There’ll be fireworks tonight
Photo: Fe Lumsdaine, First Light Photography
Sydney Harbour is in party-mode, preparing to celebrate the arrival of 2016 with a giant firework display. It will be bigger, brighter and more colourful than ever.
The streets around us are cordoned off and parking restrictions have been in place from 3pm to prevent traffic jams. The waterfront park at the end of the road offers an unobstructed view of the Harbour Bridge; it’s one of the top viewing spots. A few years ago they added a firework barge near Cockatoo Island, which means Birchgrove gets a double whammy. Spectacular fireworks will explode on both sides of our street, and not just once. The first display takes place at nine, the second at midnight.
We’d have a perfect view if we weren’t hunkered down with the windows shut and the curtains drawn.
Maggie has adapted to life in Sydney pretty well for a ‘three-quarters-dingo’ bush dog from Broken Hill. She doesn’t bark at water any more and she no longer tries to bite the waves on the beach; she accepts that other dogs have a right to cross her path and she loves long car journeys and large bones; most days she’s content to lie next to me in the office, stretched out in the sun hoping for a cuddle.
The one thing she can’t stand is noise.
I was understandably nervous last NYE. In the countdown to the first display I downed a glass of champagne and slipped Maggie a tranquiliser. It barely touched the sides. At the first blast she ran through the house as if the demons of hell were chasing her.
It’s distressing to see a beloved family pet go through such anguish. When we had finally calmed her down I drank another couple of glasses to settle my nerves. Maggie had another tranquiliser.
In the countdown to midnight, and in a heightened state of anxiety, I downed several more glasses of champagne.
In hindsight I maintain that not enough sympathy was shown by CC, whose entirely sober judgement was reasonable, calm and considered. ‘The fireworks won’t last long,’ he said. ‘She’ll be fine. Stop worrying.’
Stop worrying? When my veins are flooded with adrenalin and champagne??
Come midnight Maggie still hated the noise and she whimpered with fear, but thanks to the tranquiliser she didn’t have the energy to run around.
As for me I was bouncing off the walls. Once the firework display had finished I polished off the rest of the bottle, picked a fight with CC and tripped over the comatose dog. I was noisier than the fireworks.
This year will be different.
May your year ahead have less noise in it.
17 comments on “There’ll be fireworks tonight”
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I'm a writer based in Australia with a passion for gardening, remote places and people with a story to tell.
Strawberries in the Desert 
This year I am going to give Deb the tranquiliser and Maggie the champagne
Cheers
CC
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Hah! Too late, I already opened the bottle 🙂 x
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Have a wonderful night you gorgeous two! See you next year. Mwah from quiet Canberra!!
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Happy New Year you beautiful friend, much love to you and Mal and your growing family!
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A delightful NYE interlude! We will think of you 3 when we watch it on TV!
May 2016 have more rain also! All good wishes.x
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Let it pour with rain, let rivers run and dams fill, far more exciting than champagne and fireworks! All best wishes to you and yours Adele x
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Lovely photos of Maggie
Hope all goes well tonight love skirbs xxxooo
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Happy New Year Skirbs. We all survived and there’s champagne left in the bottle – got to count that as a success! x
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haha, Happy New Year to you and Maggie!
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And Happy New Year to you too!
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Happy New Year Deb! Forget the champagne – I’m having rum. I need a little extra – I will be dealing with 3 quivering, panting schnauzers when the fireworks start. And because I live in the country with countless rednecks, firearms will be blasting off as well. Yeah, I’m staying in the house with my rum and my dogs. My hubs? He’ll probably go to bed about 8 pm.
Bring on the New Year!
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Wow sounds like you’ll need to know where the spare bottle is! Hope the rednecks stay well away from you and your precious Schnauzers and Happy New Year to you and yours x
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Poor Maggie. I hope the hangover was worth it. 😉
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Happy New Year Eliza! There’s no ice-cream left in the freezer but the bottle of champagne was barely touched. And Maggie is lying in the sun 🙂
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🙂
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Maggie is beautiful! And smart, for avoiding the noise:). My dog has recently decided she is scared of thunder. Bought her a thunder shirt–will let you know if it works . . .
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She’s gorgeous isn’t she? And I’m not the least bit biased! She’s avoiding the rain right now, 25mm on Sunday and another 52mm yesterday. Hope your thunder shirt works and Happy New Year to you Kay 🙂
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