Skinning cats

At the end of our class today, Guy dropped a bombshell. He will not be taking our course next term. You could have heard a pin drop. Instead, he was going to gallivant off to Royal North Shore and have either 3 stents implanted or a coronary bypass performed. The jury is still out, I gather.

I think he is in his mid-60s, yes slim and active. He found he was running out of puff hoofing it up Bathurst Street from the WEA to catch the train back over the bridge after classes. So he got himself checked out. Good for him!

He will continue to take classes at Mosman Community Centre, however. Up until now, he has taken a significant class load at both adult education centres. His wife, Kathleen, also takes classes at Mosman, and, hence, continuing that is easier for him. He did say he had hopes of returning to the WEA in Term 4 and that another instructor had been organised to replace him for Term 3.

Our equivalent class over at Mosman is on a Saturday from 11:15 until 1:15. There ia another class that Guy takes at Mosman, which would be revision for me, from 9am until 11am. I have already enrolled for the WEA class for Term 3. I will email Guy and check out the revision class, and might go with that as a continuing pump-up.

I do hope he flies through this. He is a lovely man, and a wonderful ambassador for his native language.

Building a structure ...

Gradually, I am replacing the structure provided by paid employment with a structure of going places and doing things, with friends and with strangers. The Historic Houses Trust and the WEA provide wonderful courses and walking tours and the same faces are showing up in the ones I have chosen. This year I have eschewed the opera in favour of drama and film. Yesterday I attended the first STC production for 2010. I would maybe score it 6/10. A musical on the theme of teenage sexual repression, done by kids just entering the profession. I met two new people there and they are going to the same performances as me. Then I met up with my travel companion over at the AG-NSW to listen to Peter Fitzsimons rabbit on about living in France and then to wander through the Rupert Bunny exhibition. Fitz was most entertaining - without notes. Half the exhibition was great, but then Bunny went off the rails into mythology and I did not like that style at all. Bit of a sad end really.

So, I am into my second week of French, second week of "Lost Railways" and one more lecture to go about the history of specific blocks of the city. Also one more walk along Macquarie Street. Now to go back to the Mitchell Library and learn how to research. Was told today to sus out the Maritime Museum, too.