A Day In The National Park...

When Erin suggested to me that we should join our friends, Hannah and Tristan for what the Australians call a "bush walk" I have to be honest, I didn't really see the appeal, nor was I overly enthused with the prospect of spending one of my two days off walking in the Royal National Park of New South Wales. 

It seemed a bit too Ivan Milat for my liking, and I wasn't quite ready for an encounter with some wild Australian arachnid. 

Alas, a little bit of persuasion by Erin and I relented. Details were ironed out, we were on Gatorade duty and we met Hannah and Tristan on the Saturday morning and off we went to the Royal National Park.

After a short-ish drive from the meet up point, we parked on a barren, dusty, remote Wolf Creek-esque road and meandered our way downhill to a place called Winifred Falls. Having walked for about 20 minutes and garnered some information from Tristan as to the flora and fauna en route, we arrived at what would later be our wonderfully scenic picnic spot.

In true, quintessential Australian style, we took off our shoes and waded up creek to be treated to some of the best scenery I have had the pleasure of experiencing since arriving in Sydney in May. 

We walked up creek for a good 30-50 minutes before deciding to head back down stream to Winifred Falls. I was treated to numerous appearances from lizards/geckos/kimono dragons. Call them what you will. It's nice when you're out and about to see the wildlife of Australia. I get the impression it's all what everyone here has seen before to me, but to see a lizard in its natural habitat really triggers the David Attenborough in me. 

Enough of the narrative. To coin a cliche, a picture paints a thousand words and here's a few thousand for you all. 

For those interested in the camera specifications used to take these photos, all were taken on my iPhone 6. 

Winifred Falls

Winifred Falls 

 Winifred Falls from above

 A lizard. 

 Up the creek from Winifred Falls. 

 Fast flowing Spring Water, which tasted heaps better than the bottled stuff. 

 Just look at that. Absolutely amazing. 

 A bigger, but shy lizard. 

 You don't get much better than this. 

 Uluru. lolz. 

 Erin, Hannah and our tour guide, Tristan, all working our way upstream. 

 I keep having to pinch myself that this is all so close.  

 The newly named Mrs Clark, with a Pom. 

 The Pom, he ponders. 

 Tristan, Hannah and I all smiles after navigating a treacherous crossing. 

 The Pom, he ponders some more. (NB I do have legs, honestly!)

 Posing at our northern most point. After these photos, we headed back to Winifred Falls. 

 This was where I tasted the water. It was ice cold and heaps refreshing, especially on a hot day. 

 We couldn't all go for a bush walk and not utilise the iPhone 6's new "time-lapse" feature. 

So, after we headed back downstream and found a suitably large sized rock over hanging the water of Winifred Falls (we were on the rock taking the photo of Tristan in the picture below) we decimated our picnic. All the walking through the bush had meant we all had worked up an appetite. Hannah and Tristan even thought to bring a bottle of Red Wine, so that was lovely to be in such picturesque surroundings, having something so simple as a picnic, but equally being a million miles from the hustle and bustle of the CBD, which was only 45 minutes away. 

Tristan pre dive into Winifred Falls. 

Picnic devoured, it was time to pack up and head back to the car. On the walk uphill back to our Wolf Creek-esque road where, hopefully, our car would still be parked, Tristan suggested we go to a place called Wattamolla which was only 15 minutes away, and more importantly, we go to the "jump rock". 

Wattamolla is derived from the Aboriginal term meaning "place near running water". 

When we got to the place near running water, Wattamolla, it was busy with people with the same idea as ourselves. People with gazebos up and barbecues cooking. Beer was being drunk and it was just a lovely atmosphere to be a part of. People in the sun, with the people they love, having the time of their lives. It was exactly the same as the four of us were doing. 

 View from Wattamolla Park, looking over to Wattamolla Beach.

Both Tristan and I contemplating our fate, atop of the Wattamolla "jump rock"

 The view from the top of the rock, over towards Wattamolla Beach, and the Tasman Sea beyond. 

