Today was the last day for Amelia before she heads home to the UK and Meg leaves us to fly up to Brisbane. At their request, and that of Eva, Amelie, Ethan, Charlie, Camille, Jesse and Eli we made an early morning trip to Luna Park. This was a return for the ‘young’ adults, after our last visit this time last year. Again the weather was overcast making it an ideal day to be on the rides.

Luna Park is a heritage-listed amusement park located on the northern shore of Sydney Harbour. The amusement park is one of Sydney’s most famous landmarks and has had a significant impact on culture through the years in the city.

As the girls readied themselves for the various rides, we took a more genteel approach with a coffee and a chat outside on the beach walkway.

The first ‘ride’ was one of those spinning affairs where gravity holds a person up due to the central fugal force. Crazy stuff and loved by Amelia and Meg!

Next stop was one of the rollercoasters where the girls were spun up down and around much to their delight.

After spending a good few hours at Luna Park, we left the girls to finish their fun on the remaining rides and drove back to Manly and then grabbed a ferry back into the city.

With the girls shopping in Myers, we went for a wander around the upscale shopping area passing Hermes, Prada, QVB & David Jones and then down to Darling harbour.

Amelia has had such a fun time with her friends, notably Eva and of course Meg who have helped to make her time back in Sydney for a second year so very special. We will miss their smiles and laughter and of course we will miss our wonderful Amelia as she returns to the UK to go back to university in Loughborough.

Tomorrow we have a 3am departure (!) as we drop Amelia and Meg at the airport as they head off in their respective directions. We’ve loved having them to stay with us and making our time in Manly a memorable one. Thank you to them both.

Despite only having 4-5hrs sleep, after our late finish on NYE, we managed to convince Meg and Amelia to get up around 9.30am and we then made our way to the Eastern Suburbs to Coogee for the infamous coastal beach walk to Bondi. As it turned out we weren’t the only ones who had such an idea and Coogee was packed out.

We eventually found a place to park and grabbed a coffee before starting the 6k walk across 6 beaches.

Despite the initial clouds, today was predicted to be very hot and sunny and so it turned out and very soon we were all looking forward to a dip at the next beach we came across.

Beach number 3 was Clovelly and the water looked too inviting for the girls, who were quickly getting prepared for a swim across the bay.

Our next beach was Bronte (number 4) where we had a brief toilet stop, before moving on to one of our favourites, the smaller Tamarama beach (number 5) where the waves are larger and there are lots of rock pools for jumping off into the ocean.

After spending a hour or so in the rock pools of Tamarama beach, we walked the final stretch to Bondi (beach 6) where we stopped at the iconic Iceberg bar with the swimming pool in front and the great views out across the whole of Bondi beach.

After a fun packed day’s walk, we headed back to Manly and our final proper night out with the girls.

We had arranged a meet up at the Skiff club close to Manly Wharf where we were meeting Neil and Katie for drinks along with Caroline and her entourage.

After dinner we made our way to the Corso so the girls could indulge in some Yo-Chi ice cream before Amelia started her production for the latest TikTok where everyone got the opportunity to take part, even Andy, although he was edited out of most of it!!

We had a really fun time and have our daughter to thank for making the last couple of weeks in Manly so very special. We are so proud of the women she has become and how she has dealt with two parents who decided to head off and go travelling whilst she had to stay at home and study!!

Tomorrow we have squeezed one more activity in, with the vote being a return to Luna Park. It’s one of Amelia’s favourite things to do in Sydney so it felt fitting before she returns to be UK on Friday morning.

Well here we are, one more day and that’s 2024 done and we enter into another New Year in the beautiful city of Sydney.

After an early morning run for Andy who is keeping with his mantra of trying to run 10k a day, we headed out for a walk to Queenscliff beach.

The beach leads on to the Lagoon reserve where most mornings you can spot upwards of 20-30 dogs and their owners taking a dip in Manly lagoon.

From there we walked down to Bower beach, past the chalk painted water temperature mural which is redone every morning by a local artist.

