Week seven was our first full week with my mum and we decided to venture out and do some site seeing. Almost everything went as planned though we did postpone one weekend plan which was disappointing but turned out to be the right decision as a fierce thunderstorm rolled in that afternoon. Western Sydney got hit the hardest with power out and trees down everywhere and had we gone we would have been driving home during the worst of it. Eastern Sydney barely got anything, just a touch of rain and some wild wind, which was disappointing as well. I certainly don't want drama and destruction, but I do love a good thunderstorm. Anyway, sit back, relax, and enjoy the photo illustrations of our week.
My personal achievements for the week from my walking pedometer and Duolingo.
The community cockatoos (both Sulfur Crested and Bare Eye or Little Corella) LOVE to congregate in the big trees early in the morning. When the tree is bare in winter it is easy to spot them. Once the leaves return it is much harder.
A wishy...
This is the stack of YA and Middle Grade books I hope to read through the month of September. I am a member of several reading/book clubs on Facebook and one group holds a September "Back to School" Readathon that focuses on YA (young adult) and Middle Grade books. Most of my Facebook clubs are US based hence the "back to school" focus of this one. There are SO many wonderful books in this age bracket to read. So I reserved a bunch that were on my TBR list and had them on hand to start reading from the 1st of September.
One of the things I loved MOST about my time with mum was the opportunity to sit next to each other and read. In hindsight, we should have planned to buddy read a book in person. However, we didn't realise how much time we would have to read so didn't think of it ahead of time. But she had her stack of books that she borrowed from my two libraries, and I had my stack of YA/Middle Grade books, and we happily read together, stopping frequently to share quotes or thoughts about what we were reading.
If you look closely at the photo you can JUST see Jack's face peeking out above mum's book.
Monday afternoon we left Jack at home for awhile and went walking in the park. We were able to show mum a couple of our favourite areas.
The geese were out and on show...
Mum and Monkey sitting and enjoying the view along the water.
There were lots of birds about, including this beautiful Great Egret that strutted his stuff for us while we sat and relaxed.
Monkey photographing the geese...
My "not so great" photo of the geese...
We love the leafy elephant structures that line the walking path...
As I have mentioned before, the teenagers are conscious and mindful of their exposure online and have requested that, when possible, I not share photos of their faces. I am respecting this and therefore taking lots of back shots of them. This is Monkey walking with Grandmama in the park.
One of Jack's favourite activities was to burrow and scrabble around in mum's sweatshirt.
Another collection of trees and plants from various walks in the surrounding neighbourhoods. This first photo is a jacaranda tree.
A beautiful pink variety of Pig Face found along one of Jack's chosen walking tracks.
This was a beautiful plant growing outside a yard Jack and I walked past frequently. It has several common names including: Coral Common Pea, Native Sarsaparilla, or Happy Wanderer.
This tiny bit of plant growing out of someone's brick wall is either a Port Jackson fig or some other form of wild fig. This is a concerning discovery because they grow to be HUGE trees. It will be interesting to see what the owner of this brick wall decides to do.
A beautiful "Moonlight" Grevillia that I absolutely love.
In searching to find out what these yellow flowers are, I've been surprised to find out they are actually a weed called Capeweed. Munchkin and I think it is wonderful that these flowers carpet many areas of our neighbourhood.
A beautiful Yellow (Golden) Wattle tree, or Acacia. I am deathly allergic to them but I still love them.
Finally, beautiful flowers that someone took to time to plant in the nature strip between the footpath/sidewalk and the street.
Thursday was a trip into the city to inspect the Opera House and visit the State Library. Our first stop was the Opera House and as we walked along the harbour we spotted these plaques in the pathway. It was too busy, and there were too many pedestrians to find them all, but I was pleased to see this one.
I have lived in Sydney for just over 26 years now and I still find the Harbour and Circular Quay breath taking and amazing. The top photo is a view straight after exiting the train station. The middle photo is the Harbour Bridge, and the last picture is a view of Circular Quay as seen from the Opera House. It was a very warm day, but otherwise an absolutely perfect day for our outing.
The lift (elevator) in the Opera House freaked Munchkin out because it didn't have a ceiling. I pointed out to him that it needed to be open in order to fit the larger instruments from the symphony orchestra inside, or tall props for plays and such.
After buddy reading "The Opera House" by Peter Fitzsimons together JUST before she travelled here, both mum and I were keen to have a VERY close look at this beautiful and iconic building. We didn't do a guided tour because they are expensive and require way too much stair climbing. Instead we looked around inside for a bit and visited the gift store, and then had fun admiring and photographing the outside. I got a bit more creative with my photography than I have done in the past and I'm pleased with this selection of photos.
This one and the one with a bit of the Harbour Bridge and the flags above are probably my two favourites of the lot.
Not my favourite of the lot, but still an interesting perspective.
A quick shot of the building Monster (eldest son) works in. Due to his schedule it was impossible to meet up with him while we were there.
A time honoured tradition that goes back to the days when I showed friends and family around before having children. The rubbing of the boar's nose. Below are the three plaques that explain the significance.
Left Plaque: 1968 - This wild boar fountain of good luck is a donation from Clarissa Torrigani in memory of her father Dr Thomas and her brother Dr Piero Fiaschi "Porcellino" collects money for the Sydney Hospital for which both worked as Hon. Surgeons
Right Plaque: Il Porcino - When you rub my nose and make a wish your donation supports research, education and development at Sydney Hospital. Australia's First Hospital.
This wild boar has come from Florence to Sydney as a link of friendship between Italy and Australia in memory of Brigadier General Thomas Fiaschi who loved and served so gallantly for both countries.
One of two huge portrait rooms at the State Library. I could take a whole day just browsing these two rooms.
The beautiful stain glass windows in the library.
The main purpose, and the highlight, of our trip to the State Library, was to visit this wonderful exhibit showcasing the talent and wonder that is Pamela Allen. She is a fantastic children's author and illustrator and I have been enjoying her picture books ever since the boys were very young. She is 92 years old and still writing wonderful books for children of all ages to enjoy. I intend to return for another visit (the exhibit goes until sometime next year) to take much better photos.
There were lovely examples everywhere of her pre-publication work. I could have spent hours just pouring over the choices that were displayed so carefully in the glass boxes. This exhibit definitely deserves more of my time and attention.
There were several hands-on exhibits for people to explore. The boys checked out the "Who Sank the Boat" activity...
And though only Munchkin allowed his photo to be shared, they both enjoyed the "Bertie and the Bear" activity as well.
There was a little house "set up" in one corner - complete with chairs and a bed to use...
And lots of Mr McGee activities as well...
An extra exciting bonus was spotting these Alexander's Outing ducks all around the library. When we return we'll be looking to see if we can find any more of them.
As we exited the State Library and headed back towards Hyde park we HAD to stop and photograph the statues of Matthew Flinders and his cat, "Trim". Hence mum and I have decided that our first buddy read when she returns home will HAVE to be "Flinders" by Grantlee Kieza.
We also discovered this small building (units/apartments we think) sandwiched between two large skyscrapers. It is super cute and we love that it has survived the upwards climb of buildings in the city. How the boys and I have never noticed or discovered it before I do not know.
I love photographing this little church. Again, we love that this "tiny" building survives in amongst the tall, modern skyscrapers of today. It is St James Anglican Church, built in 1824 by the convict Francis Greenway under the direction of governor Lachlan Macquarie. It is heritage listed and a part of the historical precinct of Macquarie Street.
I'm always looking for different photographic perspectives to showcase St Mary's Cathedral so was really pleased with my efforts and this result.
