Maybe in Oz

As a going away gift Phil's work gave him a $100 Gold Class gift card.  Gold Class is the upmarket way to go see a movie.  It's a small theatre that seats less than 30 people and everyone gets a recliner.  There is wait staff ready to serve you snacks, drinks, and meals as you wish. We had heard about Gold Class and the gift card was a perfect excuse to try it out.  Turns out the tickets were $40 each plus a $10 booking fee.  $90 to go see a movie.  Ridiculous. The Gold Class Theatre lounge When we arrived at the theatre we were ushered towards the Gold Class wing.  There we approached a check in booth similar to airport lounge and were brought inside this bizarre waiting area.  We were seated at a table and handed menus.  How strange.  The waiter came back and took our order for both before the movie and then halfway through (food and drink not included in the ticket price).  After a few minutes of sitting around wondering ...

Donna Buang - stripper or mountain?  Probably both, but in this case it's the mountain.  A couple of weeks ago we took a beautiful 90-minute drive through some very green countryside and headed out to Warburton.  This was my first time out there but Phil had been riding there once before and thought it was worth a second visit.  He and his mate were very excited to get outside and do their first outdoor bike ride of the season.  I dropped them off and they took off on the 20 km ride up the mountain. Les and Phil ready to start the ride Meanwhile, I took the dog and we drove just a couple kms down the road to the start of La La Falls.  It was a very pleasant ~3.5 km hike to a pretty waterfall.  The best part of the trail is that dogs are allowed.  Maybe loved it, getting out and sniffing some new land, exploring the little water pools and bridges, and then splashing around in the falls. Canopy at the start of the hike  Cute li...

Last weekend we went back to Wilson's Botanic Gardens in Berwick to take the dog for a walk.  It had been two weeks since we'd last been there, and the changes to the park in that short space of time was remarkable.  Two weeks go it was 23 C, last weekend it was 28.  The trees that were covered in flowers were now covered in leaves, and the trees that were just sticks were now covered in flowers.  They're gradual differences when you're not really paying attention, but comparing side by side the change is very apparent. It's also been two weeks since my husband decided to quit his job.  He'd been contemplating it for awhile, but finally had enough and turned in his notice.  Monday marked his first day of "retirement".  It's a change for sure, but hopefully, like spring, another two weeks will bring us some good changes too. 2 weeks ago the pink flowers weren't in bloom 2 weeks ago this stunning tree was bare 2 weeks ago this tre...

Last Saturday was a beautiful Spring day so we took the dog for a walk at Wilson's Botanic Park in Berwick (pronounced Barrick), just a few minutes from our house.  San Diego doesn't really have seasons, which means flowering trees are still a novelty to me.  I couldn't resist taking a bunch of pictures of the sights- makes it worth the cold winters!   Maybe and I walked around the track, taking our time to chase rabbits and birds and enjoy the sights along the way while Phil ran four loops up and down the hills.  Then we headed down the street to Berwick Village for yummy scones with jam and cream, an Aussie favourite of ours. reflection on the lake Maybe enjoying the trot Yellow Gum Tree Maybe posing at the yellow gum tree look out over the park flowering trees the other lake area  adorable baby ducks frantically swimming away from the dog pretty orange flowers front pond more gorgeous flowering trees ...

A couple weeks ago we enjoyed a nice long weekend away with our good friends Mae Lee and Bruce.  We took a quick flight up to Newcastle (just North of Sydney) and made a 30 minute drive to Nelson Bay. Mae Lee and Bruce on the ferry We enjoyed a Friday night dinner at the local gold club, where we had to show id to prove that we lived farther than 5 km away.  Otherwise, we would have had to join the club to get in.  Strange place. On Saturday morning we took a ferry ride from Port Stephens across Nelson Bay to Tea Gardens.  It was a pleasant one hour ride during which we enjoyed the views of the bay, the mountains, lots of pelicans, and even a few jumping dolphins.   View from the ferry - lots of pelicans on the shore Jumping dolphin from the ferry In Tea Gardens we had morning tea (that's tea meaning snack) of coffee and scones with jam and cream while we watched a kayak race and enjoyed some sunshine.  Then we took a slow wander arou...