MOTOGP 2010

We enjoyed the MOTOGP at Phillip Island so much last year, that we just had to go again!  Last year it was probably my favourite sporting event - a trip to Phillip Island, a beautiful day and a great atmosphere!  This year we had again got tickets for the Sunday - and on the Friday it absolutely poured with rain all day, and it wasn't much better on the Saturday - it wasn't looking good!

Saturday night we went to the Perry's for tea, and then Mark came to stay at ours for the night so that Mark, Darren and I could leave from our place for the early start on Sunday morning.  As the evening wore on, it became clear that Darren was not relishing the thought of standing in a muddy field, cold and wet all day.  Because it's at Phillip Island, the coaches drop you off around 8am and then don't leave until after 5pm - a long day if the weather is nasty as there's not much chance of shelter!

So Sunday morning, Darren dropped Mark and I off at the catch-a-coach point, and headed back to bed!

Not to be put off, Mark and I got off the coach in the rain, brolly in hand to walk around the course, ankle deep in mud!!!

It didn't take long for the rain to stop though, and after that it only rained for about 10 minutes just before lunch and then it turned into a lovely sunny afternoon.  Because it had been bad weather it meant that it wasn't so busy, so Mark and I could spend some time looking round the expo.  With a bit of coaxing Mark agreed to play 'Spin the Wheel' - and he's glad he did because he won the jackpot - $250 pair of motorbike gloves!  I on the other hand won a helmet bag - that will come in handy!  And I also got Cameron Donald's autograph (aparently he's famous!)

I would love to be able to tell you about the actual races, but unfortunately I was there for the day out rather than the racing!  So here's some pictures instead!

So what started off as a soggy day ended with me eating ice cream and going home with a sunburnt nose!   I can't remember the last time that Mark and I spent a day together, just us two.  As kids it's was always with mum and dad and as adults it's always been with our better halves.  So cheers, Mark - great day!!!!

Aussie-versary!

Can you believe that we've been down under for a whole year!!!  In some ways (missing family and friends), it seems like we've been away for a lifetime, but in others (still so many new things to do) it seems like we've only just got here!

When we arrived last year we missed the AFL Grand Final.  It's a really big thing here, and our team - St Kilda - were playing so it was our chance to get involved.  So September 25, we headed to the St Kilda Fan Zone Live Site, where there was a big screen showing the game, and plenty of support.

INXS played before the game!

Collingwood (The Magpies) were hot favourites as they aimed for their first flag since 1990, while the Saints wanted to erase the bad memories of last year's loss to the Cats.

Collingwood were leading 50-26 at halftime, but St Kilda fought back to force a thrilling 68-all draw - only the third drawn grand final in AFL/VFL history.  All very exciting as I expected it to go to extra time - but no!  They were set to replay the grand final the same time the following week!
 
So with a feeling of de-ja-vu, October 2nd we headed back to St Kilda!  This time there were even more St Kilda fans packed into the fan zone live site - only to be disappointed!  Collingwood defeated St Kilda by 56 points - boo!!!!!

In between the first and second grand final of 2010, Darren and I bought a car!!!  We thought it was about time that we gave ourselves some more freedom to explore more of what Australia has to offer!  Much as we love Melbourne and being close to the city, it's time to go further afield and at the very least see what the rest of Victoria has for us!  The car is a Peugeot 307 - a bit smaller than Darren is used to and a bit bigger than I'm used to so a happy compromise!  I've only driven it once so far - the night that it was delivered - around the block!  It's an automatic, and I've only ever driven a manual, and I nearly gave us whiplash as I pulled into the side of the road!  I took my right foot off the accelerator and put my left foot on the clutch (which of course was the brake!), followed by my right foot also on the brake!  Needless to say, we stopped quite abruptly!
 
This week has been quite busy too!  I took my Black Belt Six Sigma exam (still waiting for the results!), went to see The Script, and today Darren and I did the Melbourne half Marathon.  Well that's a whole marathon between us!  Last year we did 5km of it, so this year it was quite a jump to do the half marathon!  The weather was perfect, the course was great, but we're now both walking around like we're 90!!!  Darren has sworn that he will never, ever do it again!  We'll see.........

