Some faces to go with the names. Here are Caro and David:
Caro had been asked to review a restaurant in Kiama and, although she couldn't take me to the meal, she did take me along for the ride. Also on the trip was Suze, a veteran food critic, with whom I very much enjoyed talking about what makes a good restaurant experience. My favourite of her juding criteria was that the food should have 'integrity'. I had a wonderful time there, first walking up to the blowhole then taking an almost childish delight in the water booming out of it, followed by a lovely walk along the coast. Moreover, by reports on the way back, I did much better with my fish and chips sitting on the grass overlooking the bay below than they did with their supposedly fancier meal.
Caro provides homework assistance to an African refugee girl in Wollongong. She took me along to the weekly afterschool session where I was matched with a bright and lively 13 year old Iranian girl who needed help with her mathematics homework. I was in my element as we worked through a division with decimals.
Another lovely moment was when Caro took me to the local sculpture garden. We were the only people there and spent a wonderful hour wandering through the native temperate rainforest and admiring the art as and when we came across it.
On the morning I was due to leave I woke up stupidly early (4am) and, when I couldn't get back to sleep, got up and worked on the computer. I didn't really notice the time pass until I glanced out of the window and was hit with an orange so bright that I thought something was on fire. In fact, it was the sun was rising. In terms of the brightness and vibrancy of the colours in the sky, it was the best I'd ever seen.
After eight days, it was time to move on. Though I was excited about adventures to be had elsewhere in the country, it was with great sadness, in fact with a tear in my eye, that I said my goodbyes. It was a perfect week.
No comments:
Post a Comment