Windows

Whilst I take lots of Door photos I have sometimes strayed and taken some Window pictures. Europe with its historic buildings provides so many interesting Doors and Windows for a girl from downunder who is only used to 19th century and younger architecture.

Perusing the photos from my recent holiday I found these windows.

Prague

Kutna Hora

Kostnice

Kutna Hora

Dresden

Terezin

Vienna

Vienna

Vienna

 Bratislava

Bratislava

Munich

Six years

I joined Facebook on 29 July 2007 about three and a half years after it was founded.

When I joined Facebook very few family and friends used the service and now most of my immediate family members use Facebook regularly and many friends and acquaintances do too. Only one of my very good friends is a Facebook objector - that's not bad for my circle of over 60ish friends. Over the past six years I have had a love hate relationship with Facebook.

I love that it enables me to have a (online) relationship with younger family members and to keep in contact with former colleagues and schoolmates. I love that I can easily share family news and pictures on Facebook.  I hate the way that Facebook keeps messing with its settings so that I am never sure if I my privacy is being maintained.

It annoys me that so many of my genealogy contacts use Facebook as their preferred social media channel while I prefer Google+ for this role. I still have a few hundred genealogy contacts on  Facebook.

Facebook is now so much a part of my life that I don't think I'll be giving it up in the forseeable future.

How long have you been a member of the Facebook Community?

Local Treasure

$32 well spent

For fifteen years I have intended going to the Galston Rotary Club Annual Giant Book Fair which is on again this weekend but I'd never made it.

What a surprise I got when I stopped by yesterday afternoon. I expected that most of the books would be gone but I was mistaken. As a former librarian I could tell when I entered the door and saw the display that there were many books on offer here; in fact there were 55,000 books for sale.

There were rare books and signed books, some books were individually priced while others were sold by the inch. The books were all sorted and categorised. The local Rotarians have done a super job in organising the fair; countless hours of preparation would have preceded the Fair.To work out how much to pay one lays the books down flat, piles them up and measures the height of one's bookpile in inches. For my 16 inches I paid $32 ($2 per inch). I couldn't buy too many books because I have a bit of a back problem at the moment and can't carry too much which is probably a good thing.

I won't wait for another 15 years before I visit the Fair again.

I haven't been everywhere man

Good fortune has enabled Mr Geniaus and I to travel to many parts of the world  however, when I look at my Tripadvisor Map that shows just where we've been, I realise just how many places I'd still like to see.

I'll be adding a few more pins to the map next year when we go on the two cruises we have planned so far. I don't think we'll ever get around to covering the white areas on the map but we'll give it our best shot.

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If you are inclined to map your travels you can Create your own travel map at TripAdvisor.

I've got tickets

Last month I wrote about the book The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do. I suggested that everyone should read it and am pleased that my 12 year old Grand-daughter and her mother both followed my recommendation. I wonder if anyone else was prompted to read it.

My mate Jackie made this comment on my post "I went and saw him recently in the city - a wonderfully funny and poignant show. He announced that someone (Russell Crowe I think) is going to make a movie from part of the book. Anh will play his Dad in the movie - one to watch out for I think."

This week I got a notification from Ticketmaster that Anh would be doing a show in Sydney in November and that a presale would open this morning. At 10:00 am when the bookings opened I logged on in an effort to get tickets. By the time I managed to connect the only tickets available were back about 8 rows or on the ends of rows closer to the stage, I opted for further back in the centre and after three attempts managed to get some seats. I presume that a very tall gentleman and a lady with a big hairdo have booked the seats in front of us.

The State Theatre in Sydney, a venue that I love for its decor although some of the seats are a bit lumpy, will host the performance. Mr Geniaus appreciates the generous legroom between the rows at The State. A trip to the State Theatre brings back childhood memories of many movies seen there with Mum, Dad and schoolfriends.

Anh impressed me so much in his book that I am so looking forward to seeing him in person. 

I've got something to look forward to in November.

Last Day in London

All good things must come to an end and so on Monday we found ourselves heading into London for a final spot of sightseeing.

Our destination was Southbank for a ride on the London Eye and then a bit of wandering.

Eye warning

A visit to the Museum at St Thomas' Hospital

A universal children's trait - listening to a teacher's instructions

Pub lunch with a view of Big Ben

Resisted temptation along the way

Look Mum - We're nearly there

Tunnel tiles

Windows to the sky

Giant riverside sandpit 

More entertainment for the youngsters

A booming business on a rare warm London day

Tate Modern

Schoolgirls planning their assault on the Tate

No need for us to call home

Not enough time to tour the Globe


Not everyone was a tourist


Hope that St Paul's Tube Station is near


Last Tube ride - I'll miss those ripe deodorant free armpits

Pre-flight nerves antidote


Final Boarding Call

Highway Robbery

I proffered a 20 pound note for two Diet Cokes and this cheese plate at Royal Albert Hall just now. That wasn't enough! I had to hand over an additional 40 pence. 

This is the worst value I have encountered on my trip. It's highway robbery.

A Right Royal Day

Windsor Castle was our destination this morning but more of that later. The Queen was in residence there because there was a big party happening at her London residence, Buckingham Palace.

On our return from Windsor early this afternoon we put our feet up for half an hour then donned our glad rags and set off on the Tube to Buckingham Palace for the Gala Concert to celebrate 60 years since QE2's Coronation.

At the Palace - will they let us in?

Yes, we got through those gates (and security)

HRH has pretty nice gardens

The concert was in the Queen's backyard

One could purchase a picnic

There were lots of stalls set up by those privileged to have a Royal Warrant

The Signage was pretty posh too

A polite reminder to take our seats

The best of British (performers)