Wet weekend in Tribes

Heavy rain on the East Coast had been forecast all week, and it has come to pass.  The garden is a marsh at its driest points and all I have done is plant 2 pumpkin seeds in toilet roll tubes and brought them in to my new seed-starting area, aka the kitchen.  I have been driving to and from the Gatehouse so yesterday, to appease Jill PD, we went for a cliff top walk between downpours. 

I have to say it was magnificent.

So that's all the photos you're getting.  I'm enjoying a 'getting organised' weekend and feel productive.  Am doing a lot of thinking and planning, and a little bit of reading.  Big telly night tonight:  Shetland, then yippee yippee yippee Vera.  Hope we'll all be watching it together.

While my back was turned...

the wretched blogspot people have changed their processes so I've struggled a little with this post.  Hopefully I'll adapt...  but I can't get any text to go between the next 2 photos.  So, below, the workers leave their boots outside while we Zumba inside the Orford Golf Club Tuesday of last week.

Wednesday of last week we went on a Road Trip to the Hill Street deli at the uni in Sandy Bay.  We wandered around like true provincials, but it was lovely to be able to have so many delicacies to ogle and chose from.  The young staff are probably uni students and are smiling, helpful and knowledgeable.  I would love to see our local IGA staff be like that.  I learned, when buying fish and chips last week while the power was off in Tribes, that our local takeaway has stopped employing students after school because he's tried out 6-8 of them and they just look at their phones.  He said it's more beneficial for him to employ adults and pay adult wages.  Anyway, I digress.  After spending our pensions on delicacies, we decided to lunch in Bellerive.  The above photo is only of significance to the Floosie.  The now Fish Cafe used to be the tea rooms where Mrs History and I had our first bonding session after walking around Bellerive in wet and windy weather to share our knowledge of the area  and inspire the Bellerive Historical Society.  I can't remember what I ate at the Fish Caf but know I didn't get food poisoning as I did last time...

I think I've posted a photo of these Bellerive Boardwalk toilets before.  I love the stylized waves and origami boats.

Here are the real boats at the Bellerive Yacht Club, looking magnificent and reflecting considerable wealth.  As an aside, I drove (I was running late) to the Triabunna Boat Club last Sunday for a Volunteer Marine Rescue meeting.  I had in mind tending beached whales, injured seals, misguided penguins, etc and was surprised by all the high-powered 4WDs with towbars parked outside.  I was totally off point.  The meeting was about establishing an organisation similar to Coast Guard and, not having a boat, I slunk off after a while.

Now we're back in Bellerive  on The Boardwalk.  All very civilised and nice.  Hard to believe that my heart was here for so long.

Now we're back in Tribes at Mrs O'Henry's place after a bit of tai chi-ing in her lounge room, sharing some of our cheesy delights from Hill Street deli.  The jar in the foreground contains Gooseberry Cheese.  It's good but also contains Bramley Apples, and I would prefer more gooseberries.  The 2 gooseberry bushes in my garden hold promise.

An update on The Barracks:  the stone is now being cut for the front wall.  Apparently it will take about 6 quarryfuls to complete the job...

The fence in our more humble garden took a battering in a recent storm

but I'm pleased with the opportunities it presents.

More storm damage.

My first jonquils.

First iris of the season.

Close up of development of Edible French Garden.

It still has a way to go.

The self-sown broad bean is excelling.

Another view of the storm damaged paper-bark.  Also the heavily pruned lavender.  And some of the carpet that I'm still pulling up from garden beds.

The native wisteria, aka hardenbergia, continues its creep along the carport.

I started this post about a week ago.  In the meantime this has arrived for your watching pleasure.  It's lovely to see so many people you know, but we don't by and large stand around waiting for people to wave to.  I like the pub scene at the end - you get to see my mates Kim (whose got The Barracks) and Jen (who is building a lovely weatherboard house on Esplanade East, ie over the bridge).

a different week

A different week last week.  We had Christmas in July.  A friend showed me the flyer and I agreed to attend.  When I made inquiries, I learned that it was invitation only, and aimed at older people living alone and isolated.  I fully accepted that I was not the target audience, but lo and behold (as happens at Christmas) I got a phone call the day before to say that there had been a cancellation and would I like to go?  Of course, whenever in doubt just say yes.  So I did.  It gave me the opportunity to get out my red dress and the rather arresting red earrings FF gave me when last I was in Encounter Bay.

The chairs were all set out in accordance with Covid 19 guidelines, which made them look like 'naughty chairs' set out in the Orford Community Hall.  It was a cute little event with lots of gingerbread and shortbread, so no complaints from me.

Friday was the day of the funeral of my friend's husband.  It was held at the Orford Bowls Club, dear to both of them.  I knew there would me lots attending and wasn't sure of the rules in these 'unprecedented days' so got there a bit late to ensure I could stay outside.  As I drove closer it became apparent that there were hundreds in attendance, so I changed plan and drove to Manning Avenue, from where you can easily reach the cliff tops to gaze out to sea and think.

the ideal view for reflection

the conveniently placed bench

with a dedication which I thought probably expressed my widowed friend's feelings

There were also signs of Spring with native plants in flower.

