Having an enjoyable holiday with good friends Eileen and Frank, originally of Titirangi who left Auckland for the good life in WA all those years ago. I used to make regular pilgrimages in earlier years and this is our second trip in the last three years. This time it was to see baby Finn baptized which was a happy occasion last Sunday followed by a gathering of the 2 families and friends at Marianne and Dean's with yummy finger food and wine and a delicious christening cake.
Monday was a public holiday here too so we went for a long walk along the coast in the morning with the deep blue Indian Ocean stretching as far as the eye can see, with waves crashing on the beach and black-clad surfers out in force along the various beaches every few hundred metres.
In the afternoon we all went for a drive to Guildford about 40km away. It is an old town with lovely trees, parks, old houses and antique shops. It reminded me of Cambridge and has an Anglican boys grammar school in its midst. It is also in the heart of the Swan Valley, a wine growing area, formerly settled by Croatians like in Henderson.
Yesterday we went for an outing in the morning to King's Park, a very spacious park with native plants and trees, from the different parts of Western Australia in particular but also the rest of Australia. Not much colour at present but it was good to be reminded of the variety of flora and to walk among it, with views below to the Swan River below. Lunched at Subiaco afterwards - prices are high - panini and coffee for 3 was A$45.
Today Dieter and I got the train into Perth and went to the art gallery to look at a Patricia Piccinini exhibition of her lifelike and unusual silicone sculptures. She combines very lifelike figues of children and babies often with rather grotesque animal or goblinesque figures. I liked them and understood them better after watching a video of an interview with her.
Walked to St George's Anglican Cathedral for a lunchtime organ concert by the Cathedral Organ Scholar, a smiling Year 11 Guildford Grammar student by the name of Elijah Lim. He played works by Buxtehude, Bach, Mendelssohn and a couple of later composers.
