Some days I don’t need to be encouraged to say yes
Lunch by a open fire on a cold day is never going to be refused
Soup + sourdough + my special man
will always please sentimental me
Ranges at Olinda
#enjoyeverymoment
Some days..
From there to here..
It was my cousin mentioning something about a concert we went as young teenagers (when my family was visiting them in Belfast March 1958) something that started me thinking about someone I hadn’t thought about for a good many years.
Lonnie Donegan.
Unlike most of my friends, I really enjoyed his early folky music…before he turned to ‘comedy tunes’.
Tunes like ‘Did your chewing gum lose its flavour on the bed post overnight’ 🙁
I was also a fan of trad jazz – yes I knew all the pop singers of the time and the words to their songs but wasn’t that interested in them. They didn’t hold my attention the way folk and jazz (plus big band) did so my friends tended to think that as far as music was concerned I was a bit strange.
When Gordon Lightfoot died early this month I thought (wrongly) didn’t he share the stage with Lonnie Donegan at one time?
No, it was Terry Lightfoot – jazz musician with Chris Barber (who LD had played with in early 1950s) .
Age might do weird things to your memory but when Willie Nelson turned 90 late this April just gone I definitely remembered another concert
One I (and The Golfer) went to
It was the night The Highwaymen came to town.
(Yes you can add country and western to my my list of likes as well😊)
Willie, Waylon, Cash and Kristoffersen – The National Tennis Centre Melbourne.
(Now known as Rod Laver Arena)
32 years ago today – May 22 1991
This video isn’t from that concert- but it might just as well have been
Filmed March 1990
I know most of you aren’t in this age bracket but here are links that might bring back memories for some of you – and let others know what it was all about – and how it was an inspiration for many who have come afterwards
https://hellomusictheory.com/learn/famous-british-singers-of-the-1950s/
https://lonniedoneganscrapbook.webs.com/tourappearanceguide.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/nov/05/guardianobituaries.arts
Leftovers again!!
You know how some shelves in your freezer seem to be dedicated to ‘left overs’ ( things too ‘good’ to throw away, that can maybe be added to other ingredients to make a meal) well I seem to have accumulated an awful lot of left over yarn. Bags and bags of it shoved into stored in other larger bags.
So here we are following on from my attempt a few weeks ago and working with the principle that ‘from little things big things grow’ (combine lots of little things….) plus ‘make hay while the sun shines’ (because sunny autumnal days are never to be sneezed at) – I’ve an idea in mind and look I even found some cute buttons (in my large collection of left overs of course) that hopefully will work. So as they say – watch this space!
And for once I have actually begun to enjoy my reading
the world without us – Mireille Juchau. (book club)
Two chapters in and eager for more
It has been six months since Tess Müller stopped speaking. Her silence is baffling to her parents, her teachers and her younger sister, Meg. But the more urgent mystery for both girls is where their mother, Evangeline, goes each day, pushing an empty pram. When their father Stefan discovers a car wreck and human remains on their farm, old secrets emerge to threaten the fragile family. A storm is coming and the Müllers are in its path
~ ~ ~ ~
And look at this , just by magic- because I didn’t publish this post earlier in the month – here’s the finished cardigan (now tucked away in the charity box) plus a ‘lovely little book’ spotted on a library shelf, sitting there waiting for me to find it. Lots of short ‘stories/essays’ by knitters about- what else but – their stash of yarn. It’s been a great book to dip into, with each chapter just the right length to enjoy while resting my hands. Have any of you read it?
Its time for Unraveled Wednesday hosted by Kat…….As Kat Knits……
Time to pop over and see what’s going on
Hidden benefits…
There is a little hidden benefit to having my man, The Golfer
out of the house several times a week.
He is out in the fresh air ‘working up an appetite’
while putting the world to right with his mates
While I am able enjoy my ‘taste test’ meal – quietly on my own
And get to ‘dress the table’ – my way😊
And then of course have 2nds with him for dinner that evening 😊
~ ~ ~ ~
ps…the comment run around is still alive and well!
