A March Update

A few trips to Sydney this month due to our visitor and a birthday party. A few more next month too due to a 65th, a medical appointment and our visitor's departure. I think that is more trips up that way in a month than is usual for the whole year!

Anyway, we have had the opportunity to confirm that living down the south coast is far more preferable than in the city......any city.

The daughter had a lovely 30th at Ripples on Chowder Bay with 16 of her closest friends and family. During the weekend, we showed Crystal around some of the northern harbourside suburbs and the CBD, particularly Circular Quay and The Rocks ie. the original Sydney. The daughter took her to a couple of southern city beaches , including Bondi, and managed to fit in some Sydney nightlife the following weekend. They apparently ran the gauntlet of a few bars between the gay end of town and the red light district! But seriously, Kings Cross/Darlinghurst is not as 'bad' as it used to be and the carnal activities are concentrated in one area and generally can be avoided. And there are always plenty of people around until the late wee hours.

During the last weekend while the girls 'played', we headed up to "Uncle" Stirls place at Umina and investigated a bit more of the Central Coast while he was at work. The Entrance is an old fashioned Australian sea side town and they have done a lot to preserve that atmosphere. We enjoyed fish and chips and a hamburger by the water and watched the world go by.

On the wine scene we have picked the Cabernet. It came in at 12.0 Baume which is satisfactory. We had some additional help with this last harvest of the year which made things easier and had it all done before lunch. It was good timing as the rain set in once we returned from the 'big smoke'.

The must is currently bubbling away in the fermenter.