Meeting 10 August 2004
There is something pleasantly optimistic about the second week of August in Sydney. It is the first time since winter set in that we are still able to see some vestiges of daylight when we get home from work at 6 o’clock. That is the signal for the start of spring. For those who grew up in England, the seasons in Sydney have unequal duration. Spring, painfully short, lasts a mere six weeks before summer starts at the beginning of October. Summer is the longest season and goes through until the second week of March. Autumn is beautifully long and lasts the two and a half months until the end of May. Finally winter’s two and a half months completes the cycle.
The drought unfortunately persists in New South Wale and prayers for rain have resumed in our churches. Sydney has severe water restrictions. Our home gardens have now had to be abandoned because we are not allowed to water them. One consolation is that I am not allowed to hose the car to clean it. Therefore, I feel that I am excused doing such a boring chore.
Those whose sundry health problems prevented their full participatrion in our activities were all back on duty again. Cherry announced that after Antarctica and the Andes his next project is to walk from St Ives to Penzance via Land’s End. Lest anyone think that his adventures are becoming prosaic, Cherry intends to complement Land’s End with some wild-river rafting down the Fitzroy River in Western Australia.
We have just leart that the 60th anniversary of school’s return from Bournemouth will be celebtated next May. Although I swore that I would travel no further overseas than Tasmania, this is a Must Do occasion. I expect that Australia will supply at least two. I am not sure that at I will still be here to celebrate the 70th anniversary.
The next 4/5 meetings are on Tuesday October 12, ???, February 22, May 24 and August 16 2005. Possibly, we will have another meeting in December. Those of you with flexible travel plans please make a note; we love to see you. Gap year students, backpackers and others who may be short of a bob in Australia should not be deterred by the thought of an unsought expense; I am sure we can work something out.
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