And a birthday

We've had another few days in Sydney this past week.... a rainy afternoon put to good use while Rob connected our unit to the NBN and permanent internet access (at last) and then a full day exploring another part of Sydney we've not been to before.

As part of my ongoing series titled "Inner Sydney streets that would be perfectly liveable" we present Quarry Street in Ultimo ........ 
 

....... terrace houses fronting onto a street scape that has been turned into sunny parkland - perfectly walkable and communal, only a kilometre and a half walk from the Queen Victoria building in the CBD (we know that because we did that walk too!)

Also, only just over a kilometre walk to our new fave Pyrmont Bridge Hotel - where we had lunch that day.

Ultimo is also close to the new Sydney Fish Market and our new find .... the Upcycle Design Centre in Wattle Street. We found a nicely framed little original watercolour in this crammed warehouse of junk shop finds and genuine treasures. The little watercolour was added to what we hope will be a wall of art works in our Coogee bedroom eventually.

We were back in Canberra in time to share some precious time with Ella at the end of the week. She had her nineteenth birthday in May as well as completing all the course work and assessment for first semester of her bachelor's degree at the Uni of Canberra. It was a great excuse to enjoy a celebratory lunch with her to mark the occasion.

We walked to lunch together - on an incredibly mild, late Autumn day in Canberra.

..... and enjoyed the set lunch menu at Zero Complex (Korean fusion) on Lonsdale Street.... which we all loved.

We three can talk for HOURS, covering a lot of ground, including lots of politics and international affairs, along with a fair bit of pop culture and in house joking around. We are so proud of Ella's incredible success in her first semester at Uni, handling new challenges, new subjects and vastly different expectations without the support of friends or peers, in her stride.

This pic is pure Ella --- tolerating her Granny trying to get just the right shot - on the move - with such good humour and that cheeky grin. She's special this one!