Hello Mum

 I'm hoping that Mum will have access to this blog during her respite stay.  We spoke today (Sunday) and Mum said she had noticed a vast blue expanse of the sea from a passageway window this morning.  Coincidentally, I had felt the draw of the sea early.  Instead of waiting for the swimming group at 9am, Jill PD and I were out before 7am, frolicking at Raspins Beach.

We had a quick look at the surf at Spring Beach and then went to Luther Point, between Raspins and Spring.  It is one of my favourite cliff top walks, and I have posted photos of it before.

This time, we took a little track off the main path and discovered a whole new world.  Lone Pine, for instance.

It was very tempting to get down right to the water's edge, but thoughts of all those fishers recently swept out to see held me back.

There are lovely sculptural forms

including this lion's head.

You can see back to the tilted rock that has fascinated me ever since we moved here.

From this angle, it is all reminiscent of Caerfai, a hallowed St Davids beach.

a short report

Saturday I worked at a leisurely pace in the garden.  I have it in my head that autumn is the time for native plants so I'm working in preparation.  This mostly involves trimming grasses, moving stones and mulching, so not wildly exciting.  Of course there's a lot of ball throwing too.

Sunday dawned as the most perfect day.  I took my togs to Spring Beach and joined the crowd, probably about 20 of us, apparently the largest gathering to date.  I had a meeting at 10am, then spent a productive afternoon in the garden unmolested by a certain dog who was at The Village with her Dad.

Beautiful soft rain overnight has continued through the day.  Hedge trimming plans are put on hold, and the opportunity to get into these library books is very welcomed.  I'm still reading the wonderful Well Gardened Mind but have started on this Rivers book.  Three non-fiction reads on the go!  The rivers book is also totally enjoyable, a well written account of some of Australia's rivers, entwining history and photos old and new.

In all honesty, I haven't started on this one yet.  Just the cover makes me feel exhausted.

A Sensible Life

This book jumped out at me when I did my volunteer stint at PUBS the other day.  I love the defiant insouciance of the girl on the cover.  When I got it home I realised that I had read another book by the same author, Harnessing Peacocks while in Adelaide last month.  The two books offer a different view of women, and I love them.  Mary Wesley has also written a book called The Chamomile Lawn which I must get my hands on.

This one was eagerly awaited - I was number 360, or similar, on the waiting list when I put a hold on a library copy.  The Dry and The Lost Man were excellent reads and this one is set in Tasmania.  Mrs O Henry bought a copy at PUBS - you can see it was top of the range at $6.  I found it disappointing, perhaps because I spent more time trying to work out where on the East Coast it was set, rather than solving the mystery.

This book is divine - just my cup of tea:  gardening, natural world, mental health, brain plasticity, Hildegard von Bingen - all my favourite things!  Sue Stuart Smith is a psychotherapist and psychoanalyst.  I must admit I have given aspects of pychoanalysis short shrift for many years, mainly due to Freud's view of hysterical women and oversight of dickhead men.  Psychoanalysis has moved on since Freud, and I'm hoping to be educated.  Regardless of the psychology, the book is a beautiful read.

A life of reading only would not be sensible, so I do venture outside.  The sunflowers in the garden are starting to get bigger and bolder.

Those blobs in the pine trees are not from my camera this time.  They are black cockatoos  having a feast.  The birds are common at the moment, and raucously fly over our garden seeking pine trees with cones.  The photo above comes from The Pines, one of the reserves that Friends of Triabunna Reserves likes to keep an eye on.

Today there was a Natural Resource Management Committee in Swansea.  Rob (Mel's Dad) and I drove up there for the meeting but afterwards found this cafe for lunch.

The food was nothing to rave about - these are curried scallop pies (not as good as the Triabunna Fish Van's) - but I like the raw honesty of the salad, non matching plates, pomegranate sauce, garden space and friendly, but not hovering, owner.  The view across to Freycinet is amazing.

And the view of Swansea town is not one you see often.  Lovely place.

Chocolat

You may recall that I went shopping with Fiona.  Last Thursday I went to her place to do a bit of cooking. 

I have mentioned previously that Fiona likes to cook.  She has a very well decked-out kitchen and likes to wear pink.  On this occasion, we were making marzipan using her whiz bang machines and equipment.  We were to make chocolates but the super duper candy thermometer wouldn't work.  The battery needed replacing, possibly because she had made over a thousand chocolates at Christmas time...  She likes to cook.

So I returned the following day for the chocolate melting and tempering process.  This is very fascinating and exacting.  Science at work - something that could be pointed out in cooking classes at schools.  The acute observer may have noticed that Fiona is sporting a different pink dress this day.  She has a number of them which she whips up herself.  Sport and Fiona don't exactly go together, though she has a boat called The Pink Suffragette.

You won't be surprised by the finished article.

  (Note fish looking for a bicycle, but definitely not Johnny Depp even though a river runs beside the house.)