Bula!

Despite saying that while we are in Australia we will only take holidays to in Australia,  September 8th we head off to the 5* Warwick Resort and Spa on the Coral Coast of Fiji.  It was so nice to step off the plane into the heat of the late afternoon sun, greeted by Fijian music and shell necklaces, and then onto the coach for the '90 minute scenic drive' to the resort.  Two and a half hours later, in the dark so not able to appreciate the 'scenic' drive, and with a stop at a 'supermarket' that was clearly owned by the driver's friends!, we are more than happy to reach our destination!

Our room was upgraded to one with a pool and ocean view because we didn't have children with us, which was a lovely surprise because we were meant to have one at the back of the resort with a mountain view.  Because it was evening we went straight to dinner and then for a few drinks on the sunset terrace overlooking the ocean.

To be honest, most days were spent by the pool/beach, and most nights were spent at the Sunset Terrace Bar - and that's pretty much the holiday summed up in one sentence!!!  With crystal clear waters in the lagoon, a beautiful white beach, hot sunny days and warm evenings - what more did we need to do?  Here it is in pictures.....

Complimentary bottle of bubbly from the manager!

Music by the pool!

But there are a few stories....

Bula!  The most common expression in Fiji is "Bula" (pronounced boolah) it's the Fijian word for "hello".  You quickly catch on to it - using it with everyone you pass.  It represents more than just 'hello', however, it also means happiness and health, and is also used in the sense of "bless you".
 
Crab Auction and Race!  The idea is that you bid for a crab for charity - and then race them!  We tried to get England (Robin Hood) but the bidding went far too high for him.  There were a couple of Aussie guys fighting it out, showing off infront of their ladies to make the highest bids, but I was the 'beautiful lady' at the back of the room who kept throwing in a higher bid so that they would raise their game!!!  Eventually we got Japan (Honda aka Wacha!) for a relatively small price!  All crab owners made their way to the race area to view their crabs - Fiji was a monster of a crab, while the others were tiny little things and I feared that Fiji might eat Japan before the race even started!  After much excitement, Fiji won and Japan came second meaning that we won a cash prize that pretty much made our holiday fund bigger than when we arrived!!!

Collecting the winnings!

Sunset!  Sunset is heralded each evening by Fijian warriors blowing the conch shell and beating the lali drums, and lighting torches.  Fiji is really stunning by day, but is almost more beautiful by night.  And it was also nice to see some of the Polynesian shows which show the history of Fiji through song and dance.

 

Golf!  There was an 18 hole mini golf course at the resort, so of course we had to give it a go!  When the ball went into a tunnel on hole 2 and didn't come out the other end, we didn't hold out much hope for the quality of the rest of the course - but it was lots of fun!  The result proved to be a draw - and if you know how much Darren likes his golf, you'll know that it would have killed him if I'd have won!

Bingo!  One evening Darren went back to the room after the pool and I decided to go and play poolside Bingo (with an I for Ingland and an O for Ostralia apparently!)!  Sounds sad I know, but I really enjoyed it - especially being the only one there representing England!  And it's always nice to win - even though I was embarrassed when I collected my prize and everyone was cheering for 'Pete's sausage' (I was wearing a T-shirt Louise had sent me which says 'You can't beat' on the front and 'Pete's Sausage' on the back - so probably only Louise will find that bit funny as she knows the significance! - And she'll be pleased to hear that they wanted me to pick the last ball - sponsored by Pete's Sausage!).

Food poisoning!  We'd been lucky enough to enjoy the nightly themed buffets without getting the Fiji tummy, but on our second to last night we decided to go to for one of their 'exquisite dining experiences' in one of their 'posh' restaurants.  We opted for Italian and had a lovely meal of pizza followed by tiramisu.  At 5am 'exquisite' wouldn't have been my word of choice!!!  But it didn't ruin the holiday - just took the edge of our upgrade to all inclusive the next day!!!

