Forecast says it is going to rain all weekend - ah November rain.
Stay tuned.....
Saturday 4th November 2017
What a jam packed birthday weekend so far!
It is raining for a start but I knew this would be quite a wet weekend in advance but not wet enough to stop people getting out and about like myself. The city was still a sea of people.
Woke up at 5 am - no time to sleep in! Breakfast preparation for dad. Wash the pile of dishes for my dad. Prepare a hot breakfast for myself to eat. Make and steam my from scratch chocolate spiced ice wine infused mixed fruit puddings - mixture I had prepared the night before. Pay bills. Prepare shopping list for later. Do a load of laundry wash and dry. Catch up with news. Catch up with some of my blogging (still so behind!). Finalised rail bookings for Melbourne trips for next 3 weekends. Packed my backpack for the day . Shower and prepared for the first day of my birthday weekend! Did I forget anything?
First free birthday activity as planned - Louie George's Beginner Jazz class 10 am - 11.30 am @ SDC. No way was I going to miss this class. I never have time to attend any of Louie's dance classes. His classes are a favourite from way back and he looks as if hasn't aged a year since I attended his classes over a decade ago and he is just as "lively" as some older ladies described him as he was! His classes I remember were always very "aerobic" - great workout and routine for the start of my birthday weekend. A mixture of everything - ballet exercises such as turns and piles, stretching, yoga poses, across the floor (we got away easy with these exercises this morning), sit ups and push pups and of course the main dance routine. It was just a balanced fun class to attend. I would love to attend one of his lyrical classes which should be much more serious but can never make it in time for them. I got to catch up with a former classmate I haven't seen for a very long time - she, like me, works too far away to get to classes on time therefore can only do one class a week to fit in with her work schedule. After class a very quick shower as planned and I almost missed the next bus to Town Hall from across the road - it was just about to leave the curb when I was crossing the main road but waved it down and managed to get on. I would have had to walk all the way back to Circular Quay or wait at least another half an hour for the next bus if I missed it! Didn't know there was trackwork on the city circle line either. Bus replacements between QVB and Circular Quay.
Rating 9/10 - if you already attend Sydney Dance Company open dance classes, which I have been for many years, they have a promotion where you receive a complimentary dance class on your birthday. I did not know about this promotion until I saw it in an email or news letter this year. Great no stress class this morning.
Onto my second birthday freebie - well not really, I just won this one a few days ago online. A quick trip to the nearest Oporto located in The QVB Galleries food court in the city enroute to my 3rd planned free birthday activity. Redemption of a double Bondi burger - not a single but a double - but hold the mayo or whatever sauce they usually include on it! But wait I thought it had cheese on it - received the double Bondi burger and it has the picante sauce on it but no cheese which is ok as I am lactose intolerant. It is a pretty healthy burger as there is not much on it except 2 chicken fillets, some shredded lettuce and some picante sauce in between 2 buns. But wait there is also a triple Bondi burger option - what 3 chicken fillets on a bun? Yep you heard right I had that option too as I found out when I arrived at the counter to redeem my double Bondi burger I also had a free birthday single Bondi burger combo to redeem! I said "the double is fine" and didn't end up redeeming the free single Bondi burger only available on the day of my birthday. I quickly ate my double Bondi burger whilst reading and responding to all my birthday wishes online - lots of them!
Rating : 7/10 I love a good chicken burger but prefer to have more vegetables in my burgers and what's with the awful bun and picante sauce? - not a fan. Pegro sauce is much nicer. Found the burger a bit soggy - too much sauce on the double fillets of chicken. Not too many Oportos around in the city area therefore had to travel back to Town Hall from Circular Quay to the closest one.
