Tell you why I do like Mondays

because I don't have to go to work. Cool breezes came through last night and though the temperature is still forecast to be 37C today, this morning felt invigorating. So I accompanied Steve and the girls to Snake Island. It's called that because it looks like a snake when viewed from the air. I'm pretty sure there's plenty of snakes but I've never seen one. One of the special things about this island is that you're walking with the Darling River on one side and the Murray on the other (and you could get beamed up any minute)
This is the place where Capt. Sturt and his crew encountered local Aboriginal People in the 1830s. It possibly wasn't an island then - the weirs built across the Murry since the 1920s have raised the water level.
After our walk, I showed Steve "Sturt's Tree' in the local caravan park. Snake Island is in the background.

As Steve said, we seem to have a penchant in Wentworth for festooning places of significance with rubbish bins.
And here's the sign on the other side of the tree. Larrikins all.
And here's another sign I love from the newsagency today:
Hope I don't win.

Just remembered

Last Friday on a work errand, I saw a vintage car with a fruit crate on the running board!! While I stood, enchanted, the driver stuck out his arm to turn right. How long is it since you saw a 'turn right' hand signal from a car? Would anyone recognise the 'turn left' signal these days? And in my pondering I had a vague recollection of seeing a glimpse of my grandfather's car in some photos my Mum gave me recently. Eh voila. Here it is. And here I am.

Good News

This may not be so wildly exciting to some but we have been waiting for the rains up north to come down the Darling River. The water has been held at the Menindee Lakes but some is now being allowed to flow down to the Murray and on to South Australia. Sadly the whole river system is controlled these days, but a flow down the Darling past our place is something to look forward to.
And this is the news banner in situ looking south down Darling Street. You can see the sandwich-board for the Darling Riverbank Gallery on the footpath to your left. This is where Steve and I live. 12 million would be nice too...

First Salad Nicoise of the season

Yum yum yum. It is still Australia Day here - don't know if it's Tuesday 26 January yet according to blogtime - I used the first tomatoes from our Gallery Garden plus new season basil and some which I managed to keep alive from last summer. The rest of the tomatoes came from Anna and Joseph's stall on River Road. Tomorrow I will get the most perfect peaches from them to take to Balranald. I used zucchinis to bulk out the salad - I prefer beans but they're not in season here. The zuchs and eggs are delivered to our doorstep. It may be hot (38 degrees) but the living is easy.

Young and free

well, close enough. Happy Australia Day 2010. The launch of a rocket during Australia Day celebrations at the junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers and the world wide launch of my blog.
If you look carefully you may see a small yellow rocket. Some of the kids in the crowd were expecting something a bit larger... (and not just the kids)
If you look very carefully (and follow their eyes) you may see the rocket in flight.