Athbhliain faoi Mhaise Duit

Hello all and happy Christmas. Not up to much these days bar a bit of surfing and the odd beverage. I suppose it is Christmas after all although you'd find it hard to know whether it was Christmas at all. Caroline's parents are just over a week here and they've headed down to Melbourne today. What have I been doing the last while that hasn't been surfing. I went to the aquarium last week in Darling Harbour which was brilliant. I'll have to get around to adding the photos from here. The highlights were seeing a Platypus for the first time and also the sharks were excellent. Here you walk in a tunnel underneath the water tank and there are sharks and turtles swimming above your head.

Christmas day we headed for 10.00 mass arriving at 9.30 to beat the crowds. It's acknowledged by almost all of the Irish preople there as the best mass ever. It was full of inter county jerseys. It was more like Quinns or the Big Tree than mass. The archbishop of Sydney said the mass and he was a great laugh. He's a Limerick man and had many quotes, the best of which was "God loves everyone even a Limerick man". It went on for an hour but you didn't feel the time passing. Some Bantry people even remarked they should have a jerseyed mass at home. We stayed outside the front door for 45 minutes after mass while the archbishop sang ballads, one of which was flower of Scotland. We headed back to Carolines parents apartment after the mass with Ivor and Theresa for a drink. It was time for Bondi beach then for a surf and queue photos with surfboard. We headed down to Bronte for the barbeque after this with prawns, Barramundi and Red Snapper. We then had the dinner in the evening although it must be said I missed the stuffing with Superquinn sausage meat but was lovely none the less. Then we headed down to John and Catherines from Kealkill for a couple of drinks that night. That'd be Bantry for the rest of the country.

The next day we headed for the races in Randwick. It was wedged with drink orders taking up to 40 minutes when we went in. The bar staff were hopeless as well as being understaffed. Good day was had although the Champagne did nothing for the hangover. Ended the night in Durty Nelly's in Paddington.

Did nothing yesterday for national hangover day. Headed for the ballads in the Cock and Bull last night.

Looked forward to New Years now and heading for New Zealand on the 2nd of January to spend the month there. Coming back to Australia I think on the 28th of January. Caroline leaving here on the 10th of March after we do the East Coast, Uluru and Tasmania and I'm leaving on the 19th to head for Mexico where I'm doing a 9 day tour with my mam. Caroline will rejoin me down Chile way mid April then. I'll probably try and pick a surf spot to go in between times so if you have any advice send it on. Hope you all have a happy new year.

Athbhliain faoi Mhaise Duit
My Irish is rusty so I had to look that up of course.