HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!

24th Of December
Swedish Christmas day
_______________________

David saw Angela kissing the Christmas tree decoration

Oh boy, it is finally here. The 3 day preparation is going to finally pay off and our faces will be stuffed with all the delicious food that we have been preparing. I would like to start by giving you all a run down of the menu for today!

Starters:

Egg mayonnaise and egg with smoked dill salmon

Homemade raisin and cranberry bread

Homemade chicken liver paté

Rock melon pieces

Assorted olives

Angela

Main Courses:

Swedish traditional meatballs (Kottbullar)

Swedish traditional christmas ham (Skinka)

Bolied dill potatoes

David

Salads and Accommpaniments:

Russian beetroot salad with garlic and walnuts

Swedish beetroot salad

Homemade mustard

Homemade red onion and pomegranite relish

Leafy salad with cherry tomatoes and a wholegrain mustard dressing

Julskinka

Desserts:

Homemade caramel sweets (Knäck)

Cheese board (Mango & Melon cheese, Blue cheese, Cheddar and Smoked cheese) with crackers

Homemade traditional saffron buns (Lussebullar)

Homemade gingerbread biscuits (pepparkakor)

Dawn is so proud of her own cookie

Drinks:

Glögg (Swedish moulld wine)

Coopers Pale Ale

Pencarrow Red

House white

Tea and coffee

Dawn & David with sparklers (Tomtebloss)

Thats the menu folks, I think I speak for everyone that had a chance to eat this wonderful meal is that boy were we full after it and it was absolutely scrumptious. We still managed to get the energy levels up and go into the city, to welcome in the christmas day. Ended up in a place called the "Side Bar" on Pitt Street where the bells were ringing out for christmas day with a countdown at midnight. Dancing, drinks and all that christmas brings, and how can I forget the night link home!

Angela & Dawn and a whole bunch of people we don't know

David & Dawn

Mrs Clause goes naughty (with flipflops)

Everyone was in the mood for a good party!

Angela & David

Busy Bees

21st - 23rd Of December

This is how we've been passing time for the last 3 days.

Preparing for Christmas. Food, buns, sweets... you name it we did it!

In the next blog we'll tell you more about our menu.

Mmm, Chicken liver Pateè

David is doing his best by whisking

Just do(ugh) it Angela

Lussebullar (Saffron Buns)

Gingerbread Men next

David is rolling out the gingerbread dough with a bottle of wine as we couldn't find a rolling pin.

(Man tager vad man haver)

We've also got some home-made bread to make!

Last but not least JULSKINKA!!

(Christmas ham)

Angela & David

Preparing for a hot Christmas!

We have not been busy!

This is like a proper holiday for us, having this wonderful apartment to our selves in Manly, 2 minutes to the beach. As my tooth has been very soar for a couple of days, we've just been doing nothing really. We got to spend a few hours on the beach, go for a nice walk up and down these hilly roads, playing backgammon and best of all, we've been making a shopping list!! A Christmas shopping list. As we're not having any presents or anything like that this year, we're just going to cook a scrumptious Christmas dinner instead.

It is a mix of Swedish-Russian-Irish cuisine. So sounds like our hands are full for the 24th and the 25th. The menu will feature in a later blogg as we still have some finalisation to do. But all in all it will be very very tasty. Here is some samples of our dinners so far, so you can imagine the possibilities.

Smoothie freshly made!

Pizza Homemade!

Same Pizza with extra topping!

(David) P.S. Just aside on the preparation, sleeping in the same room as Angela has become a scary preposition as she has woken up last night holding a pillow over her head and asking me to pin it to the wall somehow. It took a while for her to snap out of this dream/reality/crazy, but boy at one stage I thought I was in trouble if I didn't carry out her task. I shall be sleeping with a hammer and nails from now on, and its not to pin the pillow up either (ha ha ha).

Angela & David

Angelas 24th BIRTHDAY

17th Of December

Angelas 24th Birthday

Angela, birthday girls with a very soar tooth!

There is nothing more satisfying than waking up to the smells of a freshly prepared breakfast, all ready and delivered to you in bed. While the eyes adjust, and the reality hits that today is a special day.I am 24 years old (in Australia), as for Sweden, well thats still has not happened yet. My 'OK' Magazine is full of gossip about Tiger Woods and his mistresses, but thats not all. I get another little surprise of some body shop essentials which you can never have enough off, especially when travelling around the world. So my darling boyfriend has done a great job this morning, however my wisdom tooth reminds me that it does not matter what day it is, if you are in pain then you have to go to the dentist. So thats how it begins, getting x-rayed, and then a whole explanation of what is happening in my mouth as a birthday present. The dentist though is the nicest I have ever met, he doesn't charge for the visit as it's my birthday, and explains everything to the very small detail. As he says "knowledge is power". So I am happy, but still need to go and get the anti-biotics and nurofen for a week. Boo hoo hoo!

