What’s top of my mind:Fortunate Frogdancer strikes again!
Last September, I travelled to Iceland and Greenland, determined to see the Northern Lights. That didn’t happen. Ah well… given a choice of seeing polar bears or the Northern Lights, I would choose the bears every time, so I wasn’t too upset.
Two nights ago, there was a huge solar storm, and when I woke at 2 AM and saw on FB that people were seeing the Southern Lights from beaches in Melbourne, I knew I had to act. Much to Hazel and Scout’s confusion, I threw on some clothes, left them alone in the house and drove 1 minute to my Backyard Beach.
There, I found a small group of Swiss tourists who taught me what I had to do to get the photos. Success!
Green and purple lights. Considering I was taking these shots in a major city, I was pleased with the outcome. How funny that I ended up seeing them so close to home! I was telling Tom34 about it yesterday, and he smiled and said, “You really do get what you want, don’t you?”
It seems that I do. I’m definitely not complaining about it.
Where I’m going: To Frankston hospital with Mum.
Exciting times. She’s being taken by non-emergency ambulance to get an x-ray on her broken arm to track if/how much it’s knitting together. She’s hoping the brace will come off. I’m less optimistic about that happening, but we’ll see.
Where I’ve been: to Mum’s place.
Georgia31 and Evan29 have moved in, and I’ve been listing Dad’s model car collection. I found an auction place in Dingley that handles collections like this, so I’ve sent them the list. I’ve got my fingers crossed that Mum will be able to earn some coin from them.
I can’t remember who recommended this novel, but I’m enjoying it.
What I’m watching – Stranger Things and The Traitors UK.
Tonight I’m going to watch the series finale. I’ve heard mixed reports about it, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it won’t be another Game of Thrones debacle.
What I’m listening to: the sound of silence.
I had no true idea of how much the ‘clickety clack’ of the keyboard as Georgia31 plays her games was annoying me so much. Not EVER hearing it now is pretty nice.
What I’m eating: whatever I want.
Not having to consider anyone else for meals is delightful.
What I’m planning: Nothing much.
I should be planning for Taiwan. Blogless Sandy brought it to my attention that we only have 6 weeks to go.
Who deserves a ‘thumbs-up’: Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada.
When you compare Carney’s speech yesterday – where he pretty much makes it plain that Canada is divorcing the US – with Trump’s rambling, insane speech where he mixes up Iceland and Greenland, among many other things… oof.
It appears as if European leaders, along with Canada, have had a gutful of trying to work with Trump and are now backing away.
Like this.
On the other hand, a Danish politician came right out and told Trump to fuck off.
What has made me smile:Hazel and Scout.
Hazel’s now almost 5 months old. They’re playing together over possession of a toy, and making the weirdest ‘play-fight’ noises.
The best thing I ever did for Scout was bring home Hazel. That puppy has barely put a foot wrong, and Scout (mostly) likes the company. Haha!
What’s top of my mind: I’m back from my blog break.
No one can say, if they have any truth in them, that I’ve been writing too much over 2026!
Things have been busy with Mum, with two stints in hospital. I’ve also been going to her old place a lot, with Evan29 and Georgia31 moving in this weekend.
As you can see from the photo, Hazel appears to suffer from resting bitch-face syndrome. She wasn’t grumpy in the slightest = she was happy that I threw some old cut flowers into the orchard, where she could recycle them as chew toys.
Where I’m going:To lunch with the girls from work.
Most school holidays there’s a catch-up. It’s lovely to sit and chat with women I’ve known for so many years. But it also shows that time marches on… there are new people appearing who started work after I retired!
Where I’ve been:Ugh. Hospitals.
Mum’s health isn’t great. She’s too frail for operations, so she’ll probably be wearing that brace on her arm for the rest of her life. I can’t see how the bone is going to knit in an 85-year-old woman with osteoporosis, no matter what the doctors say.
I think that it’ll be a life of ferrying her from hospital visits back to Bonbeach… rinse and repeat.
