Along with Pride, we've been busy planning our upcoming trip to Japan.  This is turning out to be more exciting that I would have thought.  

Initially we were going to do a 9 day tour.  There was a Travel Expo here and they had a great 2 for 1 deal on.  So we booked and thought we were ready to go.  Then, yesterday, they cancelled on us.  So now we're going it alone!  After a frantic ordering of guidebooks I feel better and am ready to start planning!  

I've also have the privilege of working regularly as a casual / substitute teacher here and am enjoying it.  There are a few noticeable changes in how things are done over here and it's been wonderful to experience new things.  I think both Australia and Canada are very similar in their ideals and goals, but they actual day to day operations have some interesting differences.  I'll post more on this in the future. :)

Celebrated The Year of the Dragon:

And I've volunteered with this years Pride festival, Mardi Gras!  The Pride season (which is almost a month long) kicked off with the Fair, held in a beautiful park.  And by fair, they don't just mean picnics on the grass!  There were rides, food, and plenty of things to see and do! 

The Parade is on March 3rd, and I can't wait to be a part of it!  

We went to The Muppets and we're looking forward to seeing a few more shows before the season ends in March!  

Another delightful treat we discovered was that there is a beautiful coastal walk from nearby Coogee Beach all the way to Bondi Beach.  It takes about two hours, but follows the coast the entire way.  In the early evening, when the day has cooled just a little, it's a lovely thing to do.  Sydney is full of wonderful things, but my favourite, by far, is being so near to the ocean.  

I hope to do this walk over and over while we're here!  Just because it's wonderful!  

Yesterday was the start of the Year of the Dragon, and I will update tomorrow with tales of parades, dodgy pizza, and harrowing escapes from the rain! 

We also went to a stunning light show at St. Mary's Cathedral.  I was expecting a pretty little show, but it was amazing!  They had elaborate projections staged across the front of the cathedral set to music.  

On Christmas Eve, we started a new tradition of going for tea (because tea is one of my favourite things!).  We went to the Queen Victoria Building Tea Room and indulged in far too many scones and pastries.  I can't wait to do it again!  

Then, to prove how Australian we are now, we celebrated in true Aussie fashion by hitting the beach!

It may not have been the sort of Christmas we're used to, but it was sure a lot of fun!

Best of all, Mary Poppins was outstanding!  I completely forgot I was a grown up and got involved with the story, clapping along with the other children.  The Broadway version is quite different from the movie, but the same spirit is there.  I only have one photo from the show (taken before it started, of couse), but I don't need photos, because it's a night I'll remember for a very long time. 

I'm not sick enough to just be sleeping, but not nearly well enough to actually do anything.  So instead I'm housebound with the attention span of an ADD flee.  (I'm not sure about the normal attention span of a flee...  But I can't seem to focus on much of anything for longer than three seconds...  I think it's the fever.)

Ah well. 

One of the prettiest parts of Sydney is an area called Darling Harbour.  It's right in middle of the downtown area (called the CBD, or central business district by locals, or more commonly, just called "the city").   It's an entertainment center with restaurants, bars, shopping, attractions, and events.  They also hold festivals here and have random fireworks, which I rather enjoy.  Of course, the best part is that this is also where you'll find the Lindt Chocolate Cafe.  Mmmmm! 

Darling Harbour is home to both the Sydney Wildlife Park and the Aquarium.  Soon it will also boast a Madame Tussauds.

(Random aside: Did you know Madame Tossaud lived through the French Revolution?  She has a fascinating history and began her famous career as basically a news agent working with her family.  Her family's wax figures were of scenes of local interest, such as the royalty, politicians, and criminals.  People could pay to "see" the important happenings.  Later she made death masks after people were killed by the revolutionaries.  Eventually she was sent to the prisons, but made it out after the revolution and moved to England where she reinvented herself.) 

One of the first touristy things we did was check out the aquarium.  While not as impressive as the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, this one here is still quite nice.  Here's a few of the things that we saw.

Okay, having gone back and re-read this post, I must admit that I've jumped around a fair bit.  But I did warn you about the problems with my attention span.  I just can't seem to concentra- ....  Aww, the cat is being cute!

I hope you are having a better day than I am!

Sitting in the shade of a giant tree, with sunlight gleaming off the hanging tea cups used for decoration, the very nice people here will bring you two scones with double thick cream and jam for the very reasonable price of $6.  I tried sharing once with hubby, on the basis that two scones equals one each...  But have since learned that then you wind up fighting over the cream and jam, so it's safer the whole way around if you just each have your own plate. 

Needless to say, anytime we are even remotely near The Rocks on a weekend I try finagle my way into tea! 

On that note, I think I'll get started on my day.  But here are a few pictures of The Rocks.  If you're ever in Sydney and need a friend for tea, drop me a line!