Burning Desire For FIRE

Financially Independent, Retired Early(ish) at 57.

Category: Little Adventures (Page 1 of 4)

Little Advenures #26: The Drag Show.

May 1, 2026 / / 2 Comments

A couple of days ago, I was aimlessly scrolling on Twitter when I saw a tweet that Suzie Toot (one of my favourite drag queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race) posted, showing snaps of Aussie birds. OMG, is she in Australia?? Is she performing?????

Google was my friend, showing that she is currently touring with ANOTHER of my favourites, Lydia B Kollins. Lydia’s partner, Kori King, is also on the line-up. More about her later.

They were doing one show in Melbourne the very next day. Fortunate Frogdancer strikes again!

I rang Evan29 to see if he wanted to come with me. He and I both watch Drag Race and share what we think of each show. He had a gig on, but said, “Hey, you need a Little Adventure for April.” I’d forgotten, but he was absolutely right.

When I mentioned that I loved Suzie and Lydia, but Kori wasn’t memorable for me, he laughed and said, “Oh wow. Maybe she can turn you around…”

Well… ok.

She did. Evan29 laughed so much when I told him.

For those not in the know, Suzie Toot is the redhead, Lydia is the brunette and Kori is the tall one. I only took snippets of videos, because hey. I bought a ticket, so I want to be in the moment.

Do you see where I’m standing? So lucky. I severely underestimated how long the queue to get in was going to be, so when I finally made it in, the mosh pit was a no-go for a tiny person like me. BUT there were 2 steps leading up to the bar area. Positioned myself on the top step, right in the middle, so I could see over everyone’s heads. Perfect.

The show was a romp. There were lip-synchs with classic and more modern songs, mixed in with audience participation, (the girl who played Michelle Visage was a hoot), and a Q and A.

It wasn’t only the cast who were doing death drops – a couple of the audience members did them too.

The crowd went wild.

Lydia’s work is so very theatrical, which of course, as a drama teacher, I appreciate. She’s probably the most interesting of the three, in that she pushes the boundaries more. She’s not afraid to mix up her look and experiment with how she presents. This was a bit hit and miss in her first season on DR, but she’s clearly one who learns as she goes along. Her second season on DR was amazing.

I was so busy watching Suzie Toot that I hardly have any footage of her, haha. Suzie’s strengths lie in her musical theatre background. Her look is carefully curated, with a definite 20’s/30’s style which is so bloody cute. She is an excellent dancer and has a charming presence on stage that instantly has the audience in the palm of her hand.

Kori was the surprise for me. I can’t remember why she wasn’t so much on the radar for me while watching her season on DR. I think possibly her look was more polished during this show.

In this show, she worked the crowd brilliantly, even leaving the stage and moving through the people on the lower floor. Her costumes were all beautifully made, and her make-up was impeccable. Her dancing? On point. She’s not afraid to launch into a death drop. I have no idea how she shakes her bum as she does. It’s incredible. I tried to take a video, but someone in front of me had their phone right in the way AS THEY FILMED THEWHOLE SHOW. So rude.

So yes. All three of these queens put their A games forward. It was a fun night.

Lydia and Kori are a couple. They met a couple of years ago on the set of RuPaul’s Drag Race, when they were both competing in season 17 of the American show. It was so lovely to see that it was a real relationship, not just for the cameras, as Kori referred to Lydia as “my wife.” We all cheered. I love it when people find love.

They lip-synched to ‘Endless Love’, a tribute to their feelings…

… with of course, the logical result that Lydia gave birth to the child of their love. So touching.

Interestingly, a few years ago, Evan29, as Conk, gave birth on stage too. I told him that Lydia stole his idea, but improved upon it with the 6-foot umbilical cord covered in red sequins.

They soft-launched their impending pod, also called ‘Butt Toot King.’ I listen to the Melbourne drag queen Art Simone’s pod ‘Concealed’, so od course I’ll give this one a go when it’s released. I’m not sure I’m their target demographic, though, being an old straight woman.

One thing that surprised me. People were handing them money, like the strip shows you see in movies. They weren’t small denominations either. I mentioned this to Evan29, and he said, “Yeah, it’s a thing in that scene.”

The things you learn.

I’m so glad to see that performers who make it onto a show like Drag Race are making the most of that opportunity and getting out to see the world. The three of them are so professional in what they do, and they make sure the audience has a great time.

I’m so glad I saw Suzie’s tweet about magpies!

Dad joke of the day:

Little Adventures #25: Montalto.

February 7, 2026 / / 0 Comments

What a flurry of Little Adventures I’ve had recently – all thanks to Scott.

