On Saturday we were whisked out of town once again by Robyn and Ćhris and spent a glorious day on the Mornington Peninsula, including lunch in Sorrento.

After a day of seeing the sights (and the stores) we drove back to Melbourne and ended the day in Carlton at Brunetti’s, an Italian restaurant and bakery that was beyond anything I have ever seen.

 

We returned to Mornington Peninsula on Tuesday and stayed for a few days at this lovely small B&B a short walk from the beach.

Before heading back to Melbourne on Friday we fortified ourselves with lunch at a local vineyard.

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Above and below, the evening view from our apartment

Below, Street art in Fitzroy

We returned to Melbourne on Tuesday, and on Wednesday went to see Fitzroy, a groovy Melbourne neighborhood with cool little one-off shops and lots of great places to drink coffee.

Thursday morning I headed to Mulgrave and the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement, where I was warmly received by staff, and welcomed with flowers and snacks.

Over the following week I met with clinicians, educators and volunteers, heard about the Centre’s programs and services, and enjoyed formal and informal conversations about the challenges and satisfactions of the work we do. I also did a webinar with Ćhris Hall, my good friend and the CEO of the Centre, that was well attended and well received.

Below, a few of my office mates at work 🙂

As much fun as it was to be at the ACGB, an even better time was our weekend visit to  Sovereign Hill with Ćhris and Robyn.

Sovereign Hill is a recreation of an old gold mining town, complete with tradesmen, shops, and an underground mine.

Musket demonstration

Panning for gold

An upscale hearse

Candles and soap made and sold here

Miners would go as far as 1000 feet below ground.

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas 🤔

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I’ll be doing an all day workshop for practioners here on Monday. Since neither of us had ever been to Sydney, Jay and I decided to come early and explore the city. We flew here on Thursday and have been making the most of our time.

11-30   The Harbour is the pride of Sydney and a short walk from our hotel, so after checking in we hopped on a ferry.

 

We went early to an inventive and very popular Chinese restaurant and had one of the most memorable meals of our trip.

12-1   I had seen ads for an exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art, and we we made that our first stop the following day.

Immersive, splendid, strange –

Look closer at the lovely installation above.

Also on display in the museum, this collection of driftwood, described by the artist as “travelers”

 

The afternoon was spent walking and shopping. Here, a window in the beautifully renovated Queen Victoria Building.

Above, the 78 ft. Christmas tree that is installed in sections over three days and extends through three levels of  the store to the stained glass dome of the building.

After a visit to Paddy’s Market and The Strand, Jay capped off the day by taking Tylenol for his aching feet and we had dinner in the hotel.

12-2   On Saturday we toured the Sydney Opera House, and returned in the evening for a performance of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters.”

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An extraordinary setting for music, drama, and a range of other spectacles, the opera house took 14 years, and the modern day equivalent of a billion dollars to complete. All of the mechanics of the building are sandwiched in between the tile clad ‘sails” so that nothing detracts from the purity of the design.

I had a lovely mid day visit with my Sidney friend Liz Lobb in the hotel lounge.

In the afternoon Jay and I took a walk through the Royal Bottanical Garden and visited the Museum of New South Wales.

This gorgeous backlit panel of flowers responds to the presence of someone standing in front of it and is constantly in motion.

A painting I particularly liked

Below: Aboriginal art. We learned that these paintings are full of meaning, and record rituals, stories and places that are sacred to the artist and their tribe.

12-4   My workshop was well received by an experienced and knowledgeable audience, and the day was altogether a pleasure.  To top it off,  Chris, Jay and I had dinner at Sydney Tower,  in a revolving restaurant with the best views in Sydney.

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