26th February 2009

We again met up with Avril & Les even though we had all awoken late as we had had such a late night. We went off to go up the Eureka Sky Deck 88. This is the highest public vantage point in the southern hemisphere. The lift takes you up 88 stories at 9 metres per second which makes them the fastest in the southern hemisphere. I went out onto the terrace which exposes you to the elements. Those of you who know me well will know that I really do not like heights, so to be outside at 300 metres is above and beyond the call of duty.

Left Avril and Les a little early as we have been invited out for dinner tonight. So before we came back to our hotel to change we went into the Gardens across the road from where we are staying. Fitzroy Gardens contains the cottage that belonged to Captain Cook's parents in Whitby. It was shipped over in the 1930s and is surrounded by some very pretty plants. There is also a memorial to John F. Kennedy, but I felt this looked a little neglected. We were then picked up by Sandy and Brian Morris, whom we had met briefly in Manchester at a shabbat lunch last year and they took us back to their home in the suburb of Bentley for a lovely meal. It was nice to be treated to some real home hospitality and it finished the day off on a high note.

Just a note on Australian TV, obviously we can only watch what is fed into the hotel. The format of Sky News is different from that at home, It being mainly a discussion programme and very little news. The only way to keep up with what is happening is to read the scrolling news which runs constantly on the bottom of the screen. The presenters do not seem to update the news 'live'. Neighbours even managing to have 2 advert breaks in a half hour programme.