I’m having problems- others are having problems
I don’t think it’s related to me having changed themes recently but you never know
Anyway the old one has been retired so there’s no going back 🙁
Seemingly there are now very few WordPress themes that show comments on the home page.
So to be able to comment here on Still Waters you need to go to the actual post – click on the title- ie ‘open the post’ then scroll down to the comment box.
I think my personal difficulties are with Google/Blogger rather than WordPress. I’m working on it
Sharing with Denyse’s weekly link up Wednesday’s Words & Pics
Why don’t you pop over and see who’s visiting her today
They’re all the same…just a little bit different
Say hello to some little things I’ve had bubbling away in the background. A couple of little newborn sets for the baby programme…..knit over the last few weeks using left overs from other projects….from years ago in some cases 😊
Those odd ‘bits of this, bits of that’ half & less balls were getting out of hand
or should I say…..filling the bag and needed to be used up.
There was enough for backs as well as fronts on another two, not all 8plys are equal so they turned out slightly larger. The charity welcomes ‘traditional baby colours’
Made using a ‘favourite’ adaptable pattern…..we’ve all got them haven’t we😊.
This one couldn’t be easier if it tried – after the rib band the back is straight, on the fronts the only decrease to think about is for the neckline starting half way up and the sleeves consist of a rib band, several side increases then straight knitting with the cast off all in one line.
Here’s some others I prepared earlier 😊
It’s a style that lends itself to so many interpretations…. Over the years some worked – others, well they weren’t a fail, let’s just say I wouldn’t try it again (the fisherman’s rib pattern was too chunky for the sizing- but that’s what the recipient wanted)
Sometimes where reading is concerned – a bit like food and knitting when things aren’t going the way you’d like them to – ‘comfort’ books are all you want. What I call Australian historical is often where I go to….especially to those written by Darry Fraser. They are ‘lose yourself’ novels many of them about strong females in a man’s world in 1800s Australia
Elsa Goody Bushranger – Darry Fraser
When Elsa Goody’s father and brother George die in quick succession she and her sister Rosie are in trouble. Pursued by an unpleasant suitor with dubious motivation, Elsa leaves for Victoria on the hunt for a fortune in gold coins that her brother has hidden. If Elsa can find it she will be able to save Rosie and herself from married slavery.
….. Unraveled Wednesday hosted by Kat…….As Kat Knits……
is on again! Pop over and see what’s going on.
#enjoyeverymoment
Autumn Day14…..Time for Tea
And lunch too😎
Tuesday last week was one of those ‘you beaut’ gentle warm sunny Autumn days
we do so well in Melbourne. I got to enjoy it by being taken on a drive
It was time to Top up The Golfer’s Tea Tin.
which means a drive up the hills to the little shop In Sassafras
He bought double quantity this time
And while we were there I got treated to lunch down at our special place in Olinda
During the winter we sit near the fire down at the front end
Summer time means the outside deck is the place to be
Unless it’s too hot – then it’s inside to eat and outside for drinks and chat
There’s free off street parking right there at the back door
and if there’s ever a time I can’t manage the steps….well,
The Golfer can drive round the corner and drop me at the main front door
I had a ‘lovely light lunch’ of quiche plus salad and a small serve of some perfectly cooked hot chips …….but Bad Blogger that I am…..I forgot to take a photo. I did take one of my coffee though😊.
Someone had been practicing their latte art – an autumn leaf.
#enjoyeverymoment
Linking to Wednesday’s Words & Pics hosted by Denyse.
Don’t Forget – if you want to see it best……Click/ tap or finger slide to enlarge
Forget the ‘yarn snobs’…it’s a Long Weekend!