We found a comfortable spot on East Manly Cove beach where people had only started to camp out in readiness for the 9pm NYE fireworks in Manly bay. Thankfully there was still plenty of room for us to get comfortable in the sunshine as we waited for Amelia and Meg to join us for one more afternoon in the sunshine in 2024.

As the afternoon wore on, the East Manly Cove beach or the ‘office’ as its sometimes referred to, due to the amount of people who work there in the sunshine, got steadily busier with more gazebos being erected and the music started to raise in volume.

There was a really friendly party atmosphere that started to build as the hours clocked down for the 9pm family fireworks. We were lucky enough to see them this time last year and know how spectacular they can be, added to the mix of being with friends and family that make the event so very special.

After watching the first set of fireworks at 9pm, we then jumped in our hire car and joined a convoy to Cremorne Point, where we could get great vantage point of the main Sydney fireworks from the Opera house and bridge and the other points along the harbour.

We stayed to watch the 20min display, which as in previous years proved to be a spectacular show and a fitting way to start 2025.

Our return to Manly proved to be a little more challenging at 1.15am with cars being blocked in and traffic queuing every street, but thanks to some local knowledge from Jamie, we managed to avoid most of the blockages and even had time to stop in on McDonald’s for a late bite before returning to the apartment around 2am.

Tomorrow we plan to head over to Coogee and do a NYD walk along the coast up to Bondi, stopping off on the way for swims on the various beaches along the way. It’s going to be a hot one so looking forward to cooling off in the ocean and doing some body-surfing!!

For the third day on the trot we are celebrating a birthday, although we have to admit this is one in advance.

With Amelia turning 20yrs old on the 21st January, we wanted to have a party when we were together to acknowledge this special day and really celebrate with all her friends in Manly.

As a morning starter Amelia was keen to visit the cafe Roller just off the Corso in the centre and there we indulged in some sweet treats and caffeine kicks to get us in the mood for a full day of fun.

We then headed to the water for some tanning and general relaxation, with the girls deciding to hang out next to the sea pool at Fairy Bower beach whilst we walked a little further down to our favourite Shelly beach.

After searching high and low for a lunch venue we settled for a lite bite and some sushi, before it was time to go back to change and get into our party attire in readiness for a drive up to the Newport Arms and Amelia’s official early birthday party venue.

The Newport Arms up in Newport towards the top end of the Northern beaches is one of our most favourite places to eat and drink with incredible views down to Old Mangrove Bay. We weren’t to be disappointed on tonight’s visit with a wonderful sunny evening, great music, a lively atmosphere and lots of laughter and fun.

Amelia has so many great friends, but in Australia her special buddy is the one and only Eva. They are very much alike and love to be around each other and make happy memories being silly and having fun.

Through the afternoon we caught glimpses of the wonderful scenery surrounding the pub making it feel like we were in our own little paradise.

Some of Amelia’s birthday gifts included makeup so that meant she was keen to try them out on some of us, including Jamie who seemed very happy and excited to try out an eye cream.

To be in Sydney again for a second Christmas has been so amazing and made us realise how fortunate we are to have such wonderful friends. We love spending time with them whenever we are in Australia and hope that we can continue to return every year or so to maintain these bonds of friendship.

Another memorable day has sadly come to the end, but Amelia will definitely remember it for all the right reasons, as will we.

Tomorrow is yet another party day, it being NYE, so fireworks to look forward to both in Manly and on to Cremona where we will watch the main ones as we look down on the city and the wonderful harbour.

Another day, another birthday, but this time a belated one for young Ethan who turned 18 just before Xmas.

Being doting parents, our friends Tracy & Jamie were keen to celebrate being parents for 18yrs as well as the opportunity to show off pictures from Ethan’s birth right through to the current day!

This was to be a surprise celebration, so we all waited in the apartment for Ethan’s return from work before catching him unawares when he came through the door. Thankfully he didn’t bolt and despite the obvious embarrassment took the whole surprise party thing in his stride and by the end almost looked like he was enjoying it a little…..

Tomorrow it’s Amelia turn to celebrate her birthday a few weeks early.