A quick stop at Woolworths Townhall for some snacks to bring with me to my third and final free birthday activity for today - unsure what will be open and what snacks will be available when I arrive therefore grabbed some kombucha, cheese sticks, fruit, pea crisps and a mixed lolly bag. Then a bus ride from the back of the QVB back to Circular Quay to catch the next departing 12 minute ferry to Taronga Zoo from Wharf 2. I just made the departing ferry! It is now drizzling with rain continuously.
Arrive at Taronga Zoo Wharf just before 2 pm as planned. I hop onto one of the awaiting buses heading towards Balmoral Beach uphill to the top main entrance of Taronga Zoo. Most people who took the ferry had prepaid tickets purchased online or annual passes. Others did not but decided to walk a little uphill to the Zoo's Wharf entrance ticket office to purchase zoo tickets to ride the gondola up to the top of the zoo or make their way up on foot from the bottom of the zoo to the top of the zoo. The bus I was on departed in 4 minutes and it did not take long to get to the top main entrance of Taronga Zoo. Opal card required for both ferry and bus trips to/from Taronga Zoo.
The view from inside the ferry Circular Quay to Taronga Zoo - yep a bit wet and gloomy outside!
Arriving at Taronga Zoo Ferry Wharf - the quickest way to get to the zoo - the bus from Wynyard would have taken forever!
Main entrance to Taronga Zoo at the top .
The 2 way gondola that carries visitors directly between the Zoo's ferry wharf at the bottom and the main entrance at the top of the zoo only. Alternatively you can catch the bus or even walk it uphill for the more adventurous. Whilst inside the zoo you can climb the sets of stairs, take the wider winding driveways/footpaths or use the lifts or escalators to access different areas within the zoo.
The views of the Sydney skyline are amazing from inside the zoo grounds although on a day like today it does not show it!
Within the zoo there is also an activity called Wild Ropes where kids and adults can try their hand at a rope obstacle course similar to orienteering high above the zoo's grounds amongst the trees. Maybe I will try this on another day - when it is not cold and wet! I have a fear of heights but it looks fun. Extra charges apply for this activity
First stop at the zoo - Giraffe land! So cute but not as cute as what's to see next.....
The 2 pm seal show near lower end of the zoo was a real treat and I am glad I just made it in time for the show. Video still to be uploaded onto YouTube at a later date.
Tree kangaroos
Free roaming grey kangaroos and wallabies
No tigers - my possum as a substitute
More free roaming grey kangaroos
And free roaming brown kangaroos
Free roaming birds amongst brush turkeys everywhere
Free roaming emus
Koalas
It's not a rat but a nocturnal animal of some sort
Ecidnas
This pelican had been sleeping with its beak under its wing on a log over a pond of water with other ducks in it for most of the day but decided to wake up and clean its under wing with it's beak while I was photographing it. A special moment.
A rock wallaby
Native birds roam free around the zoo and within enclosed avaries.
More free roaming birds
This is a Tasmanian devil in its burrow.
Quite a number of brush turkeys roam freely around the zoo. To me they are just like the Ibis which is an ugly dirty large white bird with a very long beak that roam freely around the city's parks and which you may see the odd one freely roaming around Taronga Zoo nicked named a "bin chicken" being a scavenger these are pests. The difference is the brush turkeys (or bush turkeys as we mistakenly call them as they are wild), identifiable as a large black bird with a yellow ring around it's neck with the distinctive red "turkey neck" appendature are actually an endangered "bird" which you may see freely roaming around the parks and some back yards in Northern Sydney suburbia. Therefore you cannot kill them and they do not make a tasty Thanks Giving dinner by the way - their flesh is too tough to consume!
What's that huge "BIRD" hiding behind those bushes? It is Australian and starts with the letter "c".
Ducks
Goats
Rabbits
Guinea pigs
Stick & Tree insects
Carp & koi
My favourite animal at the zoo - the red pandas! So cute and furry!
Penguin - disappointed I didn't see more of these.
Colourful parrots
Then there were all the other cute and endangered animals , many that you could get up close and personal with.