I should have known better….it’s not as if I don’t have enough to keep me busy during the week….anyway I said maybe when a friend asked …..and then allowed myself to be persuaded……to go along with her to a newly formed ‘drop in’ craft group…..held at one of our larger local libraries
That’s where I came across it again. It being almost a ‘wool/yarn one-upmanship’
A certain type of snobbery that lingers amongst some members of the craft community
Settling in for the morning I spent a lot of time fielding various questions
- What are you knitting?
- What are you using?
- Why on earth are you using that?
- Oh I wouldn’t use that in a million years!
- My dear, you should be buying this, that and the other
- I spin (and dye) my own…always have….always will!
It’s difficult explaining to some the needs and wants of charity knitting. Charities need knitters to provide something warm for someone/something to wear – some will accept items knit with wool (natural fibre) others prefer acrylic (man made). Pros and cons for each yarn. Some refugee charities want flame resistant wool only; because donations are sent to ‘camps’ where open fires are used. Some homeless/ disadvantaged charities ask for acrylic; because laundering and drying (when possible) is a great deal easier.
I’ve often spoken about my choice of yarn to knit with (for charities) and this was the first time ever I had to defend it (plus my choice of using straight needles rather than circular or even DPNs). It was all rather strange and a bit disappointing. I then discovered this was actually an established group (who mentioned they preferred to be called fibre artists). who’d moved to the library – a cheaper meeting place option for them but advertising the group was part of ‘the deal’.
I said goodbye ‘nicely’ and left wondering if I’d return.
My friend had no issues and was all for it….
Somehow I think my answer is no.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
All that is now at the back of my mind as I slowly wake up this early Monday morning here in Melbourne- the 2nd Monday in March is an annual public holiday to ‘celebrate’ Labour Day – giving us a long weekend…..which Australians never say no to😊
It’s been almost like BC – before Covid – so much to see and do, things going on in the city – statewide as well. Moomba’s been the main one, with the parade and the Birdman Rally back again this year, and there’s been festivals associated with (to name a few) Potato, Food and Wine, Light, Music (folk, jazz, bush, Celtic) plus cultural ones as well
https://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/moomba-festival
https://secretmelbourne.com/things-to-do-melbourne-weekend/.
https://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/labour-day-melbourne
Labour Day celebrates the achievements of workers advocating eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.source
So why the photo of an umbrella – stapler – desiccated coconut and a pillow
Well these will be handy in some places in the world
Because it seems 13 March 2023 is
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/open-an-umbrella-indoors-day/
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/fill-our-staplers-day/
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/coconut-torte-day/
and the pillow is especially for those who turned their clocks forward last night
Oh and here’s a little gem about a March 13th happening
(from the days before professional soccer players ruled the game)
In 1875 March 13th was on a Saturday. The Royal Engineers played against the Old Etonians in the fourth Football Association Challenge Cup Final.
* ……The first match was notable chiefly because it was played in a “howling gale”. The conditions considerably favoured the Etonians team, which had the wind at its backs for all but 10 minutes of the 90, and all 30 minutes of extra time (teams in this period changed ends after every goal- this game was the last to feature this rule)
This game was a draw…..the replay(which The Engineers won) was 3 days later
Cuthbert Ottaway (Old Etonians) received an ankle injury and did not recover in time for the replay…
*…..Etonians also lost the services of three other players who had prior commitments. Unable to obtain adequate replacements, the Old Boys arrived at the ground an hour late and lost the delayed replay 0–2
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1875_FA_Cup_final
#enjoyeverymoment
Linking to Wednesday’s Words & Pics hosted by Denyse.
3 Large & 2 Small….
Sounds like something from a television show 😊
‘The Trio’ is finally finished and on its way to the charity. In the end I was quite pleased with them and maybe- just maybe- might be inclined to knit some more of that size…..sometime.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
No sooner had I started to think about the Rabbit Project from last month than I had a call from a friend just returned from interstate telling me about her new Gt granddaughter.
