Thursday 6 September 2012

                                                              The Olympics

And so much for the Honeymoon Period.


I'm a chap who likes to be kept busy, and there really wasn't very much going on at work, I wasn't entirely sure what I was doing, and there was rarely anyone to ask for help. In spite of my best efforts, the end result was always the same: too much free time on my hands. Things weren't much better at home. We were looking at schools and cars, but there wasn't much else on offer for three lively young minds. I don't know how Jen managed to cope.

We were also finding it a very expensive place to live. Accommodation was dear; a can of coke was 4 times the price of back home, and a loaf of bread twice as much. Thankfully it's possible to buy a decent bottle of Aussie wine at a reasonable price, and we certainly made the most of that.

But everything changed on Saturday 28 July. After all those years of waiting, the London Olympics had finally arrived. Of course, the timing wasn't always good, but at least we had something to watch in the evenings, prompting the now immortal observation that 'There's nothing to do around here other than to drink wine and watch the Olympics'. And yes, I felt proud when I saw what a great show my countrymen had put on, and an intolerable smugness watching the over-hyped Aussies failing at virtually everything other than Kayaking -Kayaking, for God's sake- whilst Team GB racked up 29 Gold ones.

Things took an other turn when we all visited Sydney for the first time. It was cold and bustling, and so busy that we could hardly walk. Jen and the kids loved it. The boats were great, as was the Aquarium, where we could see sharks swimming over our heads. This, we all decided, was the place to be. And we've been back most weekends ever since.

One thing that I forgot to mention about the office is that nearly half the staff are called Linda, or something similar. We have a Lin, a Lindy, a Linda, and as if to prove that she is the boss, Belinda. In a way it's a good thing, because this dramatically reduces the chances of getting anyone's name wrong; and whilst I have nothing against the name, it does get a bit confusing after a while. Anyway, Boss Belinda is evidently no great fan of her State Capital. She seemed to recoil in horror when I mentioned that I'd been there, and enjoyed it. I'm still not sure whether this is provincial inverted snobbery, or whether she is paranoid that I'll be lured away by those bright harbour lights. She needn't have worried - not until the Olympics were over, at any rate.

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