Poodle's Progress

John Bunyan must be turning in his grave to hear that Poodles also go on journeys of discovery. Nonetheless the 7 members of the family (3 stuffed) arrived safely in Sydney on 30th December to await the New Year. We had booked accomodation before leaving and it was thin on the ground. Mr and Mrs Poodlem with Dilly, four legs, Brendan ,two legs and Perkins two to three legs depending how you look at it were assigned the ESRON MOTEL in Randwick above Coogee Beach. This 50s American B movie style joint is run with a rod of iron 24hrs a day by 'The Bat' or 'The Flying Fox' to be more accurate. We saw some of her comades in the trees in the Botanic Gardens in Sydney. They hang upside down from the top of trees and sponataneously launch themselves into thin air to land on a nearby one with deadly accuracy and surprise. Our Bat had the same accuracy and sense of purpose. She only lacked the jeweled batwinged glasses of certain vintage American matrons. Goergina felt the sting of her tongue for talking into a mobile phone in the corridor, a fairly harmless occupation in our book.

The Hotel's name is an anagram of SNORE ( and NORSE).

Camille and Morgan had been assigned to a place reccomended by the Flying Fox. She portrayed it as 'clean'. It is called 'The Centre' and turned out to be a Christian meditation centre
policed 24hrs by a phantom of the Opera without a trace of humour. Why does religion bring out the poe-faced in droves? Our two goodie goodies went meekly to their rooms and I think exploded in tears of laughter there. They dared not utter a word over breakfast in the face of the other guests, which of course was served from 7am onwards. John Bunyan would have been proud.

We met for a second breakfast, a Full Australian. We having been having wonderful breakfasts here. Eggs, Benedict, Florentine, any style, with lashings of avocado, spinach and tomatoes. Bircher Benner muesli and Soy cappochinos. You name it they have it. Australian cuisine is copious and transcontinental, also healthy in the main.

So much for our first day back in Sydney.

P.S. I am studying diligently on all your behalfs my friends. So much so that I invested in a book called "Irritation, the Destructive Fire ", visited the master of Bondi beach who you met in a previous posting and from whom I have gained many quotes for later and dicovered the Zen of Life Direction :
The West says, 'understand and transform yourself.'
The East whispers, 'know and transcend the self.'
The North and South are staying very quiet.