Sunday, November 4

Glowering Skies.

Yesterday, we too our Daughter J & SG, with us on a trip down to visit our Son B. The long trip passed happily enough. I had plenty of clenches to work out the pelvic floor, & SG happily declared we were "Up in the Rain Clouds!"

We were certainly up among the mists & clouds, that hung low over the F3 Freeway. We have been getting much needed rain, so we could not legitimately grizzle about it, but it does make driving a little more 'fraught'.

Gom had the windscreen wipers on most of the trip. When it wasn't raining, the tyres from other vehicles spattered the slick onto the windscreen. As we got down into Sydney's busy, thronging, suburbs, traffic slowed to a crawl on the Pacific Highway. SG was most concerned we were lost. "Where are we? Do we know where we are Gom?" I gave him the UBD book of road maps to look at, & he spent a happy half hour 'reading the maps'. Saying, "Look Mum, this is all our world!"

It was our first visit to our son's new residence. I tried to take a nice pic of the beautiful Jacaranda in the yard, but the day was so dull, it hasnt turned out very well. The Jacarandas are all in bloom, (except our ungrateful tree, which refuses to flower, & has just produced a crop of leaves- yet again)The whole of Sydney is showing bursts of these beautiful purple trees in full flower, & it makes for a lovey panorama, if there is only time to look at it all in the hurried harried life of City.

The suburb our Son lives in, is very old, & used to be working class. Now of course, because of it's proximity to the city centre, & the nearby wharf, for quick ferry rides to the Quay, or Darling Harbour, it has become trendy & much sought after.

It is with shock, that I realise our Son has lived there for 20 years now, & he loves it. It is certainly a very unique place, with a wonderful mix of people, & very fashionable unusual shops. And many many cafes, offering any cuisine you could ever wish for.

These fearsome stone lions stand guard at the front gates to a huge old dwelling. The garden is like a huge jungle, & at night the garden is lit from below, with bright lights, giving an eerie glow to the plants.



The wrought iron is a feature of much of the area, with many terrace houses being lovingly restored with wrought iron balcony trims, & laces purely for decoration.

I would have loved to spend the day just wandering about taking photos, & have visited the area often over the years, but never time for picture taking.
There are many different people out & about in the streets, & the Long Darling Street which runs down to the Harbour & Darling St Wharf is filled with interesting boutiques, food venues, & wonderful purveyors of the odd & artful.
Dogs are welcome in this bustling area, with many shopkeepers providing water bowls for thirsty canines as they travel the street with their owners.
Many cafe's have tables on the footpath, so diners can be seen with their dogs tied safely to the table or chair, sharing in the day's outing.
Many old terrace houses have been converted into business premises, & they nestle among more recent large buildings.
Among the items for sale, were these bright floral mats for you front doorstep, to welcome you visitors, or more likely, encourage them to wipe their feet before entering.
This shop seemed to also have a collection of porcelain penguins for sale, among other trinkets & treasures. There are many shops such as this, & if it is something unusual you require this is where you just might find it.


I loved the huge bright displays of flowers, to took some pics to share the wonderfu colour of them, on such a dull grey day.

These were displayed at the front of the fruit & vegetable shops, & I would have liked to take pics of the produce inside, but time really did not permit.


These photos barely do the colours justice. The gerberas were almost electric in their vibrance, & intensity.

Pedestrians were most helpful & polite as I stopped to snap, either waiting politely, or walking carefully around me, so they didnt spoil my pics.
SG enjoyed his day out, & his wise mother had packed snacks, & then there was our hasty lunch to eat in the car on the return. Where he chatted happily away, & fell asleep. A nice day out, in spite of my nervous disposition at being a passenger, but I think have some company helped dispel the anxiety.
It was just a shame our Granddaughter had to work, or she could have come with us.
Of course, my mother's heart was gladdened to see our Son's new residence, & now I can picture him at home.
Don McLean, Empty Chairs.








18 comments:

Joyce said...

Thanks for the little tour of Sydney. Maybe we will see some of this when we land there in Feb.

LBA said...

My Jacaranda sounds like yours - but since we are South, I will give it more time...

Is GOM a bad driver ? You sound like my Grandmother on trips with Grandpa - we never knew how he kept on getting his licence renewed.

Likewise my DH's father now. He's actually LEGALLY blind, and has a white cane. He drives. He passes his driver's tests.

God help us all....

Mary said...

My old suburb.

My old fruit and veg shop.

It's a funny old small world.

Mike said...

As always Meggie, the pictures are beautiful.

meggie said...

Hi,
Joyce It is Balmain, not exactly a tourist destination, but lovely even so.
H & B, Gom is actually a good driver- I am just a really bad passenger!
Mary, It is a small world! Our son just really enjoys living there. Do you miss it, or do you still visit?
Mike, I thought a little colour could not hurt!

ancient one said...

Thanks Meggie, for taking us along on your trip. Those purple blooms on the tree were beautiful. (I actually clicked on that one to get a better view).

I drive best by myself. Ha ha. I don't mind being the passenger and I love to ride when anyone is driving. I just look out the window and watch the scenery go by. Some people sleep when they ride.. but not me.. I don't want to miss a thing.

SG, I'm sure, enjoyed the trip. I always loved taking my grands along. Seeing things from their point of view made it even better!!

Thimbleanna said...

Lovely pictures Meggie -- thanks for sharing them. My youngest will be coming to Sydney in Feb to party, er study, for 5 months so I love seeing glimpses of what he might see!

Katie said...

Nice photos!! :)

Tanya Brown said...

Oh, wow. What a lovely outing. I'm envious.

Unknown said...

What lovely pictures Meggie and what a nice area your son lives in

Digitalgran said...

Hi Meggie, thanks for bringing back memories of a most wonderful trip to Sydney in 2000. I remember all that wrought iron and I also took photos upon photo. We were also there at this time of the year and I think it was a good time to visit.

Fiona said...

I really enjoyed these pictures - especially the jungle garden. What an interesting place for your son to live and for you to visit.

riseoutofme said...

Wonderful pictures Meggie! Made me want to go there.

Today.

Or maybe tomorrow.

Linda G. said...

An interesting post, Meggie! The pix are great...I love the mystery of those old mansions partially hidden by their wild gardens, and the Darling area looks and sounda..well..absolutely darling:)
Thanks for sharing your day

velcro said...

I love those doormats. Am in desperate need of something like that to stop the FB trecking half the neighbourhood through my house

Anne Ida said...

Your pictures are beautiful, looks like a lovely place and a great day! I love the look of the Jacaranda - nothing like anything we have here... I can hardly imagine these blue trees :o) Thank you for sharing!

Mary said...

I don't miss it but I do love revisiting there are still shops we know well - particularly for food!

My son Will spent the first five years of his life there and was spoiled rotten by the shop keepers. A really lovely part of the world.

Anonymous said...

Hi Meggie,
I share your nervousness as a passenger. My husband despairs of me sometimes. If I am 'good' he will actually say that I behaved well. If I am bad we end up not speaking for an hour or so at the end of the journey.
I went on a short trip with a friend a couple of weeks ago in her 4 wheel drive she couldn't believe how nervous I was. I have every sympathy with you.
Your photos of Sydney are lovely. The Lion Garden looks so magical, I would love a garden like that. How lucky to live in Balmain, it is very fashionable and much sort after. Beautiful post. Thanks for sharing your day out.
Jenny