For those who are new to this blog, when I retired in 2020, I knew that I’d have to force myself out from The Best House in Mekbourne and explore. I knew I’d travel, but in the in-between times, I’m a happy hermit. So the concept of Little Adventures was born. It’s a way of getting out once a month, to see and experience things I haven’t done before.

On Wednesday, Scout was aquiver with anticipation when I told her that we were having VISITORS!!! Hazel was aware that something exciting was about to happen, but she hasn’t quite grasped the concept yet. You can see the top of her head in the photo, looking at me instead of the window.

I was being whisked off to lunch at Montalto winery with Scott and his dear friend Dimitra. They’ve been friend even longer than I’ve known Scott, and we’ve heard about each other, but this was the first time we’ve met.

She’s a very interesting person and I enjoyed this day immensely. After they met the social hurricane that is Hazel, off we went to Red Hill, on the Mornington Peninsula.

One of the draw cards of Montalto is the sculpture walk, which is a lovely wander through the vinyard and surrounding bushland. You all know how much I like a sculpture walk. Remember the one on Kangaroo Island?

We saw a couple of people walking through with glasses of wine in hand, but being responsible adults, we saw the art unadulterated by the fumes of alcohol. (We saved that for lunch afterwards.)

I took a few pictures of a few sculptures that caught my fancy.

This one was called ‘Coil.’

This one made me laugh. A polar bear with penguins.

There were a few of these. ‘Anenome.’

Ahhh. Retirement is good. This was at noon on a Wednesday.

This is fabulous. Dimitra actually owns a couple of small etchings by this artist. I can’t tell you who he is, because there was no label, and I can’t remember who she said he was. It’s huge.

The sky was grey, but that was perfect for Scott and me. We are vampires and burn in the slightest sunlight.

It was lovely walking around in the countryside. Dimitra has a career that I’ve never come in contact with before, so I asked her about it. I like hearing about paths different to mine.

I can recommend the food. I had the lamb shoulder with a summer fruits salad on the side. See the zucchini? Pickled.

Delicious.

Chocolate brownie for dessert. Dense, but so chocolatey. I couldn’t finish it all, so Scott wrapped it in a napkin for Ron.

You know… later ron.

That night, all I had for dinner was a few cheese and crackers. One of the perks of living alone. I can have whatever I want to eat.

On the way home, we swung by Rosebud pier. This is where Scott’s mum’s ashes were placed, as she wanted to be buried at sea.

Close enough, I guess. It was beautiful. Black swans in the water, a few schoolkids playing in the shallows… it would be a pleasant place to spend eternity. We walked to the end of the pier and back.

Two days later I found the half brownie that I couldn’t finish.

Still delicious.

Dad joke of the day:

Little Adventures #24: A tourist in my own town.

January 30, 2026 / / 2 Comments

When I retired from teaching, I set a little goal for myself. Every month, unless I was travelling, I’ll go and see something new. I call them “Little Adventures.”

What with Mum needing so much attention, this had slipped my mind, until my dear friend Scott, an AVID reader of the blog (haha!), arranged to meet up with me in Melbourne a couple of days ago. He is working here for a few weeks, taking British tourists on a couple of Australian tours.

“It’ll be good for one of your Little Adventures,” he said.

I’m glad one of us was on the ball.

Of course, we arranged to meet under the clocks at Flinders St Station, the most iconic place in Melbourne to meet. We had the whole day ahead of us – or at least until 3 PM. I had to get back to Bonbeach in time to pop in on Mum.

We decided to have a quick look at Hosier Lane, so we set off. It’s a hop, step and a jump from the station. It’s a dedicated place for graffiti, or ‘street art’, and it changes all the time.

We crossed the road and were passing by St. Paul’s Cathedral when Scott said, “Do you want to have a look at the church?”

How funny. I’ve lived in Melbourne my whole life, as has Scott for most of his, and yet neither of us had ever gone into the cathedral. I guess whenever I go into the city, I’m always there to go somewhere specific, never to just wander around exploring the sights. So in we went.

This is looking back towards the front door. See the stripes? The grey is basalt from the western districts. The architect thought a stripey cathedral would be a point of difference.

We fell into the clutches of a window guide, who insisted on telling us the story of Jesus stopping the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Fortified by this tale, we headed back outside in search of street art.

A lot of the graffiti was political this time. People aren’t impressed with Iran at the moment.

But there were a few Dad jokes there, too.

Then it was back down the lane and across the road to the Ian Potter Gallery of Australian art.

Scout!

This was in the bark paintings section. Look at their faces. Scary.

He looks depressed.

I was excited to see this one again. I didn’t know that it had been moved from the main art gallery to this one. It’s a classic, telling the story of a pioneer family on the outskirts of Melbourne.

