I get along without you very well.

A message from my garden. 

So lovely to get home to a garden that makes its own way.  Mostly self-seeded.  I just weed out what I don't want.

Chihuly

Georgia had told me about the Chihuly Exhibition at the Botanical Gardens and there was no escaping it on my arrival at Adelaide Airport.

So, back on the J2 and another walk along North Terrace, this time all the way along to the Bot Gards.

The entrance avenue displayed these imaginative collections of potted plants but the way to the exhibition wasn't clear to me until I glimpsed this:

From there it was 'follow the fairy lights'.  It would have been magic to be there at night but I found the drizzly rain rather pleasant for glass viewing.

and not just for glass viewing

another striking glass-less image

umbrellas add even more colour

spot the duck on the rill

I was waiting for people to pass out of photo range.

but I could wait no longer

A quick look around the always inspiring Diggers Shop.  I was particularly taken with the finials that fit on top of 4 garden stakes to make a stylish pyramid.

Then into the Museum of Economic Botany, past one of their usual displays

and into the Jam Factory pop up shop.  The Jam Factory is famous in Adelaide for its quality art works, including blown glass.  These dishes are in the $13,000 range - I think genuine Chihuly.

Back to the garden

and this mind boggling piece of glasswork.  A number of us gathered to speculate what happens in high wind.

I tried so hard to get the 2 blue images together but this was the best I could do.

Overcome by human achievement, it was restful to just look at nature's handiwork.

J1 and J2

I write in praise of the J1 and J2 bus services.  The Js were buses that I could catch from the O-bahn bus station near Mum's place to town.  They also continued on to the airport, something I found very useful once I moved back to Tasmania.  I hadn't realised that they continue on to Harbor Town, conveniently stopping by Pearl's Resort.  I love the idea of a bus link direct from Mum's to Pearl's.

To catch the J2 from Pearl's to the City is a joy for me.  I can imagine it's wildly frustrating for commuters to have to take the detour to the airport, but I love seeing who's just arrived and listening to their excited conversations.  We return to the main drag, pass the garden with the bountiful lemon tree entwined with purple bougainvillea, pass the jute shop where I bought my bag, pass the old church where the Spinners and Weavers Guild meets, pass the private school where the students were just as obnoxious as at any other school and I'm jubilant that I no longer have to go Relief Teaching, over the railway where you catch the interstate train and into the city, through Light Square and the arts education precinct, over King William Street and into the shops and a short walk to North Terrace.

I also love North Terrace.

I was there on a Sunday.  This is North Terrace, possibly on a Sunday but back in 1888 (from memory).  The old library building opposite the war memorial was open and housed a number of displays, including this photo of the railway station  area.

There was a Democracy Exhibition and I particularly liked this quote.

There were works from students exploring ways Australians have connected over generations.  Audrey's entry resonated with me, from blue airmails, hand written envelopes to SMS.  What a lot we've seen!

And then there is the actual old library.  Whooooooosh off to Hogwarts.

Leaving the hallowed library and out to North Terrace,

for years I have been impressed with the landscaping on the civic side.  I was very concerned some time ago when they started rejigging the Terrace but I think they've done it beautifully.  I would never have thought of featuring agapanthus and dianella together.

Over Frome Road now and past what's left of the hospital.  This stretch is so much more elegant these days.  Beautiful buildings revealed and inspiring landscaping continued - kangaroo paw and (difficult to see at back) strelitzia.  Who'd have thought.

This poster outside the Museum says it all.  Perhaps that's why I remember this holiday as sparkling.

Well that was fun!!

I can't imagine a better holiday than the week I just had in Adelaide.  I always enjoy my time there but this time somehow seemed sparkling.  Perhaps because I arrived to very warm weather (for a Tassie girl, 30℃), an instant holiday feel.  I'd had a window seat on the plane and a cloudless flight.  We followed The Murray for a while to Goolwa and then along the coast to West Beach.  Perfect.

