Chillies

The latest crop from our garden. You wouldn't think caterpillars could eat them without dire consequences, but they apparently do.

Sydney – Wildlife

Next to the splendid Sydney Aquarium in Darling Harbour is the newly-opened Wildlife World. We gave it a go and emerged slightly disappointed because the vast majority of insects, mammals, marsupials and reptiles within could all be seen or heard within a kilometre of our house. That includes the lethal red-bellied black snake and the brown snake. Useful to know what they look like as, so far, we haven’t seen them. But they are there…..

Sydney – Water

It’s always a bit of shock arriving in Sydney after the rural calm of Sandy Beach, what with the crowds, the tall buildings and the traffic (OK, I’ll take the straw out of my hair, now). It makes quite an impact at first but then I found myself thinking how precarious it all was. Every time I turned on a tap, I remembered that the city’s water reserves were down to 35 per cent and there’s no sign of substantial rain. In fact, 92 per cent of New South Wales is now in drought and yet, with the exception of the announcement of the building of a controversial desalination plant, there’s no sign of any action to ensure the city’s water supplies.

Sydney – Voices

We went to Sydney last weekend. As I emerged from the shower in the hotel bathroom, I heard Mike’s voice above my head. This was quite disturbing, as he’s in London, until I realised that Sara had turned on the television, tuned to BBC World, Mike was reading the news, and there was a speaker in the ceiling. Come to think of it, it’s still disturbing that friends on the other side of the world can make themselves heard in your bathroom.