The sound of the birds - such a pervasive part of the Sydney experience, yet one that gets buried at the back of my mind until we come back here. There are so many species, and their voices are all distinctive - from the raucous shrieking of the sulfur crested cockatoos and the rosellas to the gentle lyrics of magpies; the laughing of the kookaburras and the hilarious ravens - they have a cry that sounds like "oh nooooooo!" They are all sizes and colors, and it's a constant spectacle to watch and hear. I've learned that, as we cycle through the park, a laughing kookaburra often signals a rain shower about to start. It's almost as though they find a sardonic glee in seeing the humans caught out in the weather. I think my favorites are the little lorikeets - they are so colorful, with their green, red and blue feathers and they play together like children.

We've had consistent rain in the mornings, so we've postponed our cycling until about noon each day. It doesn't make much difference to me, since I stay in the park anyway, but it's bad for Tom, since he has to miss cycling with the morning group. Today, Saturday, was the first time in a week that he was able to go with the group. He's hoping to be able to join them for their long ride tomorrow - they usually go for 4-5 hours on Sundays.

Tom has been overjoyed that ESPN, which we get in our apartment, has been carrying many of the NCAA basketball games. His only regret in coming here was that he would miss "March Madness!" UW is in the sweet sixteen, and we were able to watch the game with Illinois last week. Today, Tom is plugged into the audio connection here at the internet site, listening to the game with University of Connecticut.(also the Huskies) He has been remarkably quiet - I'm very impressed, as there is usually A LOT of commenting/yelling/etc. when we watch games at home. Right now it's half time, with Washington up by 5 points, so we will hope that trend continues. ESPN is going to air the game, but it will be delayed until 10:30pm Sydney time - probably conflicts with cricket or rugby!!

Last night, we had dinner with our friends Maie and Kevin Barrow. Maie is the archivist at the Estonian house here - her archives are among the best around, with an incredible collection of historical documents, books, photos and artwork. Kevin is a professor at the University of New South Wales, and a scientist who has done research and development in many areas, including antibiotics. Maie is a fabulous cook, and it's always a huge treat to be invited to dinner at her home. The Barrows have a lovely traditional terrace home in the suburb of Randwick (the district in which we lived last year.) She and Kevin are absolutely delightful and we really enjoy their company.

As of today, we have 4 weeks left before we head for home. The time is going by quickly, but I miss my family, friends and our kitties. It's an interesting dilemma - it's so wonderful to be here, but when you miss home, it would be nice to be in two places at one time!!

Quick update - 16:18 to play in the second half, and Washington's up by 8 points!! Please, oh please, let us win!!