Tuesday

Back at Latimers. We have missed it - but we couldn't go straight home after M picked us up, an hour early, from the airport. We managed to secure an appointment at the doctor's for the sick S. She has been prescribed some antibiotics and a puffer to help her breathe and she will have tomorrow off (just a shame it's her birthday!).
We made good use of our final day in Sydney for this trip by visiting the Art Gallery of NSW where they have two things worth seeing - the new Kaldor modern art gallery (an eponymous gift) and the Archibalds. Oh, and the other "thing" worth seeing is my mate T who works there. Unfortunately she was in "meetings" for most of our time there but we did get to see her and catch up following our Vivid engagement last night.
We had a moderately late start and eschewed the buffet breakfast at the hotel for a la carte in the cafe - which was quite different from yesterday's - they must have different chefs on the weekend. The field mushrooms yesterday were the size of dinner plates - today they were the size of 20-cent pieces - well, maybe a bit bigger - but definitely not much.
L dropped in to the hotel while we were having breakfast (another reason for not doing the buffet) to deliver a birthday present for S - and even though mine was months ago now, one for me as well.
For her birthday this year, L and M are spending six weeks in America (West Coast). They have, for as long as we have known them, been toying with the idea of living over there for 12 months - and now L is to the point of seeing if that would be realistic or not - given that she feels the cold so badly - by going in December, Winter there, she is hoping to assure herself that she can cope with whatever blizzards and snowstorms they have to offer!
There are so many things we didn't get to do in Sydney - but we did fit in as much as we could - so David Jones Food Hall, the Minh-Hai Restaurant, ChinaTown, my brother G and his family, soap-maker D, and laksa-mate C will all have to wait until next time we head down that way. Running out of time while visiting is not an uncommon occurrence - nor is the feeling of pure joy when you disembark the plane at Coolangatta airport and realise you are home ... and that even though the ride-on-mower is at the Deere Hospital, M has used the good-old fashioned standby, the motor mower, to do the front lawn and some other areas.