Her very first Gt grandchild!
‘She was born just after the Lunar New Year- she’s a rabbit….her mother had a rabbit as a special toy when she was a child, I must see if I can find one for my little darling.’
And you can guess what happened after that😊
‘Cathy, if I provide the wool would you do me a favour – there’ll be no hurry- I was thinking, possibly for winter next year’
There was no need to think about it….of course I would.
Within days yarn in ‘deep’ soft colours arrived (not too light – not too dark), size (to fit 18mths) style (cardigan plus easy fit jumper) and chart design were agreed on
So all that was left was for me to start.
Much love is being knit into these garments – for the new life that will get to wear them and for the sweet sister who loved to wear hers
******
At the moment I’m listening to:-
Oscar and Lucinda – Peter Carey…….although I think maybe reading it might be better – I’m having a problem with the narrator’s voice.
At the moment I’m reading:-
The Tea Rose – Jennifer Donnelly…..just started and I think I’ll be at it quite a while. The copy I have is over 500 pages. If I fancy the other two in the series …..well, let’s just finish this one first 😊
And I guess I won’t be reading Jane Harper’s new release anytime soon. Exiles – Aaron Falk #3 – has an enormous hold list…..I’m there at 306…..bets on it could be May at least before I’m in the top 10!. I found The Dry a bit slow, enjoyed Force of Nature much more, hopefully this one (when I get it) is better still.
Wednesday is the day Kat hosts ‘Unraveled Wednesday ‘
I’m not sure where the month went but this is the first Wednesday in March so I’m sharing my post – pop over and discover what others are knitting, reading and talking about
#enjoyeverymoment
Crochet like you’ve never seen before….
State borders being closed in 2021 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic meant we had to extend our ‘winter break’ in Far North Queensland.
I’ve mentioned previously we spent some of that extra time visiting Mackay, learning about a small city 950km north of Brisbane but just a couple of hours (190km) south of Bowen.
Of all the many crafts I’ve tried to learn over the years
there’s one I’ve never been able to master
Crochet!
But I do recognise and appreciate skill when I see I see it
These are just a few items from another exhibition I/we went to at Artspace Mackay.
Which I’m sure will appeal to many of you.
(I’m sorry but I can’t locate the description plates that tell what each exhibit is)
However the subject was Lichen -that ‘strange stuff’ that grows on things
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen
https://www.anbg.gov.au/lichen/what-is-lichen.html
https://www.anbg.gov.au/lichen/what-not-lichen.html
Don’t Forget – if you want to see it best……Click/ tap or finger slide to enlarge
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#enjoyeverymoment
https://mackaycreatives.com.au/user/traceyrobb/
Previous posts from Artspace Mackay
https://cranethie.com/2021/11/03/looks-can-be-deceiving/.
https://cranethie.com/2022/10/30/out-of-his-comfort-zone/.
New Year Small Changes….
The end of January has arrived. ……Australia Day has been and gone
Rain and flood have never been far away, fire has been making its presence known
There has been cricket and tennis as well as road cycling to watch
Many surprise wins, early disappointments plus shock eliminations.
Here in Victoria lots of little kids will begin the school year today
I wonder how many sets of twins will feature on the news this evening?
Sunrise and sunset times are changing.
Very slowly the days are becoming shorter – nightfall is arriving slightly earlier
Various community commitments, clubs and classes are returning
After the long summer break life in general is beginning again
So much happening which means just one thing – the year proper has now begun.
~ ~ ~ ~
I decided to take me out of the blog name and it’s back to being called ‘Still Waters’.
Not a big change, still about a life that appears to be
All smooth on the surface but really has lots going on underneath.
Trouble is I feel it’s getting a bit stale and what to write about is becoming a problem
I’m getting short on ideas – visitors & comments are down – so am open to suggestions.
~ ~ ~ .
