At the Bar and Baa

Arrive at your Auckland Airport (early flight next day) accomodation by late bus and you have few expectations of food outlets in small shopping strips nearby. Then, surprise surprise, you find a hidden gem. The Bar and Baa near Mangere serves the most delicious Greek Fish, has friendly hosts and an A rating.

While I savoured my Greek Fish dish I drew the customers at a nearby table.

Ninety Years Old

The guests thought ninety was a grand age to be; the birthday girl decided 60 was better and turned the 9 upside down.

Data

My extended warrenty (three years) had only 2 weeks to run so I finally took my laptop to the computer doctor to get the faulty sound repaired. It arrived back yesterday after almost four weeks: new hard drive, new mother board, data gone to data heaven.

Beatles

Insomnia ... surfing the web ... finding a bit of nostalgia... great song though... and great haircuts.

Opera Bar

Under the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House, overlooking the Sydney Harbour Bridge, is the Opera Bar, a bar where Sydney's bright young things meet on Friday nights. Passing tourists join them to sit at high bar stools in the balmy evening air. As the numbers grow the noise crescendos. Everyone shouts to make themselves heard and passers by on the upper forecourt lean against the railings above to watch the animated frenzy.

Cockatoo Island Images

The cavernous buildings, the old machinery, the dwarfed students and the light that has a cathedral feel.

Cockatoo Island Drawing Week

Cockatoo Island is a small island in Sydney Harbour, once covered in red gums and frequented by sulphur crested cockatoos. A prison was built there early on, then it was converted to a shipyard then it spent some time in abandonment. Nowadays the public can visit and the National Art School sends all its second and third year students there for a drawing week at the start of the school year.
The old shipyard buildings are enormous ... ... and mainly bare though some of the original equipment remains.
During 'drawing week' there are students everywhere, sitting in corners and along walls, dwarfed by the size of the buildings.