Just before Christmas I went and had my first mole mapping. As a fair-skinned person living in Australia, this is something that you absolutely should do every year once you reach a certain age, so it was my turn to start.
“How are the moles on your back?” asked the doctor.
“I have no idea – I’m single!” I replied.
He examined me all over and pronounced me to be absolutely fine… until I moved to get off the table.
“Hang on, there’s a mole on your ankle that I didn’t notice,” he said.
“Oh, don’t chop that one off – I like it!” I said.
Yep. Turns out that I had a suspicious-looking mole on my body after all. Yesterday I went back and had it removed.
It was interesting to see inside my own leg.
Where I’m going: nowhere.
This mole removal is the perfect opportunity to loll around all day and get lots of reading done. There isn’t a lot of spare flesh and skin on the ankle, so my poor foot is having to do a fair bit of healing. I’ve stocked up with some excellent books from the library so I should be happy as a pig in muck for the next few days.
Where I’ve been: out for New Year’s.
A couple of days after Christmas I went to Specsavers to get some new reading glasses. Izzy, my daughter-in-law, works there so I got the family discount. 🙂
After I chose the frames, the shop was dead so we had about 20 minutes to sit and chat. We were talking about something or other when she sat up straight and said, “Oh! What are you doing for New Years?”
“Nothing,” I said. I’ve never been a big new years person. My ex-husband used to have the boys between Christmas and New Year’s so the boys were always deposited back with me at 5 PM on New Year’s Eve every year. I got used to staying in.
“Do you want to come over to Mum’s?” she said. “We’re having a little get-together to bring in the new year.”
Well, how could I say no? I must be doing something right if she’s willing to spend time with her mother-in-law!!
This collection of short stories is AMAZING. I really enjoy how Kate Atkinson can put a sentence together. I only had a day to read this as I had to get it back to the library and I couldn’t renew the loan because someone else had a hold on it, so I was committed to a day of reading.
I found myself enjoying it so much that I didn’t want it to end. I started getting up and doing things like hanging out washing or watering the garden just to eke out the experience of reading it just a little bit longer.
Truly, it was a great way to usher in 2024.
What I’m watching: The Last of Us.
It’s Ryan29 and my latest mother/child bonding show that we’re watching together. People have been telling me for ages to watch it and yes… it’s good.
We just finished episode 3. What a beautiful story. Tom31 said this episode is in line to win an Emmy and it absolutely should.
What I’m listening to: birds.
I love my leisurely mornings. The nice thing about where I live is that the birds that sing here in the mornings are the same types of birds that used to call in the mornings at Inverloch, where we used to go and stay for holidays with my grandparents when I was a child.
It’s a lovely little nostalgia thing.
What I’m eating: pizza.
We haven’t used the pizza oven for months, so I decided it was time to have another go. The last couple of pizzas we had were underwhelming, with undercooked dough, so this time I made Ryan29 wait until the pizza oven hit 400 degrees before they launched the first pizza, then we waited for it to hit that temperature again before the next one.
Bloody delicious! It definitely needs the pizza stone to be piping hot for each pizza.
What I’m planning: holidays.
I always said that I wanted an overseas holiday every year when I retired and nothing’s changed. However, I’m looking at possible other breaks during the year.
I’m friends on FB with a guy who was in my year level at school. One of the “popular” guys back in the day. He’s battling cancer and is in and out of hospital and isn’t having a great time. Every time he posts from a hospital bed, it makes me want to rush out and book ALL THE TRAVEL while I can still do it.
Irrational but there you go.
I’ve got Adelaide/Kangaroo Island at the end of this month and Canada/Alaska in the winter, but who knows? I may whisk myself off somewhere later in the year…
Who deserves a thumbs-up: You do.
Yes, you absolutely do!
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog. I appreciate it.
What has made me smile:having two really long chats with David30 on New Year’s Eve.
I don’t get to see a lot of my Virgo boys, so it was lovely to sit out on the back verandah of Izzy’s parents’ house and have a lovely long catch-up with David30 while the rest of them were massacring songs on the karaoke machine.
Evan27, the other Virgo, is coming for dinner with Jenna on Friday night. This makes me happy.
A couple of days ago I received a random text from a real estate agent asking if I would like her to pop in and give an estimate on the house, as she was going to be in my street doing the same thing for a neighbour.
This is something that I always said I’d organise once I got the house and garden looking good. But you know how it’s never something you think to get organised? Here it was, falling into my lap.
I replied that as I’m hosting Christmas this year, the house will probably never look as good as right now, so she was very welcome! She’s coming just before lunch today.
I’ll be interested to see if all the work I’ve done around here, particularly in the gardens, has been worth it financially. I don’t much care if it hasn’t – the aim was to make the property fit like a glove for ME, not for the overall property market. But still, I’m looking forward to hearing what she thinks.
Where I’m going: Nowhere, I hope.
I’ve spent the last few days racing around to shops and Gardenworld, hoping to finish most of the Christmas shopping before the screaming hordes descend just before Christmas.
I’m crossing my fingers that a quick trip to Aldi will be all I need to do.
But maybe not. I thought I’d finished, then remembered that we ran out of champagne glasses at the big family birthday party I threw back in October, so I made a ‘quick’ dash to IKEA. While I was there I saw some bedside tables that would be perfect for the guest room, plus a few other bits and bobs.
It’s like going to Bunnings. You never walk out with just one thing.
Where I’ve been: Gardenworld.(See the photo above.)
