We used to have picnics at
Observatory Hill where you could watch the occasional freighter wade under
the Harbour Bridge. Later on we chose the east side - Bronte beach or Dover
Heights where the sea was still much in evidence. Many years later we chose
Stanwell Park - closer for us and not too far for our Sydney cohorts. We
got there just on the dot of 11am and it was almost uninhabited - we could
choose the best spot and we did (no surpises there). To the north was the
steep rise of Bald Hill and hang gliders were drifting down through the
amazingly warm Winter sunshine. They kept on coming till the wind dropped
at about 2pm and every 30 minutes or so you're eyes would register another
contraption floating by, mingling with the higher jets and the flock of
sulphur crested cockatoos roosting in a half dead tree. We set up most
of our stuff, turned Peter's "Glamour" tape (full of 60's and 70's soul
and pop) to a pleasant, non-intrusive level and started to get hotter whenever
the breeze fell away. Everyone arrived at their own pace and the day drifted
by split by a bit of laughter here, the indelicate slurping of food there
(we WERE all a bit hungry) and the quiet conversations too. It's constantly
surprising how lovely the picnics are on Annette's birthday...
