Sunny dry windy mornings sees a hurried procession of dirty washing carrying campers making their way up to the laundry room. Even though many travellers (Grey Nomads) in vans are now taking small washing machines with them on the road they tend to use the park’s amenities for large items- sheets and bedding especially.
The ‘Laundry Room’ is more than that. Yes, there are washers and dryers and (if you’re really fussy) ironing boards but there’s also the ‘drop and swap’ book exchange and a very large notice board. News and Views and What’s on Where – specials at various shops in town – as well which campers are offering what services….from what I’ve heard there’s a motor mechanic and a hairdresser/barber spending the winter here (both are doing a roaring trade – no need to go into town, cheaper prices, bits of gossip from on the road).
Anyway for years it would be ‘a ladies world’ in there but things are slowly changing (for the better some might say….others mutter about ‘not doing it right) and this season more men are ‘helping out’ with the washing. So sometimes there are different conversations going on….stuff that used to be confined to over a beer or wine at Happy Hour – like lots of joshing about various football teams and possible results of upcoming games (various states = various codes) also the price of fuel that seems to crop up now and again.
Men don’t talk quietly so you can’t help but overhear – “geez, you’re looking a bit off this morning ”….”yeah mate, I’m a bit worried….” Lots of loud laughter from his ‘mate’ followed by a line from a song some of us of a certain age knew well. Corny as it sounds, the ‘worried man’ joined in singing, his mate said something about “the kettle being on” and they wandered off back to wherever. Guess I’ll never know what he was worried about- from his mate’s reaction it couldn’t have been that bad😊
I finished the little newborn jacket (bar sewing the sleeves) such an easy pattern that took no time at all to knit – unfortunately there’s just one thing wrong….apart from the sleeve length (because it was actually ‘knit xxx inches not xxx rows) it’s too small for an average full term babe. The chest and length are about right for a large prem (which wasn’t what the charity was asking for) so a little unravelling has taken place.
It was partly my own fault I suppose, my first time using that yarn – one of those mill end packs – knowing it wasn’t as heavy as most 8ply/dk I still went ahead and used it. What I could do now is go up a needle size which would probably result in a bigger garment but I think would make the fabric too ‘loose’. Or maybe try using the yarn with a 4ply pattern and see how that goes…or knit something using two strands and see how the sizing measures up to a recognised 8ply pattern All ideas for another time because something else called to me. ***** The Golfer is an ‘old fashioned’ fella – I’m not saying he lives in the past except he does like/prefer things he’s familiar with. Take shorts for example…… He likes the ones he wears at home – short!. His brand of choice since forever has been Stubbies.
Working life in summer meant ‘longs’ had to be worn rather than tailored ‘walk shorts’ back in the day so the elastic waisted cotton drill ones were and have continued to be his favourite for after hours at home. But over time the manufacturers have altered the leg length. It’s difficult to find the short ones – which means the ones he’s got are really beginning to show wear Wearing right out!.
Fed up seeing these ones with a large hole in the b*** (they’re alright for the garden he said) I brought them along to have a go at patching – by hand (something not done for years)
I didn’t think I did too badly – he looked and muttered- ‘alright for round the house and garden’ – then do you know what the cheeky so and so said…. ‘but you haven’t fixed the hole’ Pardon?……. ‘The little one in the pocket!.’. ***** Anyway, what I do know is going well, and that is the boy’s guernsey I’m making. Another sleeve finished and up to the cabling on the front. Along with a ‘literary find’ at the op shop (one I might have read previously but you know….ageing mind sometimes forgets things) plus a new blue mug (because I dropped last year’s blue/white striped one)…..it all adds up to a happy Catherine
You might be thinking all I do is read, knit and sit on the beach Well, it’s been a quiet week so you wouldn’t be wrong there
Plus the internet has been a real pain up here in the park and I can get a better signal down at Rose Bay. Visiting blogs and commenting has been minimal. Composing posts there has been interesting I get sidetracked watching the sky, the waves and lone seagulls having a swim
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Kat is having a break from hosting Unravelled Wednesday – wish her well as she grieves
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Yes, Monday has returned…..just wondering what is in store for me this week. Last week was a week of contrasts – Little things had me thinking about how they often grow into Large things. Or how you’re expecting Large but they turn out to be Little
What we didn’t anticipate was that the large cold front that ‘swept across’ the southern states would make itself known all the way up to east coast. Rather low overnight temps – down to 6c/42f – meant those large (warm) winter clothes worn on the way up but now tucked away in cabins and caravans were given unexpected early morning airings. When we had the ‘will you use it’ convo before leaving home I gave a ‘well you never know, hope for the best- prepare for the worst’ answer when The Golfer saw the hot water bottle. Guess who was filling the kettle before bedtime….his toes were cold 😊
One of those contrasting moments was seeing the turn of the tide one morning with little or no movement- a very calm sea compared to an earlier one the week before
A unexpected trip to the chiropractor for what I thought might be a big drawn out affair turned out to be a little thing. After some gentle but forceful movements and a reminder to do the exercises and stretches….yes, I know the ones you mean…..I can now walk reasonably comfortably . Sciatica making itself known again is a PITA – figuratively as well as physically!
