On This Day: August 17th, 2016 – Barangaroo Reserve, Sydney

Finding any kind of decent real estate in Sydney is practically impossible but for decades, a strip of land on the north-western tip of Sydney Harbour remained an abandoned container yard. Finally, development was approved to turn it into parkland that can be enjoyed by all, known as Barangaroo Reserve.

Named after one of the key leaders of the Aboriginal community when the Europeans settled in Sydney over 200 years ago, the first stage of Barangaroo was opened to the public in August 2015, with more projects continuing along the foreshore expecting to be completed by 2023.

Click here for more information on Barangaroo.

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On This Day: August 13th, 2015 – Edinburgh Fringe Festival

For years, I heard stories about comedians who honed their craft at the legendary Edinburgh Fringe Festival, making the annual pilgrimage along with thousands of other performers. I got my first taste of it in 2015. Initially daunted by the size of the program which resembled a phone book, we decided to just head to any act that took our fancy on the night, and we were not disappointed. Edinburgh, you were great and I will be back.

On This Day: August 12th, 2015 – Scotland

Thistles are everywhere in Scotland, so it’s no wonder this flower is the floral emblem of Scotland. Just as the rose is beautiful yet prickly, the thistle should be approached with caution. Legend has it that this flower became the symbol for Scotland when a barefooted Norse warrior accidentally stepped on some thistles during an invasion of Scotland, and it was his screams that alerted the Scots of the attack and saved the day. True or not, this purple beauty is a sight to behold.

On This Day: August 10th 2016 – Sydney’s Balmoral Beach

It is supposed to be winter in Sydney, but with the sun out in all its glory, the temperature rose to 26 degrees Celsius on this beautiful day. A visit to the beach with a good book helped beat the mid-week blues.

The Boathouse Cafe at Balmoral Beach, Sydney

On This Day: August 8th 2015 – The London Eye

Since the London Eye was launched in 2000, this popular tourist attraction has become one of the most well-known landmarks in the world and offers visitors a bird’s eye view of London. My second visit to “the Eye” was no less exciting than my first, eight years earlier, and being somewhat sunnier was a bonus.

While in the queue (a long one no matter what time you visit, though the lines do move pretty quickly), I noticed someone ahead of us carrying a lot of photography equipment wearing a t-shirt with an Instagram logo that said “@London”. He was in the capsule next to ours and as our giant ferris wheel rose above his, I noticed he was taking a photo of the capsule that my friends and I were in. Naturally, I waved and poked my tongue out (because, why not?).

My friends and I on the right looking back at Dave Burt taking our photo

I told my friend, Lou, to wave and she said excitedly “Oh I follow him on Instagram! He takes amazing photos!” So I took a photo of him as well. Later that day, I contacted him  (his name is Dave Burt) on Twitter (@Londongramer), we exchanged emails, and the result was a rare treat for us, and I expect, for Dave as well.

@London (aka Dave Burt) caught in action

 

 

On This Day: August 7th, 2015 – Bletchley Park

Slate statue of Alan Turing at Bletchley Park

Known as the “Home of the Codebreakers”, Bletchley Park is located just outside of London, looking unassuming and a little rural. But for anyone interested in how the Allies won the Second World War, approaching Bletchley Park gives you the feeling that something extraordinary happened here. During the War, this large estate housed Britain’s codebreaking operations (the Government Code and Cypher School), though to outsiders, this was known as a radio factory.

It was at Bletchley Park that Alan Turing (b. 23 June 1912, d. 7 June 1954) – considered the father of modern computing – built his “Bombe” machine and, along with his small team, broke Hitler’s Enigma Code and helped bring the War to a close. At the end of WWII, due to the high level of secrecy, all of Turing’s work was destroyed. Having signed the Official Secrets Act, anyone who worked at Bletchley were not allowed to speak of their work and achievements. It was not until the 1970s that some of what went on inside the gates began to emerge.

A local group of historians formed the Bletchley Park Trust in 1992 to restore the estate to preserve it as a memory of all the sacrifices and hard work that took place there. The Park’s popularity grew with a new generation of visitors in 2014-15 following the release of the film, The Imitation Game – starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Allan Leech and Mark Strong – which told the story of Turing and his role in the creation of the Bombe. An exhibition of props from the film were on display at the Park during my visit which made the experience even more surreal.

 

On This Day: August 5, 2015 – London

London’s Trafalgar Square at dusk

Iconic Sydney

When you say “Australia”, a number of icons come to mind, but Sydney boasts the most iconic man-made structures in the country and they can be seen from the same spot: East Circular Quay.  To those unfamiliar, “quay” is pronounced as “key”…nothing identifies you as a tourist quicker than asking a local “excuse me, can you tell me how to get to circular kway, please?”

ECQ apartments - aka The Toaster

There is no doubt that when the sun is out and the sky is blue, you can make any place look beautiful.  I know I may be biased but Sydney Harbour absolutely glistens on a gorgeous day – no photoshopping necessary – this is Sydney Harbour and East Circular Quay at its absolute best – even the locals have now accepted the apartment building once known as “The Toaster” for its flat look and the hole in the middle (and admittedly, we were jealous of those who could afford to live there).

Australian Birdlife Outside My Window

Today has been a good day to be sitting on my balcony – the sun’s out and the Aussie bird life has been visiting me 🙂

A magpie is trying to bully the baby kookaburra from its perch

A very colourful rosella paying me a visit

Totally unexpected visitor landed on my balcony railing as I was about to go inside

Pesky pigeons on my neighbour's roof

Sydney Cricket Ground

Sydney Cricket Ground Members Pavilion