West Coast Living

Going to Adelaide is always about going to see Mum.  The nursing home in which she resides is on the left in the picture below.  I took the photos walking from the bus stop to the home.

note stobie poles, sure sign you're in SA

The bus and train times work well, and the views from the train are stunning.

West coast beaches have features not known on East Coast Tassie,

like graders leveling imported sand, for instance.

I stayed chez Pearl, a wise choice for she has location, location, location,

 

including a gym

and horses!  Perfect holiday resort.

Just beyond the horses you can see Harbour Town.  I have always been dismissive of factory outlets and cynical about Harbour Town but my opinion has changed.  The shops are not all under one roof.  There is fresh air and the best landscaping I have seen in a shopping precinct.

A pleasure.  Of course, I didn't buy anything except a delicious yiros from the food court which is

interestingly designed so you can watch the goings on and up at Adelaide Airport.

Pearl had very kindly not drunk the bottle of wine I left last visit.  The first two nights we ate at home, healthy salmon, salad and veggies.

Then we got into the spirit of things and went Indian, gracing the Cinnamon Club on Henley Beach Road.  We ordered a plate of entrees and then noticed some curious things being brought to the table behind us.  I assumed they were a dessert of some kind.  They are chandi chowk ke puchke, a chickpea shell into which you pour the green sauce.  The people at the next table showed us how it was done, so we ordered some.  The restaurant claims it is street food but I'm perplexed how you could juggle all this  at a stall, plus how are the shells made?  See https://adelaidefoodcentral.com/2019/06/04/cinnamon-club-app-launch/ for more info, but not enough info!

After such exhilarating mains we decided to follow with a dessert platter.  So beautiful and delicious.  The chocolate samosas are one of the best chocolate hits I've ever had.  Equal to a good pain au chocolat.  The spirit was sated.

Our next food adventure was the Greek restaurant opposite the Cinnamon Club (not the same night...).  I haven't had moussaka since the heady days when I went to Melbourne for work and always lunched at a Greek restaurant.  This was very good with a nice amount of salad.  Pearl chose spanokopita to boost her spinach intake for pumping iron at the gym equipment and Curves.  Naturally I had baklava too.

And then there was The Stunned Mullet, a takeaway fish and chip shop next to the Greek place.  This was a different night, of course..., and we took our meal back to Resort Pearl, along with a jar of SA crab.  All perfectly cooked and, I hate to say it, better than Triabunna fish and chips.

It wasn't all a munchathon.  At least 5 hours each day were spent in visiting Mum, though admittedly I often bought lunch at a Thai restaurant a short stroll from the nursing home.  Pearl and I also went for exploratory walks in the seaside suburbs.

I was very taken with these Birds of Paradise juxtaposed against a yet-to-leaf frangipani

And we visited the new premises of The Mockingbird Lounge in Glenelg, chocker with second hand books, gifts and cafe food.  I had a cute macchiato and chocolate pear - being so health conscious.

Pearl picked me up from the nursing home on the Thursday after my last visit to Mum.  I was about to achieve a long-held ambition.  The Ocean Garden is a Chinese restaurant on the Esplanade at Christies Beach.  I have been past it a zillion times but have never had the opportunity to try it out.  This was the night.

It is a charming old style Chinese restaurant with the sort of menu you get at RSL clubs in country towns in NSW.  It's worth going for the view and passing parade.  It was my last night and, though we were far from hungry, I suggested we return to the Cinnamon Club at Henley Beach for a dessert platter.

We did.

Making tracks

I am now Officer in Charge of Lawn Mowing, a position I swore I would never assume.

It does have its advantages.  I have been able to amuse myself by mowing paths through the orchard.

I also ensure that there are mown paths all around the garden so I can access it pleasantly even after heavy dew or torrential rain.  Above, you can see the native plant part of the garden slowly taking shape.

the cunning plan more apparent here

note self-sown broad beans on left

Both Georgia's lawn mowers have broken down.  We have had a lot of rain recently and I noticed the interesting track she was leaving in the long grass as she tested her new rural property owner boots.