Down by the harbour I saw the funny side of these little boats wanting to be like the big ones.
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Longing to join the big boys
Copying their movements
Then I couldn’t believe my eyes when this cyclist rode by… Trailing a very little dog behind her……
Walking the dog this way isn’t new – we’ve all heard of it, laughed at the idea, maybe even seen it before. Not like this though. Usually with a whopping great dog who loves the exercise….
That poor little dog’s legs are going ten to the dozen trying to keep up with the big bicycle wheels. The owner would probably tell us to mind our own business. He/She’s used to it, done it many times before But somehow it just didn’t seem fair…
And what didn’t seem fair to The Golfer was that my lunch appeared to be larger than his. ’But my fish is smaller than yours’ he said, ‘plus you got more chips’ ‘That’s what you get for trying to appear healthy by ordering grilled fish’.
There wasn’t that much fish under the batter and most of his portion of chips was hiding beneath his grilled fish.
I’ve always been on the opinion that Monday is a day for thinking- forget the traditional idea it’s a day for washing- it’s a day for looking the week ahead in the face and saying “whatever you’ve got- little or large – throw it at me and I’ll see what I can do with it. I was born on a Monday in a year when many ‘large’ things were being ‘thrown’ around so maybe that attitude comes from that
Monday Musings – a time to think and ponder
How do you feel about Mondays? Friend or Foe??
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Sharing with Min’s Wednesday’s Words and Whimsy – you’ll find it HERE
Questions Questions Questions……honestly you can’t leave home without family wanting to know all the things you’re doing Used to be parent – child……now it’s become child – parent Where ya goin’ – Where’ve ya been- Whatcha doin- Whatcha readin’. Talk about role reversal 😊🙁
So here goes ……we’ll keep them happy and also let you know what I’vebeen reading over the past month.
(I’m sharing this with the What’s on your Book Shelf Challenge). **** One’s a new one to me – short stories by a well known but unread by me author, then there’s ‘catch up’ on one I mentioned ages ago that has been sitting around waiting its turn, plus a ‘laundry room’ find here at the park.
I tried out a couple of very old children’s classics from years ago as well as an often talked about YA (young adult’s) I’d heard of but had never got round to reading.
Australians love their long weekends, an extra day off work and if a Friday away can be wrangled it makes it all the more special. And when you find a book with that title you know it’s going to be extra special. Not one of Judy Nunn’s novels but several short stories under one cover – I read them all but will tell you about just two.
* The first of them – The Long Weekend – follows 5 very different female friends – colleagues in a publishing company – preparing for a longed for post Covid restrictions weekend away at one’s grandparents cabin in the bush……with none of the digital privileges they live with on a daily basis. But it doesn’t all go to plan which results in a very surprising ending. ***** * I was drawn to The House on Hill Street for no other reason than my Grandad Thompson, his siblings and many of his cousins were all born in a house on Hill Street, Lurgan, Co Armagh during the 1800s. Let’s just say that some interesting things went on in this one. A neighbour- a professor – his wife – the police were all involved when the dastardly deed happened. Did insanity play a part…..some said yes – others weren’t so sure.
Where the Crawdads sing – Delia Owens 2018. There are times when I should do things as they arise and then I won’t be disappointed……this book has been waiting its turn for quite a while – I knew I was very late to the party where reading it was concerned and I was very eager to see what all the hype was about but…….Sorry to say this was a DNF. I even had my own little ‘beachside book club’ one morning talking to The Golfer about it, mentioning I had no interest in what was happening to the characters. He’s a ‘finisher’ and just said do what I thought best, so much to his surprise when I got to the page where Tate says goodbye as he’s going to college much earlier than planned, that’s where I said goodbye 👋
*****
The Walled Garden – Catherine Dunne 2000. Beth flew the coop as soon as she could,…James, her dutiful brother, stayed in Dublin….not far from their mother, Alice. Now Alice is dying and Beth has returned to the shabby grandeur of her childhood home to keep vigil by her bedside.