The first one shows their arrival in the bush. She looks overwhelmed by the prospect of life there, doesn’t she?

The next shows them as a family, living in their little cabin.

The last one is sad. Time has passed, the cabin is gone, and the new city of Melbourne can be seen through the trees. The husband is visiting the grave, alone.

‘The Pioneer’, by Frederick McCubbin, painted at Mt Macedon.

Another absolute banger was nearby:

‘Shearing the Rams’, by Tom Roberts (1890), is huge and contains so much detail. I stood there for ages, looking at all the faces. I think we had some coasters with this on them when I was a kid, because it was like bumping into an old friend.

Sometimes the stories behind the paintings are what clutches at your heartstrings. ‘Jessie with Doll’, by her brother Hugh Ramsay (1897).

Less than ten years after this painting
was finished, Hugh Ramsay’s younger
sister Jessie, nursed him at home after
he returned to Australia from Paris with
tuberculosis. Jessie contracted the
same illness from her brother, and died
a few years later at twenty-two years of
age.”

‘Ouroboros’, by Heather B Swann. Love it.

Then it was lunch in Fed Square (or Federation Square for non-Aussies). Apparently, you can’t get a chicken parma (or chicken parmigiana for non-Aussies) in Europe for love nor money, so Scott was loading up while he was here.

We still had some time to kill, so we elected to do a very touristy thing. We’d go to the Eureka Skydeck.

The Eureka building is now the second-tallest building in Melbourne, standing at 297 metres tall.

We paid to do ‘The Edge’, which is where a glass cube moves out from the side of the skyscraper and you are standing on glass, WAAAAY above the street below. Terrible for people who are scared of heights, of which I am not.

There you go.

Look! I zoomed in on where we started the day – the copper dome of Flinders Street Station, and St Paul’s Cathedral.

After that, I jumped back on the train and headed back to see Mum. She hadn’t had a very good day and was already tucked up in bed watching TV when I arrived. Scout and Hazel were pleased to see me, though Hazel, who is a communicative little thing, voiced her displeasure at missing out on lunch.

I can’t believe how often I’ve seen Scott in the last few years, considering we live on opposite sides of the world. Life is a funny thing sometimes.

Dad joke of the day:

Little Adventures #23: Harold Holt’s beach.

July 26, 2025 / / 5 Comments

Back in 1967, just before Christmas, Australia’s Prime Minister walked into the waves of Cheviot Beach on the Mornington Peninsula for a swim and was never seen again.

Typically for Australia, he has a swimming pool named after him in Glen Iris. Why not?

I decided to get July’s Little Adventure done yesterday, because the weather forecast for the rest of the month was looking very wet and brisk. I googled ‘tourist destinations near me’ and saw that the place where Harold Holt disappeared was an hour’s drive away. Perfect! I’ll knock over a few podcasts and see something new.

He was originally the Treasurer before becoming Prime Minister, and was only 59 when he died.

OR DID HE DIE?????????

Apparently, there were many conspiracy theories, including that the Chinese picked him up in a submarine.

Fortunate Frogdancer arrived at the car park just in time to take a shuttle bus, saving me a long walk. The bus driver stopped, said, “The lady who wanted the Harold Holt memorial? It’s down there, and the rocks where he went missing are to your left.”

Here they are.

I decided not to hop over the gate and go exploring…

I was going to stay longer, even though it was cold and windy. There are a few short walks, the fort at the mouth of Port Phillip Bay, and the old quarantine station. But Kate rang, concerned that she was getting a few weird messages from Mum. I decided to head straight back and see what, if anything, was going on.

Spoiler: there wasn’t.

This is such a narrow spit of land. You can see the beach on both sides. The wind was moaning through the trees, but my fleecy jacket I bought for Antarctica was keeping me toasty warm. That’s a relief, because now I know I’ll probably be ok wearing this, a hat and cowl in Iceland etc and I’ll be fine.

I stopped at Rye and bought some chips to eat on the way home. They were bright yellow, which put me off a bit, but most of them mysteriously vanished before I got home.

A bit like Harold Holt…

Dad joke of the day:

Little Advenures #22: October 2024 Clarice Beckett.

November 2, 2024 / / 0 Comments

When I woke on October 31st, I realised I’d run out of month for October’s Little Adventure, so I had to move quickly. After breakfast, I set off for Ballarat, where there was a Clarice Beckett exhibition.

Seeing as it’s around 2 weeks before I set off on the Ligas’ Crazy Road Trip, I thought it was worthwhile taking a 2 hour (each way) drive the day before I get my trusty Golf serviced. I loaded up my podcasts and my water, and off I went.

Clarice Beckett was a woman who was pretty much thwarted by the societal expectations of her day. She spent her adult life caring for her elderly parents and died at the age of 48, after painting the sea in a storm at Beaumaris and catching pneumonia.