My god, I had a good time there on Monday! If the weather is good on Christmas Day, we’ll be sitting out under the verandah in the backyard. Naturally, the garden has to be inviting.
I went to Gardenworld on Springvale Road to make that happen.
I wandered around getting pots of marigolds for the hanging baskets out the front, lilies, cosmos and pink flowers for the pots out the back, Troforte fertiliser (OMG the best stuff I’ve ever found!), petunias to go under the maples at the front of the house… generally I just filled up the whole trolley.
As I was wheeling it carefully to the register, I realised that I completely forgot about the 2 pots on the front verandah that I had to fill. There was no way I was going to fit anything else onto that trolley, so I decided to load up the car, then bring the trolley back in for round two.
I bought some plants to fill the pots. I also bought a crazy fern and pot for my ensuite, an Asia Bell Tree for the front verandah that is taller than I am, a huge terracotta pot to fit it, and something else that I can’t even remember right now.
I got to Gardenworld at just before 11 AM. I left at 2 PM.
I had a ball.
I spent all yesterday planting things. That wasn’t quite as much fun, but the place looks amazing.
What I’m reading: 110 books this year!!!!
For the second year in a row, I’ve hit my target on Goodreads of reading 110 books. I wasn’t sure I’d make it this year, as I spent 5 weeks barely reading anything because I was so busy blogging about my England/Ireland trip.
After Christmas I might do a recap of the best books I read in 2023. I’ve read some absolute crackers that have absolutely made my year.
If you’d like to have a list of the best of 2023, let me know in the comments.
🙂
What I’m watching: Only Murders in the Building.
I’m still working my way through this one and I’ve nearly finished the third season. I’m loving it. The guest stars alone are enough to keep me watching. There are some Big Names.
I’m loving this series.
What I’m listening to:Assorted podcasts.
Now that I’m spending so much time working in the garden, I’m chopping through the pods!
What I’m eating:porridge with stewed fruit.
I’m just about to have breakfast. When stone fruits come into season, I stew big pots full of plums, apricots and apple/rhubarb and freeze them in ice cube trays. For the rest of the year, I just add 3 or 4 cubes of fruit to a bowl of plain porridge.
YUM. Especially when the fruit and rhubarb come from my own trees. So satisfying.
What I’m planning: what to do on Christmas Day if it rains.
I’m already glad that we decided to redecorate the Man Cave earlier this year, but if Christmas Day is going to be too cool to sit outside, then I’ll be extraordinarily glad that I have options.
This room is large enough to fit two tables. We’re expecting 15 people this year. Our family is slowly getting bigger.
Who needs a thumbs-up: The shutter company.
On Tuesday the shutter people came and installed the plantation shutters for the rest of the house. This is the Man Cave, with the shutters on the big sliding door.
I didn’t realise that you could get plantation shutters in front of doors, so I was one happy person when I found out that you can. Here’s a picture of the shutters in the guest bedroom:
See how they collapse against each other at the side?
Anyway, I ordered the shutters to be installed before Christmas, which was all good until the shipments were held up at the ports. Thankfully, one shipment was released and I got my pretty windows in time for the big day.
The rooms where they really make the difference are the bathrooms. I nearly didn’t install some for my ensuite, but I’m very glad I did. They look fantastic.
What has made me smile:Looking around me.
I feel like a very lucky woman. My house and garden are getting very close to how I want them to look; as usual my entourage… the Little Woofs… are all asleep beside me, snoring and content; my kids are all happy, healthy and will all be with me for Christmas; after so many years of financial struggle I’m now in a comfortable place…
Some unkind people might say that this is nothing unusual.
Where I’m going:Nowhere.
I’m going to enjoy a few days of absolute nothingness before Christmas preparations start to get crazy. I have a few things to get done, but this is basically a quiet, gentle time for me to just “be.”
Where I’ve been:looking after myself… finally.
I went and had my first mole map on Monday. I was expecting the worst – this vampire skin of mine so definitely not made for this climate.
But I only have one mole that needs to be removed. I’m pretty happy with that. All the decades of hiding from the sun are paying dividends now!
What I’m reading:
Lola in the Mirror – Dalton This was terrific. I wasn’t really a fan of his second novel, but loved his first (Boy Swallows Universe.) This, his third, is back to his best. I especially liked his depiction of what it’s like to live on the streets. Dalton’s years of journalism clearly shine through here.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Jackson I really enjoyed this one. I didn’t realise that it was written by the author of the brilliant short story ‘The Lottery.” (If you’ve ever read it, you’ll remember it. If you haven’t google it and read it.) This novel is short but there is something left-of-centre about how the story is told. Merricat is a very memorable protagonist.
What I’m watching:Only Murders in the Building.
I’ve wanted to watch this one for a while – there are 3 seasons’ worth so I’ve obviously been waiting for longer than I thought! I’m enjoying it. Every now and then there’s a quirky element that tickles me, and of course, anything with Steve Martin is obviously starting off ahead.
What I’m listening to:I’m still catching up on podcasts.
Not having a commute anymore really makes a difference in how quickly I can catch up on pods. I still have hours of them to get through, so maybe this means that audiobooks are now a thing of the past?
What I’m eating:A roast dinner.
Last night Tom31 brought a girl over to meet us. She’s coming to spend Christmas Day with us so I suggested that it might be nice if she knew a couple of extra people before she lands slap bang in the middle of us all.
I went to Costco yesterday so I grabbed a chook and we had a simple roast dinner. Emily was a very quiet girl, particularly at first, but by the time dinner was over and we were sitting out on the front verandah to catch the breeze, she’d relaxed. I think she’ll fit in well on Christmas Day with us all.
