Warning: this post has very little to do with sewing and a lot to do with being a tourist. It is media heavy!
We are home now, but I thought I would just put up some extra photos of Sydney and will start with the magnificently beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens. Here is Mark in that red and blue t-shirt I made from scraps and which he was never to wear in public! He clearly snuck it into his suitcase.
The screen in the background behind him is an outdoor movie theatre.
I can never resist the Sydney Harbour Bridge or the Opera House and when I get them together I am thrilled!
The back of that t-shirt with the movie screen shutting itself down, which I found fascinating for some reason.
A couple of me, I’m wearing my Coco and a pair of RTW jeans which I altered so they fitted me. How magnificent is this rock cliff?
And this is Mrs Macquarie’s Chair which was handcarved by convicts for the Governor’s wife (Mrs M). Rumour has it that she sat here and watched for ships from the auld country – I wonder if she was homesick?
I can’t emphasise enough the beauty of the gardens in Sydney – the following photos were taken in the Palace Gardens. How is this for a magnificent Morton Bay Fig?
We came across these two trees quarantined by a fence
and they had a sign in front of them which almost reduced me to tears, how beautifully written is this? Perhaps it was because our family experienced too much loss in 2014, I just don’t know.
This stunning water fountain still delivers beautiful water. You don’t see them like this very often.
I love gnarled tree roots and this one is lovely.
I tried very hard to find water lillies that had opened, but although they resolutely stayed closed, they still showed their beauty.
And a final photo in the park, which I had to show
How cleverly integrated into the steps is this tree root? Stunning!
We walked through the park to Woolloomooloo. These apartments and restaurants have been built in what would have been a cargo store. What a magnificent day, hey?
I love the juxtaposition of the navy ships at Garden Island with the trendy and bustling wharf building, which is full of restaurants, apartments and an hotel.
Finally, as we walked back through the city to our hotel, I could not resist taking a few photos of some of the superb buildings that we passed.
This next one was the Education Department. Again, I love the juxtaposition of the old and new.
And how are the carvings and cupolas on this beauty? The sandstone used in these buildings is beyond gorgeous – truly I have run out of superlatives!
I hope I haven’t bored you too much. Of course I have only been able to show a tiny part of this lovely city, and I haven’t explored the early history here at all, but it is interesting to note that many of the early settlers starved to death in spite of the fertile land and all the water. If only they had had the sense to ask the local Aboriginal community, how different would life have been…
Although I get to Sydney fairly often, every time I go I discover something new or rediscover something I had forgotten. This trip was special because I met Maria from Velosewer and Susan from Measure Twice, Cut Once, and what a treat that was.