What I’m reading: ‘The Hidden’ by Bryan Brown.
Yes, THAT Bryan Brown. The actor. This is his third book, and it’s very good. But I have to say, whenever I read one of his books, I feel a little grubby. He writes about the seedier side of life, and some of his male characters are bloody awful.
What I’m watching:Stranger Things.
I watched the first 3 seasons and then stopped. I don’t know why. So of course, when it was all coming to a close, I realised that I’d forgotten most of what went on, so I went back to the start. I’m now midway through season 4, so I’ll knock it over soon.
What I’m listening to:Podcasts.
I’m starting to run out of them. I still have a heap of ‘Welcome to Nightvale’ to catch up on.
Any recommendations?
What I’m eating:Zucchini.
I’m drowning in the stuff.
What I’m planning:My new life.
When Georgia31 moves out, this will be the first time IN MY LIFE tht I will be living alone. Up until now, I’ve always had family, housemates or a husband with me.
I had a little taster when both Georgia31 and Evan29 were away for the first week in January.
It was excellent.
Who deserves a ‘thumbs-up’:Anyone who buys my car… and Dad’s model cars.
I’m feeling fatigue from dealing with all of Mum and Dad’s stuff. We’re nearing the end, but there are still a few things left to clear up.
I’ve never sold a car privately before. I’ve always traded them in, so if anyone knows the best way to sell a used car in Australia, I’m all ears. I took over Dad’s slightly newer Golf because it had a sat-nav system, so now my trusty little Golf will be going to a new home. The money I make from the sale will be going to Mum.
What has made me smile: A new quilt gift.
I taught Lesley back in 2009, so when I saw on FB that she is now a mum, I knew she was quilt-worthy. Some students are special.
She met me at the door with “Hello, Ms Jones.”
I said, “How old are you now, Lesley? I think you can call me Frogdancer!”
Here’s one of the best things to happen in 2025. Hazel is now 4 months old, is almost twice the size of Scout and she’s a joy and a delight. Such an easy puppy, with a delightful meld of Poppy’s intelligence (well… for a Cavalier…) and Jeff’s sweetness.
A few weeks ago, I found a smelly ‘present’ on the back room rug, right near the doggy door. I told her off in a very stern voice and put her outside. When I went back to the front of the house, she came back through the doggy door, went into Georgia’s room and whimpered, telling her all about it. She’s such a confident, outgoing little puppy that it’s hard to remember how soft her temperament is.
She was a big hit at Christmas, which was at my place this year.
I looked at the forecast for Christmas Day, saw that it would be in the mid twenties, which is perfect weather for eating outside under the verandah. I went to the nursery and bought these VERY expensive paper daisies for a festive theme. A few days later, the weather bureau changed its mind and said that it would be a chilly 16°C/61F, so we ended up eating indoors.
Damn.
It was a strange Christmas, the first in my whole life without Mum and Dad being there. Mum is still more or less bedridden after her fall a few weeks ago, so she stayed at Bonbeach, and we all popped in throughout the day to visit her. Kate had organised bottles of Chandon for her to give everyone, all wrapped up in red bows, and she ended up having a good day.
Action shot of Evan29 and Hazel. They’re both hairy beasts.
Evan29 has moved back with me, but in the new year, he and Georgia will be moving into Mum’s house to keep it occupied and for Georgia to gain some much-needed independence. Georgia is beginning work in myotherapy in Hampton in a couple of weeks, which is less than 10 minutes from the house, so it’s perfect.
This will be the first time IN MY LIFE that I will be living alone.
I’ve been the only adult in the house since 1997, when I left my then-husband, but since then I’ve always had at least one of the kids living with me. I look at Mum, who has always shared a room with someone for her entire life, until Dad died in May. My sister too, has never lived totally alone. When you think about it, few people have. Most people move from childhood with their family, to share houses/uni dorms, to marriage.