Sunflowers. Moon says

I want this year to be different.  Perfectly happy with my life the last few years but I want to do new things.  Last Thursday I went chocolate-making shopping with Fiona.  Fiona loves to cook.  She makes mountains of sushi for the annual Muirlands 'Saturday before Christmas Sushi' extravanza'.  I do not share her passion but I did enjoy going to places I didn't even know existed.  There is a shop called Exquisite Flavours.  Who knew?  Anyway, after an eye-opening shop forage, we ended up at Richmond for lunch.  Not Richmond as you may know it, ie Ye Olde Worlde, but Richmond milk bar where they do kebabs and a fine pot of tea.

Richmond from the milk bar

Saturday 30th had been on my mind for some months.  It was the Sunflower Celebration at the Mill but also the opening day of the new cafe in town.  Where did my loyalties lie?  I volunteered for the Mill event but heard nothing, and absolutely nothing happening at the cafe either.  So a leisurely day.  My own sunflowers are nothing to rave about.

Gardening by the moon has somehow come on to my radar and is currently dictating my gardening regime. https://au.rhythmofnature.net/gardener-calendar .  If you consult this, you see that Sunday was a crash hot day for gardening and I was itching to get into it.  However there is also the Sunday swimming...  I got to the beach about 1/2 hour early and did some solitary Wu Tao.  The sea was as calm as a millpond - just what I don't like.  So I resolved to have a quick dip to be sociable when the swimmers turned up and then head gardenward.  They turned up.  As did Shane Gould who, unbeknownst to me, lives in Bicheno these days.  She offered to observe us swimming and give us some pointers on how to improve our technique.  Having no desire to be an ace swimmer, I definitely wanted out.  I waded to the beach, thanked Shane for coming down to see us and tried to hotfoot away.  'Just let me see you swim', she said. 'No, no, I really have to go', I said.  'Just for 2 minutes', she said.  I wasn't sure I could swim for 2 minutes but I did my best.  And she brilliantly identified my swimming issue:  my freestyle is fine, but I don't exhale!  She put me through some exercises, which I'm keen to repeat next Sunday.  She really is an amazing teacher and a lovely and generous person.

calm waters at Raspins

And garden I did.  In the dying light of the day... I thought these prunings would make a rather lovely flower arrangement but I was too tired to lift them up.

Today I trotted off to have lunch with Anne, formerly of the Posh Shed, but now Anne of the Stone Cottage.  It is finally restored, and just fabulous.  As was lunch.

I was drawn to this boot because Georgia had made a pottery boot at high school, and it still inspires her work.  Today is her birthday.  So more gratuitous photos for George:

Number 41 from the Tandara Hotel

a little closer

from the highway

It  is also Rosa Norte's birthday.  This photo of the Rue Mouffetard is for her.  Quite a few years ago we spent a lovely time at the market there.  You can read about the photo here  https://murielwines.com/en/cuando-cartier-bresson-capto-la-esencia-del-vino/  My friend Glynis has it on her kitchen wall.

Birthday blog for George

 Standing on Melbourne Street, looking towards the house  (shed closely next to house, actually) and looking along the red fence.

The red fence from the house.  Giant apple tree visible behind red fence.

Looking along red fence from inside the garden, towards Melbourne Street ie east.  Privet hedge runs along Melbourne Street.

Around red fence and looking at house, ie south.  We are in an orchard!!!!  Part of large apple tree visible on left.

From red fence, looking into old and tired orchard.  Grape vine visible.  Looking northerly - Melbourne Street just visible through gap in privet hedge on right.

Looking southerly to house from orchard: pears, apples, crab apples and some unidentified.  Note rubbish bins in centre of photo for later reference...

Ok.  Finished with red fence.  Now standing just outside property on corner of Melbourne and Kay Street.  Horizontal tarmac is highway.  Looking southerly down Melbourne Street to sea and our place.

Shed next to the house that previously we couldn't enter.  Note rather spekky doors.

Remember those rubbish bins?  They are on the outside of those spekky doors.  Note also wisteria and jasmine vines.  Now walk along path on the left, towards the house and mostly glassed in verandah.  There is a sliding door in the glassed-in verandah, between the weatherboard sheds and the house which leads to this bit of garden:

ie the Hills Hoist.  This is, more or less, the view from the kitchen.  The shed on the left is the garage, accessible from Kay Street.  Walk along the path  between the garage and the hedge.

 Looking back past the garage towards the house.  This is the bbq area, Matt.

Keep walking westerly and you come to this wisteria arbour.  Climb up a cuppla steps.  Wisteria arbour below, 

swimming pool before you.  Beyond the fence is Kay Street.

Return down the steps.  Bit more cutesy garden.

Then out of the garden and into the paddock.  Native trees to provide weather protection for sheep.

Get out of the property and on to Kay Street.  Looking easterly.  Garages on the left.  Melbourne Street at end of Kay Street.  Tandara Hotel on Tasman Highway just visible.

Turn 180 degrees and look down Kay Street.  Heavenly.