#53. Bondi today - che bella!

34 deg C in the city, so thousands flocked to the beach where it was 29 (but a relatively chilly 21 in the water)

#52. Buffalo Bills Fire Coach Rex Ryan, Slamming Door on a Boisterous Presence

from the New York Times: Rex Ryan needed just one more win — against the faltering Jets, no less — to become the first Buffalo Bills head coach in 16 years to post back-to-back .500 seasons. As it turns out, he will not be afforded that opportunity on Sunday, when the N.F.L. concludes its regular season. In a move that was surprising more for its timing than its outcome, Ryan was fired Tuesday and replaced by his offensive coordinator, Anthony Lynn, on an interim basis.

Ryan still has three years left on a five-year deal worth $5.5 million per season, an indication of just how badly the Bills’ owners, Terry and Kim Pegula, wished to be rid of the boisterous Ryan. The dismissal had been rumored for more than a week, though the Bills had been expected to wait until the so-called black Monday, the day after the regular season ends, to pull the trigger.While coaching the Jets for six seasons — and reaching the A.F.C. championship game in his first two — Ryan built a reputation for creating strong, aggressive defenses. He was never able to manage that with the Bills, however, and his teams in Buffalo also suffered from the same shortcoming he endured with the Jets: the absence of a top-tier quarterback. In New York, Ryan managed games tightly with erratic performers at quarterback like Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith. In Buffalo, he tethered his wagon to quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who appeared to take several steps back in recent weeks.

#51. Xmas in Bondi

slightly different Christmas to what we'd gotten used to

and, sadly, the 31st & last Xmas Lunch at Terrigal

But not so good at Coogee, according to Brett Cole of the NY Times: SYDNEY, Australia — Christmas and New Year in Australia typically involve barbecues, beaches and beer. But a Christmas Day celebration that drew more than 10,000 people has led to a suspension of that tradition on Coogee Beach in the Sydney suburb of Randwick, where officials estimate that revelers left behind more than 16 tons of garbage. The City Council banned alcohol on the beach for the rest of the Australian summer. “I’m a local, and in all my time here I’ve never seen anything like it,” Tony Waller, president of the Coogee Surf Life Saving Club, told Channel 7, adding that the club used four oxygen cylinders and 15 resuscitation masks to treat drunken partygoers. “By late evening, it got so bad that we let the shark alarm off three times to try to get the swimmers out of the water, we had such grave concerns for them,” Mr. Waller said. “They were all intoxicated.” Three people were arrested over “antisocial behavior,” according to the police. There has long been tension between the residents who live near Sydney’s beaches and the tourists, many of them foreign, who hold all-day and all-night parties fueled by alcohol and drugs and leave behind piles of trash that greet early morning joggers and swimmers. “I’ve seen sex on Bondi Beach on Christmas afternoon,” Mark Cotter, president of the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club, said in an interview, referring to a beach north of Coogee. “People are often off their heads, drunk and sunburned.” At Bondi Beach, the local council has also banned alcohol consumption. But many residents say that beer, along with cannabis and other drugs, is openly consumed on a grassy area where turntables and D.J.s entertain crowds. “The grassy knoll at north Bondi is the place to be seen on Saturdays and Sundays as it attracts buff bodies and bikinis,” Zak Mann, a 20-year Bondi resident, said in an interview. “It’s cheaper to drink on the street than in the swanky, upmarket bars.” The police and rangers employed by local councils have the authority to confiscate unopened alcohol and pour out alcohol being consumed on Bondi Beach, said Tony Kay, who oversees the council for Waverley, a Sydney suburb. The police in Sydney often simply warn those found in possession of up to 15 grams of cannabis leaf, enough for 15 to 25 joints. The City Council in Randwick said that it had previously restricted alcohol consumption at Coogee Beach and its surrounding parks during certain hours of the day in an effort to stop bad behavior. “However, the poor and inappropriate behavior of a few on Christmas Day have forced the council to introduce a total alcohol ban for the area for summer,” it said. “The public outrage to the devastation of the parks and beach itself on Christmas Day has been quite phenomenal.”

#50. Last day of Nippers for 2016

Xavi has done really well at 'nippers', making it to 8 of the 9 dates (only missed when we were in beautiful Burleigh). Today, they began with running on the sand to warm up, then ran into the surf, swam in the pool and took the boards out into the bogey hole - and Xavi caught a wave (with Col's help). he was very happy

then at the end, there was a special visitor in a red suit arrived in rubber ducky bearing Icy Poles (what else?) for all the Nippers

#49. Preschool graduation day

Congratulations dude. "Oh the places you'll go..." Hope you enjoy Big School as much!

they are only 5 year olds, after all

#48. Bondi to Bronte ocean swim: event crew

Yesterday was the annual 2.4km ocean swim from Bondi to Bronte. Now we are involved with Bronte SLSC via nippers and the B2B is a major fund raising event for the club, Paul decided to volunteer for the event. He worked on the drinks station at the finish, filing then handing out 1000 souvenir drink bottles and a similar number of cups of powerade. it was fun but hard work

The winner did it in an incredible 24 minutes. That's 10 mins per km. In an exciting finish, the quinella was decided by a sprint up the sand. And to illustrate the class of the field, the runner up had been in the Olympics and led the 10km Olympic swim at the 8 km mark. The first female was a 15 year old girl.

#47. Happy Thanksgiving down under

gobble gobble!

it was a lot of fun and we'll book it in for 2017

#46. hi from beautiful Burleigh

Had a terrific couple of days of R&R at BH after the COSA conference at the GCCC. Kate & kids came up on the last 3 nights.

stayed at the towering Gemini Court on the recommendation of Stephen & Jenny, with spectacular views up to Surfers and beyond. While James St is getting trendy and coffee shops are everywhere, BH is still much less tacky than Broadbeach/Surfers and less high end than Byron/Noosa.

Although Burleigh Point can have some of the best waves on the Coast, the swell was down this week making it great for the kids.

we also visited Sea World, hopefully a "bucket list" job.

. We will be back in burleigh again, hopefully soon and with Steve next time.

#45. calling all tooth fairies!

xavi loses his first tooth. it was wobbly for days. congratulations dude

#44. Sydney syzygy

The moon was at its most spectacular tonight as the sky darkens and while it is close to the horizon. Sydneysiders will have moonrise between 7.07pm and 7.36pm as the sun sets. This monster moon will appear up to 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than an average full moon. Getting prime pozzie means securing a spot which gives you a clear view of the easterly horizon, just before sunset. Bronte Beach is tipped as probably the best location to witness this, and the Surf Club bar was open from 5.30pm so one could enjoy a drink whilst watching this unique experience. Were you to skip this astronomical showstopper on this scale, you can see another one ... on November 25, 2034.

by the way, there is not a problem with the spell checker! A syzygy is a straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies in a gravitational system.The word is often used in reference to the Sun, Earth, and either the Moon or a planet, where the latter is in conjunction or opposition. Solar and lunar eclipses occur at times of syzygy, as do transits and occultations. The term is often applied when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction (new moon) or opposition (full moon).[5]

#43. VCCC

Paul was speaking at a conference at the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Center yesterday. It's an amazing building, and with spectacular views. We look forward to having a vaca. in Melbourne sometime, hopefully in the not too distant future.

#42. Happy Halloween, Bondi style

Definitely much more popular than when we left Sydney in 2008. One difference is you really have to preserve a jack o' lantern (bleach rinse, WD40) in the Australian sun.

But you can't beat NYC for Halloween as this picture of a friend's daughter shows

#41. Day 3 of nippers