Digging Tribes

Building has begun at The Barracks.  We watched the shed go up and convinced ourselves that it was the house.  Wrong.  It looks quite raw from the laneway but sits nicely in the landscape when viewed from our house.

The house is to go in the space between the Barracks and the shed - or so my spies tell me.

I have been doing a little construction work myself.  I wanted to reduce the pile of rocks in the southwest corner and use some of them around the fig, pomegranate and lemon tree to create a bit of a heat bank.  While moving the rocks, I became aware of the possibility of sandstone paving under them.  Using my best archeological skills, acquired watching the dig at the Barracks over the last 3 years, I have unearthed this much so far.

This is quite ironic given I had planned such an area for the northwest corner, currently under development.  We'll see.

You may recall that I started to read this excellent book

but put it on hold when it made a mention of this book

so I had to rush out and get it from the library.  It's a lovely read, especially if you are fascinated by Edna Walling (as I am).  It is also a good story of ageing, and the wisdom of accepting.  Of course I got all fired up and ordered a couple of Edna's books.

This mysterious one is from the library stack and their last copy.  I can't believe it is available for public borrowing.  It's a first edition 'Cottage and Garden in Australia'.

I also got this one.  Lovely references to Kahil Gibran's 'The Prophet' and 'The Wind in the Willows'.

And there's my little sandstone floor!

I've got a few reading projects on the go.  Thank goodness for the cold weather.  Ideal for reading and shifting stones.

The case against a Tea Shoppe over the road

Yesterday's Morning Tea at the Community Health Centre down the road.

Lordy, lordy.

Autumn 5 in Triabunna

We have been in Tribes for 5 years!

A week or so ago, we were invited to the Spring Bay Mill to see the progress on the accommodation pods.  This is a fringe benefit of being the Gatehouse Keeper - I get to go to the tourism operators 'famils'.  This little cabin is 'off the grid'.

We treated it reverentially.

I reported before I went to Adelaide that the house opposite us has sold.  The rumour is that it will become a Tea Shoppe.  The side fence was recently taken down to reveal a garden in the local vernacular - garden beds surrounded by sandstone rocks.

A tranquil and misty walk to open the Gatehouse earlier this week.

the full moon rivalled by the Black Moon

a protective little sunny pup

New work in our front garden.  I've given the eight prickly pines a haircut.  I don't want them at all but I can't just pull things out.  I'll have to wait until they die a natural death - or I come up with another plan.

Steve's glass sculptures (and dog) have made it out into the front garden.  The plan is coming together.

but what did you read in Adelaide?

I hear you ask, quietly.  Well the answer is:  not much really.  I read Jane Harper's The Lost Man on the ferry over and finished it at Mum's.  It is an excellent book.  Mum has now also read it and thinks it's great too.

This library book turned out to be much better than I had expected.  I got it thinking that Mum may like to look at it.  Unfortunately it is too big and heavy for Mum to hold.  The text was well written and very informative.

This one will be good if I ever get around to keeping chickens.

This is a very useful and inspiring book.  Unfortunately it does not seem to be available from the Tassie Library Services.

This one has changed my thinking about the back garden.  The writer believes every Australian garden should include a billabong to handle waste water and run off.  I'm thinking deeply about this.  I have the grey water but haven't had to deal with rain for a while.

Sandrine gave me this one as a late birthday present when I stayed with her at the Nurses' Accommodation in Warracknabeal en route to Port Melbourne.  I'm only on the early pages but it's a fascinating topic to know about.  She also gave me The Dry which was Jane Harper's first novel.  Of course I devoured that and sent it to Mum for Mothers' Day.

And this was my birthday card from Sandrine.  Truly my friends know me too well.

journeys extra

I have to say there wasn't as much nipping around this Adelaide trip.  No lunch at Mercato or Longview, no haircut or pedicure, no yoga, no Port Eliot, no Pru at Semaphore.  There was a hunt for a recliner lift chair but so far it has come to naught.  An engineer really needs to tackle this...

Pearl, Lady Jayne and I did checkout Port Adelaide and were rather taken with this clipper and a nice little cafe.

Watkins, the Yellow Terror, prepares to go to Fox Creek for shuttles.  Who knew!  Apparently she wears shoes for this.

I checked out this Dog Exercise Area in Coonalpyn.  A humble affair, and I wonder if it is much used though it is well sign posted for visitors.  Good view of one of the Silo Artworks.  Perhaps it could have featured some dogs.

 f

I've taken to stopping at Stawell on my drive home.  I always get a salad wrap at Subway but I am rather charmed by George & Kids fish and chip shop.  Perhaps next time I'll leave Warracknabeal a bit later so I'm hungry enough for fish and chips.  So far I've got to the ferry in Melbourne with hours to spare.

In line to board said ferry.

Some have already claimed the good seats.

Farewell to Melbourne for now

and on my bike to new adventures.

Out and about in Mannum

The evening after our cruise, Pearl and I combed the street of Mannum looking for likely eateries.  Unfortunately, we didn't find any.

But we did see the beautiful almost full moon over the Murray.

And we are pretty good at provedoring ourselves.  Our only meal out was at Swan Reach after a drive to Walker Flat, two of my favourite places on the river.

Mannum Social Institute shot for Mrs History

sewing machine info for Tamasinsky

One morning we walked to the ferry and crossed the river to explore the other side, spotting some sculpture cyclists for Watkins.

Another day we took an historical walk following a very mysterious map with numbers and legend we're still not sure about.  It included the site where the water pipe we had seen previously from the Mayflower, emerges above ground

and snakes its way to Adelaide.

The weather had been very warm for autumn and I spent a wonderful late afternoon lounging across cane garden chairs with the Murray in the distance.  The wind was warm but gradually had ribbons of cool.  I haven't had that 'cool change' experience since the Gully Winds in Klemzig in the 1960s.  Magic.

The next door cat and his mates have that beautiful view all the time.

tirra lirra

It's 5 years since we left River Bank.  I have no regrets.  But the Murray has a siren call and, for many reasons, I was excited to be Eastering at Mannum this year.

a long time since I'd seen the Lower Murray flag

or the ferries

We had the opportunity to take a river trip and jumped on board.

pilgrims on the The Mayflower

Mannum from the Mayflower

big wheels turning

the Mighty Murray lay before us

the Mannum-Adelaide pipeline starts here

they apprentice them young on paddle boats,

bunyips are always a risk