Dwi’n falch i adrodd fy mod wedi cadw at fy adduned ar gyfer y flwyddyn newydd eleni. Ar ôl yr holl codi’n gynnar rydym wedi ei wneud ers cyrraedd Melbourne roeddwn wedi addo i fi fy hun y byddwn yn cael gorffwys i fewn tan yn hwyr ar Ddydd Calan. Ac fe wnes i, hyd at hanner wedi dau yn y pnawn i fod yn gywir. Ar yr un adeg fe ddigwyddodd rhywbeth rhyfeddol iawn o fewn hanner awr i mi godi. Yn ddiweddar, gan ei bod mor boeth yn Melbourne, roedd y ddau ohonom wedi dechrau dilyn tymheredd cyfredol Melbourne ar y we ac wrth i mi godi roedd tymheredd y ddinas yn dechrau gostwng yn sydyn iawn. Am hanner wedi dau roedd hi’n bron yn 42 gradd ac erbyn tri o’r gloch roedd y tymheredd wedi gostwng i 27 gradd! Mae’n debyg fod y ffenomen yma yn digwydd yn reit amal yn Melbourne pan fydd cyfeiriad y gwynt yn newid o gyfeiriad y gogledd i dod o’r de ac o gyfeiriad y môr. Ta beth oedd y rheswm roeddwn yn falch iawn o’r tymheredd llawer mwy iachus yma. Cymryd pethau yn ddigon hamddenol gwnaethom ac ar ôl brecwast!! Aethom am dro … yn y car am newid fach. Fe’r aeth Eifion a ni yn gyntaf ogwmpas trac ‘Formula One’ sydd wedi ei leoli rownd llun mewn parc yn y ddinas. Yn anffodus roedd gormod o fariau ar hyd y trac yn ein rhwystro rhag mynd yn rhy gyflym - ‘spoilsports’! Wedi hynny, i lawr yr afordir am ‘run’ fach neis a pasio ganoedd o dai byddai’n gwerthu am brisiau yn y miliynau.
Brysur iawn buom tra gyda Eifion. Fe aeth a ni i’r Healesville Animal Sanctuary i ni cael gweld yr holl amrywiaeth o fywyd gwyllt sydd yn Awstralia. Ymhlith yr holl anifeiliaid eraill cawsom weld y Tasmanian Devil, Echidnas, Kangarws, Wallabies, Platypus, Dingos, Emus, Bilbies, Koalas, amrywiaeth o frogaid, lizards, adar a nadroedd gan gynnwys y rhai mwyaf gwenwynus yn y byd heb anghofio pen-ol un Wombat (roeddent i gyd yn cysgu’n braf pan alwon ni). Cafodd Eifion enw newydd ar ôl y diwrnod hwnw, sef Searching Bear. Bob tro roedd Nia a finne yn symud ymlaen i’r gorlan nesaf i edrych ar anifail arall roedd Eifion yno yn barod wedi chwilio’r creaduriaid yng nghanol yr holl dyfiant ac yn eu pwyntio nhw allan i ni.
Gyda’r hwyr y diwrnod hynny fe’r aethom i farchnad nos yn y ddinas ble roedd stondinau yn gwerthu’r popeth gan gynnwys bwyd a chwrw ac roedd bandiau yn chwarae a miloedd o fobl ar hyd y lle. Cawsom swper yno ac ar ôl bod yn syllu ar yr anifeiliaid yn gynharach y diwrnod hynny ac yn www-an ac aaa-an drostynt doedd dim amheuaeth gennyf i’w blasu nawr. Dewisais felly y Bushman’s Choice a chael byrgyr kangarw, sosej o gig emu a stêc water buffalo. Braf iawn, meant yn blasu cystal ac meant yn edrych. Dewisodd Nia, a oedd ddim eisiau trio y kangarw, byrgyr crocodeil yn lle. Roedd hwnw’n neis hefyd.
Doedd y codi’n gynnar i fynd am wâc heb ddiwedd gyda’r flwyddyn newydd. Wedi un bore o orffwys i fewn bant a ni eto. Y tro hwn aethom ogwmpas gardd fotaneg Melbourne yng nghanol y ddinas. Lle braf arall. Fel pob wâc arall roedd cwmni gyda ni ac mi’r oeddem yn mwynhau cerdded gyda Bernie, Steve a Laura heb anghofio Eifion wrth gwrs. Wrth ymyl y gerddi mae cofeb ANZAC. Roedd yn le diddorol iawn a chawsom sgwrs golew hefyd gyda’r gwarchodwyr a ddysgodd rhagor am hanes y cofeb i ni. Roeddent yn ei ffurfwisg swyddogol â plu ostrich yn eu hetiau a gynnau (go iawn) ar eu cluniau.
Tra yn y ddinas cawsom rhywfaint o ddiwylliant. Ymwelsom â’r Oriel Cenedlaethol, yr Amgueddfa Mewnfudiad sy’n rhoi hanes ar mewnfudiad Awstralia ac aethom ogwmpas Mebourne ar hen dramiau’r ddinas yn dysgu am ychydig o’i hanes. Hefyd, cawsom ychydig o ymarfer corff, a oedd mor angenrheidiol arnaf, wrth ymweld a baddon y ddinas. Mi’r oedd yn le hyfryd iawn gyda chyfleutesrau modern tu fewn i hen adeilad hyfryd a adeiladwyd yn oes Fictoria. Roedd yna drefn ar bobeth gyda pawb yn nofio mewn un o bedwar lôn – un lôn ar gyfer y nofwyr cyflym, un i’r canolraidd, un i’r rhai araf ac yna un lôn ar gyfer y rhai oedd ond am ddod am chlonc a splash. Trefnus iawn – pam na allwn ni gael hyn adre’!?!?
Ar ein noson olaf ond un fe’r aeth Eifion a ni a’u deulu allan am bryd o fwyd i Ty Bwyta Stêc. Gan yr oeddem bellach wedi cael blas ar y ‘bushtucker’ cefais tamaid o bopeth sef stêc kangarw, stêc emu, stêc camel a stêc water buffalo. Roedd yn flasus iawn a doedd dim un yn blasu fel cyw iâr. Fe cafodd Nia yr un fath hefyd, roedd wedi newid ei chân am fwyta kangarw erbyn hyn.
Ar ein diwrnod olaf cyn symud ymlaen rhaid oedd mynd am un wâc arall (wedes i ein bod wedi cerdded tipyn). Wâc y tro yma o dy Bernie a Steve ar hyd yr afon Yarra eto. Yn dilyn, cawsom un ymweliad olaf â’r ddinas a hefyd nofiad fach arall yn y baddon. Gyda’r hwyr aethom allan am bryd o fwyd ffarwelio gyda’n cyd-gerddwyr, Bernie, Steve a Laura, yn y ddinas ar hyd Lygon Street. Cerddom i fyny a lawr y stryd gyda perchennog pob bwyty yn gwneud eu gorau i’n temptio i fewn i’w bwyty hwy gyda un yn trio curo’r llall gyda addewid gwell am hyn a llall. Yn y diwedd fe wnaethom benderfynnu ar fwyty yr hen foi Eidalaidd yma a wnaeth addo dim i ni ond y bwyd gorau a braf iawn ydoedd. Croesi’r ffordd wedyn i un o nifer o Gelatis sydd yw cael yn y ddinas am hufen iâ cyn mynd am goffi bach mewn caffi neu yn fy achos i, milkshake fawr â hufen iâ ynddi gan ei bod o hyd yn boeth er ei bod wedi troi ganol nos.
