Happy New Years from Sydney!!!!

Not a bad way to make my 100th Post!!!! Happy New Years everyone!!!! .... even if you still have upwards of 18 hours to go!!!! Some interesting moments for me tonight..... will try to get more of an update later. Although all other photos are blurry blobs when compared to this one!!!! Laura and JP went across the water to Cremorne Point, while I stayed on the city side at Mrs Macquaries Point. It was much easier travellling home for me. Anyway... time for bed.

Blue Skies, Blue Mountains, and Blue Bottles up my Bum!

Since the last blog, the weather has been spectacular!!!! We been beach bumming and burning, but enjoying the ridiculously awesome weather. On Friday, we went to the Harbour and enjoyed a nice day downtown. We walked across the bridge to North Sydney, and then hiked back. Photos from Walking Across the Bridge click here

On Saturday we headed west 60kms to the Blue Mountains and enjoyed the nice views. The first stop we went to was Tourist Central, but we found another location to view the "Three Sisters" that had only one other person. Surprise surprise, she was from Chicago, so we ended up talking to her about the Blackhawks for 5 minutes. Everyone is loving Toews and Kane!
The Three Sisters

After the Three Sisters stop, we headed to Wentworth Falls, and enjoyed some more breathtaking views. It was so nice, JP and I hiked the 1 hour down to the bottom of the falls where we saw many other crazy tourists. The walk was unbelievable with steps carved right out of the rock cliffs. One of the most memorable things I've done in Australia. At the bottom you could go swimming in ponds. Photos from Blue Mountains click here

Wentworth Falls

On Saturday night, I headed downtown by myself to take in the Late Night Sydney scene. Of course, it was just as spectacular during the day. It was a little disappointing as most stuff was fenced off in preparation for new years eve. I got to see some crazy bandicoot like creatures. Photos from Sydney at Night click here

Today, we headed down to a new beach, Coogee Beach. As per usual, I was the first in the water. Another great day, good surf, lots of people ...... then ..... I notice a rather high amount of jellyfish (Blue Bottles) in the water. I start swimming away but 30 seconds later .... STING .... IT GOT ME RIGHT IN THE BUTTOCKS!!!!!. I thought I might have just been imagining it, and tried to walk it off, but it started going numb. I went to first aid, where I saw about 4 or 5 others suffering the same issue (lucky for them it was just their feet .... not arse). After that, the lifeguards starting announcing the jellyfish issue, but heaps of people were still swimming. We then headed to Bondi Beach where there were no jellyfish. 12 hours later, sitting down and it still stings a bit. Probably the same feeling you'd have if you got a vaccination in the butt!

Tomorrow is the big day. We are likely going to go to the North to view the fireworks with the city in the background.... We'll see if the transportation works.....

Tortoises Going At It!!!!!

We headed to Sydney's Tarango Zoo as it was cloudy and rainy. We saw the usual kangaroos and koalas, but the highlight of the day was seeing two tortoises go at it. The sounds of shells clanking and tortoises moaning brought a large camera carrying crowd. There were more laughs than a Jerry Seinfeld routine. What's the deal with Tortoise Porn? Is it always hardcore ? Do they call it Softcore if they can get the shells off? What's the deal with that?

We got to see some koalas moving about, and locals were saying "i've never seen one so active" so we were lucky to see that. They are very cute animals.

A kangaroo with its Joey

Giraffe checking out the view
The Dad Gorilla
The three of us with the view from the zoo. It was nice.

More Photos from the zoo: click here

We then headed to Manly beach where we found some sunshine again!

Bondi Beach - Clothing Optional!

After the disappointing cloudy Christmas, we decided to head back to Bondi Beach. This time with SUNSHINE!!!!! and thousands and thousands of people. The water was disgustingly filled with large amounts of seaweed and garbage (i miss the nice perth beaches), but the temperature did hit 30 C (Perth got to 44 today!!!! A new december record ..... d'oh). The highlight (for JP and I) were the amount of topless girls!!!! I'd say maybe 1 to 2 % were going topless, but with 10,000+ people on the beach, those are great odds :) .... hhahahaha

After a disastrous break to find a good location to watch the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, we headed back and pretty well wasted away the day swimming and suntanning. I even went topless ;)