Sydney Opera House

David has just been for a little number 1 in the Opera House

Still, the sun is shining brightly and it is still my birthday, so we make our day a bit more special and take a ferry to the centre of Sydney. It brings us straight past the Opera House with some great views (no wonder the ferry ticket from Manly is so expensive, it's like being on a tour boat). We arrive and go to the Botanic Gardens for a fruit picnic, some wedding planning, and card playing, while overlooking the beauty of the world famous Sydney Opera House. The time flyes by very quickly and not before long its nearly time to head back to base. We do manage to enjoy a small little birthday treat in a cafe under the opera house, it is a tasty slice of tiramisu. It goes down well with the sunset over the harbour.

Back in Manly dinner is served, with some delicious bangers and mash and thats the end to a birthday of mine.

Angela having a rest in the Botanic Garden

Tiiiramisuuu!

The view of the Opera House on our way home with the ferry

Angela & David

14th Of December

Angela at the beach in Seal Rock

We woke up this morning to a cloudy, cold (by Australian standards) morning. Breakfast was prepared on a electric bbq as this caravan park didn't have a cooker. So beans were warm, and the tea was also just barely warm. But our stomachs were full and we were excited to be reaching Sydney today. First though we popped down to the beach side, and it was sensational. The rocks jotting out of the sea, and a fantastic looking coastline. It was worth the drive just to get here. We managed to get the tripod operational, even in the slightly high winds, and took some great shots of ourselves, who else. Then, we drove higher up the rock, to the lighthouse. The 600m walk up to it was beautiful through the arch covered forrest and then the "seal rocks". What a sight, it was the most memorable of all the coastline that we have seen on this Australian adventure. The white water spray around the rocks, the fresh sea breeze, the views of the neighbouring mountain ranges was everything that anyone can ask for when looking for a postcard perfect location.

David

All loved up

Angela & David

Angela

David

Angela & David

David goes for a stroll

 
Now, we are ready to drive the 200km left to reach Sydney. On the way not much really to speak off, just a time consuming diversion where there was a house on fire, or a truck, or a very confused radio channel not knowing what it was. But we reached Newcastle and had the lunch there, it was Subway $7 footlong time. Yum yum. Then onwards to Sydney, not long now before we meet our good friends John and Karren and of course the little man Sartori. We were on the outskirts of Sydney, and the traffic got heavier as we approached, luckily John gave us directions and somehow I (David) had to miss the turn for it. We ended up heading over Sydney Harbour Bridge and getting a glimpse of the opera house on our arrival. Fabulous, even though a little stressful to manouvore. We got there eventually, to Manly. Karren had prepared for us a 5 star gourmet dinner which included (Scallop and Prawn Brushetta with homemade pesto, then followed by scrumptious meatballs and pasta). The flavours, the smells were to die for, she is a superb chef. I was very jealous, but very much stuffed. We made it to Sydney. Safe and sound and with some great memories.
 
Angela & David

13th of December

We woke up at a reasonable hour of 7 am, due to the sound of the bloody birds in the trees. They were having their morning chatter at a very high volume. We were still in the same campsite, sticking our head out of the tent we saw the sun shining and caravans everywhere. It ment it was time for breakfast and beans on toast....yummy! We were satisfied with the brekkie, and drove down to the beach front for a bit of swimming, boogie boarding and sun bathing. R and R at its best.

Angela & David, ICESKATING!!

A couple of hours later it was time for lunch, and we spotted an Aldi store. (How convenient for the money saving). We bought all our lunch necessities, like caesar salad, bread and drinks and went to eat, in the car, outside an ice skating rink. Yes, ice skating in Coffs Harbour. We were excited, just to see some ice was nice. While in there, skating to our hearts content, doing triple jumps, and skating like professionals we cooled down to a new low of probably 2 degrees.......it was so so good, and something different to do in a hot country.



We popped down to the historic Coffs Harbour and enjoyed a 2 scoop ice cream while watching a pelican fishing. All of a sudden a woman sitting down eating fish and chips says to us "Hey,look there is a turtle in the water" and there it was swimming around, popping its head through the water. Finally, Angela has seen a turtle. That was that and time to start driving again.

Pelican is playing with the seagulls

TMNT??

