Greetings Alan

Well we are now just about 3 weeks away from our 4th consecutive holiday Down Under!

We hope you are still in Sydney and that we can buy you that steak and Guinness pie at the Mercantile. (See post from march)

We are still unsure if we will make it to the Blue Mountains, if we do it will be a weekday. Just so much to do and see!

Cheers

Steve and Andrea

Alan does not like us anymore! He is never here and never writes.
Now that pie sounds yummy!

yes...I'm afraid Alan has abandoned us. Now....

Nonsense.... apart from two weeks (September 19 to October 2) when I was in Vietnam, I am here every day. It's the QUESTIONS that have caused me to "pare back" my replies. Nobody asks anything that I know anything about any more! Everything I know I have said already!

I will be here for Christmas (unless my dream of going back to the school for the deaf that I visited a week and a half ago in Ho Chi Minh City and working as a volunteer... those kids are really something special... becomes a reality, which seems unlikely at the moment unless I win Lotto) and my mouth is already watering regarding that steak and Guinness pie. Maybe a few other of the regulars (Margo, Liz -- if she's heading down this way -- and Neil, just for starters) could join us as well, and make it a Fodors get-together. We could tell the Mercantile that we're ALL going to write reports on their pies, and scare the life out of them!

Count me in, and thanks heaps. Let's talk some more.

Hello Al!

Good to hear from you. You could always just write Ditto on those questions that you have already answered. Shows that you should have not been so forthcoming with your help seeing that you have run out of ideas.
Had a flying visit ( in all senses) to Sydney a couple of weeks ago and will do another October 22nd so will just miss out on the pie-fest. Everytime I go down your way you have either been away or the computer is not working and you didn't get my message. Oh well, when and if I buy a place in the B.Ms there will be plenty of time to catch up and eat pies - I propose an old age pensioner Fodors get-to-gether and pie eating contest - are you in Neil?

Nice to hear from you, Liz, and that is unfortunate that you have been sending me messages that I have never received. My computer problem was resolved -- after a year and three months of complaints -- on April 2, when, following a series of heated letters to the TIO about Telstra's appalling service with Bigpond, Telstra finally succumbed and did what they had consistently refused to do.... sent a technician to check the system. He found that the modem was the cause of the problem, replaced it on the spot, and I haven't had a whiff of trouble since -- except that Telstra has taken umbrage because I refused to pay for the three months when I could hardly get on the net at all, and now they're threatening to make my life a bloody misery: telling the world that I default on payments, ensuring that a bad credit rating follows me around forever, all sorts of extra penalties and charges as punishment. My letters to them are never -- NOT EVER -- replied to. Maybe that's because they're having trouble with THEIR computer (surely they wouldn't be foolish enough to use Bigpond?!!)

With all these visits to Sydney, maybe you can schedule another one to coincide with Steve and Andrea's visit!

Excellent Idea Alan! Of course it would be great if Liz and Neil were to join us all for some fun at the Mercantile. Would be nice to meet the folks who answer so many of our questions here

Liz you just have to tweak that schedule a bit

Cheers

Steve and Andrea

Hhmmmm..

Steak and Guinness pies.....

I'm back from the land of the long white cloud (or shroud) at the end of October.....

Would love to tweek my schedule a bit and meet up with youse lot! But at this stage it cannot be moved one day unfortunately. However if I do buy some property in the B.Ms then I will apply for an aged rail pass and terrorise all those quite people who thought that it would be nice to have a trip by train to the B.Ms.
So sorry to hear of continuing probs with Telstra Alan - I have had a little bit of a tiff with them this last week or so and I must be popular with them as they keep sending me those envelope letters each week it seems.
I cann't wait until wireless technology has advanced enough to be able to talk to someone with the same tech. so that we can ditch the land line phone carriers.

Hi everyone, I for one would love to join you....but I can't

So I have to ask a question instead, Margo where is land of the long white cloud (or shroud)??????? are you in Wales?
Alan, I would love to hear about your Vitnam trip...did u post on the Asia board? I only go there when I am going to Singapore HK or Japan. And unfortunately, I am not going to any of them.

Muck

ahh the Land of the Long White Cloud

Aotearoa

I hope I have that right!, if not I hope my Kiwi friends will forgive me...

Sorry Margo..couldn't resist the urge....

New Zealand

Alan, Margo, Liz, Neil and other Fodorites

Here is our schedule so we might plan something at the Mercantile.

We arrive 9 Nov am (so recovering from Jet Lag)
Thursday open
Friday evening at the Opera House
Sat street market at the Rocks
Sun afternoon at the Opera House again
Monday evening Bridge Climb
Tues Open
Wed depart for Cairns

Now we should be easy to spot, I will be the grey haired and slightly over weight Yank trying to acquire an Aussie accent with 3 of the prettiest women on earth, (my Mom, Wife, and Daughter)

Now after a week in Cairns, we send Mom and Daughter home and we go diving on the GBR Coral sea for a week on the Spirit of Freedom, then off to Adelaide for a week and back to Sydney on 8 Dec mid day. Depart for the 'States on the 11th.

And of course we must shop and dine, which as always makes the time go by so fast!!!!

Alan et all we are open for suggestions on days/times to meet at the Mercantile. Do you think they would sponsor the Fodorite convention????

Cheers

Steve and Andrea

Hi, Steve and Andrea!

Just a couple of days ago I happened to walk past the Mercantile -- thinking of our steak-and-Guinness pies -- and, would you believe, it's all boarded up! I don't know if it's to be refurbished or whether it's scheduled for demolition, but it certainly didn't look like it would be open in another fortnight!

So I suggest we change the venue to Harry's Cafe de Wheels. It's not too far from the Opera House, so either early-evening Friday or Sunday would probably be the best for you.... I work until 4:30 Sunday, but that would still leave us plenty of daylight, and give you plenty of time to get to the Opera. Friday, I can come at any time. Let's see what Margo, Liz and Neil (where are you, Neil) think. Anyway, whatever day you decide, I am, gratefully, IN! Do you have my email address, so we can talk about Liz without her knowing? I'm at [email protected].

I'm sharpening up my appetite!

Sorry for the silence, Alan - I'd love to be there, if I can make it. Only potential problem is that we're planning a week's getaway around that time - we're talking Sunday 13 November, right? - so it looks like I'll have to discuss this with The Boss, who has a better memory for dates than me. I'll be back...

Oh No! I hope it's only a refurbish and not a demolition. Won't be the same without the Mercantile.

Glad to hear that Neil may be able to join us. We will wait until we see what the others say about those 2 days and pick the one that is best for all! We were going to make over to Harry's as well.

Thanks for the email address we will get a note off to you about Liz shortly.........

Neil, you are not alone my friend. My better half keeps track of everything. My true role is to pay for the vacations and carry the luggage.

Cheers

Steve and Andrea

Greetings Alan, Margo, Liz, Neil and other Fodorites

Well since the Mercantile is unvailable Harry's has been nominated as the choice for our fodors get together

After talking a bit with Alan it seems a good idea to meet at the Opera House Box Office around 5pm on Sunday the Nov 13th.

Hopefully this will fit into most everyone's schedules

Cheers

Steve and Andrea

I'm in... except that it will probably be 5:15 when I get there. Now, how about all the others?