Desert Dreaming

Dorothys 90th birthday whoops 89th!!!

2007-06-22T22:22:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-06-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-22T04:49:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-06-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-10T01:59:00.000-07:00

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

Fauna rescue

2007-06-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-05T23:54:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-06-03T01:04:00.000-07:00

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)

2007-05-30T03:04:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-29T03:25:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-26T04:33:00.000-07:00

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

The Game

2007-05-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

I went to see Barbara's Max play Australian Rules Football in the under 8's against Mt Barker. We were joined by his grandparents Dan and Margaret.

Chloe enjoyed the extra company

Two versions of caring?

2007-05-24T23:27:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law Joey and my brother Tony are part of the Fauna Rescue Network and are caring for these two baby kangaroos or "joeys."

Clearly other people in society are living without a care for the feelings of others. I came across this late model sedan similar to my own burnt out in the suburbs a petrol can in the back seat.

Chloe enjoying a swing in the sun

2007-05-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

Chloe enjoyed a sunny morning on the swing.

Some time with the Coats

2007-05-21T23:26:00.000-07:00

I visited the Coat family on Sunday and enjoyed a walk in the paddocks with Barbara's niece Bec as she checked the new born calves.

The next morning there was a great sunrise over the trees.

Chloe had to be dressed as warm as a bunny rabbit in her suit!

Tasmania

2007-05-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

I had a good break in Tasmania whilst waiting to hear about new employment.Ken shares my passion for photography although a little more serious,he is quite active in competitions and has joined the Devonport Camera Club.

Ken and Sue were visited by Richard (his brother-in-law) and Big Ron from Adelaide who were on their way to pick up a trail bike for Richard.
We met them when they came off the Spirit of Tasmania

I left on Saturday morning for the mainland

Sues roses

2007-05-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

The last of Sues roses in bloom in her front garden, an old favourite "Just Joey"

Tamar travel

2007-05-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday Ken and I drove to the Tamar Valley seeing some pretty sites, although sadly much of area was still covered with smoke from burn offs.

No wonder so many people do not want their lovely
more polluted than it already is.

This was the sky on Saturday mid afternoon as we drove back from Hobart
and the smoke was still sitting over the valley on Tuesday.

We had morning tea in Beaconsfield.

Cradle Mountain

2007-05-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

This was a pleasant spot to visit as it is one of the top two Tasmanian tourist places to visit, according to Wonder Tours Director Ken.

We were joined in the car park at Dove Lake by currawongs.

I had to share my afternonn tea with them,the lamington cake not the cola.

Trip to Cradle Mountain

2007-05-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

Ken and I spent Monday driving to Cradle Mountain. On the way we stopped by the roadside when we noticed that the paddocks were filled with what we thought looked like spiders webs and they were!

It's a phenomena called spider web ballooning.[click the link for some information] The local paper was also reporting it on the weekend in another area. Reading elsewhere on the Internet I read about gossamer thread from the Old English "Goose summer"

We made a later stop when we saw some interesting toadstools.

A visit to the Don Railway and Port Sorrel

2007-05-14T03:31:00.000-07:00

After lunch Sue and Ken and I went down the road to see the Don Steam Train and then drove to Port Sorrel visiting the Ghost Rock Winery.

We saw these Kniphofia plants in a local garden.

A walk around Salamanca Market

2007-05-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

We took a walk around Hobart's famous Salamanca Market.

It was crowded with stalls, tourists and buskers some more classically dressed than others!.

Port Arthur

2007-05-12T17:53:00.000-07:00

My apologies to Karen for copying her idea of taking this photograph of the dinghy in Masons Cove, but it was too good a subject not to!!!

2007-05-12T16:55:00.000-07:00

What a view of the bay!

This seagull snapped back!

The chapel was quite interesting with individual stalls for each convict

A trip to Port Arthur

2007-05-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

This was my first trip to this picturesque part of the world. It was a beautiful day and when Ken and I arrived first thing the location was very quite and peaceful.The gardens and birdlife were interesting as well as the old buildings.

Ken and I took hundreds of photos.

At Mt Wellington, Hobart

2007-05-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

Ken and I drove to the top of Mt. Wellington. A gale was blowing hence the cold weather gear!

