possibly disappointing

There's not much to report.

Mozart survived being fed by random Soirettes.  Anne has now returned but I haven't caught up with her to hear of her cruise adventures.  Having spent a month on a boat when migrating to Australia, I feel a cruise would disappoint.  Oh the thrill of being 11 years old and having a whole ship to explore. I sometimes watch part of a show on SBS called The Good Ship Murder because I like the opening scenes with wide views of some Mediterranean city.  The show is like something made in  the 1960s, corny as, but I do enjoy glimpses of Casablanca, Lisbon, etc.

view of Anne's back garden visible when replenishing the kitty litter

And so life continues pleasant but not particularly exciting.

The Weily Fox continues to pump life into the Suicide Prevention Network.  We met for lunch and cocktails recently to discuss ideas and forthcoming events, then met again at the pub where she surprised me with a coaster from Aberdyfi.  Many years ago she and a friend had run sessions at a summer camp there.

Last night Jill PD and I walked to Georgia's to celebrate the Lantern Festival which I think marks the end of the Chinese New Year.  Georgia and I walked around her paddock carrying our lanterns while the dogs romped and jumped around us, joyful at this unanticipated nocturnal outing.  We briefly glimpsed the full moon as it obligingly peeped through the cloud bank. There are no photos because we couldn't put the lanterns down for fear of igniting the incredibly dry grass in the Year of the Wood Dragon.

Today Jilly and I again walked to Georgia's, this time to meet with Cousin Steve and Karen, visiting from Singapore, and Monique, Steve's daughter, who lives in Melbourne.  We're all dog-lovers and Jill and Miya happily showed off what good dogs they are.  As a reward, I walked Jill home 'the long way'.  This involves walking along a lane I consider quintessentially Australian, across the church land where kangaroo grass still grows, then through the school grounds.  Above you can see the footy posts, The Gatehouse and The Thumbs.

Almost beside our gate is this truck, presumably something to do with Jay The Mechanic.  For some reason I find this image very amusing.  Has it been staged, I wonder?

Once home, I finished this book started yesterday.  I loved it.  To me it is a meditation.  A sort of guided meditation via an ordinary woman's life to prompt memories of events and emotions in my own.

Now I suppose I'd better get back to the vacuuming.

Blooming Cathedral

Now, you know I have a thing for cathedrals.  When Jean Green Bean told me about the Blooming Church Floral Festival at St Davids Cathedral, Hobart, I put it in my diary (aka Steve's calendar) and tripped off last Sunday.

I wasn't overly impressed by the flower arrangements but it was exciting to tread parts of the cathedral I had previously only glimpsed during concerts.  And so you can see from the Chancel looking back to the entry.

if you're not au fait with cathedral terminology this may help.

Ignore the coffee cup stain.

these bears made themselves comfortable in the Sanctuary, and showed a lot of forethought

There was also an exhibition of cathedral-inspired floral art.  The Bean instructs the art group

and naturally her work was the standout in all its subtlety.

While perusing the art I noticed occasional stones with plaques set in the walls.  To my immense satisfaction, there is a stone from My St Davids in Wales.

There was nothing as exuberant in the cathedral as this display at our Community Health Centre,

and, while I lifted this photo from a website, I had to share it with you.  So literally uplifting.

I was exuberant about Malcolm's lunch offering this week

and Mozart seemed perfectly happy with his brekky this morning.  I'm feeding him while Soiree Anne is away.

Here's the back of Anne's Ladle Stern Cottage without a stone in sight.  Previously I have only blogged its beautiful sandstone frontage.

And so to this book.  Recommended by Madam Cyn, it's written by a guy who works at the State Library.  It's an excellent and easy read set in and around Strahan on the west coast.

blogworthy

So after me saying I'd never get a front-on photo of either granddaughter, I had my chance.

Georgia and Ella came by to see if I wanted to go for a swim.  It was a hot day.

You can tell it was hot.   Spring Beach was unusually crowded...

On Monday, Jill and I went to Malcolm's place to rendezvous with Glynis and Sylvie.