What I’m planning:Christmas Day.
I have to get the garden, particularly the veggie garden in the back, looking good for the big day. I’ve let a lot of things go to seed and they look scraggly. Today is a nicely overcast day so it’s a good day for standing and chopping things without getting burned.
Who needs a thumbs-up:My parents.
I went to see them on Sunday to let them know that I have 3 boys and a girl… obviously with my girl’s permission. It wouldn’t have been fair to spring it on them over Christmas Dinner, after all.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure how it would go, seeing as they’re both in their mid-eighties. But they didn’t bat an eye. Mum mentioned how the indigenous American and Thai people always acknowledged ‘the third gender’ and how it actually answered a few questions she had over the years!
Ultimately, it comes down to family being the most important thing for them. “We love our people and that’s all that matters.”
Honestly, if people this age can accept it and move on, then I fail to see why everyone else can’t do so as well.
What has made me smile:the dogs.
My sister Kate brought around her new puppy to meet his cousins. You can see how much bigger Huxley is – he’s 14 weeks old and is already towering over all of mine, particularly Scout.
Poppy wasn’t having a bar of his youthful shenanigans – he got put in his place VERY promptly. This photo here is about half an hour after he arrived. All four of them are in the shot. It’s EXHAUSTING getting to know new members of the family!
All in all, the introduction went as well as it could have gone. Hux will be here for Christmas, so I’m expecting that Scout will be in her pram for much of the day.
ALSO – a friend was inspired to go to Antarctica after she saw my photos on Facebook. She’s there right now, so I’m enjoying all of her shots. Her ship chased after the world’s biggest iceberg and found it. Her video is incredible. That’s one scarily big berg.
I’m so angry. Remember how I had the voucher from the kids to use, and I had to pay the company $1 to get every last cent from the voucher?
I’ve just got off the phone with the bank to dispute not one, but FOUR transactions from this company totalling just over 1K. I’ve had to cancel my card and now I’ll have to change all of my direct debits when I get the new card in a week.
Talk about greedy! Surely anyone would notice an extra thousand dollars coming out of their account?
Where I’m going: Specsavers.
Izzy works for them and I’ve decided that I need new lenses for my reading glasses. I’m coming down to the end of my Goodreads Challenge, (I’ve read 105/110 books so far this year), so I’ve been having a few massive reading days. Getting 11 books that I put on hold at the library all at once hasn’t helped!
I’m getting headaches at the end of the day. I think my 3-year-old lenses might need replacing. Plus I get a family discount!
Where I’ve been: Taking Scout for walks in her new pram.
I know, I know. I’ve turned into one of THOSE dog parents.
But as she’s getting older, Scout is becoming more anxious about walking around when there are lots of people/dogs. She’s so tiny, so I can see how it would be intimidating. She just puts the brakes on and refuses to move, which means I have to drag her along, looking like an absolute monster, or i pick her up. She’s only 6.5kgs, but that gets really heavy over time.
(I’m a delicate flower…)
So I bought her a pram. At first she screamed the street down, but after Ryan28 kept giving her treats and she realised that she was up high and not missing out on anything, she decided that she loves it.
I’m not intending to use it for every walk. Just those places where I now she’ll be scared.
What I’m reading:I’m up to 105/110 on my Goodreads Challenge!
The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman is the fourth in the Thursday Murder Club series. I absolutely LOVE these books.
Sweet Jimmy by Bryan Brown. Yes, THAT Bryan Brown… the actor. He’s released a novel that I’m in the queue for at the library, but I thought I’d have a look at this collection of short stories. I really enjoyed them. Gritty stuff.
Treasure and Dirt by Chris Hammer. I’ve read all the Chris Hammer books now and I’ve enjoyed the ride. He’s an excellent writer and his stories are engrossing.
What I’m watching:The Walking Dead spinoffs on Stan.
Oh, how I’ve missed the distinctive sound of the zombies!
What I’m listening to:RATS.
Yes, the rats are back and we think they’re even worse than before I had the house treated. I had to wait 48 days from when we had the house done to ring the pest control company to get them to come out and do a (free) second treatment.
It’s annoying. We’re doing all the right things, but our next-door neighbours are not. They don’t seem to mind too much if they see a rat or two in their yard…
Ryan28 is going to attach some sturdy steel mesh to the fences around our boundary, starting with the fence between the druggies’ house and ours.
What I’m eating:Salad from the garden.
I was late getting things in the ground this year as I was off on my trip, but the plants in the veggie garden have clearly decided that now is the time to go nuts and grow.
I’m using a new fertiliser called Troforte that another Aussie blogger raved about, and honestly, things almost seem to be leaping out of the ground, begging me to cut them loose!
I have other fertilisers I’ve bought that are sitting here, but I don’t know if I want to use them any more…
What I’m planning:Christmas Day.
It’s at my place this year – just how I like it.
Who needs a thumbs-up:Ryan28.
Being a mature-age student suits them. You’ve never seen anyone work so hard to get excellent grades.
What has made me smile:Scout.
In the ‘Little House on the Prarie’ books, Ma Ingalls always used to say in times of misfortune, “It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good.”
Basically what it means is that one man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity, so you can look for the advantage, however small, in what’s befallen you. (One example of this was when their entire corn crop was eaten by blackbirds. The corn was supposed to set them up financially, so now they were absolutely broke. However, they started baking the blackbirds in pies and eating them, so at least they had free protein for the family.)
