Walking on Ayrlies

Wed, Dec 28--my last day solo, as Frank is on his way and will arrive here at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow--hurrah! It will be wonderful to see him and really start our grand adventure together.

Yesterday in the village of Devonport I found a wonderful secondhand book called Private Views: Conversations with New Zealand Gardeners. Although published in 1996, many of the gardens are still open to the public, so I started my day with a few phone calls to see what might make a good day trip for my final day on my own. My first call seemed doomed to disappointment, as when I called Quarter Acre Paradise (highly recommended in New Zealand Gardens Open to Visit), one of the owners exclaimed "Oh no, we're closed because we are renovating the garden--it's the only time in ten years we've closed!" Great, just my luck! However, he took pity on me and passed the phone to his partner, Dale Harvey, who is THE NZ gardening guru. I had a wonderfully long chat with Dale, who is both charming and very knowledgeable, and he passed along a whole handful of recommendations of great gardens to see throughout NZ, and told me to stay in touch throughout our stay. He insisted, however, that if I saw one garden in the Auckland area, it had to be Bev McConnell's Ayrlies (viewable only by appointment), and gave me the number to call.

At first I thought my bad luck was still on, as no-one answered at the main number. The answering machine message did give the gardeners' cottage number, however, so I tried there...again no answer, but in faint hope I left a message, giving this number, and asking them to call back to see if I could arrange a visit. Within an hour, Rowan called me and said that, while the garden wasn't officially open today, I could come and wander around if I liked. Perfect! Off I went in Sue's car, which is also on loan to us (thank you Sue!), across the Harbour Bridge, through Auckland on the motorway, and veered off east towards the seaside village of Beachlands. Turning off along the way, as instructed, I went down smaller and less travelled roads and finally reached my destination, tucked away amid a band of trees, with only a big 'closed' sign in sight--not very auspicious..

However, passing through the lych gate, I found Rowan mowing the grass, and he gave me a map of the garden. The first view, down the sparkling cascade to a big lily pond, was beautiful enough for a whole garden, but over the next three hours I discovered dozens of such gorgeous areas, ranging from a rockery hugging a swimming pool, to a rose garden on a bank, a ring of tall sky-blue salvia in the middle of a meadow, three more ponds, various summerhouses, a Scottish 'sitooterie' (a place to sit oot in) complete with two metal goat sculptures, with a view to the ocean and a volcanic island...I couldn't possibly describe the beauty and atmosphere of this masterpiece of a garden. Early photos (1964) show it as an ordinary ranch style house amid a surround of bare green fields. No-one could imagine that now as they discover garden after garden linked in the fourteen acres around the house, surrounded by towering trees and woodlands. What impressed me the most, as I know just how hard this is to achieve, was how each area of the garden was filled with colour echoes--a peach groundcover would be backed by peach lilies, a coral rose, and then some peach cannas further back--no matter which direction it was viewed from. The Edwardian colour theorist Gertrude Jekyll would have glowed with pride to see her theories put so brilliantly into practice.

Again I was all alone in the garden, and could enjoy it to the full. Three hours and 150 pictures later, I had a great long chat with Rowan again before leaving, and obtained Mrs. McConnell's email address in the hope of arranging a placement here for our Hort students. Rowan also signed my Private Views book, as Mrs. M is away on holidays with the family--nice touch!

A quirky little Italian fruit market by the roadside in the middle of nowhere on the way back provided a raspberry gelato for a late lunch--a perfect ending to the day.

A Kiwi Christmas

Saturday, Dec 24--Merry Christmas! I finally arrived in my 'real' destination, New Zealand, midday and took a combination of airport shuttle and cab out to the village/suburb of Devonport, across the harbour from Auckland. Wendy Wilson's sister Deborah Reimink and her husband Henke greeted me most warmly, and I had a lovely supper with them and Wendy's other sister and brother-in-law, Linda and Robert Burgess. I was made to feel instantly at home.

