Opossum Magic

I caught up with my friend Penny who told me she's living in Opossum Bay.  As you  know, I'm blissfully happy with my unit but Opossum Bay is glorious and the idea of a vast expanse of glass overlooking the sea was, briefly, hugely attractive.  Well it still is, actually.  Naturally, the next day I drove down to check it out.  

It's so Southern you'd swear Kunyanyi was a stone throw's away

best pig face I've seen for yonks

appealing curiosities

quirky

and truly beautiful

It is soooo Penny (apart from the pig face).  Her previous house burned down and it took a while for her to decide what to do / where to go next.  I'm so glad she's found here.

Many years ago when Steve and I were living in Tasmania the first time, Steve applied for a job in Woy Woy or Dee Why, can't remember which.  He didn't get the job but I spent happy weeks imagining what life would be like in a place defined by sea living.  I get the same feeling in South Arm / Opossum Bay.  So today I checked out the South Arm Community Market, and felt totally at home.  Took some photos but they didn't do it justice.  Absolute best find:

https://www.italianmarket.com.au/

Had great chat with the guy, remembering The Etna in North Hobart.  He also went to Adelaide Uni and knows Mercato, my favourite Adelaide shop.   So I'll be following his van around.

Culture Vultures and Night Owls

You've got to start somewhere so we started at The Salamanca Whiskey Bar.  We told them we had 15 minutes so could they make a Mud Slide and a Moscow Mule in that time?  They said yes, but lied.  However when the cocktails arrived we forgave them.  The drinks were such fun.

And exhibition openings never start on time.  We were in town for the opening of an exhibition which includes Georgia's work.

The theme was 'Elemental'.  George had used a flame shape to pair with Tasmanian flowers which need fire to germinate.  Sea dragons and sea horsed for the water element.  Pendulous flowers and little birds for 'Air'.  All very beautiful.

I was amused by this piece.  I can't recall it's relevance to Elemental but it did remind me of my wedding cake (Wedding 2).

Not sure of the Elemental relevance of this one either.  But I loved it and bought it.  It is called 'Battle Weary' so perhaps it's elemental to life and ageing.

Georgia's work didn't win a prize.  I can't comment because I'm biased.  But I noticed that it was much admired as I loitered nearby munching on the vegetarian options and drinking red wine.  There is a 'Peoples' Choice' to be announced at the end of the exhibition so 🤞.

We stepped out into a perfect evening.  Fairy lights, a buzz of people, the moon and a star.

By coincidence, Steve sent me a photo from Triabunna days - an owl jug that I had bought and my old faithful coffee cup.

Home and Away

Time flies when you're old!  I'll start with the most recent and work back.
Sandrine arrived on Sunday evening and we were off and running.

a day exploring The Boardwalk and Bellerive Bluff,

coffee at Cocobana

a day in the city followed by dinner at Cugini with Pat the Dog Whisperer - a 73 year old, 84 year old and 93 year old living the high life     

a drive to Triabunna for fish and chips with Georgia and Oscar

and a look at the amazing kelp sculptures at The Village

And then the day of the Big Drive along the Midland Highway, pass the Georgian mansions, through the village of Kempton (which has very nice toilets beside a well thought out dog park - everyone happy!), and on to browse the shops at Oatlands and find some lunch.

https://weaversoatlands.com.au/ featuring Georgia's work

 and a lovely dog called Oscar who guarded the doorway to make sure Jilly didn't sneak in

We lunched at Bunch - spicy cauliflower soup, pumpkin soup.  I had a delicious Valhalla whiskey cream icecream.  I was too delirious to notice what Sandra had - cappuccino maybe?  I also highly recommend the cottage style toilet with the cutest little window.

Much replenished, we walked around the Callington Mill grounds.  The neighbouring gardens are spectacular.  Looking into the sun, this photo does not do justice to a parterre garden.  According to a local, back in the days when you could climb the mill tower, the view down to this garden was breathtaking, especially in Spring.  He still comes to view it from ground level every couple of days, entranced by the daffodils.

bit hard to read but I was impressed with this recognition of the female dry stone wall builders of Oatlands

easily amused... - books holding open a window and a lamp post shadow

We drove home via Colebrook and Campania to Richmond.  This is a road I have only recently discovered and is currently my favourite drive, twisting hill climbs and farmland panoramas.  A little Welsh-like perhaps?

