All Over Bar the Hangover

I was prepared to hunker in for a night of telly and a bottle of Christmas Moet Chandon this New Year but Thommo came to the rescue and a bunch of us headed out.

First stop, the Cremorne Orpheum. A lovely art deco theatre where we bought tickets for "Bright Star" the story of John Keats love affair with Fanny Brawne (or should I say a sniffathon and coughing spree because there was no real 'contact' in the story). Beautifully filmed, stunningly acted and pathetically slow and laborious despite it's gazillion star rating. My com padres bar one were left snivelling in their popcorn. I managed to be woken from my mid film doze by my phone going off, right in the middle of a tense scene. Very embarrassing to have it singing "Hellooooo Answer the phone . . answer the phone . . ." Still it woke me up.

Snack Bar at the Orpheum. I wasn't allowed to take pictures without 'written permission'

We indulged in arguably one of the best Thai meals I've had in a very long time. Lots of Goong and Larb, a nice chardy and a lovely sparkling red before walking 2 kms downhill (always a bad thing because you know you have to walk back up again!) towards Cremorne Point for the early fireworks. Sydney has two sessions. A lesser display at nine then the big bang at midnight. Being old farts, we weren't prepared to hang around for the late night show.

"Special Event" parking restrictions were in place and in this case, strictly enforced. These guys are towing cars parked in a no parking zone!"

Still, the crowd control was friendly enough. This is 'family time' so the yahoos were only on their 19th beer and hanging off balconies despite the 'alcohol free' zone signs planted everywhere. They'd emerge later I guess when the mums and dads wonder home with their sleepykins.

I love the harbour in that twilight twinkliness. This wasn't the best vantage point unfortunately, the bridge blocked by Kirribilli Point where Kev o sev is probably hunkered down waiting for the spectacle to begin. Then I'm nos sure he's in the country. Our Prime Minister is frequently in absentia . . .

See, isn't it pretty as dusk fades. All the little boats bobbing on the water and the buildings beginning to twinkle.

After a short wait at 9pm on the nose, the fireworks began. I was very pleased with the performance of my 50mm lens because I've had great difficulty getting night shots and for a hand held job, these turned out pretty cool.

Such a shame about that bloody tree . . .

Still a good night was enjoyed. The walk back up the hill not too strenuous and a quiet but pleasant evening with friends was indeed a nice respite from spending New Year's Eve alone.

For those who have the stamina to find a good spot early, or take a harbour cruise or even own a boat, the midnight fireworks are indeed worth seeing. I watched them on telly and downed a few bevvies . . now this is why they close the bridge:

When I arrived home, I was puzzled as to why Lily's head and body were quite wet. It seems that people around us had also been letting off fireworks and the poor thing had spent most of the night under a slightly dripping shower in the shower cubicle!

So to all . . once again I hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve no matter how you choose to spend it and here's to a new year, a new decade where we can learn from the mistakes of the past and open a new page for the future. Warm wishes and all the very best to you all.