After dinner, we headed a few kilometres north to the home of Sue Emmott and Michael Bowman, where we will be house-sitting for just over a week. Sue works for the U.N. and therefore travels a great deal, and this beautiful house is a showcase for the unique furniture, textiles, photos and objects they have collected from around the world. It looks like something out of an exclusive design magazine!! At first I was a bit afraid to touch anything, but I have become more relaxed as the days go by and am thoroughly enjoying my time in this little slice of design heaven. My biggest responsibility is feeding the several dozen multicoloured koi/ goldfish in the small pond once a day--tough job! We were very fortunate indeed to have this house offered to us for our stay in Auckland.

The next day was, of course, Christmas, but at about 26 degrees and sunny, it felt NOTHING like Christmas to me--a relief, as I thought I might be terribly homesick. I had a wonderful day at the Reimink's again, including the best roast lamb dinner I've ever eaten, and a leisurely walk along Cheltenham Beach, only a 10-minute walk from their house. As their children are all overseas, they also wanted to forget it was Christmas, so almost no mention was made of it except during our phone call with Wendy in Canada--Merry Christmas, Wendy and Ron, and thanks for lending me your family!

Next day, Dec 26th for me, but Christmas for all of you back in Canada. Overseas phone lines were hard to come by, but I did manage to get through twice, once to Lakeside and once to Vermont. Hope the rest of you had a wonderful day.

Here are some shots of my current abode (had to show you this bathroom, which includes a new steam shower--isn't it so Martha??) and my new Auckland 'family' (thats Linda on the left and Deb on the right--don't they look like Wendy?).

All a bit of a Beleura

Thurs, Dec 22--

A day of serendipity and a great finish to my Australian adventure. In the morning, I called the estate garden of Beleura, which is only viewed by appointment. The Estate Director, Mr. Anthony Knight, informed me that I could join a tour group at 11:30 a.m. and gave me directions that included a lot of things like "after the Bunning's hardware store, take the second left and go round the traffic circle to the third exit..." Unfortunately, I ended up approaching the beautiful seaside town of Mornington (south of Melbourne) from a different direction than Mr. Knight anticipated, and his directions became meaningless. Remind me to ask for street names and compass directions next time!

Anyway, after another phone call, I finally arrived--but too late to join the tour, luckily, as this got me a personalized tour by Mr. Knight (who wouldn't look out of place in the House of Lords) himself. This was a lucky stroke not only beacuse it was more enjoyable for me (and I got the garden all to myself) but also because it enabled me to arrange for the possibility of two students from Fanshawe's Horticultural Technician program to be placed here in future.

Beleura is a beautifully individual garden, with the characteristic charm and quirkiness that is the mark of a dearly loved private garden. It has developed over many years under several different owners, and has everything from very formal areas to a tiny children's garden complete with a wizard's cottage (not Disney-ish, more LOTR-ish). It also has one area laid out by the Aussie designer I have mentioned previoulsy, Edna Walling, which is the connection that caused me to seek it out.

As I was wandering happily down a lavender-lined path in the veg garden, I was approached by a lady who might have stepped out of an English country house magazine, who inquired if I'd like to join the tour group for lunch and a 'dramatic presentation.' I agreed, of course (not being one to pass up a free lunch!) and was treated to crustless smoked salmon etc. sandwiches, champagne (which Aussies drink like water, I've realized), and a gorgeous Christmas pudding complete with brandy hard sauce, served inside the elegant Victorian-era estate centre. The estate garden volunteers (mostly retirees) were keenly interested in hearing all about Canadian gardening, and made me warmly welcome.

