Saturday, November 5, 2011

Blue mountains (1)

On Saturday, Nola and Graeme took us out to the north road of the blue mountains to Mount Tomah. We will go to the Blue Mointains in a couple of weeks, but will be at Katoomba on the southern road, so this is was a good opportunity.

We took the train from Town Hall station in Sydney over the Harbour Bridge to Pymble, where Nola and Graeme live. On our way to the station, we passed a large Christmas party organized by one of the large department stores, David Jones. Children were being taught one of the dances that we see so often at events in France in the summer, lots of waving of arms, but I still don't know it's name. The only evidence of the Christmas nature of this even is the reindeer antlers.




It is very confusing to have spring and summer all around you together with Christmas trees and warm weather. Christmas departments in Selfridges in August have the same impact.

Nola collected us at the station and we went back to their house.





We set off for Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens in the Blue Mountains. The view from the restaurant was magnificant




After a delicious lunch in the restaurant, we headed off round the gardens.

This is a Watarah




Pincushion Protea



and this is a Chilean Flare - Puya berteroniana




These have yet to be identified












We also encountered this sundial





with the user manual






By the time that the gardens closed at 5.30, we were all tired, but we found time for a photo of the cousins together




The last time that they were together before this trip was in 1993.

Graeme and Nola kindly dropped us back to our apartment where we relaxed for the rest of the evening.


Pat and John on tour