She was only able to paint in the early mornings or evenings on most days, as the rest of her time was spent running the household as the spinster daughter.

She had a portable easel that she’d wheel around after her, and she’d set it up and paint what was directly in front of her. She’d squint, to make the objects and landscapes appear blurred, as she was most interested in exploring the tonal aspects of what she was painting.

She had a few exhibitions when she was alive, but then interest in her work faded away for decades.

This one reminded me of a Monet painting that I saw when I was in Paris back in 2015. I bought a print and it hangs in my sewing room.

Russell Crowe is a huge collector of her work. But does she fill up MY cup?

The answer is, not really. Most of her paintings are just too smeary and misty, but I like the ones I’ve shown you.

Dad joke of the day:

Little Adventures #21: March 2024 – THE SKYDIVE.

March 29, 2024 / / 8 Comments

It’s not often that I get excited when I hit a goal. Usually, I’m already focusing on the next one. Stupid, I know. But this one was a little different. It was a long time coming.

I first heard about skydiving when I was a kid. Instantly, I knew that one day, I’d do it. Heights don’t particularly bother me, and I’ve always had a bit of a thirst for the unknown. Jumping out of a plane was a big tick off my list of Things To Do.

Then, of course, life happened. I had to put my individual goals to the side to focus on bringing up my children and giving them the best start in life I could. Being a single parent to 4 kids is a busy life.

(To be fair, I sneaked in a little bit of travel, with the whole family going to Bali and Thailand, and David15 and I having a quickk junket to Singapore the first Christmas he didn’t stay with the kids’ father. I sent the music kids to the US when they were in secondary school, as well as the trips the school made to The Red Centre and Tassie. I wanted the travel bug to get them.)

Now – it’s finally MY TIME.

I achieved Financial Independence three years ago and retired. I have no ties other than the dogs, as my kids are all independent. I’m so lucky that Georgia29 still lives at home and is likely to stay here for the next 3 years while she finishes her course.

I have 3 years to travel. Georgia29 looks after the dogs and the garden when I’m gone, which saves me thousands of dollars. I’m free to explore.

But not every goal is travel, unless you count jumping from a plane and plummeting to Earth as travel. I asked the kids to club together for my birthday and get me something I really want. Something that wouldn’t clutter up the place and just be forgotten.

I wanted to skydive for my 60th.

Here I am with all the gear on. We’d just finished watching a safety video and I had to race to take my rings off and put them in the locker with my bag. These rings are precious to me… I bought the emerald in Phuket and the sapphires were a 21st present from my parents. Imagine if they whipped off and fell away during the dive? I’d be crying, “Nooooooo!”

People were asking if I was nervous. I can honestly say that there wasn’t an ounce of nervousness in me. I was calm. I was going to do this and I knew I’d enjoy it. I wasn’t excited or jumping around. I was still and certain. I didn’t start to get a bubble of excitement in my stomach until we were driving into the airport.

We drove from Elwood to Moorabbin airport. I’ve driven past here probably thousands of times and never been inside before. We all got into an impossibly small plane and the instructors strapped themselves to us. There were 7 of us doing the jump.

Then up we flew. Up, up, past the clouds and over the top. We were high. Melbourne and the bay were stretched out below us. Then, the instructor closest to the door swung it open, nodded to his passenger and then they almost rolled out the door.

The other couples closest to the door shuffled along and Out! Out! Out!

It was so quick. They definitely don’t give people time to chicken out.

The plane swung around to regain its position. Then it was our turn. I smiled and shuffled toward the open door. I grabbed hold of the loops in front of the harness, as we were told to do.

Then we were out.

And flying.

I couldn’t keep the goofy grin from my face while we were freefalling.

We had around a minute of freefall.

That minute lasted a long time. It was beautiful up there.

The was a peace and serenity that I can’t describe. The wind was whipping past us, but along with the sound of the wind was a high note, just at the edge of my hearing.

The city and the bay were below and there we were, arms outstretched and flying so free. It was only a minute but I feel that it changed something inside me. There’s a pocket of peace and happiness in me that wasn’t there before.

Then there was a tap on my shoulder to tell me to grasp the loops at the front again. Then with a whoosh, we went upwards as the parachute was opened.

The instructor operated the parachute so we whirled and swooped, allowing us to see everything as we slowly descended.

Down there, my friend Alice from work was in her backyard filming one of us coming down. Of course, we’re convinced it was me that she caught!

I was so happy up there. It’s the best feeling.

Then, sadly, we were heading into land on Elwood foreshore. Look at my expression. I wanted it to last for longer, even though it lasted far longer than I expected.

