tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-263284342011-07-31T15:36:31.538+10:00A record of the Hawkins family emigrating to Sydney, Australia, from September 2006.Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comBlogger2801100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-20411825367288553542010-04-18T17:30:00.001+10:002010-04-18T17:32:13.414+10:00

This blog is now located at http://clivehawkins.blogspot.com/. You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds or you may click here. For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to http://clivehawkins.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-12412613488735072262010-04-06T12:53:00.002+10:002010-04-18T17:27:28.419+10:00

We've decided to make this our final blog post - at least for the time being - partly because we have now completed our original aim of getting a permanent visa, but also because the blogging system we use is being discontinued after the end of April (thanks Google!). This means that we will have to migrate the blog to a new web address and so it's probably a good time to take a break and if you

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-87693357530189628022010-03-31T20:04:00.006+11:002010-04-18T17:29:37.693+10:00

Towards the end of the working day today, I received an email from the Immigration Department, which was short and to the point - our permanent visa had been granted! There was an attached letter with more details about how to get our passports stamped with this new visa, which lasts for the next 5 years before it needs to be renewed (or we can apply for citizenship after the next 2 years).So

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-74073820811365743932010-03-22T08:30:00.003+11:002010-04-02T17:15:59.848+11:00

Laura came back from Wollongong for the weekend to attend a friend's hen party - mostly revolving around a harbour cruise in a 'party boat' on the Saturday night, followed by a stay at some serviced apartments. However, Laura and some friends returned home in the early hours, rather than cope with 22 of them trying to fit into a room with 2 double beds!She seems to be settling into the university

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-59212570031217206812010-03-15T08:24:00.002+11:002010-03-17T21:06:18.202+11:00

Clive and I have just about returned from a camping trip which we finally got to do over the weekend. The weather on Saturday was lovely, so as I was working in the morning, we loaded up the car after lunch with tent, sleeping bags, Esky etc and headed north out of Sydney.We’d decided to visit The Entrance, a small town on the Central Coast at the entrance (surprisingly!) of a large salt water

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-67611549773812426752010-03-08T07:55:00.004+11:002010-03-13T10:50:58.379+11:00

Although it's getting towards the end of summer, March tends to be a good month for warm but not too hot weather. The previous weekend we managed to get down to Curl Curl beach for a swim, which was the first time this season, unlike last year when we made it to the beach more often - I guess this has mainly been due to a combination of weather and illness! On the Sunday we'd been invited out to

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-62091104299582982822010-02-23T09:05:00.005+11:002010-02-25T15:56:08.057+11:00

Well the AC/DC concert finally came around last night, having bought the tickets back in June last year. Although this bunch of ageing rockers aren't seen as that fashionable, they have been touring for over a year and playing to huge stadiums across the US and Europe, with their Australian tour also getting a lot of hype. This was their third and final show in Sydney.I used to love the original

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-89035428137785187932010-02-22T08:03:00.005+11:002010-02-25T15:23:50.172+11:00

We've been an uncharacteristically 'sick' household for the past few weeks, with Sue still suffering from her shingles pain, and me having had bad toothache prior to dental treatment during the week. On top of that, Rebecca's had a bout of asthma, so we've been having a low key time of late and limited exercise. However, this past weekend has been an active one, with Laura going off to University

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-78299051089309603752010-02-09T08:20:00.003+11:002010-02-09T08:38:24.598+11:00

With just over a year to go on our temporary visa, we are posting off our application for a permanent visa today, with a big file of paperwork heading off to Adelaide.After getting the confirmation on sponsorship from the NSW Government, I have had to compile a lot more forms and information about us and the business, as well as get the accounts redone for a different 12-month period - since the

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-58605029213170397382010-02-08T08:07:00.002+11:002010-02-09T08:20:13.723+11:00

This past weekend seems to have been a continual rain storm / shower, with Saturday being the worst - apparently over 70mm fell in Sydney over a 24 hour period, and northern NSW is also under flood alerts. Which means that Lesley & Dave timed their visit here very well, and we had a quiet weekend indoors!

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-59619502971582297852010-02-01T07:53:00.001+11:002010-02-04T08:33:17.172+11:00

Lesley and Dave have been here for 5 days, on their way to a longer stay in NZ. They arrived last Tuesday morning - Australia Day - after having spent a few days in Hong Kong. The day turned out hot and sunny and we took them to the city to enjoy the events going on around The Rocks and on the harbour, and then enjoyed some fish & chips on the beach at Balmoral on the way home.The rest of the

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-3213702256451744362010-01-25T08:15:00.003+11:002010-02-04T08:33:30.004+11:00

It's been a particularly hot weekend, especially on Friday and Saturday when the temperature was in the high 30's and this coincided with the 2-day 'Big Day Out' music festival at the Olympic Park. Caroline went on Saturday with some friends and just managed to last the whole day although the afternoon and evening did start to get cooler. Her main incentive was to see the headliners, Muse, in the

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-77038758051045257352010-01-18T08:15:00.001+11:002010-01-19T08:13:20.068+11:00

It was Laura's birthday on Sunday and her departure from teenagerdom! She'd been out partying on Thursday night and again on Saturday, so by the time her birthday arrived she was feeling quite tired, but managed to get up early before Caroline went off to work for several hours.The plan for the afternoon had been for us all to go to the city and enjoy one of the jetboat rides around the harbour.

