The more modern trains running around Sydney don’t look too much different from the ones that I used to take to Dallas back in 2001. There are some, however, that look like the ones that run in Chicago and are pretty beaten up and NOISY! But the car in this picture was quite nice!

For her 13th birthday, we decided to give her something to allow her to enjoy seeing the sights and sounds of Australia on the many riding paths in the area.  Now each of us has a bike!  MBD and I took a ride this morning and it was a beautiful day outside.  Always nice to ride along Manly Beach with the wonderful breezes blowing to keep you nice and cool.

I’m not planning to turn this blog into a cooking forum, but this recipe has turned out to be my favourite among all my attempts since buying my cookbook down in Tassie last February.  This one is “Marinated Kale Salad”, and it’s pretty good!  I think you can see the recipe in the photo if you click on it.  It’s a nice departure from the traditional iceberg lettuce salad and the sunflower seeds and apple chunks give it a nice bit of crunch.  Thinking about making it again tomorrow.  Try it!

This is kinda cool. This museum is right on Circular Quay so we see it every time the ferry lands. A piece of art they have outside is a large circular disc that is angled up toward the sky. When the sky is cloudless, it’s a blank canvas:

But when there are clouds in the sky, things look a lot different! Every day the disc will look different, depending on the sky. But no art on rainy days!

Can’t remember if I ever posted a picture of where we live. So here goes. Look directly in the center of this photo and count the balconies from the ground up. The 3rd balcony is ours.

You’ve already seen the views looking out. This one is looking back–just for a change!

Phase one of my return to health occurred in February in Tasmania.  Brought back a new attitude about what kind of / how much food I ate, and have maintained the 10 lbs of weight loss I achieved there.  But…further weight loss and better health will occur now only with some good exercise.

Welcome to Phase two!  Brand new, today!  It has been so long since I rode a bike regularly so riding one of these new ones is an amazing experience.  Did you know that they now make bikes with DISC BRAKES?  How cool!  I have never been comfortable with those little pad brakes that rub up against the tires to stop you.  And the shifting mechanism is so darn smooth!  Manly is very much a bike/skateboard/surfboard kind of town and I am looking forward to seeing more of what is called the Northern Beaches.  Yes, it now is autumn in Australia but the weather’s still great outside.  Will check back when I’ve lost another 10 lbs!

Well, I’m making a change in my blogging practices and wanted everyone to know what’s up.  This blog remains the same as always, detailing the amazing and most frabjous experiences of the Smiths in Oz.

But I wanted to have a place to post the best pictures I’ve taken with my Nikons over the past few years.  So I’ve made a new blog that is just for my photo portfolio–no family stuff here, that’ll stay in the Smiths in Oz blog.

Take a look at the new site and see if you like it.  You’ll see some photos that I’ve already posted to the Smiths in Oz, but here is where I’ll be posting all my new photographs worthy of display.

Click here —–>  www.warrenphotos.wordpress.com to see my new blog.

If you like, in the right column you’ll see an orange button labelled “Follow” and if you click on that button you’ll get an email when I post to this new photoblog just like when we update our Smiths in Oz blog.

If you see a photo you like and want to tell me so, just click on the title of the post (not the picture) and you’ll see a “Like” button displayed.  If you click the Like button, I’ll get an email saying that you liked that picture!

Back in familiar territory this morning, if only for a visit. Victoria begged MBD to attend, but didn’t show up herself! Anyway, it’s fun to do it at least one more time.

Got pretty close to the recipe. Next time I’ll use the food processor longer and actually puree the ingredients. To me, pumpkin soup ought to be thin with minimal texture.
Of course, MBD wanted nothing to do with this recipe!

The surfers in the water got a real treat this morning! Click on the image to enlarge it.