My friend Cathy from high school has lived alone since her husband died in 2018. “Once you get used to it, it’s fantastic!” she said to me. “There are NO RULES. If you feel like a grilled cheese sandwich at 10 PM, you can do it. Sleep in? Absolutely.”
Who knows? It could be quite nice.
I didn’t plant all that much in the veggie garden this spring, as I’m travelling again in March onwards. The zucchini have already started to produce, and this is the first haul I’ve packaged for the freezer. Now that I’ll be living alone, this may supply me for most of the year – and this is only the beginning of the growing season! The beans have started, while the tomatoes are more leaf than fruit so far, although I’ll get some.
The garlic I planted before I went to Iceland has all died. I think thrips or something may have sucked the life out of them. This is the 3rd year I’ve tried growing garlic, and I don’t think I’ll bother again. Melbourne’s climate doesn’t seem to like it.
However, it DOES seem to like potatoes.
When I first put in the wicking beds, I planted some seed potatoes from Aldi as a first crop in one of the beds. Since then, I have dug for the occasional spud, but they’ve pretty much overtaken the entire bed. I decided to let this particular wicking bed lie fallow this summer, so I pulled out what was growing there – mainly self-seeded silver beet and celery – and I unintentionally harvested all of these! Who knows how many more are lurking just beneath the surface.
This fed us for a few meals, and of course it’s my favourite flavour. Free.
Whenever I harvest some of my potatoes, I always think of the meal in Warrnambool I shared at Loretta’s house. Her husband grows potatoes, and the home-grown spuds were part of the meal. 🙂
In order to use up some zucchini, I made a zucchini slice and had the bright idea to pull up one of the beetroot I’m growing and grate it up to add to it. This is the mixture before I put it into the oven. It looked disgusting, but oh well. I thought we could always eat it with our eyes closed!
But look what happened when I pulled it from the oven an hour later:
I have no idea what happened, but it was a Christmas miracle. All of the colour went back into the beetroot pieces and dinner was saved. The added beetroot was delicious.
In the background of this photo, you can see the new project I’m working on. Cotton washcloths for the kids’ new place. There’s no way any child of mine is going to move away without having some washcloths with them! I’m knitting one a day, with cotton bought from Spotlight at a measly $7 a ball. I tried using bamboo a couple of years ago, but I think that cotton is better, so I’ve switched back.
I surpassed myself this year.
I kept my goal the same as 2024, thinking that I probably wouldn’t reach it due to all the travel and the extra time blogging every day. However, I didn’t factor in all the time spent hanging around at airports, or the time on planes when there wasn’t a movie I wanted to watch. I’ve read some cracking books this year.
When James flew in to join us in Iceland, he brought some Irish gin with him. We had gin and tonics on Diamond Beach in Iceland, which is a wonderful memory. I tracked down the gin in Australia and bought 3 bottles of the stuff, as a celebration of wonderful friendships and amazing memories.
WHAT a year I’ve had!
It’s been a weird mix of absolutely outstanding fun, mixed in with the most challenging times I’ve had since the kids were small. I’m so very glad I booked all the travel I did this year before Dad had his fall. I was able to see the most stunning things and see so much, which was absolutely needed. Looking after a little old lady takes up SO MUCH TIME and mental bandwidth. I had no idea until Mum and Dad’s world fell apart.
Mum’s actually very lucky to have 2 such different daughters who are both active in her care. Kate and I balance each other out. She’s very good at the day-to-day stuff, whereas I’m better at the more long-term decisions and the financial admin stuff. Together, Mum has pretty good ‘staff.’
Next year Kate and I both have travel booked, so there’ll be a bit of juggling going on. Mum’s overall mobility is becoming an issue, as she may end up being bedridden for life after this fall, if she can’t get her legs working properly. Anyway, that’s an issue for Future Frogdancer to deal with, if it comes to that.
Anyway, that’s a round-up of what I’ve been doing since returning from all the travel. I haven’t even touched my very expensive new sewing machine, but in the new year I’ll hop on and learn how to drive it. I owe a few people some baby quilts. And yes, Scott – I haven’t forgotten your quilt.
