One and Only Australian Tour - Day 4 Proper Tourist Zoo

I went to the zoo on a Sunny day.   Most of the animals are just having a lie down.

I managed to watch the bird show,  it was very good.   They have trained a cockrel. 

My feet hurt by then.   I hopped around The Rocks and took the bus to Darlinghurst to save my feet.

We had some reasonably priced "Australian" dinner at the Oxford. We then took the bus back towards the Sydney Opera house.

Don Quixote the ballet was good.   I am glad to have supported the Australian Ballet. 

One and Only Australian Tour - Day 3 Proper Tourist

I went into Sydney, onwards to Bondi Beach, ate fish (dory) and chips (fries) with a hard cider at the famous Iceberg.

Walked through the Pink Mile at Darlinghurst, had some coffee and cake. 

Quizzed the Australian Museum's staff on Australian history.  In my experience, most museum staff are not historian!  Considered this is "Australian Museum", it not New South Wales Museum, they mentioned one of the first governor of NSW, Macquarie, which explains why everything is named Macquarie, but there is no mention of the first "Governor of Australia", by the way, I looked it up at home, its a guy called John Hope. There is also no mention who was "Darling", but since he was a NSW chap, the museum staff actually knows about him.

Went to Darling Harbour, looked at Pyrmont Bridge. 

Walked through China Town. 

Ended up in a group dinner to have Australianised pan-Chinese food.

A very productive tourist day. 

One and Only Australian Tour - Day 2 Family Time

Contemplating jetlag, I have planned for a slow day, staying in.  I have offered to cook for the family the best of British dinners, lasagne and mac and cheese.

After having an audit at their kitchen, consulting diet requirement, I bought the remainder ingredients.

In between cooking and eating,  we also played some chess. The kids are good, on the other hand, I am actually also a beginner in a grand scheme of thing.  My excuse is that I only had 3 hours of sleep due to jetlag.

I made bacon, mushroom, scramble egg, sourdough brunch. 

I made "American scone" with some VERY out of day heavy cream, beef sausage rolls and pork sausage rolls.

There was a scare that the oven wasn't heating up when I turned it on, after checking on the manual, I used the wrong mode, phew, I contemplated changing the menu! 

Another lesson learn is that if you need industrial amount of white sauce, microwave method would be a bad method. 

Empty plate all around, which is good. I left them a whole mac and cheese to reheat for next family meal. 

One and Only Australian Tour - Day 1 Arrival

So I was in an aisle seat for the second leg of the flight. That was totally the right decision, but what you cannot plan is having awkward neighbour. I survive it.

Finally I landed in Sydney, and after Sarah given me the low down on what to do, I moved past the immigration and quarantine swiftly.  No "Australian Border Force" style bag search thank goodness.

My "driver" was late, so I wasn't best pleased. 

We had some Cantonese food at the restaurant then went to drop off all my souvenirs. 

My Samsung S4 has also come home to Australia with me.  The S4 is so old that it is struggling to sustain mobile data, I will have to cope.

One and Only Australian Tour - Day 0

This is my first international trip since 2019. Instead of "revenge travelling", I thought I had saved enough carbon credit to fly further,  hence Australia.   But since I am allergic the Sun,  it wasn't going to a long trip.

I have been mentally preparing myself for the long flight. I have concluded that any flight over seven hours, I shall sit aisle.  There is no point for a window for long flight, there is no sight majority of the time.

So in order for me to catch the 8am flight, I contemplating staying at the airport the night before, but ultimately I didn't, because either way, I would have to get up at some ungodly hours even if I have stayed nearer.

On my way to the airport, I tried to stop for a coffee but they ran out of milk, so I just ploughed on. In hindsight, I really should have got a coffee.

The first leg of flight was happily uneventful.

The layover was at Doha Airport, which has changed a lot since I last transited there, having had the Qorld Cup and all.

Coronation Quiche

Coronation quiche,  really? 

Tár

Tár, women also have the capacity for politics and propensity to abuse power and trust. 

Fibre Added Pasta

We have some pasta,  claims to have added oat fibre.   It tastes the same as normal.   Proof is in the pooping...

Coral Trout

I have seen a translation of coral trout,  which is a grouper.   Either way,  yumm!! 

Computer Says No

I have to explain the concept of "computer says no" to my mother. 

Sausage Roll - English's Dumpling

It has only just dawned on me,  sausage roll is English's meat dumpling.

Won ton,  pot stickers,  momos,  samosa,  pierogi... sausage rolls. 

A snack,  typically meat based,  seasoned filling in pastry wrapper. 

Wakanda Forever

Wakanda Forever was a tear jerker as promised. 

She Said

I don't recall having seen any advertisement for She Said.  But I think everyone should watch it to be educated of comtamporary history. 

Soy Bits

My commercially baked break has soy bits on it. It got me thinking.   Is that dehydrate tofu?! 

Greasy Spoons Dying

According to Food Programme, greasy spoons are dying off in London.  

From what I can see,  very much alive in Yorkshire. 

Grass Isn't Greener

Don't look at the headline pay,  look at the whole package and the local living expenses.   

Duty-free Allowance Not

Some countries now have cigarette threshold as small as one pack, or less than a pack.   Why bother. 

Microwave Output

So when a microwave is rated say 800W, it does not mean it takes 800W to run, it takes about 150% of the output rating.  Are we sure it is still the efficient cooking to use it for a long period?

Onion Salt

I got a tub of onion salt from M&S, on offer of course.  It goes well with hashbrown. 

Hardwire Failure

Mobile network is not necessarily less stable than hard wired network.  When we have broadband, fibre, failure, it is more disruptive.

Otley Market Sourdough

I picked up a loaf from someone worked at the Leeds Bread Coop now went independent.  It was not that special.  I will stick with Leeds Bread Coop.

Inflation!

I was tasked to look for a chocolate orange.  How Much?!

Normal Coaxial Cable

Someone market stall holders offered me a male-female coaxial cable, I thought that wasn't right, he insisted that is the normal connection.  I double checked, it was male-male that I need.  Some market stall holders will say anything to make a sale.

Small Shop Shopping

Now that I live near a town, I go to smaller shops.  Their marked down is definitely slimmer picking.

Overly Complicated Valve

So my bathroom tap's cartridge is failing, unlike a thermostatic shower, it is not worth it for a tap.  So I am getting something simpler, soon.

Another Toad

Another toad?! How did it get into my garage!? Sarah named it Nigel, I have no idea why.

 

West Yorkshire Metro Day

I got 6 journeys out of the day pass.  A nice and efficient day out! 

Otley Green Fair - Whittling

So there was a beginning workshop for whittling,  I stood by and listen.  They were using a straight edge knife.  And their first task was a mushroom.   I am not sure I am confortable with the close shave...

Otley Green Fair - Grafting

I went to Otley Green Fair,  I learnt about grafting.   I also learn how an apple tree will take 10 years to mature!   Nah. 

Vegetarian Meatballs

I got some vegetarian meetball pasta.   I am less picky with my meatballs than my sausages,  it was very nondescriptive, which was fine for meatballs.