Friday saw us stay local.  We explored the Rosny Barn complex.  This is always a welcoming place and Jill PD is always particularly welcomed.  The School House gallery housed a stimulating exhibition and gave me an idea for the dining room windows in the River Bank house in Wentworth - a decade or so too late.

watching Sandrine from the Rosny Barn atrium

display of beautiful locally made furniture in The Barn

Sandrine looking pensive on Saturday, her flight home later in the day.

A snoogy dog, croissants in the oven.  Heavenly breakfast.

We were so lucky that the weather was clement!!  We had sunny, windless days - contrary to what I'd told Sandra to prepare for.  She still needed her hat, scarf and gloves but was warm.  And the flannelette sheets, 4 blanket doona and a second doona gave good nights' sleep.

When will we do it all again?  There's talk of following the river South next time, exploring Channel country.

In earlier news:

Bilbo Baggins' First Birthday party.

Miya was busy bursting balloons.

Georgia made cup cakes for all of us - liver treats in the ones for Billy, Miya and Jill

A local Syrah wine from Richmond won the Sydney Wine Show.

exciting that Tassie is now making reds

And the day Mum would have turned 100:

Maggie Cool

Back in June I booked a hotel room in St Marys so that I could be at their Winter Solstice Festival.  Sadly I was ill and had to postpone my stay.  So I rebooked for Tuesday and set off along the Midland Highway.  To be honest, the Midland Highway was sort of the destination.  I had driven it many times from Campbell Town to Devonport to catch the ferry but hadn't driven Hobart to Campbell Town for years, and had always wanted to take the turnoff to St Mary's and the East Coast.

It was all a delight.  Mangalore had even more heritage houses than I remembered.  Kempton feels like a village in its own right.

You can always tell you're getting close to Oatlands by the steel sculptures on the hills.

It's also a town of hedges and topiary.

I was rather taken with this garden design centre.

And gorgeous whimsy.

Next stop Campbell Town for lunch.

delicious Cornish pasty and French vanilla slice

Didn't dally because I was 'doing' Campbell Town on the way back.  And so to the Esk Highway.  This is a really beautiful drive.  Dabs of wattle yellow, then ribbons of what I'm pretty sure are Blackwoods in flower along the roadside, river and railway track.

proof  that Wheatbelt Victoria is not the only place with painted silos

Although this is actually a water tower...

The town of Avoca looked architecturally interesting but Fingal seemed post-apocalyptic.  The countryside continued brilliant green and increasingly dotted with black cattle.

small church on approach to St Marys

lovely leadlight in St Marys Hotel

cute little room

I arrived at about 3pm in pouring rain and wondered what to do with myself.  I had seen a sign to Cornwell and a Miners' Memorial Wall so drove back to take a look.

The Wall is not a thing of beauty but the lists of miners' names and the history are well done.  I thought about my Dad going underground for coal in the Rhondda in Wales from the age of 14 to 19 years.  And also the sad lives of the pit ponies there.  The Tasmanian Cornwell ponies seem to have had a much better life.

Adjacent to the Miners' Memorial is a memorial park and garden dedicated to local soldiers in the First World War.  I followed the perimeter path, each plant in memory of a soldier.  About halfway around is this poem (I think, with a spelling mistake) which tells of a real love for this place.  Cornwall did remind me of the Rhondda - cottages clinging to the hillside - and you can see that it is raining!

I had a good meal at the pub and was delighted to find magazines in the guests' common room so spent a heavenly evening.  I got up much earlier than planned the next morning and took a stroll along St Marys rivulet on the Wombat Walk.  Then I drove the Elephant Pass Road to Chain of Lagoons on the East Coast.  I was concerned that, driving East in the early morning, the sun would be in my eyes but the tall trees made dappled light and red-breasted wrens and fairy wrens danced before me.  From Chain of Lagoons it was North on the Tasman Highway to the St Marys turnoff just before Falmouth.  Pranksters have had fun with the road signs:  Long Vehicles Sound Horny;  You are now entering St Marys ass.  Oh dear.

Back in St Marys before 10am, I waited for the shops to open. I chose to breakfast at The Purple Possum.  This is a magnificent shop, stocking the raw foods that I love, Turkish Delight and an eclectic mix of clothes, homewares and souvenirs.  I bought a veggie scrubbing brush and a teatowel as well as edibles.  The owner has run the shop for 28 years and does all the buying herself, guided by what she loves.  Bellerive Village would be perfection with such a shop.