The rats are bad news for the humans, but Scout has discovered her life’s calling.
Dachshunds were originally bred to be ratters. She hasn’t been in contact with any, but she can hear them skittering around under the house. She’s been on guard for two days, barking and grumbling. She’s on high alert – no rats will make it inside as long as she’s on patrol!
What’s top of my mind:The Zombie Apocalypse cupboard is full.
I did a big Aldi shop yesterday to stock up on the essentials that we use. I don’t know why, but my spidey-senses are tingling again, so we now have plenty of wine, coffee, pasta, rolled oats, tinned stuff, cheese, non-perishables and everything else.
The freezer is full of meat, both for humans and the little woofs, as well as veggies. When I went to Costco a little while ago I bought lots of dry food for the dogs as well as a slab of toilet paper. Naturally.
If nothing else, it’ll mean that I won’t have to brave the shops very much at Christmas. I just felt that now was the time to ensure that the cupboard was stocked.
Where I’m going: The Ghost Walk.
Yes, the voucher excursions finish on Friday! I think I’ve made pretty good use of that $136. Not a penny was wasted.
Where I’ve been: A Christmas Carol.
Jenna had some free tickets to see this show at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne. I took my girl to see it. It was a fun show, with Owen Teale from Game of Thrones as Scrooge. We had a lovely night, meeting under the clocks at Flinders st and walking to the theatre, grabbing some sushi along the way.
What I’m reading: Lots!
I have a few of the 11 library books I brought home with me still sitting beside my bed, and I’ve had notice that the 4th Thursday Murder Club book is waiting for me, so I’m reading these other ones as fast as I can. Below are the two that I really enjoyed.
Holly by Stephen King. I enjoyed this one because I love Holly Gibney’s character. But even I – a MASSIVE mask-wearer until I got home from the UK – found the constant covid references annoying. But the bad characters? LOVED this idea.
In Memoriam by Alice Winn. OMG – What an amazing novel. I absolutely loved it. It’s beautifully written, breathtakingly sad and realistically gritty, especially when the protagonists are in the trenches of WWI. I HIGHLY recommend this one.
Children and Wives by Tony Birch. This is a short read, but my god it packs a punch! It deals with really important issues such as domestic violence, education in the Catholic system, women’s rights etc. It’s simply told. The relationship between the protagonist and his grandfather is beautiful.
I read another chapter of ‘Shakespeare’s Wife’ by Germaine Greer. Perfect insomnia reading. I’ll finish it eventually, but ugh. Dreadfully dull.
What I’m Watching: ‘Bodies’ on Netflix.
I finished this on Monday. It’s an 8 part series that starts off with 4 timelines, but by the end, they’re all tied up together. I enjoyed this one.
What I’m listening to: Traffic outside as people go off to work.
Yeah, I’m not missing that commute at all.
What I’m eating: it was almost takeaway…
Have you ever invited people over for dinner and a few hours before they arrive, the power goes out? David30 and Izzy arrived and just as we were about to jump into the car and look for a takeaway shop with the power on, the lights came back.
Thank goodness for a Skinnymixers quick chicken curry that only takes 20 minutes to cook. We were hungry!
What I’m planning:Christmas Lunch. Or dinner. But it’s at lunchtime.
Every time I go to the supermarket I’m trying to get something for the Big Day. Yesterday I bought a fine triple-smoked ham.
Who needs a thumbs-up:Izzy and Dvid30.
I asked Izzy how married life was going after 7 months. She said, “It’s just the same as it was before we got married. We still like each other, so I guess that’s good.”
What has made me smile:Lazy Housewife beans.
I thought I had heaps of Lazy Housewife beans to plant this year. Turns out I only had 8 saved from two years ago. So I planted them and crossed my fingers that they’d all come up.
Turns out 6 of them have. I’ll be planting more bush beans, but 6 Lazy Housewife plants will give two people more than enough beans to eat over summer.
And you can bet that I’ll be saving more beans to plant! I alternate each year between planting Purple King and Lazy Housewife beans.
The next excursion on my “use up the voucher I got for Christmas 3 years ago” was a half-hour drive around the Botanical Gardens. Now obviously I wasn’t expecting this to be the most wildly exciting 30 minutes of my life, but it was actually a nice way to spend a beautiful sunny day in the city.
If you squint, you might be able to make out “Merry Christmas” on the walking bridge.
Festive bollards.
Living so close to the station as I do, it’s so easy for me to get to the city. Jump on the train and glide right in. Take a book from my bag, get immersed in it – this time it was Stephen King’s ‘Holly’ – and before I know it, we’re coming into Flinders St station.
I decided I’d walk to where the tour begins. The Tourist Centre for the Gardens is tucked around behind the Shrine, right next to the Observatory, so it’s not a long walk. I set off, deciding that I was going to treat Melbourne like a tourist.
But a few metres down the road, something didn’t feel right. I had my big leather handbag with me, so I could fit my book, my lunch and all the other things that we carry with us, which is the very same bag I travelled with on my last trip for 5 weeks.
I was walking with it slung over my right shoulder. Casually, with no regard for pick-pockets and thieves. That’s not how a tourist wears their bag!!!! At the next traffic light, I slung my shoulder strap across my body, making sure the bag opening was against my hip. I fished out my phone, holding it so that if a photo op presented itself, I’d be ready. My Antarctica Pee Bottle was dangling from my other hand, filled with peppermint water to minimise my cough.
