Back to Sydney

I finished marking the 47 assignments (three people didn't submit) on Sunday and was very thankful to have a public holiday on Monday to actually relax. After work on Tuesday I made lunches and dinner for Wednesday and packed my bags because I was heading to Sydney for the second time in as many weeks and this time I would be staying overnight. Bizarrely, Andrew was also going away for work on Wednesday, this time to Broken Hill, so Sonja came to take the kids to school in the morning.

Andrew and I drove to the airport at 6am and I caught the plane with Kelly from work. The plane was almost full of council staff and Kelly and I very cheekily avoided the train by catching a taxi with the mayor and a few others - I'm sure their budget is bigger than ours :)

We met up with Claire and Robert at the State Library for the Futures Forum which was very interesting. We spent the day looking at possible scenarios for the future and what they would mean for libraries. Just before 4 Kelly, Claire and I ducked off to our hotel to get ready for the cocktail party to be held in the library that evening. We were staying at Rydges World Square and we worked up an appetite by walking. If it weren't for our heels, I'm sure we'd have walked back, too. This is my room.

Of course, the country folk dressed up more than the city folk who couldn't go home and get changed. We do like to get out in the city. This is me, Kelly, Claire and Robert - the Wagga contingent.

The State Library is very pretty in the evening.

This half of the library is very modern with lots of glass. The beautiful, old Mitchell Library is next door.

The Mitchell Library is celebrating its centenary this year with a fabulous exhibition of rare and fascinating items and after our "cocktails" (wine or beer) we went up and had a look. Sadly, no photos are to be taken of the exhibition.

When we were in Sydney last week for the Seniors Forum we dropped in to the Apple Centre for Kelly to charge her iPhone. I took the opportunity to research where we might go for dinner when we were up for the Futures Forum. Lorraine from Not Quite Nigella to the rescue! I searched her reviews by location and found a Japanese restaurant that sounded great. We took a taxi to Kushiyaki Azuma on George Street, just around the corner from our hotel. I took this photo to show Lorraine that the chopstick rests have changed for the better (read her post to see what I mean).

There were five of us dining and we were all thrilled with our food so here come lots of photos...
Claire and Kelly had oysters and scallops.

I only just remembered to take a photo of my wagyu beef skewer (tender beyond belief) and miso soup with scampi.

I had assorted tempura which was light and delicious and Kelly had soft shelled crab tempura.

Thanks to the lightness of good Japanese food we were able to fit dessert in, just. Claire had green tea and chestnut cake.

I had a green tea and azuki mousse cake.

Lyn had a black sesame daifuku.

And Kelly had mochi with azuki, fruit and brown sugar syrup. We all wished we had room for that too.

There is a little bit of pressure involved in suggesting a restaurant so I was most pleased that we all loved it. Thanks Lorraine :)

We were back in our rooms by 9pm so I had a long, hot bath and read North and South. We had a very pleasant sleep in (for a work day) and after breakfast went book shopping, for the library of course. We bought lots of great books in other languages for our refugee and migrant communities and I thoroughly enjoyed buying many DVDs at the ABC shop - the community will have to wait until the staff have watched them all ;)

I finished North and South on the plane home and have to say that I adored it. It was like discovering a new Jane Austen! I have reserved the DVD (someone else has it at the moment) and can't wait to watch it. Now I am reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and am, so far, enjoying it very much. I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend...... though I wish I were holding my brand new niece, Samira - congratulations Sare and Ty!