Monday, 28 January 2008
Cerdded i’r Flwyddyn Newydd
Fel dwi wedi crybwyll yn barod rhaid oedd codi o’n gwelau yn gynnar iawn tra yn aros gyda Eifion a rhoi ein sgidiau cerdded arno i fynd am ein wâc boreuol. Ond chwarae teg iddo fe’r aeth Eifion a ni i lefydd hyfryd i gerdded fel Parc Cenedlaethol Mynyddoedd y Dandenong sydd wedi ei leoli ychydig tu allan i Melbourne. Gan ein bod wedi codi mor fore roedd hi’n hyfryd yno. Nid oedd gwres yr haul wedi treiddio drwy coed y bwsh ac felly roedd hi’n cwl neis a hefyd, doedd dim pryfed yno. Dyma fy unig gwyn am Melbourne, mae llawer gormod o bryfed yno. Mi’r oedd yn braf cael cerdded drwy’r bwsh a gwylio’r holl amrywiaeth o adar a hefyd, coeliwch neu beidio, gwelsom dim un ond dau walabi du. Dyma’r creaduriaid roedd Ali wedi cynhyrfu gymaint wrth weld un yn Dunmoochin. Cefais fidio clip da o un ohonynt ac fe gei di copi Ali pan ddof adre.
Wrth ddychwelyd ar ôl ein whâc fe alwon fewn ar y cymdogion. Nid eich cymdogion arferol ond Y cymdogion, neu i fod yn fwy manwl galwon yn Ramsey Street ble mae’r rhaglen teledu Neighbours wedi ei leoli. Ond nid Ramsey Street yw’r enw go iawn, Pin Oak Street mae’n cael ei alw. Yn anffodus nid oedd ffilmio yn digwydd tra roeddwn yno a felly’r unig berson cawsom gwrdd â oedd y gwarchodwr diogelwch – ond mi’r oedd o’n foi iawn gan iddo adnabod ein acen Gymraeg yn syth. Felly, gan nad oedd unrhyw actorion i ni dynnu eu lluniau rhaid oedd i Nia a finne cael ein lluniau wedi’u tynnu tu allan i bob cartref ar y rhaglen – pob un o’r chwech ty. Sori Jan, does gen i llofnod neb o’r rhaglen i ti ond fe gei di lun o Nia a fi o flaen y tai ac fe rho i llofnod fy hun arno fe os ti ishe.
Ar ddiwrnod ola’r flwyddyn, codom yn fore eto i fynd am dro bach arall. Y tro hyn cerddom ar hyd yr afon Yarra o fewn parc mawr yng nghanol y ddinas. Mi’r oedd yn hafan braf ac anodd oedd credu fod yna ddinas fawr reit wrth ein hymyl. Ond mi’r oedd gormod o bryfed yno y tro hwn ac mi’r oedd hi’n boeth er pa mor fore yr oedd hi. Yn wir roedd y diwrnod cyfan yn boeth iawn gyda’r tymheredd uchaf yn cyrraedd bron 43 gradd. Roedd yn teimlo fel petai ni’n gwario diwrnod mewn ffwrn, a ffwrn ‘fan assisted’ ar hynny gan fod yr awel go gryf roedd gyda ni mor boeth hefyd a felly dim ond chwysu gwnaethom drwy’r dydd. Yn y pnawn roedd Nia wedi gwneud apwyntiad i dorri ei gwallt ac oherwydd y gwres roedd gwell gen i gwario fy amser yn y siop gwallt gyda’r ‘aircondition’ na mynd am dro i rywle arall. Yn wir penderfynais cael cropiad hefyd, roeddwn yn barod i drio rhywbeth i deimlo’n cwlach.
Gyda’r hwyr roeddem wedi derbyn gwahoddiad i fynd i barti Nos Calan gan Bernie a Steve, ffrindiau Eifion. Roedd yno llond ty o fobl ac mwynheuom ddod i nabod sawl un o ffrindiau Eifion. Roedd y cwrw’n oer, y bwyd yn flasus a’r cwmni’n dda. Ar hanner nos aethom i dop y stryd i edrych lawr dros y ddinas a gwylio’r holl dân gwyllt. Cawsom amser da er nad oedd y gwres wedi gostwng ryw lawer. Erbyn i ni gyrraedd adref am ychydig cyn 4 y bore roedd y tymheredd o hyd yn 32 gradd. Diolch byth am effaith y cwrw neu dwi’n siwr bydde ni heb gysgu’r noswaith hynny.
Wrth ddychwelyd ar ôl ein whâc fe alwon fewn ar y cymdogion. Nid eich cymdogion arferol ond Y cymdogion, neu i fod yn fwy manwl galwon yn Ramsey Street ble mae’r rhaglen teledu Neighbours wedi ei leoli. Ond nid Ramsey Street yw’r enw go iawn, Pin Oak Street mae’n cael ei alw. Yn anffodus nid oedd ffilmio yn digwydd tra roeddwn yno a felly’r unig berson cawsom gwrdd â oedd y gwarchodwr diogelwch – ond mi’r oedd o’n foi iawn gan iddo adnabod ein acen Gymraeg yn syth. Felly, gan nad oedd unrhyw actorion i ni dynnu eu lluniau rhaid oedd i Nia a finne cael ein lluniau wedi’u tynnu tu allan i bob cartref ar y rhaglen – pob un o’r chwech ty. Sori Jan, does gen i llofnod neb o’r rhaglen i ti ond fe gei di lun o Nia a fi o flaen y tai ac fe rho i llofnod fy hun arno fe os ti ishe.
Ar ddiwrnod ola’r flwyddyn, codom yn fore eto i fynd am dro bach arall. Y tro hyn cerddom ar hyd yr afon Yarra o fewn parc mawr yng nghanol y ddinas. Mi’r oedd yn hafan braf ac anodd oedd credu fod yna ddinas fawr reit wrth ein hymyl. Ond mi’r oedd gormod o bryfed yno y tro hwn ac mi’r oedd hi’n boeth er pa mor fore yr oedd hi. Yn wir roedd y diwrnod cyfan yn boeth iawn gyda’r tymheredd uchaf yn cyrraedd bron 43 gradd. Roedd yn teimlo fel petai ni’n gwario diwrnod mewn ffwrn, a ffwrn ‘fan assisted’ ar hynny gan fod yr awel go gryf roedd gyda ni mor boeth hefyd a felly dim ond chwysu gwnaethom drwy’r dydd. Yn y pnawn roedd Nia wedi gwneud apwyntiad i dorri ei gwallt ac oherwydd y gwres roedd gwell gen i gwario fy amser yn y siop gwallt gyda’r ‘aircondition’ na mynd am dro i rywle arall. Yn wir penderfynais cael cropiad hefyd, roeddwn yn barod i drio rhywbeth i deimlo’n cwlach.
Gyda’r hwyr roeddem wedi derbyn gwahoddiad i fynd i barti Nos Calan gan Bernie a Steve, ffrindiau Eifion. Roedd yno llond ty o fobl ac mwynheuom ddod i nabod sawl un o ffrindiau Eifion. Roedd y cwrw’n oer, y bwyd yn flasus a’r cwmni’n dda. Ar hanner nos aethom i dop y stryd i edrych lawr dros y ddinas a gwylio’r holl dân gwyllt. Cawsom amser da er nad oedd y gwres wedi gostwng ryw lawer. Erbyn i ni gyrraedd adref am ychydig cyn 4 y bore roedd y tymheredd o hyd yn 32 gradd. Diolch byth am effaith y cwrw neu dwi’n siwr bydde ni heb gysgu’r noswaith hynny.
