The New Year’s Day at Balmoral is being celebrated like every where … it’s the Great Australian Picnic. During the Christmas 2019 period, bushfires raged in the country. We didn’t see any fires here in Sydney, but we certainly were aware of them, not just through the media, but the smoke and haze engulfed us too … even here, by the seaside. 

On New Year’s Day a S-Easterly had blown the haze Westward, the day was overcast and dull, quite windy, yet balmy at about 25 degrees. Sydneysiders came in droves and brought their households. Extended families sent their advance contingent very early in the morning to stake a claim and pitch their sun shields. A couple of hours or so later the parties started in earnest … to last all day.