Tania, Jane and me

Our 20 year old, Canberra High teaching connection has stayed strong even though we've all moved to different states of Australia, we're different ages and despite big changes in our careers and family directions.

Jane had a 50th birthday to attend in Sydney so it was a great excuse for us three to meet up again and continue conversations we've shared together over the past few years........mainly catching up with news of partners and family, art, travel, teaching, politics, food, skincare(!)....all accompanied by lots of laughter, long lunches and many glasses of wine.

Friday we met up at Coogee and a long lunch at Barzura's. We were so grateful to Tania for hauling along a big laundry basket of sheets and towels for us to use over the weekend. Rob and I had left home without our two big bags of freshly laundered Coogee linen. We didn't discover our huge omission until we got to Sydney on Friday morning. What a horrible way to treat Jane - no sheets for her bed and no towel for her shower (and none for us either).

Jane, Rob and I managed to squeeze in a pretty rushed visit to the wonderful 80s exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum on Friday afternoon after our long lunch. The exhibition deserves an extended viewing as its richly detailed, exuberant and many layered (just like the 80s).

Jane and I spent Saturday morning strolling around the Paddington Markets and window shopping along Oxford Street and Glenmore Road. We found the landmark Royal Hotel at the five ways in Paddington (our lunch date with Tania) really easily. It was a perfect afternoon for sitting in the warm sun on the tiny cast iron lace hotel verandah drinking white wine enjoying lunch and some extended time to continue our endlessly fascinating conversations together.

Tania takes the prize for being the coolest Mum on the North shore. She used to bring Morgan over to the Royal at Paddington after school sometimes for a drink (orange juice for Morgan). That is when they weren't heading off to Manly or Bondi for an after school swim. Morgan's in London now experiencing a gap year before university study next year. I bet she really misses her times with Tania at Paddo.

Jane's party was at Petersham on Saturday night so our time together was over really quickly. We've made a tentative date for our reunion in Canberra next year - maybe to celebrate my BIG birthday in 2011!