Sunday, 27 January 2008
THE INDIAN PACIFIC - THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETME
Our next destination after Adelaide was Perth on the West coast of Australia. Perth is known as the most isolated city in the world and is closer to Beijing and Bali than it is to Sydney. We chose to let the train take the strain but not just any old train, but the famous Indian Pacific which runs from Sydney to Perth twice weekly, taking 4 days and 3 nights to cover the whole 2800 miles, crossing 3 different time zones. The Indian Pacific train is 700 metres long and about half way down the platform I started to ask Marc if we were nearly there yet. We boarded at Adelaide at 6.00pm on Thursday evening and would be travelling 1700 miles over 38 hours.
There are three travelling standards on board. Firstly Gold Kangaroo Luxury Sleeper Cabins i.e. “the attendant will draw your curtains, turn back your bed and warm your slippers as you are wined and dined in the Moonlight Dining Carriage. Then we have Red Kangaroo Sleeper Cabins i.e. “after you’ve scrubbed, moussed and oiled yourself with the free smellies in your private bathroom, retire to bed and awake refreshed for another day”. Finally, there is Red Kangaroo Day/Night Seater Class i.e. “here’s your seat for the next three days, no sleeping in the lounge car, no using the towels as blankets and no getting bladdered at any of the stopovers, stiff neck thrown in free”. Guess which one we were in? And yes, it was fantastic! Cattle Class is where you get to talk to and swap tips with people from all over the world. Our carriage had young families, backpackers and ‘grey nomads’ all taking the trip of a lifetime.
There were 10 Welsh people in our carriage alone, enough to have an eisteddfod, amongst them the backpacker from Pontardawe who obviously didn’t own any sort of pyjamas, but had taken heed of the Dress Code on board and had bought himself a sleek navy and purple dressing gown especially for the journey. He became known as Hugh Hefner.
The train takes 9 hours to cross the Nullarbor Plains – just mile after mile, hour after hour of nothing but red dust and bits of scrub as far as the eye can see. Somewhere across this vast wilderness, the train travels on the longest piece of straight track in the world – 300 miles without a curve. We had been advised that if we wanted to take a shower, then the best times were in the early hours of the morning or first thing in the morning before the water in the ‘cold’ water tank was heated to scalding point by the sun. Inside the train, the air conditioning made sure it was nice and cool, but the temperatures outside on the Nullarbor desert were in the 50’s!
I had read on the Internet that food was available on the train but we were welcome to take our own but just not eat it in the buffet car. Being skinflints, and taking previous British Rail experiences into account, we took our own food with us. We had prepared a cool bag crammed full of lovely cheese and biscuits, dips and crudities, fruit and muesli bars, and a packet of Tim Tams, which are a scrummy Aussie version of a Penguin, perfect with a cup of tea when smuggled into the buffet car!
We stopped to drop off provisions at a desert outpost called Cook (or as I’d read somewhere, it should be called Baked), population 7. We also changed train driver here but no one was sure how the new one had got there – was he already on the train or does the poor soul have to live in Cook, and of equal concern, what did they do with the old driver? Anyway, we were allowed 20 minutes to stretch a leg in the dust and derelict buildings of this once thriving ghost town where the words “Help Our Hospital – Get Sick” were painted on the side of a rusty old oil tank. We passed through a settlement called Forrest (hmmm) population 2. This must either be some form of penance or they get on like a house on fire. The train also stopped in the middle of nowhere where a guy was waiting in pick-up truck by the side of the track. He caught a big box that was flung off the train, chucked it in the pickup and drove off, who knows where.
At the end of the second day, we had a 3 hour stop at a town called Kalgoorlie, a thriving and prosperous gold mining town in the middle of the desert that produces 800,000 ounces of gold every year from the Superpit. Superpit is mined 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is expanding by the day. Eventually it will measure 4km long, 1.5km wide and go down to a depth of more than 500m – I just hope they got an EIA assessment done first. It will excavate the strip of land known as the Golden Mile where Paddy Hannan first discovered gold in Kalgoorlie in 1893. The Golden Mile has produced nearly 50,000,000 ounces of gold since the days of Hannan. We enjoyed a couple of drinks in a bar where the barmaid recognised our accents in a flash and told us that her dad came from Caerphilly. He had taken the family back last summer and they had spent hours driving up and down the road past the house where he was brought up. We saw a couple of fine examples of gold-diggers beards propping up the bar here too. One of the main attractions of the town are the ‘skimpies’ – scantily clad barmaids that start work at 10pm in some hotels and bars. I think that it’s more than a coincidence that all Indian Pacific passengers have to be back on the train by 10pm at the latest – they’ve probably lost a few in years gone by. ‘Houses of Ill Repute’ have been commonplace in Kalgoorlie since they struck gold here – whilst not legal, they are tolerated and one establishment has even diversified, offering daily tours around the 12 lavish and sumptuous themed rooms for a price, the most popular being the Boxing Ring Room and the English Haymeadow Room (why do I want to burst into a rendition of Roll Me Over in the Clover!)
Over the three days in the desert, we saw a caravan of seventeen camels, kangaroos dotted here and there, a family of emu’s, little white goaty things, vibrantly coloured birds and huge wedge-tailed eagles, the largest bird in Australia and the emblem of the Indian Pacific. At one point someone shouted “giraffe” – obviously been in the desert (or the lounge bar) too long.
At times, the journey seemed never ending, like at 3.00am when the floor looked to be a more inviting and comfy option than the reclining seat – but we both realise that we have been so lucky to be able to experience this trip of a lifetime.
And so we arrived in Perth on Saturday morning to the wonderful sight of Gwen, waiting on the platform, waving her little Red Dragon flag.
There are three travelling standards on board. Firstly Gold Kangaroo Luxury Sleeper Cabins i.e. “the attendant will draw your curtains, turn back your bed and warm your slippers as you are wined and dined in the Moonlight Dining Carriage. Then we have Red Kangaroo Sleeper Cabins i.e. “after you’ve scrubbed, moussed and oiled yourself with the free smellies in your private bathroom, retire to bed and awake refreshed for another day”. Finally, there is Red Kangaroo Day/Night Seater Class i.e. “here’s your seat for the next three days, no sleeping in the lounge car, no using the towels as blankets and no getting bladdered at any of the stopovers, stiff neck thrown in free”. Guess which one we were in? And yes, it was fantastic! Cattle Class is where you get to talk to and swap tips with people from all over the world. Our carriage had young families, backpackers and ‘grey nomads’ all taking the trip of a lifetime.
There were 10 Welsh people in our carriage alone, enough to have an eisteddfod, amongst them the backpacker from Pontardawe who obviously didn’t own any sort of pyjamas, but had taken heed of the Dress Code on board and had bought himself a sleek navy and purple dressing gown especially for the journey. He became known as Hugh Hefner.
The train takes 9 hours to cross the Nullarbor Plains – just mile after mile, hour after hour of nothing but red dust and bits of scrub as far as the eye can see. Somewhere across this vast wilderness, the train travels on the longest piece of straight track in the world – 300 miles without a curve. We had been advised that if we wanted to take a shower, then the best times were in the early hours of the morning or first thing in the morning before the water in the ‘cold’ water tank was heated to scalding point by the sun. Inside the train, the air conditioning made sure it was nice and cool, but the temperatures outside on the Nullarbor desert were in the 50’s!
I had read on the Internet that food was available on the train but we were welcome to take our own but just not eat it in the buffet car. Being skinflints, and taking previous British Rail experiences into account, we took our own food with us. We had prepared a cool bag crammed full of lovely cheese and biscuits, dips and crudities, fruit and muesli bars, and a packet of Tim Tams, which are a scrummy Aussie version of a Penguin, perfect with a cup of tea when smuggled into the buffet car!