Pearl met me at the airport and we hot-footed it to Ikea for our traditional lunch.  I used the afternoon to rest and recover from dismantling Mental Health Week paraphernalia the day before, something the Espresso Martini at the East Coaster hadn't quite achieved.

the Weily Fox unties the last of the orange bows

and we celebrate as we love best

The next day commenced with my traditional Pearl Resort breakfast 

and then we strolled along the cleverly landscaped West Beach Road to Harbor Town.  I have been dismissive of Harbor Town 'Premium Outlets' in the past, not being much of a shopper, but the perfume wafting from the cleverly cloistered architecture makes it nirvana for labels at cheap prices.  I have been concerned for some time that I have 'lost myself' in all the clothes people have kindly given me.  It's fun taking these clothes and customising them, but I know that they are not garments I would choose for myself.  Imagine my joy when I saw a dress that so reminded me of a dress I had bought 40+ years ago.  But I have plenty of dresses...  And I'm a little older.

With such deep and meaningful reflections, and Pearl patiently listening, we wandered home, lunched, and set off for U3A  where we sat stunned by a presentation of an economic theory alternative to the current capitalist paradigm.  With our brains boggled, there was no course of action other than racing back to Harbor Town to buy the dress.  So I did.

To celebrate such a radical act, we kept our promise to ourselves from my last visit and ate in at the Thai Restaurant in Henley Square.  I did not wear my new dress and the people in the above photo are not us.  But the rest is true.

We watched the sun sink on this most perfect day.

For those who don't know, Henley Square is a pretty groovy place, even as early as sundown.

And I didn't wear the dress because the night was balmily warm and my new dress is perfect for Tasmanian summer days.

Wednesday was balmily warm again and I dressed appropriately for meeting the lawyer about Mum's Will.  I was there in plenty of time but poor Helly updated me with frantic messages:  her bus arrived 20 minutes late; it was a learner bus driver; she'd miss the connection at Reynella; but she didn't; the bus was stuck on Anzac Parade.  This was all wildly exciting as I sat in the cool shade in Light Square watching the passing parade of office workers and art students.  She actually managed to arrive  punctually on the dot, and all proceeded smoothly from there (as far as we know).  It was then off to the Central Market for lunch.  Banh Mis weren't as easy to find as I'd anticipated and cornchips suitable for Helly's allergies proved elusive, but finally we sat down to lunch at 3pm, just as the market was closing (it being Wednesday and all).  But we'd had a good look around in our searching and I bought some of that caramelly Norwegian goat cheese that you eat with a potato peeler.

the only photo I took at the market - many types of ecologically sound dish washing liquids

You can tell I'm from the sticks.  You can buy delicious vegan marshmallows in the same shop.

I caught the lovely J2 bus home, virtually to Pearl's door, in time to catch the Floosie's Fleurieu FM radio broadcast to boogie the evening away.  Fabulous music.

Thursday was The Big Day.  Arranged weeks in advance, we picked up the Floosie in the Oyster and drove to Our Pub in Port Elliot where we lunched at Our Table.  We were a  little hurt that we were offered the Senior's Menu, but we snapped it up.

as usual, with no collaboration, The Pearl and Floosie swanked similar outfits, here showing off their dangly earrings.

Well fed and weary, we dropped the Floosie home and headed home ourselves.  HOWEVER we had been invited to the Pearl's sister's place for pizza and because another sister was down from Queensland.  We trotted over and had a lovely time, including organising going to the movies on Saturday.

I'll skip Friday for now and give the Chihuly Exhibition a dedicated post.  Saturday dawned and it was off to the cinema in Mitcham.  This is virtually unknown territory for me and very exciting.  It was exciting for the sisters too - 4/5 of them together for the first time in years.

4 sisters from the back

(photo requested by middle sister)

and here they are

Pearl Girl was busy on Sunday so I decided to go into Adelaide on the lovely J2 bus.  This was a bit trickier than usual because I had to walk to Harbor Town to catch it instead of adjacent to the Resort.  The Bay to Birdwood car run was on.  As I walked along West Beach Road I was overtaken by my car history: the green Holden - Dad's first car in Australia; Steve's beloved Charger; my Blue Belle old Mercedes; my yellow Moke; the old Morris belonging to Corinne's boyfriend that we borrowed and drove to Hahndorf.  It was quite emotional - my life story flashing by.

Come Monday and it was time to go home.

waiting for the plane to come in

I had chosen to go the long way home via Melbourne, and I was rewarded.  Beautiful weather again and from my window seat I could see

the snaking Murray, carrier of so many memories for me.

and all that week I had watched the moon come full