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-21445042690829011392010-01-14T19:44:00.003+11:002010-01-19T08:08:55.319+11:00

I received confirmation of renewed sponsorship from the NSW Dept of State and Regional Development yesterday. This is the first stage of applying for a full residency visa, and the sponsorship is required for the visa I will now be applying for, as I've reached the required targets for turnover, net assets and employees over the past 12 months.This latest process was similar to that which I went

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-3661775779365915492010-01-08T17:04:00.003+11:002010-01-08T17:09:11.870+11:00

Only 2 days to go before the dog goes home! I must admit, I’ve grown quite fond of him as the days have passed, but not really to the point of not wanting to let him go – there have been too many ‘accidents’ for that!He’s a lovely puppy though, and has made us all laugh with his antics, especially when chasing his tennis ball and forgetting to stop at the wall, or barking outside each girls’

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-39537845917677846282010-01-01T20:47:00.003+11:002010-01-05T08:17:19.968+11:00

We've had a good holiday week at home - the weather hasn't been great but we've been able to relax and also get in some bike rides and walks along the coast. The walking will be a higher priority over the next week or so for all of us, as we've agreed to look after a friend's dog while they go away - a small black and lively puppy called Ozzy, who is some sort of spaniel / poodle cross.We weren't

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-88489322498724873902009-12-27T13:47:00.001+11:002009-12-28T15:28:50.310+11:00

As hoped for by the girls, the weather changed at the end of last week, just in time for Christmas Day, with some cooler air from the south and clouds as well as rain by the end of the day, which continued through to Boxing Day. As a result, they felt that it was more like a traditional Christmas and as it was cooler Sue opted for the roast turkey dinner instead of the barbeque and salad! We had

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-72587808556620871852009-12-21T08:23:00.002+11:002009-12-28T15:22:00.049+11:00

It's the build-up to Christmas but we're feeling unseasonal as always with the sun and warmth! Sue participated in an open-air carol concert in Manly last week, as she had been singing in a mass choir of about 150 people for the past few months in preparation. I went along to watch with Laura and Rebecca plus several thousand others and it was an entertaining evening, finished off by fireworks.We

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-82107125975110600662009-12-10T11:50:00.002+11:002009-12-10T16:21:20.635+11:00

It was the annual Awards Night at the girl's school last night, where Caroline and Rebecca were both receiving certificates for good work during the year. As I am now 'president' of the school council, I was due to be sitting on the stage with other 'dignitaries' and, so I thought, that was it. However, I discovered during the afternoon (and not from the school) that I was presenting the awards

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-40212761346123591982009-12-07T08:13:00.001+11:002009-12-10T16:16:58.954+11:00

We have had the pleasure of a visit from our nephew Daniel over the last 5 days, as he 'popped over' from New Zealand at the end of a cycle tour around South Island. He arrived last Wednesday evening so Sue, Laura and I tackled the rush hour traffic to pick him up from the airport and we then drove to Balmoral for fish & chips where we met Caroline and Rebecca for a 'family reunion'.Over the next

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-91398240014814592272009-11-30T09:22:00.002+11:002009-12-04T08:27:01.283+11:00

My birthday celebrations finally ended last Friday night with a trip to the Opera House with Clive to see a ballet, courtesy of the girls. We saw a production by the Australian Ballet called ‘Concord’ which was a trilogy of dances, each with about 12 dancers performing. We made our usual journey to catch the ferry across the harbour from Cremorne, although the rush hour traffic made it slow

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-6894780523945253242009-11-23T08:41:00.004+11:002009-11-25T16:56:59.466+11:00

It's been a very hot weekend - more records have been broken over the past week for November temperatures across NSW and Sydney 'copped a scorcher' which made it hard to do much, other than stay inside. This is forecast to be the sign of things to come this summer, with a high bush fire risk as well. Sunday afternoon was the worst time and then during the night the temperatures plummeted again,

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-51253015799190367272009-11-16T10:45:00.004+11:002009-11-21T11:06:45.691+11:00

Well, my Big Birthday has been and gone, and as everyone predicted, I don’t feel older at all. Mind you, this is possibly due to the wonderful few days of relaxation I had last week, rather than anything else!Our main news though is that Laura returned from her travels on Monday morning, which was lovely! She landed at 7.30, having hardly slept on the flight from the UK, only to then go to a

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-31328951771665190752009-11-09T10:50:00.002+11:002009-11-12T08:27:29.363+11:00

Not long now until my 'big' birthday, and the warm-up began in earnest last Saturday in Manly, famous more as a buzzing, backpacker haven than a spot for those over a certain age to celebrate their birthdays, but hey, I don’t feel too old for a bit of lively fun yet!Clive and I had done a ‘reccie’ a couple of weeks previously and decided that Charlie Bar next to the Novotel Hotel was stylish

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-42785152503256303252009-11-02T08:24:00.002+11:002009-11-03T08:35:52.434+11:00

We went to some friends for a barbeque on Saturday night - the first of the season - and managed to avoid most of the groups of kids wandering the streets for Halloween. However, an enterprising group on our street had sent round a note to residents during the week with an orange balloon to hang out if we welcomed the knock at the door, so we had one large group of kids excitedly coming down our

