Been and gone and come home again

We had an uneventful trip away, and were very pleased to be home again.  Sydney turned on one of its downpours to remind us what it used to be like.....we don't get rain depressions like that here, thank goodness.  According to the financial bloke we can continue living for a while longer, and our visit with the travel agent was enlightening.  We're just finalising dates now, and later in the year will definitely be visiting Canada.

One of the places I wanted to visit was a shop which sold CDs and DVDs of classical music; having bought from them in the past I knew they had a great selection.  Kevin duly followed me where I led because I knew where it was.....but it had closed, gone forever it seems, and in its place was a women's clothing shop.  Oh dear, we said, never mind, we'll go to the map shop.  Guess what.  The map shop has moved........eventually we found our way to another shop (which I had been to previously, but had forgotten about) which specialises in classical music, and I was as happy as a pig in mud.  Bought the CD I wanted.  Much as I like living in the Small Smoke, unfortunately there is no shop here selling music written in 1610 by Claudio Monteverdi.  Plenty of the latest hits.  Plenty of country music and truckin' songs.  But no Monteverdi, for those of us who enjoy a good Vespers.

We took the opportunity to catch up with friends and spent a lovely evening in their company.  A surprise was bumping into one of Kevin's cousins in the shopping mall across the road from our hotel, so we were brought up-to-date with the latest family news.  

It was nice to go away, but much nicer to come home.  But the hours spent in the car weren't wasted, because the new knitted jacket is progressing very well.

It wouldn't be a post without a picture or two, so here is a pic taken late last year when we visited the coast.  This is an Aussie native, we think it's a Melaleuca - the flowers were very fluffy, it was quite pretty.  It was in someone's yard and I couldn't get a better picture without climbing the fence.

 This handsome bird is a pheasant.

There is a very funny song about pheasants......if you can sing it without getting the words mixed, you are doing very well.  Here it is.

My goodness, sewing black fabric can be hard on one's elderly eyes, can't it?  The top recently cut out is now being made and I am having a coffee break before sewing on the neckband.  I've sewn black in the past, but not black knit - it seems to be blacker than woven fabric, if that's possible.

In our travels we noticed that autumn is definitely on the way.  Some trees are starting to get the faded look that comes before the leaves turn, and many have already started changing colour.  A large tree that we pass on our way to town, which I mentioned previously, is becoming very bronze.  Why just that one tree, I don't know - it's not the only one of its species in town, in fact there are several in our street alone, but it's the only one whose leaves are changing.

"Certain local rules have been recognised in society at Sydney from the fact that a gentleman's social position is acquired by virtue of certain offices which he holds, and the social status of woman is also in a less degree determined by the official rank of her husband."

Supposing one's husband is an ordinary gentleman holding no particular office......does that mean one holds no social status whatsoever?  Ah well......I know my place.

Enjoy your days!