So how did I get here? Well, after Christmas day, I spent a couple of days around Fairlight eating vego and well-combined food with my sister, who I affectionately call Beixjian though it's been so long I can't remember why.
Then my niece came to play for a few days which was also excellent. She was late to the airport because the roads in Queensland were flooded, so her first day here in Sydney was cut short. I picked her up at 3 and we went with Beixjian to a cafe in Surry Hills for a couple of hours where Danica talked and talked and ogled at the lovely terrace houses in the area. Then we bid farewell to Beixjian who went to stay the night with mum and dad before heading back to her Buddhist Centre in the Dandenong Ranges.
Danica is such an amazing young woman - she talks regularly about winning the lotto just so she can give it all away to the poor and needy! What a gal. She also talks and talks and talks about other stuff. A right little chatter box with the heart of an angel. Her eyes popped out of her head as she experienced more of the delights that Sydney has to offer, on her roughly annual trip to visit Aunty Linda. We walked from Fairlight to Shelley Beach, doing a spot of shopping on the way back. We had lunch at Manly Winery, which I knew she would love because it's so full of funk and sparkle (just like her!) and so far from anything that she'd find in her hometown of Toowoomba.
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| Manly Winery |
We went to the Cremorne Orpheum in the evening - the film was good enough (The King's Speech), but the highlight for me was seeing her ogle at the interior of the beautiful art-deco building. Not quite like the cinema in Toowoomba...
The next day we had a swim in Fairlight before some more shopping in Newtown, where a friendly sales assistant rightly noted "You are stunning", when she saw Danica.
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| The most beautiful thing I've ever seen at Newtown Station |
Then we met up with Grandma and Grandpa to eat Christmas cake and see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, which was excellent as always (don't go in the last weekend before it finishes because that's when everybody decides to go): http://australianmuseum.net.au/event/Wildlife-Photographer-of-the-Year-2010
Then Dan and I lay in Hyde Park enjoying the sun:
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| Through the grass of Hyde Park |
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| Danica and Aunty Linda |
And headed back to Newtown for a quick Thai dinner before she flew back home.
What a joy! Thanks Danica!
So then to NYE - I abandoned parties for dinner and a peace chant at Nitya's beautiful home overlooking Castle Cove - beautiful home-cooked food with the traditional chocolates and cherries.
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| Holly playing harmonium with Elephant Man |
I started the new year feeling content and I went for a lovely walk to Arabanoo Lookout to give my regards to Mama Nature for the new year:
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| New Year sparkles |
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| Manly from the Lookout |
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| Sister tree |
So another year begins, where life will be sure to give us more experiences to strengthen and soften our hearts, in the way that only life can. They say the best heart is strong like a diamond and soft like a flower. I wish you all a year where you will witness the further blossoming of these qualities in your hearts!
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