Today was Andy’s 55th birthday and for the second year running he has got to enjoy it in the sunshine of Manly.

We celebrated the morning with a traditional breakfast of bacon sandwiches and opened his cards and presents sitting out on the deck.

The present gifting included a new baseball cap, a T-shirt and some running shoes.

After that it was time for some birthday cake, courtesy of Coles and their finest range.

The morning was then spent down at Shelly beach and in the Boathouse cafe where we alternated between sunbathing and some healthy smoothies.

Late afternoon we changed for dinner and out all white theme before heading to Hugos restaurant on Manly Wharf.

After fabulous meal at Hugo’s, we had precisely 30mins before our second party started and Andy got the chance to celebrate with our extended Manly family of friends.

This was never going to be a quiet affair with party games galore. It was a match of the sexes, boys against girls and very soon the rivalry kicked in.

The competition started with the reindeer game and throwing rings on to the horns. Very quickly the noise levels increased as battle commenced!

The boys were victorious re reindeer, and we had a short break as the photo season kicked in with Andy the star of the show.

After further games of acting and humming, both of which Andy proved to be particularly poor at, whilst Michelle and her team of ladies ran a close race, only to be pipped at the post by the boys and victory in a final head to head between Jamie and Grace, that Jamie won in seconds.

We headed home with Amelia and Meg for a good nights sleep, in readiness to celebrate another birthday tomorrow, this one for 18yr old Ethan, the eldest son of Jamie & Tracy.

It’s been another great day with friends who are helping to make our second stay in Manly such a memorable one.

We may be turning into Manly locals, as this morning we were up and out walking along the beach at the early hour of 6am. The cafes are open, people are in the water and you could easily believe it was closer to midday.

After our walk, Michelle relaxed with a coffee in Hemingways whilst Andy went off to get his 10k run in the bag. All of this was concluded and it wasn’t even 9am!

Post breakfast we hatched a plan to head into Sydney, before getting a train down to Mascot, near the airport to pick up a hire car for a week. The plan is to then visit a few other locations in and around the city as well as doing pickups and drop offs at the airport, with the arrival of Meg on the 28th and Amelia’s departure back to the UK on the 3rd Jan.

We decided to take the ferry from Manly to Circular Quay, which proved an excellent idea as we got to see more of the sights on another glorious sunny afternoon.

Whenever we travel on the Manly ferry we end up spotting a different beach or a different view that catches our eye and makes you realise what a stunning place Sydney truly is.

As the ferry ebbs towards the famous city skyline you really can’t help but smile and appreciate the beauty and splendour of the bridge, opera house and the skyscrapers that run through the city.

Located in Angel Place, just to the south of Martin Place, Forgotten Songs showcases 180 bird cages suspended above the street below. There are also bird species named in the pavement the visitor walks on. This piece has been on permanent display since way back in 2011.

After a visit to Surry Hills for lunch, we picked up the train and headed down to Mascot to pick up our hire car from Sixt.

We are now the proud ‘owners’ of a funky white Mazda which got us back to Manly in super fast time as we rode the endless tunnels that connect the Eastern Suburbs with the North Shore and on to Manly.

Tonight it was a boys night and drinks down at Felons on the Manly Wharf.

It’s another customary meet up and an opportunity to catch up with Gary, Mark and Jamie and partaking in a few beers whilst putting the world to rights. Always funny to hear how much their lives mirror our own, with all the usual nonsense and challenges, intermingled with days spent on the beach or down at a bar/restaurant in the glorious summer sun. The evening went by really quick and before we knew it, 11.30pm had struck and it was time to amble home for a good nights sleep in readiness for Andy’s birthday tomorrow.

A leisurely start to the 26th with a pre-7.30am 10k run for Andy.

Michelle and Amelia had other ideas and had a more sedate start to the morning with a brief visit to the Corso for some post Xmas window shopping.

Our favourite store remains the budgy smuggler selling 1970’s styled tight swimming shorts for men.

