Day #18 Sydney

Galah #15

Today we said goodbye to the Azamara Quest - it has been a super cruise and we look forward to our next time on board, even though we haven't booked anything yet. 
We debarked and dumped our bags at our hotel and then caught the Rivercat to Paramatta to visit some friends that we met on our Antarctica cruise 4 years ago. Their house is in a great location and Ken loves birds and feeds them every day. They have a slightly different selection than we do back home though - and more colourful too!
This is a Galah. I actually thought that this was a slang word or nickname that was used by the Aussies, but it turns out it's the real name of a bird!! They were very friendly and even though we did not see the three juveniles, their parents paid several visits to see what Ken had left them - this time it was seeds and grapes. 
They also have rainbow lorikeets, sulphur crested parakeets, Australian magpies, mynahs and crested pigeons - all whom put in an appearance. 
What a wonderful array of birds to have visit every day. Some of them will even come onto the deck and sit on the backs of the chairs in anticipation of being fed. 
We had a great time with Ken and Lesley and they were wonderful company. We had a fabulous barbecue of snapper and marinated shrimps with a delicious salad. 
Before we knew it, time had run away with the day and we did not get back to our hotel to check in until after 11pm! 
But we had a fantastic day. 
In extras are a couple of the other visitors - the rainbow lorikeets, which I think are just fabulous and "Junior", the juvenile magpie.