Dorothys 90th birthday whoops 89th!!!

Before leaving for Darwin I dropped in on Pam's mother. She is in a nice nursing home and this weekend will celebrate her 89th birthday. I got it wrong for a few hours,I thought she was 90 (and you cannot find an 89th birthday card anyway!!!)
A final note concerning Dorothy:
Sadly two weeks later she was found to have cancer and she passed away at the beginning of August so I was glad I was able to make a final visit. Hugh and I attended the funeral. See this link


I took her some flowers and a card. I think she appreciated my dropping in.

A walk along the Torrens.

I enjoyed a therapeutic walk on the banks of the Torrens something I have not done for a while.





I also noticed this new sculpture at the old site of the Torrens Parade ground, a memorial to the Vietnam War with smaller plaques commemorating the boat people and new settlers from Vietnam

My sister Ann

Ann is my only sister and she has been through some rather nasty health problems recently. It was nice to spend my last week in Adelaide with her.
She asked me to take some portraits of her.

Why Desert Dreaming?

As this will be one of my last posts on this blog I thought it was appropriate to answer the above question! I was interviewed for a job in the United Arab Emirates in March, had a good interview and immediately got this email:
"Thank you very much for taking the time to attend the interview with the Higher Colleges of Technology for the above noted position.

"We are pleased to inform you that the interview panel has recommended you for this position and you will now be considered alongside other successfully interviewed candidates for this and future vacancies.":

Sadly my Desert Dream did not eventuate and I am now returning to Darwin to a great team, a nice location and good managers!
This time I will be joined by my son Hugh.
So from next weekend check out http://topend.blogspot.com

Sea and Vine Festival

A good day was had when we joined thousands of others in the Sea and Vine Festival in the Southern Vales.


Max was drinking water,not wine!




We visited Coriole, d'Arenberg and Wirra Wirra before joining Barbara's friends Karen and Kent and their children at Hardy's Tintara Cellars

Winter clothes

Chloe, her cousin Arielle and brother Max are dressed for winter!

Fauna rescue

My sister-in-law Joey and brother Tony always have animals to care for as part of Fauna Rescue. Here again is some of the current crop!
This is Ash, who was burnt in a bushfire as a tiny Joey:

and this is his companion Skeeter:

and Freo who they released but is back each day for his breakfast!

Dramatic lighting

Its been a cold wet start to winter and there has been some interesting skies. This is a couple of views at Iron Bank.


I hope that Wodonga is now getting to look as green as the Adelaide Hills!
Click this for a birdseye view

Sunday brunch at Anns

I enjoyed a Sunday morning brunch with my sister Ann, her son Dashiel and her friend Steve and with my sons Dave and Hugh.

My brother Chris virtually...

Chris has lived in France for decades working as poet/playwright etc. Dashiel gave me these photos from a Christmas visit last year.
Firstly with Dashiel, my sisters youngest son, and with Chris's friend Louise, and then with another friend.


Since this original post we learnt this week that Chris has had a myocardial infarction (heart attack) and was in intensive care over the weekend. We are waiting (June 19th) for the next update.
An update in July 2008, a year later is that he is heading for surgery as he is not well at all!
I was searching through some old paperwork and photographs today and found this torn photo of my brother Chris. Chris still lives in France, he has been a French citizen for many years now. He is poor health and it was nice to find him looking happy and well perhaps 25-30 years ago! He has been writing poetry and plays throughout the world ever since he left school. See this discussion of one of his plays which "Selling Ourselves for Dinner" which was commissioned for the Adelaide Festival in 1982

Hakea laurina (Pin-cushion Hakea)

On a drive in the Adelaide Hills last week I came across this pretty bright tree,
Hakea laurina (Pin-cushion Hakea)
See this link to the Gardening Australia fact sheet.

Its not a mouse! It is Notomys or Native Hopping Mice

I got a closeup view of these attractive native rodents of the Notomys family


It sad that we have lost a lot of the subspecies to introduced animals like cats etc.

Birthday on the estate

I went to Barbara's brothers house at the other end of the Coat estate to attend her nieces birthday party.

40 years since aborigines were counted as citizens

I went to see briefly the ceremony to start National Reconciliation Week in Adelaide's Victoria Square to celebrate 40 years ago since an overwhelming number of Australians voted in a referendum to recognise Aboriginal people as citizens.

Trip To Belair National Park

We enjoyed a trip to the Belair National Park where Max rode his bicycle and we fed the birds.