Then it was time for the presentation--down the curving staircase swept a woman in Victorian dress, half-spectacles perched on her nose. She seated herself on a dais in front of the group, cleared her throat, and launched into a fabulous reading of the original Dickens A Christmas Carol. It was a bit edited for the sake of time, but nevertheless lasted 1 1/2 hours. It was a compelling performance, and I enjoyed every minute of it, but the room was warm, it was mid-afternoon, there had been champagne for lunch, and not a few of the white-haired audience members nodded off. Just as the reader reached the part where Scrooge is shown Tiny Tim's empty chair, one of the old darlings let out a loud sighing snore, which caused a fit of giggling across the room! I felt really privileged to have had this insider's experience on my last day in this country.

I had to include this shot of the incredible bougainvillea I could see out the window during the reading, even though it's sideways--pretty gorgeous!

I spent until about 4 p.m. in this lovely place, then drove a bit further down the stunning Mornington Penninsula, enjoying the warm golden sun on the almost-empty beaches, and the pretty villages I passed through. Finally, however, I realized that I had gone much too far south, and had to retrace my 'steps' to cut across east to the opposite penninsula, which leads down to Philip Island. This drive is faster and less pretty than the Mornington Penninsula, until you cross over to the island itself, when all changes. Philip is a volcanic island, and consists entirely of a vast nature preserve. At one point is a seabird breeding sanctaury, with a view across to the smaller islands of a seal sanctuary that shelters about 20, 000 of these big mammals. These are a bit too far offshore to see the seals, but telescopes are provided, and the setting is magnificent anyway (see below--the seal islands are in the extreme top right of the picture at left)).

As it approached sunset, I headed to another part of the shoreline to see the famous Penguin Parade. These tiny penguins (which used to be called fairy penguins but are now called little penguins), at under a foot tall are the smallest in the world. Every night just after sunset, the adults come ashore in groups of about 30 (called rafts) and waddle up the beach together, then disperse to their burrows in the sandy dunes, greeting their mates and chicks with regurgitated fish from the day's catch (yum). They have been a tourist attraction since the 1920's, but to protect them, the viewing is now carefully controlled (for example, no photography of any kind is allowed--the photos below are of an educational display in the visitor centre--lifelike, though, eh?). It is both thrilling and very bizarre to be one of perhaps a thousand people perched on concrete steps in the dim light, watching as the little birds come ashore. Each new raft toddles a bit out of the water, hesitates, then streams back into the waves, over and over again until they are convinced it is safe to cross the expanse of beach. They truly do look like tiny Charlie Chaplins, with their white breasts flashing in the twilight. The day I was there, about 2,000 had come ashore the previous night, which I understand is the highest count its ever been, a good sign that the colony is healthy.

The real fun begins as you return along the raised boardwalk back up to the visitor centre, however, as the penguins trudge right alongside, mostly oblivious to the throngs, and then turn aside to greet their families. The night is filled with their little trilling calls, and it is really quite magical. Part of me found the voyeurism disturbing, but I recognized that the entrance fees and tourism pays for all the good conservation and protection work done, so I was (mostly) ok with it.

The ultimate test of my new driving skills, driving the 150k back to Melbourne in the dark--but luckily I followed a tour bus almost all the way, so it was easy--and not a single leaping kangaroos to startle me along the way!

Tomorrow will be a quiet day packing up to head to the real destination--New Zealand!!

Cruising the Great Ocean Road

Wed, Dec 21-- (Pictures have been added to all previous posts--keep scrolling down to see them...)

Three Aussie men are to thank for my day's adventures! The first, a friendly courier at the petrol station (yup, they do call 'em that here), rescued me when I got very lost attempting to traverse through 'can'o'spaghetti' Melbourne to get over to its west side.

I finally found my way and made it to my first intentional stop, the town of Geelong (pronounced j'long) where wonderful John at the visitor centre gave me very explicit instructions for making my way BACK through Melbourne at the end of the day without the wild side trips! As well, he advised me to see Geelong's prime visitor attraction, the painted bollards on the seafront (a couple of examples below--the nearby locals didn't know why the female bollard has no eyes!).

