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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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Now this is one section of the blog that you probably don’t want to read. So far, it’s been about places we’ve visited and things we’ve done. Now we’re into our daily routine in our (not so) little flat on Manly beachfront where we will be for the next two weeks.
At least you can thank us for not uploading this on a Monday morning; we thought we’d wait until Tuesday!
Manly is a very typical Aussie surf resort just across the harbour from Sydney’s business district (20 minutes on the ferry), and is at the start of a very affluent area – we’ve yet to see anything for sale under $1m here, and as you go North it gets even dearer!
We moved here on Friday afternoon, and the weekend has been spent doing the washing and ironing (3 week’s worth – hooray!), stocking up and the fridge and freezer so that we can eat in after 5 weeks of eating out (the waistline shows) and generally getting to know the area.
The weather’s incredibly mixed – Saturday was in the 30s and sunny all day; today (reported to be the same) has been actually quite chilly and damp and, much to the surfers’ disgust, relatively calm on the sea. Yesterday was spent on a long walk along the length of the beach to a tiny cove called Shelly Bay where on the way we encountered all manner of wildlife. What’s really fascinating is the range of things you see in their natural environment – from portugese man-of-war jellyfish on the beach in their dozens, to large (seriously large!) lizards on the boardwalk and parrots and cockatoos flying freely. Immediately outside of the apartment is a fir tree where dozens of little green & red parrots gather early evening and kick up such a din that we actually can’t hear the telly!
We’ve discovered the local supermarket – there seems to be only one brand here – and experienced the delights of the Aussie attitude towards service (great in the restaurants and bars; sadly lacking in the shops). As with the States however, it’s quite clear we are being ripped off in the UK. Food prices are SO much cheaper than at home, and the quality is far superior. Our daily treat is the equivalent of £2 spent on fresh king prawns, which gets us around two dozen, all shelled and ready to eat! Sorry, but we did say you wouldn’t want to read this …
We’ve also been getting to grips with the various rules and regulations here, some of which we completely agree with, others a little extreme (see pic). Exercise and fitness is such a big part of the daily regime – sadly not ours yet – that there are even rules as to which side of the pavement you can walk on! At our pace, we are very firmly on the left. The surf shop next door offers lessons three times a day, inline skating classes daily and Harley Davidson rides around the beaches. We haven’t yet decided which to go for, although I suspect it might be the latter.
previous travel blog entry
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