16 February 2013 - Sydney Tourist Park, Miranda, NSW

It is very satisfying to have made the most of the day, even if, as so oft happens, the day was not quite to plan.

It had been raining every time I woke through the night and was not much better over breakfast. We checked the forecast online; it promised a little better than a visual check outside so we decided to set off anyway. With a lunch packed, we caught the train to Circular Quay, changing at Town Hall and emerged into a torrential downpour. We and a thousand other tourists, most off the rather impressive cruise ship docked at the International Wharf, crowded under the limited shelter afforded by the railway structure at the quay.

It had been our plan to catch the ferry to Watson Bay and walk to the end of South Head. We had attempted this once before but found ourselves blocked by Defense Department security fencing. Retreating to the wharf, we had seen, all too late, that there was a shoreline path skirting around the forbidden precinct  but the day was fading and the last ferry due. Now we had time and opportunity to make good our omission  But this morning with the rain pelting down and the harbour looking a little wild, we decided to put it on the back burner yet again.

So instead we headed for the Museum of Contempory Art, last visited in mid-March 2011. Since then the gallery has undergone extensive renovations and we were interested to see the improvements and to revisit the works held.

Currently there is an exhibition of works by Anish Kapoor, probably the only reason one should bother with the gallery, in our opinion. We had not found the gallery particularly exciting when we visited last and alas, were not impressed this time either. However, as I have said so often, we are ignorant of art and only know what we like.

There is also a free exhibition titled “Taboo” on at the moment and we did spend some time wandering about this. The name reveals the nature of the exhibition; a collection of films, books, paintings, cartoons and other bits and pieces exposing matters that are today labelled politically incorrect, racist or pornographic. The exhibition certainly titillates debate and interest, however for myself, not at all a prude, I would be no worse off for not having attended.

We lunched under a wonderfully big fig tree on the quay as we watched the many cruise ship tourists wandered to and fro, then we ourselves wandered up into The Rocks, today the venue of a wonderful market. As so often happens when we find ourselves at a quality market, we regret we have not space to accumulate such lovely treasures. We lingered for some time, so long that it was soon time to start the journey home; we caught the train at Circular Quay and changed at Redfern and Sutherland, making the last leg of the journey on foot without the use of umbrellas.

Perhaps tomorrow there will be less rain and we can be a little more adventurous?