were celebrating a 60th birthday for Dad (also grandad).

Garfish was every bit as good as we thought it would be.

It was an excellent recommendation and we were very pleased indeed to have booked it.

My husband ordered tea smoked whole rainbow trout on paperbark saltbush and green peppercorn butter which he said was as good if not better than fish dishes he had ordered on several occasions in France and Italy.

My friend and I ordered several smaller plates between us which were all superb.

The crisp fried zucchini flowers filled with salmon and king prawn were exquisite, so much so that I tried to replicate the recipe at home on several occasions this summer but although they were good, I couldn’t quite capture the flavours of those served at Garfish.

It was the perfect final meal with all three of us together in Australia and a more than fitting end to our wonderful three week road and sightseeing trip which we would all treasure forever.

Our ferry journey back to Sydney Harbour was also perfect.

The clouds had cleared and the night harbour views were as beautiful as they could be.

A couple of nightcaps at Buckley’s on arrival at Circular Quay was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Of course we did not know then that the world would change beyond all recognition just a few weeks after that magical night in Manly and in Sydney Harbour.

On the very few occasions that we managed to meet up with our friend back in the UK during our various periods of lockdown since returning from Australia in March, we reminisced at how pleased we were to have managed to do as much as we did and that indeed, we managed to do it at all.

The following day our friend went onto spend a few days with friends in Casino between Brisbane and the Gold Coast which she thoroughly enjoyed.

She ended her trip with two more days in Sydney where she did the Coogee to Bondi walk and on her very last day in Australia, as the weather was excellent, she booked herself onto the Harbour Bridge walk which is a wonderful thing to do if you are fit, healthy and are not afraid of heights.

The perfect end to a perfect trip

Tuesday 18 February 2020

We all knew it would need to an early start that morning as we had to pack, clear the flat and check out by 10:00 am; but we did not regret our late night the evening before.

It had been excellent and would be a memory we would all treasure forever. 

But I will say that getting up so early that morning was not easy.

I dealt with the check-out process and last minute clearing while my husband walked with our friend to Central Station where she would be boarding the 7:00 am train to Casino.

It was due to be a long 12 hour journey to Casino but she had been inspired by the train journeys of Michael Portillo who had embarked on several such trips in Australia including the iconic Sydney to Perth route, so she was very much looking forward to her new adventure.

As for ourselves, we would not need to be at the airport until 5:00 pm so we booked our bags into a luggage store a few doors from our flat.

The store happened to be attached to a laundrette and as they were both managed by the same person, we took advantage and commissioned a service wash which would be done by 5:00 pm when we were due to collect our bags.

As we had been up several hours already and were quite worn out with all the packing, cleaning and transporting luggage around, we decided to return to our lovely café in Bondi for our usual breakfast which would be followed by some restful beach time and our usual Bondi to Coogee walk. 

Being back at our favourite breakfast café was lovely.

It felt so familiar knowing exactly what to order in the knowledge that it would taste as good as we remembered. 

It was while we were at the café waiting for our breakfast order to arrive that we received a strange text alert from the airline we had booked from Sydney to Singapore on 12 March.

The message advised me to check my email inbox urgently so we could decide how we wished to proceed. 

This I did promptly and found a letter from the said airline inviting passengers to re-schedule their flights to Singapore as a one-off no charge flight change concession

The reason for this, we assumed, was linked to the spread of the dreaded virus, though this was not mentioned at all in the letter. 

This was all rather disconcerting; I immediately checked the internet for more information and I did indeed discover that three clusters of the coronavirus disease or COVID-19, linked to a tour group from China, a company conference, and a church were identified in Singapore in early February, 2020.

I read several articles from a variety of publications including the medical journal The Lancet and deduced that as of Feb 15, 2020, 36 cases of COVID-19 were linked epidemiologically to the first three clusters of circumscribed local transmission in Singapore.

425 close contacts were quarantined.

Direct or prolonged close contact was reported among affected individuals, although indirect transmission (eg, via shared food) could not be excluded.

The incubation period was 4 days so it was highly likely that others would be incubating it at that time.

So did this mean that we would not be able to travel to Singapore at all on 12 March? If so what would we do instead? How would we travel back to the UK?

We decided we could not make any hasty decisions at that time as we needed to contact more people about it including our travel insurance and our friends from Kuala Lumpur who we were supposed to meet in Singapore on 13 March. We were sure they would know what we should do.

At least we had been alerted to a far more serious situation than we realised.

The 10 hour time difference meant we could not contact anyone at that moment so after breakfast we relaxed in the sun on our usual bench on the beach then set off on our Bondi to Coogee walk.