Hello all and I hope you had a great weekend.  Today is ANZAC Day and a public holiday so most people don’t have to work and restaurants and shops open later.  ANZAC Day celebrates and remembers those who have served in the military and those who have been killed in action serving Australia and New Zealand.  A lot of people attend a dawn service held at churches and war memorial sites though out the countries.  We attended the vigil service Monday evening at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney since there were no services at our nearby church and I wanted to sleep in on my day off.  There were a lot of important people of office and ambassadors in attendance of the service. We got to see the flags of the Australian branches of military be brought in and a bugler played Last Post. It was a very cool experience. There are a lot of other traditions for ANZAC Day, a lot of people go out drinking, people attend marches or parades, there are ANZAC cookies, and a gambling game involving coins called two-up is legal only for the day. We went out with our roommates to Pancakes on the Rocks in the Rocks just across the Harbor Bridge. I had chocolate pancakes with chocolate syrup and chocolate ice cream and it was delicious. Jax left us to go work and the rest of us wandered to The Orient, a bar. There were uniformed military everywhere, enjoying the day off and drinking. I was hoping for the bar experience and to see two up being played. We did not see it at that bar and wondered around Circular Quay to the Opera Bar where we had a few drinks. They were yummy fruity cocktails, perfect for a sunny day on the patio. They even had a band playing. We then walked by Brandon’s building and took the bus back home. By then it had started to rain lightly. I settled in for a nap with the cats. Jax and Heidi watched Home and Away and I am working on this after supper.

The past week went along smoothly.  I was off Tuesday and had an amazing massage to help my back out.  Brandon started his contract work at an office by Circular Quay just over the Harbor Bridge.  He likes the work and his boss, so I hope it continues to be a positive experience for him.  He has a three month contract thus far and then he will see if they want to extend it, hire him full time, or part ways depending on the how things go.  I have been finishing books left and right due to my long commute.  I finally am on one that is 1200 pages called The Gauntlet Thrown so it lasted me a week. 🙂 Work on Saturday was uneventful, we had a few appointments that rescheduled, so we got some extra cleaning done.  Brandon joined our roommates on a venture to the TV studio for Heidi to get interview about house and pet sitting.  She did great and now we live with a famous movie star!

Sunday, we went to church, had a lazy morning then went to Kirribilli with Heidi.  Her car battery had died since she usually uses her work car, so we had to get a jump off Jax to get rolling again. Then we were a bit scared to get stranded once out and about, but Brandon’s positive attitude was infectious and the car kept starting just fine. Heidi went to get some lunch and we walked around Lavender Bay where there are neat parks, bridge views, and Wendy’s Secret Garden. The Garden is volunteer tended and has a bunch of eating nooks for picnicking, relaxing, studying, or just sitting in the shade.  We walked around some shops in Kirribilli and got some shakes.  We met back up with Heidi and laid in the sun under the Harbor Bridge at Milson’s Point.  A great day exploring and enjoying the amazing, sunny weather we have been having.

Brandon helped me figure out the correct picture order, so hopefully from now on they will be in chronological order. 🙂