Melbourne and visit to Erasmus

The best thing about the blog is that while she writes, he gets to read Churchill's Marlborough, his life and times, in 4 volumes!  We bought it in a second hand book shop in Fremantle and he is on Book 2.  She is reading In Tasmania which gives a great overview of the history of Tasmania which is not pretty.  It also gives a bit of an understanding of why you feel as you do feel when you are there.  However, although we are now back in Sydney, there is more of Melbourne to tell you about.  Philosophers especially will be interested that we went to the Erasmus School where we attended an assembly.  Quite fun to hear those familiar prayers with an Australian accent!  We were asked to address the children and Richard spoke about how Australians were the BEST at so many things, especially sport and that was because they loved and practiced it!  Elizabeth said that there was a prize for the whole school which was to be opened by Mr Jonathan Tickner for them all, and the prize was because they were the best school at being still.  Actually the other thing they must be the best at is at making scones! and we were given ample opportunity to try them.  The site which Erasmus occupies is huge, it belonged to an order of teaching nuns so it has a splendid old convent and then acres of school.  It houses both the Erasmus School and the Philosophy School in the evenings plus a few business lets on the top floor.  Before we had lunch with them, Marita, who was our guide, suggested we go to visit Deirdre Hassed, she is a calligrapher whose work is just so beautiful that you long to scoop it all up and take it with you.  We returned to Erasmus, had lunch with the VERY WELL BEHAVED children and then went into the Philosophy School part where we were to meet the Justthisday Melbourne team.