aussielozzie18

DD has today travelled by train from London to Exeter. She was very impressed by the cleanliness of the GWR train and the lovely views from the train. Reason for the trip - to travel from Exeter to visit the village were my dad grew up - and FaceTime him with the village in the background. She has just done that. Took him a moment to comprehend where she was as he wasn’t expecting her to leave London and she wanted to do it as a surprise but once the penny dropped he was absolutely delighted. She took a birthday card that he gave her last year and took photos of the points of interest featured on the card and has bought him a birthday card for this year in return.

For Jimbo - third member of the wrist club…..have a cast til next Thursday on my dominant hand. Mine was planned surgery though.

Love the long stretch as she is sleeping. How is she settling in?

@Momof3gurlz Sorry to read of Andy’s fall. What a fright for you both. Hope he is not in too much pain.

Sounds like a lovely evening despite the heat.

@A&L_Ont I hope Owen is resting comfortably at home now and the painkillers are doing their thing. Sorry you had Lisa had to go through this.

I’m a wimp. My choice from that menu would be 90. My preference is not to sweat when I eat. Love the car show photos.

Talking of driving overseas - My brother & nephew did the Mario Kart experience in Tokyo, Japan. 6 in the group, dressed in costume, driving a go-kart in the streets. Needed an international driver’s licence to do it. I thought it was a bit ridiculous tbh but they loved it. They also stayed in the same hotel that was the filming location of Bill Murray’s Lost in Translation.

Weather has finally warmed up a bit here. 18C. Despite the better weather, we spent it mainly indoors in the city. Went to World Press Photo Exhibition followed by Sydney Film Festival Screening of the golf movie “Phantom of the Open” about Maurice Flitcroft who in 1976 gained entry to the British Open despite not playing golf before. One of those uplifting with humour movies about the underdog that the Brits do so well.

DD has arrived in London. She was impressed with Ana Nippon airlines. Would fly with them again. It was 16C when she left Sydney. I asked how it is over there tonight temp wise. “Omg mum, it is SO hot. I was sweating walking from the tube station to the accommodation and I forgot how busy London is. There are so many people out and about”

@bobmacliberty Happy Birthday! That food looks superb and what an excellent birthday you had. Father’s Day is celebrated in Sept here in Australia.

DD has travelled extensively but this is the first time she has flown with meds. Had her pill cutter confiscated. Never occurred to her to put it in her luggage rather than carryon. Lesson learnt. First stop London will be the chemist. She is looking forward to travelling on the brand new Elizabeth tube line when she lands.

Daughter says the food on Ana Nippon is really good. She is only in economy. Chicken curry with rice, Caesar salad, prosciutto & cold salad, biscuits, cheese, bread and a bag of snacks. No spare seats as it’s a full flight. 3hr stopover in Tokyo airport. Airport very quiet.

This route - 10hrs to Tokyo. She landed there 30 mins ago. From Tokyo to London - 15hrs.

DD is at Sydney Airport. Just about to takeoff on Ana Nippon flight to London with a brief stop in Tokyo. She was relieved she was not charged for excess baggage as her suitcase which was bulging and 2 kilos over the limit. Checkin & boarding was a breeze. Staff lovely. Only food options open at the airport from 3pm was McDonalds.

Night before last we took Dad out for dinner. Back at his place afterwards , he put the fire on in his brand new fireplace. DD was amused/shocked to see grandad using old Christmas cards as kindling….

Sorry to hear you will be hopping for another 9 weeks. Can understand your frustration.

So it was 5 states - NY, California, Nevada, Florida & Hawaii.

I feel like we let the Dani thread team down at Pub Trivia tonight by not knowing the answer to -what is the main spirit in a Mojito? We answered Tequila…🤦‍♀️On the plus side, we got the 4 most visited US States correct and we were actually the leading team until we got hit with a 10 point deduction because someone decided to check their emails and broke the no mobile phones rule….

@Sea Dog would love to see the puppies chasing fireflies…

Eora by Nicolas Harding is the winning landscape. My photo does not do it justice but this large oil on canvas painting of a location in Sydney is stunning in person. After viewing all the artworks in the exhibition, we headed to the onsite cafe for lunch. Finger sandwiches and a pot of tea hit the spot.

Telegraph Station site in Alice Springs by Thea Anamara Perkins. Painted whilst the artist was in lockdown.

Implexious by Julianne Ross Allcorn depicts our four seasons intertwined with the six seasons from the Indigenous calendar. The closer you look at the four panels, the more you see.

Country with Acacia Wattle by South Australian artist Nellie Coulthard (above) Below is a collaborative effort from two sister-in-laws and a daughter from an Art Centre in Coober Pedy in South Australia The painting depicts water serpent, water holes & a women’s site, titled Our Country.

After the doco, it was a nice walk in the sun up to the Art Gallery of NSW to see the Wynne Prize exhibition. An annual prize for the best landscape painting of Australian scenery. In recent times, Indigenous paintings have featured prominently. Artist - Rhoda Tjitayi from South Australia. This is her Grandmother’s ancestral creation story.