Now, before you watch the unedited video of myself and Tristan mindlessly jumping from a rock around 30ft-40ft in the air, you need to know that I have an unhealthy fear of deep water. If I am unable to put my feet down on the bottom of whatever it is I am swimming (or in this case - jumping into) then I generally shy away. 

It took a great deal of cohesion, and sun-fuelled idiocy to make the jump. 

I am so glad I did though. I embraced the Australian pastime of jumping off rocks into water and it certainly won't be my last. 

(NB: After various attempts it won't let me upload the unedited version of our jump rock video. I'll whack it up on Facebook so that you can see it.) 

A matter of minutes after making the jump and with a little help from Tristan I was back on top and the four of us headed back to the car. In a matter of moments open to the beating Spring Australian sun and I was dry. I was impressed. We headed back to Sutho(erland) and celebrated with some coffee and chocolate after I asked Tristan to be a groomsman of mine. It was such an easy decision for me as he, and Hannah, have been unparalleled in their welcoming of me, both at Christmas and since May. 

So that was my Saturday just gone, and I think it is safe to say that it will take some beating. 

Sunday came and Erin and I ventured into the City to enjoy one of our Christmas presents that her parents bought for us - a Tall Ship Cruise on Sydney Harbour. 

For any of the people in the UK who are coming out for the Wedding in March - this is THE way to see Sydney. It is only when you are on a boat in the Harbour that you get a sense of the size of the place. Again we utilised the camera on our iPhone 6's and took some rather good photos aboard the Søren Larsen. 

 Probably the most famous bridge of them all. 

 Cruise liner docked in Circular Quay. Hotels such as the Shangri-La and Intercontinental can also be seen. 

 Sydney Opera House. Cascade Premium Light. Pom

 The Sydney Opera House, against a majestic blue sky backdrop. 

 The CBD.

Baranagaroo, a new build suburb on the cusp of The Rocks area of Sydney. 

 Erin, her drink and our world. 

 Shark Island Light. An active lighthouse still, that is only accessible by boat. 

So, there you have it. Probably one of the best weekends Erin and I have spent together. 

I'm so glad we thought about taking photos as it has been brilliant for me looking back at all the photos. 

 Peace. Love. Peroni. 

12 days...

You might be forgiven for thinking that the title of this blog was an ode to a sequel of Craig David's 2000 hit "7 Days" but it isn't. Although that could be future blog post material - who knows? 

When you put your mind to it, a lot can be achieved in such a short space of time. Erin and I are testament to that over the past 12 days since my last blog post. 

Without wanting to sound overly repetitious and talking about the same content week-on-week, or 12 days-on-12 days, all of our spare time is being eaten up by wedding stuff. 

Until you are in the midst of it all yourself, you don't really get a sense of perspective of just what actually goes into the planning of one. Erin and I have been quite lucky in the respect that once one big piece of the metaphorical jigsaw was in place, we'll call this piece the "reception venue", we were blessed that everything else has followed suit quite easily. 

A lot of this though has been largely down to the fact that Erin is the most organised person you could ever wish to meet, and I am majorly OCD with things like planning. I need to know if it has been done, and if it hasn't, when it will. We're probably not a healthy mix for when it comes to a holiday, or say a round-the-world flight, but on the whole we work extremely well together. 

Erin had the early part of this week off work to enable her to study for her Law exam on Wednesday. Stress levels at this time of the year are normally a lot higher than normal and it is to be expected. Couple that with what was later diagnosed as a viral infection and the early part of the week was quite a stressful one for Erin. Wednesday has been and gone now though, nothing can be altered. The past is in the past. Que sera, sera.

Wednesday for me though was a completely different story. I decided I would book a days flex from work and accompany Erin to her exam, but I chose to spend the time Erin was quoting Australian Constitutional Law more effectively and went on a walk to take some photographs, for this very purpose - my blog. 

We parked at Wentworth Park, a much more grandeur version of Belle Vue for all the Manchester readers. Sunshine makes everything look better I have realised. 

I ended up strolling down to the Sydney Fish Markets and started snapping away. 

The other bridge in Sydney, the ANZAC Bridge. The name paying tribute to the 

Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who served in WWI. 

