It’s Sunday evening, it’s reasonably warm, although there’s a light breeze making conditions just perfect, and someone, somewhere in my neighbourhood is having a barbecue.

I went out for a walk late this afternoon, headed down Crown Street, drank a coke slurpee, and then, after purchasing a cheapie DVD copy of “Cabaret” (one of my all time favourite movies), wandered back up Bourke Street. It was a really great walk too, one of those walks where you notice things you maybe hadn’t noticed before, including the architecture of some of the buildings on the way. It’s weather like this that makes Sydney such a terrific place to live.

Mind you, I had a really interesting “country flashback” yesterday when I spent some time speaking with an old schoolmate who really hates the town in which we grew up. He hates the parochialism and the lack of diversity. I also spent some time talking to a young bloke who has spent most of his life living in regional NSW, specifically Cobar and Lithgow, and more recently has worked in far Western NSW. His view of life in the country vs life in Sydney is closer to mine: that I like what both have to offer. Anyway, whatever… Sydney looks pretty good today.

So what am I doing here on my computer on such a perfect night? Well, I need a rest from the last week of socialising with my visitor, Paul who I’ve determined is a bad influence on me (in a good way, though). As I’ve been living alone for the last few years, it’s been really different, but also very nice to have someone with me for an extended period. I guess in some ways it’s helped remind me, too, that I’m not such a bad person to live with and that, despite a three year period living alone, I could possibly share this space with someone again.

Anyway, I’m off to Melbourne for a day or two for work this week which will be good. I hope to have more interesting tales to tell next weekend.