Afternoon in the city

Yesterday the girls and I had an afternoon in the city.

I always love Martin Place.

The mix of architecture,

The flowers and the people.

This time we also visited an exhibition on Governor Macquarie, and the Reserve Bank Museum, which were both free, and interesting enough for one history-loving mum and two teenagers.

The city was decorated with red flags ready for Australia Day today.

After our educational stops we went to McDonalds and then to Kinokuniya, where Emily stocked up on uber-cute Japanese craft books and Laura bought an Oscar the Grouch handpuppet.

(Photos taken on my ipod)

Summer Evening

After a hot, humid day

and some summer rain,

the coolness of evening

steals into the house,

calming our frayed nerves,

and giving us rest.

Retracing Old Steps

On Monday I went to a
Piano Teachers Festival
at the Sydney Conservatorium.
A day of learning,
being filled with new ideas,
And being reminded of old ones.

I studied at the Conservatorium over 20 years ago,
it was good to be back.
Of course the Con has been completely
overhauled since those days,
with a new modern underground wing,
and the concert hall has also been updated.

Monday's learning was largely about technique
- posture, muscle control and whole body awareness.
All things I need to be learning.
Also thinking about children today,
"Generation Z" and how things have
changed since I was learning the piano.
The way students learn has changed.
Food for thought.

One thing that hasn't changed about the Con

in all these years is the setting.

The Con is still surrounded by the Botanical Gardens,

and they haven't changed much at all.

During the lunch break I snuck out

and enjoyed the sunshine in the

Rose Garden for a few minutes

- just lovely.

I've been paying attention to gardens lately,

trying to choose a style for our garden,

and have decided that I really am attracted most

to formal gardens.

So, I came home with my head buzzing,

Full of ideas for both

piano teaching and garden design!

I'm glad I took these photos on my ipod

to jolt my memories of the day.

Ready for the Heat

Summer.

The temperature here is forecast to reach 40 deg or higher.

But we're ready.

The house is closed up

- windows and curtains shut

- awnings down

- even a towel hanging over the glass on the back door

makes a huge difference.

Waiting till it gets hot and stuffy inside

and we will turn on the airconditioning,

which cools the living room

and keeps the rest of the house

somewhat bearable.

Outside I've watered a few plants.

This portulaca is loving the heat,

unlike the hydrangea I planted yesterday,

rescuing it 

from it's up-and-down 

existence in a pot.

As usual I've left the washing too late.

By 9.30 the temperature in the sun 

is heading for the mid-30s.

My strategy is to hang the large items 

on the outside of the hoist first

and use them to shade me

while I hang the smaller items behind.

Even so, it's hot work.

This pretty sheet was a thrifted find

a while back,

and has been put to use the last couple of nights 

as a tablecloth on a trestle table

for dinners outside.

With some new red polkadot plates

it made for a lovely

summery-Cath Kidston effect.

* * *

Hope you're keeping cool!