This seems like an innocent enough lyric. But right now in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia a strange magpie ritual is taking place. It is nesting season. This means that a protective magpie will swoop at anything it feels poses a threat to the nest and any subsequent baby magpies. Now I had the unfortunate opportunity to witness such an attack at the park last week when a nasty old bird dove towards the head of my two-year-old charge, Cassie. She was just standing there watching the bird calmly and still, when it swooped at her and then continued to swoop as the toddler ran screaming to me. Since this nesting period lasts more than a month and has just begun, I can only imagine the horror that is to transpire in this peaceful mountain town. Imagine me: trying to hang up laundry. Jumping with every magpie caw. Wearing a baseball cap backwards with sunglasses resting on the brim. Hoping that if a bird does dive bomb me it will go for the back and not the FACE! Has anyone seen that movie about THE BIRDS? I am living in that movie.
Spent the weekend in Sydney. Simone has a friend living in Mosman who, unfortunately, decided to go camping, but fortunately, agreed to lend me her keys and posh lifestyle for a few days. Staying in Mosman is like staying in a sun-drenched Hollywood condo. It's like living on Beacon St. Or on the Thames. It's like being in a room overlooking Central Park. It's like...I don't know. It's just great. Sydney is the most beautiful city in the world. Instead of trains, buses or taxis, you can explore the city on ferries. And amidst the beams of lemony sunlight you watch the picturesque harbor unfold as you hop from one wharf to the next. The illustrious opera house rises as you turn from the bay and then the harbor bridge looms above you. Insane, bridge-climbing tourists dot the summit with their silhouettes. And in front of you is circular quay where all ferries come and go and the city begins to breathe.
Sydney makes you feel beautiful by association.
And though I was tempted, in the envelope of this luxury, to just stay in my silk-sheeted bed eating chocolates and delivered Thai food, or listening to tragic/funky/popular/danceable music, or sitting on the veranda eavesdropping on nearby neighbours gossiping from the fifth storey window of their 3 million dollar hillside homes, I actually managed to DO quite a lot. There was the Taronga Zoo, which houses any kind of animal you could possibly imagine. As the sun started to set, just before I called it a day and left, the koalas woke up from their 22 hour nap and started to frolic. I took a starlit ferry back to the city where I went to a concert (Mum). I took a walk around Neutral Bay and Mosman to do some painful window shopping. Spent hours exploring Darling Harbor. Went to the aquarium where they have an understandable obsession with "Finding Nemo". Visited the Chinese Gardens (a tranquil oasis in surprising bloom). Wandered through Chinatown. Trudged over the bridge (on the footpath, not over the top). And even found the moments necessary to enjoy choc, Thai food, good music and nosy veranda relaxation. I'm pretty good at filling my day with all the productive activities required to balance my languid delights. I think travelling is my thing. I am the queen of voluntary exile. Now, how to generate income this way...?
In other news: Jordan and Simone are home from the hospital today. He is still sleepy, but absolutely gorgeous in his tiny ways and faces. Also, on an unrelated topic, my tickets have been changed yet again. I am flying from Perth to Bangkok on the 19th October and to London on the 22nd November. Mark your calendars and JOIN me, people. In addition to Thailand, I'm planning on hitting Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and possibly Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia (just the archipelago in the north).