CHEERS!

First up, HAPPY CHRISTMAS to all our family and old friends back home and also to all the new friends we have made in Australia. We send all the very best to everyone and also to any blog followers, those we know and those we don’t; whoever you are, and wherever you maybe, we wish you season’s greetings and hope you have the most perfect day. It seems a weird thing sending our XMAS day greetings knowing folk back at home are just waking up and starting their C day but that’s just the way it is with the time difference out here.

I’ve only had time to skim read Phil’s last blog so you must excuse me if I repeat what he’s already talked about. I read enough though, to know that Phil didn’t relay just how grumpy knickers he felt. Our drive into Sydney was a fairly smooth one and we found our way to the Nova car park without too much trouble. The concierge at the Oaks Goldsbrough apartment block was a little vague and we faffed around , unloading the car and find our way back to cell block 350 in Prymont Street. In fact, if I’m honest, it was fairly complicated finding the car once again after we first parked up on level 4 and finding the right lift back to our apartment. Phil has said that my face looks like a sore arse on more than one occasion on this trip to Oz but you should have seen his grumpy old man boat face yesterday, it wasn’t a pretty sight!

The apartment was indeed like a prison with hardly any natural light, certainly not a room with a view but as I said to Phil “hey cowboy what do you expect in the middle of Sydney for a hundred bucks a night over Christmas (that’s about 50 quid to you and me back at home), and he agreed. Okay the views were pretty dismal but the accommodation was clean and modern and I was overjoyed with the washer/dryer and the full kitchenette. What more could an anal cleaner girl like me wish for at Christmas?


It didn’t help Phil’s mood after finally getting the room key that we couldn’t find the car again to offload the luggage; it was a trek from the apartment reception lobby back to the Nova Hotel car park and we searched floors from 1 to 4 before we could find the car. It was hot and sticky when we did eventually find the Ford Falcon. Phil was really disappointed with cell block H and was looking forward to views over Darwin harbour. It didn’t help his mood when we found the toilet wasn’t working and we had to call out the plumber. Phil had booked us on a riverboat lunch cruise for Christmas Day and it was important that we found an internet café to print out our confirmation. We found an internet cafe on level 2 but unfortunately for us, when we finally got on line, we saw that we didn’t have an email in the inbox to confirm our booking.

The XMAS day cruise was a last minute thing and Phil had to phone around several companies to get us on a boat. After checking the mail at the internet café we decided to go back to the room to pay for Wi-Fi in the room and to check out the toilet situation. The plumber had indeed been but after a little tinkle and a flush, the toilet wouldn’t flush so we had to call reception and get the plumber back out. Remember in Oz it was Christmas Eve so it wasn’t the best timing. The nice Australian friendly “no worries” plumber came back to room 350 and said the spring needed replacing but unfortunately he had no spares on board so had to take out the half flush system. By this time I had unpacked the back packs so wouldn’t have been keen to move rooms.


To make matters even worse, with a toilet that half worked with a flush that took half an hour or more to stop, Phil got on the laptop and purchased a 50 dollar Wi-Fi connection. Weird sad people that we are with a need for 24hr internet access, a connection over Christmas was an absolutely necessity. Bad news again, after Phil paid his bucks with his credit card we couldn’t get a connection. How shit was that and my DH (dear husband) wasn’t a happy bunny and I can’t say I blamed him.

After the plumber finished we went to Darling Harbour in search of a cold beer and bumped into the lovely ‘Tim’ where we were entertained for an hour or two. I simply adore the people out here; they talk to anyone and don’t seem to mind us inquisitive poms with one hundred and ten questions. I wonder what they really think of us.


Thankfully Phil had a good nights sleep and woke me up with a sloppy chrissie snog. The Sydney weather forecast was grim but we pulled open the curtains to see a fairly sunny sky with only a few clouds. Phil went out of the block to find a supermarket and came back with kitchen roll and tomato sauce. It was lucky because we already had some supplies on board so Phil made us cheese on toast for brekky. What more could a girl want?? Okay a glass of bubbly with some smoked salmon would be preferable to start Christmas Day but I’m really not that fussy. All I really need is a good hot sweet cup of tea.

We both got showered and dressed and headed down to Darling Harbour to meet the boat. Phil was still stressed, with no confirmation in the in box, we had no idea where to meet the boat. Nobody had heard of “Rythemboats” but some 2 hours later we found the right pier right beside the Maritime Museum. Finally, the boat docked in and, guess what - our name wasn’t on the list. Phil had phoned so many companies to try and book a Christmas Day lunch cruise that he’d got confused about which cruise company he had actually booked and paid for. Poor Phil, he tried so hard to make the day special.

Any way, to cut a very long story short, we eventually got on board the Rhythemboat cruise and paid cash up front for the privilege. We ended up with one of the crew’s family sharing a table with Joyce, Diana and Mickey up on the top deck and what a brilliant time we had. In fact, it was most memorable Christmas Day I have ever spent. Lunch was hot pork and apple sauce, roast spuds, fresh prawns and lots, lots more. Booze was included and me and Phil did a couple of bottles of Chardonnay as we sailed around Sydney harbour with a smile on our faces. It was brilliant being on the top deck even though the weather got a bit ugly later on. We got off the boat and the rain started so we went back to cell 350 for a nano nap and then got up for cheese and biscuits in front of the telly. All in all, a perfect Christmas day.