Train ride to Adelaide

This morning we braved the hot weather (forecast 36 C)and left early in case of hold-ups with all the roadworks going on, to catch the 9.45am from Noarlunga center to Adelaide. I love train travel and the scenery along the coast at Hallett Cove is spectacular.We traveled past the State's white elephant, the Desal Plant, and all the graffiti on the fences along the way. Some of this is quite artistic and at Oaklands park it is positively stunning. I think it is Oaklands Park but it may be another station. On reflection it was possibly Hove.It is also amazing how some of the plant life survives along the track, on banks so bare and desolate looking. The ubiquitous artichoke thistle flowering away with the stunning purple flower which later will turn a beautiful golden colour. Fabulous in dried arrangements my late sister in law used to create when we lived on Hughes Park and our horse paddock was covered in them. The horses would pull back their lips and delicately bite the golden tufts to get at the very palletable seeds. Hundreds of Galahs would land on the plants as well and create such a din with their screetching on a Sunday morning when we had a chance to sleep in, we would go out and shoot at them to move them on. By then ofcourse we would be wide awake and stay up and make our pot of tea and drink copious amounts at a leasurely pace.
Back to our train journey. The train goes past the new hospital they are building at the railway yards and it looks like a massive place. We got to Adelaide in good time and were shown how to use our new Seniors card to get through the gate.Walking through the underpass to Hindley street to the Grainger studio where we were going to hear various ensembles from the ASO perform, we wondered how it was dug out as it would have had to be done with pick and shovel back in the early 1900 dreds.How physically hard people worked in those days.
We got to the Grainger studio in good time and as it is an old picture theater the space is huge and we were able to sit anywhere so chose to sit very near the front. The first item, after the introductions etc, was by the ASO Brass Ensemble and Brian found out he was not as deaf as he thought! Next was a harp and violin duet, a Suite composed by a young Russian harpist by the name of Izmaylov. Beautifully and sensitively played. Looking at the harp, what a large instrument it is and it must be a nightmare at times to transport. After that we had the reed ensemble playing three English songs the first one recognizable as "Early one Morning" which we learned at school and I still on occasions sing.Last we had the choir "Stress Free Zone" which sang a capella after which they were joined by the brass ensemble and sang traditional lovely old Christmas songs in which we, the audience  joined in with great enthusiasm. I wasn't allowed to take photos unfortunately. After a coffee and mince pie we went back to the railway station and caught the train home.It was blazing hot by then so we didn't divert but came straight home to the airconditioner!