QVB

This stained glass dome is one of the beautiful architectural details of the QVB 

The clock above me is one the famous symbols of the QVB

On Saturday morning Jane and I went shopping in the CBD (Central Business District) of Sydney. We picked up a few items from her tailor, Kim, in Chinatown and ate scrumptious egg tarts from a little Chinese bakery called Helen's Bakery on Dixon Street. On the walk back to the main bus station, Wynyard, we walked through the Queen Victoria Building. This statue of Queen Victoria is placed prominently in front of the QVB and is one of many statues all over Sydney that have recently been dressed up in bright costumes (or fancy dress as they say here) for the Sydney Art & About Festival.  It makes me smile every time I pass one of these normally regal figures in their flashy, period appropriate getups. I wish they were so attired more of the time.

Queen Victoria dressed up outside the QVB (Queen Victoria Building)

I think she has a rather snobby countenance. 

Slangictionary (Sixth Installment)

A kangaroo short in the top paddock: (phrase) “Not the sharpest tool in the shed” or “One sandwich short of a picnic”

Two bobs short of a quid: (phrase) similar to “Not the brightest crayon in the box.”

Graze: (n.) scrape [ex. I have a big graze on my knee]

Uni: (n.) university, college

Muesli: (n.) granola

Shocker: (adj.) busy, crazy, stressful [ex. I had a real shocker of a day at work]

Mobile: (n.) cell phone (They laugh whenever I say cell phone)

Grey nomads: (n.) old people that driver around the country in RVs (They have them here too! Who would have thought)

Buggie smugglers: (n.) speedos or banana hammocks (I wish Tony Abbott, the weird looking head of the Liberal (right-wing) party, would stop parading around in a budgie smuggler and put on some board shorts on occasion) 

Ba-na-na-na Bread

A little known fact and one of my favorite things about Australians is that they LOVE banana bread (which they insist is pronounced "ba-na-na bread" as opposed to "ba-nan-a bread") and they make really good banana bread.  I discovered this fact my first day of work when I witnessed mountains of thick slices of fresh banana bread stacked in every cafe in the morning be diminished to anthills of two to three pieces by lunchtime. Since that first week I have treated myself to one of these slices of buttery heaven most Wednesday mornings (to celebrate the middle of the week) and sometimes on weekend mornings too (just because I can). The cafes toast the pieces to perfection and smother them in enough butter to make Paula Dean happy.

I demolished this gorgeous slice this morning (mmmmm!)

Bathers' Pavilion

A few weeks ago one of our family friends, Uncle Chris, took me to the Bathers' Pavilion in Balmoral. It is a well known and very delicious restaurant that is in the former bathers' changing rooms at Balmoral. It is a gorgeous old building and really adds to the classic scenery of the beach. On the weekends and most mornings the tables by the long windows are packed with people who get there early for the prime people-watching real estate. 

I tried not to be a creep when I took these photos, but I could not
resist capturing the reflection of the sunset in the windows of the restaurant.

Balmoral Beach

I live only 2.5 km (1.6 miles) from Balmoral Beach. It is my favorite beach in Sydney at the moment.  Balmoral is less well known than other beaches so it tends to be a little calmer and more peaceful with fewer tourists and bodybuilders like Bondi or Manly. It has a beautiful boardwalk and quaint cafes and a great fish and chip shop. Jane and her friends drink coffee most mornings at a little cafe called Cafe Balmoral.  The owner is one of the biggest characters I've met down here. This morning he was wearing a shirt with a ribbon on it and a tag that said "To: Women From: God". 

Whenever the weather is nice I run from my house and along the beach. I can't wait for the temperatures to get warm enough for me to spend the day there reading in the sun. 

Slangictionary (Fifth Installment)

Pokies: (n.) Slot machines
Reggo: (n.) Car registration
Slapper: (n.) Loose, easy woman
Gridiron: (n.) Good old American football
Marry Shag Shoot: (game) F***, Chuck, Marry
Mates before dates: (phrase) Bros before hos
Rumpus room: (n.) play room

Grand Finals

This past weekend was Labour Day weekend in Australia and also the AFL (Australian Football League) and NRL (National Rugby League) Grand Finals.  The two sports are completely different and each almost completely contained in one city each.  The majority of the AFL teams are in Victoria in Melbourne and the majority of the NRL teams are in Sydney.

I watched the AFL Grand Final with friends at the Beach Palace Hotel at Coogee Beach. The match was between St. Kilda and Collingwood and was the second Grand Final. The first Grand Final match was played last weekend and resulted in a tie (68-68).  Aussie Rules Football has no tiebreaker, not even in the league finals, so the second final was played this Saturday.  Fans that attended the first Grand Final, including one of my bosses, were outraged that the first one did not result in a victory for either team.  Many have been calling for the rules to be changed, however, it is third time there has been a draw in a final in the 114 years the game has been played. One of my favorite things about the game is that it is played on an oval, though the beautiful, long, lean players in short shorts are definitely my favorite thing. Unfortunately the second final was a blowout with Collingwood winning 108-52.

The main event of the weekend for people in Sydney was the NRL final between the Bondi Roosters and the St. George Dragons.  I watched the game at my first's apartment in Bondi. I followed the playoffs in the news and on tv, so I was really excited to watch my first Grand Final.  My parents actually moved to Australia 25 years ago on the day of the NRL Grand Final, which added to the excitement of the day. Though the NRL has fewer handsome players than the AFL (aside from Matt Cooper and a few others) due to the brutal nature of the game, it a really fun sport to watch.  Out of all of the versions of football; AFL, Union, NRL; the NRL is the closest to gridiron, which made me very happy, but also wishing that I could watch the Patriots play this season.  There is a punt a players run at each other and smash into each other, though they do so without helmets or padding. I will not go beyond that in describing the rules or how the game is played, since I still need to work out the subtleties, but I hope to come back to the U.S. with a fairly good knowledge of the game. But, I can tell you that the St. George Dragons won the match 32-8.