Sydney

It’s stone fruit season, so a delicious breakfast of juicy mango with muesli and yoghurt. Mangoes and nectarines are my favourites!
The heavy rain yesterday afternoon and evening has disappeared and the sun is out again, with temperatures rising to 30 degrees.
The cicadas and very strange bird sounds are doing their chorus in the tree outside the balcony at intervals. They all fall silent for a short while and all start up together.
Todays excursion was into the city via a walk into Manley along the coastal path to the wharf and then a ferry to circular quay. It’s very hot today, and sunny. The royal botanical gardens were made up of many old trees, shrubs and plants but mainly fantastic specimens of the Moreton Bay fig with magnificent trunks very wide with intestesting texture and shape.
Next we walked around both buildings of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Viewing aboriginal art, and a lot of abstract paintings and sculptures. Also enjoyed the cool air conditioning inside!
Next we walked past Hyde park into the shopping area around Pitt street with designer shops and a cool shopping area indoors for a pot of tea and a snack. In a less designer shop I bought a bikini, and a new larger bum bag ( H&M) and I persuaded Adrian to buy a pale orange coloured linen shirt.
We walked along Darking Harbour and came across a tiny newly built swimming area called Marinawi cove. So obviously I had to try out my new bikini and swam in this cove where there were quite a few bathers and people dottted on the large flat stones on the edges.
Next we walked along the finger wharfs and had a meal at a tapas restaurant facing towards one of these fingers which have been converted to apartments.
Another stroll back to the circular quay, ferry to Manly, walk back to Sue’s apartment we clocked up 11 miles of walking.