Hello Sydney

Welcome to Sydney with us into our 2nd home exchange; another winner! We arrived Saturday to a wet humid city but luckily missed the torrential rainfall the previous night. We taxied to Bob’s place; recognizing him as we approached his building (he was getting his post). Immediately, he made us feel at home; well organized for our arrival; his bags packed ready to stay at his daughter’s, with time to help us get settled. Helen is with us, Liz returned to Toronto from Auckland on Saturday. Bob has wonderful wall art that either he or a friend painted; amazing ceramic pieces he’s made; Sky HD TV, internet, plus a great coffee maker; all the comforts of home and more! Before leaving, Bob walked us to local shopping to pick up a few groceries and introduce us to his neighbourhood: his pub, transit and wine store. Going there we walked up a treed hill path behind the condo and used the streets on the return. Bob was surprised at the path’s erosion caused by the night’s rain as we sidestepped over a muddy broken path.
In Hamilton we had Sassy the cat. Here we are a bit more exotic with 2 Rainbow Lorikeet that arrive daily to be fed on the balcony. Shhh, this is not allowed by the Condo Association but they are too pretty to ignore! They are not shy about squawking to get your attention. It’s like living in an aviary; noisy bird neighbours, especially at sunrise! It’s just a case of getting used to it....right?
Sunday morning, Valentine’s Day, Bob took us on a tour of the city and local beaches using his car. We planned on using public transit for the city except it rained frequently. We will repay this debt of kindness when Bob visits us in May. Truly his tour helped orientate us to the possibilities right outside our door; from a bus ride to some awesome beaches (most having protective barriers so you can swim in the ocean without fear of sharks, but metres away others surfed the waves) to a 2-stop train ride to the heart of the City. We have adapted already! Monday Tom & Helen bought transit passes ($41/wk) for their first look at the City and the local Mall(2 stops direction city & 1 stop the other) – comfort zone established! Today we shopped for sales (even better with the stronger CAD$). Gosh it was great to come home knowing we did not need to pack and move! By the way the weather is great and so is the local wine!