And then the short stroll back to the road and the car.  The land on both sides of the path is privately owned, and is some of the most beautiful bush I know.  True inspiration for the garden and life.

Reasons to be chi-ful during a pandemic

Tai chi has started up again, temporarily at the golf club because there is more space for our 1.5 distancing.  Jen was very keen to show us something she had learned from facebook earlier in the morning:

how to fold your plastic supermarket bags into little spanokopita-style bundles.  Of course, I had to rush home to give it a go.
Steve, in the meantime, was learning in Dutch how to turn a sock into a face mask:

Quite confronting to come home to.  And definitely mean time.  Steve and I rolled around laughing uncontrollably while Jill PD watched on anxiously.  I fashioned a mask for her from the toe of the sock, but she wasn't keen.  Certainly not keen enough to have a photo taken.  And a handy hint from Steve:  use a clean sock.

Yesterday we had some sunshine so I bought some croissants, squeezed some oranges, made a coffee, and enjoyed my favourite breakfast in my shed.

I didn't get to read as much of my book as I'd intended.  In fact it turned out to be one of the maddest days I've had in Triabunna.  All very pleasant, but I'm trying to think of a way of reporting it without being libelous...

Mid Winter

We're halfway through winter and I think I'm in a semi-hibernation.  I usually spend part of the season in Adelaide, and this winter is starting to feel long.  I'm still doing some gardening most days, mostly pulling up weeds from the lawn.  Mallow plants have gone absolutely crazy with the rain.

Steve has presumably bored of drawing his own hands, and drew mine.

I have been reading.  I didn't want to read this book because it is about a mother and child involved in an accident and I thought it may be maudlin.  Definitely not.  I'm glad Her Majesty commanded me to read it.  It has really helped me come to grips with a rapid and unexpected change of circumstances, even after a really long time-span.  It's a lovely book and I think all Mums will enjoy it.

This is one of the books I bought with my $50 Fullers book token.  I didn't go in to buy this book but it has some inspiring photos, and I've learned a lot from reading it cover to cover.

This is the book I went to Fullers to buy, and I'm so glad I did.  It is a beautiful little book - and I have a penchant for little books - and look at the dust cover.  It is about gardening in the UK so not directly relevant to Australia in terms of indigenous species, but the principles are presumably the same.  It is beautifully, knowledgeably and amusingly written.  I'd love to see a Tasmanian equivalent.

From the sublime to the slightly ridiculous.  This book came from PUBS which is operating again under restricted opening.  Judy, the coordinator, phoned to ask me if I was interested.  She looks out for Arthur Upfields for me (and the Floosie).  It's early Upfield from the 1930s, rife with sexism and racism, and the main character is not particularly likeable though he seems to like himself.  But I enjoyed a bit of a romp through the West Australian outback.  It is not a Boney book but you can see the Boney character beginning to take shape.

I forced myself through this library book, not because it's a bad read but because Ashton and I are on the same wave length, and it seemed redundant.  The chapter on living wills has made me pause for thought.

The Barracks has ordered about 6 quarryfuls of sandstone to put up a front fence.  I shall keep you posted.

I'll let  you know if there's any more excitement!!

Life and death in Triabunna

I wax lyrical about my good life in Triabunna.  I love that we are a fishing town but last weekend a friend's husband died while out in his commercial fishing boat.

Clamped but happy

I've had a lovely day.  No photos.  I had to go into Hobart for BreastScreen, referred to as 'clamping' by Tribesters.  Anyone who's had a mammogram will know why.  The technician referred to the 'clamps' as 'paddles', so perhaps a new terminology is in order.
Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself.  I drove to Rosny Park (aka Eastlands), parked the car and caught the bus into town.  Unbeknownst to me, public transport is currently free.  I appeared particularly hick as I asked the driver how I was to pay.  This was after some smart young thing explained to me that I had to get on the bus via the middle door.  The poor driver was almost cowering as I strolled towards him, passengers watching amused and tittering - perhaps they knew where I was going.  I love the bus ride because I can relax and have a good look around, not something it is wise to do while driving across the Tasman Bridge.
After clamping (fingers crossed for a good result), I walked up Collins Street, exploring a couple of arcades on the way.  Very interesting.  I had no idea they are there. So many little coffee and eating niches.  My destination was Fullers Bookshop.  Heaven.  Particularly because I had a $50 voucher, my reward for participating in an online focus group for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.  There were a lot of book browsing and buying going on.  I had a particular book in mind - The Garden Jungle.  The Fishpond price is cheaper but I would prefer to support a living, breathing bookshop.  So I got my Garden Jungle book plus one about French vegetable gardens.  They came to exactly $50. Of course I was itching to peruse my purchases so I caught the bus back to Rosny Park, made a quick foray into Flight Centre to learn that there are no Hobart - Adelaide direct flights, got the car and drove to Sorell where I ordered miso soup and a bento box and sat down to a leisurely lunch.  Very happy.
All this, and pizza for tea tonight.  I will leave you with some photos taken much earlier this year, just before Covid 19 restrictions: a workshop at Spring Bay Mill for the Pulchella Community Nursery Landcare Group.

 posh heated trays for seed raising

high vis, spaced out learners

interesting landscaping ideas

it really is a privilege to be able to come here

good ideas to steal

I'd rather be glamping...