Wednesday, March 14
I had to go to the tire shop since I had a flat. After buying a new tire, I made my way to Manly beach for some sun. I read my book for 2 hours and then, moved my car, so I wouldn’t have to pay for parking. I decided to drive past where I usually go to see what else awaits me in Manly. I came along a path that led a trail in a thicket. I thought I’d see what was hiding from the general public just past this mysterious trail. I drove down the path until I found a sign proclaiming this the Collins Beach in the Sydney Harbour Natural Reserve. Sounded interesting- so I parked and climbed through the forest and discovered a secret beach! There were only 2 other people there, a fisherman and a girl tanning. So I found a cozy spot and nestled in for some more reading under the sun’s rays. I love that feeling of your skin soaking up some of that rich vitamin D.
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| This is a solar halo, or a ring around the sun. This is caused by ice crystals forming with thin cirrus clouds. |
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| For more information on Solar Halos- http://www.atoptics.co.uk/ |
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| The secret path to my secret beach, Collins Beach |
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| View of the city from Collins Beach |
Then I picked up Stef and went grocery shopping for dinner. It’s so hard to find what I need when everything is just slightly different. Their lasagna noodles are short and fat without the curly edges. They don’t have cool whip, only whipped cream in a can. They only have margarine, not butter. I haven’t found any instant pudding, only pre-made cups of it. And their cheddar cheese isn’t orange. It’s white. Their peanut butter tastes a little different and is in a yellow can. Even the ketchup here has a slightly unusual taste. Here, they refer to ketchup as tomato sauce. And barbeque sauce is “brown sauce”.
Thursday, March 15
I took the dog, Marlee, to the groomers, and then had to stay home to let in the cleaners. Then, I dyed my hair brown. I didn’t want to have to pay to get it highlighted here- it’s so expensive. So I went for a new look. Then I cooked pork spare ribs, mashed potatoes and corn for dinner.
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| Brown Hair |
I found a facebook group for Au Pairs in Sydney. I made contact with a few girls who live close to me. Federica and Mareike are both from Germany. They met me at Manly Wine. This is the cutest wine bar I’ve ever seen. The interior design created the perfect atmosphere with natural and traditional elements mixed with more contemporary furnishings. There were green plants hanging from the ceiling with 70’s lights hidden in the foliage. Beside the bar tables sat candelabras with a foot of wax hardened after flowing down, instantly flashing scenes of Phantom of the Opera into my mind. The garden room was completely covered with shrubbery on the walls and ceiling. There was very little direct lighting, only candles, small lamps and light fixtures from each era. The dim lighting created just the right mood. The walls were painted with photo mantages of easy and fun times, good moments and beautiful scenes.
Federica and Mareike were both so sweet. Federica is half Italian, half German. It’s ironic because all three of us recently broke up with our boyfriends, so we had a lot to talk about. We shared boy stories and then talked about what we wanted to do here. Federica has already been here 5 months and has another 4 to go so she was filling us in on all the fun things to do here. Mareike, or Mary, just arrived, so she is new like me. She and I talked for a long time, even after Federica left. She is on a break from her studies in Germany to be a teacher, so we have even more in common. It was fun encouraging each other and swapping stories. I think we will be good friends. I love girl nights!
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