Coming through customs they took a bookmark off me that I had bought in Fiji because it had pressed flowers on it, which was a shame because it was ever so pretty!  And then going through immigration, the lady checking passports took a long time to let me through, and asked to see more photo id before she was sure that I was who my passport said I was!  What would she have done if she wasn't sure - send me back?!

So would we go to Fiji again - for sure!  But a week just isn't long enough!

Sydney City2Surf 2010

August 6 and we're all packed and ready for our first trip to Sydney.  The airport shuttle bus picks us up at 6.30am, and after an hour on the plane we're flying over Sydney with amazing views of the iconic sights of the city.  With the sun glinting off the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge you get the feeling that you're heading somewhere special.

From the airport we get the double decker underground train to Wynyard station, which is about 50m from our hotel - perfect location for Sydney Harbour, Darling Harbour and the City Centre. 

It's too early for us to check in so we leave our bags in storage and head to Sydney Harbour. As we turn into Circular Quay, the hub of Sydney harbour and the founding site for Sydney and Australia, there are ferries leaving every few minutes to different parts of the harbour including Manly and Taronga Park Zoo.  On the southern side of Circular Quay is a walkway that leads to the Sydney Opera House and the Royal Botanical Gardens; while on the northern side, a short walk along lovely landscaped walkways takes you to the Harbour Bridge and The Rocks, one of the oldest, parts of Sydney.  Pretty much in awe of the sights, we head to the Rocks, through the markets and find a great little cafe for lunch.

After lunch we wander to the Opera House and then back to the hotel to check in.  Our room still isn't ready, so they give us a complimentary upgrade to an executive suite - marvellous!

Once we'd unpacked (which didn't take long considering we were only staying for 3 nights!), we go to Darling Harbour.  Plenty of restaurants, shops, aquarium etc and the sunshine helped make it a great afternoon exploring!

Darling Harbour

Darling Harbour

In the evening we go back to Sydney Harbour for dinner and then a 'Sydney Lounge Cocktail' in Cafe Sydney - a great bar/restaurant on the 5th floor of Customs House with great views of the harbour.

Saturday morning and we go to Hyde Park, the start of the City2Surf, and pick up our showbags from the expo before shopping in the City Centre. 

Hyde Park

Sydney is a very hilly city, so after all the walking we'd done on Friday, and around the City Centre, we decided to take the open-top bus sightseeing tour!  A chance to see more of the city without the leg work!

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Luna Park

Woolloomooloo

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Tower

Sunday morning and it's time for the City2Surf - the reason we'd come to Sydney after all!  The Sydney City2Surf is the largest timed running race in the world and this year, the event's 40th anniversary, a record 80,000 participants took part.  The 14 km route passes through the suburbs of Kings Cross, Rushcutters Bay, Double Bay, Rose Bay, Vaucluse, Dover Heights and finishes at Bondi Beach. The most difficult part of the course is "Heartbreak Hill" at the halfway mark, a 2km long steep ascent from Rose Bay to Vaucluse along New South Head Road.  And oh my goodness did the hill live up to it's name!

It was by far the toughest run that we have ever done, and the most enjoyable.  The support along the way was great - notably the group of lads dressed as smurfs (City2Smurf!), the Elvis impersonator on the back of a truck, a rock band on a roof and the various DJs along the way. 

At 10km you're over the hill and heading down towards Bondi.  The finish in sight, the beautiful view of Bondi, Robbie Williams playing full blast makes it almost a sprint finish!  But we were very glad to finish!  And all over in 83 minutes, placing us 21,378th - get us!!!

Bondi Beach

Our bags had been transported to Bondi ready for us to collect, and there was free transport back to the city - it couldn't have been better organised.

Quick shower and we're back to Sydney Harbour for a well deserved 'Hungry Jacks' (Aussie Burger King!), sat in the sun with the Opera House on one side and the Harbour Bridge on the other!

A Thai meal at Darling Harbour, another morning shopping in the city, and it's time to head back to Melbourne.

From one amazing city to another, able to enjoy the sunshine and beautiful sights of Sydney, plus take part in the biggest running event in the world - what an awesome weekend!