Last Friday Afternoon

Last Friday Rick gave a talk at the Music Conservatorium. Sylvia and I zipped down on the train after she was done with school. We were surprised and pleased as punch to see Rick's picture on a poster about the event when we walked in.

Rick has been lucky enough to be given an office at "The Con" (pronounced "Kahn"). Although the older part of the building was designed to look like a castle, it was originally built as a stable around 1815. Pretty fancy for a bunch of horses, don't you think? Many people were outraged at the expense, and eventually the stable was converted into a music conservatorium. Rick's office is in a lovely modern wing built around 2001.

The Con is actually in the Royal Botanical Garden of Sydney. In this picture taken by Sylvia, you can see how close it is to the rose garden (note the ibis near the path). While Rick hobnobbed at a reception, Sylvia and I wandered in the garden (after, of course, we'd done a bit of hobnobbing ourselves).

I find the rose garden amusing. As you can see, it has gorgeous roses, but they seem out of place by the palm and fig trees. Can you see the rain on the red rose?

My favorite flower was a magnolia of a type I've never seen before:

 Stunning, don't you think?

BTW, for those of you in the States, even though it's autumn here, it was ninety degrees today!!! :o