Set in Ireland late 1990s, a story about a family, changing lives, changing circumstances, changing relationships…mother-wife…..father-husband….mother-daughter….mother-son….sister-brother…. Told as recollections/flashbacks by various characters – following a series of letters written by Alice to the ‘children’ after a medical diagnosis – a very emotional book to read. One that made me think about life and ageing, one I thoroughly enjoyed even though I shed bucketloads of tears! *****
Goodnight Mister Tom – Michelle Magorian 1981. Sometimes there are events/things you’re doing that you wish would never end. Reading this little book about a young evacuee and the old man he was billeted with was one. I just wanted it to keep on going – to learn more about their life together after the war had ended, how he coped in a changing world and developed as a young man. If you are able to get a copy, enjoy this story of a young boy’s growth during stressful times, yes, it included pain and sorrow but also fun, laughter, and most of all love. My copy came from the library but I did discover it available (free) online HERE. ********
Little Dot had lost her way in the bush. She knew it, and was very frightened. She was too frightened in fact to cry, but stood in the middle of a little dry, bare space, looking around her at the scraggy growths of prickly shrubs that had torn her little dress to rags, scratched her bare legs and feet till they bled, and pricked her hands and arms as she had pushed madly through the bushes, for hours, seeking her home.
The story of 5yr old Dot befriended by a Kangaroo and their journey to reunite her with her family, read through an adult’s eyes, not having read it as a child….
….I found it a very confronting/emotional story, quite forthright and gruesome in parts. A book for reading to children, as it was much too wordy for young ones to read themselves and appeared geared towards older children who could absorb ‘the message’
Reminding me part of Alice in Wonderland plus Grimms Fairy Tales – quite scary in parts (for young readers) yet humorous in parts (for adults)
Fantasy with berries allowing humans and birds/animals to talk to each other…..late C1900 racial undertones – by today’s standards – with aborigines (blacks) shown in very bad light – ‘white humans’ not much better……much emphasis on being kind, respecting others and caring for the bush (environmental care before it became ‘trendy’)
Asking Australian friends how much they remembered about it – ‘oh, our teacher read it to us……a lovely little story about how Dot was lost and all the animals helped to get her home’. No one seemed to remember ‘the message’ though!
Looking for something with a ‘holiday’ feel to it I started this unread children’s classic……but I’m not sure how far I’ll get with it. Another one that’s very ‘wordy’ Four chapters in – my thoughts so far
1930s – Middle class – bit of money – have nurse/nanny for baby – holidaying away from home – able to do in a grander scale than other children – loads of nautical terms – father in navy so learnt but possibly a bit over powering for town and country children not living on coast – shades of class distinction- lots of ‘outdoor’ stuff
Children on holiday, father away at sea….. mother sent letter asking if they could camp on a nearby island. Mother (a fun loving Australian) happy to give them the freedom to do so, started preparing things (making tents and bedding! ) so they could sleep out in the open either on the island or near the house.
Sail to island- make camp – disappointed (annoyed) others had been there before them –
There’s a reason I enjoy this little bay I visit several times during the week. It’s more secluded than some of the other beaches and because of where it’s situated it never seems as windy as the other more open beaches it’s also fairly flat so there’s no ‘drop’ in the ocean floor which means it’s ‘safe’ for children (they can play along the shoreline without the worry of them falling into a big hole)
These are all recent ‘early morning’ pictures – the tide times will be changing slowly and as the days go by there’ll be water further up on the sands when I arrive. Won’t be so far to go to dip my toes and wander along the shoreline…..at the moment the sea’s a fraction too cool for my liking, give it a week or two and my bathing suit ‘might’ get wet 😊
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When the tide is this low there are little shallow pools left in amongst those rocks where the children are sitting. Just right for babies and toddlers to enjoy the water – as well as adults and family dogs
Unfortunately a very high tide last week brought with it oodles of seaweed which covered the whole of the beach area. It’s slowly drying off and will float away soon.
I’m sure I’ve mentioned before it’s only a couple of kms away so I’m there shortly after 9am and leave about 10.45……and as The Golfer gets back about 11 (from you know where) it works out well. Not too late for a mid morning coffee…..I realise that doesn’t sound long but it’s enough for me to relax and enjoy the fresh sea air as well as the sunshine without being ‘stupid’ about it. It’s only just warming up at that time, maybe about 18-20c/68f, but it’ll get warmer as the day goes by.
9.45am Sunday July 14
Yes I like the sun and its warmth but I’m not into all day affairs. I can enjoy it here by the cabin knowing the indoors is just a step away.
We stay in Queens Beach (see red dot) Rose Bay is over to the right (by the #10)
Enjoy your days wherever you are – whatever the season whatever the weather
Wednesday is our ‘treat’ day. The day we often treat ourselves to lunch out.
