Yesterday we had a little scare. It was quite late and all of a sudden we heard a noise at the kitchen window. It did cross my mind that if you are a burglar why wouldn't you try another window without any bushes right in front of it. Anyway....... slowly I moved towards the window and quickly opened the blinds...... AND?!.......
(Sam)
It was our neighbour's cat SAM trying to climb up the kitchen window. We went outside to see why it was trying to do so and then we saw it. We didn't have a cat burglar after all. It was a Rat Burglar heading straight for one of our best cheeses, which we of course hide in an old shoe in one of the bedrooms, like every other sane person would do.
Last weekend Caroline and I went to see an old story. 10,000 B.C.
In a remote mountain tribe, the young hunter D’Leh (Steven Strait) has found his heart’s passion – the beautiful Evolet (Camilla Belle). But when a band of mysterious warlords raid his village and kidnap Evolet, D’Leh leads a small group of hunters to pursue the warlords to the end of the world to save her. As they venture into unknown lands for the first time, the group discovers there are civilizations beyond their own and that mankind’s reach is far greater than they ever knew. At each encounter the group is joined by other tribes who have been attacked by the slave raiders, turning D’Leh’s once-small band into an army. Driven by destiny, the unlikely warriors must battle prehistoric predators while braving the harshest elements. At their heroic journey’s end, they uncover a lost civilisation and learn their ultimate fate lies in an empire beyond imagination, where great pyramids reach into the skies. Here they will take their stand against a tyrannical god who has brutally enslaved their own. And it is here that D’Leh finally comes to understand that he has been called to save not only Evolet but all of civilisation.
All in all we thought it was a good movie. Nothing new however and don't take it for historical fact but if you want a good night out it is still okay.
The Body Flying ambulances? Intelligent clothing? Custom-built organs from scratch? Robotic surgery? Learn about today's medical breakthroughs that will extend our lives in 50 years.
The World An invisible soldier? A space elevator to the stars? Transmit the inventory of the Library of Congress via laser beam in seconds? What are the real fuel sources of the future? Learn about technological quantum leaps that will shape our planet in 50 years.
Some old books contain a wonderful surprise - if you know where to look! Because a fore-edge painting is hidden, someone who does not know what they are looking for will miss it completely. You need to take the pages and fan them out slightly, and if there is a fore-edge painting, it will appear.
A few weeks ago Caroline said she had to go to Melbourne for work, fly on Thursday and have a few meetings on Friday. And after having given it some thought I said well why don't I meet you there? I did, Caroline dropped me off at the airport at 07:15 and went off to work. I was in Melbourne at 10:00. Caroline would not fly out of Sydney until 17:45 so I had a whole day to kill in Melbourne on my own. A bit strange doing so without Caroline and I did feel a bit guilty I was having fun while she was still at work. I hadn't given it much thought as to what to do although I did read up on Melbourne's attractions and did have some places I would like to see but I didn't make any priorities. As I wandered around in the heat, 40C, I came across the Melbourne Aquarium it would prove to be a pleasant break from the heat.
Sea Dragon, Moreton Bay Bugs, Angler Fish and a Sea Turtle
The Moon Jellyfish were quite surreal especially under the black light, they looked like alien life forms.
I also liked holding a starfish strangely enough, but only after I saw a 4-year old holding it.
Another highlight at the Aquarium was seeing divers feed the stingrays, sharks, turtles and fish.
After a few hours of fun at the Aquarium it was time to move on and I came across the Young and Jackson Hotel across from Flinders Station another excuse to escape the heat. The Young and Jackson is also known for a famous nude painting named Chloe byJules Joseph Lefebvre.
After a refreshing pint or two with some people (originally from Rugby, UK) who were in Melbourne to see the Grand Prix it was time to head off again. After heading in no specific direction I found myself in Chinatown.