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-19525690682145938832009-10-26T09:30:00.003+11:002009-10-27T17:22:23.402+11:00

There was a big day of activities in Sydney yesterday, with the main one being Breakfast on the Bridge, when the Harbour Bridge was closed for the morning and 'turf' laid along its length for 6,000 people to picnic on the bridge. I think we missed any chance of getting in the draw for spaces on this, but then the 6.30 start wasn't a great attraction!The weather held for this event, but another -

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-72029905700417976432009-10-12T08:17:00.003+11:002009-10-15T16:35:53.003+11:00

After the long weekend last week, Clive took another one this week and we set off for a weekend in Australia's capital city.We had been planning to visit Canberra for a long time (at least to see why everyone was so disparaging about it!) and decided to pick a weekend when the weather forecast was reasonable enough to allow us to cycle round Lake Burley Griffin. Having discounted many previous

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-26921758414338299902009-10-06T08:23:00.002+11:002009-10-13T08:19:37.574+11:00

It was the start of the 2 week school holidays here this weekend and also a long weekend for the Labour Day holiday on Monday. However, there was a distinct feeling of it being a UK-style bank holiday weekend as after the recent weeks of blue skies and hot weather (including over 30 degrees on Thursday) the weather changed to being wet and cold.The whole weekend was mostly a wash-out, which was a

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-79843936981763335502009-09-28T08:41:00.001+10:002009-09-30T08:57:28.551+10:00

The weekend started with some cleaning up after the dust storm of midweek - a thin layer of dust outside and in the house, plus both cars needed a good clean.On Sunday we joined our bike group for a ride ‘out west’, in an area south of Parramatta that Clive and I are unfamiliar with, so we were looking forward to discovering a new part of the city.The day dawned bright and sunny, but with a

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-38597189774052519162009-09-23T09:14:00.004+10:002009-09-23T17:42:51.092+10:00

We awoke to a strange event this morning, with Sydney covered by a red dust storm - apparently this is a very unusual 'once in a lifetime' event here. It was caused by some high winds bringing over dust from inland NSW and for the first hour or so of daylight, the sky was very foggy with a deep orange colour. The birds were also very silent for a change!These pictures were taken from the house at

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-32072089819883609822009-09-21T13:59:00.002+10:002009-09-23T17:34:21.347+10:00

It was a bit of a 'training themed' weekend just gone, starting with Friday when I was running one of the training days through the University of Sydney. The venue for the course had to be changed at the last minute on Thursday as a contractor had drilled through a major power and phone line in the city, putting the hotel that we usually use out of action. In the event, myself and the 18

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-48385481754350872232009-09-13T14:38:00.004+10:002009-09-16T20:02:08.652+10:00

The week ended with a hot and sunny weekend, so we'd planned to go cycling in the national park to the south of Sydney. However, we then heard that the annual open day at Kirribilli House was on Sunday, so we changed our plans and decided to go there instead to have a good 'sticky beak' at the official properties - Kirribilli House is the PM's residence in Sydney and next door is Admiralty House,

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-20759509841719865922009-09-07T09:54:00.006+10:002009-09-13T14:38:21.162+10:00

This weekend has been a great treat, with my birthday and Father's Day falling within several days of each other! I took Friday off, so Sue and I headed to Cremorne to catch the ferry across to the city. Just before we parked we passed a road where, we discovered later, a 'shady' businessman had been shot dead the night before in an apparent contract killing, so there was lots of police and press

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-59995032316264713702009-08-31T08:27:00.003+10:002009-09-09T19:57:00.630+10:00

So the winter is coming to an end and we've apparently had the warmest August on record in Sydney, with the blue skies continuing over the past week. We celebrated with a bush walk around nearby Manly Dam yesterday which was lovely - great to have this 'countryside' so close to home.Earlier in the weekend we attended a quiz night at a local school where one of our tennis friends is a teacher. The

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-59428931332768132072009-08-24T08:21:00.003+10:002009-08-29T15:41:47.685+10:00

The weather has remained good this week and it's feeling like Spring already. We played tennis on Saturday afternoon for several hours although the sun was obscured by distant smoke for some of the time as it's the start of the 'back burning' season - this is where the 'firies' manage controlled bush fires in the high risk areas where dead vegetation has been allowed to accumulate.On Sunday we

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-51482285575940524932009-08-20T20:07:00.002+10:002009-08-20T20:11:48.120+10:00

I was attacked by a magpie whilst cycling home from the office tonight!This is a common problem each year and although today's bird was very agitated and flew close to my head, it didn't have a go at my helmet as one did last year. The evenings are getting lighter when I leave work now, so it will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow!