Whilst I was happy in my little ANZAC Bridge little world, 

an Australian White Ibis became a little too friendly, and close for my liking. 

The Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis moluccus) looks so prehistoric to me. 

That beak is the stuff of absolute nightmares! 

Oh, okay. You're a brave Brucie, encroaching on my personal space now. 

YOU TAKING THE PISS? BACK THE F*CK AWAY FROM ME NOW!!!

Following on from staring death in the eyes, I also encountered another species of bird, this time from a much more respectable distance. This bird was content in the water, scooping up fish in its rather prominent throat pouch. 

Two Pelicans in the water near ANZAC Bridge. 

There's something Finding Nemo-esque about Pelicans in water, near Bridges in Sydney. 

After photographing copious birds for blog post content, we left the vicinity and headed over to Alexandria to look at suits for our wedding. I had seen a Prosecutor at work with this Suit on and it was the EXACT shade of blue that I had been looking for. Suffice to say when Erin saw it, it was made abundantly clear that it wasn't the right shade of blue for a wedding, and on reflection she was right. 

It was a light shade of blue and for a wedding I've come to realise a darker blue is much more formal. 

Once our time had expired in Alexandria we headed to Erin's friends place for dinner, Hannah and Tristan, who are getting married this coming Saturday. We were treated to home made burgers and were able to wash it down with some Pepperjack Handcrafted Ale. #delicious

Thursday and Friday passed by in somewhat of a blur as I was working both days and experienced some cases in Court which were a little hard going. I won't go into the intricacies of them for fear of breaching client confidentiality but it was, yet again, another eye opener and a massive learning curve for me. 

Erin succumbed to a viral infection too so her working week didn't even materialise. A journey to work on Thursday morning on the train was swiftly followed by a journey home from work on the train via the Doctors surgery for a course of antibiotics. 

Alas the weekend. Time to relax. Or not as the case may be. 

Friday night we finally decided to book our flights for our Honeymoon. We opted to pay more and fly with Vietnam Airlines, than pay less and fly with Malaysia Airlines and run the risk of not arriving at our destination of Nha Trang. 

Our flight plan is more direct with Vietnam Airlines too, flying SYD - SGN - CXR. 

Malaysia Airlines was SYD - KUL - SGN - CXR with an overnight in SGN because you would have missed the connection to CXR. The significant price difference of $400 each wasn't enough to entice us, or compromise our safety/lives. 

On our return flight we have staggered the flight back to Sydney (SYD) from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) by two days, which gives us a bit of time to spend in SGN. 

So we will land in Ho Chi Minh City on 09/04 after a 55 minute flight from Nha Trang (CXR) and then we will leave Ho Chi Minh for Sydney on the 11th of April. 

We haven't booked a Hotel yet but we think we are set on two nights in the Intercontinental Asiana Saigon Hotel.   

Saturday was a long day, but my goodness was it productive. The early part of Saturday was spent in the beautiful Trinity Chapel at Trinity Grammar School for a rehearsal of Hannah and Tristan's wedding, which is happening this coming Saturday.

The place is gorgeous. It felt like I was in a Church in England. The high ceilings, the exposed terracotta coloured brickwork and the coldness of an English Church. The pictures below don't do it justice.

The Groom awaits his Bride. 

And here she comes, accompanied by her Dad! 

Somehow I don't think Hannah will be this relaxed next week... ;)

And here is my bride-to-be. It won't be long until it is the both of us rehearsing our big day! 

Group shot!

After the minutest of details were ironed out, we said our goodbyes and headed off to the City to see if we could find a wedding suit. The excitement was palpable. 

ANZAC Bridge, we meet again. 

Once we parked in the City both Erin and I decided that before we delved into the world of wedding suit shopping we would relax and have a bite to eat, so we headed down to the food court of David Jones (think Selfridges) and plonked ourselves at the Sushi Bar and went weird.

Spur of the moment Sushi. It's the best kind of Sushi. 