I hope 2026 is a year for us all to remember- for all the right reasons.
Readers of the other blog will already know that life has been unexpectedly busy this past week.
On Tuesday Mum, out to lunch with a couple of women she used to work with, had a nasty fall and broke her right humerus. She also badly wrenched her left shoulder, which means that for the last few days she hasn’t even been able to feed herself. Today (Sunday), after a couple of false starts, we’re hoping she gets into surgery.
This, of course, means that she’ll probably be in rehab for a long time.
Retiring early is fabulous when you’re free to travel; free to spend your days however you please; actually, when you’re free, full stop. I’ve experienced all of this since I pulled the plug on working.
But retirement rises to another level when it frees you up to take care of business when things go wrong.
Yesterday, I had the men from the Riley Club come over to the house to pick through Dad’s collection of spare parts. His friend David was with me and he was the one who negotiated prices with them, as I wouldn’t know a magneto from a crank shaft. Mum ended up earning $2,505!
Afterwards, I donated the rest of the bits and pieces to the Riley Club, so by the end of the afternoon a lot of metal had left the property. On Wednesday, the last vintage car will be collected by her new owner. I’ll be there for that, instead of being stuck in a classroom. My sister still works, so me having time during most days has freed her up at the busiest time of year for her.
Looking after someone else’s financial affairs is not for the faint-hearted, especially if they’re as convoluted as my parents’. By default, it all fell to me, partly because my sister backed away, hands raised, saying, “I’m not going to do it!” and partly because I have a cool head (mostly) when it comes to money stuff.
This year has been a huge learning curve, with me getting my head around all the moving parts and working out what has to be done to look after Mum’s interests. Their financial advisor, though a lovely man, has been pretty much MIA, leaving me to deal with all the paperwork. Kate was the one who pointed this out… I was too busy to take much notice.
It’s been 6 months since Dad died. Probate has been finalised. Mum can finish paying for her room at Bonbeach by selling some investments, which I’ve just finished doing. We’re going to hang onto the family home for now, probably moving David31 and Izzy in to look after the place. They can pay outgoings but no rent, which will avoid triggering a CGT event for Mum, while keeping the place maintained.
Poor Mum. This has been an awful year for her on so many levels.
My main task going forward is to simplify her estate, which seems unecessarily complicated. I’ll be meeting with their financial advisor in January, once he gets back from his holidays. In an ideal world, I’ll want things to be humming along before I fly away again.
Yes. Now we talk about the good times!
In 2026 I have more holidays booked, but ONLY 5 this year.
What deprivation.
I have Taiwan in March, the Balkans in May, The Galapagos Islands and South America in June and Bhutan/Nepal in August. This last one will be my mandatory birthday trip away.
Not content with having so much travel this year, I also bought a puppy and a brand-new sewing machine. To be fair, I snagged a great deal with 1K off the price of my new Bernina, but it was still a big purchase. I’d struggled with my old machine for 16 unhappy years, as it rarely workd properly, so, like the expense of putting the veggie gardens in a few years ago, I’m future-proofing my entertainment in the years to come.
That’s the rationalisation, anyway.
It’s another huge learning curve. There’s a lot more tech to get my head around on this new baby, but I’m already loving the automatic needle threading. No more squinting!
Retirement also gives more time for enjoyable things. Every year I do the Goodreads challenge, where you choose the number of books you want to read in the coming year, then see if you hit that target. In 2025, I kept my target at 120 books, even though I wasn’t sure if I’d have the time. Travel blogging takes up a couple of hours minimum each day, which I thought would cut into my precious reading time. However, I didn’t factor in all of the airport waiting times etc, so I made the target with a month to go.
My ‘Earn my Rates by Reading” challenge, which is on the side of this blog, is going gangbusters. I’m so far ahead at this stage, that I’ve gone back and I’m now working on the rates I paid before I thought to start this challenge. It’s crazy! You can see just how much money I’ve saved by using the library.
