Kiama

I finally managed to get out of the city last weekend and go for a little trip down the coast to Kiama. It’s a really beautiful little town right on the water with all these old lava flows leading into the ocean. Part of the rock has eroded and formed a blowhole which spouts up every few seconds when the waves crash in. Hayden and I went on a day that alternated between extreme sunshine and dark clouds. This made the water look really unusual, with brilliant sun reflecting of some sections alternating with stormy grey parts which you can kind of see in the photos.  After going for a walk along the cliffs we went into town for a late lunch and a few beers. The town itself is filled with buildings that are on historical registers and really well preserved. The post office is from the 1860s and painted bright pink, and is located right next door to the police station and courthouse. It was such a relaxing weekend that I’m feeling inspired to do another mini vacation soon, maybe up to the Hunter Valley to visit the wineries!

This is a (not very good) picture of the blowhole.

Lighthouse just a quick walk up the hill from the blowhole.

The views were amazing!

Stealth photo of Haydos

Look who I saw

I had a pretty uneventful weekend. Sunday was chilly but since the sun was out I decided to go watch Hayden play baseball, and spotted this kookaburra hanging out on the right field fence! I guess if you have a piece of meat some are brave enough to come peck it out of your hand. I didn't happen to have any on me, but I was happy enough just getting this close to one.

I kinda need these pants

Spotted on my walk home from work. Australian fashion at its finest.

Happy Fourth of July Ya'll!

I got a couple of half-hearted "Happy Independence Day" comments from people here, but that's about it. I decided to take matters into my own hands and BBQ a bunch of stuff for dinner with my friend Nicole and her boyfriend. Sadly, they thought I was doing it for the final footy game of State of Origin. I decided to buy Budweiser even though it's not my favorite beer. Sadly, it costs five dollars PER BOTTLE here. Fireworks? They're only legal in Canberra. I set my ringtone to the Star Spangled Banner, but nobody called me during the game. Even as I write this, autocorrect is trying to change favorite into favourite. I guess this Fourth of July is a failure. But not as big of a failure as the San Diego fireworks show, which blew up within fifteen seconds due to a technical malfunction:

Happy Fourth of July!

Visa News

Here's a little something I got from the Australian government this morning:

DECISION

I am pleased to advise that Clare Joyce Krier has been granted a Temporary Business Entry (Class UC) Business (Long Stay) (Subclass 457) visa. This visa allows you to travel to, enter and remain in Australia and is valid until the date specified above.

Looks like I'm eligible to stay for up to four more years!

Winter!

It's officially the fifth day of winter in Sydney. Here's a current view of The Rocks:

It is POURING rain and we're supposed to get winds of up to 100km/hour. Just in time for rush hour!

State of Origin

Tonight is the first game of State of Origin, a series of three rugby league matches between Queensland (the maroons) and New South Wales (the blues). The best players in the league are selected to represent the state where they first played rugby league (their state of origin), and since the sport is mainly played in Queensland and New South Wales most of the players are eligible to participate. It’s basically the Rugby League equivalent of the All Star Game, and is played right in the middle of the season.  

State of Origin began in the early 1980s, and since then Queensland has generally been more dominant. There was one extremely misguided attempt in the late 80s to play a 4^th game in California in order to popularize the game in America, but since then it’s been held in Australia. Also, thought I would tell Patrice and Mom that ever since Doug Fister got traded I’ve been researching who my new athlete husband should be. How about Josh Cordoba?