These were fun, but otherwise Geelong wasn't all that interesting, so after a sandwich on the sea, I carried on west to the Great Ocean Road--or so I thought...again I got lost, and was on the side of the road perusing my maps when Aussie gentleman number 3 came to my rescue. Like the good 'solo woman' traveller I am, I opened my window just a crack when he pulled alongside and came up to me. He decided that the route back to the highway was too complicated to explain, and suggested that I follow him instead. After 10 minutes of complicated twists and turns, I was really beginning to wonder just whether I had made a really bad decision...and then suddenly there was the turnoff and my gentleman waved me away with a cheery smile and a thumbs-up before heading back the way he had come. I'm sure he went WAY out of his way, and I certainly would never have found my way there on my own--nice to have human nature redeemed once in awhile!

Now on track, I was delighted to find myself driving on a winding cliffside track beside spectacular turquoise waters and golden beaches, with pounding surf dotted with surfers. I went as far as Lorne, a pretty beach village, and spent a happy hour on the beach photographing the unusual rock formations along the edges. Unfortunately, the local lifeguards had forgotten all their school geography and couldn't tell me anything about these unusual formations--kind of a cross between lava flows and kettle stones! The young lady at the coffee shop (Beach Buns--I love it!), however, suggested a side trip to nearby Erskine Falls and gave me good directions to it.

By the way--buying a cup of coffee in Australia is an adventure all by itself. They have gone just a bit too far into barista territory and you can no longer buy a simple cup of coffee--"Will that be a cappucino, a mochacinno, a frappe latte...???" The nearest you can get is a thing they call 'flat white' which, I finally learned, is really strong, almost espresso coffee, topped with just a bit of foamed milk, which collapses to form the 'flat white' cap on the cup. This little kicker revs you up for hours! But an ordinary 'regular coffee'? Not a chance. They don't even have cream for it.

Anyway, back to Erskine Falls. Up, up, up the road from the beach, then take a tiny side road and suddenly you are deep in eucalyptus forest, and parking at a visitor lot. Next, 250 (they warn you before you start) very steep steps down, down, down to the bottom of the ravine, to a platform beside one of the tallest falls in Australia, splashing down the rock face amid tree ferns, with the scent of some kind of minty plant floating through the spray. Gorgeous--like some kind of 'Herbal Essence' commercial!! Again there were very few people there, but enough that I was prevented from leaping into the pool and warbling some tribal song while washing my hair, anyway! ;) The river ran away across flat rocks that provided easy stepping stones, and it was very pleasant to sit right in the middle of the stream of water in the cool shade of the tree ferns, and listen to the splashing water and bird songs. Such a contrast to the beach only a kilometre or so away! What a gorgeous place.

Visitor Centre John's good directions got me back through Melbourne without a hitch (they REALLY need a ring road) and back to my little bed for a sleep filled with dreams of crashing waves.

A Tale of Three Gardens

Tuesday, Dec 20--

Today I explored Mount Dandenong--really just a big hill, but a beautiful area with lots of native vegetation. First stop was the unusual creation of Englishman William Ricketts, a sculptor who believed it was his divine mission to change the attitude of Australia's whites towards the aboriginals. In this secluded forest location, he placed almost 100 of his haunting sculptures. The statues, most of them life sized, have melded into the rock and the forest so well that the impression is of some kind of woodland spirits, an effect both moving and memorable. Ricketts was, after much effort, accepted fully into the Aboriginal culture, and he sculpted them right up until his death at age 94. I spent several hours here, almost alone among the sculptures, the echoing bird calls, and the presence of 'Brother Billy' as they called him. A unique experience indeed.

