Surfing at Freshwater Beach

Freshwater beach
Watercolour on Arches paper

On Saturday I was at Freshwater Beach on Sydney's north shore where the water was dotted with black clad figures waiting for waves.

The sky was blue, the weather balmy and the water was calm and clear with waves breaking just offshore and rolling in with boarders aloft.  Walkers basked in the sun as they strolled along watching the surfers. It was a perfect Sydney winters day.

Perfect?

Kids with surfboards making for the beach

It is the warmest June I can remember, another record no doubt.

The kids in this photo will have cause to blame us if we don't take urgent action on our warming climate. Tony Abbott, are you listening?

Accepting children as they are

"Accept the children the way we accept trees--with gratitude, because they are a blessing--but do not have expectations or desires. You don’t expect trees to change, you love them as they are." 
--Isabel Allende




This quote is taken from the blog of a father who has struggled with his son becoming addicted to drugs. It has been a long journey back, but the family seem to have made it. All power to them. 

Passionfruit

Passion fruit flower

It is already June but the passion fruit plant in my garden continues to produce flowers and fruit. It is as confused as many other plants are by the unseasonal warm weather.

The abnormal autumn comes after our hottest year yet.  I am wondering if summer will always be as long as it was this year.

When Australia has particularly warm weather New Zealand seems to have particularly cold weather. There was snow in Dunedin not so long ago ... will this become more common as well?

Musical moments, Sydney 2014

Sayo Lipman plays harp
Pearl Beach, 8/6/14

The last few months have been very musical for me and I have sketched as I listened.

I have just put my sketches online. They include mezzosoprano Deborah Humble, pianists Lukáš Vondrácek and Michael Curtain, Principal Viola with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Roger Benedict, harpist Sayo Lipman, singers who have performed for the NSW Wagner society and three musicologists.

Roger Benedict in Pearl Beach

Roger Benedict with Viola
(and Simon Tedeschi in background)

Last night Roger Benedict, Principal Viola with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, gave a concert with well known pianist Simon Tedeschi in the small Pearl Beach Community Hall. It felt like one of those small venue concerts in Europe, great crowd, great acoustics and wonderful enthusiasm. And fantastic playing! So nice to hear more of the viola.

The concert was is part of the June long-weekend two day music festival organised by the Pearl Beach Progress Association. Long may they continue.