This is our sixth Spring Flower visit since our return to Sydney and it never fails to lift the spirits after a long and relatively cold winter.
The David Jones' Piano Man is still there to welcome customers - he is an institution in Sydney and I think it will be the end of civilization when he finally retires.
There were guided tours for the garden enthusiasts...
... but we decided to take it all in at our own pace.
We were not the only happy snappers; it was at times like a hazard course trying to keep out of keen photographers' line of vision.
That gentleman looks familiar ...
Ah, it was absolutely wonderful. Mind you, I'm not sure how many sales are made during the week of the flower display. Probably it would be a good time for sales staff to take a timely break.
We took a stroll over to the Art Gallery of New South Wales to catch the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes.
While I really liked the Archibald winning entry, a portrait of Barry Humphries by Louise Hearman, it was the realist portrait, Deng, painted by Nick Stathopoulos which I found to be quite compelling.
I also loved this tiny self-portrait by young artist Natasha Walsh.
The Wynne Prize winner, Seven Sisters, is a collaborative by five sisters who live in the remote Aboriginal community of Amata in the far north west of South Australia. Loved it.
All in all it was quite an eventful day. Time to sip on a glass or two of wine.
