Home Again

To a swept and garnished house and healthy plants, Felix surpassed himself and we went out to buy a Magic Bullet to celebrate, and to keep me awake too. I had my first smoothie this morning.

Bird song is so different here after currawongs and galahs and lorikeets, though if I had to hear wonga pigeons I would do mad. What a monotonous bird, even the description I Googled sounded long-suffering. It is striking how many more birds there were in Australia too, flocks of them even in the city, sulphur-crested cockatoos and rainbow lorikeets, galahs in Longueville,kookaburras in Murwillumbah. Maybe our waders are simply quieter. Most things are quieter than parrots.

I will take Stefan into the city for his seminar at ILM in the Presidio, might call in on Will and Jessica if it isn't too early, then get gardening twine as the new clematis has grown three feet or so. The very last amaryllis picotee is blooming, the first opened only just before we left, and a green orchid has plumped up with one bloom at the crack point. Mary's paulonia has fat green buds, and the smaller of my figs is at the break, spring is here.

I feel healthy and energised, loved the rowing and have rung to look over the club here.