Monday, August 16, 2010

A Serial

My Time in Cue
A New Chapter

I suppose I should begin with ‘Gidday Mate', but I honestly don't think I have been in Australia long enough to begin with that salutation. The weather in Australia is warmer than in my homeland of New Zealand, though not hot. There is no ice on the windows in the mornings and the daily high has reached 17C or 19C … a vast improvement on 4C or 6C.

The trip over the Tasman was uneventful, as we wish all air trips to be. Flying from Dunedin to Sydney, we had two nights, and a day, in which to see the sights. The Opera House is impressive making it easy to see why Australians are justifiably proud of this magnificent edifice perched on the edge of the harbour. The Harbour Bridge is [sorry about this] just a bridge. There are, in my opinion, more impressive bridges in the world; small stone bridges exuding a rustic character to render them timeless, crossing trickles of water. Oh yes, Sydney Harbour Bridge [note the capitals] is impressive, just not my cup of tea. However I appreciate why the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House have become icons of what is quintessentially Sydney.

To me Sydney appeared a bustling, hustling city consisting of folks not interacting with one another. A huge percentage of the population walked at a fast pace with those little plugs in their ears … no doubt they were listening to their own particular brand of music, or perhaps running the day's agenda over before reaching the office, or maybe they were listening to something altogether different. I did notice they were very intent on listening.

The other breeds of Sydney City Folk were the talkers. Not to me, nor to their fellow walkers on the pavement, but talkers into tiny plastic phones, which I am positive must have been super-glued to their ears. They too were concentrating on their talking, shutting out the rest of the world.

We rode to the top of Centrepoint tower, which gave a panoramic view of Sydney. Sydney is immense … a city of 4.25 million residents so we were informed by a knowledgeable and humorous young gentleman commentator. He had people skills and employed them extremely well. I approved of that Sydney.

We flew to Perth, the capital of Western Australia. Perth is laid back, a complete contrast to Sydney, and reminiscent of a series of settlements converging into each other. Or it could be that I am better acquainted with Perth having been a frequent visitor.

The family descended upon us! My grandchildren are no longer children; they are now young adults. I find it amusing to think that I, a woman who celebrates her 21st birthday with monotonous regularity, can be a grandmother to these young Australians. They speak so quickly with convolvulated vowels … vowels I will not try to imitate.

The bird life is different. Hanging out the washing earlier this day I found myself unable to identify any of the birds flitting from bough to bough, from bough to bough of trees I cannot identify. There are citrus trees growing in every back yard … oranges that would not come cheap in New Zealand green grocers are picked by the plastic shopping bag full to be juiced! Sacrilege! This morning I ate one for breakfast!

Bananas are scarce, and expensive. Recently Cyclone Larry hit the banana growing coast of Queensland devastating the crop. Admittedly other areas grow bananas, and because of the scarcity of these delectable fruit, the farmers are cashing in on the huge profits to be made. $1.57 for one banana!

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