We stopped to drop off provisions at a desert outpost called Cook (or as I’d read somewhere, it should be called Baked), population 7. We also changed train driver here but no one was sure how the new one had got there – was he already on the train or does the poor soul have to live in Cook, and of equal concern, what did they do with the old driver? Anyway, we were allowed 20 minutes to stretch a leg in the dust and derelict buildings of this once thriving ghost town where the words “Help Our Hospital – Get Sick” were painted on the side of a rusty old oil tank. We passed through a settlement called Forrest (hmmm) population 2. This must either be some form of penance or they get on like a house on fire. The train also stopped in the middle of nowhere where a guy was waiting in pick-up truck by the side of the track. He caught a big box that was flung off the train, chucked it in the pickup and drove off, who knows where.
At the end of the second day, we had a 3 hour stop at a town called Kalgoorlie, a thriving and prosperous gold mining town in the middle of the desert that produces 800,000 ounces of gold every year from the Superpit. Superpit is mined 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is expanding by the day. Eventually it will measure 4km long, 1.5km wide and go down to a depth of more than 500m – I just hope they got an EIA assessment done first. It will excavate the strip of land known as the Golden Mile where Paddy Hannan first discovered gold in Kalgoorlie in 1893. The Golden Mile has produced nearly 50,000,000 ounces of gold since the days of Hannan. We enjoyed a couple of drinks in a bar where the barmaid recognised our accents in a flash and told us that her dad came from Caerphilly. He had taken the family back last summer and they had spent hours driving up and down the road past the house where he was brought up. We saw a couple of fine examples of gold-diggers beards propping up the bar here too. One of the main attractions of the town are the ‘skimpies’ – scantily clad barmaids that start work at 10pm in some hotels and bars. I think that it’s more than a coincidence that all Indian Pacific passengers have to be back on the train by 10pm at the latest – they’ve probably lost a few in years gone by. ‘Houses of Ill Repute’ have been commonplace in Kalgoorlie since they struck gold here – whilst not legal, they are tolerated and one establishment has even diversified, offering daily tours around the 12 lavish and sumptuous themed rooms for a price, the most popular being the Boxing Ring Room and the English Haymeadow Room (why do I want to burst into a rendition of Roll Me Over in the Clover!)
Over the three days in the desert, we saw a caravan of seventeen camels, kangaroos dotted here and there, a family of emu’s, little white goaty things, vibrantly coloured birds and huge wedge-tailed eagles, the largest bird in Australia and the emblem of the Indian Pacific. At one point someone shouted “giraffe” – obviously been in the desert (or the lounge bar) too long.
At times, the journey seemed never ending, like at 3.00am when the floor looked to be a more inviting and comfy option than the reclining seat – but we both realise that we have been so lucky to be able to experience this trip of a lifetime.
And so we arrived in Perth on Saturday morning to the wonderful sight of Gwen, waiting on the platform, waving her little Red Dragon flag.
Saturday, 26 January 2008
ADELAIDE – CLOSED ON SUNDAYS
Adelaide was founded in 1836 by Colonel Matthew Light and has a population of just over one million with the highest ratio of cafes and restaurants per resident than any other Aussie city. It is also known as Australia’s City of Churches and I guess that this is why to all intents and purposes, it was closed when we arrived one Sunday morning and doesn’t seem to liven up much on the other days of the week either. Laid out in a very orderly grid fashion on both sides of the Torrens River, Adelaide is ringed by a green belt of parks and Colonel Light is honoured in the form of a sculpture called Light’s Vision above the city. He holds a set of plans in one hand and points down into the city with the other – I’m sure that he’s pointing right at the Lindt Chocolate shop, or it could well be the nice shoe shop next door.
Being Cardi Backpackers (can there be a more tight combination?), our first foray into the city was to the marvelous State Library where they offer a free internet service! At the Library, we also found a fascinating exhibition of memorabilia and bits of kit belonging to Sir Don Bradman – Australia’s greatest sporting hero and the world’s best cricketer, including the bat that he used to score about 6 million runs against England in the famous Bodyline Series. Even I, who finds it impossible to understand how two teams can play cricket for a week and still end up with a draw, was engrossed - praise indeed!
One ‘must do’ for every visitor to Adelaide is to spend a day on the superb beach at Glenelg which is a thirty minute tram ride from the city. The tram ride was hyped-up to be part of the experience and I quote “the 1929 trams have original fittings, red leather seats and wood paneled compartments …” The tram that arrived forty-five minutes late was a modern steel and plastic grey thing – not an original leather hanging strap in sight. The glorious old-timers have been replaced by these boring things following an efficiency review – ha! The beach was gorgeous and we really did try our best to stay but we were sand-blasted off after a couple of hours, hair & ears, books & bags, nooks & crannies all filled with sand. Disappointment now complete, we traipsed back to the hostel, to make sandcastles in the shower with all the sand that we’d carried back.
The Adelaide area is home to the world famous wine producing Barossa Valley, first settled in the 1840’s by Germans fleeing religious persecution at home, hence the snappily titled Die Deutsche Post fur Die Australischen Colonien, the first non English language newspaper to be published here. Today, the valley with more than 50 wineries, ranging from multinationals to tiny specialists, produces 80% of Australia’s wine. 80% of this is exported direct to the Tregaron area of mid Wales and purchased by an undisclosed buyer (well, most of us have a good idea).
We had chosen to join the Groovy Grape Tour for a day of wine tasting and enlightenment and were picked up from the hostel at 7.45am (yes, I know) where polite greetings and pleasantries were exchanged with fellow tasters as they boarded the minibus. Given the early hour and the fact that the sun wasn’t even in sight of the yardarm yet, we had a couple of stops at non-alcoholic attractions before the main event.
The first was at a wooden toy factory which had an enormous rocking horse as tall as a six-storey building as its ‘tourist trap’ on the roadside. We took the obligatory photo, resisted the impulse to purchase a wooden train set and an abacus then went to see something else far more interesting they had to offer. In a huge enclosure of several hectares, kangaroos wander around alongside peacocks and other furry and feathered creatures. We bought a bag of feed and went in through the gate where we were almost immediately ambushed by kangaroos snuffling their way into the brown paper bag. They were cheeky little chappies that sat there to be patted and tickled under the chin and their coats were far softer to the touch than I’d expected but underneath, they were as solid as whippets (is there such a comparison, or have I just made that one up?)
Then back on the bus and to the Barossa Reservoir on the Yetti Road (he’s behind you …) The Reservoir retaining wall is a perfect ellipse which means that sound waves are carried perfectly from one side to the other across the 140m span. Some walked across to the ‘whispering platform’ on the other side to talk to the wall (see, it works sometimes, stick with it) and amazingly their voices could be heard as clearly and loudly as if they were standing behind us. Our driver, Irish boy Tom had suggested that we whisper a dark, deep confession across the wall, like “I’m not wearing pants”. I suggested that even better would be “I’m wearing your pants”.
Back on the bus and down to the business of the day, first call at Jacobs Creek. Just incase you’re wondering, yes, there is a Jacobs Creek but given the current drought conditions it would be more accurate to call it Jacobs Creek Bed. We had a bit of spiel before getting down to the nitty gritty – 6 samples and none of this spitting out business either. We sloshed it about, stuck our noses in and held it up to the light in a very knowledgeable fashion before the tasting and delivering the verdict. Marc liked these wines but I wasn’t so sure – nothing really sweet enough for this Asti Girl. No purchases were made at this winery as Tom had told us that we could buy it cheaper at the bottle shops back in town. A bit of cheery banter ensued as we got back on the bus and onto our second watering-hole. Vine Crest is a delightful boutique vinery with wines to match. We sampled lots of lovely stuff, including some excellent white port that is fantastic served on the rocks with fruit and cheese. Lots of animated and lively tasting took place and the bus eventually bounced down the lane from Vine Crest to the sound of rattling bottles and loud laughter.
