Good weather

The weather has been a hot topic of conversation here because we had over a week of wind and rain.  But it's always good weather for something.  The garden is loving it and yesterday I ate this perfectly ripe fig.

There have been a few other figs but they were small, dry and tasteless.  The rain is plumping them out.

It is the season of mellow fruitfulness.

Good weather also for reading.

Limberlost was a birthday gift from the Floosie.  I started to read it and thought it was all too tough for me - real country life with guns and trappings, killing and culling.  But I pushed on and the story of a boy's life on a Tasmanian apple orchard unfolded.  His is a small life which quietly demonstrates the incidents and relationships that make us who we are.  It is a beautiful book physically and Robbie Arnott's writing style is calm and clear.  I took issue with the cover because it has a fox, and there is no fox in the story.  But there is a quoll, which is one of my favourite animals.  The Floosie assures me that I have the English edition and that the cover of the Australian edition, like Tasmania, has no foxes.

I had a library hold on this one for ages and I'm not quite sure why or where I heard about it.  It also is about orcharding, apricots in the USA this time.  It is a passionate story of love, loss, prejudice, finding yourself and then being true to yourself.  It is inspiring but perhaps not as credible as Limberlost.

This was another library hold but, again, I can't remember where I heard about it.  Again it's about a small town and farming community.  To me, it's all about nothing.  A boy goes missing and all the usual fears come to the fore.  The search for him provides opportunities for encounters that would probably never arise ordinarily.

Now this is a book and a half!  The setting is beautiful but frustratingly unidentifiable.  Another simple narrative but this time I had no idea what was going on.  Golly gosh. Eventually the mists clear and all is resolved.  A mystery of the mind, and very satisfying for one with an interest in psychology.

And here's another mystifying book.  Alan Garner excels at taking us between worlds.  This is a very English book and I love the accents and language.  Some phrases take me back to listening to my English Grandpa's conversation.  The buildings and landscapes are home to me.  Like Limberlost, it is a small and beautifully presented book, almost extravagant in its simplicity.  Having said all that, I've finished reading it but have to go back a chapter or two to try and work out what happened!

Sadly, but understandably, the library covered the book in plastic, so the photo above has the spooky image of the reader.

This also is a book about different worlds, and the possibility of a different world.  There's some really stirring stuff in here and reinforces to me just how wrong we were in the seventies (1970s this time).  Back then we wanted to participate equally in a man's world.  Now in my seventies, I just want to romp in the girly world I have created for myself.

Romps like:

walking to the oval to see my Maria Voices friends at the Relay for Life

gazing at the Easter Moon

gazing at the bucolic Buckland plains

volunteering at the Pop Up Bookstall

buying banh mi

in a funky little arcade in Hobart

watching my friend Kim lay the Peace Keepers' wreath at the Anzac Day ceremony today

finding this book at The Gatehouse on Saturday

then swimming with Kit, Jill PD and the glorious Sunday Morning Swimmers at Spring Beach

You may have noticed that this blog post has spanned quite a bit of time.  I've been very busy with meetings and training and zoom sessions, and a fair bit of eating.  Last week I couldn't get to any of my exercise classes and by the weekend I realised how much my brain and body needs them.  Fingers crossed for this week.

🤞

The Seven Decades' Celebrations

As you may know I didn't want a party or a fuss made of turning seventy.  The main reason being that I can't believe I am 70.  Life has gone so quickly.  In my mind, I am sometimes 16 and sometimes in my forties.  I don't know how I suddenly got to the 70s.  I have a badge now, so it must be true.

I made a list of the seven local places I wanted to spend some time in and some treats (given that I have diabetes 2 now) to eat there.

Of course these plans, like life,  did not proceed in an orderly way and other little notes also crept on to such a conveniently placed piece of paper.

Jill PD and I did eat a delicious hamburger with the lot at Pelican Walk

The Weily Fox and I walked from the Eastcoaster along the track to One Tree Point.

Then turned around and walked back to have cocktails at the Eastcoaster.

Jill PD and I clambered down the rocks at Luther Point to eat delicious chips with wakame salt.

I checked out the Picnic Tree at Georgia's but sadly it has been badly damaged by wind and rain.  However, Georgia did throw a bbq party for her boyfriend, a mere lad at 50, and it became a surreptitious party for me too.  I didn't invite any guests but happily ate all the cakes on offer.

Prior to the party I had been at the Village Market, promoting Triabunna Reserves and FoTR.

Earlier in the week, Steve B, Rob and I had gone to the Ada Street Reserve to monitor the agapanthus flowers situation.  To our astonishment and joy, the agapanthuses had been dead headed, saving much beseeching to Crown Land Services for permission to deadhead them ourselves.  This was a birthday present in itself.  Having time on our hands we moved on to explore a piece of coastline via a road none of us had been on before.

Rob took 2 photos which I love as they capture the 'me' that I feel is at  my essence.

I was rather taken with the peaceful scene of fishers on the crayfish shed wharf.  This nearly qualifies as 'Esplanade East jetty' on my birthday list, but it's not the jetty I had in mind, and the plan was to cycle there with a small picnic.  So I'll keep that one on the list a bit longer.  I've still got The Thumbs to do.  Steve and Jill PD had intended to go to The Thumbs lookout this morning on Calendar 2024 business but we awoke to a raging storm and assumed visibility would be zilch.  The wild weather has continued to such an extent that Steve did not take his offsider to work at The Village today, and Jill doesn't seem at all aggrieved.  We listened briefly to an Easter Egg Hunt happening at the caravan park next door during a short break in the wind and rain.

It is Easter Sunday.  The story so far:

Easter Lilies heralded Easter at the Community Health Centre

Jilly gets in the mood on Good Friday pizza night

I unwrapped a mysterious package that Sandrine had included in my birthday parcel.  I assumed it was not to be opened until Easter, which is Easter Sunday in my good book.  Very surprised to find Hot Cross Buns!!!  Microwaved up just fine.

The stash

But first, St Patrick's Day which fell on a Friday, ie Pizza Night

Guinness served decorously

my wine, boxed undecorously,

but brought to the door by Don the Postie

first present to arrive but not opened until the 18th

incredible basil and coriander

a vase for japonica blossom,

and tea towel for my one day caravan

legend from a legend - 

transporting me back to those balmy 40 degree Mildura days,

bunkered in Sandrine's new house

Seventy on a Saturday

My birthday was a long time ago but I haven't had internet access since about that time, so here's the start of a catch up.

early birthday morning self-portrait

we didn't do Christmas Lunch last year cos I was driving to Adelaide, so we had it for my birthday

I don't recall a birthday cake, but a good thought nevertheless

The day was low key and relaxing, as Saturdays should be.  I had my own cunning plan for celebrating 7  decades which shall be revealed, internet allowing...