Christmas on the Beach

Mr and Mrs Claus

Well I can scratch another truly Australian moment off my list. I have had Christmas on the beach!!! What's next? .... Getting plastered on Australia Day!!!! Just kidding (maybe). We had a fun morning opening presents .... which was actually just groceries that we needed, but still fun. Then headed down to Bondi Beach for Xmas on the beach. Sadly, the sun came out for about 2 minutes for the entire day (although we saw stars tonight!), and the water was as cold as it was in Perth in August. Nevertheless, we had a good time with all others (tourists) dressed as Santa. Photos of the day, click here

After Xmas on the beach, we headed down to have a look at the Sydney Opera House. It was very cool. Much cooler with Blue sky and sunshine I'm sure. Hopefully tomorrow....

Laura and JP aren't quite as impressed with the Harbour Bridge as they are with the Opera House.

Jon performs the token Japanese Photo pose.

We went down to Darling Harbour again for the evening to have a nice Xmas Dinner. Delicious. Will we ever get to have Christmas in Sydney again????

After having a bit too much to drink, I "relieve" the pressure!

Twas The Night Before Christmas

So the gang have all made it to Sydney. JP and Laura were there to greet me at the airport this afternoon. After a few detours, and accidental drive over the Harbour Bridge (thanks GPS), we enjoyed a nice Christmas Eve dinner down in one of the harbours. We did get to see a quick glimpse of the Opera House, but with 7 more nights here, we will have plenty of time for more exploring.

For photos.... click here

Next up: Christmas on the Beach!

A Very Merry Webcam Christmas - The Movie

Action from today's events: ENJOY!

A Very Merry Webcam Christmas

Since I'm living far far away from home, my family and I set up a Very Merry Webcam Christmas session. There were some early video issues for both sides, but eventually we got things working correctly .... then the presents began!

Grandpa was up first, and snagged a Tea Towel!
He then did the logical thing, and placed the tea towel around his head like a turban.
This was an emotional moment, and he tried to hide the tears.

Valentina is next and gets the Aussie Soccer jersey. This was the most difficult present to get as I had to debate long and hard on the size of the Boys jersey to get her. I think I tried all sizes S to XL at the store, and probably ruined to Small and Medium.
Matt is next, and surprise surprise, he gets the exact same jersey as Valentina. They are now twins. On a side note, they said they were in Futureshop and saw my twin "Bizarro Jon". Sounds like a handsome guy.
The jersey fits well..... notice that Gramps still has the turban on.....
Dad has a go ......
Hey Alright, it's "Billy Bush and the Kangaroos" ... Gramps and Dad score with that one!!! (it was actually Bill Bryson's stories about Australia... but Billy Bush sounds better)

What's Donnie doing??? I love Gramps' face on this one "Oh my god"
Oh, he put on his Perth Shirt .... next up Ma!
She comes out with the Soul of Billy Bush ..... no wait, Soul of King's Park. I also made her a calendar with some of my Perth photos. "Looks like the 2008 Quebec Calendar will find a new home in the trash"
We starting having issues where I only saw a new image every 20 seconds .... Matt kept just vanishing and re-appearing (The Hawks were on Tv). Dad (minus the moustache) gets the concerned face on and solves the problem.
Next up .... Me!!!! A gift from Santa Gramps.

Hey, a cheque from Grandpa. .... score!
Now the celebration begins, Dad starts off with his patented Shuffle Step.
"Tag your Man, Tag Your Man" .... Gramps steps up and pulls out the Chicken Dance.
"Head to Head, Head to Head" .... it then becomes a full fledge Dance Party (a Boyd Xmas Tradition)
I think it looks like Matt is holding the belt and pointing .... YMCA anyone?

Still going .... 3 - 6- Oh .... 3 -6 - oh
After the dance Party, Mom decided to show that she's playing Gameboy again.... 17 years old and it's still going strong with Tetris
Valentina pointing out Matty's moustache
Valentina peaks in on the situation ... Gramps, Matt and Mom are loving it. Dad is daydreaming about birds outside "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
Gramps, the showboat as always. He tried getting a bow on his head, but it wasn't working, so mom placed some tinsel up there.... What did the bald man say to his friend for giving him a comb? "I'll never have to part with it!"

