I can dream on and imagine this scene is located in Italy, Spain or Greece. I guess the eucalypts are a give away however. These vineyards are a mere 40 minutes drive away from home....no romantic overseas trip involved. Ah well.......one day we may get to see a Mediterranean vista.
Belated Happy New Year. Picture courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald photographers. Follow this hyperlink and you will be able to see more of their fantastic photos from New Year's Eve. We have just spent a day in Sydney browsing the bookshops. It was quite grey after the heat of the previous days - nevertheless I hope the photos will inspire some of you to visit.
Sydney Morning Herald.
My parents are now both over eighty. They are very independent and live in a leafy suburb north of Sydney. Theirs is a four bedroom house on a double block of land. They are keen gardeners but with the current water restrictions in Sydney they can only water their beloved garden twice a week with a hand held hose. My brother lives 8 hours drive north of them and my sister lives in England. That makes me their closest child and in their senior years, they are wondering (somewhat reluctantly) whether it is time to sell up and move to Newcastle. This would be a relief for me - my busy lifestyle precludes regular visits to Sydney, I am familiar with our Hunter health system and doctors and I could assure them of good care up here should they need it. The problem is finding a house or apartment that they like.....
For many years Sydney people have viewed Newcastle as the poor relation. My family was aware of some of the many beautiful parts of the city but they mistakenly believed that when the time came for them to move they would sell their Sydney house for a large sum of money and be able to afford a large penthouse with view of the water and have money left over. Unfortunately, they have left it too late to invest in a cheaper property with water views. The view seen in this photo will set you back anything from $1 to $3.2million Australian dollars depending on the size of the property. Given the weak Australian dollar compared to the US dollar, Euro and pound, this may not be as bad as it sounds, but it is way out of the price range of all but a few Australians. If you wish to settle for a house with no water views prices can range from $300,000 to $900,000 (for a grand house). Sydney prices are far worse.
Let me know about the property prices where you live? Are they out of the average person's price range or affordable?
People in Sydney can head down to Rose Bay and catch the seaplane up the coast to Newcastle. The seaplane ties up on the Newcastle Harbour Foreshore right near a number of restaurants. 
You can choose between al fresco seafood restaurants, cafes, pizzerias. The brewery pictured here is an outdoor pub situated right on the water. Drink too much and you're in the harbour.....although I don't think anyone has been lost yet.
The restaurant owners would prefer if the seagulls were not fed but as you can see any plate left out in the open is an easy meal for feathered friends.
Of course there is always Sunday lunch al fresco in the backyard.... 
Sunday is BBQ day.
Approximately every four weeks I travel to Denman in the Upper Hunter Valley for work. There is some spectacular scenery on the way and I never think to take my camera with me. This week I managed to take a few shots of Denman and surrounds. As I was driving home the setting sun was reflected off the cliffs which border the north eastern tip of the Wollomi National Park - I was unable to stop the car safely to take pictures so will have to take a passenger up with me next time I go.
Freshwater lakes with National Park in the distance
Downtown Denman
We have just returned from a week at Mulubinba lodge, Perisher Valley. As you can see, it actually snowed...in fact it snowed almost every day which was fabulous for those of us who live in a sub tropical climate 51 weeks a year. I often wonder how good it would be to live in a place where it snowed all winter.
This week I reluctantly hired skis and booked myself into level 2 skiers classes for those people who can "snow plough turn" in other words SLOW and SENSIBLE. This is a grade I feel comfortable with -- I'm not one of the people who ski flat out, I would rather potter around on the slopes, enjoy the scenery and remain injury free. Skiing in school holidays is quite a trial as the slopes are crowded and there always seems to be a large number of people hooning around making it unpleasant for those of us who just want to take our time. Have you ever watched the program "Grumpy Old Women"? I do believe I'm sounding just like one. The lodge has always had the attraction of no TV, no radio and one pay phone. At night you entertain yourself by playing cards, board games, chatting or reading. My only complaint (only one?) was the mobile phones...My God...why couldn't everyone leave them at home!!!
The beauty of this place however did take my breath away. The last day was blizzard conditions - great excuse for sitting by the fire and reading a good novel regardless of mobile phones ringing. I indulged in some entertaining crime fiction.... Linda Fairstein's "The Kills" - quite a satisfying plot except for leaving the relationship beween Alex and Mike still annoyingly up in the air.
The weather has changed from sunny warm days with fresh mornings to cold, and wet (8º Celcius). One consolation for the skiers in our family is that the snow has started to fall on the Alps. The two images here are taken from the Snow Cams also listed on the side bar of this blog.
Perisher Valley NSW.
"White out & icicles" Charlotte's Pass NSW.
The Snowy Mountains are located in Southern NSW and Northern Victoria - for a closer look you can visit
this site.
Another grey day for a visit to Sydney. One of my favourite places is Circular Quay and the walk from the Opera House around the Botanic Gardens and Farm Cove to Mrs Macquarie's Chair. Click on the photo for a closer look at the Opera House if you would like to. It really does sparkle in the sunshine but not today unfortunately.