May 28 - Vivid Sydney

This past weekend Lyle and I were in Sydney and took time to take in Vivid Sydney. Vivid is a spectacle of light, music and ideas which takes place each year in late May.  Basically what happens is this.  Each night over a two week period, several of the landmarks between Darling Harbour and Circular Quay are illuminated with a display of coloured lights and designs all set to music. The event is a popular crowd pleaser, and Lyle, my sister Jill, and I were among the many who gathered to enjoy the evening’s display.

In May here, it gets is quite dark by six o’clock and that’s when the light show begins.  Computerized laser programs project images and designs on the facades of many of the buildings that front Sydney and Darling Harbour.  The Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and the Customs House are prominently featured and there are also several smaller light displays.  We were standing too far away for me to see the Opera House, but Lyle said that at one point he could see the image of a shark projected across its white sails. I did see the projection of a fountain of light falling down the walls of the Customs House, and I really liked the lights that were close up.

I both like and dislike crowds.  I like being around people who are excited and happy.  I don’t like being in the midst of people who are excited and happy but not especially watching where they are going.  In a crowd, I tend to draw my cane up close to me.  If I know that there will be no steps or uneven walking pathways I might not use my cane at all. Last night at Vivid, I needed to use the cane because there were curbs and steps involved in getting around.

The bright flashes of changing lights were another challenge.  Of course, I should have expected this, but in fact I hadn’t thought about it prior to the night.  The bright flashes of light from the displays and the sudden flashes from cameras played havoc with my night vision.  Still, the night was an experience and I’m glad we went.

Below are three pictures taken at Vivid Sydney.  The first is a distant view of the illuminated Opera House. The second shows Lyle and me emerging from a tunnel of a hundred thousand tiny lights. The tunnel was dazzling. The third shows us in front of a red globe of illuminated traffic cones.  I liked this rather unique display.  As we came closer, the globe belched a huge puff of white smoke. 

The Sydney Opera House during Vivid Sydney

Lyle and Sue under fun nights

Illuminated Globe

May 23 - A Day at the Beach

Today in the Sydney area there is a light drizzle of rain, but yesterday was brilliant sunshine so Lyle and I decided to drive to one of our favourite beaches.  Soldiers Beach is a super place to walk.  The beach is flat with a wide expanse of sand which at low tide is just great for walking.  Not only that, many times we can walk here without meeting a single other person. This was the case yesterday.  As you can see in the following picture, we had the beach to ourselves. The picture shows the wide stretch of sand with a small dark speck in the distance.  Lyle took the picture and the dark speck...well, that’s me!

Sue on the beach

This next shows me in front of the sand dunes on the beach.

Sue in front of sand dune

The parking lot for Soldiers Beach is at the top of a cliff and is a popular spot, especially for workers who take their lunch break here to sit and watch the waves.  Unfortunately this high parking area means a walk down a reasonably steep stairway to the sand.  I tend to struggle with this.  The several sets of steps are punctuated by little platforms and there is no marking to show where the top step of each set begins.  Add to that the drift of sand that sometimes blurs the definition of the lower steps.  I am constantly wearing my heel against the back part of the step going down and stubbing my toe on the way up.  I often feel for steps with my feet and the toes and heels of my shoes are nearly always the first part of the shoe to show wear.

The next picture shows me coming down the stairway to the sand of Soldiers Beach.  As I always do with steps and stairs, I am holding on to the handrail.

Sue on steps

The last picture is the view of the cliff and the parking lot in the distance, taken from the beach.  In the center of the picture you can see the top of Norah Head lighthouse which is some distance behind the parking lot.

Norah Head Lighthouse

May 22 - More Birds

While the kookaburra has a distinctive call, the pelican has the distinction of being the largest bird in Australia with the ability to fly.  While ungainly looking on the ground, the pelican in flight is graceful, and is able to soar long distances with very little wing movement. The emu is actually the largest bird in Australia but it cannot fly.

Today, Lyle and I drove to a beach area just north of where we are staying.  At this spot, The Entrance, pelicans are treated to a daily feeding of fish.  This daily show started in 1979 when a fellow from the local fish and chip shop began throwing leftover scraps to the pelicans. Now, on each of the 365 days in the year, the pelicans gather for this treat.

Below, you are two pictures of pelicans.  The first shows a single pelican in the water.  The second shows part of the flock as they gathered to wait for the daily fish treat.

Pelican

Flock of Pelicans

May 20 - Chirps and Tweets

I like listening to the sound of bird calls. Birds, especially the small ones, are usually too fast or too far away for me to see, so the sound of their chirping and chattering helps me to locate and identify them. I’m not especially good at the identifying part, but I love it when one of these feathered creatures has an especially distinctive sound.  I remember the first time I heard a woodpecker drilling its tattoo.   Although I can’t see the tiny chickadee, I can pick out its call in the spring, and in the fall, the honk of the migrating Canada goose is clear.

On the other side of the Pacific, the Australian bush is alive with the squawks, chatter and cheeps of many different birds.  Sometimes their chatter is so loud and incessant it is nearly impossible to tell one sound from another.  However, there is one bird call that stands out for me – the laugh of the kookaburra.

The kookaburra has a particularly distinctive call – much like a slightly hysterical but very contagious female laugh.  Kookaburras can be heard in all parts of Australia.  They often perch at the top of tall gum trees.  Like seagulls, they will often gather where there is the possibility of picking up leftover food scraps.  Some years ago on a family picnic, a kookaburra swooped down from the bush to neatly pick up a strand of sausages my mother had set out on the table waiting for the barbeque.  The kookaburra has a very strong beak.  In fact, the kookaburra is related to the kingfisher.

I have posted two pictures here.  The first is a side view of a kookaburra sitting on a fence.  He sat quite still for this picture.  I think that he had his eyes on the family picnic taking place on the grass right behind us.  The second picture shows the same bird with the background of the beach and rock pool area where Lyle and I like to swim.

BTW – although the kookaburra is an iconic symbol of Australia, it is the emu that is pictured on the official Australian emblem.

Kookaburra

Kookaburra

May 17 - Sydney Harbour

For anyone coming as a tourist to Sydney Australia, catching a ferry from Circular Quay is an absolute must.  The ferries leave the wharf at regular intervals and go to various points around the harbour.  You can catch a ferry the short distance under the Harbour Bridge to Darling Harbour, or across the water to Taronga Park Zoo.  My favourite is the half hour trip to Manly.  The ferry rounds the point with an excellent view of the Opera House and the downtown city skyline.  About twenty minutes into the trip, passengers can look east to the gap between the two cliff heads that guard the entrance to the harbour.  This is my favourite part of the trip.  When the ferry rides the swell of ocean waves coming in through the heads, I know exactly where I am.

While the ferry rides can be both relaxing and pleasant, the crowds on the dock at Circular Quay and on the Manly concourse can be challenging for a person who is using a white cane, or any other mobility device.  In fact, at the height of the summer tourist season, the crush of the crowd can be a bit of a nightmare.  At the Quay, there are usually buskers and people often stop midstream to gape at whatever is going on.  Also, the ferry terminal is located right next to the rail station and that is another reason for the crowds to congregate. In spite of all this I do recommend taking in the sights and sounds of Sydney Harbour.

Lyle and I were in Sydney this week, and I am posting a couple of pictures from our time there. The first shows one of the green and yellow ferries docked at Circular Quay with city buildings in the background.  The second is taken from the Manly ferry and shows the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, and Sydney skyline.

Ferry at Circular Quay

Sydney skyline