More on houses

Olga, gluing our houses together, as you put it, is indeed something that most people would wonder about.  It seems that when the British colonialists came they simply built the only way they knew, without stopping to think there might be another way, especially in a country as vast as Australia.  However, they did built individual houses as well, especially in the country.   Here's a drawing of a slab hut in the early days:

I've been in Hornsby one and a half years now, and have still not unpacked all my bits and pieces. The other day Philip hung a few of my own paintings in the remaining wall spaces.  The place maybe looks a bit cluttered now, but at least it feels like home.

No surprise that I've put this one over the piano.  It's a print brought back by friends as a gift from the Prado in Spain many years ago.  I actually think it's a boy playing the instrument, but of course Emma assumes it's a girl.

Houses

Thanks for this pic of London suburbs, Frank.  Our inner-city suburbs are like this, too, having been built by the Brits in the early days, not realising that Australia has plenty of room!

These terraces in Paddington are very trendy and expensive nowadays.  I used to teach here, when I was pregnant with Philip in 1969.

Looks similar to the top photo, doesn't it!  These are southern suburbs - the leafier ones (including Hornsby, where I live now) are north of the bridge, which you can just see in the distance.  Mind you, there are many leafy, spacious and expensive suburbs in the south, too especially round the harbour.

Almost spring

What a pleasure it will be to have some warmer weather soon.  I took this photo on a walk the other day.  Olga and I are off to David Jones's spring flower show on Saturday - do you want to come with us, Lina?  Then next week, Alison, Bruce and Wendy are coming with me to the Knox garden walk in Wahroonga.  Soon after that we are going to other open gardens round and about.

I have to tell you that my piano playing is coming along nicely!  I am happy to play for hours every day, and find it very relaxing (as long as I have a coffee beside me!).

Suburban Sydney - Hornsby

Winifred, I can see your point - yes, if you're in Australia, be Australian.  Trouble is, I think we're more English than the English!!!  And I, in particular, LOVE English-style houses!

Here is a newish block of units I photographed yesterday, where friends of mine live:

As you can see, it's only three stories high and has lovely gardens.  Our streets are much wider than English ones - here you can park on both sides and still have two cars going in opposite directions.  It will be lovely in a few more weeks when the jacarandas are in bloom.

This is the children's play area at the corner of the street, with more apartment blocks behind:

Wandering round the neighbourhood...

Yesterday I went by myself to Wahroonga Village to my favourite coffee and cake cafe and wandered round, admiring the beautiful houses and gardens.  I really have no idea where so many people get so much money from, as there are zillions of such magnificent houses, all over Sydney.  My preference is for old ones with lots of nooks and crannies, but here is a more modern one, which is also very beautiful:

Blocks of apartments are springing up along the railway lines.  It is sad to see the old houses go, but I have to admit many of the apartment blocks are quite attractive, specially those limited to five stories, with landscaped gardens.  Mind you, we do have our share of ugly sky-scraping apartment blocks, too.  Next time I go out I'll take some photos of some nice ones for you.

Oh, we do love Andre Rieu!

Again this afternoon Muffy and I settled down to enjoy Andre Rieu in Maastricht.  All his performances are absolutely stunning, with thousands of people enjoying themselves, singing, dancing, crying, laughing.  I really think he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

This time he and his orchestra played a waltz written by Sir Anthony Hopkins, who was in the audience with his latest wife:

I vaguely remember he dumped his previous wife, so I don't think much of him, but have to admit his waltz was lovely.  One really great thing about Andre - he announced proudly last week that he's been married to his wife, Marjorie, for 35 years.  Now, there's a decent man for you!

And yes, Lina, we did get home after the high tea before the appalling weather struck.  So pleased you're going to the ballet - you won't be disappointed.

Heard this morning that another friend died this week, aged 70.

High Tea by the harbour

Yesterday was 25 degrees and I went with a friend to a beautiful restaurant by the harbour for high tea.  It was just perfect!  (That's me at the far side of the table, in mauve.)

Muffy again

Muffy might have her eyes closed, but she's listening to Andre Rieu's music from Mummy's lap. I photographed Andre with my favourite artist on his show, Carmen Monarcha.  With such beautiful things in the world, I constantly ask myself why we still have wars and murders.

Lina, I hope you get to the ballet - they're only in Sydney for two weeks.

One of the women from my exercise class died a few days ago.  That was a shock, as I'm the same age, 69.

Russian ballet

Yesterday Olga and I saw this wonderful Russian ballet, 'Anna Karenina'.  What a magnificent performance, and so nice to be with a Russian person!

I'd love to learn Russian, but think I'd better stick to learning the piano in Japanese!

This is the life!

