Australia & Ashes 2017 - 2018 - Day 75 - 5th February

Day 75


Preparation today for my trip to Tasmania tomorrow.  Sorting out what I was to take and then getting Amy to pack it.

Change of sport again, I was reverting back to cricket for this one. England are playing Australia in a T20 International at the Belrive Stadium in Hobart on Wednesday. This is a Tri-Series which also involves New Zealand. Three matches will be played in Australia and three in New Zealand. Unfortunately I will not be seeing any in New Zealand as they will take placve after I return to the UK.

Alfie had already booked my flights, I will be flying out with Jetstar and back with Qantas.

I have booked accommodation at the Mantra Collins hotel in Hobart and all that was left to do was book the shuttle transport from the airport to the hotel and back.

When all of that was done I just had a relaxing day at home with Amy who was not feeling too good today and spent most of it on the sofa catching up on Eastenders and Corrie.

Australia & Ashes 2017 - 2018 - Day 74 - 4th February

Day 74


Only one thing to discuss today. Wales absolute thrashing of the much fancied Scottish rugby team.

As the headline in the Sunday Telegraph put it,

'Wales 34 Scotland 7: Scottish faces turn shade of scarlet as Leigh Halfpenny brace secures a bonus-point win in Cardiff

So much for the resurrection of Scotland and the demise of Wales.

As crushing as this capitulation was for Gregor Townsend, it was a source of sweet, sweet joy – not to mention, vindication – for Warren Gatland, who can only be thinking of a fourth Six Nations crown on the back of this emphatic statement.

Can there be a more rousing manner in which to celebrate your 10th anniversary in a job? Looking at the Kiwi’s reaction at the whistle of this bonus-point thumping, it was hard to envisage there could be.

Could anyone have foreseen Wales scoring 34 unanswered points and taking the maximum five-point return with four tries? Gatland did, for one.

Yet even the Kiwi – who is one of Leigh Halfpenny’s most avid fans – must have been surprised by the full-back showing the rebirth of his attacking brilliance after such a long drought to score two tries in his remarkable 24-point tally.

But this was about so much more than one man, one Scarlet – or even 10 Scarlets, for matter. At an estimate, there were nine first-teamers missing with injury, eight of whom are British and Irish Lions, but Wales shrugged of the set-backs quite ridiculously.

There may have been 10 scarlets involved but it was great to see Corey Hill and Elliott Dee playing so well. 

Corey Hill (Right)

Elliott Dee

Bring on England at Twickenham next week. I cannot wait!!

Australia & Ashes 2017 - 2018 - Day 73 - 3rd February

Day 73

I had planned on flying to Perth today ready to watch the final of the Big Bash league which should have featured Perth Scorchers,  Unfortunately the Scorchers let me down when they were thrashed in Thursday's semi final by the Hobart Hurricanes.

So I spent the day at home helping out because Alfie was flying back in  from the UK.

Not much to report other than I tried a new place for breakfast, the Taste Baguette at Glenrose Village.

A guy named Hieu had been a baker and pastry chef since he was 13 years old – he has worked with bakers in the Loire Valley in France, New York and Los Angeles. As an ex-IT professional working in the heart of Sydney, Hieu could not find anywhere in the city to get a decent, fresh sandwich. His vision was to open a bakery cafe where baguettes, sourdough breads and pastries would be baked regularly throughout the day.

With this vision, Taste Bakery & Restaurant in Surry Hills was born, where hand crafted baguettes are baked every 15 minutes for lunch and filled with freshly grilled meats & salads.

With the success of Surry Hills & a strong demand for the freshest baguette sandwiches in the city, Taste on Sussex Lane was opened giving an opportunity to serve bankers at Westpac with an added dine in & bar experience.

Now Taste has 10 stores – offering the same great service and food all around the Sydney city area, the latest one being here, just minutes from Amy and Justin's house in FRench's Forest.

I cannot recommend this place enough. An amazing bakery.

Australia & Ashes 2017 - 2018 - Day 72 - 2nd February

Day 72

Today I went to Ball's Head Reserve in Waverton, not far from Crows nest. I had no idea that Crow's Nest was so close to the harbour, it always seemed so much further inland.

Balls Head Reserve in the Sydney lower north shore is a true bushland oasis overlooking the beautiful Harbour. The reserve is home to a number of different bush walking tracks that combine natural beauty with great views across Sydney Harbour, taking in the CBD skyline, the Harbour Bridge, Goat Island and surrounding peninsulas.

Balls Head Reserve was named after Henry Lidgbird Ball, a Royal Naval officer and commander of one of the ships that was part of the First Fleet that arrived in Botany Bay in 1788. Before the arrival of white settlement, the Cammeraygal people  lived in this area of New South Wales.

Middens, art sites and rock engravings are still present in Balls Head Reserve and in the wider area. Yerroulbine is the Aboriginal name for Balls Head.

In 1926, Balls Head Reserve was declared a public parkland area. During the depression years of the 1930’s that followed, the area was heavily used for shelter and a lot of the original vegetation was lost. A beautification scheme was introduced to restore the natural beauty of this sandstone headland. Now managed by North Sydney Council, the Reserve is a truly beautiful place to wander around.

Balls Head Reserve has several short bush walking tracks that are all interconnected. One of the tracks, the Habour View Walk, offers amazing views of the Sydney Harbour and the CBD.

Hiking on Balls Head Reserve is a unique experience in the sense that it’s true bush walking, while still being very close to the city. The tracks are easy to follow but there are quite a few steep climbs. Appropriate shoe wear is therefore definitely recommended.  Even though the different tracks are well sign-posted, things can get a bit confusing, especially when you don’t know where to start.

It is advisable to follow the path north from the car park (Midden Walk) and follow the shoreline of the reserve clockwise.When you get to the most eastern point (a grass area) of Balls Head Reserve, choose the Ballasters track going west. This eventually connects with the Harbour View Walk at the picnic area.

You’ll find some interesting rest areas, benches and caves along the way where you can sit, rest up and enjoy the views. It took a while to walk around but it was possible to get right down to the waters edge, From here there were spectacular views of the harbour showing familiar landmarks in a new light.

It was almost like walking where no one else had walked with the feeling of remoteness until I looked out and saw the bustling harbor in all its glory.

There was plenty of wildlife here including these bush turkeys who were not timid at all, coming out to feed when they thought there was a feast to be had.