That was a Very Merry Webcam Christmas!!!!

I am heading to Sydney tomorrow to meet Laura and JP, they've gone through Melbourne, and were in a place called Boydtown..... Awesome.

Teaser: There may be a Xmas movie in the works.

Ps: Jonny Toews kicks butt. He just scored the 4-3 OT winner in Ottawa. Wahoo

McLoving the Summer Solstice

Not to brag ..... but, it was the Longest day of the year (Australian) .... the days were technically longer in June in Victoria. It was a nice sunshiney day, around 26 C. So not that warm. I hope the shortest day of the year is treating people well back home. Is it close to 26 C there?

To take advantage of this great day, several friends and I headed down to the "Moonlight Theatre" at King's Park. For 3 months in the summer, they set up a screen and a theatre and the movie starts once the sun sets. The "theatre" is actually lit up by the moon.... literally! Everynight is a new movie. They play current movies, recent movies, and the classics. Tonight was Superbad. That falls under the Recent Classic category. The great thing about this outdoor theatre is that it is BYOE (Bring Your Own Everything): Blankets, chairs, snacks, and BOOZE. Whatever you want. Next time I'm bringing a mattress (saw a few of the blow up kind) or a couch. It was the best theatre I've every experienced (close second is Tinseltown in Van Chinatown with the seats that actually recline).

Relationship Issues

I don't think I've mentioned this to too many people, but tomorrow is my last day of work. I have enjoyed my time at work, and the adventures that Meekatharra has to offer. However, my career has strained my current relationship: The Beach. When it's a beautiful sunny day, I'm in the air-conditioned office. When Perth finally gets a heat wave and temperatures reach 39 C, I'm in Meekatharra where everyday is always 39C. When I do make time for The Beach, she is very moody. On weekends, she is cold, and just last weekend started crying (raining). When I race towards her after work, she just blows me back with a constant sea breeze (Fremantle Doctor); my price for spending more time in the office than with her.

I feel that by quitting work, I can spend more time laying on her, and just enjoying the many things she has to bring: the warm white sand, the crystal clear waters, the occasional big waves, the snorkelling. It's going to be a challenge. But I'm up for the task.

Tomorrow is also the Xmas party .... there has been talk of people having "Big Nights"... we'll see.

Laura & JP update: I haven't heard from them for awhile, but that probably is a good thing. I would venture a guess and say that they are around Melbourne right now. I will meet up with them in 5 days in Sydney!

What Street Am I On Again???

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but finding your way around Perth can be a bit of a challenge. The issue: There are no street signs! One reason this may be so is that there are no overhanging traffic lights (the usual location in Canada), but even side streets can have no signs. You have to walk 3 or 4 blocks to actually discover what street you are on. Ironically, I have found a street that goes in two directions. How confusing must it be if you tell someone you live at the corner of Delhi and Delhi. "Deli and Dehli" .... "No, the corner of Dehli and Dehli" Just too confusing. I miss having JP around with his "JPS". "Turn Right in 200 m .... 100 m ... now"

Another pleasent evening down at the beach not much wind. Swimming, Frisbeeing, Volleyballing, Biking. Not much to complain. The days have almost reached there maximum in length, and the temperatures continue to get warmer. Sure doesn't feel like Xmas.

Jonnymoon SW - Day5 - Busselton Jetty

The final blog from Laura and JP's Western Australia tour. Not a lot to say here. This was Sunday. It was spectacularly beautiful. We headed to Busselton to see the 2km long jetty. The longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere (depending on your source).

The walk is actually very long, and very windy. There are trains that go back and forth along the jetty, but were closed due to renovations.

I took a couple hours out of my schedule to carve my name into the cement!

The end of the Jetty doesn't look the most structurally sound, so we decided not to go right to the end. Probably a wise choice.
After the joy of busselton we stopped in at McDonalds where Laura and JP had some drip coffee. The service was perfect. I had my food in less than a minute, a mcflurry with about 2 full packs of m&ms (not smarties), that were full sized. Laura and JP spent about 20 minutes waiting for their food. I think Laura may have gotten a couple of them fired! It was then back to Perth where we went for a dip at Cottesloe Beach.

Laura and JP are now touring down in South Australia