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-48223978310106957082009-08-17T07:57:00.002+10:002009-08-20T20:07:18.349+10:00

We've had the good weather continuing this week and the weekend was forecast to be a mini-heatwave for this time of year, but in the event the temperature only reached the mid-20s which was still glorious for this time of year. It coincided with Rebecca's last soccer match of the season, as her team managed to get once place further this year, through to the semi-finals.It was a warm morning for

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-38624933978628980242009-08-02T17:12:00.003+10:002009-08-07T17:19:05.596+10:00

We've had clear blue skies every day since our arrival back in Sydney, although the evenings remain cool. However, with this wonderful weather, Sue and I decided to get out for a bike ride and 'do' the Olympic Park, which we've been meaning to do for some time.It takes about 40 mins to get to the area, which was built on reclaimed wasteland for the 2000 Olympics and still has a lot of events

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-87958571451184382212009-07-28T21:09:00.004+10:002009-08-07T17:19:59.201+10:00

So we're just back from a holiday to the UK and France, refreshed and relaxed - if a little jet-lagged - and ready for the next round of blogging!Some highs from the last 2 weeks:* seeing family and friends again* lots of good eating and drinking* the European countryside in summer, including the birdsong* French bakeries* English pubs and real beer* the A380 Airbus!And some lows:* surly and

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-21981079999729527382009-07-09T10:05:00.001+10:002009-07-09T10:05:44.362+10:00

Normal service will be resumed shortly...

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-67891258447963643622009-07-05T14:29:00.002+10:002009-07-05T14:34:46.621+10:00

So Andy Murray achieved the usual British 'amost there but not quite' at Wimbledon this year, which at least saved us from a late night on Sunday staying up to watch the final live.However, the Ladies Final on Saturday between the Williams sisters was live from 11pm and we spotted some famous faces in the crowd...and again.... Nice hats for the hot sun!

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-84578641662714602212009-07-01T17:14:00.004+10:002009-09-13T14:40:01.229+10:00

As a slight change from the usual posts, here's a midweek nature piece, with two kookaburras that Sue photographed, sitting in the garden tree as the sun came up (the birds that is, not Sue!)They are one of our favourite birds here - very wise and knowing, they 'fluff up' well, and are very good at spotting things to eat in the garden!

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-1809980933024992152009-06-29T08:17:00.005+10:002009-06-29T19:30:32.084+10:00

Another weekend with an organised bike ride came around quickly and yesterday's was the longest yet - 60km from Windsor, in Sydney's north west. Sue decided to give this one a miss again as she hasn't been on her bike much recently and thought it would be a ride too far. So, we both had an early start on Sunday morning as I headed off for the 50 mins drive to Windsor and Sue took Rebecca off to

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-72829784084455251882009-06-22T08:19:00.002+10:002009-06-29T19:15:10.728+10:00

Clive and I had kindly been invited to help our friend Sue celebrate her 60th birthday. This is a lady I met initially through French conversation and then tennis, and a younger 60 year old it would be hard to find! She has the energy of a horse, working part-time and filling in her spare hours with nanny-sitting her two (soon to be three) grandchildren and helping with any charitable event going

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-26078814941082052212009-06-15T09:20:00.003+10:002009-06-17T17:26:54.265+10:00

It's been cold here over the past week, but usually with blue skies during the day. What with the weather and other commitments, there's been lots of excuses not to do so much exercise! However, we had another bike ride with the local group planned for Sunday, which was the toughest one so far, with a circuit around Pittwater, which included a ferry ride as part of the route.Sue decided not to go

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-25734255866614090712009-06-08T10:12:00.004+10:002009-06-09T09:06:32.571+10:00

After all the planning and waiting, Laura's day of departure came on Saturday so we all went to the airport to see her off to the US (and UK) for the next 6 months. She is flying to San Francisco initially, to stay with a friend there for a week, before heading on to Newark and down to the camp she will be working at in Virginia - she heard about this placement last week and had to change her

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-4564358892969614892009-06-01T08:28:00.004+10:002009-06-09T09:06:56.779+10:00

Laura is getting ready to fly to the US next weekend for her stint at Camp America - she has yet to find out where she will be going but has a flight booked to Newark, where everyone meets before going off to their nominated camp. She had a 'small' party at the house on Saturday night where about 30 of her friends gathered for several hours before heading off to Manly for the rest of the night.

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-75979474924026830122009-05-25T08:38:00.004+10:002009-05-26T12:18:22.999+10:00

Autumn has been coming to an end with some wild weather over the past week - heavy rain showers and strong winds which have been lashing the east coast. Northern NSW has been suffering badly from the worst flooding in years, so Sydney has got off relatively lightly, but the beaches have been taking a pounding and lots of sand is being washed away.We went down to South Curl Curl on Saturday

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-12188652158076207612009-05-18T08:33:00.003+10:002009-05-21T20:01:21.870+10:00

We’re having a fabulous autumn so far, with lots of sunshine and midday temperatures in the mid-20s after cool mornings. There are some beautiful deciduous trees around, with leaves which look very colourful against the brilliant blue skies and, because frost is rare, they tend to stay on the trees for much longer than in the UK. It’s not quite New England, but it’s very pretty!Clive and I

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-3024784103016895782009-05-12T18:16:00.003+10:002009-05-21T20:07:37.498+10:00

We are happy to report that Caroline passed her driving test today, at the first attempt! We felt she was more than ready, having completed her mandatory 120 hours (including 20 at night), compared to the 50 that Laura had to do before her test. However, anything could have happened on the actual day to scupper her chances of success but luckily the weather was fine and she wasn’t too nervous.We’

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-52724670672445248962009-05-11T08:49:00.003+10:002009-05-21T20:14:10.711+10:00

It's been a weekend of contrasting weather, with some good sunshine on Saturday which got us down to a beach for the first time in what seems like ages - we had a walk along Collaroy in the afternoon and it was good to feel the sand again. The sea is also still quite warm at the moment, but we didn't venture that far.Sunday was Mother's Day here and also an early start for us, as Rebecca had

