Sweet Wayfaring

Musing: From The Patriot by Robert Browning "It was roses, roses, all the way, With myrtle mixed in my path like mad: The house-roofs seemed to heave and sway, The church-spires flamed, such flags they had, A year ago on this very day. The air broke into a mist with bells, The old walls rocked with the crowd and cries. Had I said, "Good folk, mere noise repels-- But give me your sun from yonder skies!" They had answered, "And afterward, what else?" ... There's nobody on the house-tops now-- Just a palsied few at the windows set; For the best of the sight is, all allow, At the Shambles' Gate--or, better yet, By the very scaffold's foot, I trow"

It's not all toil and trade. Sometimes there is fun.

Big ships spew hundreds of cars into a giant parking lot. The cars disappear. A new ship comes and it happens again in a never ending cycle. Where do all those cars go?

And the other busy little boats are the tugs, nudging the big cargo ships gently into the harbour.

A frequent visitor into our frame of view -- busy little ferry boats plying their trade of tired city workers and happy holiday makers.

Daylight dances on the distant buildings and picks out the geometric lines of Anzac Bridge.

What a sight, the harbour waking on the morning light.

With the last hallelujahs fading in the air, Barangaroo returned to its former life as a windswept patch of bitumen waiting for building developers to move in.

As the sun began to set in the west the Pope took off on a motorcade through the city. Hovering helicopters followed his progress, which we watched on the big screen below our balcony.

The harbour is like a moving canvass. One day I woke to find a giant cruise ship parked outside but discovering the Pope's vessel pulling in outside my bedroom window just about takes the cake. We had the big screen to catch all the fun and were serenaded by religious concerts several nights last week.

Is it really nearly 3 weeks since my last post? There is a reason, work got busier and busier and the long daily commute got me down so we have taken up week-day residence in the city. Off early in the morning and back in the dark doesn't leave me with a lot of time for photography or blogging but I will see if I can make amends before my life gets too out of balance. One of the surprises of our new residence was to discover we were overlooking Barangaroo one of the key venues for the papal visit. This week the bare patch of bitumen transformed into a sea of pilgrims. A very happy time in our city with glorious weather to welcome our many youthful visitors.