March 24 - Sydney Opera House

This post is in response to some comments I received about my March 5 post about the Sydney Harbour, including a picture of Sydney Opera House.  The Opera House is known worldwide.  In the 1950’s, an international competition was launched to select a design for the proposed performing arts centre on Sydney Harbour.  Danish born architect, Jorn Ulzon, took the prize of five thousand pounds. Although this was the agreed upon prize money, it was probably a little short considering the subsequent media coverage and popularity of this icon on Sydney Harbour.  Before the Opera House, the end of Bennelong Point housed a tram depot.  Trams no longer run in the city.

The Opera House had lots of growing pains during the construction years before it was finally officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II.   Today the Opera House thrives as a fine arts centre, with two main concert halls and several smaller theatres. 

I am attaching two more pictures of the Opera House with this post.   The first shows me standing on the steps leading to the main entrance doors.  The second picture was taken from a ferry leaving Circular Quay.  It is a side view of the Opera House, showing the shape of the shells.

Sue at the steps of the Sydney Opera House

 

Sydney Opera House

March 20 - Research and Blindness

I try to keep up with current research in the field of blindness and low vision.  For the most part this research is quite impersonal.  Not so anymore!  Several years ago I met Peter, who is a participant in some cutting edge research in Melbourne, Australia.

 

Lyle often points out other white cane users to me.  Several years ago he noticed a man walking with his white cane on the beach. Because we often come to the same area in Australia, I was able to introduce myself.  Since then, I usually make it a point to seek out Peter whenever we are in Australia.  Peter is completely without sight and we often discuss issues related to blindness and low vision.

Two years ago, Peter heard an announcement on the radio asking for participants for some experimental research about a bionic eye. There was a phone number and Peter called in to see if he qualified.  He did.

Peter had to meet certain criteria to be selected for the research.  For example, he must have had some sight at one point and some memory of seeing.  The procedure involves inserting a chip in the brain.  This chip would receive messages from a miniature camera at the front of the eye.  The chip makes contact with nerves that allow the brain to process information about the light that has been received through the camera.

So far, there has just been an exchange of paper work and consent forms, but this coming May, Peter will be travelling to Melbourne for his first MRI. One of the challenges of the research is to determine the optimum location of the chip in the brain, and the placement of the miniature camera.

It’s exciting for Peter to have this possibility of some sight ahead of him. Knowing Peter personally it is exciting for me to follow the outcome of this research. You can read more by looking at http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/bionic-eye/4570686

March 5 - Spectacular Sydney Harbour

Sydney Harbour is spectacular. There is really no other word for it. The Harbour Bridge spans the water like a huge coat hanger and the green and yellow ferries chug back and forth beneath its expanse.  The Sydney Opera House is a focal point on the harbour, standing at the far end of Bennelong Point.  From there it is a leisurely walk around the water’s edge by the Botanical Gardens to Woolloomooloo.  Don’t you just love the sound of that name!

Today Lyle and I found ourselves back at Circular Quay.  I always enjoy spending time around the harbour.  However, on days when cruise ships are in, the tourist population swells and I find navigating with my white cane more difficult.  Generally speaking, tourists tend to gaze at the sights rather than where they are walking.  They don’t see me and I don’t see them!

I would also like to mention something else spectacular with today’s post.  You might remember that I have previously written about the importance of support groups. Today I want to say a special hello to a spectacular support group in Southern Alberta. I know that the group follows this blog at their regular meetings and I want to say thank you. The group call themselves the Spectaculars.  Now isn’t that just a perfect name for a support group for people who have sight challenges? 

I am attaching two photos with this post.  The first is of the Sydney Harbour Bridge taken on our ferry ride across the harbour.  The second is of the Sydney Opera House.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Opera House

February 28 - Shipwrecks

Lyle and I are back in Australia. We have been here for a few days now and I must admit that the weather is close to perfect. As I am writing this, we have just returned from our daily walk along the beach.  I love these beach walks, not only for the obvious reason of salty fresh air and warm sunshine, but also for the fact that I can usually walk without using my cane.  With bare feet, I can feel the firm sand left by the outgoing tide. Still, I don’t think that I would try the “no cane” thing unless I had someone with me. The constant tides leave changes on the shoreline that vary from one day to the next.

The past few days have been typical of this. On our early morning walk, we discovered multiple lumps of what appeared to be coral or broken reef. Some of the greyish white lumps were the size of my fist and in other places they were scattered like pebbles. I walked very gingerly indeed.

Lyle and I haven’t positively identified this new debris on the sand but we suspect that it might have broken off from one of the shipwrecks that lie off this part of the coastline between Newcastle and Sydney. Over the years there have been over one hundred wrecks, with the earliest one recorded in 1852 and the most recent in 1951. Some of these underwater ghosts are a tourist attraction for divers but for the average tourist like me, the wrecks remain unobtrusive and anonymous.

The Great Barrier Reef doesn’t extend to this part of New South Wales, but there are still parts of the coastline where it is possible to imagine ships running aground.  Following are two pictures taken near Wamberal Beach which on the Central Coast a hundred kilometres north of Sydney.  This is the closest beach to where we are staying.

The first picture is of a rocky outcrop near the end of our beach walk.  The second picture shows me standing on the rocks.

Beach close to Wamberal Beach

Sue on rocks