Home Sweet Home

Such a big plane and such a soft landing I didn't realise I was on the ground at Mascot.
Once I stood up, shuffled off the plane via duty free and two bottles of Bombay Gin (!) through passport check and customs, my energy level was on the incline and it was just wonderful to be once again with family.
To breathe in the fresh Sydney air, luxuriate in the sunshine, to smell the gumtrees, to drive across the Bridge and across the Spit...
Sydney is just so spectacular and beautiful. I never take it for granted since I left it 23 years ago.
After some loving mollycoddling from my sister and niece I caught the plane home next day. Arrived home to my loved one, flowers and treats.
Wandered around, a bit dazed, taking in the absolute beauty of my environment. Very different to experience home and garden without my little furry friend of the past thirteen years. He has been lovingly laid to rest in the middle of the lawn downstairs. Gosh it's quiet without the dog.
Nearly a week home. Back at work, feeling refreshed and aiming to keep this bigger fresher perspective on everything. So wonderful to return to my community at work. I am very fortunate.
It's a huge wonderful world with lots of people just like me who love and want the best for their  family. Why not concentrate on the personal and the human rather than on the systems and the numbers.
Am I naive? I know the type to steer away from - the ones that can't cope on the human level, who hide behind their policies, systems, procedures, the 'compliance' factor that blights our lives.
The best leaders, the best managers are those tho have strong human traits like a sense of humour, compassion, an inner life, a joy of life. The synergy that is created through positive human relations will deal with any situation. Life is short and we only get one go.

 I stayed in a fabulous apartment in Spanish Harlem and now remember I live in a fabulous nest in Albury

 Beautiful welcoming flowers

 Light, space, privacy, quiet and the birdsong

 Even on a cloudy day this is spectacular

 Spring is really here and we've had good rain

 Lots of meals on the deck this summer - note the bird has flown the coop

The coral tree is getting ready for another show of red coral blooms by late November

Mischief's grave - next autumn we will plant a Forest Pansy

Exit NY Friday Oct 21

Feels sad farewelling our apartment and little neighbourhood, my home away from home for the last four and a half weeks. But I am keen to get back to my version of reality in beautiful springtime Albury and I will hit the ground running!
Funny how the homeward bound amount of luggage seems three times that which I'd brought. Squeeze into the Supershuttle. The friendly, speedy driver zooms through a maze of worn freeways and it seems like only minutes until we arrive at the airport, our last martini and Mexican meal.

 More bags and hand luggage 

Goodbye Casa Barrio 

 A tight squeeze luckily on a cool day

Farewell to a fabulous, fabulous city.

I'll return to this wonderful place.

Wednesday October 26th - I aim to continue my blog now that I am back home. Thank you for reading.

Last day roaming around NY

Today, Thursday is my last day but one in NY, the last full day to be able to wander and explore. Had a plan to end up at Filene's, the original 'bargain basement' store at Union Square on 14th Street. On the way I exited the Subway at 77th and finally got to the Whitney. No photos allowed but I did see a wonderful work by Leon Golub which was fresh and imposing. The exhibition ' Real Surreal' was really not my cup of tea but enjoyed the two Hopper works and the early drawing by Philip Guston of the KKK. The David Smith exhibition was good too.
Kept travelling south and decided to 'brave' 42nd Street once more. This is the hub for many travellers as it combines the local subway with Grand Central from which many longer trips depart. I found the main concourse of Grand Central, amazing - a huge expanse of marble and gilt metal and huge lights. The ceiling is wonderful too.

 Inside Grand Central's main concourse

 It's very ornate and spacious and amazing

 It's very well organised and grand

 The ceiling is beautiful

 The light fittings are huge and so ornate

I then walked to 6th Avenue and found the Centre for Contemporary Photography which was set up by Frank Capa's brother and others. It is really great. The show of archival prints by Walker Evans contemporary, Danish Peter Sekaer is fantastic. Images of the south and the poor areas of various towns in the 1930's. He worked with others in FDR's New Deal project. The other show on that level features fashion photography from Vanity Fare. 

Downstairs two shows about 9/11 connect a decade. Eugene Richard's 'Stepping Through the Ashes' captures the mood and shock of the event four days after the attack. The photos taken from September 15 2001 attempt to capture the shock and desolation of that area around the former World Trade Centre, the innumerable funerals and the breakdown of the fragile ephemera of many notices pasted up of the missing. The other exhibition is an installation by Francesc Torres 'Memory Remains : 9/11 Artefacts at Hangar 17' which has four huge screens showing images of various artefacts that have been sorted, catalogued and stored in a disused hangar at JFK Airport. Huge twisted steel girders, twisted remains of the 360' aerial from one of the towers, molten messes of building materials incinerated to a glassy mess and in contrast a soiled rag doll. Finally, encased on a lone plinth is a paper boat made out of a subway map that was found in one of the trains that stopped when the planes flew into the towers.

On the way back to 5th Avenue and a bus to 14th Street I saw the wonderful crown of the Chrysler Building shining in the afternoon sun.

 Then I passed some exceedingly over the top Baroque window displays in a pseudo antique shop

 This is a view of 5th Ave back to 42nd Street just outside the grand New York Public Library

 This is a shot towards the entrance to the New York Public Library

 Some shots going down 5th Avenue on the way to 14th Street

 A very old building dwarfed by the glass boxes

This is the famous 'flat iron'

Some of the loveliest surprises have been the sky-scapes between the tall buildings. Yesterday was grey and wet and today there was a wonderful display of clouds against the blue sky.  This is a city designed for walking - as well as jumping on the Subway and the many buses. All you need is a Metro card and a few dollars to grab a coffee - the rest can be done on the credit card.

Walking shots over a few days

 This is the Pleasant Ave 116 bus stop looking north towards E118th Street

 View looking south east, the corner of Pleasant and E117th Sts. The large building is a local high school.

 Walking along E117th Street

 East 117th Street looking west towards 1st Avenue

 Waiting to cross at 1st Ave

Looking down 1st Avenue towards the projects further towards the city at about E112th Street

 One of the amazing cake shops on E116th Street

This is our street E118th Street from the corner of 1st Ave

 This is the sweep of E116th Street towards the east from just after park Ave. E116th is a hive of activity with many street stalls selling anything plus food stalls.

 Every shop has pumpkins for sale

 Close up

 This is a shot of the front of Regines a big bargain store

 A neighbour over the road in E118th Street is seriously ready for Halloween

 More

 Pumpkins and lights and colourful pots of marigolds are popular

Anything orange is the go

 Our place lit up in the evening

 The skeleton in the closet or the front yard

Neighbours over the road

 Some gracious places down town

 Another peek at a surviving townhouse

 On Madison at about E88th or E90th a knitting shop

 Wonderful yarns

 Walla of colours

 The same old armory at E96th

Behind the brick facade is a playground. This pier was wrapped in knitting.