Looking back to December 2021 I spent a bit of time mulling over this
****.
Well, the votes at both clubs were taken in early 2022, the amalgamation went ahead. There was a very mixed reception to the move….on both sides.
I was all for it and gave it a go – but as the old saying goes ‘be careful what you wish for’ it turned out to be not quite what I’d envisioned. Some members love it – others haven’t been back.
Too many people – cramped seating – enclosed room, no windows, no natural daylight, mixed membership that included many ‘know it all old men’ who stifled discussions. One more meeting after returning from Bowen sealed it – I’d had enough.
About that time the news came that the choir I sang with would possibly fold in 2023.
Two of my pleasures out the window just like that.
~ ~ ~ ~
New Year Small Changes
Just by chance late last year I found (and joined) another smaller Probus branch. A Ladies Club who meet on a different day
Which has allowed me in 2023 to change the day of another social engagement.
Another choir meets not too far away. You might say a ‘slightly better one’.
Each choir has a sort of repertoire they’re known for.
My ‘old’ one was show tunes singalong oriented- this new one (under the U3A banner) sing more involved numbers, much in parts as well as acapella. Which I have missed since leaving the local Sing Australia group – driving to night time rehearsals was becoming a problem.
Big smiles when I gained a hotly sought after place on enrolment day so all is not lost
Not a change of day but a small change of volunteer responsibilities. A move to a different area in the aged care facility where I’m now assisting those who are at a different level of care, more in line with the qualifications I gained many years ago. A little less ‘meaningful’ chat than was over the tea trolley but definitely an understanding – many smiles and much laughter.
~ ~ ~~.
One thing that hasn’t changed over the years – my enjoyment of an early cup of tea
We’ve arrived at the last Monday in January so while I’m supping I’m going through folders and enjoying the recent colours of Summer.
Officially we have just one more month – I’m hoping it will hang around a lot longer just the same as Winter did 😎😊
#enjoyeverymoment
Summer is…..
Well..believe it or not…Summer is supposed to be here
Not sure where it is though
But when it does decide to make itself known
many of us will be thinking about the S’s
~ ~ ~
Ask most Aussies what S stands for and they will possibly say
Slip Slop Slap
The 1980 skin cancer prevention campaign suggested we
Slip on a shirt – Slop on some sunscreen – Slap on a hat
Still relevant today with recent additions
Seek some shade – Slide on some sunnies
Updated version
http://www.cancervic.org.au/about/publications/sunsmart-videos/sunsmart_1980_sid1.html
Slip – Slop – Slap – Seek – Slide
Good advice no matter which country you live in
Do you have any campaigns like this in your country?
#enjoyeverymoment
It’s only words….
Words that jumped out at me from a recent read 📘
~ ~ ~ ~
Tourmaline by Randolph Stow
“…the carpet, originally green, but worn bare in many places, resembled a drought stricken lawn…”
Memories of the crisp brown ground we had in the back garden during those 10 long years of drought with no outside watering of any sort allowed
Backyard cricket at Grandma’s in the early 2000s meant keeping something on your feet because the ‘lawn’ was hard and you never knew what you might tread on!
And yes, over the back fence was out….because nobody was game enough to go and ask for the ball back….because our ‘delightful neighbour’ would just tell them to get lost!
~ ~ ~ ~ .
Green now after a recent ‘southern wet’….but who knows what this summer will bring
#enjoyeverymoment
What a week…
Someone else had a birthday a couple of weeks ago so we took the train ‘up to town’ on a Sunday and enjoyed our first time at the theatre in goodness knows how long. A second time of seeing ‘Come from Away’, (catching it before it closes this Melbourne season and moves on up to Sydney) and we enjoyed it as much as the first time in 2019. Reminders of a couple of visits to Newfoundland a few years ago now but still fresh in our memories.
Smiles at seeing the tv masts from the station at Mooroolbark, smiles at being back in the lovely little heritage listed Comedy Theatre with its chandelier type lighting and a bar down there on the lower level right next to the stalls.