I’ll carry this experience in a small part of me forever.

Look at me with my feet held firmly out. We’re told to land on our bum, and not to lower our ankles or they could be broken. I’m going to Canada and Alaska in 6 weeks. No way I was going to risk ruining that trip!

Deana from England gave me some pink socks and I told her they’d be jumping out of a plane today. Here they are, gracefully making their way back to earth.

The landing.

Hair bedraggled from the wind but so happy – there I was. I’m not sure I have a Bucket List, but if I do, this was one important item ticked off.

If I hadn’t achieved Financial Independence, I would’ve been in a classroom, looking out of the window when the kids were working and dreaming of where else I could be. Most days of my retirement are mundane and contented, just ambling along doing the day-to-day tasks that I need or want to get done. Just days of simple little things.

And then there are days like this.

Dad joke of the day:

Little Adventure #20: March 2024 – The Walking Group.

March 16, 2024 / / 5 Comments

I have a friend affectionately known as ‘Blogless Sandy.’ She and her husband retired roughly the same time I did, and 3 years ago she did an interview for this blog when they were 2 years in.

Blogless Sandy prefers a more structured retirement timetable than I do. Mondays she walks large dogs for a shelter, she has embraced yoga in a big way, she looks after grandchildren a few times a week, and on Thursdays she has a walking group.

I decided to try it out. I’m motivated to get fit, especially after I heard about the hike that I’m going to be doing in Kings Canyon, which begins with a set of 400 steps known affectionately as ‘Heart Attack Hill.’

These walks are held every Thursday by the Peninsula branch of U3A. This organisation is run by and for retired people. Once you join a branch, you have access to a huge range of classes and activities. Mum and Dad were members of different U3A branches for years. Mum did all of her art, painting and craft things, while Dad learned about all sorts of things, ranging from astronomy to all sorts of different histories, world events and I don’t know what else. They loved it!

Personally, I feel a bit weird joining up. I’m not OLD! Plus I used to do the cleaning for the Mordialloc U3A after every term. (This link is only a month after I started the frogblog. It was interesting going down memory lane, when I was living with Evan11 etc.)

Anyway, this walk was classed as an easy one. It was in Mt Martha, and we wended our way around some housing developments and bushland, with only two hills to deal with.

It was nice. There were 28 people all up on the walk, and everyone was nattering to friends and enjoying the outlooks.

When I was getting dressed to go, I realised that this was the first time I’d worn these runners since London last year. It was also the first time I’d worn ‘proper’ shoes and socks since I had the mole cut from my ankle in January. This will be important info soon…

The walk itself was 8 km.

YES! I WALKED 8 KMS. Amazing.

This shot was taken at an outlook over what is usually a lake. I have no idea what sort of bird this is.

I’ve decided to join the Peninsula U3A branch for a year, for a few reasons.

First of all, it’ll be nice to see Sandy every week and do an activity that’ll make me fitter.

I also want to know more about what’s around the Mornington Peninsula. I’ve lived here at the gateway to the peninsula for 8 years and I’m still clueless about what’s pretty much on my doorstep. When my overseas friends come to stay, I want to be able to take them to beautiful places.

Finally – it might be ok to have some structure in my retirement weeks. If I know that I have to switch the alarm on every Thursday morning (ugh) and I know I’ll be walking for 3 hours or so, THAT’S Thursday taken care of.

The rest of my time can be fluid.

Just the way I like it.

Afterwards, we all sat at a café, where they drank coffee and I drank water from my trusty Antarctica Pee Bottle. I was wanting to be a little bit frugal because of where I was going next…

Mum’s had 3 falls since October, all at home. My sister and I decided that she needs an indoor walker. One light and manoeuverable enough to allow her to move easily around the house and not fall over.

I got her into the car before I told her where and why we were going. She wasn’t all that happy, because I think she doesn’t see herself as the sort of person who needs access to a walker all the time. It’s funny how people see themselves sometimes, isn’t it?

Long story short, she test-drove some walkers and there was only one that she could manage to put the brake on with her arthritic hands. So the choice ended up being easy. My sister’s friend works there so we got 15% off, which was lovely. I bought it, whacked it in the back of the car and delivered Mum and her new steed home.

To be honest, I was expecting a little pushback from Dad, but he was very thankful that I’d bought it. Mum began grumbling a little, but he silenced her by saying, “I would’ve thought you were getting a little tired of lying on the floor, Jill!”

Working for Financial Independence for all those years, I never once thought of how nice it would be to do such a simple thing – buying a walker for Mum. It was just under $400, so it wasn’t going to move the needle at all for me. Yet I think it’ll make a huge difference to her.

