Happy New Year

It's a bit late for the New Year wishes, but it comes from the heart.

The first post of 2007 does have to come with a massive letdown. I'm in an internet cafe that has no things I can plug my camera into and upload any photos. So you'll have to live without photos of fireworks. I guess if you just have to see photos of fireworks, putting photos of fireworks into google should semi sate your cravings.

So what have I been doing.

Erm?

I'm not sure why, but erm seems to cover it. I'm looking forward to the cricket being over; partly because England, well they could have done better. Mostly so I can back to doing some actual travelling. There's 3 days of the test to go, so I haven't too much planned for Sydney yet (aside from a trip to the Opera House for the marriage of Figaro and a trip to the Olympic stadium-for obvious reasons and so I can have my PHOTO TAKEN ON THE OLYMPIC MEDAL ROSTRUM). But it'll be good to be a little freer in my itinerary once more. Some sort of vague plan is coming into shape for getting back to Melbourne via the Blue Mountains and 3 sisters. Really should sort that out.

So, I flew from Melbourne to Sydney and it was pretty uneventful. Sydney is the first place since I left that there London (the Ultimate Olympian can tell you ALL about that place) that I've been to before. It was 14 years ago (count em) and it was very brief, so I was looking forward to seeing a lot more of Sydney. Inevitably (and quite correctly) I headed straight off to Circular Quay. Sydney has probably the most wonderful natural location of any city on earth. Apart from Sunderland. Although the rough guide thinks Rio may give them both a run for their money-I shall compare with interest. Ooops, I'm rambling. Again. I'm writing this in the internet cafe, which I haven't done for a while,so there's absolutely editing of this huge pile of

Anyway.

So, the place is off to a good start; chuck in the harbour bridge and you're well ahead of the game. I know it's only a bridge, but so is this the Brooklyn Bridge-they both have something (you see why I nearly failed my Scottish architecture paper at college). And then there's the opera house. It is impossible to imagine another building in that place; another builiding anywhere that is more suited to its location; another building more synomous with a city or even a country. The sun glistens on the roof's myraid tiles; the entire complex seems to float on the water, while the wind blows itssails (or whatever those bonkers domey roof things are). It is so the Daddy. It certainly gets my vote for one of the 7 wonders of the modern world (there's some kind of contest going on apparently).

I took a LOT of photos.

AND the steps of the Opera House and a great place to have a bit of read, while you fry in the Aussie sun. I really do love it. I shall have a right proper explore of it when it's all open (I was there on New Year's Eve).

So. New Year's Eve. Amateur's night. Annual biggest let down. Overhyped, overpriced, over-crowded and frankly rather weird: was 2006 that bad?

are we that glad it's 2007?

"oh look the last number of the year has changed! yes, but it's not as good as when the last THREE numbers of ther year were all zero. you're right, we won't see that again soon."

were you that bored of writing 06 on cheques, and are just stoked you can now write 07?

or have you already forgotten and had to tear up something you've dated Jan 06?

I don't get New Year's Eve. Never have really. Loads of people go out who don't normally-they're easy to spot, they're the gormless ones standing in your way wearing the sequinned thing that says 'Hey, I'm going out. So I bought this. It's been 365 days. So I thought I'd make an effort.' Show me a person who can rank a New Year's Eve in their top 10 nights ever and I'll show you someone who owns a bar or get very, VERY lucky indeed. We're talking twins here.

OK, so I've over-egged the pudding. Not for the first time, but I don't get it. New Year's Eve is the theatre of broken dreams.

If you approach it with my attitude-lowish expectations; start on the beers at 5 p.m. with a good friend; head to the world's most beautiful harbour; with a million other lunatics; all in a temperature that allows you to walk home afterwards still in a short sleeve shirt, then you can have a pretty damn good night. And that's what I had.

The plans for New Year went through many revisions, but ended up with Jamie and I having a few drinks, ending up in an Australian Oktoberfest and watching probably the most famous fireworks in the world. Sadly Kate wasn't too well and couldn't join our fair drinking effort: it was one of those "You know I'm quite sober." Wait five minutes; "Whoooah, I'm losing it" and repeat.

We had planned to go and meet Pete and Nicole, but Pete told us very firmly to stay where we were. 'You've got pubs; we dream of pubs.' So we stayed where we were. And met Pete and Nicole for a bit of a Leo Sayer on New Year's day. It's all good. And I had been sort of off the booze. For a few hours.

Sydney at New Year continued my experieince that all my best New Year's have been abroad. And unplanned. And didn't involve buying a ticket in June (not that I've ever done that, but people do).

How was yours?

Since my the New Year drinking double header, it's been cricket (and a bit of rain). After 2 days, England have competed. They've played quite well, and the game's pretty evenly poised.

So in 3 days, the Aussies will win. Bastards.