There was a brolly and a mask in my bag, plus a small book to read on the train – after all the rain we’ve had I was glad I didn’t need the brolly after all but I did use the mask. Too many people all close together with about 2/3rds of them maskless.
Everyone seemed to have a phone though!
Smiles at seeing travellers on suburban lines in masks, I can’t remember seeing any on the country V/Line trains (or dedicated platforms) when I took the lower photo at (don’t make me say it) Southern Cross Station back in April. It will always be Spencer Street Station to me.
There are times I wished we lived ‘out of town’ – compared to the comfort of the country trains the comfort (??) of suburban stock is nil.
Tuesday (25th) the heavens opened and we had floods out here in the eastern suburbs. Our back garden was like a swimming pool and (once again) the kitchen skylight decided to leak. I keep telling The Golfer there’s a reason I don’t get rid of all those old towels – although if this keeps up we’re going to have to invest in a new skylight.
Thursday under cloudy grey skies and a wet windscreen we drove out past the vineyards (old and new) and into the Valley again – this time The Golfer wanted to enjoy a light lunch at his second home because……
……as a member he gets a free one plus a tiddly little cake to celebrate 🎂🍷…..
Drove home from Healesville in pouring rain, hoping there wouldn’t be water on the floor Needed the bucket later in the evening so looks like we definitely need a new one.
Anyway Friday, dodging the showers I went to the gym leaving him looking a little lost – with all the rain the course is just a bit too waterlogged and once again nobody else wanted to play – I’ll be fine, he said, I’ve got this new book to read. Ink Black Heart – Robert Galbraith 1400 pages – that’ll keep me going for a while.
Big smiles when I walked past the court area – all set up for our next crop of Olympic gymnasts. Mats and beams, and bars and springboards – reminders of sessions at school all those years ago with a vaulting box and pommel horse.
(There’s a floor to ceiling net along the walkway to the gym door – saves any injuries from wayward basket/netballs. I took one snap from a corner then had to wriggle the camera around the holes to get the full on ones)
Well that was last week – this past week has been quieter with a few surprises….
Which I’ll leave for another time
#enjoyeverymoment
Don’t Forget – if you want to see it best……Click/ tap or finger slide to enlarge
Linking to Wednesday’s Words & Pics hosted by Denyse ….. Denyse Whelan Blogs.
A glass and a half….
Glass of cold water…coming up!
An enterprising local company decided the best way to advertise to ‘tradies’ is to put it right in front of their eyes. No elegant glasses for water in this pub.
Beer glasses all the way…..’cose tradies drink water too😊
Glass of cold beer – coming up!
I wondered if The Golfer was drinking a new brand of beer – No..same as usual..he said
I was intrigued enough to ask Mr G – it’s true – you learn something new every day😊
Coffee and cake – I never say no to that
Mug for The Golfer – a cup’ll do for me – and half each of two very nice slices
I think I’ve mentioned before internet reception where we are staying is a pain……drive 3km to the centre of town and it’s 5g all the way. Here, it comes and goes – windy days, hot sunny days, doesn’t make a difference- 3g (4g if you’re lucky) and it drops out constantly.
No big deal but I’m definitely getting fed up seeing the words ‘not connected to the internet’.
So I’ve been down the pub or the marina rather than here in blogland😎
#enjoyeverymoment
Something to put a Spring in your step…..
He had them reeling….
There was one he wrote for his Dad, one for both his Mum & Dad, then one for his Mum
Listen for all three – did you hear the change as each one appeared?
Music to make you feel alive….well it does me……hope it does you
Celtic Colours International Festival – Adam Young
#enjoyeverymoment
Out back or On side….
What I didn’t mention in the last post is that there is an undercover seating area along the side of the cabin with room for a pony no I meant for golf clubs😊
There are a couple of all weather chairs and a small table plus a gratis BBQ
Cooking ‘tools’ are kept inside.
