Breakfast this morning was heavenly. The bread was homemade by yours truly (containing flour, water, salt, a pinch of sugar, yeast, and fresh rosemary), the eggs were of the free-range organic variety from the Eveleigh Farmer’s Markets at Carriageworks, and the juice was freshly squeezed oranges (from the market) and lemons (from my aunt and uncle’s  garden - thank you Vicky and Trevor!). Mmm hmm! The setting, Mum’s balcony overlooking the Lane Cove River and Lane Cove National Park on a gorgeous blue sky Sydney summer day. Cicadas trilling, minor birds and lorikeets whistling to each other from their branches, a lone kookaburra cackling at it all from his perch in, yes, an old gum tree. What more does one need in life? 
 
On a side note, my visit to the Eveleigh Farmer's Market yesterday was also a real treat.  In celebration of the Chinese New Year, celebrated Chinese-Australian chef Kylie Kwong was giving a cooking demonstration. Her challenge for the morning had been to arrive at the markets, select ingredients, and give a live demonstration using only the ingredients found at the markets. Due to the swarm of people surrounding her, I unfortunately couldn't see a lot. Whatever she was cooking, it smelt amazing. The stalls were a sumptuous feast of (mostly) local, and  (mostly) organic or biodynamic fruits, vegetables, and occasional animal, of the  season. Hot off the vine or tree/out of the ground this week were capsicums, corn, carrots, brocolli, zucchini, beetroot, garlic, macadamia butter, olive oil, olives, stone fruits, oranges, apples, tomatoes, berries, avocados, and a plethora of green and fragrant herbs. Once again, what more does one need in life?!

I often think that it’s about time I got my driver’s license. Get myself a zippy little car and not be tied to the constraints of Sydney’s over-priced and archaic public transport system.  But that one hour (or so) each way of public transport commute is the best uninterrupted Me Time I get all day. I read, listen to music, and journal. And sometimes, when the stars are in strange alignments, amazing human interactions occur.

Last night heading home from work on the 440 bus down Parramatta Rd, a lady sitting next to me asked in a thick accent how many stops were there until Wynyard Station. The eldery gentleman sitting on the other side of the lady piped up and said it was two or three. He then asked the lady, “¿Tu  hablas Españoll?” (do you speak Spanish?). She laughed and said yes. Excited at the prospect of practising my Spanish, I said, “Yo hablo un pocito Español!” (I speak a little Spanish). It turned out that the rather adorable elderly gentleman was Italian, and he was a fluent speaker in Italian, Spanish, and English. The lady was Brazilian, and she was a fluent speaker in Portuguese, Spanish, and English. For the next 10 minutes we had ourselves a conversation in a mixture of Spanish, Italian, and English! It lifted my heart and soul to think  of how the three of us had come to be in this conversation. Three people of entirely different ages and backgrounds traveling together down the road getting from A to B.

Sure every bus trip isn’t filled with such magic, but how wonderful that there is the chance that it could occur. I’m sure I’ll get my license eventually. But in the meantime, I’ll enjoy the me time, and occasional surprising magic, of catching the bus.