Cycling round Bicentennial Park

Cycling in Bicentennial Park

The Olympic stadium

Well I'm just about coping with working life. The 45 minute commute isn't too bad, things are still relatively interesting and I'm not bored with the free lunch yet although its the same (yet tasty) thing on any given day of the week. I'm pretty tired by the time the weekend comes around and so I've not been up to too much.

Pelicans

Royal Spoonbill

Last weekend, however, I hired a bike and went cycling round Bicentennial Park with Jarrod, Simon and Aleisha. Apart from a painful posterior at the end of the day it was fun, despite the showery weather. As we had hired bikes, we could flog them round the BMX track too!

The BMX track

Sadly the tandem didn't get far!

Work and play

Sorry the blog hasn't been updated for a while but, unusually, there's a good reason for that this time. I've started a new job!!!! Unbelievable. After a remarkable 16 years in the university system I've broken free and have just started my second week at Silverbrook Research which is a small company here in Sydney researching new technologies. Can't really say much more as its very secretive there and we're all sworn to silence. Lets just say I've had a great first week - nice people, interesting work and free food and drink all day!

Rooftop bar in Melbourne with astroturf, bean bags and deckchairs

Before the new job started I attended a couple of sporting events down here. A couple of weeks back I went to the opening ceremony and first match of the rugby league world cup. I didn't even know it was on until Jonny phoned up with the tickets the day before. Its a bit of a pointless thing all round I fancy as Australia are head and shoulders above anyone else. So much so that nobody cares down here even and the opening ceremony didn't even fill the modest 45,000 seater stadium. Australia smashed New Zealand and it was very dull.

International Rules at the MCG

Tremendous final score

The weekend after, a couple of us flew down to Melbourne to check out the hybrid "International Rules" match between the Aussie Rules boys from here and the Irish gaelic footballers. Ireland won. It was great!

The beautiful people at Flemington...

.... and Howard

We also got suited up and went along to Flemington for the Australian Derby. The beautiful people were all out and the bookies made a fortune as the winner came in at 80:1. Ridiculous. I didn't pick it.

The Derby winner - almost as happy as the bookies

Had a brief wander round the botanical gardens to try and find some thrushes or greenfinch but it started raining and I got soaked. We were in Melbourne after all.