These good-humoured tourists celebrated New Year in Sydney twelve hours ahead of their folk in the UK.

Another tourist ritual is centred on Bondi Beach. Come and join the thongs!

Eleven hours ago: aftermath of the New Year fireworks in Sydney.

Dixon Park Beach and Bar Beach in the distance.

The Korean language is not pictographic but has 40 written Hangul characters which are said to cover the phonetics very effectively and date from the 15th century when devised by King Sejong. Written Chinese characters were used prior to that time. Consonant and vowel are typically joined to form a syllable. The text is probably read from left to right.

The word order is of subject object verb with the verb put strictly at the end of a sentence.

Various means of expressing respect are important and many forms are used according to the age and social status of the speaker and of the addressee or when speaking about the elder.

Only 250 Korean family surnames are used but within which finer categories are identified. Brides do not necessarily adopt the groom's name and introductions or arranged marriages are probably the done thing when consideration is given to the role of the clan (or so I believe, disadvantaged by not understanding Korean, as it is fairly difficult to understand very much about a society at all unless one can speak the language).

Although it was early on Christmas Eve a long line was waiting to buy seafoods.
I took some photos and decided not to wait but go to another shop which had a small queue but found it only took cash so some of us went to the ATM nearby but it proved to be out of action. On returning to the neighbourhood supermarket a few k's away, which was ultra-busy, a queue had formed at the seafood counter there but thankfully, service was fairly fast. It will be a fishy Christmas along with other mainstays and other indulgences. Happy Christmas!!

At Fort Scratchley. From another angle.


Bahasas Indonesia

A Sweet Symbol
A popular symbol of Christmas
Is the simple candy cane.
Its shape is the crook of the shepherd
One of the first who came.

The lively green peppermint is
the regal gift of spice.
The white is for purity
The red is sacrifice.

The narrow stripes are friendship
And the nearness of the Child's love
With eternal, sweet compassion
A gift from above.

The candy cane reminds us all
Of how our creator cares.
And like his Christmas gift to us
It's meant to be broken and shared.

This Christmas candy sentiment, albeit North American, had never been heard before and is from a church in Newcastle. The sweet itself originated in Europe according to Wikipedia.

At the old Fort Scratchley, Newcastle. Battery Observation Post.
(Have since cleaned the lens)



Q&A: Mana yang banyak?
Mana yang sedikit?
(Kupu-kupu - cute word!)

Games near the Port of Newcastle.





Indonesian shadow puppets refer to figures from mythology. Those old traditions must have been popular and it seems that diverse beliefs were acceptable in Indonesia.

Spot the Wicked Camper. Travelling north? Visit Newcastle! Then further on do the outstanding Woodford Folk Festival 27 Dec to 1 Jan, just beyond Brisbane (with camping) our answer to Glastonbury.

In response to an objection to an outrageous slogan on a van it was said: "It is a parody like all our vans. They're effectively taking the mickey out of every subject we do" Particularly in the case of the home grown vans in this country.
Jesus said follow me...I am the way...he loves you even if no one else does

Going like a blur.
Non-wicked van, contour design and a traveller from the Netherlands.
Above: not up to standard at all.
And this is not a wicked .......

Onion domes have sprouted in the park as part of the Moscow Circus which features international stars, acrobats, death defying acts and........ the Globe of Death motorbike stunt.

The circus is from Michael Edgley who has long been part of the entertaiment industry. Originally the family were English immigrants.
In the 1960's Eric Edgley established an innovative working relationship with the Russian authorities and started bringing Russian performers to the West beginning with 25 members of the Bolshoi Ballet touring Australia in 1962 and followed on by other renowed attractions and extravaganzas presented by the Michael Edgley company.

The villagers are restless. Coal miners are knocking at their door.
(Incidentally rainwater collected in a tank is used by the household - I guess)
In a river cool on a causeway crossing in the Hunter valley.


Q&A: Durian.
Remarkable pungent fleshy fruit!
Bahasa Indonesia or maybe Malay.

In this district the properties, farmhouses and hobby farms are deserted and have been acquired by the coal mining industry.
The locality, Anvil Hill, will be mined and renamed Mangoola by the Xstrata company. I imagine much of the area, far and wide, is subject to exploration and mining leases.



Below Q&A: Bagaimana isinya?
(Bahasa Indonesia)

The protests were in vain and the mine went ahead in the Hunter valley.
The government has just set a target of 5% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. We need more reductions. By various means coal mining can't lose out - yet.
Our lifestyle in this country is very extravagent. We have to pay the price for greenhouse gas emissions. We could have suffered losses for a worthwhile cause like climate change instead of 'donating' our investments to gangster financiers on the other side of the 'free' world.


Bahasa Indonesia

'St John' of radio NEWFM wed this very afternoon! The happy couple looked splendid and a traditional Filipeno outfit was worn by the groom.

At first sight it looks good but how embarrassing.
Motorcycle trike and trailer mit roadside assistance.

Instead of baggage at the airport there sat another Triumph motorcycle with its own 'armour plated' 'saddle bags'. Tiger: no danger of this one becoming extinct! Liquid cooled 12 valve DOHC in line 3 cylinder, 1050, with sequential electronic fuel injection.
Please do not sit on display!!


Q&A: Benda apakah itu?
Who knows, just some Australiana from the souvineer shelves at the airport.

As if chasing a storm. Storms arrive in November-December and the tropical wet season hits the far north.


Q&A: mana yang tinggi? mana yang rendah?
(Bahasa Indonesia)

Straw coloured fields in the Hunter valley.
Childhood stories by Mary O'Hara and greener times are recalled in: The Green Grass Of Wyoming and My Friend Flicka, when Flicka was a horse rather than a program!




Q&A: Rambutan. (Bahasa Indonesia)