So the day is only a few hours old and already it's delivered in a big way. I've just come from a meeting with Kevin Mitchell, Chief Winemaker and proprietor of Kilikanoon Wines in the Clare Valley, just north of Adelaide - have a look - http://www.kilikanoon.com.au/.
Having been in contact for a few weeks before I arrived down under, today was the first chance we got to meet face to face - I was hoping he would come through with some work for the upcoming 2011 vintage -anything really, picking grapes, cleaning the cellar, making cups of tea and the like. Anyway, to cut a long story short I'll be working in the winery as one of his four assistants for a few months come the new year.
'Will I be picking grapes and so on?', I asked.
'Nah, we'll leave that to the guys in the vineyard', was the reply. 'You'll be racking, checking the ferment, tasting, keeping notes on the new wines, things like that'.
'Can I do a few days of grape-picking if I want to?'
'Sure, if you really want to, but you'll have your hands full at the winery - it's a seven day week, maybe with one day off a fortnight so we generally leave that to the guys in the vineyard'.
I was slightly taken aback and it was all I could do not to start grinning the Pyatt cheeky grin.
'Brilliant, count me in', I replied, with as much nonchalance as I could muster.
And he paid for breakfast - what a nice guy.
So back to matters at hand, and to another thing that delivers in a big way - Sydney - let's get the obvious stuff out of the way first.
The Harbour Bridge - everything that has been said about it is an understatement as it would be impossible to hyperbolise about its grandeur and majesty. The size really stopped me in my tracks - visible above and between buildings from about two-thirds of the way down George St, it dominates the harbour in a serious fashion. With two huge Australian flags on top and with not very much of Australia to its east, this bridge would not be more of a gateway to the country if it said in huge letters, 'G'DAY COBBER, THIS IS BLOODY AUSTRALIA'.
The opera house both complements and contrasts with the bridge. Infinitely smaller, it more than makes up for its lack of size with elegance and flair of design, a permanent armada of sailing boats at the harbour's edge acting as a nod to the country's maritime history.
Yesterday I donned the running shoes and headed out around the streets to see the rest of the city in the best way I know. Hyde Park was quiet and understated, with immaculately kept lawns, a gently flowing fountain and the elegant, orange-hued serenity of St Mary's Cathedral providing the backdrop.
Continuing on towards the water front, I headed through the Botanical Gardens, ran past the various exotic flora, down to the harbour and back up to the hostel - grateful for once that it takes a very long time in Sydney for pedestrians to cross any major thoroughfare - It seems that a) summertime is trying to arrive early and b) I'm perhaps not as fit as I'd like to think.
Right where's the nearest bar?...
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