Onto Richmond Grove winery which was a bit more serious as we had a bit of a tour which involved the guide telling us the tale of the German founders’ quest to build a replica of a Bavarian chateau on the site etc etc. Bearing in mind that the temperature was by now well in the 40’s, there was a lot of yawning and leaning on things and each other as we waited for him to finish and lead us to the next batch of grog, which I’m afraid were all too dry for me again, but I stuck with it - just to be polite you understand. While we were busy increasing our levels of gaiety, Tom was busy preparing a huge BBQ for us down by the river, where we enjoyed roo, snags, prawns and an feast of other delights. Some played Frisbee and some just lazed in the shade under the trees (no need to guess who did what out of Marc and I!) Back onto the bus, by now everyone being bosom buddies and exchanging e-mail addresses, promising to come and visit when they got home.
Our last stop of the day was Bethany Vineyard – another boutique winery with the best wines of the day. To give us an idea of the size of their operation in comparison with the big multinationals, we learned that Bethany’s whole annual harvest could be processed by Jacobs Creek in 9 hours. The tasting structure was different here in that there was no structure. In all the other wineries, 6 bottles were lined up and tasted in a particular order. Here, you just got the list and asked for whatever you wanted and not just stopping at 6 either.
All good things must come to and end and reluctantly, we all clambered back onto the bus, but Tom had one more surprise for us and took us up to Menglers Hill lookout with its unparalleled views of the valley and vineyards. As a grand finale, Tom did ‘donuts’ in the bus round and round the tiny car park to lots of cheering and shouts of ‘woo-hoo, one more time’ before heading back to the city. We were all snoozing happily within five minutes.
That evening, there was a Twenty/20 cricket match being played at the Adelaide Oval (where the last Aussie/India test was played this week) and fresh from the Sir Don’s exhibition, we went along and watched the South Australian Warriors get the hiding of their lives from the West Australian Redbacks in a superb evening of entertainment. When the Warriors were all bowled out for 98, the man sat next to me just stood up with a resigned look on his face, shook his head and left the stadium. He did leave his programme behind though which was a good thing as there were none left by the time we’d arrived.
It was so hot in Adelaide that somedays it was best to stay indoors until it had cooled down a little (but it’s still blinking hot). It was in these ‘cooler’ evenings that we enjoyed walks around the parks, the cathedral, the North Terrace with its majestic old buildings and the Arts and Convention Centre which is situated on the banks of the lovely Torrens River. It was on one of these walks that we received possibly the best piece of safety advice of the trip from a local boilermaker – Never be the Last One in the Water …
Being Cardi Backpackers (can there be a more tight combination?), our first foray into the city was to the marvelous State Library where they offer a free internet service! At the Library, we also found a fascinating exhibition of memorabilia and bits of kit belonging to Sir Don Bradman – Australia’s greatest sporting hero and the world’s best cricketer, including the bat that he used to score about 6 million runs against England in the famous Bodyline Series. Even I, who finds it impossible to understand how two teams can play cricket for a week and still end up with a draw, was engrossed - praise indeed!
One ‘must do’ for every visitor to Adelaide is to spend a day on the superb beach at Glenelg which is a thirty minute tram ride from the city. The tram ride was hyped-up to be part of the experience and I quote “the 1929 trams have original fittings, red leather seats and wood paneled compartments …” The tram that arrived forty-five minutes late was a modern steel and plastic grey thing – not an original leather hanging strap in sight. The glorious old-timers have been replaced by these boring things following an efficiency review – ha! The beach was gorgeous and we really did try our best to stay but we were sand-blasted off after a couple of hours, hair & ears, books & bags, nooks & crannies all filled with sand. Disappointment now complete, we traipsed back to the hostel, to make sandcastles in the shower with all the sand that we’d carried back.
The Adelaide area is home to the world famous wine producing Barossa Valley, first settled in the 1840’s by Germans fleeing religious persecution at home, hence the snappily titled Die Deutsche Post fur Die Australischen Colonien, the first non English language newspaper to be published here. Today, the valley with more than 50 wineries, ranging from multinationals to tiny specialists, produces 80% of Australia’s wine. 80% of this is exported direct to the Tregaron area of mid Wales and purchased by an undisclosed buyer (well, most of us have a good idea).
We had chosen to join the Groovy Grape Tour for a day of wine tasting and enlightenment and were picked up from the hostel at 7.45am (yes, I know) where polite greetings and pleasantries were exchanged with fellow tasters as they boarded the minibus. Given the early hour and the fact that the sun wasn’t even in sight of the yardarm yet, we had a couple of stops at non-alcoholic attractions before the main event.
The first was at a wooden toy factory which had an enormous rocking horse as tall as a six-storey building as its ‘tourist trap’ on the roadside. We took the obligatory photo, resisted the impulse to purchase a wooden train set and an abacus then went to see something else far more interesting they had to offer. In a huge enclosure of several hectares, kangaroos wander around alongside peacocks and other furry and feathered creatures. We bought a bag of feed and went in through the gate where we were almost immediately ambushed by kangaroos snuffling their way into the brown paper bag. They were cheeky little chappies that sat there to be patted and tickled under the chin and their coats were far softer to the touch than I’d expected but underneath, they were as solid as whippets (is there such a comparison, or have I just made that one up?)
Then back on the bus and to the Barossa Reservoir on the Yetti Road (he’s behind you …) The Reservoir retaining wall is a perfect ellipse which means that sound waves are carried perfectly from one side to the other across the 140m span. Some walked across to the ‘whispering platform’ on the other side to talk to the wall (see, it works sometimes, stick with it) and amazingly their voices could be heard as clearly and loudly as if they were standing behind us. Our driver, Irish boy Tom had suggested that we whisper a dark, deep confession across the wall, like “I’m not wearing pants”. I suggested that even better would be “I’m wearing your pants”.
Back on the bus and down to the business of the day, first call at Jacobs Creek. Just incase you’re wondering, yes, there is a Jacobs Creek but given the current drought conditions it would be more accurate to call it Jacobs Creek Bed. We had a bit of spiel before getting down to the nitty gritty – 6 samples and none of this spitting out business either. We sloshed it about, stuck our noses in and held it up to the light in a very knowledgeable fashion before the tasting and delivering the verdict. Marc liked these wines but I wasn’t so sure – nothing really sweet enough for this Asti Girl. No purchases were made at this winery as Tom had told us that we could buy it cheaper at the bottle shops back in town. A bit of cheery banter ensued as we got back on the bus and onto our second watering-hole. Vine Crest is a delightful boutique vinery with wines to match. We sampled lots of lovely stuff, including some excellent white port that is fantastic served on the rocks with fruit and cheese. Lots of animated and lively tasting took place and the bus eventually bounced down the lane from Vine Crest to the sound of rattling bottles and loud laughter.
Onto Richmond Grove winery which was a bit more serious as we had a bit of a tour which involved the guide telling us the tale of the German founders’ quest to build a replica of a Bavarian chateau on the site etc etc. Bearing in mind that the temperature was by now well in the 40’s, there was a lot of yawning and leaning on things and each other as we waited for him to finish and lead us to the next batch of grog, which I’m afraid were all too dry for me again, but I stuck with it - just to be polite you understand. While we were busy increasing our levels of gaiety, Tom was busy preparing a huge BBQ for us down by the river, where we enjoyed roo, snags, prawns and an feast of other delights. Some played Frisbee and some just lazed in the shade under the trees (no need to guess who did what out of Marc and I!) Back onto the bus, by now everyone being bosom buddies and exchanging e-mail addresses, promising to come and visit when they got home.
