Tuesday report

8.17 am – Tuesday, 27 March
Got trapped in parking garage behind shrubbery and various metal barricades and unable to get to Holiday Inn shuttle before it pulled off. But it did return 30 minutes later, giving me an excellent opportunity to do some fascinating Inter-social Traffic Research. People are just amusing; so amusing in fact that many of them would be perhaps better off in zoos for everyone to enjoy. Note for future travel: hotel shuttles located in v. confusing and difficult location at Sydney Domestic Airport.

Was not allowed to knit on Adelaide to Sydney flight and while I had no problem and was perfectly willing to putting my Entertainment Activity ‘safely away for the duration of the flight, it was a bit unnecessary to have the lispingly veiled threat of, ‘If you won’t put it away, I could take them away from you, lock them in a cupboard for the flight and pass them on to Ground Services at Sydney.’ Yeah, okay... I am sure Ground Services would have been terrified.

Another exceedingly early morning today, which E was kind enough to assist with via a 6am phone call. Speaking of which, due to various and sundry time changes, it is now really difficult to know what time it is anywhere but my immediate location (and that is still kind of questionable sometimes – had to ask HI employee what time it was last night). Northern hemisphere springing forward; Southern falling backwards; no idea when the States is doing their thing… It was, oh, so simple just two weeks ago: 11 hours difference between Eastern Oz and UK, subtract 6 (or maybe that is add) for the US. Just so simple, then. [She gazes into the sunrising distance as a Carpenters’ song intro begins…]

Travelling to Wollongong this morning. This is not pronounced with a short ‘o’ as one would phonetically expect, but instead the first syllable is ‘wool’. The yuppie suited guy in front of me in listening to Madonna Hung Up quite loudly on his earphones. Tee hee. It is not that I dislike this song; it is, after all, an excellent tempo for doing wall push-ups (when one does those) – it is just a bit froofy-and-pink-spandex to match his Copious-Amounts-of-Hair-Gel-Make-Me-Excellently-Masculine-and-Cool appearance.

Lovely big rolling hills covered with trees and other green stuff – there are entire hillsides covered with masses of lantana, brilliant blue flower vines (maybe morning glories?) and heaps of asparagus ferns (in the shadier parts of course). Had hoped to see ocean as was under impression that would see this, but not so far. Whilst enjoying this, though, am glad to have last event today.

2.01 pm – Tuesday 27 March
Train got to the GORgeous ocean section of the trip approx. 47 seconds after typed last paragraph and put computer to sleep. But of course! It was v. difficult to get photos of housetops (I will go on about the interesting roofing differences here… it is quite difficult and funny to try to explain shingles and tar paper to people. Craig from Canada: CFC and I attempted at length the other day to describe what exactly a shingle is, but blank looks prevailed.), pretty flowers and waves because of trees flying past window. That, and the fact that the battery image on my camera screen is now red.

Fair is outdoors, but my table is UNDER a building overhang – hoorah!