Ahhh. NOW I felt like a tourist! I set off with renewed vigour. Let’s see the sights!
As I walked past the Arts Centre and along St Kilda Road, I was reminded of the morning that I walked along the streets of Santiago in Chile, looking for the Sculpture Park. As I got to the Victorian College of the Arts, I stopped at a bench outside and ate lunch, reading a little more from my book as I did. Then I kept walking.
Looking at the open expanse of green and huge trees on the other side of the road, I thought, ‘If I was a tourist here, I’d think this city was beautiful.’
Trams rattled past and when I saw the Shrine, I crossed the road and walked up the steps to see it.
I remember Mum bringing us kids here. I’ve been back to the Gardens since then, of course, but never back here. I didn’t have time to go in and explore, but I walked around the outside. I still remember seeing the Tomn]b of the Unknown Soldier, but he’ll have to wait for another time for another visit.
Here is the Eternal Flame. The idea behind it is eternal life: if the flame never dies, then so will the memory of those who have fallen.
This statue has two parts. There’s another WWI soldier on the other side.
He’s staring resolutely ahead, standing on a German helmet. He means business.
This is representing the people left behind when a soldier is killed.
This was my favourite one. I remember learning about Simpson and his donkey when I was in primary school. Here’s his story from Wikipedia:
Simpson landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April 1915 with the 3rd Field Ambulance as part of the 1st Australian Division. In the early hours of the following day, as he was bearing a wounded comrade on his shoulders, he spotted a donkey and quickly began making use of it to carry his fellow soldiers. Simpson would sing and whistle, seeming to ignore the bullets flying through the air, while he tended to his comrades.
He used at least five different donkeys, known as “Duffy No. 1”, “Duffy No. 2”, “Murphy”, “Queen Elizabeth” and “Abdul” at Gallipoli; some of the donkeys were killed and/or wounded in action. He and the donkeys soon became a familiar sight to the Anzacs, many of whom knew Simpson by nicknames such as “Scotty” (in reference to his ancestry) and “Simmy”. Simpson himself was also sometimes referred to as “Murphy”. Other Anzac stretcher bearers began to emulate Simpson’s use of the donkeys.
Colonel (later General) John Monash wrote: “Private Simpson and his little beast earned the admiration of everyone at the upper end of the valley. They worked all day and night throughout the whole period since the landing, and the help rendered to the wounded was invaluable. Simpson knew no fear and moved unconcernedly amid shrapnel and rifle fire, steadily carrying out his self-imposed task day by day, and he frequently earned the applause of the personnel for his many fearless rescues of wounded men from areas subject to rifle and shrapnel fire.”
Other contemporary accounts of Simpson at Gallipoli speak of his bravery and invaluable service in bringing wounded down from the heights above Anzac Cove through Shrapnel and Monash gullies. However, his donkey service spared him the even more dangerous and arduous work of hauling seriously wounded men back from the front lines on a stretcher.
Private Victor Laidlaw, with the 2nd Field Ambulance, wrote in his diary of Simpson’s death:
Another fatality I found out today – was a private in the 1st Field Ambulance, he had been working between the base and the firing line bringing down wounded on a donkey, he had done invaluable service to our cause. One day he was bringing down a man from the trenches and coming down an incline he was shot right through the heart, it is regretted on all sides as this chap was noticed by all, and everybody got to know him, one couldn’t miss him as he used to always work with his donkey, cheerful and willing, this man goes to his death as a soldier.[18][19]
After I crossed the road to the Botanical Gardens and found the minibus, we all tootled around the gardens for half an hour. I had a fat German tourist sitting next to me on the left, which turned out to be the side with all the best photo ops… just for anyone who might do the same tour one day, so here are some shots that I was able to snap.
This is in the Oak Grove. A massive tree fell, so they left the stump and put lengths of the rest of the tree around as a gathering place.
FINALLY! Something on my side of the bus. I liked the texture of this one.
Part of the Fern Gully. I remember when Scott came out to Australia in 2019??? we walked here, then sat in a gazebo overlooking the gully and had a fine old natter.
Another nice tree trunk.
This arid garden is called ‘The Volcano.’ Can’t say I really see it, myself.
Peaceful.
Look at that tree!
First view of the lake. The driver said that it used to be part of the Yarra, but 100 years ago it was separated.
And then back into the hustle and bustle. I thought I’d post of shot of one of Melbourne’s iconic trams.
I jumped on one and was back to Flinders st in a trice. Had a dream run… only had to wait 5 minutes for a train and was back home by 4:30.
All in all, this was a nice little afternoon, making memories. I have a much clearer idea of where things are in the Gardens now, which I’ll be taking advantage of in the future.
(When I retired at the end of 2020, I decided that each month I’d go and do something or see something that I never had before, just to keep life fun. And so the “Little Adventures” were born.)
Three Christmases ago, David30, Izzy and Evan27 gave me a voucher for $136 to take a walking tour for myself and a friend. It had a loooong expiry date, so I naturally put it in a safe place and pretty much forgot about it. Every now and then I’d pick it up, look at the expiry date, nod and think, ‘I really should do something about this…’
A couple of weeks ago I found it and saw that the fatal date was DEC 23, 2023.
Ok. The time to procrastinate was done. So I sat down on Saturday, pulled up the website and had a good look. I booked a ghost walking tour for my sister-in-law Eliza and myself in December.
But I still had money left on the voucher.
I saw a trip to Werribee Open Range Zoo. Funny. I’ve been to Africa and done three safari days, but I’ve never been to Werribee Zoo. So I booked a ticket.