Well, it’s time to start the day. We’re hoping Mum has her operation today, as it’s been nearly a week since she fell. I’ll pop in to see her early, then the rest of the day is mine.
Maybe I’ll switch on my scary new sewing machine and have a play? After playing with my unscary puppy, of course.
What’s top of my mind:Getting this quilt finished.
I’ve promised a few baby quilts, and this is the first one. This is destined for an ex-student, who had a baby boy a few months ago.
Where I’m going:to the VW place, to pick up Dad’s car.
A couple of years after I bought my brand-new Gold, mum and Dad bought one as well. Theirs has inbuilt GPS (which Dad never used), leather seats and a larger boot. My sister Kate suggested that I sell my trusty Golf and take this one, and after much thought I’ve decided to do this. I’ll give the money I get from my Golf to Mum, to pay for the swap.
I took it to get a service and a roadworthy on Monday. Today I finally get to pick it up. It had a problematic oil leak… now I’m wondering if I made the right decision!
Where I’ve been:Taking photos of Dad’s vintage car.
Someone rang up enquiring about it and wanted recent photos of the interior and the motor. He and his wife are keen to see it – fingers crossed they love it and there’s one less car to worry about.
This is a debut novel from this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A woman from an abusive marriage is sent to the registry office to officially name her new baby boy. Her husband expects him to be named after him. The woman has another name in mind, as does her older child. The novel then splits in three, as we see how life turns out when the baby goes through life with each of the three names.
What I’m watching:Squid Game – The Challenge.
What a silly show. The prize money is huge, so maybe that’s an excuse for why the contestants are playing so ruthlessly.
What I’m listening to:The kids next door leaving for school.
One of them s a school refuser, so it’s good to hear all 4 of them going to scool, and at a time well before the school bell. Often, they are leaving after the school day has already started. As a former teacher, I have feelings about this.
What I’m eating:chocolate covered licorice twists.
This is part of a healthy breakfast, yes?
What I’m planning:My day.
I have to pick up he Golf at around lunchtime today. Georgia is out, so I’ll have to take the train. It’s a good thing the dealership is only a short walk from the station.
Then I’ll drive to Vicroads to hange the rego over to me, then to RACV to take the car off the total care package that it’s currently on under Mum’s name. Then to chane the insurance over to my name. I’m hoping Mum gets a couple of refunds to add to her coffers.
Then it’s a trip to see Mum, to take back the ‘old lady’ phone we trialled, because she said the iPhone I gave her was too hard to use. It turns out the push button phone is harder, so I have to swap the simcard back. Ugh.
Who deserves a ‘thumbs-up’:The members of the Riley Club.
They have been so helpful with advice and placing ads for Dad’s cars. Truly, they’ve given so much help that I didn’t expect. It’s made all of this a bit easier, for sure.
What has made me smile:Hazel.
Two nighta ago I caved and let Hazel sleep up on the bed with me. Two nights of full sleep!
This photo is when we were visiting Mum yesterday at Bonbeach. My brother and sister-in-law were there at the same time, and Hazel fell asleep on Liz’s lap. Isn’t it funny how boneless puppies get when they’re deeply asleep?
Hazel has been with us for 2.5 weeks and she’s settled in beautifully. She’s still not sleeping through the night, but seeing as I wake up most nights, I can live with that. Scout tells her off when she gets too boisterous, but they’re playing zoomies and hide and seek together.
Hide and seek is when I let them out of the back door and run and hide, while they run around the back of the house and in through the doggie door to find me. This taught Hazel how to use the doggie door in 2 seconds, which I’m happy about.
I’m loving having a Cavalier in the house again. After 40 years of always having them around, it’s been lonely without them. She’s a keen gardener, though, which isn’t so great. One azaelia has been ‘pruned’ to a nub, while my floor is constantly being decorated by sticks she’s brought in to chew. Hopefully, she’ll grow out of this.
Where I’m going:to the furniture dipping place.
