Sitar

It is still cold and rainy -- the coldest October they had here for a long time. I have left Sydney and come again to Murrumbateman near Canberra. It felt really good to get out here where there is space and air. The picture was taken on the way through my windshield during rain, I'm sharing it just to convey the feeling of the weather.

On the way I followed an invitation from Pete, the musician, and visited him and his wife Ange at their house. Pete has an excellent collection of string instruments -- guitars, banjos, a mandola, and the beautiful sitar you see in this picture.

Pete showed me the basics of how to play it and after a bit of trying I really got some encouraging sounds out of the Indian instrument. It was fun to play! All those sympathetic strings that reverb and chorus in the background, and the special frets that allow bending the string really far make for that typical sitary sound. Playing a sitar was a dream that I've had for a long time (more than 10 years) finally come true. I bet my Indian friends will be impressed by this picture! :)

I also had another invitation from people in Canberra for a BBQ party, so I went there as well. As you can see, I try to socialize and network as much as I can. The weather here inland at 2000 feet (600 m) altitude is even colder (2-14 degrees), but slightly less rain and every now and then we get at least a bit of sunshine. And the days are now noticeably longer again, which is good.