The next garden on my list, after a pleasant lunch in the touristy village of Olinda, was the garden of the late Mr. and Mrs. George Tindale. This is a very English garden, set a bit jarringly in the middle of a towering eucalyptus forest. Because of a problem with falling tree limbs, a large portion of this now-state-owned garden was fenced off, and the remainder was a bit neglected. I found the atmosphere rather sad, as it was so clearly a private garden whose owners were gone. It made me wonder how quickly my own garden would revert to bush if I left it. Nevertheless, there were some gorgeous hydrangeas in all shades of blue, plum, and pink to enjoy, again on my own, as the place was deserted.

My final stop was more positive, again a private estate now state-owned, the Alfred Nicholas Garden. This garden is built on a steep hillside, and you wind downwards on a sunken pathway lined with tree ferns to a chain of several small lakes at the bottom. Once more I was the only visitor, so I had the time and space to really enjoy the quiet loveliness of the setting, with only a mamma duck and her one tiny energetic duckling for company (see below).

So, three very different experiences--a full and enjoyable day.

Monday Morning Train to Melbourne

The local commuter train is only a five-minute walk from my B & B, so early today (Dec 19th) I hopped on for the fifteen minute ride to beautiful downtown Melbourne. Like Sydney, Melbourne's skyline is a dramatic mix of the very old and the very new, like the Museum of the Moving Image shown above.

First I walked to the Art Gallery to view the permanent collection and admire the amazing stained glass ceiling and water wall in the entryway. Some good Impressionists in their collection.

Next, a VERY long walk through the Botanical Gardens where I saw native Australian plants well-used in traditional and modern designs, and bought a great book about the famous Aussie garden designer, Edna Walling. I had great intentions of going to both the Museum and the Aquarium as well, but my poor legs called a halt. I took the late afternoon train back to my little home away from home, which is all mine now that the family from Singapore (mother, father, grandmother--who harangued the poor husband mercilessly in high-pitched language every waking moment--and three little children) have gone off to Sydney. Blessed silence!

When I got back, Geza's Hungarian cleaning ladies were sanitizing the vacated suites, and kept coming to me with unidentifiable Asian food leftovers, saying 'You want? You like?' in a very kind effort to be helpful--but, no, thanks, I no want, I no like--I don't even know what that is!!

I decided to do a driving trip the next day to rest my weary legs.

Aussie Animalia

Sunday, Dec 18th--After a wonderful sleep and a rejuvenating shower (great water pressure--heaven!), next morning I headed northeast to the Healesville Animal Sanctuary. Here, amid erratic drizzle, I viewed all manner of native fauna, including kangaroos, wallabees, wombats, Tasmanian devils, koalas, and my favourites, platypuses. The Sanctuary has built an extensive 'platypusary' (honest, that's what they call it!) to house several breeding pairs, and were the first in the world to successfully breed these funny little mammals in captivity. The legend of their creation says that a water rat fancied a duck for a wife, and when the babies hatched they had the duck's beak and webbed feet but the water rat's furry body, so neither the water rats nor the ducks would accept them. In shame, the little creatures dug out deep tunnels and have lived in them ever since--as platypuses! The viewing area has tunnel with an underwater view, so you can see these little cuties cavorting and playing. I really enjoyed watching them, and watching the various children watch them, too. Made me miss Alex and Leah!!

The koalas were cute, too, but hard to see because of the rain--they were all curled up together amid the leaves of the gum trees, looking cozier and drier than I was.

The other highlight of the Sanctuary was the birds of prey show, during which a hunky Aussie ranger showed us five large birds of prey ( a black kite, an owl, a buzzard, and a peregrine falcon) in free flight over the grandstand area. Several of these are very low flyers and some audience members got a new part in their hair courtesy of the birds! I got a good shot of 'Bernice the Bronze Crested Buzzard' just before she swooped over my head--here it is:

On the way back, I briefly visited a rose nursery which was also an alpaca farm. Alpacas are so cute! Amazingly long eyelashes and such sweet expressions. These two babies were very curious about me.

Grocery shopping and an early night--the previous day's drive caught up with me!

