The Bean at the Bot Gards

The weather here has been cold and sleety.  Saturday was an exception which was very lucky because it was the day of the Opening of the Botaniko exhibition at the Tasmanian Botanical Gardens.  Botaniko celebrated the Gardens significant anniversary with '200 Years - Through Botanical Illustration'.  I attended at the invitation of Jean Green Bean.

Basking in the sunshine,

I made my way to the refurbished Pod, situated between Pete's Patch and Tino & Milly's 'garden of recycle' seen in the most recent episode of Gardening Australia.

Were I sensible, I would have taken photos before the hoards got there, but where's the fun in that?  If  you want to see the artwork, you'll have to visit the Gardens.

Walking back through The Patch, I was struck by the glitter of the rainbow chard - though not very well captured in this photo.

But I did see this bandicoot scooting through the hellebores.

I was so inspired, I slaved away on Sunday tidying up our vegie patch, sometimes scurrying inside as the rain got too heavy.  Felt very satisfied.  And Jill PD had about a thousand throws of various toys.  I can report:  3 emerging asparagus spears; emerging comfrey; life in a redcurrant plant I thought dead; neatly trimmed edges around the raspberry and rhubarb raised beds; and a weeded native plants bed.  I had bought an elderberry plant, a daphne and a cumquat plant en route to the Gardens, not exactly impulse buys but not prepared for.  Doing the weeding and trimming freed up my mind to work out where they will be planted.
Stay tuned for more exciting garden adventures...

Cumquat May

Last weekend was windy, sleety cold.  Jean GB had given me some cumquats so it was an ideal opportunity to bottle them.  I'm very happy with the results.  They are delicious.
When I was a child, my mother had three set sayings that always amused me and my sister who became 'Helen Highwater' after one of them.  Another was 'come what may' which became Cumquat May because May is Mum's middle name.  I'll tell you the third one when I remember it.

Tales of Miracles and Wonder

The first miracle occurred while still in Triabunna:  my tweezers, which had been missing for over a year and replaced, suddenly turned up on the bedroom floor.

The second miracle was the re-appearance of my lacy cardigan on Mum's living room floor, having been lost since Easter.  I am fervently hoping the third miracle is the return of my Cruella de Ville jacket, much loved from my scooter days in Griffith, which mysteriously disappeared some time ago.
In other wondrous events, Pearl and I decided to meet at Plant 4 on a Friday night.  I gave myself an hour and a half to get there because I would be travelling into the city traffic at the start of the weekend and I wasn't quite sure how to get there.  I got there in less than 30 minutes, demonstrating how superbly situated is Klemzig.  So I had time for a good look around.  Plant 4 is in the old Clipsal factory building in Bowden.  Bowden is undergoing huge urban renewal which I find very exciting.

So here we have it.  Large apartment buildings which would have amazing views over the city and parklands.

Very trendy with underground parking for bicycles.

Hopefully the charm will remain, if not be enhanced,

as with their groovy book cupboard.  Which brings me to the last post...

Reading Adventures

I took two PUBS books with me so that I could read them and then exchange them at the Lochiel Park book cupboard but, in a stroke of genious, I thought to investigate the Walkerville Library and there discovered a world of gardening books which I devoured over the first 3 weeks.  I particularly liked the one above - much more useful and to the point than the big, beautiful coffee table books.
I finished Josephine Tey's 'Brat Farrer' but it didn't make it to the LP book cupboard because Mum wants to read it.

I also finished this book which was a slog totally in keeping with the story of China's entry into WW2 via then Burma.  It also has not made it to the LP book cupboard because I found it so thought provoking that I may need to go back to it.

This one came from LPBC.  I was thrilled because you may recall that I had discovered 'Perfume From Provence' at our PUBS and never expected to see its sequel.  'The Promise' and 'Trampled Lilies' display such different attitudes to war.  Perhaps there are national characteristics.  This book is also languishing in my Klemzig bedroom if anyone wants to read it.

I also read this one on loan from The Floosie.  Not my favourite Bony story.  For a while I thought I was re-reading Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea', reading which seemed to take up half my adolescence...  The other half actually being fishing with Mum and Dad at Outer Harbour.

And then I found 'Circe' in the LPBC.  I had only just read about it in The Adelaide Review so was somewhat amazed to find it in circulation so soon.  It also seemed a long read but I thoroughly enjoyed a female interpretation of the Greek gods and heroes.
I certainly owe the Lochiel Park book cupboard a few!

THE   END

Adelaide Odyssey continued

Adventures in Klemzig and environs
There's not much actually to report from Klemzig.  It is being reconfigured.

The primary school Helly and I went to has been demolished.  New houses are being squeezed in all over the place.  I went to the auction of a very ordinary 1960s brick cottage, no garden but an average size block for the '60s, $553,000!  Golly gosh.  The Trust Homes are demolished, presumably as they become vacant.  The land opposite our old house in Cullford Avenue is unrecognisable.

There is, however, a cafe opening on Fourth Avenue.

Will definitely be watching that space.
Over the river at Lochiel Park, it is starting to feel very established - it has after all been being developed for at least 10 years - but it seems newish to me.  I made a cuppla forays over for books from the book cupboard and also once for an exhibition by the Ripples Art Group which turned out to

be the mosaic-ed stormwater drains that I have been admiring for some years.  This 'outside the square' one a bit OTT for me.