I still had $14 left over, so in the interests of ‘waste not, want not’ I found another activity in the city that was $15. I think that 3 activities for $1 is pretty damned frugal!
I arrived at the zoo just after 10 AM and was surprised to see that it was right beside Werribee Mansion. I remember going there YEARS ago… I was still married so that means that it was in the last century! As I walked into the zoo, I saw a tourist info office and thought I’d pop into this on the way out. Maybe the mansion is a National Trust place and I could get in for free. (I still have to make back my money on my membership. England helped a bit, but I’m not there yet.)
As soon as I entered the zoo grounds, a helpful lady escorted me to where the zoo safari tours leave from. They’re free, included with the price of admission. I joined the 10:30 one, which in hindsight was a mistake. There weren’t all that many people at the zoo on a Monday, but the people that were there were mainly mothers with toddlers.
The bus was full of them. Loud toddlers. So loud that I couldn’t hear most of the commentary that the bus driver was saying. When we pulled back to the loading area after an hour spent driving around, the next bus-load had far fewer toddlers on it.
Just an observation that may help someone else in future. Go after the mums have taken their kids before nap time.
So we spent just under an hour driving around massive paddocks, looking at African animals. Of course it was interesting. Who doesn’t love a giraffe or a hippo? But having been on three African safari days in South Africa, this just wasn’t in the ballpark. It was ok, but…
When I saw the ostriches, I had a flashback from South Africa of turning a curve in the road when we were driving in a minibus and seeing an ostrich loping majestically along the side of the road, just going about its business. It was amazing. Say what you will, it’s a little less magical when the animals are penned up in an enclosure, no matter how big that enclosure is.
Plus the kids screaming in my ear didn’t help, either.
The giraffes were good, though. You can see that there are smaller ones in a cage in the background. All of the giraffes here are male and they just had some adolescent males brought down from Dubbo zoo. The three giraffes who live here were incredibly interested in the new arrivals, who will be in the separate enclosure while they all get more familiar with each other.
The zoo is divided into three main parts: the Australian trail, the African trail and the safari tour. Once I got back, I headed off along the African trail. I wanted to see where the gorillas were because there was a keeper’s talk at 1:45 so I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t miss it by getting lost.
After that, I ducked back to the café area for an early lunch. I thought I’d get in and out before the toddlers descended on it.
There’s an extraordinary number of birds who hang around this place, but I’ve never in my life seen so many Blue Wrens. They were everywhere. Tiny little chonks with such vivid colouring.
There were 3 encounters with animals that were fantastic. The first was the lions.
I rounded the corner on my way around the African trail and there they were. The whole family was up near the glass.
There was Mum, Dad and 3 cubs. So close!
We all got excited when one of the cubs sat up, but then it thought better of the whole idea and lay down again.
I mean, look at this.
It’s like he’s posing.
The camera doesn’t do justice to the range of colours in this guy’s coat and mane. Just beautiful.
I walked further along. The place is very kid-friendly, with cutesy little signs like this all around.
The sign didn’t lie. Three of them, having a nap after breakfast.
Fair enough. I like a good nap, too.
In the wild, hippos prefer to eat at night, but obviously this doesn’t happen here. The keepers feed them just before they leave for the day and then again at 7 AM when their shifts start.
I managed to hear this information on the bus before the kids started yelling.
The ‘giant’ tortoises are in the indoor play area. They’re funny creatures who were surprisingly lively.
I had 45 minutes to kill before the gorilla talk, so I ducked into the Australia trail exhibits.
These are Tamar wallabies. They were listed as extinct in the 1920’s, but then a small population of them that people had taken over to an island in New Zealand were found and brought back to Australia. This zoo is part of the breeding program to bring their numbers back.
I liked how the mob of kangaroos was casually hanging out with the emus, while the cassowaries were close by on the other side of the fence.
Just chillin’.
And then I had close encounter #2.
I accidentally walked a little off the beaten track and noticed a few emus at the back of a fence. I quietly walked over, not wanting to spook them, and one came right up to stand beside me.
Checking me out.
My phone just couldn’t properly capture the iridescence of his face and neck and the texture of his feathers.
I don’t mind admitting that I was glad the fence was there. He was HUGE. That beak could do some damage if he wanted. No wonder they won the Emu War.
However, it was something special to be standing so close to this bird, able to look into its eyes and really observe him. He was standing there of his own free will for several minutes before I slowly started to move away.
I had gorillas to go and hear about!
I got to the gorilla enclosure just in time to see them barrelling out of their house and across the ground to get to the food the keepers had put there. For an hour beforehand, the keepers had been inside with them, doing enrichment activities and health checks.
There are 3 gorillas here – a father and his two sons. One of the sons is now the dominant one, and this is the one who came and sat right before the window, claiming all of the goodies.
Close encounter #3.
For a while, he turned his back on us as the keeper spoke.
The thing I found most interesting is that the gorillas communicate not only by vocalising and body language, but by smell. She said that it smells like fried onions, so a Bunnings sausage sizzle is like having a group of gorillas walk through a patch of rainforest.
Having these 3 close encounters made this whole trip worthwhile. The beauty of these animals is incredible.
As I was leaving, I remembered the Tourist Information Office.
I went in and the guy was very helpful. I got the impression that he’d had a slow day. I asked about Werribee Mansion, (NOT a National Trust property, to my chagrin) and then he mentioned that the State Rose Garden was right beside it.