Angela had a drive of the car aswell, even though she shouldn't have. Ha ha, what the insurance don't know eh! We got to Nambuca Heads and Valley and stopped off there for a look, and once again some very beautiful views of golden sand and forrests and mountains in the background made it a nice picture.

Nambucca Valley, Captain Cooks Lookout.

David with a Fredos Crocodile Pie!!

The evening was setting in, and we still didn't put enough miles on the car clock, as tomorrow we must arrive in Sydney. So off we went, driving, driving and not knowing where we are going to sleep tonight. On our way we saw a sign of "Fredos Famous Pies" and we want to try them. David had a Crocodile pie and i had an Asparagus pie, nam nam nam, but now back on the road. On the motorway we spot a sign for Seal Rocks, and I remember someone saying good things about it. So off we turn, and head down a twisty forrest road, gravel, asphalt, twists and turns. Its dark, its scary and goes on for miles. We nearly turn back as there is no sign of any life forms, but suddenly a sign appears for a caravan park and we can hear the sound of the sea beating against the rocks. We are happy and start to pitch our tent again, with no pegs as its dark. It looks calm here, and we even see a dingo wondering around the campsite looking for scraps of food. We dine in style, in our car again, while sipping on a glass of wine and eating cold 'penne pasta with meatballs' from a tin can bought in Aldi earlier. What a way to end day 2 of the drive. So sweet dreams once again.

Angela & David

Middle finger to flatmates as we're on our way to Sydney!

12th December

It begins today, the travelling resumes after a 3 month break. Goodbye to work, goodbye to Brisbane, and good bye to all the new found friends and of course a big middle finger to the enemies!

David at Byron Bay lighthouse

The most easterly point of Australia

Angela

Getting on the road takes time, everything has to be packed, beds dismantled, and cleared out. Then the Opel Astra can whisk us away down the east coast at great speed, well at the speed on the road sign of course. First stop on this 1000km journey was Byron Bay. It's a very popular place with all the surfers and hippies alike. The sea of campervans, dredlocks, and stoners on every corner. It is also has some nice waves and beaches, hence the attraction. Plus it is the home to the most easterly point of Australia. The town itself is small, and has a few shops, a few bars and many caravan parks for the travelling parties. The beautiful views can be seen from the lighthouse where we spent an hour or so just taking pictures, and enjoying the cool sea breeze. We decided not to camp here for the night and get some more kilometres on the clock before lying down to rest. We drove on the tourist drive road taking in some nice views of the sea and then some more motorway where we got some dinner in a petrol station bfore we reached our first destination.

Angelas bad position and Davids good driving

Our lovely home for the night

It is called Coffs Harbour about 300km from Brisbane, we found a campsite with some angry owners (because we arrived very late, well at 10 pm, well past the campsite bedtime....), they let us stay none the less. Setting up a tent in the dark was a first for us, so we decided not to put any pegs down and hope that the wind does not pick up during the night, or we could be waking up at some other campsite......... So good night!

Angela & David

Work No More!

10th - 11th of December

The grafitti i Bar Alto

Last day in work, David had his last night on thursday, and me today.

David's Subway

The manager didn't get mad that David told him on the last day that he was leaving, he told him he could come bak anytime he wanted and he would be guaranteed a job!!

For David it wasn't that sad, but for me it was heartbraking as i have met so many wonderful people in work, and to leave them behind was very very hard even though we're both very excited about Sydney.
It was a busy day in work, but it was great fun. I was working with Sarah today, who is a lovely girl that i wish i could have met earlier.

We all finished up, everything was clean and spotless, so it was time to go out on the veranda to have my last knock offs with the gang! NOOO i don't want to leave!
I got the most beautiful card that everyone had signed and a lovely bottle of Poliziano! ( me and David will have it for christmas). So there was a lot of hugs, talking, and a lot of boozing!

A perfect last night in other words!!

Sedan & Ryan

Jak, Josh and Teapot (Dan)

Sarah

Glen, Angela & Sarah

No, he didn't touch it :)

Well there you go Teapot, there's your spout!

Matt with boyfriend Brad

Glen and Sarah before the poliZe arrived!

Thank god i got to keep my PoliZiano :)

Sarah in the shopping trolley!

Angela & Sarah

So we left Alto at about 4 o'clock. The adventures didn't stop there though. Me Glen and Sarah went through the park, and we sat down and drank and talked some more, untill the police came! yep... the told me to pour out my beer! Which was fair because i probably had enough anyway!

Sarah decided to stay over in our place for the night and on our way home we found a shopping trolley!!.... :)

THANK YOU EVERYONE IN BAR ALTO!! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!

Angela & David