Happy Groundhog Day! It is a holiday here so I am off work.
Saturday I went with Wendy to Demi’s swimming lesson. That
was nice. Then she took me to Windsor which is a historic town outside of
Sydney. We walked around and looked at some old buildings and in some shops.
Then we went into the museum there which is a really modern. It was really
nicely done and free to boot. It had all kinds of articles in it from a flabbit
to old dresses to soldier uniforms etc. Then we walked down to see the river
which is always flooding there. The whole flooding thing was a big theme in the
museum as well. We stopped in at the Outback Bakehouse where I got an awesome
meat pie. They eat pies here that are for meals not desserts but they aren’t like
our pot pies. Same size though and they are a big deal. It was really good though! Glad that isn’t on my way home.
Then Wendy drove out in the country a bit which looked a lot
like home. Once we arrived back in Parramatta we went to her place and watched
a movie called Whiplash. Then Wendy, Demi, and I went to feed the ducks in the
park. Demi played for a bit before we left for supper. We ended up going to the
club by their place again but this time I was in time for the moment of
silence. See the club honors veterans. So every morning and every evening they
do a one minute moment of silence while you stand and watch images of fallen
soldiers (old and recent ones) go across the tv screens. “Lest we forget” is
really big here and rightly so they deserve to be remembered.
On Sunday I went to Darling Harbour so I could go to
Wildlife Sydney which is basically an educational zoo. I wasn’t all that
impressed as I am not big on animals being in zoos but it was alright. They do
have a lot of different animals here that just aren’t found anywhere else. I
saw the Tasmanian Devils, Wombat, Crocodile, Wallabies, Kangaroos, lots of
birds, snakes, lizards, koalas, echidnas, etc. I did not get any pictures of
the Tassies (hahaha) or the wombat. And to be honest I have a really hard time
telling the different types of kangaroos and wallabies apart so your guess is
as good as mine. The koalas were sleeping…big surprise. And I didn’t bother
stopping to look at the snakes or lizards…eww. I think the echidnas were the
neatest actually but that crocodile was pretty fierce too. Next time I go (yes I know I don’t like zoos
but it is free with my pass) I will listen to the educational talks they have every
half hour. Maybe I will even get pictures of the Wombat and Tassies and maybe
not. Pictures here. The kookaburra birds were funny and what hams for the camera!
After that I got lost again…errr. So I walked around the
block (literally). I thought it looked familiar. Then I finally found where I
was going…OFFICE WORKS!! It was right across the street from the train station
and I heard so much about it. That was a big disappointment. I did end up
buying some Mummy correction tape though…I really needed it! Then I went into
the mall that is in the train station. Oh boy did I have fun with that. It is a
good mall. I spent about two hours in the bookstore. I decided while I was in
there that if I won the lottery I would open up a bookstore/stationary store in
Milson’s Point. That was just a random factoid for you. Their travel section
was really awesome well actually the whole store was but I decided that a
suitcase of books to bring home didn’t make much sense. So then I went to the
lower level where I was directed to an awesome stationary store. There was a
planner in there that I would have given my front teeth for okay probably not
but wow! Then I got on a different train then usual and rode that through the
full loop. It was nice. I think I will do that again!
Two funny things happened today. First, I left the train
station from a different door and therefore didn’t know where I was so I asked
a vendor where to go. He was really nice and I could tell he probably had his
food stand on the corner for the last 3 decades. So he told me to walk straight
until I got to Market Street then turn left. Right away I knew he was wrong and
it was a right turn. I mean I have been here all of once and he has been there
for decades. So I disregarded his directions and went the way I knew it was. Not
surprising instead of ending up in a harbor I ended up at a Park that dead
ended into a really old church. Letitia: 0 Vendor:1. But the church was really
something and I found the Museum of Australia (that I wouldn’t ever want to go to..yawn). I cant even believe I did
that. Today was a bad day directionally because the second funny thing (I am
not counting the going around the block because that wasn’t funny) was that I
got lost coming out of the Parramatta train station AGAIN! I ended up facing a
private school which I hadn’t seen before…not good. So I walked down what I am
going to refer to as Barber Alley since there were like 5 barbershops in one block.
I didn’t really need a haircut though and by this point I was getting annoyed.
I ended up at the town square which was interesting because there was a lot of
activity there including a Muslim man doing his prayer on his knees in the
middle of the square as everyone walked by. They were pretty close too but here it is a go with
the flow thing. The same way he wouldn’t be stared at for doing it, the same
way he wouldn’t get special attention. Finally I knew where I was and made it
home.
I just had to kill a spider on my ceiling but it wasn’t a
funnelweb so that is a relief!
And I was totally kidding about Groundhog Day
being a holiday. I have to go to work.
After awhile crocodiles!
