Seven to Canberra

As you may remember, the library's lower floor was damaged in a storm event at the end of last year. It wasn't the flooding river but a huge deluge of water that resulted in a fair bit of damage and the opportunity to change things around a bit. You may be surprised to know that the world of libraries is not static. The desks that we had designed not all that long ago, now make it difficult for us to keep up with current trends so we went on a road trip to Canberra to see how their libraries are doing things.

We wanted to take a good range of staff and settled on a group of seven, knowing that we could access a seven seater car. Luckily, Claire thought to check the car for luggage space as it turns out that the sixth and seventh seat are quite literally in the boot leaving a very tiny space. Not everyone has seen Gavin and Stacey (shame on them) but the rest of us chuckled as we remembered Nessa travelling to London overnight with a small handbag containing a toothbrush, G-string and feminine wipes. We none of us quite pulled that off but we did travel light. We did a bit of shopping in Canberra but were severely hampered by lack of space and the fact that we were there for work! I walked straight past a T2 even though I am almost out of Earl Grey!

This is Kingston Library which is just like a book shop only free and with Internet access and an X-Box. It used to be the Essential Ingredient. I once purchased a jar of duck fat there, happy memories. It makes a very cool, if tiny, library - well suited to the hip suburb.

When in Kingston it is a must to breakfast at Silo bakery. Only three of us managed to get up early enough but we were well rewarded. I bought a sour dough loaf and two pains au chocolat for Kristy and we had to balance them all the way home! They made the car smell so good. I bought a little vanilla brûlée tart which I ate while I watched A Single Man. The tart and the film were both great. The film was quite beautiful to look at, the colours and 1950s styling. It was a very thoughtful story and quietly sad but lovely.

I went to a YAPA seminar at CSU on Wednesday and they have two of the most beautiful gum trees.


I finished Sarah's Key. At the start it has a quote from Suite Française , a book I loved, and while it certainly wasn't in that league (the language and characters being perfectly good but not beautiful) it has an impact. It is a novel about the role the French played in the attempt to rid Europe of Jews in WWII. It may have been lead by the Germans but the French rounded up and sent to their deaths over 70,000 French Jews - including Irène Némirovsky. They even had their own concentration camps. Such a frightful thing.

I went to Stamp Club last night and it was, as usual, fabulous. I'll take photos of the cards I made when it is daytime. Instead, I'll share a drawing of Bethany's. We found it on her Megasketcher this morning. A sweet scene involving mermaids. As I put it down to take a photo Bethany explained that the there is a dead mermaid on the bed and that the big one in the middle is a trap......OK, not so sweet.