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:
5 comments:
I love outdoor art exhibits like that. I wish we had more here. At least Winterlude is coming up in a few months....
OMG - The flies! That's so funny you wrote this because I was just thinking today that the flies are back. But so are the mangoes - yum!
I wish we had mangoes. We have strawberries and asparagus.
I don't know who told you that waving flies off your face is called the "Sydney wave", but they're on crack... it's called the "bush wave" or "bush salute", because if you think the flies are bad in Sydney then you wouldn't last five seconds on a farm.
Hi Neil - I was just thinking about winterlude, and how fun but shivery cold it can be. brrrr. not missing the cold one bit.
Ana: God, I hate the flies, I miss the Canadian flies that you wave away and then they go somewhere else...instead of coming back..on your face. ugh.
Juli! Strawberries would be pretty good too, but mangoes, mmm, love the mangoes.
Anonymous: thanks for the tip, I shall stay away from the bush!
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