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-86806319982660097002009-05-04T17:44:00.002+10:002009-05-05T20:36:49.382+10:00

After a cool week and some torrential rain on Friday evening, the weekend has been lovely with blue skies and warm autumnal sunshine. On Saturday Sue and I had a good walk along Manly beach from Queenscliff to Shelley Beach which was lovely and good to see lots of people out enjoying the sunshine.On Sunday we had another early start for Rebecca's football which was up in Avalon, about 30 mins

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-67684589625380067652009-04-27T12:48:00.004+10:002009-05-05T20:24:41.842+10:00

What a lovely weekend! Saturday’s weather was warm and sunny so Clive and I drove to Palm Beach and climbed up the track to the lighthouse at Barrenjoey Head for some wonderful views of the coast down to Bungan Head in the south and across Pittwater to Pearl Beach and Ettalong in the north. On the way up we watched pelicans gracefully enjoying the thermals, para-sailors showing off in the

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-24529317964579928972009-04-20T08:24:00.003+10:002009-04-22T20:02:02.674+10:00

We have been meaning to visit Parramatta ever since we arrived in Sydney and Saturday seemed to present the ideal opportunity – not too hot, not too cold, just right! Rebecca decided she would come with us and so we caught the ferry from Old Cremorne mid-morning and then had a twenty minute wait for our ferry to Parramatta.Parramatta is 23kms west of Sydney’s CBD and was explored by Governor

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-23134561664431208932009-04-14T08:13:00.001+10:002009-04-15T20:04:57.089+10:00

It's been the Easter long weekend so a good break from work and we've had a quiet few days at home. Laura twisted her ankle on Thursday night wearing high heels, so was laid up on Friday, but Sue and I took Rebecca for a walk along Manly beach. The recent heavy seas have washed up lots of seaweed onto all the beaches in the area which doesn't make them that appealing at the moment! The council

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-31861527471900977382009-04-02T08:18:00.004+11:002009-04-04T20:01:19.272+11:00

Now that Rebecca's soccer season is about to start again, I took her (and Laura) along to see Australia's World Cup qualifying match at the ANZ Stadium last night. The 'Socceroos' have been doing well so far and are in the final qualification stages, with their game against Uzbekistan requiring a win to almost guarantee their place in South Africa in 2010 (dependent on the other match that's

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-89183211188077442042009-03-30T18:40:00.003+11:002009-03-31T21:24:34.563+11:00

The weather over the last few weeks has been great - blue skies and not too hot - although it looks like a change is coming this week for the start of April.The weekend saw two annual events taking place, the first of which was Earth Hour, where everyone is encouraged to turn out the lights for an hour at 8.30pm as a form of protest about climate change. This first took place in Sydney two years

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-73813646072782224512009-03-23T10:02:00.005+11:002009-03-24T17:18:36.933+11:00

To mark the official start to Autumn here, this is a photo that Sue took on Friday morning as we are currently getting up soon after sunrise, although this will change again in several weekends time when the clocks go back (a week later than the UK's go forward).We had a quiet weekend at home as Laura was recovering from having her 4 wisdom teeth removed on Thursday - she's feeling very sore at

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-90332711369047765952009-03-15T17:17:00.004+11:002009-03-18T21:21:55.397+11:00

After two and a half years in Sydney it was becoming a little embarrassing to admit to not having been to the Hunter Valley yet - the premier wine-producing region of NSW about 2 hours drive north of the city. However, we can now cross this location off our 'visited' list.I think our reluctance to go there has been the unsurprising lack of interest on the part of the girls. There are no theme

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-71481084896713298752009-03-12T13:16:00.001+11:002009-03-16T17:34:40.402+11:00

We had a rare 'family outing' last night when the five of us headed off to the Acer Arena to see Coldplay - the first of 4 shows they are playing in Sydney. It's unusual to find a band that we would all enjoy, which is probably why the music critics like bashing Coldplay's music, but they can certainly draw in the crowds, which must be doing something right!The evening traffic wasn't too bad

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-14652029837964152442009-03-02T08:08:00.005+11:002009-03-08T15:21:33.619+11:00

Yesterday - to celebrate the start of autumn - Clive and I set the alarm for 7am (not easy after a dinner party with friends the night before and a lively house party nearby that only quietened down at 4am!) and crawled out of bed to drive to Manly with our bikes in time to catch the 8.20am ferry to Sydney. This was for our 4th ride with the Northern Beaches Bikers, and each has been very

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-85814437603246837932009-02-22T19:53:00.004+11:002009-02-24T16:52:31.335+11:00

After days of constant rain last week (when Caroline was on a 3-day 'camp' with school – typical!), the weather returned to more ‘normal’ February weather - i.e. hot and humid - at the end of the week. Caroline had a great 17th birthday on Friday, needing a lift home with all the flowers her friends had given her and we had a family meal together before she and Laura went out for the evening –

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-89657680395981444242009-02-15T11:12:00.002+11:002009-02-15T11:28:05.052+11:00

The news here over the past week has been dominated by the bushfires in Victoria which have now become the worst natural disaster in Australia's history. The death toll increased daily from last weekend and is currently at over 180 with many people still missing and hundreds of homes destroyed and survivors left with nothing. There has been a big fundraising effort across the country to support

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-85491863449589439022009-02-09T08:33:00.005+11:002009-02-15T11:08:18.575+11:00

We have had another hot week of blue skies and had also been forecast intense heat in Sydney over the weekend, to match the levels in Melbourne, but although it was hot the coastal breeze didn't make it too oppressive, although temperatures were over 40 degrees further inland. We had agreed to play with a new tennis group on Saturday afternoon and weren't greatly looking forward to it in the heat

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-90951052362063123092009-02-02T08:10:00.003+11:002009-02-07T19:07:31.918+11:00

Sydney has had a hot week and weekend, although not quite at the levels of Melbourne. Sue and I had several trips to the beach in the evenings after work, with Laura joining us one night for a refreshing dip at North Curl Curl - a lovely way to end the day and get refreshed before a warm night!On Saturday we managed our first snorkelling of the year - we had hoped to do this at Jervis Bay but the

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-73920551173750218202009-01-30T08:18:00.006+11:002009-01-31T18:41:30.124+11:00

I had to go to Melbourne this week to run a training course for a company and so Sue decided to come along and we would use the following day to explore the city some more, following our last visit in 2005. However, our trip coincided with the hottest spell in southern Australia for a century, with Melbourne reaching 43c and Adelaide hitting 46c.We had an early start on Wednesday, leaving home at

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-12724447424376016452009-01-27T08:15:00.002+11:002009-01-31T18:19:53.971+11:00

It's been a hot week leading up to the Australia Day holiday weekend, with temperatures in the mid-30's. Although I have the benefit of air conditioning in the office, it's not so good at home and so Sue picked me up from work on Thursday and Friday so that we could head down to the beach for the cooling swim at the end of the day.Saturday was the hottest day and we went to Narrabeen in the

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-51062844208474028722009-01-17T10:54:00.005+11:002009-01-21T19:59:31.189+11:00

January in Sydney means ‘hot’ and it certainly has been lately. Luckily for us, we had a week’s holiday last week so could cool off in the sea as often as we liked. As the water is now around 22 degrees most days, it’s very pleasant and so I have no cause to complain about finding it cold for a while!Clive, Caroline, Rebecca and I went to Sanctuary Point in Jervis Bay, a little place on the

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-83096907214817329092009-01-01T14:35:00.004+11:002009-01-05T19:51:38.854+11:00

We enjoyed a slightly different NYE this year to our first in 2006. As the weather was hot and sunny, the idea of staking a spot at Cremorne Wharf for the day and ending up frazzled didn’t appeal, so Clive, Rebecca and I enjoyed a leisurely day at home, waiting for the heat to ease a little.After an evening BBQ we set off by car for Manly to watch the 9pm family fireworks. The foreshore was

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-21546531426975426342008-12-27T13:00:00.005+11:002008-12-29T18:00:03.152+11:00

We picked Laura up from the airport on Christmas Eve and she'd had a good time in South Africa but was glad to be back and tired from her long flight via Singapore. However, as it was Christmas the next day, we were all up quite early and headed down to Curl Curl for breakfast on the beach. It was still reasonably quiet on the beach but the sun was out along the coast although there was a bank of

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-5045817390706462842008-12-22T08:11:00.002+11:002008-12-28T19:18:41.769+11:00

We've been to see the recently released movie 'Australia', which seems to have been in the news and in production for the 2+ years that we've been here. Starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, it's carried the expectation of the Australian film industry and has been long awaited, with hopes of Oscar success as well.However, it's truly awful! It's a cliched melodrama which is overblown and

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-71240756502172996992008-12-15T08:35:00.003+11:002008-12-16T17:45:56.472+11:00

When Laura realised she was going to miss the run-up to Christmas in Sydney, she asked if we could put the tree up a little earlier so she could have a part in it’s decoration before she went off to SA. This was fine with us all, so a real tree was duly bought and decorated before she left for Johannesburg last Tuesday.We know she arrived safely, as she ‘commented’ Caroline on Facebook, but that

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-41250478973401067802008-12-08T08:28:00.002+11:002008-12-13T18:12:33.654+11:00

It was Caroline's turn to finish school this week, with her 'formal' taking place in Manly last Wednesday night and then her graduation event at school on Friday morning. High shoes and short dresses seemed to be the current style for the formal and Caroline had a great time and managed to avoid twisting her ankle! She now has time off until the end of January when she starts her 2 years of HSC

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-87341811793819418592008-11-30T18:02:00.002+11:002008-12-05T08:47:54.508+11:00

December 1st has arrived, heralding the first day of summer and the temperatures reacted accordingly. The previous week’s weather had been a bit unsettled, so it was lovely to feel the heat again!On Sunday, Clive and I had joined our cycling group on a breakfast ride from Mona Vale (a suburb about 20 minutes’ drive north from us) to Whale Beach, further up the peninsula. The weather was perfect

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-37203412335728614352008-11-24T10:30:00.003+11:002008-12-05T08:41:55.375+11:00

After having completed her HSC exams, Laura finished school in style this week with a graduation event and an evening formal on Thursday. She had the 'full works' in preparation for the day (posh frock, hair, nails, tan, makeup) as is the requirement and we all attended the graduation at the school in the last afternoon.She was then whisked off to the city with a group of friends in a limo and

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-23717620394745947562008-11-17T16:31:00.004+11:002008-11-19T19:25:49.431+11:00

Clive returned from his week in the UK on Tuesday evening, complete with a cold, but accompanied by half the Australian cricket team at the airport. By Friday he had recovered enough to enjoy a meal out with me in Garfish, a lovely fish restaurant at Manly wharf. We really enjoyed the meal and then walked back to the car accompanied by a fantastic lightening display over the water – luckily the

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-19370118858969074262008-11-02T11:14:00.002+11:002008-11-12T21:18:48.307+11:00

It was our third and final sailing lesson on Saturday afternoon and the conditions were up another level this time, which made for a good progression over the the three lessons. Several people dropped out this week due to the cloudier weather (and a hint of rain) which meant that we were down to three on our yacht (plus the instructor) although this meant we had more time to do all the necessary

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-91444041540327663302008-10-26T14:44:00.005+11:002008-11-12T21:10:22.185+11:00

Sue & I had our second sailing lesson on Saturday and the day was sunny and warm again after a cold week. We did more of the same on the yacht and the wind was stronger than last week, which made it more exciting and challenging, plus there were plenty of yachts out on the water due to a competition going on, so we did our best to try to avoid them!On Sunday we had a early start and headed down

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-72878244190664866062008-10-19T09:27:00.003+11:002008-10-21T18:01:05.292+11:00

Everybody in Sydney sails. Well, to us it seems the case. Every time we meet a new ‘local’, they’ve just come back from, or are just off to, their boat for a spot of R&R. And what better way could there be to pass the time, when the sun’s shining brightly in a blue sky and the sea’s sparkling. So, it was really only a matter of time before we had a go ourselves...We’d experienced a day on the

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-47818933942656585252008-10-13T08:41:00.004+11:002008-10-19T09:34:03.641+11:00

Sue and I went on another bike ride on Sunday - just the two of us this time and a shorter ride up to North Head. This included cycling along the seafront track at Manly which was very busy on a sunny morning and with lots of 'nippers' activity going on (young kids clubs where they are trained in sea skills and lifesaving) so there were some areas where bikes and pedestrians merged!Up on North

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-6389560873885414172008-10-06T18:40:00.005+11:002008-10-11T09:59:45.574+11:00

A couple of months ago, I met a lady through my Monday morning tennis group who is a keen cyclist. I mentioned this to Clive and before you knew it, the two of us had agreed to join the Northern Beaches Bikers on a 45km ride alongside the MacDonald River, north west of Sydney. Given I had never ridden a bike further than about 20km in my life, this was causing me a little concern. However, the

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-71950278169096544802008-09-28T15:45:00.002+10:002008-10-06T18:59:47.231+11:00

The girls finished another school term on Friday so are now on 2 weeks' holiday. For Laura it was the end of 'normal' school as her HSC exams start after the holiday and then she's finished for good. There was an end of Year 12 event for the students and parents on Friday night at one of the nearby RSL clubs which we attended. The last week of school also included the traditional 'muck-up' day

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-78443944378553453082008-09-22T08:42:00.002+10:002008-09-23T09:29:10.349+10:00

Sue & I attended a trivia night organised by the girls' school on Saturday night - as with all schools, they have a 'P&C' committee (Parents & Citizens Association) who organise the occasional evening event, although this is the first we had attended. We had arranged a table of 4 couples, only one of whom were Aussies, so we had a distinct disadvantage on some questions and we're sure we were

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-74468359958424786462008-09-13T17:49:00.003+10:002008-09-16T08:56:31.995+10:00

Today marks the second anniversary of our arrival here at the start of our 'big adventure' (and this blog has also just short of the 200 post mark as well). Saturday has been much warmer than recently, with blue skies and temperatures in the 20s again, so that the heating is finally having a rest and the balcony doors got an 'open airing' during the day - a sure sign that spring is now here and

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-19223865162545705602008-09-08T09:18:00.004+10:002008-09-10T09:05:10.470+10:00

I had a double-dose of being spoilt over the past few days, with my birthday followed closely by Father's Day yesterday. I took the obligatory 'day off work' for my birthday as Sue and I had planned to go on a Hawkesbury River cruise, but the good Spring weather at the start of the week had gone and although the day was dry we decided to postpone the trip.We therefore explored a few areas of the

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-83860239095514099862008-09-01T10:10:00.004+10:002008-09-04T17:19:10.658+10:00

Last weekend saw Clive and I driving north up the Pacific Highway to Port Macquarie, around 400 kms away. Clive has a new customer there who wanted a meeting with him and, in return, was offering the family a couple of nights in their hotel FOC. If we had known how far away P.M. is, we may have sent Clive on the train on his own.…Laura and Caroline were not interested in making the trip, so we

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-28608991769919810992008-08-25T09:25:00.004+10:002008-08-26T08:49:56.884+10:00

So the Olympics finished this weekend and the Aussies haven't enjoyed seeing the Poms doing better than them in the medals table. Of course all the TV coverage here has tended to focus on the Australian team's activities and they were doing well after the end of the first week with the swimming.However, the second week was a shock for them to see Team GB move ahead in the gold medal count and the

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-89868022961519748142008-08-17T14:49:00.006+10:002008-08-20T08:35:46.848+10:00

