Armidale.

I had a weekend visit to Armidale. My first time. Driving with friends to visit a friend and also I had a wedding up there. Photo journal of the drive up on Friday arvo: leaving Maq St Sydney...

Up the F3, looking rather stunning...

Radiant cloud formations at sunset...

I highly recommend driving north or south at late afternoon. You get all the glorious colour as the sun angles through the landscape, without the glare in your eyes. 

It was very good value, catching up with so many people. And speaking of value, we did some good shopping. We found Armidale quite elegant in an autumnal country way, which has a lot going for it over the way women and girls dress in Sydney, which is kind of trashy. We saw nary a leggings worn as pants, or tiny pair of shorts. I bought a $30 t-shirt dress at sports girl, and a stripy layered cardigan for $39 at Turners of Armidale, which was a lovely shop. And one of those unfolding hang-up bathroom bags. And best of all, the op shops and junk shops, where I for $15 I got a brown colorado skirt with zip pockets, a blankety cape with arm holes, and an old leather pouch.

The story with the cape is that I saw one hanging in Js wardrobe when we got there and thought it was cool, and she said it was from an op shop for $8. Everyone tried it on and it looks very retro and stylish for something so simple. Cape envy. When we got to the op shop, she found ANOTHER ONE! a little bit bigger, and more like an old blanket. I thought if nothing else I now have the pattern to make my own. Hooray! Here is a photo with the 2 capes. We tried to be Arty and almost succeeded. There is nice sunlight and a tiny rainbow though.

This is the pouch. I've been looking for a coin purse to maybe change the way I handle money when my glomesh granny purse dies. It drops coins already. I tossed up getting a little leather case with a piece of camera equipment in it for $10, but it seems a waste of a piece of camera equipment to just use the case. But I found this grotty thing for $5, with the explanaiong "tobacco" on it. I washed it, and I've been rubbing leather conditioner into it. It's nice and soft. It has one missing stud but the other one should work enough. It has a sort of flap inside the closure so I think it will hold coins securely.

 J lives in an apartment that is joined to the music block of a school, — it was actually like living in a great BIG house full of pianos. On Sunday morning we had a play and sing in a warm sunny music room.

And then we drove back. This is a nice bit of Thunderbolt's Way in the day time.

And this is coming back over the harbour bridge at night.