Movin' To Melb'n

My last day in Sydney was both triumph and tragedy. I rose at 6:15 a.m. to walk the 1/2 hour to 6A Bold St., Burwood (a suburb of Sydney) to see the house where my Dad was billeted when he was here with the British Navy in the forties. I've put a photo below--does it look the same, Dad? On the way back, a thunderstorm blew up and I had to race the clouds for the last few blocks.

As I neared Boronia Lodge where I was staying, I saw a dramatic scene--an ambulance and police car with flashing lights, and a crowd of people huddled on the porch out of the rain. Sadly, a longtime lodger in the house had been found dead on the front steps, by the landlady. It was not yet known whether he had somehow slipped and hit his head, or had a heart attack, but I found myself being thankful that I had left by a side door and not been the one to find him. Poor man--what a way to end.

I packed up quickly and took a cab to the car rental place. I took possession of a shiny silver Commodore...briefly...spatial perception not being my strength, and this being my first experience with right hand drive and left side of road driving, I turned out of the rental place and promptly nicked a street sign with the left hand mirror--not enough to break the glass, but enough to knock it off its support. So, I reversed back in, and 10 minutes and $100 later I tried again, this time in a gold Camry. Luckily, I had no further mishaps, despite the 100's of kilometres I drove the rest of the week.

The 10 hour drive to Melbourne (see photo below--haven't figured out how to rotate the inserted photos yet--sorry)) is fairly pleasant, with golden rolling hills, but somewhat boring after awhile. Despite lots of warnings about wildlife on the road, the only kangaroos I saw were, unfortunately, three dead ones. In fact, in all my time in Australia the only native fauna I saw was in the Healesville Sanctuary (see next post). Glad I didn't see any on the bumper of the car, anyway!

Following my new host's detailed instructions, I navigated through the tangle of Melbourne's expressways and roads to arrive at my next home, the Bluebell B & B, in Blackburn, a suburb just east of the city. Unfortunately, no-one seemed to be home. I waited an hour, then found the nearest payphone and called my host, Geza (who I thought was a woman but turned out to be a man), who expressed dismay that I had waited so long--too bad he neglected to mention, in all our correspondence, that he lived off-site and I'd need to call him when I arrived!

Geza arrived in five minutes and let me into my little studio apartment, complete with a small fridge, microwave, single bed, sofa, TV, and the whitest, cleanest bathroom I think I have ever seen. I also had access to a full kitchen and dining room, plus laundry and my own private courtyard garden--all for $50 a night. Suited me perfectly.

A bite of bread and cheese and I fell into bed--a long drive and a long day of new experiences.

Sydneyside

Yesterday I had a "free" day after a morning meeting at the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) college in Sydney (where I learned that they face almost all of the same challenges that we do), so I walked my little legs to a nub seeing all of the wonderful Sydney sights. First stop, Darling Harbour (left--no, that isn't the Opera House--see it further down) where I enjoyed the beautiful harbourside spaces, full of fountains and trees and places to sit and enjoy the show, plus a huge IMAX and various other entertainments. I caught a free 1/2 hour performance on the didjeridoo (Australian aboriginal wind instrument)--very interesting!

Next I walked across the bridge to the other peninsula, and on to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, where I saw a fabulous exhibit of Pisarro paintings. As it was a midweek afternoon, few were there and sometimes I had a whole room of paintings to myself--much better than some of the big exhibits at the AGO!! The catch was the $5 cup of tea in the Gallery cafe--ouch!

Late afternoon found me strolling the beautiful grounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens, where I was startled by a whole horde of HUGE fruit bats hanging from the trees. I wasn't expecting to see bats in full daylight, so at first I wondered what these peculiar birds were--then I saw the distinctive wing shape! A bit creepy, I must say (see below). Otherwise, however, the gardens were lovely--more a huge park than our botanic gardens, with lots of people enjoying the sunshine along the harbourfront. I walked all the way to Mrs. MacQuarrie's Chair (wife of first Governor) at the headland, for a spectacular view of the Opera House (pictures to follow).