A warm, sunny morning, Muffy, coffee and Virginia Woolf!  What more could one ask?  The orchids are still flowering beautifully.  They seem to last forever...

I do love Virginia Woolf as she reminds me of how all-over-the-place my thinking is.  Not only thinking, either, but doing.  If I'm reading, I ought to be playing the piano, and if I'm playing the piano I ought to be learning some Japanese, and so on.  I dart from one thing to another, never satisfied.  The computer doesn't help, as it is too easy to spend hours here, looking things up, one after the other.

Emma commented yesterday on how easily my Japanese is coming.  All I said was, 'Moshi moshi' to Hugo when he was playing with a toy mobile phone, but she was impressed it slipped out so naturally.  Mind you, I think 'moshi moshi' (meaning 'hello') is one of the silliest sayings I've ever heard in any language, which is probably why I remember it.  I first heard it spoken by a Frenchwoman in a French movie years ago.

Muffy on my bed

I snapped Muffy last night as she tried to push Virginia Woolf away!  (You can see the book in the right foreground.)  Recently she tried to nudge a friend off the bed, when she was

sitting there looking at photos on the computer.  I wonder what it is about cats that makes them seek out human warmth.  And want to be the centre of attention.  Every time I'm on the phone Muffy wants to be let in or out, or hides under the throw on the sofa - anything to get Mummy away from the phone!

Found it!

This is one of the pics I wanted yesterday - Muffy at the computer.  (I found it in Picasa on my other computer and emailed it to myself on this one.)  Sometimes she sits on my lap as I type. When I play the piano she hops onto my lap, too.  Of course, whenever I'm on the sofa watching telly she's there with me, and when I go to bed she follows me and hops right on top of me!  She's as warm as a hot water bottle.  If I go round the front to do some weeding you can be sure Muffy's right there with me.  And when I hang the washing out she's there, watching.

She's such a darling...

A quiet Sunday

I cheated a bit with this photo which was taken a few years ago, but it illustrates perfectly how Muffy loves being close to Mummy, and Sunday (yesterday) was no exception.  I was feeling very lonely and sorry for myself, so bought another book and of course Muffy expected to curl up on my lap as I was reading.  Trouble was, the book is nine works of Virginia Woolf in one volume of 1279 pages, which didn't leave much room for a (fat) cat.  But we managed.

She's curled up and gone to sleep on the bed beside me as I write this.  What a darling!

I absolutely love Virginia Woolf, though I forced myself to put the new book down to watch some telly last night, and stayed awake till well after midnight watching Catherine Deneuve in 'Belle de Jour' - one of the worst films I have ever seen.  That will teach me.  I'm now addicted to BBC radio, so listened through the rest of the night, then got up early to watch the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games and was blown away by the cleverness!

Just think, Winifred, you and I probably hear the same programs!  I do love classical music, too, Frank, but prefer talk programs, especially plays, through the night.  During the day I listen to our ABC Classic FM.

The other day Andre Rieu in Maastricht 2009 was on the telly, and that filled in a couple of hours very nicely.  Then on Saturday afternoon I watched the Windsor Castle Tattoo with friends and thoroughly enjoyed that, too!

I'm doing so well with the piano I've organised lessons again, with a Japanese teacher, so will kill two birds with the one stone.  I must be a masochist, you might say...

A day close to home

Thank goodness we're at last getting a bit of sun and even the occasional warm day!  We're all heartily sick and tired of cold and grey.  I for one have been hibernating - going to bed with the chooks and listening online to BBC radio 4 or 4 extra.  Now that is a wonderful discovery for me!!!!  Frank and Winifred, do you listen to these stations?  In the early hours of this morning I was laughing myself silly at one of the comedy shows.

I plan to tidy up today, and maybe have a walk round the neighbourhood.  This magnolia tree is just down the road.  The whole area is full of such beautiful blooms and the jacarandas are turning yellow, ready to lose their leaves.

I have to tell you I'm at last making progress with the piano, and there's a teeny weeny glimmer of understanding with my Japanese.  This is a big relief, as I'd just about given up hope.

Does it really matter????

Your cartoon is wonderful, Winifred!  All the hype around the Olympics has set many people asking questions - does it really matter who - or if - somebody, anybody can run faster, jump higher, etc, etc??  How does this improve the world?  We Aussies have done miserably and have been treated to athletes crying on the telly and whingeing about other people cheating and so on...and online people are complaining non-stop.  It's appalling...where's the sportsmanship!!!!!!!!

I wondered the other day if, instead of governments spending millions and millions on this sporting competition, they were to get together and send all the officials involved - not even the athletes - out to build some houses for the homeless, or minister to the needs of the hungry, for example, how much better this world would be.  Pigs might fly...