It’s Ladies Day at the golf course (yes they still have such things) it’s set aside through to 3pm for ladies only to play which means a certain someone is at a loose end
Could be a local beach morning or a drive down to Cannonvale or further on to Airlie Beach or even a drive up to Ayr…..all within an hours drive and always with a lunch I don’t have to cook myself (or ask The Golfer to come up with)
So last Wednesday we stayed local – Rose Bay then into ‘town’ for lunch at one of the hotels (pubs)
Some of you know I do like a curry If it’s on the menu I’ll give it a go So when I saw one of the lunch specials was……
SRI LANKAN CURRY An authentic blend of traditional spices & chicken served w/ fragrant rice & naan
I gave that as my order BUT was I surprised when this turned up All in the one bowl!
I don’t mind the naan on the plate – but didn’t enjoy the soggy ends where they’d soaked up the thin sauce.
I don’t mind some sort of salad – served separately, not floating in the sauce
I don’t mind the rice on the same plate – but prefer it or the curry in a separate bowl
The beef (which was what the dish was all about) was cooked just right, tender, not chewy, with an interesting ‘spicy’ taste
The cutlery (spoon included – didn’t have to ask for one) came in those packets with the corny jokes
so really I had nothing to complain about.
It’s just it would have been so much nicer (read – more appealing) if it had been plated differently.
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Towards the end of May (about 7 weeks ago) I had a little think fest about ‘things to do’ while we were away up here – finally deciding on THESE. Mind settled I packed the supplies away thinking how clever I was to be so well organised.
Then of course mid June ‘life happened’ and I broke open a bag and calmed myself with THIS. Always a good way to divert my attention from other stuff is to think about something else.
And those children’s woolies were still to be my winter project…….see I finished the back of the one I began at home, started a sleeve on the way up and here it is done waiting for the next one. This yarn really is proving to be a good buy – easy to knit with, has a ‘wintery’ feel to it but isn’t scratchy at all. Might have to ‘straighten’ a few stitches though….reading and knitting sometimes produces sloppy work.
…..so why (you ask) am I in the middle of making baby cardigans? Well, just before we left, I heard on the grapevine of another charity asking for 1st size (0-3mths) cardigans and you do know how I enjoy making them. So I might have put some lighter weight yarn in my bags as well😊
This is such an easy knit with its simple decorative but effective bodice/shoulder shaping. It won’t take long to finish now, just have the skirt/ body to do and ‘Bob’s your uncle’, I’m ready to get on with another one
This week I’ve been engrossed with a collection of short stories by Australian Judy Nunn. My first time with this author, I’ve found them easy to read, not too involved, (a few words say a lot) I’m thinking maybe I’ll try one of her novels soon.
How have you been occupying your time recently- the weather’s been a talking point in many countries so I think a few of you may have needed things to take your mind off what’s been going on in the great outdoors. What about reading matter – any recommendations to share??? *******
It’s Wednesday- time to check in with Kat and others at her weekly link up called Unraveled Wednesday . Let’s hope she’s feeling rested after her break, but look, why don’t you pop over, see what’s going on – maybe stay and say hello.
It was smiles all the way up the highway Home to the Vic border, up to the Qld border, across to Rocky and then on up to Bowen Good weather (very unusual) – no rain, no fog, no frosty mornings Light traffic – unusual for the Newell, the Leichhardt and the Bruce Few trucks, less Wobblys (caravans) hardly any local town traffic. Open roads! Unheard of in the Dubbo area Look, an overtaking lane and nobody to overtake’….made me smile to hear The Golfer say that. He dislikes being in a ‘convoy’
Strangely for me I took no photos until we came to the Queensland border
A welcome sight – even through a dirty windscreen
After a quiet week settling in – hello library beach and supermarket (no blog reading or commenting yet though) nothing was planned for Saturday a cool dry sunnyish but very windy morning arrived so washing is up to date
Lunch time a surprise visitor arrived in the form of Mr Whippy nothing funnier than ‘retired’ adults clutching their money – waiting in line for a childhood pleasure
Followed by a surprise visit of dark clouds rolling in and the retired oldies retiring inside their vans and cabins because – the heavens opened and the rain came down
Then a short time later blue skies reappeared But unlike Incy Wincy Spider nobody came out again 🙁
Because……. there was AFLfooty and rugby and cycling and car racing and horse racing sport galore and maybe more on the telly!
********
Incy wincy spider climbed up the waterspout Down came the rain and washed poor incy out Out came the sun and dried up all the rain So incy wincy spider climbed up the spout again
Still Waters 