Summer stoop

The stoop, it's a great opportunity for a little gardening. A few pots — flowers, herbs or even vegetables — can give the most basic set of stairs great curb appeal.

Stoop planters are a great way to add green when you don't have any outdoor space. One on each side of the door helps define the entry: pots on each step provide a lush look and abundant greenery. 

So recovering from jet lag and getting to work and managing my challenges of a photo a day and documented life and blog!

Messy

Oh my...heading to work one small step at a time...slowly...heavy bag slung on my shoulder...thinking how did I do this during the school year.
Falling asleep in a chair waiting for the principal to return to do more work. Apologizing to teachers because I need to sit down between moving tables.

This was jet lag at its worst.

Lagged!!!

Jet lagged that is....how long can one loll on one's bed in one's jammies. The fact that I was going to work on Monday and being alone in the apartment meant that I could just lie around all day. However I failed to let Maria know that I was here, I should have thanked her straight away for watering the plants and bringing up the mail.
I'm not sure who was the most surprised Maria and Cathy come to water the plants or me awakened from and afternoon doze in a vain effort to adjust to time zones.

Back home

Made it through gathering bags and out into the pick up area at Newark- where were the traffic cops dealing with the triple parked cars and the people standing in the middle of the road looking for their rides?
Home dump bags head to Vinateria that "offers an inspired seasonal menu with influences rooted in the rich culinary traditions of Italy and Spain. The focus is on cuisine which utilizes as many organic and locally sourced ingredients as possible".  Just a short walk around the corner :). 

Sisters

...and and friends...
it is so wonderful having such a lovely friend in my sister Michele  and such a lovely sister in my friend Fran.



So wonderful to spend my last night in Melbourne first catching up with the lovely Bridie and the sweet boy/baby Max.
Mich looked after me so well meeting me and ferrying me around at either end and in the middle of my visit.
Fran came straight from work and Mich prepared the most wonderful repast. A lovely night with family and friends at home. Thank you.

Chewy

 She is frisky and playful and so loved and pampered by all in the household.

Early morning

The light and the early morning visitors are captivating

Checking out...

...unis with the gorgeous Kate.
We drove in to the city. Kate came straight from school, a snack and then check in to the session and then wait and wait and wait (they did serve a few snacks) and finally half an hour after the time to start they started and then they went over time.
Kate did a grand job driving home.

Train

The morning after the night before involved a very subdued barbecue and then for me a train journey back to Patterson Lakes. Unfortunately the rain didn't hold off so I had a very brisk walk from the station to "home".

WLT Gala

It was a fabulous night

 There was cake

And laughs and good friends.

At the gallery

 An opportunity to capture the sibling :).
It was a curriculum day at his school and a perfect opportunity to head to the gallery to see the Degas Exhibition.

The ceiling in the Great Hall affects everyone this way.

Playing with the fake food website gave us a chance to catch our breath :)

A little visitor

 Such a cutey

Always so happy

Skin

 The regular trip to the dermatologist involved a train trip and a bit of a walk. So I walked back through the city from Albert Street to Collins and down to Flinders Street.

An old style tram stop

 The latest version of tram stop.

Is it only only in Australia it's called Maccas?

Patterson Lakes

The view from the bedroom window. A view I'll be enjoying for the next two weeks.

Home?

Thanks to Michele I am happily ensconced at Patterson Lakes.

The view is difficult to take.

Lost day

If you sit down at set of sun
And count the acts that you have done,
And, counting, find
One self-denying deed, one word
That eased the heart of him who heard,
One glance most kind
That fell like sunshine where it went --
Then you may count that day well spent.

But if, through all the livelong day,
You've cheered no heart, by yea or nay --
If, through it all
You've nothing done that you can trace
That brought the sunshine to one face--
No act most small
That helped some soul and nothing cost --
Then count that day as worse than lost.

George Eliot

Lunch

Traveling to Australia involves such long hours in the air and in airports so "fueling" up before heading to the departure lounge was all part of the process.
A few edgy moments when I discovered on looking at my ticket that I actually had no seat allocated to me for either flight. It's amazing what rushes through one's head in a mater of five minutes...how will I get home, reschedule flights, let everyone know...then I got through the queue and got my allocated seat and headed on board.

Macy's

 Nothing like a bit of last minute shopping before heading home. A restorative chardy in a restaurant in Macy's got me back home and into the packing.

Walking

Heading to the hairdresser and seeing the fountain was soothing and forced me to pause in my rush through the city.

un/packing

With feet on the ground for only a few days before heading home unpacking and packing seem to merge.

Morning lights

 Very blurry but the view from my window. The Police Athletic League has some plants growing on the first floor.

And the advantage of waking early due to body  clock differences is one can catch the early morning light.

Collapsible...

...not me the coffee mug. Sue bought one each for us so I tried it out on my day's work.

Return to NYC

The trip to the airport through the streets of Prague- a lovely day was dawning. 

Home again home again jiggity jig :)

Prague

A quick trip in the morning to the Old Town Square and the Astrological Clock and its  mechanical performance which in the Middle Ages was considered one of the wonders of the world. 

We had time to climb the town to get a view of the glorious tiled roofs.

The Prague Astronomical Clock, which for 600 years has been one of the greatest treasures of the city, still amazes people with its procession of Apostles, moving statues and visualization of time like no other instrument in the world

I mucked up my flight booking- at least I misread Lynne's itinerary thinking we were all leaving on August 8th so I had an evening in Prague by myself. Alfons Maria Mucha, often known in English and French as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech Art Nouveau painter and decorative artist, known best for his distinct style. He produced many paintings, illustrations, advertisements, postcards, and designs.

This painting is not like his usual work but it appealed to me on my visit to the Mucha museum. 

This is more the style for which he is well known - art nouveau posters, paintings and decorative art 

Lucky for me Sharan and Peter were in town and we went to dinner with Rex and Helen at a fantastic restaurant below the Charles Bridge. This chap was one of the patrons at the next table. 

Falconry and Kafka

 Traveled through the "beautiful Czech countryside" to Chateau Jimneste. After touring the interior of the house we were invited to a falconry display

Back in Prague Lynne and I rushed to see to a busy shopping center in Prague, this twisting and reflective sculpture depicting the head of writer Franz Kafka is the latest kinetic artwork by controversial Czech artist David Cerny.

 Installed in 2014, the enormous mirrored bust is comprised of 42 independently driven layers of stainless steel and weighs in at some 45 tons. The piece brilliantly reveals Kafka’s tortured personality and unrelenting self doubt that plagued him his entire life.

The layering of objects is a common motif for Cerny who built a similar rotating head that also functions as a fountain titled Metalmorphosis.