Lunch

When Sydney presents you with a brilliant Spring day such as we had yesterday, it's advisable not to waste it.

A family gathering had been planned to welcome home our daughter and son-in-law from their three months sojourn in Europe.  We arrived at our other daughter and son-in-law's home to find the table set under the dappled shade of a maple tree.

Our eight year-old granddaughter had made place cards for each guest, with appropriate embellishments.

The boys were chuffed with their wild boar caps from the Chianti district in Tuscany.

But we girls love a pretty fan, particularly when it comes from Barthhhhhelona.

Dessert was a healthy carrot cake.  Well, at least the carrot element was, plus everyone knows blueberries are good for you.   

We adults managed to snaffle some of these baby ice cream cones while the kiddies were distracted.

Ah, modern technology.  The iPad is such an improvement on the mid 20th century slide show.

A perfect day.

Spring

It's Spring ... apparently.  Three days ago it was 32 degrees Celsius and today it was 17.  We were in need of some warmth and cheer so we headed for the city.

For many years now at this time of the year David Jones Sydney has turned their ground floor into a wonderland of Spring blooms.

They range from the exotic

to the native

and everything inbetween.

I'm not sure how many people actually buy anything ...

however, it does bring out the photographer in all of us.

It is in fact a major tourist attraction.

The David Jones Piano Man is an icon who has serenaded us over the decades.

Where are the paying customers?

Too busy posing.

Never fear, next week the flowers will be gone

and the customers will return.

Until then ...

take the time to smell the flowers.

Change in the air

You know what it's like; out of nowhere comes that sudden burst of warm air and you realise that there is an end to winter after all and once again you have been caught in that transitional period of confusing weather patterns.  Yesterday took us by surprise, even though it had been forecast.  It was warm.  It was beautiful.  And we knew it wouldn't last.

Image: Boutique Baby Photography

Of course, I was caught (again!) with a wardrobe full of winter clothes and recalling that I had foolishly thrown out my summer casual shoes at the end of last summer, promising that I would replace them some time before next Spring.  Which is now.

It was a busy day yesterday, right from the start.  Our plan was to arrive at the polling booth nice and early before all those other pesky voters turned up.  It was a pretty good idea, because practically the whole of our electorate had the same one and we found ourselves in a long and winding queue.  Still, it was warm, so warm.

By happy coincidence I received these adorable images of the latest dress I had sent to the States to be photographed by Sara of Boutique Baby Photography.   The fabric in this dress is soft and I simply love the beautiful colour palette - so fresh.  The dress is available here and here in sizes 2 to 5.

The day ended with us baby-sitting while our daughter and son-in-law attended the school P & F trivia night.  This year the dress-up theme was movie related and their table elected to be Star Wars characters.  My son-in-law rather unsportingly wouldn't permit me take a picture of him as Obi-Wan Kenobi, wielding his son's lightsaber, so I have had to resort to sneaking his driver's licence photo.

Being responsible baby-sitters, last night was another first for us - we were perfectly sober at the end of an election night.

Earlier in the week our quilting group took a bus trip to the Central Coast.  

Like locusts we descended on three quilt shops, each with its own ambiance designed to tempt the buyer in us.

The whole of the Central Coast was a-blooming, not only with the usual spring blossoms, but our State flower, the Waratah, made a spectacular showing.

With quilt shops in grounds like these, we were most reluctant to hop on the bus for the journey home.

Welcome Spring.  We missed you.