Homeward bound, yesterday's sheep seemed to have lambed overnight and the paddocks played host to little gangs of gangly, scheming lambs.  Stopped in a cold and windy Campbell Town for a much anticipated 'good look around'.  But it was very disappointing.  Lake Leather had beautiful shoes and bags as always, but there were scant other interesting shops, with many galleries closed permanently.  Oatlands definitely has the edge at the moment.

view from the bridge - Red Bridge at Campbell Town

Home to Bellerive, then take Sarah home to South Hobart where she and Jilly Pup said lingering goodbyes.  Sarah and Jill have a deep bond, which is very handy if I need a dog sitter!  I was very pleased with my road trip and realised that I am very much a small country town woman - St Marys teemed with grey haired women wearing boots and baggy jeans just like me.  But how I love being back in Bellerive.

Why Maggie Cool?

I think I look pretty cool in my driving glasses.

[However I felt pretty stupid when I started Wordle and Connections after taking the photo and realised, after a while, that I hadn't gone blind overnight.  I was still wearing the distance driving glasses not my reading glasses...]

time on my hands

Got up bright and early, bought croissants and got ready to go to Reece Plumbing under plumber's orders to get a pedestal mixer and bottle trap.  Fortunately checked online and discovered the place doesn't open on Sundays.  So a brief update.

The first part of the bathroom plan is to replace this

with this.

Georgia made the basin and the guy who did my front fence made the stand.  I shall report when it's mission accomplished.

My next blog post was going to be to recommend these two books, so here they are.

This is clearly written and contains top information on the neurological structure and function of the brain, and a plan to get / keep your brain in tip top form.

I'm a great believer in the wisdom of indigenous culture and a great wisher that Western 'civilisation' would embrace it, so this is the book for me.  Both are library books.

Around the house:

yesterday I awoke to a rainbow in the bedroom window

looking at my back door

blossoming house warming present from the Floosie

Over and out.  Listening to the Floosie on Fleurieu FM

starlight, star bright

I've been getting the guilts about not blogging.  I don't seem to have any coherent stories to tell.  Getting the washing in, I looked for the first star as I do every night, and there it was in conversation with the moon.  A sign!  So I'm having a go.
 

I often blog during the Floosie's Fleurieu FM radio show but today I procrastinated and practised calligraphy while listening.  Tomorrow is the final class for this term.  As you can see, I've still got a long way to go but I think I  may have come as far as I want to go.  There are just so many other things to do.

There had been a discussion at calligraphy about making ochre ink and that you can find ochre on Penna Beach.  So Jilly and I investigated.  Maybe someone was trying out the ochre shades on this log?  Having no idea what ochre looks like on a beach we aborted the search and otherwise amused ourselves.

I am easily amused

Jill is more circumspect

Good interpretation signs:

though, sorry, the print is not coming through very clearly!  You'll just have to come and see for yourself.

The adjacent dog park was a bit of an education.  The Penna Landcare group was out and about planting more trees.

They are responsible for what I had at first thought was a sculpture

but later realised is a very clever way of recycling the nutrients from a dead tree.  I have never seen this done before, and get very annoyed when people think the sole use of a dead tree is firewood for humans.

From Bellerive Beach we had the excitement of this huge ship

being anchored for days.

It was here to pick up InCat's electric ferry which is bound for South America.  Once  loaded, it had to wait a few more days for wave and weather conditions to be safe for the long haul.

Keeping it nautical,

my friend, Pat, completed this jigsaw.  I had bought it many years ago while in an independent bookshop in Tanunda.  I have never liked doing jigsaws but rather fancied the bookshop owner and loved the waves and message.  Plus it's important to support the indies.

and then Pat broke it all up and put it in its jaunty bag

Since we are now back home, let me show you my playroom:

I had been calling it my studio, but one day the memory of being a child and going nextdoor to play with Momery Twigg (now Rosa Norte) came to me.  Mrs Trigg always invited us to play in The Playroom which was actually a conservatory, a lovely light filled space.  Mrs Trigg was a wonderful dressmaker.  She gave us old Vogue, McCalls, etc pattern books to cut up for paper dolls, and we would loll on the floor and live sophisticated lives.

The only other things I have to report are my cooking,

I made the pastry...

sunny days - I made the pumpkin soup -

and signs of Spring.