11 November 2007

Jacarandas


About this time every year, the jacarandas bloom, and as you can see, they are quite stunning. And they are everywhere, even in the city. They only bloom for about two weeks, and the rest of the year they have regular green leaves, but at this time of year, there is purple everywhere you look. These pictures were taken by our German friend Klaus at the Quad on the University of Sydney campus. Enjoy.

07 November 2007

Lucky Sevens: Melbourne Cup

Tuesday was the Melbourne Cup, also known as 'the race that stops a nation'. And yes, it does stop the nation. Tuesday afternoons at school are for staff and faculty meetings, but on the Tuesday of the Cup, our meeting consists of watching the race. Incidentally, my first day at the school two years ago was Melbourne Cup day. That was an interesting introduction to Australian schools. The Melbourne Cup is considered the premiere two mile race in the world. That's right: not just in the Southern Hemisphere. This year's winner, pictured here, was Efficient.

However, there was a situation this year that nearly canceled, or at least postponed, the Melbourne Cup. Your Lucky Sevens question for November is: What happened that almost stopped the race that stops a nation?