Just back and on the road again.

The "Three Sisters", Katoomba

Went to Sydney on Friday, back Sunday. Had cystoscopy on Friday and given the green light for my surgeon to proceed to my total knee replacement .

We drove up to Lithgow on Saturday (for and ‘outing’). The Great Western Highway over the Blue Mountains is a mess – massive reconstruction, major job, converting that horror road into a four lane divided highway – lot already done and the harder parts now being undertaken with many 'small town' bypasses and railway overpasses being installed.

Indigenous 'busker', Katoomba

First time back to Lithgow in many decades. Went to the Small Arms Factory Museum. Very interesting display. They were left 150 pistols from a private Queensland collector to add to their exhibition and have them all on display as well as their many ventures into military weapons, sporting rifles, target rifles, sunbeam blenders, sewing machines, machine parts, etc.

Small Arms Factory Museum, Lithgow.

Memorial to Marjorie Jackson, Olympic Gold Medalist

sprinter - a.k.a. "The Lithgow Flash"

Amazing to discover that the factory STILL operates – not the old one, long closed because it fails to meet modern standards and full of asbestos roofing -  but a new one built behind the original where they still refurbish the military’s current weapons and are ‘dabbling’ in rockets but would not say much about that. Coal mines still working and Kandos cement factory still running so they have several ‘niche industries’ to keep the town viable.

Arrived back at our hotel and sat on our balcony in the late afternoon and watched the first three quarters of the last two races at Rosehill being run. Rhonda was fascinated as she has never seen/been to the races and was full of questions.

We bought a Garmin Satellite Navigation device for the car – by golly jingo it makes navigating places like Sydney dead easy!

Off to "The Camp" shortly (today) for four days then home for the weekend and then we fly to Adelaide next Tuesday! Already have heaps of photos to put up - including some of artist Norman Lindsay's residence in the mountains which was an artists retreat for he and his Bohemian friends in the early 1900's and is now an National Trust building - look HERE for more information on Norman Lindsay and the gallery and be prepared to be shocked by his approach to very bold art!

Statue on exhibition at the Norman Lindsay Gallery

The Norman Lindsay Gallery

See you all soon!