At first glance it looks plain but it’s serviceable and the privacy lattice softens the area, it’s plenty big enough for us two – plus other bits and pieces there’s no room for inside. The esky is the right height to use as a foot rest and that little table isn’t quite large enough for my needs 😌 so the tub makes a great low level ‘whatever you want it to be’
You can just see the cut back gum, the grassy area and the other cabin plus there’s a gravel dividing strip – which is normally where those golf clubs are parked !
Then there’s the square hedge (the gardeners love their square hedges) near the roadway at the other end. Cabin parking is at the front so unfortunately if that cabin is booked and a car is there we get no view
And here’s where I spit the dummy…..no need to read further if you don’t want to 😊
- Now most of the the cabins would be used by short stay visitors – overnight/ 2-3 days – who possibly aren’t concerned about how much ‘land’ is useable – it’s only during ‘the winter season’ (May – September) that they are booked for several weeks at a time. This year we’ve booked for 11 weeks, leaving the end of the month – some years it’s been less and we’d be leaving just after this weekend.
This is the cabin next door (from my photo archives) – the one we usually get – it’s at the end of the row with van sites beginning on down from there.
The positioning of the boundary wall and the siting of the cabins means there’s much more grassy space behind it, the view through the palms in front is open, not restricted. The whole feel of the place is better
Call me childish, call me silly – the covered area is great when it’s blazing sunshine or raining but like the other day I do like to sit out in the open shade (none of the other long stayers do) and I’ve felt very hard done by this year
After all that I think I need to close my eyes again and remember my aim this year is to
‘enjoy every moment’ 😎
Spring Day1
Now that didn’t take long did it……one season to another, just like that!
The rain eventually moved on – the wind blew
And on cue the sun shone to welcome the new season!
(and yes you’re right, comparing the rainy day photo and this one
I don’t think any of these cars moved over those couple of days😊)
Someone asked what the outside of the cabin was like and did we have an actual grassed sitting area – well like lots of things in life that are sent to try you, we had a bit of a wonky start when we arrived this year.
We weren’t allocated our requested cabin but the one next door.
‘Everything is the same’ as the other one we were told.
(Photos from a previous year
Read about our ‘tiny’ house 2018 )
…..except as we found out, it wasn’t quite the same – smaller inventory, less electrical sockets, a ‘touchy’ fridge with missing shelves, the maintenance man has had to repair a few previously unreported issues, annoying things like a squeaky overhead fan as well as a dripping shower head (short stay visitors don’t mention minor problems, they just leave and think maybe we won’t go back there again)- both sorted quickly and quietly…. but look once I’d stopped grizzling all has been well
Saying that though, there is one difference I’m really not happy over – that’s the amount of useable space at the back of the cabin. Not a lot!
And as you can see, even though there are palms and what I think is a very cut back Silver Dollar Eucalyptus (E. cinerea or polyanthemos – the gardeners aren’t sure)
between cabins
it seems to be dominated by the side wall view of next door
Anyway back to yesterday, I took my fold up chair and ‘make do’ table along with book, coffee, snack, looking for a quiet spell out there. Often at this 1st of the month time when seasons change I’m thinking about where we’ve been and where we’re heading for the rest of the year but for some reason other things were plodding round my mind.
‘Shut it out Catherine’ I kept telling myself. ‘Close your eyes, forget it, let it be’.
At the end of last year amongst other things I had told myself to ‘enjoy every moment.
Corny as it sounds, opening my eyes and seeing the branches to the front and the palms over the wall to my left swaying in the sunlight brought that home to me.
Winter Day90
How strange that the first day of our Winter (June 1) was a Wednesday and here we are at the last day (August 31) and it’s also a Wednesday!
Day1 at home in Victoria was the day we went for a drive in the rain (https://cranethie.com/2022/06/02/winter-day-1/) – I’m not sure how today will pan out but yesterday (Day90) here outside my little cabin in Queensland it was also wet!
