Fearless

When it comes to swimwear, that's what Sydneysiders are. Completely fearless.

We're going through a heatwave right now, 30+ heat every day for the past few days. In fact, I just checked the weather for Sydney, and it's currently 41C!!! Luckily, we live nice and close to the ocean so it hasn't been too bad at all. We've been cooling off with morning and afternoon swims and there's a southerly breeze coming off the ocean that's keeping our apartment a decent temperature, even without air-con. It's been a nice weekend, actually. A couple of times we've ventured out of our beachside suburb to pick up groceries or drop off a video and we were amazed at just how hot it was once we got away from the beach. (yep - we're feeling a little smug right now)

So, the beach has been pretty crowded, not surprisingly. And, I still find it somewhat shocking to find people of all ages and all sizes wearing speedos and teeny bikinis. It's downright refreshing to see people so comfortable in their own skin, something that would never happen on a beach in Canada. We're a prudish bunch, us Canadians.

On a completely different topic, last Sunday we spent the day at Taronga zoo. It's a fantastic zoo, full of the usual suspects (elephants, giraffes, tigers) plus all the Australian wildlife, wallabies, wombats and whatnot. Here's some pics from our day out.

Waiting for the bird show to start, which was awesome - I highly recommend seeing it if you happen to be at the zoo.

Lemurs, who can resist them. God, they're too cute! What is it about a yawning animal?

Gus, trying out some Fennec Fox ears.

And, going home at the end of the day. They both look like they're in good spirits, but those are some tired boys. The zoo, like the rest of Sydney, requires alot of climbing up and down hills.

When birds attack

It feels strange for me these days, to be going through Spring in Sydney for the second time around. I actually know what to expect, and now I'm an old hand at some of the typical Spring goings-on that I experienced last year at this time. One of them is the flies, oh the flies! At this time of the year they're everywhere, and they land all over you, on your face, your arms, your back...and then you wave them off...and then they all come right back on. In fact, these flies are so pervasive, that they call the wave that you do to get them off your face: the "Sydney wave". Disgusting! But at least the flies aren't dangerous. Because, the magpies, in Spring, now they are dangerous. To protect their young, they'll 'swoop' (fly right close to your face) anyone who walks close to one of their nests. I'm sure I've read somewhere that they can even recognize people, and will target the same person over and over. I don't doubt this for a minute, 'cause last year I was repeatedly swooped whenever I would walk Gus to school, and even got scratched on the nose on one of the swoopings. And it's terrifying, because they come out of nowhere. This year, I now know to avoid that side of the sidewalk, and immediately after dropping Gus off, I put my bike helmet on and ride quickly away, while looking at the poor souls, walking hurriedly down the street holding their newspapers and books over top of their heads to protect themselves from the magpies.

But it's not all bad. Don't be jealous, but right now....it's MANGO SEASON!! The mangoes are delicious and decently priced and everywhere. And, there are even a bunch of, all slightly different tasting, varieties (were there different varieties of mangoes available in Canada?? I can't even remember). yummm.

Another great Spring happening: Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi beach. We did our traditional walk from Bondi to Tamarama beach, stopped for a swim and a snag from the sausage sizzle, then walked back to Bondi. It's such a great way to make art accessible. And the natural beauty of the backdrop for the sculptures - just beautiful...take a look at a few: