I am loving staying in the old quarantine hospital up on Manly's North Head.
It's a bit like being in a posh episode of Tenko, what with the corrugated clad rooms set up in barracks overlooking the remarkable views of Sydney Bay.
I also like it because it still retains a feel of being an isolation hospital, and I cut my spinal injury nursing teeth in such a place, namely Lodge Moor Hospital which sat on one of the highest hills overlooking Sheffield.
Mind you......Lodge Moor Hospital is now a faceless housing estate
And Quarantine Q here has it's own private beach!
A week in Oz and I am beginning to read the locals. I like Australians.
They are direct to the point of perceived rudeness .
They are open and friendly.
And generally they laugh a great deal.
...and I like the way they will call you by your first name without being asked.
Ok much has been said about their general views on gay issues or sexism...that I am not interested in
It's nice to take what you find....eh?
I am already starting to add that questioning inflection to the end of my sentences
Hey ho ( question mark)
Johnno x
A direct personality sounds wonderful to me. Many people in my area have a very perfect/judgemental/religious facade. It gets tiring.....
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your stay!
So glad you are having a great time.
ReplyDeleteI spent 10 days in Australia in 2005 and loved it. Could have stayed forever.
ReplyDeleteenjoying your honeymoon, eh? good on ya, mate! :)
ReplyDeleteI had a friend long ago who was Australian and I thought he was one of the nicest people I ever met ... I still think so :)
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather wanted to immigrate from the US to Australia after WW2.. he had been stationed in Australia for some reason.
I like to imagine what my life would be like now if he / they had :)
haha i LOVE your sign off, Johnno!
ReplyDeleteJohnno.... That's Gold Mate
ReplyDeleteG'day Johnno, how's it hanging?
ReplyDeleteI used to live at Lodge Moor- probably in the faceless housing estate! Never knew about the Isolation Hospital though! I worked in the Central Library in Sheffield. Those were the days! Now living in Perth, where it's a bit warmer.
ReplyDeleteMargaret..the west wards were the isolation wards
ReplyDeleteA lovely view of the private beach.
ReplyDeleteAre you two looking at houses yet?
ReplyDeleteIt's a great place, Australia.
ReplyDeleteWith such glowing reviews, you should be working for a travel agency! (It would help to pay for a longer stay) Glad you're having a good time.
ReplyDeleteWonderful to hear.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love that you have picked up on the ubiquitous 'o' we add to everything.
Lovely view there. Sounds like a very nice place to be.
ReplyDeleteHmm, begging your pardon, Mr. Gray, was I to ask to call you John? I learned my manners in the north woods, what can I say?
Enjoy your stay!
Mate! Now you know why so many Brits migrate to the Antipodes. Especially Australia where, while the streets may not be paved with gold, the beaches are all golden sand.
ReplyDeleteMe, I am a typical kiwi in that I can't abide the place. Under that friendly, easy charm is a hostile inverted snobbery and hardness that I abhor, especially in the East Coast cities.
Here in NZ we are a bit of a middle ground - we have the friendly thing but we are a bit more British in our reserve ;-)
Nowbefore we get a war going yet......
DeleteLets play nice xx
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DeleteIt's cool. We snark one another, but if anyone snarks on either of us, we'll defend each other. Like siblings ;-)
DeleteAustralia is a great place to live (been here 30 years). Happy that you are enjoying yourself. Hope you've sent Winnie et al a postcard! x
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ReplyDeleteGeez Johno spoken like a local mate .
ReplyDeleteSo how long before you move Johno?
ReplyDeleteHow's your tan going Johnno?
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your stay in Oz. I think your sense of humor would fit in really well here. Its all about "no worries mate" and calling a spade a shovel. You'll find rural communities much more conservative in their views mostly because they have so little exposure to other cultures or lifestyles. Have a rip snorter Johnno!
ReplyDeleteGlad you're embracing the experience Johnno?
ReplyDeleteHa Ha Jess & I were just talking about Australians adding an O to word endings.
ReplyDeleteI think that a bush hat with dangly corks will suit you nicely cobber. Just the right headgear for a stroll down the high street in Rhylo or to bring authority to your role on the local councilo.
ReplyDeleteBy all means come home with a dangly cork hat - but please don't pick up the accent will you?
ReplyDeleteTotally out of context with your post, but this article made me think of you... http://www.hefty.co/abbys-wedding/
ReplyDeleteI could see you going that extra mile for a patient who needed it.
We've been picking up the "British" questioning inflection to the end of our demonstrative statements. Do people from Wales not do that? Hey ho?
ReplyDeleteI can't say I've ever noticed us Brits using a questioning inflection at the end of a statement, unless we're being sarcastic of course!
DeleteJohn, have a wonderful holiday, but please don't bring the accent back with you, it's too harsh, it wouldn't suit you at all!
I think the comments re the Aussie accent are a bit harsh. Like English people there are a range of Aussie accents .... Lots of people find the accent interesting . There are very definitely strong accents , the same can be said for a lot of other people from other countries .
DeleteAs you're a staunch royalist did you celebrate Her Maj achieving her record yesterday? Perhaps you asked some Aussie folk to join you in raising a glass? (Tee hee!)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are fitting in very well and having a lovely time in the process ..... eh?
ReplyDeleteI bet you're really missing lovely North Wales though. The sun has been shining virtually all week, and it's been really hot, except for the early mornings and late evenings when the temperature plummets. Are you even a smidge homesick yet?
Just curious will you be looking up our friend the late John D's family? And maybe tell them how much we all miss him.
ReplyDeleteYes, I find Aussies very open and direct too. A refreshing change from those two-faced Brits who conceal their real opinions with a fake show of bland politeness.
ReplyDeleteOoooh, bitter!
DeleteMy last comment disappered !! Do you think Australians are like Yorkshire folk then John :) Glad the two of you are enjoying your well deserved honeymoon xx
ReplyDeleteA lovely spot, Johnno - must have been almost worth getting ill for years ago !
ReplyDeleteHave always wanted to go to Australia, but considering our three year old is obsessed with finding and picking up insects/arachnids and Oz is known to have some of the deadliest, we need to wait until he is old enough to know better. LOL
ReplyDeleteMissFifi
Miss Fifi Australia will be a delight for your little one. I once was fascinated by a weird looking lizard / snake I saw in the bush . It was just a Death Adder..... A very poisonous snake .. We have lots of amazing wildlife and creepie crawlies.
ReplyDeleteAccents are interesting aren't they. John hasn't been bush this time in OZ. The accents out there are more of a slow drawl. I've been to the UK three times and I love the cockney, Yorkshire and especially the accent in Liverpool. The one I can't abide is the mid Western American. That could have something to do with the school librarian I had to work with for many years.
ReplyDeleteTenko, I thought I was the only one who'd ever seen that show.
ReplyDelete