Bart Bear's Blog

Last Sunday the Oldies were welcomed as the 199th and 200th members of the Canberra Jazz Club. The club meets in the Jamison Southern Cross Club once every month. We arrived early and sampled the club menu before the music started; food and drink both OK by this small bear. I was not sure if I would like jazz so I kept a low profile for the first few numbers. The band was called John Smith's Little Big Band, based in Wollongong. All of the musicians were very good, John on guitar was excellent. The two that I thought were absolutely brilliant were the lady playing trumpet and the man playing slide trombone. I always thought trombone was a dull sort of instrument, but this guy made it sing. Guess what! I like jazz, at least the type this band played, and I look forward to hearing lots more.
 

Labels: Canberra

Manly has been a holiday suburb of Sydney since the mid-1850s. There are some great examples of colonial architecture in the suburb, like the council building near the wharf and the police station in nearby Belgrave Street. There are 2 streets where tourists spend most of their time. The Corso runs from the ferry wharf to the beach, and the Esplanade runs along the beachfront. The Corso and some of the side streets are plazas (no cars allowed) and have a good mix of shops. In the afternoons and evenings there are usually buskers performing here. My 2 favourite places are the Ivanhoe Hotel where food and drinks are always available, and Anita's Gelato (the best I have tasted on my trips around Australia). The shops along the Esplanade are a mix of cafes and surf shops. My favourites here are Hemingway's cafe where we had breakfast, and The Pantry (right on the beach) where we had lunch with relatives. Hot weather and beaches = drinks; I have had some comments about my drinking, but this small bear is now 20 (above the Australian drinking age) and know how to hold my liquor.
 

Labels: NSW, Sydney

Last week we had a short trip to Manly, the Sydney suburb where Mum was born. The main reason for the trip was to meet up with special relatives and friends. I had a great morning of travel. It started with bro Trent taking us to the airport in his Tesla. Then we flew to Sydney on a SAAB 340. Then the airport train to the Quay and a trip across the harbour to Manly on a ferry, past huge cruise liners and many RAN ships. So in one morning I travelled by car, plane, train and ship - great stuff for this small bear. Manly has one of the best beaches in Australia, much better than many of the beaches hyped by overseas media. The southern headland holds Shelly Beach, a great spot to teach beginners to snorkel and dive. The northern end goes round to Freshwater beach where Duke Kahanamoku introduced Australia to board surfing in December 1914. My Dad and his Dad didn't use surfboards, they are/were body surfers, known in Australia as "Cork-tops". Mum's Dad board-surfed right on this beach. More photos of Manly coming soon, but you see others by searching older Manly posts in my blog.