This was my Grandpa’s desk, which Dad wanted me to have. I’ve always loved it. Mum painted it with horrible wood grain paint back in the 60’s, which always bewildered me as to why anyone would ruin a beautiful piece of furniture by doing that.
It turns out that when I was aound 4 or 5, the day before Grandma and Grandpa were due to come down from Queensland for a visit, I’d carved my name into the desk, complete with a back-to-front S. Mum was panic-stricken, knowing that they’d tell me off for wrecking the desk. This was her way of taking the heat off me and putting it on herself.
Talk about staking a claim to a piece of furniture early! I could use paint stripper, but let’s be honest. Am I ever going to do that? So I’ll get it dipped, then probably use beeswax to bring it back to its former glory.
Where I’ve been:Bonbeach.
It turns out that a nursing home is a brilliant place to bring a puppy for socialisation. Everyone wants to pat her.
What I’m reading:LOTS! I’m on my 112th book of the year.
I thought that with all the travel and blogging I was doing in 2025 that I wouldn’t have as much time to read, but boy was I wrong. There was lots of sitting around in terminals, which is perfect for knocking over a book or two.
Yesterday I finished The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Murial Spark. Somehow, I’ve never seen the movie or read the book. As a teacher, it was awful reading. Yikes!
The Hallmarked Man, by Robert Galbraith. Oh, how I love a Cormoran Strike book. I’ve just discovered that they’ve made a series about them, called ‘Strike.’ I’ve added it to my list of ‘Things I have to Watch.’
What I’m watching:Celebrity Traitors UK.
Even if you’re not a fan of reality tv, this is FANTASTIC. So interesting and funny.
What I’m listening to:The trip at the top of the world playlist.
Other people were in command of the music while we were in Iceland and Latvia, and there were some bangers. I got James to help me curate a playlist on Spotify to remind me of the fun we had, travelling around. There are also some golden oldies on it as well. Liga had the radio playing at one stage.
What I’m eating:Lasagne.
Evan29 has moved back in, and when he’s here, we eat vegetarian. But when he’s gone, all bets are off.
What I’m planning:how and when to sell Dad’s vintage cars.
Ugh. They’re magnificent cars, but none of us have the space or the inclination to keep them. They have to go.
Who deserves a ‘thumbs up’:Scout.
She’s behaving so beautifully about having a new sister, though sometimes I know she’s thnking back wistfuly to the good old days.
What has made me smile:Having a velcro dog sleeping beside me on the couch again.
Scout is a different breed. She quite likes to independently sleep on the other couch. Intellectually, I can understand, because I’m sure if I was a dog, I’d feel the same way.Emotionally though, this is anathema to me, after decades of cavaliers liking nothing better than to snooze in direct contact with me.
As I sit here in my pjs, nearly 11 AM on a weekday, with rain falling outside, I’m pretty contented. I have a cavalier puppy sleeping beside me on the couch, while Scout is asleep on the other couch, burrito-d up under a quilt. It’s always nice to hear rain hitting a tin roof.
Evan29 moved back home last night, fresh from performing at the Melbourne Fringe, where he took out 2 awards. I’m absolutely thrilled for him. One of the awards was for the show ‘best embodying the spirit of the Fringe festival’ (whatever that means), while the other one is ‘The Edinburgh Touring Award’, which is basically money to help fund performing the show in 2016 at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival.
He’ll be an asy housemate to have around. The idea is that he’ll pay me back for Clown College in France and save some money. I feel good that I’m able to offer my adult kids room and board when they need it. This house is far too big for just me (and the dogs), but it’s perfect for boomerang kids to share.
I can hardly believe that my crazy year of 10 trips is over and I’m on the other side of them all. It took so much planning and balancing, and now they’re behind me. There were so many wonderful moments, sights and experiences throughout them. I’m very glad I blogged them all, as I have a record of every day.
