After all that physical getting about, an easy day. First up, collect a hire car again. Next, do a bit of shopping – only three pairs of earrings! A small dot painting. A tea towel - oh no! oh yes!! - I was a sucker for the Sturt Desert Pea pattern. Some early Christmas presents. And ... yes, the obligatory t-shirt for my granddaughter.
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| Lapis lazuli, Onyx, Silver & Sturt Desert Peas |
My contribution to local trade having
been made, I headed off to do a bit of networking. First to the
hospital library, then, with Chris, on to the Arid Zone Research Institute to meet (another!) Margaret. With her boss and the
librarian from the mining section we went to lunch 'next door' at
the Black Cockatoo Café in the Desert Knowledge Precinct. We had a
lovely lunch with lots of shop talk: our common problems, what's
different about what we do (largely to do with our different
clientèle), what's the same. I always try to visit libraries when I travel because I
enjoy seeing how other places are set up and how they work. This
visit, to three libraries no less, was no exception. Thank you Chris,
Margaret, Bid and Alison.
Those very pleasant few hours had to
end .... some people had work to do! I went to RFDS again, and again
left without seeing their museum and display. Barely completed
renovations made it a place to visit quite a bit later. I succeeded
in making a small purchase, needing patience many wouldn't believe I
possess, while staff battled the brand new cash registers. I'm hoping
it will be third time lucky when I'm briefly in Alice Springs again
later in the year.
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| Coffee for me, seeds & scraps for Port Lincoln parrots |
Time for coffee just before closing
time at the last open café in Todd Mall. I was spotted by one of the
3-day tour tourists which was fortuitous for us both. I had company
for my visit to ANZAC Hill and Angela (from Germany) got to a local
site she would otherwise only have seen from a distance.
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| Alice from ANZAC HILL, left of the Gap |
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| Alice from ANZAC Hill, right of the Gap |
By now it
was almost sunset: we looked down on Alice while watching the
beautiful changing colours of the sky and the hills surrounding the
town. I dropped Angela back at her accommodation then made a quick
return to the Hill to see Alice by night, lights twinkling. It was at
this point that I met the charming French backpackers plugged into
the local electricity supply.
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| ANZAC Hill |
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| Alice at sunset |
Did I forget something? My mind was
such a total blank I couldn't even be annoyed with myself. This was
the night for which I'd bought a ticket to the night tour at the
Desert Park. What a duffer!!