Sydney, Cape Breton Island

Georgeous day!  When I woke, the temperature was 45 and I kind of cringed! By the time I boarded the tender for the 20 minute ride to the dock, it was 60 and perfect. Bright blue skies. Chill, not cold, breezes. Wispy clouds. Calm seas. Excellent day for a boat ride...so I went atop the tender and relished my estuary views and arrival in Sydney.

 

 So, what's with the HUGE fiddle you're wondering. Here's the story: called the Big Ceilidh Fiddle, it is 42' 4" high with a 52' 3" bow. It is accurate to scale. The strings and bow are made from stainless steel aircraft cable. Its purpose: celebrate the Celtic musical heritage of the area.

I walked the Esplanade from The Fiddle searching for a yarn shop I'd found on Google. On the way I was sidetracked for quite a while by an antique car show with more than 150 entries. Including one that brought back memories of summer vacations on the New York Thruway: 

 Yea, I know the color scheme is wrong, but the third seat still faced backwards!! Down the block from the car was proof that the Southern USA food traditions have spread all over the world!

Both yarn shops I visited were a bust. One had nothing except thin sock-type yarn and the other was a deli! The yarn business having failed several years ago!

I returned to the ship after an 11 block stroll in the sunshine. I found a lovely plant growing on a stone wall.

 

And a lone blue hydrangea, which caused me to think about soil acidity spots 

 Just before I left the Harbor Walk, I spied a lovely batch of yellow flowers flourishing among the breakwall at the seas's edge - indication that plants are adaptable and determined!

Again, sitting up top on the tender, I got a great view of Her Highness sitting in the harbor waiting for her tenders (each of which carries 120 passengers and 5 crew.)

 

Once back aboard, I lunched with a charming couple from Newcastle-on-Tyne who were stunned I knew where that was!  

Gabrielle called and cancelled Coriander tonight as she got chilled on her tour, so off I went to Britannia, where Kevin and I were the only ones at table. We chatted about his vacations in Aruba, St. Thomas and Santo Domingo. 

I went to hear RADA do a ghost story and shared a table with Jane and David Miller from Devon who now live in Brittany. We chatted for more than a hour. Turns out David's uncle was Hugh Callingham Miller who won Tony awards for writing with Sondheim and others and lived in Monterey, Massachusetts!