My time as a games operator at the fair has come to an end and I am back to looking for work therefore I thought this was a perfect time to update my blog. The main reason for my procrastination is that I have decided that I like it here so much I would like to apply for my second year visa and to be eligible for it I shall have to do some fruit picking. There are other options but they require skills I lack, such as being able to ride a horse or drive a tractor and other similar things.
Though I can’t say I am expecting it to be a fun experience I think that much like the fair fruit picking will be a worthwhile and interesting one. One of the things I learned at the fair is that if you are hard working and willing to try your hand at anything then you can make the most of any opportunity. Though I was originally hired just to run one games stall I was apparently good enough at it that I was often chosen to cover the breaks of other backpackers thus allowing me to have a go at running many different fair games; I am now well versed in the secrets of the lucky ducks, laughing clowns, smash a dolly, barrel toss and more. It also meant that on one rainy day when most people went home I was able to pick up a few more hours by helping to pack bags. Towards the end of the show I was even helping out in one of the small cafes and at the end of the fair I was one of the many backpackers who stayed behind to help pack up. My contribution to this mostly involved carrying boxes from the store through a muddy field (occasionally in the rain) to various trailers which I looked upon as a paid work out a good practice for fruit picking.
It hasn’t been all work and no play by any means. A friend from home who happens to be staying in Melbourne for a few months came up for a long weekend and we were fortunate enough that it rained on the morning of her arrival as it meant I got a bonus day off work. After lunch at one of Sydney’s many sushi restaurants we walked down toward Circular Quay and the Opera House and buy tickets for the evening performance of Much Ado About Nothing. Tickets purchased we started to walk towards Darling Harbour as I swear it didn’t look that far on the map but it was indeed very far away so not long after leaving the Rocks area we turned back and instead settled ourselves at the Guylian Cafe for some sinful chocolate treats which we had totally worked off already, honest we had! I cannot recommend their dark chocolate raspberry cheesecake highly enough, it was delicious. Sunday and it was back to work for me and the bus tour for my friend who said it was worth doing if you in Sydney for only a short of time. That evening we headed to Darling Harbour where we found some rather nice cocktails and a fabulous steak restaurant called ‘I’m Angus’ where I discovered I really do like oysters and I had the most perfect steak accompanied by an excellent red wine. It was nice to have a break from the usual backpacker fair but this was a meal I would have enjoyed at any time. The evening was nicely finished off at the Blackbird Cafe where I was introduced to the tastiness of a lychee vodka martin. Thankfully Monday was a late start for me as it was ANZAC day and we had an early finish due to yet more rain. Seriously it keeps raining here, if it weren’t so warm I would swear I was in Scotland. For my friends last evening in Sydney we had dinner at the Rocks at a superb little restaurant called The Rocks Cafe that served fairly simple but excellent food. The evening was finished off by an impromptu decision to hop on a ferry to Darling Harbour and the Blackbird Cafe for a final lychee cocktail. The perfect end to a fabulous weekend.
Having worked hard for over two weeks and played well over the last weekend I decided to relax for a few days before resuming my job hunt. I allowed myself a lazy day where the most exercise I got was to take my wages to the bank (very exciting) and post a birthday card (which though posted before the birthday will not arrive until after it, sorry Joshua!) and ended with a dinner and a play at the Opera House with a friend. What can I say, the Bell Shakespeare production of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ was so good I had to see it twice! The next day I attempted to learn to surf and spent a great deal of time falling off the board, occasionally being hit by the board and always enjoying being in the ocean. I did not see one shark or jelly fish or any other of the many things people keep warning me about, I did however see the underside of my board many, many times! Surprisingly enough after that adventure and have decided that I shall try and learn to snow board whilst I am in the mountains this winter in the vague hope that it will help improve my balance and allow me to at least learn to strand up on a blasted surf board next time!! Unsurprisingly the day after me failing to learn to surf all I was capable of was resting, though I did manage to write a few postcards and make it out to a few pubs in the evening. I wasn’t really in the mood for partying and it took 4 attempts but I finally found a bar that sold decent whisky which I enjoyed whilst sitting in a comfy chair where I was entertained by watching three different guys complete for the attentions of the same girl who though being friendly enough didn’t really seem that interested, poor blokes. After a night like that there was only one way to spend my Sunday and I know that a few of you reading this will be pleased to hear that I genuinely did nothing for the whole day, yes I am capable of it. And now (if you are still reading!) you are up to date on my Aussie adventure and I really must resume my job hunting; especially since this blog has run over my self-imposed one page limit and there hasn’t been anyone knocking down my door begging me to come work for them since I started writing.
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