For the first time in her 10 year life, Jill swum to retrieve a stick from the dam.  It was the first time I'd known her to properly swim.

She was so pleased with herself, she allowed Sylvie to chew the stick she had been pursuing.

Naturally this required another trip to the beach to teach baby Miya to swim.

Miya is brave and seems undaunted by the water but is yet to immerse herself.

Jill, still flushed with success, is prepared to wait.  Sadly it was Ella's last day in Tribes and she has now returned to Melbourne.

Yesterday Steve's phone decided to send him a photo from 17 years ago.

Me at Perry Sandhills 6 kms out of Wentworth.  Life was very different.  All that sand and no sea.

Back in business

My laptop has been in for repairs.  In its absence I've realised how much it is part of my life.  I can use my phone for most functions but it is like being Gulliver in Lilliput and, while I'm sure it is possible, I can't blog.  So here's a catch up.

Firstly, we've had a bit of summery weather

as evidenced by the glimpse through the carport of a Cinzano parasol in the caravan park.  And in further proof of summer

goodies from other people's gardens

rampant dahlias and sunflowers at the school

and a cactus flowering in my garden for the first time since we moved here.

I had to spend some time in Bellerive because of issues with our block of units - hopefully to be soon rectified.  I'd forgotten what a lovely place it is to live.

from the end of the road

shades of my Mum and Dad

an exiting bandicoot

From the end of the road there is a cliff top walk.  I haven't walked it for years and was surprised at how cared for it is now.  Fencing to keep people safe, but with gates so that the more adventurous can access the rocks and sea below.  It is not the sort of wild coast that I love, but a very good compromise in a suburban area.

The caravan park strutted its stuff for Australia Day.  Many tents / annexes were adorned with flags, and the owner sported a flaggy t-shirt.  A cuppla friends and I, and Henry the Dog, got buffeted around Triabunna as we picked up litter for what we entitled Australia Clean Up Country Day.  I can't say the gods were with us.  The wind was so strong it kept blowing the rubbish out of our collecting buckets, and we'd have to chase it to pick it up again, and sometimes again and again.

I have, however, been rewarded by an influx of granddaughters.

There's Miya, Georgia's new kelpie.  Ella is also here from Melbourne, preparing for her third year at uni.  I give her the occasional driving lesson - not that Triabunna and environs provide the ideal preparation for Big City traffic.  And Sarah has arrived from Seoul and may stay to study Year 11.  She is with her Dad in St Helen's.  I went up for an overnight stay.

Don't expect face-on happy snaps with either of my granddaughters - well maybe not for a few years.  They're just not into it.

Maybe because I get them to show me exciting places like the Tip Shop.  On the way there we saw this intriguing dog park.  People with mixed feelings can sit on the fence.

Fortunately Sarah is also besotted with dogs and St Helens seems blessed with them, particularly dachshunds, though we suspect these mainly belong to tourists, which are also plentiful.  One chap told us that he'd counted 7 dachshunds staying at the caravan park.  We chatted to a huge number of dogs, including mother and daughter Irish Terriers, a handsome breed I'd never seen before.  Our favourite though was Lucy.  Lucy is dalmationish and lives on a boat.  We bumped into her and her human as they carried out their boaty chores around town.  Later we watched as they left for home.  You have to look carefully to see her beaming at us from her runabout.

I wanted to see Binalong Bay.  I have fond memories of gazing into rock pools bejeweled with tiny starfish.  Hmmmm we didn't find the rockpools but enjoyed the rocky inlets, safe places for children learning to swim.

beaches reminiscent of Wales...

Sarah savouring the anticipation of playing her just arrived piano

I can't think of much more to report other than my reading.

It's unfortunate that this book has such a schmalzy cover.  While there is a contemporary western romance running through it, the story is about Rumi and Sufism in 13th century Turkey.  Makes you think!

Theas Astley also makes you think.  Her sentences can be long and need unravelling but it is so worth it.  They bite.  This story follows the life of a man in a Mad Men world.  Astley is so knowing!  I'm savouring the anticipation of reading more of her books.