We then idled over to Little Manly beach where we were meeting up with the ‘Manly massive’ for some beach workout, before heading to Jamie’s boat for an impromptu party.

As arrived at the beach we could hear overhead the sound of a small plane spelling out a word in the sky.

Today was a pure blue sky day, and one where red ‘overcooked’ bodies could be spotted across the beach and in the water.

After taxiing people from the beach to the boat in Jamie’s rib, the girls quickly settled in and started to make the most of messing around on the water.

The kids loved their time on the boat and we have to say a big thanks to Jamie and Tracy for their kind hospitality. Such a wonderful day with lots of fun and laughter.

After a fantastic afternoon on the boat and the rib, we returned to the beach and enjoyed the last few hours of sunshine.

Early evening we returned to the apartment for an alfresco dinner with Caroline, Charlie, Amelie and Eva before playing more party games with Amelie proving to be the winner for the second night running.

Tomorrow we plan to head back in Sydney for Andy’s pre-birthday lunch before picking up a hire car which we will then have for a week enabling us to explore the Northern Beaches and drop down to Coogee to do the coast walk up to Bondi.

Well here we are again, Xmas in Manly for the second year running.

Thankfully we are all together with our beautiful daughter Amelia and our posse of wonderful Manly friends who have kindly invited us into their hectic festive lives.

We followed tradition, with the opening of Xmas presents with Amelia getting the lions share!

Michelle has been collecting gifts over the last few months, picking up things from our stays in South Korea, Japan and New Zealand.

After present giving and opening, we headed down to the beach for a Xmas morning coffee and then on to the beach for a swim.

We met up with the Walters team on the beach, with Amelia and Eva greeting each other like long last sisters….they had seen each other about 8 hours earlier!

After some more Xmas gifting it was time to hit the water for a dip.

After a quick shower and change we made our way to the Scott’s for our Xmas lunch.

After a fun packed and busy Xmas day with friends, we eventually called time around 10pm and bid our fond farewell’s to all our lovely Manly friends. A big thanks to Tracy and Jamie for hosting. Also thanks to Katie and Neil for their catering contributions. And a special thanks to our camera lady, Ms Caroline Walters.

We returned to the apartment and caught up with family in the UK with WhatsApp calls to wish them a Merry Xmas as their day was beginning and our day was coming to an end.

Tomorrow we head to Little Manly beach for a trip on Jamie’s boat and time on the water. More fun times ahead.

Back to traditions with breakfast down at Shelly Beach with Caroline et al.

We set off in the sunshine walking through the Oval grounds at 8am and on to the Corso to meet Caroline & Co in front of Coles.

Before we’d walked a few steps along Manly beach who should we bump into but Santa Claus himself taking a break before his busy night. What a lovely guy and so funny he had an Aussie accent.

We even got early presents from Santa who gave us each a shiny bauble for our Xmas tree.

Out walk down to Shelly has become a daily affair over the last few days and it’s so lovely to stop and grab a photo over the sea pool.

We then stopped again at Fairy Bower Beach along Marine Parade for a team shot of the ladies of Manly.

After placing our brekkie order at The Boathouse it was then time to marvel at the egg and bacon sandwich that they conjured up.

Post nourishment it was time to snorkel at Shelly Beach.

With not a cloud in the sky we swam, snorkelled and sunbathed for a couple of hours enjoying our special time down at the beach with friends.

We then headed back to the apartment to start the Xmas Day food prep and the cooking of pigs in blankets and other delicacies that Michelle was conjuring up.

After an afternoon of running, cooking and drinking, it was time for the Manly Alternative Nativity and the arrival of the Three Wise Men…..

Once inside St Matt’s it was a packed house ready for the arrival of the young performers including one rapper by the name of Charlie W!

After the church service we headed across the street to the Ivanhoe pub for a few early Xmas tipples and chips and dips. Again this has been one of those traditions we’ve done over the last few times at Xmas.

Once home there was just enough time to watch Home Alone before it was bed and the big day tomorrow.

On the 25th it’s Xmas on the beach before heading off to friends for an English Xmas Day dinner with all the trimmings.