Hi there again! This time I'm reporting on 4 major experiences I've had over the last three weeks or so up to mid-October 2023. Firstly, I'll show some images of Armidale's old courthouse which was open to the public on 24 September. This building has been vacant for years while Council tries to think of ways of using the premises.
Next, I'll show you the meet-up with friends that occurs every thursday at 10.30 am at a popular local cafe called the Goldfish Bowl (GFB for short).
Then, on October 1, Dot and I attended a brilliant Jazz concert in a local theatre. It stunned us.
And, finally, I travelled to Sydney to attend Cousin David's 80th birthday party and catch up family members I now rarely see.
The courthouse is quite an imposing building in the main shopping centre. And the image on the right shows it maybe 70 years ago.
Today, one of the impediments to broader public use is the furnishing of the large courtroom as shown in the 2 pictures below.
At this moment in time, we're not close to finding a use for the premises.
The GFB is the meeting place of maybe 10 blokes on Thursday mornings ... even through the winter months ... and we usually sit outside in the adjacent courtyard. On most days we get somewhere between 4 and 6 of us talking on a wide range of national and international issues. The chatting is lively and often provocative!
On Sunday October 1st, Dot and I headed to the Armidale Playhouse wondering what sort of Jazz music we would receive. The experience was amazing. The main participants were a mother and daughter, with the former a pianist and the latter singing great songs. Amazingly, the mother was a great pianist and works at our conservatorium of music. Even more amazingly, the daughter lives and works in London (UK) where she is a highly regarded musician!
She, also, could beautifully strum a guitar.
Here they are together on the stage.
Mother and daughter were also, however, accomanied occasionally by usual Jazz musicians.
All up it was a great evening. Let's now turn ro David's birthday celebration. I flew to Sydney on 6th October and David kindly picked me up at the airport. He took me home for lunch and, later in the day, I partnered his wife Shlomith in a bridge game on-line. However, I slept for all 3 nights while in Sydney at his daughter, Sharon's home fairly close by not to far from the famous Bondi beach. This picture ... if I get things right (!!) was taken at Sharon's home and shows from left to right Harry - her son, Sharon herself, mother Shlomith, and then her sister Shelley who had flown in from Melbourne.
On Saturday the 7th, David and I didquite a lot of walking around various parts of Sydney's rather posh Eastern Suburbs. But it was Sunday the 8th that was the focus of the weekend - David's 80th - and Sharon hosted the event in her lovely apartment. Of course, there were the usual recognition items like a balloon and a cake.
There was heaps of delivious food for the c. 16 or 17 of us invited guests - family and friends. I'm not good at counting numbers on such occasion so I just hope I'm correct - or close to!
We sat outside to celebrate the occasion - Sharon's lovely home has a covered balcony as well as, believe it or not, an outside garden.
And, here at last, is a picture of the gentleman in question - David seated on the left and greatly enjoying the occasion.
I can't resist showing the picture below, which I saw - as far as I can remember - for the first time. I hope I'm not wrong in claiming to be in the picture which must have been taken something like 65 or 70 years ago in the UK. I hope David can work out the names of everyone there!
That's enough for now. Even at my age ... 78 ... life can be very interesting and diverse. And our little town is amazingly rich in things to do. Right now I'm wondering if I should attend a highly unusual musical event. Have you ever been to a performance of Japanese drumming!?
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