Shopping in David Jones was a first for me, I had never before had the pleasure of the place. Floors and floors of everything and anything. It really is like Selfridges, and maybe John Lewis all in one. 
We found our way into the Mens Formal section and immediately found ourselves attracted to a navy blue suit. We asked questions of the knowledgeable sales assistant who was a little on the older side, which for me is a novelty. I am so used to young females, wearing an abundance of makeup and terribly drawn on eyebrows that to come by a placid older female who is there to help and not in anyway to garnish a sale from you is a rather strange concept for me. 
She wasn't pushy, she just helped me with the styling, with the pinning of the jacket and told us both what would look best and what wouldn't. I loved the jacket, it felt so elegant on and felt just right. It wasn't too heavy and it wasn't too light either. I decided I wouldn't just jump two footed and buy the first one we saw and liked. So we wandered around the floor and looked at some others. We saw some okay ones that were way out of our price budget and some ghastly ones that were well within, typical! :D
After David Jones we called in to TM Lewin. Quintessentially British Suit Makers, so they say. Shit I say. Total shit. We didn't stay long. 

After a pit stop at "Nutorious" for some combined sweet and salted popcorn (it works, believe me!) we ventured away from the City and via Alexandria on the way home to the Ron Bennett Outlet. 
I have already purchased a suit from Ron Bennett before, for an interview in early June and they fit me excellently.
It seemed logical to go there and we weren't disappointed. Again the customer service experience was one I wasn't used to. The (again) elderly assistant, this time a charismatic Italian man, a little on the rotund side with grey balding hair left us to our own devices. He only came over when we asked for his help and he knew what size I was without even asking me. Now that's professionalism! 

I tried on one suit in particular, of the "Super Slim Fit" persuasion and you know when you just know? Yea, that! 
I have no doubt when the Italian dude said "You should be a Ron Bennett model" he was humouring me, but he did have a point. There are some suits sometimes that you try on and think, "Yep, this looks good" and then there are other ones when you try them on, you think to yourself, "I just need to have this suit". This one fell into the latter category. 

We even managed to secure four other suits for the Best Man and Groomsmen too. How's that for a productive afternoon in Alexandria? 

Happiness. It's infectious. 

After the success of procuring my wedding suit Erin and I headed home. Not before we were then back out again with some friends, Katrina and Stuart for a Curry and then to watch the Arsenal vs Manchester City game. It was so good to meet up with them both again as Erin and I had met with them previously a few times when they were in London and Erin was in Manchester.  

We ate a place called "A Taste of India" in Marrickville, not India. The food I was impressed with, the service not so much. We were asked if we were finished with our Naan bread when it was clear we were still eating them and we also received a starter we didn't order which they tried to leave for us in the hope we'd eat it, and then pay for. Our mains were also extremely late in arriving. We did find out that the waitress was new, but that doesn't excuse the fact for the long wait for our mains. I probably would recommend the place as the food was nice, I'd like to think their lack of customer service was just a one off. 

Today has been a day of rest and a day to enjoy this beautiful Spring weather. It has been so nice today in fact (24C) that I have worn shorts for the first time since arriving at the end of May. 

I just hope the weather is here to stay...

Life is good!

I've not posted on my blog for what seems like an eternity, but what, in reality, is little over a week. A lot has happened in that time and I will try to remember all of the good stuff in that time, so do put your feet up, boil the kettle if needed, and bare with me. 


Erin and I secured our wedding rings over the weekend, and with it a massive weight (no pun intended) has been lifted from our shoulders. Being mildly ignorant to the whole buying wedding rings scene, I was pleasantly surprised when we both exited the old mahogany lift of the Strand Arcade in the CBD of Sydney, on the uppermost 5th floor. We had, or more to the point, Erin had found a bespoke jewellers online called "Larsen Jewellery" who seemed to have what we were looking for - "the tailor-made experience". We both decided we didn't want your average joe kind of jewellers. We didn't feel all that comfortable in dropping $2000+ on a ring that 100+ other people could have potentially tried on. 
So off we trotted, and trotted we did to Larsen. 