Last Saturday night was another new experience for us – Clive and I went to watch the Sydney Swans play against the Geelong 'Cats' in the AFL at the Olympic Stadium. Rebecca had been to several games with a friend, so Clive and I thought we ought to see what it was like for ourselves.The Australian Football League ('Aussie Rules') is a cross between football and rugby and probably other ball

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-53899759823336525482008-08-10T19:16:00.005+10:002008-08-11T14:56:41.180+10:00

Last Friday evening Clive and I were at one of our favourite venues, Sydney Opera House. We had just bought tickets a week ago to see the Sydney Symphony play Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, followed by Stravinsky’s The Firebird – 'ballet fantastic'. (Not my opinion – that’s what it’s called!)We followed our usual routine – car to Cremorne Point to catch the ferry to Circular Quay, enjoying

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-80834277633762149092008-08-06T14:07:00.002+10:002008-08-06T14:35:16.642+10:00

Google has just launched a new feature of its mapping service in Australia - Street View provides ground-level images of most streets across Sydney and the other main urban areas. It's a fascinating technology that allows you to 'drive' along streets and look around at the buildings, so it can be useful when going somewhere new or planning a route.It's also a great time-waster, but once the

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-24388904754423695962008-08-04T09:19:00.004+10:002008-08-06T14:05:45.549+10:00

The past weekend has been 'sporty' in a number of ways. On Friday evening I went to watch the local 'footie' (rugby league) team (Manly) again, with an expat friend. They were playing a team from Penrith and had another easy win, although the evening was much colder than our previous visit to the ground (and it was even colder holding the beers!).There's been a lot of controversy over the past 2

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-76276676945061507942008-07-28T08:33:00.002+10:002008-07-29T20:28:20.537+10:00

Not much to report from the past week / weekend - a bit of work, some shopping, soccer, a few nights socialising and other stuff - so I'm having a week off and here's a photo that Sue took from the house on Sunday when a big storm came over:

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-30225559973243210702008-07-21T09:36:00.004+10:002008-07-22T09:30:26.292+10:00

Sydney was the host of the annual Catholic 'World Youth Day' last week which attracted over 200,000 pilgrims from around the world, along with Pope Benedict who made his first visit to Australia and apparently the longest journey of his life to get here. There were events in the city from the Wednesday through to Sunday when a final mass was held at the main racecourse in the city.The city and

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-26448475514588416262008-07-14T08:46:00.003+10:002008-07-17T12:24:28.820+10:00

The end of last week was the coldest spell of the year although it was sunny (and usually warmer outside than in the house!). There's quite a contrast watching people in the street at this time of year as some will still be wearing t-shirts and shorts whereas others will be wearing thick sweatshirts or coats - and of course 'cold' is still quite a relative term here compared to mid-winter in the

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-16988886266366674112008-07-07T09:28:00.001+10:002008-07-11T13:05:44.018+10:00

Rebecca's soccer team had an early kick-off on Sunday so we had the rest of the day free once they had finished and, since it was a clear sunny day, Clive and I decided to take ourselves off to visit Cockatoo Island. This island is the largest in Sydney Harbour, but is still fairly small, measuring 18 hectares and taking around 40 minutes to walk around the perimeter.To reach the island we had

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-10369295597955830672008-06-30T20:56:00.004+10:002008-07-04T08:29:11.956+10:00

It's now been one week since I moved into the new business office, from the small room at home to a serviced office several miles away. Since I'm intending to employ someone soon, I had been looking at leasing options over the past month and there is plenty of available office space in the area, but felt that for the next year at least, a serviced office was the best option.The serviced office

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-2341855475103496122008-06-23T08:56:00.004+10:002008-07-10T08:48:44.284+10:00

Well, we’ve had a busy week and Clive’s still trying to catch up, so the blog-writing’s down to me again!It was our 20th wedding anniversary on June 18th and to celebrate, Clive and I had decided to spend a night in the Blue Mountains. We thought the girls needed some time apart from us and decided one night would be enough. As luck would have it though, Clive was at a conference a few months

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-63102609517310038882008-06-16T08:53:00.004+10:002008-06-19T08:18:43.637+10:00

Caroline went to a concert with some friends on Sunday night, at the University of NSW south of the city centre, so I had agreed to pick them up after the show. In the end, Sue came along as well and we left home at 10.30pm to have a traffic-free drive across the bridge and through the city to the venue.We found the place and a parking area just in time as the crowd was starting to come out and

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-8100096133634076462008-06-10T08:21:00.004+10:002008-06-14T14:07:03.538+10:00

We've just had a long weekend as Monday is an official holiday to mark the Queen's Birthday and it turned out much like a traditional UK 'bank' holiday - wet! The reason for the day off is one reminder of the history of the country and the Commonwealth link, but there are still underlying currents within Australia to become a republic. The new Labour PM, Kevin Rudd, is a Republican but at a major

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26328434.post-55231169611596782282008-06-01T14:44:00.003+10:002008-06-02T08:34:02.302+10:00

The annual whale migration season has just started again, with sightings reported in the press and whale cruises heading out to sea for the next few months. On Friday there was a news report of 4 humpback whales entering the harbour and 'playing' near Manly Wharf for about an hour before heading back to sea - an unexpected bonus for ferry passengers.On Saturday afternoon Sue and I decided to walk

Hawkins Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05395453033426911184noreply@blogger.com