In between very slowly bringing the website up to date, I’ve been busy working and keeping extremely busy elsewhere… I thought I’d do an out-of-chronological order post, just to wish you all a Happy New Year, and to share a couple of pictures from last night…

At the last minute, my plans for New Tears Eve came together… Tom, who was doing something similar to me by working at Kemenys during December, invited a few of us round for drinks and a barbie. It just so happens that the views from his Dad’s flat, where he’s been staying while in Sydney, has just about the best views of the Harbour there is! On one side the Harbour bridge, and the Prime Minister’s house on the other, right opposite the Opera House!

Tom also hails from the UK, although he’s been over here working in the wine industry for the last five years, and studied wine at Adelaide, so he had the wine more than covered, but giving Mark and I instructions to bring beer and steak… I opted for the steak as I was finishing earlier than Mark (my last day at Kemenys too) – and I’m glad I went to the butcher, because the steak we had, despite being cooked on a disposable barbie, in the dark, was some of the best I’ve ever had… and this was apparently not even the top-level steak at the butchers!

After drinking a great many beers (mainly Little Creatures Pale Ale funnily enough…) and a few bottles of wine, Tom cracked open the Arras – made at Bay of Fires in Tasmania (somewhere Tom used to work) I had heard that this was the best Aussie sparkler there is, and it was fantastic, dry, toasty and complex, I didn’t make any notes…but I thoroughly enjoyed it – and this 2002 had only just arrived in the shop over the weekend, replacing the 2001 that had run out over Christmas.

I’m into my last week here in Sydney now, and am heading off to Taz on Sunday, so I will have to try it again when I get there and give it more of my attention! I will attempt to get the site up to date before I go - in between surf lessons and watching the cricket of course!