We've been and gone and come home again

The Big Smoke was big, but not very smokey - at least not where we were!  We stayed by the water and had a lovely view from the back verandah, looking left.........

 ........then straight ahead........

 .......then right.

A hibiscus in the rain, the flowers on that bush were bigger than my hand.

And before you ask, no, I did not go in that pool.  I don't appear in public in a swimsuit.

We had an good visit, catching up with friends for dinner, visiting my favourite music shop (a couple of new CDs came home with us) and a quilt shop, and seeing an exhibition at the State Library of NSW, a collection of photos taken in the gold rush days of the 1870s.  The detail in the photos is amazing and we found it particularly interesting as we know some of the towns where the pictures were taken; several of the buildings still exist.

But we could have done without the drive home in the rain on Friday........only 30-40 minutes was dry, out of what is usually a six hour drive.  It took much longer because traffic was slow, drivers were being cautious which isn't a bad thing in heavy rain.

Last week Karen was able to hear some of my radio program, isn't technology amazing?  People at the station were thrilled to know that we can be heard on the far side of the known universe - which Karen's town is, from here.  Thank you for listening, Karen, and for your kind words!  I still make the occasional mistake but I'm getting the hang of all that has to be done.......and tonight it was a solo effort, no one in the building but me.  Each week gets a little easier and a little less unnerving.

We've been seeing signs of autumn!  The vine on the fence of the football field we drive past on our way to or from town is starting to turn bronze and some trees are turning yellow already, while others have the faded look which often precedes changing.  We're not sure what the vine is, could be an ornamental grape, and it is pretty when all its leaves are bronze.  Signs that summer is on the way out have been noticeable for two or three weeks now; summer was record-breaking hot, the hottest for many years, and I for one will be glad when it's finally all over.  When we head south in a couple of weeks there should be even more signs of autumn to enjoy.

"To make lip salve.
Melt in a jar placed in a basin of boiling water a quarter of an ounce each of white wax and spermaceti, flour of benzoin fifteen grains, and half an ounce of the oil of almonds.  Stir until the mixture is cool.  Color red with alkanet root."

Oh my.......women have it easy these days, don't we?  We can buy a new lipstick whenever we need to, we don't have to make our own.  Alkanet and benzoin are from  plants, while spermaceti is from whales; obviously the writers of my 1885 book assumed their readers would be familiar with such items.

Enjoy your days!