Upside down birthday!

Having a summer birthday has often meant spending it on holiday either with friends or family. So this year I was just as excited to be spending it in Australia but a little apprehensive that for the first time it would be a winter birthday! To start the day we had (distinctly English) cups of tea in bed with a tim tam - birthdays should always start with chocolate. Then began the present opening ceremony when I got to open lots of little but special gifts.

After a slow and relaxing morning we headed into the city for some pancakes on the rocks. We stuck to savoury but a part of me was longing for the pancakes covered in strawberries, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce! Then we moseyed through the botanic gardens to the NSW Art Gallery to see the exhibition showing entries to the very prestigious Archibald prize (an annual competition for best portrait). Some were amazing, some were bizarre and some hurt our eyes! But overall it was really interesting and made us feel very cultured!

In the evening we went to a restaurant called 'Ripples' right on the water and just below the harbour bridge. The food was delicious and the view was awesome. Luckily we weren't eating al fresco because it

started hammering down with rain halfway through our meal.
It had been a lovely way to spend a birthday but the real treat came the next day... FEATHERDALE WILDLIFE PARK!

I made Matt wake up super early so that we could arrive at the Wildlife Park as early as possible. When we got there we were given 'passports' that we could stamp at all of the different areas. This turned out to be a highlight of the trip although sometimes we did have to wait behind a group of school children. The first animals we came across were wallabies and I noticed that some children were feeding them something. I began to get agitated until Matt spotted the vending machine that sold these cones of food for the animals. Costing $1 I saw this as a bargain (until later that morning Matt let a Quokka steal the whole thing out of his hands). We fed as many wallabies and kangaroos as we could and it was bloody brilliant! Then we came to the

koalas, softer and cuddlier than either of us imagined. BUT... We weren't actually allowed to hold them, only stroke them and pose for pictures. This was still pretty glorious but my search to find a koala to cuddle continues.

When we had explored every part of the wildlife park I conceded that it was time to leave. After all it was time to go and collect the one and only Nigel! We got the train to the undesirable Parramatta road and completed the necessary paperwork to become proud new owners of Nigel the Nissan! Matt was in his element driving Nigel across the harbour bridge and back home.