Blogs from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania - page 17

National Parks of the USA url=https://www.timeanddate.com/counters/fullscreen.html?mode=m&year=2017&month=5&day=1&hour=10&min=0&sec=0&p0=240&msg=National%20Parks%20of%20the%20USA 122days... read more

I am now in Cairns, which is about a 3 hour flight north of Sydney. After the roommate debacle the first night in Sydney, I was excited as the second room seemed much calmer. To keep a long story short, I had a young girl from West Virginia in my room who woke up with a start, with no pants on (zero anything actually) stumbled down from the bunk above me and vomited in the shower. She then stumbled back in rambling about needing to find her way to Perth. Mo yelled at her for being rude when her phone went off which opened Pandora's box. She was screaming at him for up to an hour. He left to get the front desk person and I talked her down. I also talked her out of breaking ... read more

Geo: -33.8671, 151.207We were sad to leave our beautiful daughter in Nelson Bay and head off south to Sydney. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get to our hotel. Would have been slightly earlier but the sat nav on my phone is not as good as it could be. Great apartment at 5 York Street on the 23rd floor with balconies overlooking Sydney. Once settled in we decided to return our hire car but as we hadn't been given the proper drop off address by Thrifty this took us quite a while. Please note anyone returning a car - it is in the ground floor of the Domain car park and it is not at all sign posted!Walked back ,stopping at Hyde Park for a beer- we were just too late for lunch there ... read more

My Aussie Backyard...Fungi of the Third Kingdom. Is a fish an animal? What about a spider? Do you know? It seems fish are animals...just like birds...and other things that slither, climb and crawl...spiders, lizards, snakes and insects...animals all they say. Then there are the rocks and the trees. That means I've got animal, vegetable and mineral in my Aussie backyard. Flora, fauna and rocks. Flora means plant life and fauna means animal life...and rocks mean rocks. But sometimes (usually after rain) something sticks it's head out of my Aussie backyard and says "Notice me"...and I didn't really hear it until I heard that fungi are NOT plants. And that really blew my mind. All living things that are not plant or animal are called "biota"...fungi, bacteria and some slimy things that are neither. Welcome to the ... read more

My Aussie Backyard...the Rocks & the Trees. It kinda begs the question...why the rocks & the trees? We love the birds that sing and the animalia that slither, climb and crawl. But what images are our deepest emotional attachment to Australia as our home? It's the rocks & trees that remind us of home when we are away...that welcome us when we return from our travels...the sap of our life blood...trunks that give us strength...evergreen branches that open like arms...that catch the wind...that perfumes the air...that shades and comfort us...that provides the oxygen we breathe. While the flora & fauna change around them...the rocks are our constant...always there. What reminds me of the magical places in this World we have visited? It is the landscapes...the vistas...the people...the animal and birds...the colours...and definitely the rocks & trees. ... read more