Bienvenue au Montreal!

Hi from Montreal. Paul was there for a conference on the weekend. It was in the "centre-ville" Downtown, not in the old "Vieux" part down by the water. The weather was beautiful - fine and 25 degC and beautiful fall colors already (we won't have them for another 6 weeks in NYC, and don't get such spectacular colors here either) with an eclectic mix of old and new architecture. Ironically it was the Montreal marathon Sunday, but no time for that or even much sightseeing because the conference in the Marriott was very intense. Au revoir!!

Apple picking: $28 for a 5kg bag

And on Sunday we rented this Audi Quattro from Zipcar an drove up to the Apple Ridge Orchard at Warwick, NY in Orange County in the southern Catskills region about 100 km NW of the city to go apple picking.

Xavi had fun with the animal petting and hayrides and other kids to play with, but we are not that fond of apples so i don't think we'll be back next year. Summer officially ended yesterday, and up there in the mountains the "fall colors" are starting to appear.

Making headlines for the wrong reasons...

Xavi requested to go to the Botanical Garden on Saturday, primarily so he could catch the Metro North train from Grand Central, but there is always plenty for him to do there. It was a nice autumn day (no fall colors in the city yet) and in the lead-up to Halloween the Haunted Pumpkins exhibit in the Children's Garden was a highlight

Union Square produce

Summer ends this week (vernal equinox next weekend) so naturally it's now still dark at 6 am and sunset by 6 as well. And it's already a bit cooler, in the 50's (10-15C) of a morning and struggling get up to 70 (20C) by the afternoon. So now is the time for all the fall harvest bounty to come rolling in to Union Square farmers' market. We were there yesterday, enjoying all the colorful items. The tomatoes are very tasty.

9/11- 13th anniversary

This spotlight seen from our terrace and shining up into the heavens is a solemn reminder of this sad date. Note also the Empire State Building lower right is blue.

on a more pleasant note, there was a spectacular sunset last night. Weather was humid and hot today, but over all it was a mild summer this year, with the average August temperature in NYC being only 22C, half a degree lower than average.

Also while in Australia

While in Surfers, Paul made two side trips to Sydney to catch up with his parents and Kate & Steve on the weekend prior to the conference, then on Thursday afternoon he flew back down so they could go see the Rabbitohs at the SFS (and have a couple of beers) - his first NRL game since 2008. He says it was a cold, wet night and although the Bunnies went down 22-18, they scored 16 unanswered points in the final 20 minutes so go into the playoffs with great momentum

G'day from Surfers!

Paul was in Surfers' last week, flown out there business class by ANZSPM to speak at their annual conference. As they say "beautiful one day, perfect the next", but chilly with a cool breeze most days. The conference was at the Marriott Resort & Spa, which was very comfortable and with a great pool area. We haven't been to Surfers since the 1998 Gold Coast Marathon debacle (missed qualifying for Boston by 14 seconds) and it's changed a lot including now having a tram (or 'streetcar' as Xavi would call it). Apparently in readiness for the Commonwealth Games next year. The skyscrapers are imposing - if the cars weren't on the "wrong" side of the road, you could believe you were in Miami. FYI, the iconic final pic below is from the 1960's and part of a Surfers street art display.