[Insert disclaimer here] At no time during our visit did we encounter a Nordic chap of the Larsen persuasion [end disclaimer here]

Larsen's is quite a unique place. I have never stepped foot in a jewellers quite like it. On the face of it, you could say it was on the small side. Elegantly presented however, with cabinets laden with the finest of the fine jewellery. Diamonds, Pearls and Sapphires as far as the eye could see. Then, over by the windows was the tangible juxtaposition of a workshop. In amongst the thousands and thousands of dollars worth of carats were craftsmen, squinting through their magnifying lenses to cultivate the most perfect of ring for the most perfect of consumer - in this case Erin (and I).

We were welcomed by a rather affable lady named Natalie who knew her stones. She proceeded to explain what Larsens stood for, the whole preamble designed to make you feel like this is THE PLACE for you. Past that however, her knowledge shone massively. Questions were answered at length and in great detail. She wasn't pushy, and she didn't go for the hard sale either. We were left in no doubt that the choice was ours if we wanted to purchase our wedding rings from Larsens, and that we decided to do.

We did buy the rings, but we don't actually have them yet as we have to wait 5 weeks for them to be individually crafted to our "O" and "J & 1/2" sizes respectively.  

With that purchase comes responsibility and that is on the shoulders of my cousin, Matt. No pressure like, but with our purchase your job just became a lot more real! 


After securing the wedding rings, we wandered around the Strand Arcade some more, in pursuit of the all elusive wedding suit. Needless to say that was a fruitless affair, and the more time passes, the more agitated and restless I am becoming. 

Finding a blue suit shouldn't be all that hard, should it? I want a blue suit, I have seen countless blue suits too, but you know, just not that blue, you know? The blue I want, it just isn't in the shops and I can't find it. I see blue suits that are too dark, blue suits that are too light, blue suits that are too French looking and other variations of this theme. But just not MY suit...yet. 

For those making the journey from England for the wedding, the Strand Arcade/Queen Victoria Building is a must. It is the only place in Sydney where I have felt like it is home. Nothing beats an old shopping centre in the midst of all the newness that is Sydney. Be sure to bring green notes though, as it is on the higher end of the shopping spectrum. Brands such as Coach, Aesop, L'Occitane and TW Steel grace these wonderful buildings.

On the subject of TW Steel, the recognised market leader in oversized watches, it would seem that the Australians love a good oversized watch. Not a day goes by without someone, whether it be a client of ours at the Local Court, a Barrister, a lawyer or a general member of the public complimenting me on my watch - so thanks Mum and Dad, my confidence is going through the roof!! 
I even had one elderly gentleman a few weeks ago ask me how much I paid for it, and how much I would be willing to sell it to him for. A few slowly pronounced words later, coupled with some gesticulation and he was on his way. 


One thing I did want to touch on with this blog was statistics, and in particular the statistics related to this blog. When I created it, I told myself and even put it into words that I wasn't expecting the outreach of my inane drivel to be anything but small, but, to my amazement I have reached places such as Kenya, Argentina and Tunisia. My two most viewed countries are the United Kingdom and Australia (obviously) and my lowest viewed countries are Ireland, Italy and Tunisia, where one solitary person has taken the time to read my thoughts. I would like to place on record my thanks to those lost souls, whoever you may be. 
Being the technology geek that I am, the next bit intrigued me. Browsers and Operating Systems! 
BROWSERS: 
39% of my page views have been via an iPhone, 18% via Safari, 17% via Google Chrome, 8% via Mobile Safari and only 5% via IE. 65% of my views have been via an Apple device! 
OS: iPhone 37%, Macintosh 24%, Android 15%, Windows 14%, iPad 6% and then BB10 (Dad?) iPod Touch and Linux are all <1%. 
Segway-ing into tech blogger mode here, do I read that information that most of the people reading this have Apple devices, or that Apple have a massive stronghold of the digital market and are thus monopolising the technology market? I think I know where I stand. I expect a shiny new iPhone 6 for this shameless plug Tim Cook. 

Work is going good too, for those wondering. I have been learning the role of Court Monitor these past few days, which is essentially the minute taker. It's great being in a courtroom and typing what people are saying whilst under oath. 
I said "Get off me before I punch your fucking lights out" has so much more emphasis and is more factual than "I asked in my dulcet tones if he would like to quickly exit the vicinity in which I was occupying, as if he didn't I would have to exert the unholiest of blows upon his chiselled jaw". 
There have been times when my literary creativity has threatened to take hold, but alas I haven't digressed from fact. 