Jill PD, of course, loves Georgia's paddock.  It is a glorious piece of land.

Yesterday was Her Majesty's birthday so we went on a road trip to the Margate Train.  It is a row of carriages with a specialty shop in each carriage, some of dubious taste.

And I mention all this tracky stuff because tomorrow I am off to Adelaide, just for a week, to visit Mum.  This may come as a surprise to certain residents of Fleurieu Peninsular.  I will be staying at West Beach and I think it will be too complicated to make plans.  Hopefully next year I'll be able to ferry and drive over, and perhaps take in some coastal walks...

further to my previous

I forgot some stuff.
There was no lunch prep during the school holidays so I took myself off with The Walking Group.  They were going to Banwell, an East Coast property I'd always wanted to visit.

a very short walk

to the end of the small but incredibly beautiful beach

I had another mission to accomplish further up the Tasman Highway.

Return to Boomer Creek Vineyard.

These cows were in calf when I visited the vineyard during Wine Week.  It was lovely to see mothers and calves this time.

But the real reason I was there was a glass of bubbly, some olive oil and the truffle brie.

Days of wine and roses

You know that I have been doing zumba at the Orford Golf Club for about 5 years now.  I don't think I've ever shown you where the golf club is situated.

this is not zumba - a photo submitted by The Floosie - but I'm sure the benefits are the same

This is the Orford Golf Course.  I lifted the photo from their website.  I was looking for the menu for their Friday Night Meals.  It was my first sortie into this culinary tradition very popular among locals.  I was invited to a farewell dinner for George.

George and Leslie live in Queensland and come to Triabunna for the winter! Most unusual given half the Spring Bay population winters in Queensland.  George has thrown himself into just about every activity available - golf, choir, table tennis, art classes - though not yoga, tai chi or zumba. Hence I met him at Sunday Swimming.  Don't look for me in the photo above.  I haven't been swimming for a few weeks.

But I turned up for dinner at the golf club and au revoir chocolate cake.

Other news.

Georgia managing her property

Georgia and I went to the opening of a new accommodation block at The Spring Bay Mill. It was Georgia's first Smoking Ceremony and she was very excited.  As you can see, the weather was not ideal but we joined in all activities and had a fabulous celebratory time.

a newly landscaped area outside the new accommodation, blessed by a low rainbow

Last Sunday saw the opening of a Pottery Exhibition at The Village.  Here you can see Dorothy, the tutor, talking about the inspiration behind some of her work.  She really is a wonder.

And as for roses, the Gold Bunny has never looked better.  I am on to those sneaky harlequin bugs.  They eat into the buds and destroy them.  I now have a regime of hand picking them off and throwing them into the weed tea where they can take their chances.  Those who can swim and abseil have the advantage.

The joy of worms

The view from the kitchen window now the laundry has been demolished.  We have had a lot of gentle rain.  The rain, plus hours of work in the garden, has produced worms.  You may recall that when we bought the house (2014), the garden was very neat and sterile.  Most of it was under layers of carpet to stop those pesky self sowers.  I spent hours pulling up that carpet and more hours pouring wood ash, manure, compost, seaweed and mulch on to that pale, compacted ground.  For quite a few years I was disappointed, and frustrated, at the scarcity of worms but this year big fat juicy ones, long thin slimey ones, worms that wiggle and squirm.  Now the garden can get a wriggle on.

aquilegia looking promising

a melange...

a posing magpie

and spiders are very welcome too

Wilma Nextdoor gave me bluebell plants the year we moved in.

Finally flowering.

triumphant lily of the valley

I have long cursed that I can't get gaura to grow in this garden.

Just realised rocket flowers are a pretty good substitute.

getting ready for the broadbean explosion

This is the first year I've experienced the wonderful perfume of their flowers.

So many joys in the garden!