Unlike Day1 when he didn’t play – on Day90 The Golfer decided maybe it wouldn’t be that bad…..it was the Veterans afternoon and ‘we can’t let the side down’ so just after lunch, waterproofs and brolly at the ready he headed out.
By early afternoon it was coming down in bucket loads
And had turned cool – well much cooler than it had been😌
But certainly nothing like it was at home!
Me – well I gathered up my blanket (to keep my toes warm) new library books
latest knitting project, parked myself on the bed and settled down
to enjoy an afternoon doing as I like on my own
He was home just after 4pm……a little wet and a bit subdued. Still doesn’t enjoy playing in the rain so didn’t stop for a drink in the club house…..something he usually enjoys
(reliving the game with all and sundry😊)
Me – well I was comfy so suggested he might like pop down and get pizza for dinner!.
Thanks for your suggestions
I’ll think about doing something with those egg plants another day !
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On the needles
The makings of another shirt similar to last week. I’ll do the ‘grandad neck’ on this one
Library books.
Violeta by Isabel Allende. ~ Her new release but my first read of any of hers
Cooktown by Andreas Heger. ~ A debut novel by a new to me Australian author
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As it is Wednesday why not visit….. Unraveled Wednesday hosted by Kat…….As Kat Knits. where there’s lots more knitting (and reading) to admire and think about
Linking to Wednesdays Words & Pictures …….Hosted by Denyse
#enjoyeverymoment
Winter Day16
It might be my imagination but everything seems to be a bit different this winter. The cold is colder, the rain more constant, the leaves on my little Japanese Maple seem to be redder, plus the nuts on the Corymbia at the library (see HERE) are definitely larger
The snow has come earlier, with bigger heavier dumps……this is the report from Mt Buller a resort less than 3hrs away – just a short drive up the road
Mt Buller celebrated the traditional season ‘kick-off’ with record snow levels and bumper visitation for the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.
”It’s the most snow we’ve ever recorded for a June long weekend and everyone is amazed to be skiing and boarding on the amount of cover we usually wait until mid-season to experience,” Read all about it here – Source
I wonder if this past weekend’s opening celebrations involved any of this?
I know I’ll be celebrating when we’ve done this drive to winter warmth
Just 3 weeks to go😎
#enjoyeverymoment
Winter Day1
No golf for The Golfer (nobody wanted to play in the rain) – no choir for me (conductor still feeling crook after her bout of covid last week) so we decided to go for a drive.
Yes in the rain on the first day of Winter!
Up the road behind the bus, past the school, to the bottom of the hills and then up twisty turny Mt Dandenong Road to the top. The only thing that was warm was the restaurant card burning a hole in our pocket
We were going for lunch at a favourite little cafe – Ranges at Olinda
The (still partly loaded) card had been in the cupboard since before Covid appeared so by rights had expired and the remaining balance lost – a phone call to the company changed that so soup for two with sourbread, followed by a small quiche salad and (chips) halved used the last of a 2019 Christmas gift.
The food was good as usual – sorry no pictures because I was so busy talking to my man plus the very congenial staff I forgot. Feeling nice and warm and full we came on back down the mountain a little more cautiously.
Low misty cloud made it look like a Chicken Little sky…..it really had fallen!
And the gift card turned out to be a gift that just kept on giving.
As we were leaving this flyer was pointed out to us. Hospitality lost so much during lockdowns so to encourage people back to ‘dining out’ the state government came up with a rebate scheme…..
So 25% of the price we paid – in kind via the card – didn’t matter how you paid – will be returned to us…..which will be enough for another two coffees and cake up at Ranges 😊😊
#enjoyeverymoment
Linking to Denyse’s ~ Life’s Stories. Pop over to read her reflections and thoughts about life past and present and possibly to come
Still Waters 