Our last stop of the day was Bethany Vineyard – another boutique winery with the best wines of the day. To give us an idea of the size of their operation in comparison with the big multinationals, we learned that Bethany’s whole annual harvest could be processed by Jacobs Creek in 9 hours. The tasting structure was different here in that there was no structure. In all the other wineries, 6 bottles were lined up and tasted in a particular order. Here, you just got the list and asked for whatever you wanted and not just stopping at 6 either.
All good things must come to and end and reluctantly, we all clambered back onto the bus, but Tom had one more surprise for us and took us up to Menglers Hill lookout with its unparalleled views of the valley and vineyards. As a grand finale, Tom did ‘donuts’ in the bus round and round the tiny car park to lots of cheering and shouts of ‘woo-hoo, one more time’ before heading back to the city. We were all snoozing happily within five minutes.
That evening, there was a Twenty/20 cricket match being played at the Adelaide Oval (where the last Aussie/India test was played this week) and fresh from the Sir Don’s exhibition, we went along and watched the South Australian Warriors get the hiding of their lives from the West Australian Redbacks in a superb evening of entertainment. When the Warriors were all bowled out for 98, the man sat next to me just stood up with a resigned look on his face, shook his head and left the stadium. He did leave his programme behind though which was a good thing as there were none left by the time we’d arrived.
It was so hot in Adelaide that somedays it was best to stay indoors until it had cooled down a little (but it’s still blinking hot). It was in these ‘cooler’ evenings that we enjoyed walks around the parks, the cathedral, the North Terrace with its majestic old buildings and the Arts and Convention Centre which is situated on the banks of the lovely Torrens River. It was on one of these walks that we received possibly the best piece of safety advice of the trip from a local boilermaker – Never be the Last One in the Water …
Cefnder Geraint a’i Fwrdd Syrffio
Ar ôl yr holl bartio a mwynhau dros y Dolig roedd angen ychydig o orffwys arnom a ble gwell i fynd ond i lawr i Torquay … Torquay sydd i lawr yr afordir o Melbourne dwi’n ei feddwl. Yma mae tref fach ar lan y môr, ble mae digonedd o syrff i’w cael a dwsine o gaffis bach ac sy’n gartref i gwmniau bydenwog Quicksilver a Rip Curl. Yma hefyd mae Geraint yn byw, y brawd hynnaf o’r tri cefnder sy’n byw pen yma o’r byd. A braf oedd cael dod i lawr yma i’w gwrdd ac i aros rhai dyddiau gyda’g ef. Mae Geraint yn syrffiwr ac iddo ef mae mynd allan i’r swyddfa yn golygu mynd lawr i’r môr ar ei fwrdd syrffio. Ac mae yno draethau da i’w cael yn y rhan yma o’r byd. Yn anffodus, gan ei bod mor boeth, rhaid oedd i Nia a finne aros tan hwyr y prynhawn cyn mentro i’r traeth. Ond wedyn bydden yn ymlacio yno ac yn aros i wylio’r haul yn machlyd.
Yn Nhorquay hefyd mae’r Great Ocean Road yn dechrau (neu yn gorffen – yn dibynnu ym mha gyfeiriad rydych yn trafaelu!). Dyma’r ffordd sy’n rhedeg ar hyd yr arfordir am bron i 300km gyda’r golygeydd mwyaf arbennig. Fe’r aeth Geraint a ni am drip ar ei hyd, nid yr holl ffordd ond digon i ni werthfawrogi’r tag sydd wedi ei rhoi iddo o fod yn “one of the world’s great scenic coastline drives”. Wrth fynd rownd pob cornel roedd golygfa hardd arall yn agor lan o’n blaenau. Naill a’i bae hyfryd â môr glas a thywod melyn-wyn neu chloglwynnu serth yn syrthio ddramatig i’r môr a thonnau’n torri wrth eu sylfeini. Mae’n debyg fod nifer o hysbysebion ceir yn cael ei ffilmio ar hyd y ffordd yma a gallwch ddeall pam gyda’r ffordd ei hun yn cofleidio dynn i’r arfordir. Wedi’r holl golygfeydd, fe’r aeth Geraint a ni am drip hollol wahanol. Fe’r aethom i ‘offroadio’ yng nghanol y bwsh yn ei 4x4 newydd sbon!!! Ffantastig. Roeddem yn bownsio ogwmpas tu fewn y cerbyd wrth i ddringo a gyrru at hyd trac serth a chlogyrnaidd. Yna, yng nghanol y bwsh, arhosom am bach o bicnic a berwi dwr am baned. Ni welsom llawer o fywyd gwyllt, dim hyd yn oed Koalas yr oedd Geraint yn eitha hyderus y byddwn yn dod ar eu traws ond fe ddaeth Nia ar ddraws Scorpian gyda’i gynffon yn chwifio ffyrnig yn yr awyr ryw fodfeddi o’i bys mawr. Does dim rhaid i fi ddweud na wnaeth hi aros yn rhy hir yn yr unfan tra fu Geraint a finne yn ei archwilio cyn gadael llonydd iddo.
Tra yn Torquay caswom farbeciw mawr gyda Geraint yn gwahodd ei ffrindiau i ymuno a ni, sef Ken a Jan, a Marie a Trsystan. Cawsom noswaith hyfryd yn mwynhau y corgimwch mwya i ni ddod ar eu traws a blasu’r cwrw lleol. Hwyr roeddem i’n gwelau a felly methais ar y cyfle i weld Geraint yn syrffio y bore canlynol gan iddo godi mor fore (am bump o’r gloch!) er mwyn mynd i ddal y tonnau gorau. Bydd rhaid i ni felly fynd yn ôl i Torquay eto ryw ddydd er mwyn gweld Geraint yn hwylio’r ’30 foot waves’ ar ei fwrdd syrffio gan i’n harosiad yn Torquay orffen yn llawer rhy fuan. Roedd yn braf i dy gwrdd Geraint a diolch am y croeso cynnes.
Yn Nhorquay hefyd mae’r Great Ocean Road yn dechrau (neu yn gorffen – yn dibynnu ym mha gyfeiriad rydych yn trafaelu!). Dyma’r ffordd sy’n rhedeg ar hyd yr arfordir am bron i 300km gyda’r golygeydd mwyaf arbennig. Fe’r aeth Geraint a ni am drip ar ei hyd, nid yr holl ffordd ond digon i ni werthfawrogi’r tag sydd wedi ei rhoi iddo o fod yn “one of the world’s great scenic coastline drives”. Wrth fynd rownd pob cornel roedd golygfa hardd arall yn agor lan o’n blaenau. Naill a’i bae hyfryd â môr glas a thywod melyn-wyn neu chloglwynnu serth yn syrthio ddramatig i’r môr a thonnau’n torri wrth eu sylfeini. Mae’n debyg fod nifer o hysbysebion ceir yn cael ei ffilmio ar hyd y ffordd yma a gallwch ddeall pam gyda’r ffordd ei hun yn cofleidio dynn i’r arfordir. Wedi’r holl golygfeydd, fe’r aeth Geraint a ni am drip hollol wahanol. Fe’r aethom i ‘offroadio’ yng nghanol y bwsh yn ei 4x4 newydd sbon!!! Ffantastig. Roeddem yn bownsio ogwmpas tu fewn y cerbyd wrth i ddringo a gyrru at hyd trac serth a chlogyrnaidd. Yna, yng nghanol y bwsh, arhosom am bach o bicnic a berwi dwr am baned. Ni welsom llawer o fywyd gwyllt, dim hyd yn oed Koalas yr oedd Geraint yn eitha hyderus y byddwn yn dod ar eu traws ond fe ddaeth Nia ar ddraws Scorpian gyda’i gynffon yn chwifio ffyrnig yn yr awyr ryw fodfeddi o’i bys mawr. Does dim rhaid i fi ddweud na wnaeth hi aros yn rhy hir yn yr unfan tra fu Geraint a finne yn ei archwilio cyn gadael llonydd iddo.
