Well after the scorching summer we had we’re now into a rather rainy phase. It makes venturing into the city a bit of a task.
But stand still for long enough, and I notice some wondrous things amongst the everyday.
The changeable weather also brings great clouds as well as rain.
And seeing a patch of blue after a grey day, I begin to understand why those in colder, greyer climes are so ecstatic when the sun comes out.
The trip on the Manly Fast Ferry takes 20 minutes, compared to half-an-hour on the old ferries, so very soon the city sky-line was in view.
We veered pretty close to Fort Denison, a former prison and military fortress that’s now a fine dining restaurant and function centre.
Beyond the island are the Royal Botanical Gardens and the Opera House – always a reassuring sight. We pass by two old ferries which service the smaller wharves on the Harbour.
A cruise past the Opera House, and we’re once again into Circular Quay. Not a bad commute.
One of the privileges of living in Sydney is having access to Sydney Harbour. Now, some of us might be lucky enough to wake up to the Harbour every morning, but I feel privileged enough to be a short train ride away from such a scene as this.
Of course, there is no better way of seeing the harbour than to take the ferry to/from Manly, as I did on the day of our Manly lunch. The old green and beige ferries might still have their charms, but for a few dollars extra, you can have the air-conditioned comfort of the Manly Fast Ferry. That’s one below.
But the harbour is magical, whichever mode of transport you take. The water, skies, clouds, hills and all manner of water-craft, never fail to blow away the cobwebs away.
Last November, on Remembrance Day, our family gathered at Circular Quay on a breezy evening.
Not to take in the view, which was of course splendid…
But to see a banner of red poppies unfurl over the sails of the Opera House.
This was the work of my father-in-law, P, a former member of the Royal Navy and local RSL member.
He wanted to raise awareness of Remembrance Day, and the cause of current and past military personnel from all conflicts outside of Anzac Day.
Given that our more recent veterans come back with all sorts of physical and mental stresses and frequently face a lack of support, it’s a worthwhile cause to champion.
It’s been a funny old Spring with the weather see-sawing between summer and winter. Some of the plants in our garden are a bit confused, but the ones that seem to thrive regardless are our grevilleas – this one in particular which flowered all through winter.
The local rainbow lorikeets particularly enjoyed this shrub. They hung around it for weeks on end. It made a particularly cheerful (and noisy) scene in the mornings and evenings.
Being deep in suburbia, it was really nice to have some native birds around the garden, even if it was only one kind. We even saw a bit of a mating ritual happening in our crepe myrtle.
At the beginning of May we saw the Icelandic folk/pop/alt band Of Monsters and Men in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House. The Opera House opens its doors to contemporary artists pretty often as I’ve seen a few bands there over the years. We were seated in the stalls for the first time, which gave us a real close up view.
Listening to their albums, I’m aware that the band is a large one, having two lead singers, but I wasn’t quite prepared for 9 to 12 people on the stage!
The audience was a real mix, from under 20’s to over 60’s – a real surprise given that the group is only 5 years old and doesn’t get a lot of mainstream radio play. I guess these days people can discover new music in all sorts of ways.
They played the content of their two albums, and a few odds and ends, and their music sounded grander on stage than on their album. To me, they are one of those bands that sound better live than on their recordings. It even brought the crowd to their feet every now and then!
And yes, the smoke machine and strobe lighting was in use. Not surprising given the atmospheric nature of much of their songs.
All in all, a good night out.
We are going through a long hot patch in Sydney at the moment. It’s been 30C or more everyday for almost a month (with only one or two exceptions), and the forecast is for more right into April.
The fan, and more often than I like, the air-con, has been on constantly, day and night.
At least some of the plants seem to be liking the weather. Our roses are actually flourishing, with practically no additional watering.
I also did a reconnaissance of the northern end of the Maroubra Beach. There is a rock pool, Mahon Pool, that may have been a good bet if the swell was off-shore, but certainly not on the day of my visit.
It certainly gave you a good view of the sandstone cliffs.
And a spectacular view of the coastline beyond.
But with the big surf, it drew crowds wanting to get up close and personal with the ocean – without getting too wet.
I preferred to keep my distance from the edge and take my photos from relative safety. I think the ocean was mesmerising wherever you stood that day.
It’s amazing that even after living in Sydney for much of my life, I can still find plenty of places that I have never visited. Maroubra Beach is one of them. I must say that I like it a lot.
It’s a longer beach than either Coogee or Bondi, and far less developed. Not a large-scale developments on the beach front in sight, which is a relief.
On a weekday, it’s only me, a few swimmers, and the surfers, who were busy tackling the big swell.
In fact, the waves were so good that the surfers bear couldn’t take their eye off the action.
I enjoyed Joan’s recent posts about the State Library NSW, so on a recent flying visit, I snuck in a few more shots to add to my ‘from above’ collection.
The student army still dress in jeans, but their tools have changed significantly since the days when I was at school. Just think that 20 years ago, there would barely be a laptop in sight. Now, one hardly sees anyone wielding a pen.
And what’s this, but a few escapees from the professional world? I suppose you must have somewhere to hide in the big city.
Static and Silence 