As I’m learning how to live a life free from day-to-day money concerns, I’m finding that to be generous is a wonderful thing. I’ve given myself the ability to do this, not only with money but also with my time.

So Thursday was all about getting people walking.

I’m writing this on Saturday. I had to go to the doctor today to get antibiotics as the shoe I was wearing rubbed on the place where I had a mole removed in January. It hurts. Ironic that when I finally decide to look after myself and get a bit fitter, I’m probably going to have to miss the next walk. All because I was looking after myself by getting my moles mapped.

Ah well.

Little Adventures #19: March 2024 – The Gardens of Ripponlea.

March 8, 2024 / / 6 Comments

Although I grew up in a suburb not too far away from Ripponlea, I’ve never been there. I know…!

The National Trust runs it, and as I’m a member because of my England/Ireland trip, I decided to take advantage of the free entry and get myself over there. It was a beautiful sunny morning and I wanted to get out.

Here’s the information page. It’s worth a quick read as it gives the history of the house. It’s worth it to see how many servants (and children) the family had!

Parking was as hellish as I feared it would be. I was only able to grab a 1 hour park, so I figured I’d just have a wander through some of the gardens, (there are 14 acres, apparently), and I’d do a tour of the house another time.

After going through the gatehouse, triumphantly waving my National Trust card at the woman behind the counter, I set off along the gravel driveway towards the house.

It’s lined by Narnia lamp posts!

After what seemed like a fair trudge, I got to the house. I could just imagine horses and carriages turning in front of the house, and ladies with elegant long dresses stepping out.

Here’s the front entrance. Ornate, isn’t it? I got closer to look at the statues on either side of the door and look!

The one on the right is reading a book. I definitely have to come back on another day and inspect this house.

Looks like there’s a conservatory tacked onto the side of the house.

When viewed from the side, it’s disappointingly small.

I walked around the back of the house, had a quick chat with a gardener, who said, “The dahlia patch is in fine bloom.”

I suppose it was. But gee – all of that staking of the flowers!

They’re undeniably pretty, but too much upkeep for me.

Behind the dahlias, I saw one of the things I was keen to see – the fernery. Alice, one of my friends from work, was proposed to here a few years ago.

I set off towards it, though my hopes of getting a proposal in there were very low.

Then, just before I left the back of the house, I turned around to see this:

Simple, but very pretty. Imagine living here and seeing this out of the window every day?

The fernery was a place where I could have stayed longer. It was lovely.

It has lots of winding paths, with the lush green of the ferns and other plants all around. I chose the left path and set off.

This massive bird’s nest fern made me feel guilty about the poor little one that I’ve got at home. I planted it under a tree fern, thinking it’d get enough shade, but it’s struggling. This one looks really happy.

The reason for all the lush greenery is that they’ve got a little creek running through the place. This is where there’s a bridge to let the water run under the path.

Clever.

The roof is open. It’s just slats, which I wouldn’t have thought would give enough shade, especially in summer.

But the ferns were proving me wrong.

After a look at the time on my phone, I decided to exit and found myself near the lake. There were lots of happy ducks, along with some VERY happy arum lilies. Again, I thought guiltily about the patch of arums I have at home.

I made a mental note to give them water more often.

Pretty, isn’t it? I waited for two groups of people to finish taking photos of themselves on the bridge.

Huh. Such a touristy thing to do!

You’d never see ME doing any such thing in my home town!

Anyway, here’s what I was looking at.

The ducks were busily feeding.

I absolutely love it when they duck-dive!

Look at his little legs all splayed out.

I walked to the left of the lake, towards a lookout tower I could see.

I have a goal to do more exercise every day, before I get to ‘Heart Attack Hill’ on the Ghan tour I’m doing in September. This was it for today.

Getting closer!

There we go! The stairs!

I thought of all the stairs I had to climb in Blarney Castle, back when I was in Ireland. Compared to that, this was a piece of cake!

It was a nice view, up among the trees.

I also saw some train tracks. I didn’t realise that the train was so close here. Maybe next time I could come by train – using my Senior’s card = cheap – and stay here for as long as I want?

With another glance at the time, I knew I had to get back to the car.

The walk back to the gatehouse reminded me of all the walks I’ve done in stately gardens in England with Scott, Deana and Kathleen.

It easily equals them. And to think I grew up only a few suburbs away!

I strolled past the lake.

I saw an enormous aspidistra.

Actually, one of these would look great in the Man Cave. I must track one down.

If you peer between the trees you can see the fence.

I’m nearly there.

And here it is. There’s a small nursery behind here, along with a little café.

I bought myself a little rubber plant as a souvenir and I got 10% off for being a National Trust member.

I saved a whole dollar on that plant. Bargain.

What with England and now here, I’ve more than made up the purchase price of the membership. I’ll be renewing next year.