Finally, over to the spectacular Opera House itself, where I reluctantly passed up a chance for a standing room space at a performance of Sleeping Beauty (ballet) for $25 (compared to the usual $60)--my poor legs were just too tired to contemplate standing throughout a two hour performance! Instead, I meandered back along the Opera Quays, enjoying people watching as all of the upper echelon of Sydney arrived for their Opera House experience, dressed to kill. A sleepy train ride back to the suburbs and a gourmet dinner of microwaved "Lean Cuisine" completed my adventurous day in the Sydney sunshine.

Today I am spending a full day at the University of Western Sydney, and have had several productive meetings already, with more to come this afternoon. Tomorrow I pick up my car and brave the long road to Melbourne--I'll post a report on that adventure when next I have access to the internet.

Love to all--stay safe and warm!
Ruth

View from the Opera House

Well, here I am in beautiful sunny Sydney. I'm sorry for such a long gap before my first real travel post, but the trip itself and the conference schedule have kept me pretty much fully occupied until now.

The trip was, as expected, very long indeed, but included the pleasures of spectacular Northern Lights over Anchorage Alaska and sushi for breakfast on Cathay Pacific airlines (interesting, but probably won't become a habit). I had only enough time in Hong Kong to walk from Arrivals to Departures, and fill up my water bottle, so can only say that Hong Kong is quite beautiful from the air, like a brush painting with its mountaintops peaking (ok, peeking) through the mists. Pictures to follow, once Frank arrives with the laptop so I can download my camera images. The air in Hong Kong (what little I could see and sniff as I stepped onto plane #2) was extremely heavy with smog? fog? humidity? however, and I was not too sorry to be leaving--or maybe that was just the side effect of 19 hours of flight experience to that point.


Customs in Sydney was a breeze, with the guard waving me past the baggage X-ray--I must have looked either honest or so bedraggled that he took pity on me. A very friendly cabbie whisked me to my new home away from home in the suburb of Burwood, about 12 k from Sydney central. Despite my late arrival (by now about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday night), my hostess Virginia greeted me warmly and tucked me into a spacious room for the night, where I fell into a dreamless sleep until 8 the next morning. My 'real' room was not available until then, when I moved into a small but clean bachelor apartment on the second floor of this private guest house. I have a kettle, toaster, fridge, and kitchen sink plus access to a full kitchen in the main lodge, a double bed, and a tiny but functional bathroom of my own. All a girl needs! Here's a picture of the front entrance of Boronia Lodge:




Sunday was spent orienting myself to the area and getting in groceries--and sleeping! The suburb of Burwood reminds me very much of where I stayed in San Francisco several years ago--in fact, Australia reminds me a lot of SF--same smells, plants, architecture.

Yesterday was day one of the conference on Researching Work and Learning, and I delivered my paper just before lunch to about 15 enthusiastic participants. We had a great discussion after my formal presentation, and I felt it had gone very well. I've attended many excellent sessions, and made a good number of contacts for further research both here in Aussie and in New Zealand. It's been quite worthwhile and interesting. Last night we had a beautiful cruise of Sydney Harbour--too bad I had forgotten, in my morning haste to catch the train into the city, to bring my camera! I will get back to the Harbour on Thursday, so pictures of the famous Opera House will grace this page in future, I promise. Tonight is a Chinese banquet--should be fun.

One more day of the conference, then a free day when I am hoping to walk the Botanical Gardens. Friday with the folks at the University of Western Sydney, and then off to Melbourne on Saturday in the rental car--hope I can remember to stay on the left!!

So, I am well and thriving, although missing you all like crazy. I keep showing people your pictures and enjoying their admiration of my beautiful family. Hope everyone is well at home and not too cold (should I mention that it is about 26 degrees and sunny where I am? sorry--)

Love to all--Ruth