Tra yn Torquay caswom farbeciw mawr gyda Geraint yn gwahodd ei ffrindiau i ymuno a ni, sef Ken a Jan, a Marie a Trsystan. Cawsom noswaith hyfryd yn mwynhau y corgimwch mwya i ni ddod ar eu traws a blasu’r cwrw lleol. Hwyr roeddem i’n gwelau a felly methais ar y cyfle i weld Geraint yn syrffio y bore canlynol gan iddo godi mor fore (am bump o’r gloch!) er mwyn mynd i ddal y tonnau gorau. Bydd rhaid i ni felly fynd yn ôl i Torquay eto ryw ddydd er mwyn gweld Geraint yn hwylio’r ’30 foot waves’ ar ei fwrdd syrffio gan i’n harosiad yn Torquay orffen yn llawer rhy fuan. Roedd yn braf i dy gwrdd Geraint a diolch am y croeso cynnes.
The Good, the Bad and the … Welsh!
Wedi mwynhau dydd Dolig yn fawr bydde chi’n meddwl mae rhybeth bach tawel fyddai Gwyl San Steffan. O na. Diwrnod mawr arall yw fwynhau yw GSS i’r Melbourne Breeses. Draw yng nghartref Lynne roedd dau ddwsin ohonom yn cwrdd - ie, dau ddeg pedwar yn deulu a ffrindiau. Yn gyntaf i fwynhau gwledd o ginio arall a chyfle i bawb ddod i nabod eu gilydd. Wedyn roedd y paratoiadau ar gyfer ffilm y prynhawn yn cael eu wneud. Na, nid trefnu digon o seddu ogwmpas y teledu a chael y popcorn yn barod ond ‘dress rehearsal’ a darllen y sgript dwi'n ei feddwl. Ie, traddodiad GSS y Melbourne Breeses yw gwneud ffilm gartref a does dim dewis gan neb, mae rhaid i bawb gymryd rhan. A Western oedd thema y ffilm ar gyfer eleni. Roedd Nia wedi cael rhan fel un o ferched dawnsio y salwn ac roeddwn inne yn un o dri Desperados. Yn ogystal, roedd yna bedwar Mexican yn ei hatiau mawr a’u ‘panchos’, tua wyth o Indiaid Cochion gyda’u plu a’u bwa a saith, un sheriff a’i ddau dirprwy gyda’u gynau a’u bathodynnau, tair o ferched dawnsio gyda’u plu boa a’u gwisgoedd lliwgar ac Emlyn fel y gweinidog yn ei got fawr trwm . Y stori yn fyr yw mae’r 3 Desperado (y ‘baddies’) yn herwgipio Little Squaw a’i gwerthu i’r Mexicans (rhagor o ‘baddies’). Mae’r Sheriff a’i dirprwyon (wrth gwrs y ‘goodies’) yn helpu’r Indiaid Cochion (sydd wedi’u camdrin), yn gyntaf i hela’r Desperados i lawr a’u rhoi yn y carchar ac yna i fynd ar ôl y Mexicans i achub Little Squaw. Yn ffyddlon i arddull Hollywood mae ‘na glo hapus i’r ffilm gyda Deputy Dawg a Little Squaw yn priodi ac mae pawb yn byw yn hapus byth wedyn (heblaw y Desperados sydd yn y carchar a’r Mexicans sydd wedi’u saethu i gyd). Cafodd y ffilmio ei wneud ar hyd y lle i gyda, yn yr ardd gefn, yn stafell wely Emlyn, rownd ochr y ty, o flen y ty a hyd yn oed allan ar y stryd ble roedd yna ychydig o dorf yn casglu erbyn y diwedd. Cawsom sbort a hanner wrth wylio a chymryd rhan, yn gwenud popeth lan fel roeddem yn mynd yn ein blaenau a defnyddio’r holl fathau o ategion (props) gan gynnwys potel o sos coch ar gyfer y ‘shoot-out’ mawr ar y diwedd. Bydd y ddwy cyfarwyddwragedd, Rhiannon ac Amanda, yn dechrau gyda’r cynhyrchiad ym mis Chwefror a gobeithio dderbyniwn gopi o’r DVD yn barod erbyn arddangosiad cyntaf o’r ffilm yng Nghymru Dolig nesaf. Edrychwch allan pawb adre’, mae hyn wedi rhoi llawer o syniadau i ni!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, 24 January 2008
Dyna i chi anrheg Nadolig … Marc a Nia yn glanio ar eich stepen drws
Fe glanio ni ar Eifion, fy nghefnder … ‘once removed’, ar noswyl Nadolig – dwi’n siwr iddo erioed dderbyn cystal anrheg! Roedd Eifion, chwarae teg iddo, wedi cytuno i ddod i fewn i’r ddinas i’n cwrdd jyst cyn y gyngerdd Carols by Candlelight er mwyn mynd a’n bagiau trafaelu oddi arnom fel nad oedd angen i ni eu halio i’r gyngerdd. A dyma’r tro cyntaf i ni gwrdd ag ef. Mi’r oedd Ali wedi bod yn tynnu fy nghoes cyn y ‘drop off’, yn holi os yr oeddem yn hapus rhoi ein holl meddiant yng ngofal dyn roeddem erioed wedi ei gwrdd o’r blaen a nad oedd syniad gyda ni beth roedd e’n edrych fel na ble roedd e’n byw. Ond wrth i ni gerdded i’r man cwrdd, gyda cwestiwn drigionus Ali yn chwarae yn dawel ar fy meddwl, death gwên fach i’n gwyneb wrth i mi weld Eifion yn dod i’n cwrdd. Gwyddwn mai Eifion ydoedd gan ei fod yn edrych jyst fel Wncwl Alun, ei dad. Wedi’r gyngerdd a chyrraedd ein cartref newydd am y bythefnos nesaf cawsom groeso cynnes a fyddai’n cael ei ail adrodd dro ar ôl tro am y cyfnod ein harosiad. Cawsom baned o de a mins peis a tipyn o chlonc wrth i ni ddod i nabod ein gilydd.
Codom yn fore dydd Dolig, rhywbeth arall fyddai’n cael ei ail adrodd yn reit aml tra’n aros gyda Eifion, a bant a ni i gwrdd a chael brecwast gyda’r Melbourne Breeses, sef Lynne - gwraig Eifion, Rhiannon - merch Eifion a’i gwr Jamie a’u mab Ioan Alun a hefyd Emlyn - y mab. Wedi mwynhau’r brecwast cawsom ymuno â’r traddodiad o agor anrhegion a chael syrpreis hyfryd wrth weld cwpwl o bethau a’n henwau arno. Derbyniom DVD o’r Melbourne Breeses o’r ffilm ‘The Castles’, comedi/drama am deulu nodweddiadol o Awstralia … dim! Mae’n ffilm mae pob person o Awstralia yn ei fwynhau ond sydd hefyd yn gwneud iddynt i ‘cringe’. Rhywbeth tebyg i’r The Royle Family sydd gan y Saeson. Hefyd, mi’r oedd yna becyn o’r Wellington Breeses, dau lyfyr hyfryd am bethau i wneud a gweld tra yn Seland Newydd. Diolch i bawb am ei caredigrwydd a’u haelioni.