By that time it was also time to find the hotel which was located in Toorak. On the map I had it didn't appear to be that far (I learned now it is approximately 6 Km from the CBD)... The heat didn't make it any easier to walk but I made it in time, just 30 minutes before Caroline arrived. When Caroline came we went out for dinner at a local Thai restaurant. The food was really good but all the starters and mains had some really hot chillies in it. We decided not to take their desert just in case it had more chilli in it. The following morning Caroline had to leave early again to go to her business meetings, but before she had to go, we shared breakfast together. After checking out of the hotel I wandered around Melbourne once more, however this time I took the train to the CBD. It was going to be another killer day with temperatures in the 40s not ideal for wandering around outside so I went to the National Gallery of Victoria, before my shuttle bus would pick me up from Southern Cross Station. Coincidence will have it that the painter who painted Chloe in the Young and Jackson had a painting La Cigale featured on a poster promoting the National Gallery of Victoria's, 19th Century Gallery. In the National Gallery of Victoria I also came across another one of Ron Mueck's work Two Women Grim. Caroline and I have seen Pregnant Woman together in Canberra before and he makes life-like statues of all sizes from small to really big with a lot of attention to detail.
It was funny Caroline and I were both flying out at 17:45 but Caroline flew from Melbourne Airport and I flew from
Avalon (more of a shed then an airport in the middle of a dry wasteland) and we arrived in Sydney around the same time.
Swedish Chef hasn't made an appearance for roughly 3 months now. And you might think Australian Immigration has sent him back to Sweden. But nothing is further from the truth. Chef still cooks up fabulous meals for us. For example this Pressed Belly of Pork.
Chef cracking a joke about 'his' crackling.
If you are wondering what book Chef is using it is not Chef's Greatest Recipes EVER!!! in fact it is from Gordon Ramsay's Sunday Lunch (with DVD!!!). It took us a while to figure that one out.
If you think it is easy for a top chef, like Gordon Ramsay, to cook pig look at the link below. Gordon Ramsay's pigs are not going to the market but somewhere more sinister....
Saturday we booked ourselves in at the Sheraton on the Park in Sydney where we both booked a massage at their health spa for one another. Mine was a Christmas gift and I thought it would be nice to give Caroline the same as a birthday gift and have it together. Because our anniversary is coming up on the 4th we also thought it might be nice to book a room there for the night. And because I wasn't feeling well on Caroline's birthday (food poisoning) we decided to have a nice meal on another day. With all of the above going on this seemed a good moment to treat ourselves some more and go to the Summit a revolving restaurant, located on the 47th floor.
The room in the Sheraton was wonderful, overlooking Hyde Park, and the bathroom with its black marble floor and paintings on the walls made us feel like royalty. If we do ever hit the jackpot Caroline and I might move in. Prior to the massage we went for a swim in the infinity pool on the 22nd floor with nice views all around. I had never had a massage before and wasn't sure what to expect. It was really nice and we just felt like taking a nap after, it was nice that we had a room to retreat too before getting ready to go out again.
The dinner at the Summit was excellent and with a table at the window we had great views over Sydney.
Sunday we slept in longer than we intended, probably because of the dark curtains, but we managed to get down before they stopped serving breakfast. After putting our luggage in storage we had a nice walk through the Botanical Gardens.
We always knew from previous visits that there are Grey-Headed Flying Foxes in the Gardens but it seemed like the colony had grown quite a lot since our last visit. The thing about Flying Foxes is you usually smell them before you see them and maybe because their numbers have grown so much, now you had to watch out not to step in their droppings either. They were also particularly noisy (go here for a recording). Besides that, it is great to see these 'weird' animals thriving in a big city like Sydney.
Flying foxes everywhere. The first photo resembles a Christmas tree with Flying Foxes for baubles.
Later we found out prior to us going we had booked everything coinciding with 30 years of Mardi Gras which we both would have liked to see, but at least we have the liberty now of saying we'll go and see it next year instead.
2008 is a leap year and of course Google has a doodle to commemorate it.
Ever wondered who makes these doodles? A time lapse video that shows Chief Google Doodler Dennis Hwang drawing a Google Doodle from start to finish. Here he creates a doodle that commemorates the Lunar New Year.
Devious Defences is episode 4 of the BBC series Weird Nature. In six engrossing episodes, many natural oddities of animal behaviour are explored, interpreted and filmed in exquisite detail. Using a unique presentation that combines elements of drama and special effects to explaining each amazing subject, Weird Nature delves deep into the every day lives of living things to reveal that the bizarre is commonplace in the natural world.
