Sun, long time no see.  So nice of you to join us again just in time for the start of spring.

I  first felt and saw your rays when I got out of the pool on Sunday morning.

And then spent the rest of the day periodically checking the sky to make sure you were there to stay.

I can’t recall any other Sunday in recent memory where I was so excited about doing the laundry. The towels and the sheets, they all got done and line dried while I sat on a picnic blanket in the driveway with green tea and dark chocolate.  The air smells different on the first truly sunny day after a long wet spell.  It’s sweet, fresh and full of the promise of longer days and rosy gold evenings.

Slight change of tack and perspective for me at work today.  I was part of a selection panel and was reporting for interview duty.

I don’t know how so many of you survive twice daily commutes on the bus or train.  Do you ever get used to the squeezing and the lurching?  What I wore – jacket – Banana Republic, dress – Veronika Maine, necklaces – Red Phoenix Emporium, bag – Vuitton and shoulders – tense.

So, gasp and cue a dying swan – I had to squeeze myself and my numerous attachments onto a peak hour bus into the city.

Where I traded squeaking up and down corridoors of highly polished linoleum for padding across fleur de lis bordered carpet.

Harsh fluorescent lights and functional furniture made way for soft lighting, plush  easy chairs and lush pot plants.  It’s a different world in the mother ship, a piece of living, breathing history that has managed to move with the times whilst still retaining enough of the past to remind all of us how privileged we are to be able to do the work we do to help the lives of others.

There’s so much history on Maquarie Street.  These photos are views of Queen Square.

Onto which the Queens Square law courts open.  I didn’t realise the courts were actually there until I looked across from the steeples and archways to see the antenna of a Nine News van that was parked kerbside and a gowned barrister who was billowing past, a wheelie case of files trailing behind him.

All good adventures in the city involve coffee, don’t they?  And today’s coffee was particularly good.  Have you been to Baker Bros. on York Street?  It’s an espresso and wine bar run by the Panetta brothers.

I regret having eaten breakfast before coming into the city because everything on the front counter looked delicious.

Why didn’t I buy a cronut to take away for afternoon tea?

By day, the espresso machine and bean grinders hiss and whir with gusto as nearby office workers stream in.

The champagne and wine bottles hanging overhead hinting at the shenanigans to be had after dark when the wine bar side of business takes over.

Despite Baker Bros. being located in the business end of town, they do open during the day on Saturdays.  Which works well for me because I need to return for a cronut with my coffee.