Taronga Zoo Rating 8/10. Seal show at 2 pm very wet and entertaining. If you want to be splashed sit in the front row. Other favourite animals at the zoo - Australian nocturnal animals - No flash photography - oops sorry. Ducks, Red Pandas, Rock Wallabies, Tree Kanagroos, Girraffs, Koalas, Goats, Penguin, Tasmanian Devils, Pelican etc. Unfortunately quite a few animals were not present lemurs platypus otters etc. and there were too many brush turkeys around. A few wild birds and ducks roaming freely around as well. Take the last gondola down to the ferry wharf at the end of the day if you are too tired to walk back down or wait for a bus from outside the main entrance at top of the zoo. Great day out especially on your birthday when it is $1 entry - the $1 goes into the donation box and you get a birthday badge to wear and keep. Did not have time to see everything in 3 hours therefore recommend a full day there to allow time to stop for toilet and meal breaks as well as time to get the gondola and shopping as well as queuing. Always dress for the weather. I was prepared with a rain coat and umbrella others weren't however the zoo does sell disposable ponchos in their shops around the zoo which are not all open all year round.
Stayed at the zoo until closing tome at 5 pm - took the last gondola back down to the ferry wharf to Circular Quay then train back to Town hall to connect onto the M40 bus to take me directly home. Very tired and long birthday - lots of exercise today. Now to prepare for tomorrow's continuing birthday activities.......
Even my stuffed possum was trying to find his long lost cousins amongst the nocturnal animals at the zoo!
Sunday 5th November 2017 - My birthday weekend is not over yet and I haven't finished my blog of Taronga Zoo but today I slept in and am going to head out to Circular Quay again to the MCA to see Pipilotti Rist "Sip My Ocean". It is still raining and 11 am already but it looks as if the sun is peeping out just a little.
Tbc.........
Oh yah! "Sip My Ocean" is a must see exhibition. If you like contemporary art you will like this. I arrived just after noon and the MCA was already a queue of people either there to see the free art exhibitions
or Pipilotti Rist's "Sip My Ocean"
Rating 9/10 - yet another great art exhibition courtesy of the MCA! Just go and see it!
Loads of photos taken but If you would like an immediate sneak peek I have uploaded two of my videos already onto YouTube. I didn't receive a program therefore had no idea what I was looking at. I just saw a "Galaxy bed" which was video bombed while I was recording it
# 5 "Pixelwald Motherboard (Pixel Forest Mutterplatte) 2016" - If you have been to VIVID in 2017 there was a similar light installment displayed and hanging down between Chatswood Station & The apartment block next to Chatswood Station. (Also refer to my Youtube video uploaded)
Projections on a Granny Pants Chandelier
Can your bottle of Vodka do this? Must have special botanicals in it!
Does your table setting look like this?
This bed is guaranteed to make your kids fall asleep! (Also refer to my Youtube video uploaded which was video bombed)
An invitation for you to lie on the floor and watch the giant projections across 2 of the walls.
The Changing Painting Hanging On The Wall
Samples of results below :
Double Mirror With 2 Dimensional Objects
Bits And Pieces Supplied To Create Your Artworks
Mirror Box With 2 & 3 Dimensional Objects
2 Double Mirrors With 2 Dimensional Objects
Then it was off back to Town hall by train another quick shop for dinner and groceries at Woolworths then back on the M40 home bound. I eat my birthday sushi I purchased and then caught up with some news on the tv then prepare for work tomorrow and sleep.
No time to see Polination at The Calyx today - Sydney Open was also on but I didn't go this year as it was the same old buildings open to the public as last year less a few plus a few new ones which I had already been to at other events. The MCA was included this year but most of the people were already there to see the free art exhibitions on or to see "Sip My Ocean".
I have had a big birthday weekend!
Next 3 weekends off to Melbourne by train for the City2Sea as well as several other events to attend and places to visit!
No comments:
Post a Comment