A fairly quiet couple of weeks - January is holiday time for most Australians.
We took the opportunity to play bridge in the Summer Festival here in Canberra - only to discover how rusty we are. We played in a three-day teams event and in the mixed pairs, and did not distinguish ourselves. Our reactions are different: I start wanting to complicate things and adopt new gadgets; Katie wants to simplify things and get back to basics. I fear she's right.
Australia Day involved two flag-raising ceremonies, one on either side of the lake, before we dashed back to play some tennis and watch some cricket. Then a dinner for the Master of the Worshipful Company of Woolmen: we invited a group of wool producers we knew, and I learnt a lot more about the problems facingthe wool industry, and the drive for quality. Katie and I then entertained (?) them all by singing "Click Go The Shears", "The Springtime It Brings On The Shearers" and "Flash Jack From Gundegai" - I played the new mandolin that Katie had made for me, which sounds great.
Now in Sydney for a day of meetings etc. Prom charity concert at Westminster House this weekend, which has involved masses of work for Katie.