I didn’t even know we had one! I said this and the guy said, “So many people who live here don’t even know it. It makes me angry, because I’m the president. It’s at its absolute best right now. You really should go and see it.”
When he went on to say that it was free – my favourite price – and was only 500 metres up the road, I told him that I was sold. So off I went.
It was stunning.
I thought I’d only be there for 5 or 10 minutes, but I was there for ages, just wandering around and looking at the blooms.
And blooms there were.
I wandered around the outside of the garden, then entered through this arch.
Stunning.
I loved the look of this – like a bridal veil on the ground.
My Gran loved red roses. Every time I see one, I think of her.
I was thinking about her a lot in this place!
The garden beds are laid out in a Tudor-style formal garden, with heritage roses in a border around the perimeter and a section that David Austin himself came out from England to install.
It was mid-afternoon on a cloudy day, as you can see. There were a few family groups finishing off picnics, and a few other people like me, wandering around and just soaking in the atmosphere.
Speaking of the atmosphere, the air was perfumed. It was almost intoxicating.
As I walked around, I came across the David Austin section.
This bee was really enjoying herself here. She was embedding herself within the billowy petals.
Most of the roses in this part of the garden were named.
The guy in the Tourist Information shop said that a year after David Austin came and planted all of the roses, he had to come back and revise the whole garden plan because they didn’t realise how well roses grow here in Australia.
They had to rip around a third of the plants out.
I really liked this one, even though it doesn’t look like a rose. Though I suppose the leaves give it away.
Here’s a similar one in pink.
The pavilion sits in the middle of the garden, with four paths leading straight to it.
This was a totally unexpected thing to see but I’m glad I did it. Anyone in Melbourne who has a few hours to spare should hop on over and take a picnic. What a lovely place to take someone to sit under a tree, drink some wine and just enjoy.
What’s top of my mind:Getting back into the groove of retirement.
2021 was the year that I didn’t work a single day. I loved it. Then, as you know, I was drawn back into the teaching world, where the concerns of the school and the students are paramount and you spend lots of energy each day.
I quit work and then immediately went on a very busy 5-week holiday. Since I’ve been back, I’ve found that I need to take naps nearly every day, just as I did in 2021 when I first retired.
Now I know that the naps will decrease as my body learns to relax properly again. I’m re-learning how to take it easy and to realise that I don’t have to fit all my tasks into the one day.
I have TIME. It’s pretty cool.
Where I’m going: The Melbourne Botanical Gardens.
Tomorrow I head off on a minibus tour of the gardens. I’ve lived in Melbourne all my life and I’ve barely set foot in them. Time to see where things are!
This is the third excursion from the voucher I was given 3 Christmases ago. I probably shouldn’t take a nap during this one.
Last week I said that I was reading the Scrublands trilogy by Chris Hammer, and yes. Loved them.
The Tilt is even better. It’s the second book featuring two detectives but I only found that out after I finished this one, so it’s definitely a good stand-alone read. It’s set in a small country town surrounded by forest – which has beautiful descriptions, by the way – and the novel is split into three timelines. Hammer handles this deftly, with the clues and connections all falling into place as the novel progresses.
I was intending to have a very productive day yesterday, but I couldn’t put this book down. If you’re looking for a good book to give as a gift this Christmas, I highly recommend this one.
And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin. This was one of the smaller novels I borrowed to get up to speed again with my Goodreads Challenge. I found it interesting – it’s like a zombie tale but it explores differing views of reality. I found myself thinking of the Cookers and Trumpers…
This is also Australian. 🙂
What I’m watching: The Crown.
Love this show.
What I’m listening to: Trevor Noah.
This is a bit of a cheat because I haven’t listened to any episodes yet, but this morning I found out that Trevor Noah has started a podcast on Spotify, where he interviews interesting people from all walks of life, with differing views.
It sounds like he’s trying to stop the situation that ‘And Then I Woke Up‘ is exploring.
Just the usual, though I did lash out and buy a roast pumpkin and falafel wrap for lunch on my Little Adventure.
I don’t mind a falafel.
What I’m planning:a birthday present for my girl.
I have a great idea for them, but it’ll work even better if people club in with me. I’ll be putting a message out for the boys to contact me. Hopefully they haven’t already bought their present. The birthday is 4 days after Christmas.
I love this time of year, with people plotting and planning for gifts to give.
Who needs a thumbs-up:the Little Woofs.
Just so constant and… well… just there. I’m never alone and I love it. They’re my constant companions. I took this shot on a late afternoon as I was on the couch on the front verandah, reading a book with a glass of wine.
What has made me smile:my parsley seedlings.
We use a lot of parsley in summer. The plants we grow here are from seeds that I was given on a community garden walk years ago, when I still lived at the old house. Her grandmother had brought the seeds from Italy in the 1930’s and the family had been sowing the seeds from the seedlings ever since.
I love the continuity of this. I collect seed from these plants every year to keep the tradition going.
First up, apologies for being a day late again. I just wasn’t in the zone for writing a blog post yesterday. I was too busy buying Christmas presents and booking another holiday…
What’s top of my mind:How nice it is not to have to go to work.
I don’t know about other jobs, but in teaching, every day is divided up into 48-minute chunks. So I can look at the clock on any given workday and see that it’s 10:27 (5 minutes to wrap up the lesson before recess) or 11:30 (ugh. Still 28 minutes to go before period 3 ends…) or, like now – It’s 11:59. (It’s in the early minutes of period 4. W while to go before the lunch bell.)