I discovered that Lochend House is being jazzed up by the Campbelltown Council, including a tea-room.  It is reminiscent of the Rosny Barn and School House development for those in the BHS know.  The Campbelltown Historical Society is doing its darndest to fill out the rooms with its collection.

This item filled me with horrors from days gone by.
Lochiel Park bills itself as 'eco-living' and I was very gratified to see chooks in a front garden.

A local told me that he and other residents drop their green-waste in the coop for the chooks.

I'm very interested because the chook house is a similar idea to one I have in mind for our place.  Sadly I could never catch the owner home to chat with her / him about it.

In keeping with the green claim, there is a native bee house,

complete with trendy gabion.  Front view.

Back view.

Dog Tales
A few doggy things to report.

Rosie, who lives in the house next to Mum's, waiting patiently for her chaps to come home.

An idea for Triabunna down the track.

And one on display at, I think, Quest Apartments.

Further down the road, and difficult to see, a doberman on duty guarding his tradie Dad's van.

Jill very cosy on her present from Adelaide.

the swing of things

It's been a busy week but I'm catching up and getting back into the swing of things.  This morning I looked out the kitchen window to see 3 young things selfieing hairbrush karaoke from their rental van.

Not the best photo, but you do have to be reasonably discreet about these things!
Then I settled down to breakfast.

I have indulged because it is the 18th - never let a chance go by.  Thanks to the September edition of InStyle Magazine, I've learned that Chanel has 3 new perfumes out and that oat oil is becoming common in cosmetics.  I've also picked up a cuppla ideas for re-inventing some wardrobe items.  Perhaps that justifies the $8.95 price.

Back to Adelaide blogging soon.

Back by Popular Demand: What I did in the holidays.

Having just finished reading Circe, in which Odysseus features quite prominently, I shall start with Travel Tales.  Quite rightly, this story starts with the Spirit of Tasmania leaving Devonport and the view from my Recliner.

Once again I found my way to the Westgate Bridge the next morning and headed north west.  I stopped in Dimboola for a coffee and decided to drink it at Pink Lake, which not only was suitably pink but was being admired by one very suitably dressed.

I didn't actually do much driving once I got to Adelaide.  On a whim one morning I drove to the Botanical Gardens to check out the edible and medicinal plants' beds.  It was raining and I had the Gardens almost to myself except for in the Diggers shop where the staff were very helpful in my quest for caper seeds.

I also journeyed to Encounter Bay to spend an indulgent day with The Floosie.  Oh, I could go a bowl of that pumpkin soup right now!  We couldn't yoga because it was school holidays (I'm not sure that I see the logic either).  We didn't walk because of the howling tempest.  But we did enjoy ourselves!  The garden is looking settled and thriving - as is The Floosie herself.  And all that wonderful book talk.  Of course, taking a photo never crossed my mind.

My other longish journey was to Ukaria just outside of Mt Barker.  This was a dream come true for me because I had long been curious about the philanthropy of Ulrike Klein, co-founder of Jurlique.  I loved that a skincare company was established in the Adelaide Hills, and then was very intrigued when it was sold and Ulrike built an intimate world class concert hall on the land.

Nothing like a labyrinth to get me excited!

Getting warm...

And there it was.  What  you can see here is mostly the cafe, where you can get glasses of bubbly, cheese platters and other pre-concert essentials.  I was there to listen to a programme of predominantly Karl Jenkins' music.  Fabulous. About a 15 piece orchestra and 45 voices, with beautiful views to the outside while the concert is in progress.  Well worth the drive.

Eating Adventures

Mum and I made our seasonal Sunday pilgrimage to Longview Winery.  The Winter menu was superb, the spiced cauliflower and the polenta chips and the osso bucco divine.

Cheese and dessert were pretty good too.  The staff there are always good and we even have our own parking spot for next time.
Other eat-outs included vego meals at Central Market with Helen, Tamasin and Willowa; spicy seafood at the food court in China Town with Pru; and back to Plant 4 with Pearl for coconut milk and felafel, from all of which I have only this photo taken while Pearly Girl went in search of curry:

Mum and I developed quite a taste for Captain Hook fish and chips, and salads.  We only went to Mercato a cuppla times but had a few takes of sushi.  I'm overjoyed that Mum also discovered a liking for lamb yiros and salt'n'pepper squid from the Greek place, now called Plato's, on Walkerville Terrace.  Possibly overpriced but a delightful experience.

Makes you think.

(to be continued)

Last things first

I will get around to blogging my Adelaide Jaunt.  I got home on last Thursday and mostly slept.  Friday it was yoga, tai chi, lunch at the school with the 24 Carrot Program then School Association business.  It was also very windy

and I can well imagine that one day the waves will roll into our street.  Yet again ignore those strange sky markings that periodically appear in my photos.
Saturday it was off to Oatlands to visit Steve selling calendars at the Bullock and Heritage Festival.  Sunday off to serve eats and hot drinks to participants at The Winter Challenge at Orford.

It wasn't quite Le Tour - participants had to kayak, run, road bike and mountain bike - but it was well worth it for us.  Participants were genuinely surprised that all the cakes and biscuits were homemade, and very happy to carb load.

We raised over $1000 for the school, well above our $300 target.
Yesterday I went to the gym, started on the washing etc and finally got out in the garden.  I pruned the japonica back to the blossoms and this morning enjoyed the small birds feeding on them.  Today was zumba, more catch up gardening and washing, and back to my treasurer responsibilities for a cuppla organisations.
I also finished this book

which I picked up at the book cupboard at Lochiel Park, just across the Torrens from Mum's place.