I thoroughly enjoyed my gallop around Ripponlea. I’ll be coming back one day to spend longer here. Next time, I’ll see the interior of the house.

Dad joke of the day:

Little Adventure #19: January 2024 – Kangaroo Island. (Episode 7.)

February 13, 2024 / / 4 Comments

After seeing the Kangaroo silo painting, I stopped in at a little café for a coffee. Before I knew it, it was nearly time for my gin-tasting class at the distillery. Wouldn’t want to be late for that!

Originally, I was interested in doing the gin mixing class, but they wouldn’t run it for only one person. Participants end up taking home a bottle of the gin that they designed themselves. What a perfect souvenir! So the gin tasting class was the next-best thing for a single girl to do.

My friends Helen and Rick, who I went to North Korea and China with, love trying new gins. This place is tailor-made for them. I can just see Helen mixing flavours together like a mad scientist.

Look at this… only ONE CHAIR. The gifts that retirement brings keep coming and coming. I had a private masterclass, just for me!

A Spanish girl called Mar was my teacher for this class and she had 9 different drinks for me to try.

I’ve trained all my life for this moment.

As I settled myself on the chair, I could see that there were a few different aromatics for me to try with the different varieties I was going to taste. Some of these were from the extensive herb garden that surrounded the public café. I walked around and had a sticky-beak before the class started.

I had such a good time. The gin-tasting was amazing. There are such delicate flavours between them.

Here are the six that were on the original tasting. I had my mind blown by the very first one, which I ended up buying – the O Gin. As I went further down the line the gins kept tasting better and better. By the time we got to the 3 extra-special drinks at the end, I was having a VERY good time.

So I would’ve bought most of them, but you know I am but one woman with only one liver. I walked away with three bottles and one of them was vodka. I’m definitely not a vodka drinker, but this one was flavoured with such beautiful aromatics that I had to take one with me. I can see it being used sparingly, just a little bit poured over an ice cube…

The other type I bought was the First Harvest Juniper Gin, which is made with juniper and herbs from their garden and it was absolutely delicious.

They’re also in the process of making whiskey. Due to our climate, 3-year-old Australian whiskey tastes like 9-year-old Scotch/Irish whiskey. Interesting – this is something to keep our eyes peeled for.

I would imagine their Mixing class would be excellent, so if you’re ever on Kangaroo Island then definitely do the gin mixing class if you’re a couple or are with a group of friends.

After the class finished, I headed back to the car. Where to go now?

I decided to head off to the lavender farm for lunch.

After driving 20 minutes over rocky, corrugated unmade roads, I arrived at a big shed, and a café surrounded by rows of lavender bushes. Every row was labelled with the name of the variety of lavender.

I went into the shop, where one of the first things I saw was Lavender Gin. I backed away… I’d definitely had enough gin purchases and tipples for one day. I bought some foot moisturiser and a tub of something called ‘sleep balm’ – you put a smidge on each temple and you drift off to sleep like a baby. I can’t report as to how effective it is because I keep forgetting to use it.

I decided to sit here for lunch. I bought a lavender scone with strawberry jam, lavender jelly and cream.

The scone was about as big as my head.

I sat there, people-watching and also enjoying the sparrows and blue wrens that were darting in and out, picking up crumbs. It was cool in the shade.

I was looking around at all the lavender and I thought, ‘This can’t be the lavender farm. It’s too small. They must have another lavender farm or they buy their lavender oil from somewhere else.’

Before I’d ordered lunch, I’d given my phone to them to plug in because I was running low on battery. When I went to collect it, I happened to strike the owner of the place, so I asked her, “Where’s your main farm?”

She said, “This is it!”

I looked at her and said, ” It doesn’t seem to be big enough.”

She laughed and said, “Have you been to Tasmania?” and when I said that I’d just seen pictures of the massive farms there, she went on, “We cut our lavender by hand not by machine like they do. When you upscale and start using machines then you need the massive great amounts of plants.

“We don’t sell anywhere else. Because KI is such a huge tourist place, we don’t need to expand. We harvest our lavender by hand and we make all our products here”, gesturing behind her, “in this kitchen.”

Well of course this is music to my ears! I went back into the shop and bought some more things. I’m happy to support a business like this.

After lunch, I decided to have a look at the Eucalyptus Oil distillery, but to be honest, this was a bit underwhelming. I think I was a bit distilleried out, after Ireland and now here. I bought a cake of dog soap for the little woofs, then decided to make my way home.

Come to think of it – I’d had a very early start to the day. Coupled with the day drinking – I needed a nap.

The next day was an early morning ferry ride back to the mainland and then a full day’s driving. I took the 8:30 ferry and I didn’t get home till 9 PM. Thank goodness for podcasts and audiobooks.