Instead, I’m at home. I’ve just paused in reading a book to finish off this post and then throw some food in the slow cooker for dinner tonight, to make the most of the solar power. Might even make some bread rolls.
Then I’ll finish my book, start another one, then plant some seedlings and ,maybe squeeze in a nap. It’s all pretty sweet.
Where I’m going: Kangaroo Island.
Many years ago I bought into a time-share, thinking that it would force me to take holidays with the boys. It did for a while, but then as they grew older and I grew busier, I wasted a lot of money by letting my points lapse most years. Now that I have more time to spare, I’m determined not ue the Club to its capacity.
The timeshare I’m with is Accor Vacation Club, where they use a points system instead of the usual “lock into the same week at the same property” model, so it has much more flexibility.
Earlier this year David20 and his brand-new bride spent a week in New Zealand at one of the properties, and I spent a happy weekend away with all of the girls in the family in Ballarat at another place. When I bought the timeshare, I had the 4 small boys to consider so my points bought a week in a 2BR apartment. Now, of course, I get more holidays for my points, as now I only need a 1BR or studio apartment.
Happy days.
The club now has access to a room on Kangaroo Island. I’ve booked 4 nights there in late January. A couple of years ago I stayed on the peninsula nearest to KI and even looked out across the water, watching the ferry go across. In two months time I’ll be going across and seeing it all for myself.
Kangaroo Island is famous for its wildlife and its cheeses, honey and other gourmet titbits. I’ll be taking my car with me so I’ll tootle around and have a look at all the things. Before that, I’ll be staying with Jenna’s parents in Adelaide for a couple of days. It’ll be a lovely way to bring in the new year.
(And it uses up most of the points that are expiring on June 30.)
Where I’ve been: my sister’s place.
Kate and Francis have bought a new puppy. He’s a groodle (Golden Retriever X Standard Poodle) which means he’s going to be a big boy. He’s the size of a large Cavalier at the moment and he’s only 12 weeks old.
Kate is already besotted.
This is young Huxley.
What I’m reading:
Argh! Spending 5 weeks not reading much while travelling and writing lengthy blog posts in the UK and Ireland has put my Goodreads challenge for 2023 in jeopardy. I wanted to read 110 books this year and I’m currently on 90.
Goodreads sent me an email with a list of short books so that I could catch up, so I selected some that I thought sounded interesting and now all 11 of them are waiting at the library for me to pick up.
Yes. Eleven.
Trouble is, I’m reading a set of 3 books that are quite long, but gee I’m enjoying them. I figure that the books on hold will have to wait till Saturday. So what are these books?
The first is called Scrublands, by Chris Hammer. If you liked ‘The Dry’, you’ll like this one. The interesting thing for me is that Chris Hammer was originally an investigative journalist, and so is the protagonist in this series. He knows what he’s writing about, in other words.
I’m halfway through the next one and I have the third one on the nightstand, ready to go. The next couple of weeks are clearly going to be Reading Weeks. I haven’t failed a Goodreads Challenge yet. And I don’t intend to start now.
I’m also reading ‘Shakespeare’s Wife’ by Germaine Greer. I downloaded it as a free pdf years ago on my old laptop and I started reading it in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep. It’s an excellent book for this purpose… I start to surface at around 3 or 4 o’clock, realise that if I grab my computer I have to read that book and it’s boring. So I roll over and go back to sleep again.
‘The Children’s Bach’ by Helen Garner. I know that Helen Garner is a national treasure. So is Time Winton and I can’t stand his writing either. I’ve tried and tried to enjoy Garner’s work, but I’m officially giving up. I dislike the people she writes about and life’s too short.
So there!
What I’m watching: Sex Education season 3.
I’m still catching up on the tv I’ve missed. I’m really enjoying this show. I’ve got 2 episodes to go.
What I’m listening to: Spotify on my NEW TV!!!!!
My new soundbar comes with a subwoofer. omg.
Mum’s Boppin’ Bangers has never sounded better.
What I’m eating:Rye bread.
My sister Kate and I went to Costco on Monday to look at dog food for Hux. While we were there she went mad. I’ve never been to Costco with a shopper before. I’m a “hunt it, bag it, bring it home” kind of shopper. She’s a “let’s look at every aisle” one.
Our bill was over a thousand dollars. My share was $387, which is normal when I buy the big bags of grain-free dry dog food. I also bought a loaf of rye bread, which I haven’t had for AGES. She bought a couple of packets of raw meat patties for the puppy. The rest was other stuff.
Costco doesn’t have those enormous trollies for nothing!
What I’m planning: how I can be productive and still read twenty books in 6 weeks.
Those shorter novels may be the saving of me. They’re about the length of Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm‘, just to give you an idea.
I’ve already bought nearly all my Christmas presents… just have to decide what to get David30! They’ll all be wrapped by the end of today. I love wrapping Christmas presents. I’ll finish ‘Silver’ and start the third book today.
I won’t let this challenge beat me!
Who needs a thumbs-up: my sister.
Turns out I haven’t had 4 sons… I’ve had 3 sons and a daughter. My sister was fantastic when she was told, especially when she saw them and congratulated them on the news.
She’s a good egg.
What has made me smile: the way my lounge room looks now.
What with the rug, the new tv and soundbar… it’s all coming together. We have an old footstool that used to belong to my grandfather that Scout now uses to get up onto the couch. It’s red, so soon I’ll be taking it to the upholsterer to be transformed into an appropriate colour.
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 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
Running total: $
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!