I’ve booked 5 trips for next year, but now that Hazel’s here, I’ll slow down on the travelling. I have Taiwan in March as my first trip away, so up until then I’ll train Hazel, potter around here and hopefully get Mum’s affairs in order. Probate was granted on Dad’s will, so now things can get moving. To be honest, I’m sick of thinking about all that needs to be done, so I’d like to put it all in the rearview mirror – a bit like the holidays of 2025!
I picked her up from her breeder yesterday. She’s an absolute baby… 8 weeks old. I’ve had Cavalier King Charles Spaniels for over 40 years and I’ve missed having one around.
I’ve also waited over 40 years to own a black and tan. This makes me the queen of delayed gratification. Next year, after I finish travelling so much, I’ll buy a ruby. Then I’ll have owned all 4 colours.
She and Scout are getting on beautifully – she’s the same height as Scout already!!
It’s early days, but she hasn’t put a foot wrong. She hangs on to go to the toilet outside, last night she slept right the way through and she’s excellent at being adorable. She loves to be in constant contact with me, which is the Cavalier trait I’ve missed the most since Poppy and Jeff died last year.
The good thing about having friends with different interests to you is that they expose you to experiences that you wouldn’t normally see for yourself.
Liga is a foodie, and on my last day in Latvia, she booked us a table at her friend’s Green Michelin Starred restaurant. There were 4 of us at the table. James was flying back to Ireland after this, and Liga, from the Ligas’ Crazy Road Trip last year, was joining us too.
This is something that I’d never do on my own, but it was definitely a highlight of my trip. The food was amazing.
They really are beautiful birds, aren’t they?
As we were driving towards the lovely little village where the restaurant is, Liga remembered that there was a huge Pagan festival scheduled for that night. Bonfires, dancing, it was all going to happen. Shame that we had to get James to the airport…
We parked the car and walked over a little bridge over a stream. There was Liga, waiting for us in the garden. I realised when we were driving home that we didn’t take any photos of people – it was all about the food! Oops.
There was a kitchen garden to wander around in. The restaurant takes great pride in sourcing locally grown ingredients. This didn’t include the wines. They came from France, Portugal and Italy.
Remember the Michelin star pho restaurant I went to in Hanoi? There were decor here is a lot classier!
We went for the full experience – paired wines with each course and extra caviar and wagyu beef. Why not?
A little snack for starters, which wasn’t on the menu.
Unlike Australia, Latvia is very dog-friendly. I wasn’t sure about a dog being in such an expensive place, but of course, it’s a Cavalier. That’s perfectly ok. She was underneath the table next to us and she was a good girl.
Fish, with the extra fresh caviar.
Some bread with a mushroom spread that was so tasty.
You don’t want to overcook the wagyu.
This was absolutely delicious.
Duck. The beetroot was fabulous.
And finally, dessert. Again, so flavoursome. This meal was definitely a treat.
We dropped James off, then came back for a chilled last night. This is the silk carpet Liga brought home from Afghanistan. It’s stunning.
I’m hastily writing this on the first leg of my trip home, on the plane from Riga to Helsinki. WHAT a trip this has been! I’ve been so lucky.
But now my nose is pointing towards home. It’s going to be a long two days’ travel.
Liga’s cat has finally warmed up to me, along with her daughter. Today was a curriculum day for Alise, so she came with us to have a plane ride.
Isn’t this gorgeous? It’s the cafe that Liga’s friend Ernest runs, along with a small hotel and a charter lane business.
He worked in Europe for a few years, flying planes, then he said that he realised that if he wanted to own a place by a lake, Latvia was the only place where he could afford to do it.
Liga was telling me that there’s a groundswell of young people moving out of the big cities like Riga and moving back to the little villages that they originally came from. They open cafes, small businesses, bed and breakfasts, and the countryside is being renewed.
Ernest and his wife have been here for a few years, slowly renovating the old mill house.
This is a man made lake, apparently, but it’s been here for a few hundred years, I think.
It’s definitely a good place to put down roots.
We had a brief tour of the place, then we set off for the airport.
Here is our Cessna. I can fit under the wing!