I will leave on this note. It is presently 8:36pm in Sydney and 13C. Todays high was 23C. 
It is 11:36am in Manchester and 18C. Goodnight.  

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

I do find that my mindset has changed and when I am out and about I am thinking to myself "Oh that would be good to talk about in my blog" and then when it comes to the crunch, I find myself staring at a 27" screen thinking, "What the hell do I talk about?". Such is life I suppose, although it could be worse - I could be in Gaza or communist North Korea without Facebook. (Sorry Kim Jong-un). Anyway, I digress...

Work is still maintaining its appeal. It is still a place that intrigues me greatly and I love that every day is different - literally. For me to walk into a Local Court in Sydney, with no Law background was extremely daunting, but I feel that I am slowly clawing my way up the ladder of knowledge and actually retaining the monstrous abyss of information that comes with working in a Local Court. 
I feel that I have settled in well in these past few weeks and I am thriving on the opportunities to learn new things and make myself a better, less judgemental person. Being totally honest here, it is so easy to judge a person in a Court House without giving them a fair crack of the whip. Our clients are normally people who have committed a crime. It is rare, but there are times when cases are thrown out and people walk away free men/women. 


I am, and I forever will be grateful for the opportunity to work in such a great office, with, by and large, great people. The area I work in is such a diverse socioeconomic area with an expansive range of cultures and with that, inevitably comes cultural indifferences. 
We live in 2014, yet some archaic members of Sydney's social scene still think it is perfectly fine to strike their partners. That's what Friday's are for, right? A(pprehended) V(iolence) O(rder) day! 
Don't get me wrong though, it can be tough. Really tough. Only yesterday I was in Court with a client who had an evident mental disability and I don't think it would be wrong of me to suggest they didn't really know what day it was, let alone what or where they had to go. It's hard at times when people who aren't necessarily compos mentis are in front of a Magistrate for some wrong doing. Impartiality is the key, but to anyone with even an iota of a moral compass, they would find it extremely hard at times.

Segway-ing away from work now and onto the Wedding for a paragraph or two. We've been really lucky in the preparation for it that it has all fallen into place really nicely. Once the venue and photographer were chosen early on, it was a case of slotting the other pieces of the jigsaw in place and we're almost finished - well not quite, but we're getting there slowly but surely. 
There has been a bit of stress recently regarding wedding cars and Erin encountered a bit of difficulty in securing people to do both hers, and her bridesmaids hair and makeup on the day, but just this week both hair and makeup have been sorted. Both were a little stressful as it felt that every avenue we explored, we were met with a metaphorical closed door. We're still thinking about cars for the wedding, but given the recent increase in size of the bridal party, a car of sizeable length might have be used on the day - especially to take the whole bridal party from the Church to the place for the photos before the reception at Summersalt.

Planning a wedding isn't something I would recommend for someone with OCD. How do you cope with knowing that your groomsmen won't be here until a week before, and then suits will have to be bought/rented then? How do you deal with not knowing what your bride is going to be wearing, or how her hair will be? When looking at exchange rates of AUD to VND, how can you sleep at night knowing the amount of AUD you're taking will be converted into an odd number of VND!! The stresses man!

After work ended early for me on Friday, Erin and I returned to the scene of our Australian engagement party for a much quieter family affair. I experienced my first taste of Fondue, and it's one I'll be looking to enjoy again soon. 
Today we had a large lunch outside with family to celebrate three birthdays and the impending Fathers Day. The food was exceptional and the weather, again, held off and resulted in a lovely day. I did manage to take some photos, all of which are below. 

You may not be able to see clearly, but there are 4 Kangaroo's in this picture.

One of them was carrying a joey in its pouch too. So great to see them in the "wild"

My first encounter with a Huntsman! I know it won't be my last!! 

I can see a rainbow, kinda! 

This fella was waiting for us when we got home. He was so brave and inquisitive when I was taking a photo.