Bronwyn Parry

Just a quick post. I’m in Sydney again for a week or so – came down for another medical procedure, which went very well, and I was allowed out of hospital after only one night, instead of two as I expected. I’m staying down here another week, though, just in case of any complications arising.

Sydney, as usual, is noisy and busy and crowded – but the jacarandas are out, spreading blue-flowered branches over parks and pathways,  and there’s a red-flowering tree that often appears near a jacaranda, creating a gorgeous red/green/blue vista. As always in Sydney, I’m stunned by the rich greens of the foliage, much denser than we see inland, and the many flowering plants with large, tropical-style flowers.

The people in Sydney are such a rich, complex, mix – all sorts from trendy young things, artistic types, business professionals, to older immigrants from less fortunate places than here. Just across the road from the internet cafe I’m in, there’s a man busking, playing the Chinese violin – I’ve forgotten what it’s called. But its a fascinating contrast – the ancient Chinese music, flowing in and out of the hum of the traffic rushing by.

No photos in today’s post, I’m sorry, but I’ll try to get some in the next few days. Today is forecast to be stormy and rainy, but tomorrow should be fine – and I might be feeling up to wandering a little further afield!

After seven years of mostly below average rainfall, we’ve had a good spring this year, with rain nicely sprinkled through the past few months. This past week, it’s been gray skies and rain every day; not often heavy, but good soaking rain – around 2 inches over five days or so. There’s not been enough run-off to make much difference in the levels of our dams, but they have risen a little. We’re moving into summer storm season, so we’ll likely have a few brief late afternoon storms with heavy rainfall in the next couple of months – the type of rain that can fill the dams quite quickly!

This morning, the sun is shining, the frogs are creating a noisy celebration down in the little dam in front of the house, the young choughs (black birds with white wing-tips) in the resident extended family group are screeching for food from their relatives, and the fairy wrens are flitting around the overgrown herb-garden. The landscape is, for us, quite green – not an Irish or a New Zealand green, but definitely more green than brown! And the trees and bushes are shooting out new growth at quite a pace:

The three callistemon (bottlebrush) bushes near the house have been flowering for a couple of weeks. Bottle brushes come in a range of colours, and the ones we have are a deep pink.

They’re always a gorgeous sight – and, for me, they have a ‘Christmas’ type of feel – even though they will probably have faded by Christmas itself. They remind me though that summer is coming, and for us in the southern hemisphere that includes Christmas!

I enjoy Christmas, and making preparations for it. This year, the DH and I are travelling to Canberra to spend a few days with my family over Christmas. We’ll travel down over two days, probably exploring a few back roads on the way, and staying overnight in Mudgee or somewhere else. We’ve booked into a nice hotel near the centre of Canberra, so we can spoil ourselves a little. I’m looking forward to the trip – my family are wonderful, and our Christmas celebrations are low-key but pleasant, without the dramas or the stresses that some families have, so it should be a lovely time. I’m having fun gathering together Christmas gifts, and I’m planning to make a Christmas pudding to take. I’ve got a bit to get through before then – another trip to Sydney for medical stuff, and of course a novel to work on! – but it’s good to have something cheerful in the not-too-distant future to think about!