Australia Day

It's been a while since I updated the blog, largely because I've been a bit busy and, ironically enough, also because I haven't had anything very much to say.  Things have been trundling along.  I am surprised by how quickly the weeks are passing!  We have a sort of a routine to the weeks, but it's a variable routine, if you see what I mean :-)

I've been doing a few extra hours at the surgery, helping out with a few things that needed doing but which people didn't necessarily have time to do.  And I am learning how to do reception. They don't need me on a regular basis for reception, but they were very short one day last week.  I was available and could easily have got to the surgery for part of the day - but there's no point going if you have no clue what to do when you get there. So I am being trained up against future emergencies and a sudden shortage of receptionists.

Today is the Australia Day public holiday. Jim and Ian came back to Ballarat yesterday afternoon but Lindsey wasn't finishing work until quite late (they have a shortage of doctors at the surgery, the result of a couple of retirements and the summer holidays). So she and I stayed in town overnight.

We woke up to this:

View from the balcony, while I was drinking my first cuppa at 06:30

After our morning cuppas, we took ourselves off for a walk fairly early in the day.  I don't think we had been intending to have breakfast while we were out, but we passed by a few eateries where people were out eating Australia Day breakfasts.  By the time we got to Fed Square, the thought of eggs and bacon on toast was becoming quite appealing.  So we indulged :-D

The city was quite empty as we started our walk, but was definitely filling up as we moved on.  We saw the Australian military out in force which, in the light of recent events in the centre of Melbourne, was quite worrying until we noticed that they were in dress uniform and were preparing for a military march rather than military force.  There were obvious preparations for a parade along Swanston Street later in the day. Along the river there were swing ball games, actual swings, machines exhorting us to be more active.  And loads of people heading to the Rod Laver arena for a morning or afternoon or day at the Australian Open.  The city was happy.

St Paul's Cathedral from Federation Square

Flinders Street Station from our breakfast table, Federation Square

Walking along the Yarra River

Tennis anyone?  Rod Laver Arena

 Now we are back in Mount Helen, Ballarat.  We have taken Sam for a walk. Ian and Jim have been assembling shelves for the greenhouse and the garage.  We have done useful things and relaxing things.  And now Ian is trying to light the barbecue and I am making chips and it is a lovely, lovely evening

Happy Australia Day