Ross Bridge

2007-05-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

Ken calls me a Japanese tourist with all my technology around my neck, but he also carried three cameras. I was shooting with a film camera, two digitals and also some video! On the way to Port Arthur we visited the famous Ross Bridge aftera spot of lunch at a Ross bakery.

A visitor from Darwin

2007-05-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

Jayshree, my colleague from Darwin was in Adelaide to attend a seminar. She joined Barbara and I at The Scenic Hotel and as you can see,

for a lady working in the Northern Territory,
did something rare, stood in front of a roaring open fire.
The next night she joined my son David and I
at the Eros Cafe for some good Greek cuisine.

Waynes 40th

2007-04-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

I joined the clan attending a luncheon at Mount Barker to celebrate Wayne's 40th.
This was a nice family occasion. Bec, Barbara's niece had just returned from New Zealand with her baby daughter Arielle.

Wayne looking at his big cake.

Chloe made a meal out of her slice!

Barbara's Mother Valda, sisters Joanne and Chris and Barb
(with Wayne holding Arielle)

Kurntumaru and Parnaparnti: My new Jimmy Pike jumper

2007-04-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

Jan Hastings,a lovely lady from Darwin has just sent me my latest jumper she has knitted for me. Its timely as winter has now arrived. I like the designs created by the late Jimmy Pike (see more about Jimmy Pike here )and this is the second jumper she has made for me from a pattern book I bought.
This jumpers design is based on the Dreamtime stories about two cousin-brothers, Kurntumaru and Parnaparnti who tracked all the snakes "They been go in a long big hole. They touched the snakes with a stick. The names of the place are Wurrampangu and Narikartuwarnti. All the big sandhills called Japi are there, very dangerous to people. That's a Dreamtime place that's a Wituka Country. The two cousin-brothers went all through that country" (Jimmy Pike, quoted in Desert Designs: 26 knits by Aboriginal Artists, text by Stephen Muecke, Simon & Schuster, Brookvale NSW, 1990

An alternative version is"Dreamtime figures: two cousin-brothers, Kurntumaru (black goanna) and Parnaparnti (yellow sand goana), giant men who traveled from East to West, naming animals as they went." See the original print here

Michael's birthday

2007-04-28T17:06:00.000-07:00

There was a gathering of the clan at my brother Tony and his wife Daphne (always known in the family as "Joey") house for my brother Michael's 50th. Mike began a personal blog that night.

Joey and Tony are very involved with fauna rescue so cuddling baby kangaroo's (or real "joeys") was the order of the evening.

Hayley was a happy young visitor:

My son Hugh, just back from Europe mut be feeling like he is an Aussie again.

Anzac Day

2007-04-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

I got up early and with Joanne (Barbara's sister and Wayne,her brother-in-law) attended the Anzac Day service at Cherry Gardens, a small village near Iron Bank.

The Coat estate

2007-04-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

I am staying a few days on the Coat family estate at Iron Bank, a very pretty part of the Adelaide Hills.

On the way back from the Anzac Day service we came across this Koala in a tree on the edge of the road.

Trip to Edithburgh

2007-04-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

I spent a pleasant day at the Coat family holiday home in Edithburgh

at the heel of Yorke Penisula with Barbara and her family and also with Sue Milne and her boys.

Sue and I had worked at Adelaide TAFE in 1984 so it was good to catch up with her.

There is an impressive area south of the town with wind turbines.

Chloe

2007-04-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

Barbara's youngest Chloe, now 14 months old was pretty in a party dress when she came over for a barbecue with her brother Max and cousin Dylan and his friend Angus.

Plenty to see

2007-04-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

The boys, including young Max were taking lots of photos.

Pleasant day at Cleland Wildlife Park

2007-04-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed a day out with my sons Dave and Hugh and also Barbara and her children Chloe and Max at Cleland.

Bees supping at Collingrove

2007-04-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

Had afternoon tea on the way home from the Barossa at Collingrove Homestead

Anstey Hill walk

2007-04-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

East End of Adelaide

2007-04-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

It was good to show the Fergusons, from Ballarat around Adelaide. We had lunch at a cafe in Rundle Street .

Easter in Adelaide

2007-04-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

This was on a trip to Anstey Hill.

It was nice to spend the day out with my "boys" Dave and Hugh. Hugh has jut returned from England.

An old barn at Bethany