Yodel lo adee and other signs of Spring

First signs of the Country Music Festival today - a market out the front of our place and a 6 hour concert...  All good fun.  Above is a ranunculus (I think) and cornflower, part of a bunch from my workmate Kathy who has a Monetish garden outside Mildura.  Other local produce include

 Pomona fruit bread from the Red Dog Bakery and asparagus delivered to our door,

ans peas bought at Curves.  A little bit of seasonal yee-ha-ing is not so bad.

On another note

 the shadow of the Lorraine Lee in the outside loo

and on the outside of the outside loo.

Weed

I have being doing my Dual Diagnosis course and eating fruit and nut chocs (highly recommended on a sugar-free, carb-free diet - we all have our addictions) most of the day, but thought I'd indulge in a short post.  Here's a 'plant out of place' that I glimpse on my way to work.  I've never noticed it before this year.  It's at the Merbein Pump Station.

Here's my own attempt to grow 'native wysteria'.

As Bron knows, this is the plan...

Go Wenty!!!!

Wentworth Roos won the footy final last weekend.  There really is no stopping us.  So, in the spirit of progress, I am reporting on another significant win for Wentworth - Jade Tempy's Cafe and Gallery.  Jade's cafe has been operating for some time but Jade thinks big so decided to move to bigger premises over the road.

 

I spent a very pleasant July afternoon watching Jade's family and friends slave away while I sipped FairTrade coffee with Colin Firth...  Don't get excited, there's no photos of Colin Firth.

And now it's open for business.

So now when we come out of our gate, we can look left,

 look right (north),

 look east,

 

 and look west.

 Sometimes west's not best.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MS SMITH!!!!

 and some spring flowers for you.

Have a lovely day.  All of yous. XXXX

And then there was last weekend

The keen eyed observer may just make out the paddle steamer just visible from my verandah room - perhaps you can see the lifebuoy?  Lots of old boats in Wentworth on Friday night, gathering to arrive flotilla style in Mildura the next day for the 100th birthday of the PS Melbourne.  It's lovely to hear their whistles as they leave.  The Abbottsford Bridge over the Murray was to be closed from 11am to 12.15pm so the boats could pass beneath.  I was to meet Heths at Banrock at 12.30pm South Australian time and vote in our local elections so timing was critical.

Made the deadlines.  Had to investigate this well dressed tree 100kms out of Mildura.

 Noticed these dumped paint tins - not respectable but quite arty...

 Arrived at Banrock in plenty of time.

 Here she comes now, here here she comes now...

 We ordered a snack

 and then went for a walk.

 Heths was most taken with this birds nest in a bird-hide - swifts, I think.

Fruit trees on the drive home.

A fabulous day.

We must do it again.

Culture Vulture

And so we arrived tired but happy to our eastside Hilton room in Adelaide, then off to Bangarra at Her Majesty's.  Terrain is inspired by the flooding of Lake Eyre and was just as wonderful as I'd hoped.  Bangarra Dance Company fills me with great hope for Australia.

The next day was Fathers Day and Steve kindly woke me up early to view the sunrise.

 After a few more hours sleep and a bracing walk around the rooftop tennis court

taking in the wildly exciting views for us hicks, we breakfasted extravagantly in the company of many other Dads, then set off to see North Terrace at ground level.

 It was also Mum's birthday, so a sunkissed clivea was just right.

 This is the building where Steve had his interview for his desert oilfield job many years ago.

This, now part of the Festival Theatre complex, is where the swimming baths used to be and Bronny caught the bus home.

 Round the military bit and back up McKintore (?) Avenue.

We both like a bit of brickwork.

 A surprise visit to Mum to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

An earlyish glass of wine, a quick read of the horoscopes, then back to Wentworth.

Tired but very happy.