Ar ôl brecwast fe’r aeth Eifion a ni am dro ar hyd draethau Melbourne. Fe gerddom o draeth Brighton i fyny at draeth St Kilda a’r holl ffordd nôl. Fe gerddom tua 15km i gyd a dyna’r mwya o ymarfer corff dwi erioed wedi ei wneud ar ddydd Dolig ond mi’r oedd yn wâc hyfryd. Roedd yr haul yn gwenu ac awel hyfryd yn dod o’r môr, roedd y traethau yn felyn-gwyn a’r môr a’r awyr yn cystadlu’n frwd i cael bod y mwyaf glas. Fel gwobr o’n ymdrech i gerdded i St Kilda cawsom cip olwg o’r Fairy Pengwin yn ei gartref yn y creigiau ger y môr. Dyma’r pengwin lleiaf yn y byd ac meant yn byw yn Awstralia credwch neu beidio. Wedi dychwelyd adref roedd gan Eifion ginio bach special yn ein disgwyl – wystrys a cimwch a chwrw oer Awstralia. Doedd Nia na finne erioed wedi blasu wystrys na chimwch o’r blaen ac roedd y ddau ohonom yn bryderus braidd wrth syllu ar y wystrys yma heb eu goginio a dal yn eu cregyn. Heb os, roedd y cimwch yn fendigedig a rhiad dweud mi’r oedd bwyta’r wystrys yn brofiad hollol unigryw.
Bydde bron unrhyw un yn fodlon derbyn wystrys a chimwch fel ei cinio Nadolig dwi’n siwr ond megis tamaid i aros y pryd mawr ydoedd y bwyd môr yma. Hwyr y pnawn, nôl a ni i gartref Rhiannon a Jamie am beth droeodd allan yn wledd fawr bendigedig. Ac nid oedd hyn yn gamp ddiffaith ar rhan Rhiannon a Jamies, wedi’r cyfan roeddent yn coginio ar gyfer 14 ohonom gan gynnwys Audrey (chwaer Lynne) a’i gwr Brian, mam a tad Jamie – Sue a Tim a’i frawd David a’i deulu ef. Gweler isod fwydlen o’r wledd fawr y Dolig. Yn ogystal a pharatoi y bwyd i gyd roedd Rhiannon wedi bod yn brysur yn meddwl lan am gemau bach i’n difyrru yn ogystal â ‘animal balloons, party poppers & crackers’, yn wir cawsom y ‘full works’. A jyst rhag ofn roeddech yn meddwl fod hyn i gyd yn digwydd o dan do, o na, roeddem allan yn yr ardd yn mwynhau’r haul a chynesrwydd yr hwyrddydd. Cawsom amser wrth ein bodd yn dod i nabod pobl a mwynhau a chael llawer o sbort yn eu cwmni. Diolch o galon i Rhiannon a Jamie a phawb arall am Ddolig bythgofiadwy.
CINIO NADOLIG 2007
Oysters with crème fraîche & salmon roe
Avocado wontons with salsa
______________________________________
Prawn or chicken rocket salad with lime butter dressing
______________________________________
Ham glazed with pomegranate
Beef crusted with coriander & pepper
Turkey with walnut and cranberry stuffing
Potatoes a la Tim
Beans and carrots with wilted rocket and lemon
Asparagus on peas with vinaigrette dressing
Squash with garlic
Tomato & bocconcini
______________________________________
Ice cream bombe
Mini Christmas puddings
Nana’s brandy sauce
Melon and berry salad
Codom yn fore dydd Dolig, rhywbeth arall fyddai’n cael ei ail adrodd yn reit aml tra’n aros gyda Eifion, a bant a ni i gwrdd a chael brecwast gyda’r Melbourne Breeses, sef Lynne - gwraig Eifion, Rhiannon - merch Eifion a’i gwr Jamie a’u mab Ioan Alun a hefyd Emlyn - y mab. Wedi mwynhau’r brecwast cawsom ymuno â’r traddodiad o agor anrhegion a chael syrpreis hyfryd wrth weld cwpwl o bethau a’n henwau arno. Derbyniom DVD o’r Melbourne Breeses o’r ffilm ‘The Castles’, comedi/drama am deulu nodweddiadol o Awstralia … dim! Mae’n ffilm mae pob person o Awstralia yn ei fwynhau ond sydd hefyd yn gwneud iddynt i ‘cringe’. Rhywbeth tebyg i’r The Royle Family sydd gan y Saeson. Hefyd, mi’r oedd yna becyn o’r Wellington Breeses, dau lyfyr hyfryd am bethau i wneud a gweld tra yn Seland Newydd. Diolch i bawb am ei caredigrwydd a’u haelioni.
Ar ôl brecwast fe’r aeth Eifion a ni am dro ar hyd draethau Melbourne. Fe gerddom o draeth Brighton i fyny at draeth St Kilda a’r holl ffordd nôl. Fe gerddom tua 15km i gyd a dyna’r mwya o ymarfer corff dwi erioed wedi ei wneud ar ddydd Dolig ond mi’r oedd yn wâc hyfryd. Roedd yr haul yn gwenu ac awel hyfryd yn dod o’r môr, roedd y traethau yn felyn-gwyn a’r môr a’r awyr yn cystadlu’n frwd i cael bod y mwyaf glas. Fel gwobr o’n ymdrech i gerdded i St Kilda cawsom cip olwg o’r Fairy Pengwin yn ei gartref yn y creigiau ger y môr. Dyma’r pengwin lleiaf yn y byd ac meant yn byw yn Awstralia credwch neu beidio. Wedi dychwelyd adref roedd gan Eifion ginio bach special yn ein disgwyl – wystrys a cimwch a chwrw oer Awstralia. Doedd Nia na finne erioed wedi blasu wystrys na chimwch o’r blaen ac roedd y ddau ohonom yn bryderus braidd wrth syllu ar y wystrys yma heb eu goginio a dal yn eu cregyn. Heb os, roedd y cimwch yn fendigedig a rhiad dweud mi’r oedd bwyta’r wystrys yn brofiad hollol unigryw.
Bydde bron unrhyw un yn fodlon derbyn wystrys a chimwch fel ei cinio Nadolig dwi’n siwr ond megis tamaid i aros y pryd mawr ydoedd y bwyd môr yma. Hwyr y pnawn, nôl a ni i gartref Rhiannon a Jamie am beth droeodd allan yn wledd fawr bendigedig. Ac nid oedd hyn yn gamp ddiffaith ar rhan Rhiannon a Jamies, wedi’r cyfan roeddent yn coginio ar gyfer 14 ohonom gan gynnwys Audrey (chwaer Lynne) a’i gwr Brian, mam a tad Jamie – Sue a Tim a’i frawd David a’i deulu ef. Gweler isod fwydlen o’r wledd fawr y Dolig. Yn ogystal a pharatoi y bwyd i gyd roedd Rhiannon wedi bod yn brysur yn meddwl lan am gemau bach i’n difyrru yn ogystal â ‘animal balloons, party poppers & crackers’, yn wir cawsom y ‘full works’. A jyst rhag ofn roeddech yn meddwl fod hyn i gyd yn digwydd o dan do, o na, roeddem allan yn yr ardd yn mwynhau’r haul a chynesrwydd yr hwyrddydd. Cawsom amser wrth ein bodd yn dod i nabod pobl a mwynhau a chael llawer o sbort yn eu cwmni. Diolch o galon i Rhiannon a Jamie a phawb arall am Ddolig bythgofiadwy.
CINIO NADOLIG 2007
Oysters with crème fraîche & salmon roe
Avocado wontons with salsa
______________________________________
Prawn or chicken rocket salad with lime butter dressing
______________________________________
Ham glazed with pomegranate
Beef crusted with coriander & pepper
Turkey with walnut and cranberry stuffing
Potatoes a la Tim
Beans and carrots with wilted rocket and lemon
Asparagus on peas with vinaigrette dressing
Squash with garlic
Tomato & bocconcini
______________________________________
Ice cream bombe
Mini Christmas puddings
Nana’s brandy sauce
Melon and berry salad
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