A fortnight with Slim Ankles (and you thought I was at my Mother's)

Of course I was with my Mum.  Here she is enjoying Judy B's grapefruit marmalade on toast.  Breakfast on the patio.  Mum and Dad used to make grapefruit every year.  And Judy's is just about as delicious...

Other notable meals included Sunday lunch at Longview Winery which has moved from tapas to Italian but is still amazing.  The staff members there are always excellent and, after Mum and I had worked up an appetite slogging uphill to the restaurant with Mum's walker, explained a way I can drive up closer for next time. I was taken by these roses and garlic flowers because I had tried for the same effect this year but all my garlics have vanished.

It rained non-stop on the day we went to the Flying Fish so we picnicked in the car.  I noticed these cockatoos doing a 'Margz Christmas Card' in the pine tree.  Some of you may have been recipients of the card by Marg Whyte from our Wentworth days.

And there is always Mercato.  We lunched there at least 3 times and just had coffee sometimes.  And sometimes, cake.  In the photo above I was trying to capture the back wall which says, in Italian, 'At the Table No-one Grows Old'.  Certainly true for Mum.

One Wednesday Tamasin and I went to the uni for Salsa but discovered it was cancelled that night.  Tamasin showed me a bar where you can salsa from 10.30 pm but we gave it a miss.  It is in the now very groovy Leigh Street and called Casablahblah, which I think is very amusing.  We returned to the uni and Tamasin went to clean out her locker while I mooched around our car which was about to run out of parking fee.

I entertained myself watching this couple having their wedding photos taken - in fact with the bike in the foreground it makes me look like a paparazza.  I was even more entertained when the bride rather unglamourously waited at the traffic lights

and I was nearly in hysterics by the time they crossed the road.

Naturally The Beatles and Abbey Road came to mind.  It was on a par with the time I saw a bride in Wentworth taking money out of the ATM.

'And your ankles?', I hear you clamour.  Well I did a bit of walking to and from the shops, Obahn, etc but I didn't garden standing in ankle-high grass.  I think in Tribes my skin reacts to the grass.  Once in Wales, after Mum and I had done a clifftop walk, my ankles looked like I had red crepe paper wrapped around them.  Something in these temperate climate grasses.  Like oats, rye, etc...

Here's our old house in Cullford Avenue.  The garden is finished.  Not to my taste but a la mode. Hard to picture that once, before we bought it, there was nothing but a huge date palm there.

And here's the block opposite where the Trust homes were and some of my neighbours lived.

There is a lot of demolition and development going on.  The day after I took this picture, the house was totally demolished.  I was pleased to see that some of the 1950/60s houses are now being cherished and gentrified.

It's a shame I decided on this photo trip on a Saturday morning.  Klemziggians like to get their bins out early for Sunday night collection.  This house on Boucaut Avenue looks so well cared for now.  There are table and chairs on the verandah and people actually sit out there to enjoy the cool.

 gentrified shed on Boucaut

Some of you will have seen these 'new' (ie 2-3 year old) houses at the Torrens end of Second Avenue.

The middle one takes the cake for OTT Christmas decoration.  One evening the owner was spraying machine snow out from the top verandah.

the 3 houses by night

my favourite:  the more restrained house on the left

One of my walks took me to the community garden at Lochiel Park on the other side of the river. I was peering through the fence when a couple came up and asked me if I'd like to see inside which, of course, I did.  We chatted gardens and they told me they were walking to a little plant stand 'at the end of the wetlands'.  I was intrigued because I thought we were already standing at the end of the wetland.  I didn't follow them because I thought they already thought I was weird enough, but did explore on another evening.  I had told them about a lovely old Italian style house and garden which used to be on the Campbelltown side of the linear park track.  I always used to go and have a look at it because it was my dream house and garden.  I knew that it had been demolished but what I didn't know,

you've guessed it, the site is now the end of the wetlands.  The plant stall proved modest and the sort of thing I love.

I took an Obahn trip in to town for reasons which will become apparent to Rosa Norte in Spain.  I happened to be on one of the first buses to go through the new, and contentious, tunnel under the parklands.

Great excitement as we plunged into the darkness.  When I got off the bus in town, a tv crew interviewed me about the experience!  I think they were disappointed that I'd enjoyed myself and wasn't South Australian to complain about the cost.  If only Mum had been there...

A reminder of Tribes while I was in town.

And back in Bunna I had this lovely rose waiting for me.  My Christmas and birthday present from Rosa Norte.  Gracias e besos, besos!!!

a quick retrospective

I take the photos then don't have time to blog.  Or I have a rollicking good time and don't think to take photos.  So here's a quick catch up before I'm off to Adelaide.

signs of mulberries to come

curious figure, possibly my love-child with Ronald McDonald

my brilliant friends blitz the posy division

St Davids Cathedral in Hobart after Handel's Messiah Oratorio,

with some of said brilliant friends in choir.

first cornflower

rather beautiful lettuce flowers

the Gatehouse stall bountiful thanks to Nicky

And to end on a really positive note:  you may recall some time back I reported on the theft of bucket and silverbeet from the Gatehouse.  Well I was wrong.  Last weekend I learned that Ian, who had donated the silverbeet to the school, noticed that it was wilting so he threw the whole lot in the back of his ute and drove home.