Alise did her own thing while we were waiting for the plane. She slept for the entirety of the two hour drive, so she was raring to go.
Liga was happy to give her spot to Alise. She isn’t great with heights.
This was my view.
Here’s the runway…
This was only a portion of the solar panel farm. It covered a lot of ground.
Alise was loving it. She was taking photos and sending them to her parents and friends.
“You could pick up the buildings and put them in your hands,” she said.
We flew over the widest waterfall in Europe- Ventas Rumba. It’s a whopping 2 metres high, but hey! It’s the widest!
Latvia clearly has a thing for renewables.
James isn’t all that fond of heights. It was an educational experience for Alise, learning some new English swear words.
Actually, it was good that James was scared. It gave Alise something to focus on, and while we were laughing at James, she forgot to be nervous and she just had fun.
Over the Baltic Sea.
Alise took this photo for me as we were coming in to land. But first, we buzzed Liga, standing on the ground.
Once we were back at the airport, Ernest took us for a quick tour of the planes. There was a Soviet MIG plane outs, as well as this one.
“ It doesn’t matter if it’s a Soviet plane, tank or car,” said Ernest. “ The measure of thumb is one kilometre per litre of fuel!”
Gliders.
Ernest gave us free booze and some coffee beans. James’ beer was a live beer. It turned out to taste really good, so they said.
I stuck to the best apple cider I’ve ever had.
Yum. I wish we could get this back in Australia.
Home again, home again.
James was really keen to hit the gay bars of Riga, so Alise was dropped off at her aunt’s place, and the three of us went out.
The gay bar was pretty dull, so after an hour or so we grabbed another Bolt and went into the city to a bar.
Liga translated some of the designer beer names.
6.Tapeworm killer
9. Beer from the swamp
I’m not drinking beer. They were hopping into it.
Beer is a big thing in Latvian culture. James accidentally put his foot in it when he looked at the board, and asked for a LITHUANIAN beer.
The barmaid stared unblinkingly at him and said, “Try again.”
He didn’t realise what he’d said, so the scene was repeated.
Oof. He finally got it right.
The three of us, just before we hit the nightclub.
Of course, if there’s a space to dance, I’m going to take it!
One girl asked how old I was, and when I told her, she said, “I hope I’m still doing things like this when I’m 62!”
“You will if you want to,” I said. “ It’s just a decision.”
Shots at 3AM. Why not?
This was an interesting conversation. This boy is of Russian descent, and has a huge disconnect in his life between his family and their political sympathies, along with his own inclinations.
“In Russia, they kill people like me,” he said. “I don’t want anything to do with Russia and the war, but my parents…”
The Russians have been here for at least a couple of generations, up to a couple of hundred years. People are heavily invested here. It’s not an easy thing to resolve.
Retirement Reading Quest – Reading my way to ‘free’ council rates.
I’m on a quest to borrow and read enough books to, in effect, cancel out the cost of my council rates per year.
It’s outlined in this post.
Year 8: 2018/2019 – $1,800
I may as well continue back-tracking. I moved here in 2016, so I’ll chip away at all the rates I paid up till then.
Running Total – $357
Year 7: I’m already a year ahead on my rates, so I’m taking a reader’s suggestion and I’m going to go back and start covering the rates from the year before I started. I may as well.
Year 7: Total needed: 2019/2020…$1,800
Finished! 12/12/2025
Year 6 (2025/2026) $2,590 AREADY COVERED!!!!!!
10/08/2015 – I won’t have another rates notice until August 2026, so I have time to kill. Let’s knock over a previous year’s rates, just for fun.
Year 5 (2024/2025) $2,339 and dog rego ($63) = $2,435.
Finished it before I even had the new rates notice ready.
Year 4 (2023/2024) $2,413.
Success! Not sure exactly when I passed the total, because I was waiting on the dog registrations to come through. But yes – I blitzed it.
Year 3: (2022/2023) $2,350
12/01/2023 FINISHED! Not working gives me heaps more reading time – I recommend it!
