Once the PC was booted up I was able to send my brother a message on Messenger about the preliminary date we had made to do the convo and he replied that he was driving but would be home soon, so I should go to Watson's Bay when free. I quickly drank down the coffee I had poured for myself and headed out in the car, taking the ramp up to the Western Distributor then getting into the Cross City Tunnel. At Rushcutter's Bay there was a fair bit of traffic but I made my way patiently along New South Head Road until I arrived and parked in the church grounds. I took the iPad out of the car and dialled up my brother. He answered before it rang out and then I started my brief tour of the Columbarium by going through the gate into the enclosure. I took him right down to the bottom - even though I knew mum's niche, and granny's niche, were up near the top - where there is a stagnant pond. Then I made my way back up to near the gate and took the photo that accompanies this blogpost. I took a photo of granny's plaque as well.
Once back in the car I took the route along Old South Head Road to Surry Hills, then through Chinatown and across to Harris Street, and home. After arriving home I had another cup of coffee, and while I was drinking it the girl rang and said she had been watching a sci-fi TV series yesterday on her computer, and wanted to go out to where there were trees. I asked her if she wanted to go to Watson's Bay, and she demurred, saying that I had just returned from there. I said it was ok, and got in the car and drove down to her place. She came down to the street and we set off up Marsh Street and around beside the airport terminals, then up General Holmes Drive to Kensington, where we turned right across the traffic and I headed up Anzac Parade to Paddington, then along the motorway and down Old South Head Road.
We parked the car on Old South Head Road and headed down to Gibson's Beach - where I grew up - and down the path to Doyle's, where I bought a pack of fish and other fried things, and a bottle of water. The girl had brought her own water. We sat at first near the restaurant but some foolish Chinese were feeding the seagulls, making it a bit of a disaster area, so we headed down to a bench on the esplanade where we finished the fish.
After it was all gone, we headed back to Gibson's Beach - where crowds of secondary school students from the Western Suburbs were walking down the path toward Watson's Bay - and up to Hopetoun Avenue, then into The Crescent and down the path at Parsley Bay, where we sat down at a picnic table and ate some food that she had prepared for a picnic. When that was finished she went for a bit of a walk around the park a couple of times, then we headed up through the park's hinterland to Hopetoun Avenue again. We walked back down to the car and drove off, taking the route of New South Head Road and the Cross City Tunnel, to save time.
When we got back to my apartment I lay down for a nap but then my son called with some news, and I got up to answer his call. I made the girl a pot of tea and she said she wanted to catch the train home because it meant more walking - which she does for her health - but it was still too early to go so we played a game of chess. I won, but more narrowly than on previous occasions. Then I put on my backpack for shopping and we headed out to Pyrmont Bridge, cutting down into the shopping centre to have some wonton soup, before I said goodbye to her. I headed up to Coles and did the shopping, then paid and walked home and unpacked the groceries in the kitchen.
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