Here are some of the new words I have picked up over here which I think deserve to be shared and perhaps used to make good old Queen's English an even richer language: Sliders - you might think it has to do with surfing or at least skateboarding. In fact it means potato wedges; Stubbies - bottles of beer; Nutting [something] out - thinking about it, finding a solution (using your nut); Norks - rather rude (!). Equivalent in UK might be 'jugs' Sanger - mean...

Here's a culinary tip - kangaroo burger with "sliders" (potato wedges in the western world) goes VERY nicely with a glass of Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon. Or indeed a glass of Mudgee Chardonnay. And for afters, an iced Riesling from the Coal Valley area of Tasmania. The roo burgers themselves are surprisingly subtle, not the chewy venison substitute I had been expecting. This was all going on (or down) at a chic wine bar on Argyle St in The Rocks area of...

No long story today - but a "twofer" on local birdlife which can't be bad. Kookaburra and Cockatoo to be precise. Seen on a trip down the Great Pacific Highway south about 70 miles from Epping/Sydney, to the area around the porty of Wollongong and Mt Kurea. Lunch at a pub that was a temple to football (ie soccer) in Australia - it is owned by the family of John Warren who is to Aussies what Booby Moore or Pele are to England or Brazil. Tropical storms from Qu...

This is a sports mad country so this seems like a good chance to give a halftime report on 'being here'. There's no real suspense - Australia is a winner, but here are a few of the judges' observations. Plus points scored for: 1. Kangaroos - when you've seen one (I have !!!) you definitely haven't seen them all; 2. Beer nuts - little things but still great 3. Hyde Park - in contrast to the underwhelming CBD in Sydney, this is a terrific oasis on the ed...

This is a blog not a work of fiction. So I'm going to tell you exactly what happened today, how it happened. No embellishment, no murmur of a lie. Today, being the plucky Brit that I am, I turned down the pleasures of taking high tea at the (dead posh) "Old Barracks" in Sydney National Park. Instead of two lumps please and a crumpet, I opted to explore the Taronga-to-Manly coastal path. Navigating my way through dense bush undergrowth, in considerable heat &...