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Wonders will never cease

In these modern 2st Century days, in which someone like Donald Trump can not only become a candidate for the post of US President but actually gets himself elected, I guess there should be nothing that surprises anyone. Given my long-held cynicism towards those who are attracted to and/or inhabit [...]

January 5, 2018 // 0 Comments

Sydney

Daffers always says don’t trust a restaurant with panoramic views. To an extent you could say this of Sydney. As a harbour city, it’s up there with Cape Town, Vancouver and San Francisco. But there is a key word and that is Harbour. Go into the city and it’s an unhappy mish-mash of sky [...]

January 4, 2018 // 0 Comments

A La Colthard

Five restaurants and a hotel to review so I will be briefer than normal on each. When we arrived at the Amora on New Years Eve at 12.30 the rooms were not ready. Fair enough, but not at 2-30. Hotels are charging premium rates for New Years Eve and should get extra staff to cope. The room itself on [...]

January 3, 2018 // 0 Comments

A tour to Hunter Valley

Yesterday ( Tuesday) we went on an organised wine tour of the Hunter Vallley wine region. It’s the main viticulture area of Australia boasting over 130 wineries. I have to confess that I am not a enthusiast or regular drinker of Australian wine. A friend of mine who is deeply knowledgeable on [...]

January 3, 2018 // 0 Comments

Hello 2018!

Being an incorrigible cynic and unabashed hair-shirt sort of a guy, I have felt ever since my mid-twenties that I was always going to be naturally suited to the role of being an old, ‘off the pace’ curmudgeon – basically an object of (behind my back) amusement to young generations – by [...]

January 2, 2018 // 0 Comments

Sydney v Melbourne

You get the distinct  feeling in Melbourne that they do not like being regarded as Sydney’s poor relation. They counter it is the sporting capital. I have already listed its main sporting events but excluded the Melbourne Cup. They tell you what great food their restaurants  produce. They [...]

January 1, 2018 // 0 Comments

Al la Colthard

Melbourne is both bi-cultural and multi-cultural. The dominant cultures are American and British. The skyline is one of skyscrapers, there is a grid system of blocks. You feel you are in Houston or Seattle. Alongside this the Queen is on the coin, the Union Jack on the flag and there is colonial [...]

December 31, 2017 // 0 Comments

And for my next trick …

Having been dug in with my ancient father on the south coast for most of this week, yesterday after lunch – whilst we sitting together in the drawing room – he said to me “I’ve been thinking …”, his standard preface to an announcement that he had some scheme or another with which he [...]

December 30, 2017 // 0 Comments

Sport in Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital of Aussie sport and a true sporting city. Much is centred around the MCG complex which has the Rod Laver and Margaret Court tennis arenas too. The G as it is known has superb statues of Australia’s sporting heroes and a museum which I intend to visit at a dull point [...]

December 28, 2017 // 1 Comment

Roll on January 2nd!

There – still a few days to go before normal service is resumed but I think I’ve just about got through the festive period unscathed. There’s a point at which, when you live alone and – if you are left to your own devices – the whole of your existence becomes a matter of glorious routine [...]

December 28, 2017 // 0 Comments

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