What a glorious sunny winter's day and a gorgeous trail, one that I found on my new favourite app, All Trails. A train to Hornsby and a shortish walk to the start. The highlight was the sublime blue gum trees and the river running through. So relaxing and I really felt the photographer's muse. I'm enjoying doing some hikes alone for a change. It allows me to take my time. No taking photos and constantly rushing to keep up.
I was delighted to come across these photos on Facebook. The Botanica Cafe in Waverton sadly closed in 2023. One of the things that made it so special as our local haunt was these paintings of doggies on their back wall. They were the dogs of the owners. Tragically, someone broke into the cafe a few years back and stole the paintings. But here they are, immortalised for my viewing pleasure. Pure nostalgia. I spent so many wonderful hours at this cafe. It was a very special place.
I watched the live-action movie How to Train Your Dragon at the cinema, which is a remake of the 2010 animated classic. The film tells the story of Hiccup, a young Viking who lives in a village that hunts dragons. Everything changes when he injures a rare Night Fury and, instead of killing it, chooses to befriend and train it. This decision challenges the beliefs of his people and sets off a journey of understanding, courage, and transformation. The live-action version closely follows the plot of the original and features stunning visual effects that bring the dragons and Viking world to life. As a fan of the animated trilogy, I appreciated how faithful the remake was while adding a new layer of realism.
In my quest to explore more of Sydney, I spent a wonderful morning at The Hyde Park Barracks. It was beautifully renovated in 2020 and had a very clever audio system that was sensitive to where you were standing and automatically told you what was relevant. Very clever. I also took some snaps of the nearby Sydney Hospital and Martin Place on the walk back to the station.