Along the way, I saw a couple of very pretty houses in the same town in South Australia.

I stopped to take these shots, just like when Scott and I were in England.

Hours later, I was driving through Nhill when I saw a sign outside a shop saying “PATCHWORK.” I needed a break anyway, so I stopped the car and went inside.

I selected some fabric to buy – I was running low on reds and purples – and I ended up having the most fantastic conversation with the woman behind the counter. She was like ME! We talked for almost 20 minutes about all the travelling that we’ve done. We swapped recommendations and travel tips. It was fantastic.

Then, on the outskirts of the next town, I came across this.

The Pink Lake.

My friend Helen, you know, the gin-tippler, (haha!) – talked about this place to me a couple of years ago, saying that we should go up there. The pink that you see is SALT. You can harvest the salt.

I didn’t realise that the Pink Lake was on the way to Adelaide because when I went there a couple of years ago, I went via the Great Ocean Road where I met Loretta. A blogmeet is always a good thing.

So if I’d known I was going to be driving straight past here, I would have brought something substantial to scoop the salt into.

But all I had was my faithful coffee mug.

I brought the salt home, spread it out on a dinner plate and let the water evaporate away. It’s now in an empty Vegemite jar in my pantry, as a little reminder of this Little Adventure.

Look at the salt glistening in the sun.

That’s it for this Little Adventure. I had an excellent time on Kangaroo Island and can highly recommend it. It has a lovely blend of beaches, nature, foodie experiences and pure beauty.

It’s nice to find great places so close to home.

Dad joke of the day:

Little Adventure #19: January 2024 – Kangaroo Island. (Episode 6.)

February 10, 2024 / / 3 Comments

This picture was taken at Stokes Bay at 8:01 in the morning. I woke up that morning at 5:30 and remembered what the guy in the Sculpture Walk told me about the beach. I needed to be at a gin distillery at 11 – no way I was going to miss that! – so I had plenty of time to spare for a drive.

Besides, I thought it might be nice to be on a beach soon after sunrise. I can’t do this at home. The little woofs bark so much as they’re getting ready for a walk that I’d wake the neighbours.

The drive was a little over an hour and I was a bit worried I’d skittle a wallaby, but that didn’t happen. Though I DID see one bounding beside the road as I was coming out of American River, so that was exciting.

The top photo is of the beach that the Sculpture Park guy said that people assume is the real beach. It’s pretty enough, but over to the right, just in front of the cliffs, I saw a yellow sign.

When I got out of the car I met a man coming back from that way. I asked if that was the way to the beach.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, ” you gotta go over there through the tunnel. It’s a bit hard to know where to go at the moment because there’s no one here . Normally it’s swarming with tourists.”

“Ah, tourists. Hate those guys!” I said.

Then, like the tourist I am, I set off towards the tunnel.

I thought you might like to come through the tunnel with me, so I snapped shots as I went along.

Here was where I took off my sandals.

…

I’m short.

It was fun squeezing through and under the rocks.

This walk went on for a while…

… but could it be???

Yes!

This is what I saw as I emerged from the rocks. A secluded stretch of beach.

And not a soul in sight.

I began walking. Slowly, just drinking it all in.

Look at the colours!

I looked back at where I’d emerged from the rocks. Just as I did, the clouds parted and the sun shone.

All I could hear was the waves rolling in.

It suddenly occurred to me that I didn’t know what time it was, so I grabbed my phone and saw that it was 8:01.

If I was still at work, I would be driving along the freeway. I would have been aiming at that time to be at the end of the freeway, ready to turn right onto Warrigal Road. My car wouls be surrounded by hundreds of other cars, their drivers all intent on gettig to work as fast as possible.

Instead, I’m on this beach. By myself, in total peace and quiet.

It’s glorious.

I’m the only one on this beach. It’s crazy. People are driving to work right now, and then there are other people doing things like this.

To be fair, I suppose I couldn’t have been here if I didn’t drive all those years to work. But walking along the sand, watching the waves roll in and the clouds floating along the sky, it made all the frugal sacrifices I made in years gone by absolutely worth it.

I’m glad I played the long game of delayed gratification.

This is a real treat. It’s something really special. I’m really glad I stopped to talk to that guy in the sculpture park otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered coming here. As you know, I can go to the beach near me anytime I want.

I’m glad I came.

I created a memory.

As I was driving back to town towards the gin distillery, I saw a sign and turned off the main drag. Kangaroo Island as its own painted silo!

This angle shows the Glossy Black Cockatoo …

… while this fearsome-looking bloke is wholly appropriate to the island.

Next stop – GIN.

Dad joke of the day:

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