The Floosie goes Tribal

The long awaited day of the arrival of Mr and Mrs FF finally arrived.  In fact they arrived ahead of schedule having forgotten that travel times are short in Tasmania. We spent Wednesday afternoon checking out my Tribes haunts and I was accompanied on my Gatehouse round by 2 Jills, which is pretty special. 

the cottage next door where Jill and (her) Steve stayed

I took this photo in anticipation but the wisteria had finished blossoming by the time they arrived.  The mock orange, however, smelled divine.  I think I may need one.

from the viewing tower at Devil's Corner winery.

We had lunch here and I had an excellent Vietnamese style salad with boarfish ceviche - a new taste sensation for me.

the paparazza Floosie at Saltworks - windswept and wonderful

surfie built shelters at Saltworks

I contemplated my toenails,

the Floosie contemplated the universe at Boltons Beach

and finally there was a hint that our hot, dry spell may end.

My plans went a little awry on Friday so I don't have the photos of the Jills and Steves that I had been planning for some time.  I have some photos emailed by the Floosie but for some reason I can't copy them to put them in the blog.  And the rain did come, politely waiting for Mr and Mrs FF to get to Launceston to catch their plane.

Spring Bay memorial service

Last year I went to the Memorial Service organised by the Spring Bay Suicide Prevention Network.  It was this event that convinced me to become part of the Network.  I thought I had blogged it last year but can't find any reference to it.  This year I was part of the organisation.

It is a perfectly pitched event, as public or private as each participant wants to make it.  The rain came down during the service but, after the dry we have been having, it was very welcome and then stopped as we walked down to the beach to cast our petals on the waves.

and the winner is

ME!  That is, I'm having a lucky streak lately.  I kept thinking about blogging but there was too much other stuff going on.  I suppose it all started weekend before last when I was standing in the queue waiting to buy a strawberry ice-cream and a group of stylish young men walked in.  I was checking out the wattle leaves and flower patterned shirt of one of them when he stepped towards me and said "Maggie?".  A very Beautiful Lies moment.  It was Gus who, when Steve was in hospital after the stroke, made banana muffins for Steve weekly and brought them into hospital.  Gus was a child then, the son of Liz and Carl of Rent-a-Bug fame.  Made my day.  Sadly I have no photos.

I have shown you this photo before because I like the muted colours:

Taking the opportunity of our warm, dry weather to wash the quilt Georgia made me, I realised it is very similar.  She's a clever girl.  I think I've told you that both Georgia and Sarah will be here for Christmas.  Perfect.

Sarah's parrot has been waiting for her.

Tuesday was both Melbourne Cup Day and zumba so we dressed up to celebrate.  Again, no  photos, but The Floosie may recall my outfit for her farewell Jazzercise many years ago - a jaunty piece of material tied to make a skirt with matching turban - aiming for a South American party vibe.  To my astonishment my turban stayed in place through all the dancing.

Later that evening I had a hot date at Barb's outdoor bath.  Leaving our place I saw a few ships a-sailing at the end of the street.  I was hoping to see them better from Barb's house on the other side of the bay but it was not to be.

Barb does have a lovely display of  ixias, though.  The bath is on the other side of the house.  When you're in it you can gaze up at the gum trees and listen to the birds.  It's a lovely experience.  The first time Barb heated up the bath (she lights a fire under it) it took 5 hours to cool down enough to be bearable.  She's got it down to a finer art now and I could hop straight in.  I took one look at the soap and thought it looked oatie so didn't use it.  About 5 minutes after I put the bath bomb in, Barb called out to say not to use it cos it had oats in in too.  I was a bit anxious for a while but zenned out and had no ill effects.

[ok, it's now 2 weeks later and I'm giving up that post - just trust that I'm enjoying myself enormously - and I'll try for a cuppla short, sharp posts (which sounds potentially painful).]

mysterious ways

You may recall that, according to The Book of Days, I was born on the Day of Returns, and there's seems to be an element of truth in it.  I was still surprised though when, as I paid for my petrol, the service station owner confirmed with me that I had worked previously in a service station, then asked if I'd like a job.  I had to refuse not because the nature of the business has changed somewhat in well over 40 years but because the job will be next Easter, and Easter is, as always, already booked.

borage going wild

I may have red poppies for Remembrance Day

close up of iris above

Earlier in the week The Floosie alerted me to The Writers Garden by Jackie Bennett.   I immediately went online to see if I could get it from the library.  Sadly not,  but I saw a cuppla of other interesting looking books and put holds on them.

This one arrived yesterday and I've finished it already.  It is funny and clever, and I love little books.  I would never have known it existed but for The Floosie.  And now, even better news, I'm getting The Writers Garden for Christmas!!!!  Thank you lovely, generous Flooz.

Steve and I play a game 'What's Maria wearing today?' when we drive beside Raspins Beach with Maria Island on the horizon.  Yesterday she was cloaked in beautiful blue velvet with a lavish swan-down ruffled collar.