After writing my Wednesday W’s post a couple of days ago, I sent the link to the friend who was in the conversation with the person who said the problematic remark. I’m so glad I did!
Straight after she read it we had a phone conversation. She asked if I’d heard what she replied to the remark about my writing.
It turns out that she said, all eager and ready for goss, “OMG! Where did Frogdancer lie??”
The person couldn’t give her an answer, so my friend casually said, “So I just didn’t believe them.”
My livid levels dropped quite a bit after hearing that!
And just to prove that I’m not perfect, yesterday’s walking group met in the suburb that my sister Kate lives in. It’s a countrified suburb with lots of dirt roads. I was walking with a guy who has travelled extensively with his wife, and I was engrossed in the conversation. We were talking about treks in Nepal, security bags to stop bag snatchers, cruises, wild animals and more.
We walked right past my sister’s house and I didn’t even notice. I only know this because Blogless Sandy was walking in the group behind us and assumed I would have told everyone about the house.
Yes, sometimes I’m not very observant. I had coffee at Kate’s place afterwards and when I told her, she laughed, rolled her eyes and said, “Yeah, that isn’t very surprising.”
Ah well. I DID notice the bloody great hill we had to walk up, which is on her street though! That’s when I decided that maybe trekking in Nepal isn’t really for me.
What’s top of my mind:The integrity of my writing.
I’ve been blogging since 2007 on the frogblog, and I started this one in 2017. Both blogs are an online journal of my thoughts and experiences and everything written in these blogs is a truthful account of my life as I live it. You know – the very definition of a journal.
A few days ago someone close to me was talking to mutual friends and insinuated that not everything written here is truthful. I was very angry and deeply hurt when I was told about it.
I take pride in my writing and put my heart and soul into it. Especially the travel posts – they usually take between 2 and 3 hours to write. When I’m on a trip, I take notes as each day progresses (sometimes written; sometimes spoken) so that I have every detail available for me to select what goes into the post when I’m ready to write. (Martha from Vancouver probably saw me doing this when we were at the bird sanctuary.) I take photos of information boards so I can include details from them if they’re interesting. The people I’ve travelled with, such as Scott, Megan and Deana among others, have also seen me do this.
My readers can trust that everything I write in my posts actually happened.
My blogs are the one place that I can share my life without fear or favour. There’s absolutely no point in lying even if I wanted to – I’ve elected not to monetise them because I want the number of my readers to grow organically, because what I share resonates with them and they want to come back. I’m not interested in writing exciting ‘click bait’. It’s pointless to me.
The blogs are a record of my life, my gardens, my trips and my children and pets. Every post I write is a post that my children can read. Every post is something that I can come back later to refer to. I do not lie or embellish the truth. It would negate the whole point of writing the blogs in the first place.
I feel that both this FIRE blog and the frogblog have built up lovely little communities in our corners of the internet. Some of you have been reading me for years – I’m looking at you, Loretta! – and some of you have opened up your homes and spent time with me when I’ve been travelling. I treasure the trust and friendship that exists between me and the people who take the time to read what I write. I get a kick out of seeing a notification that someone has commented.
I guess I just wanted to get that off my chest.
Where I’m going:I just checked my calendar…
Nowhere.
Well, I have my walking group tomorrow and to my dismay joy, it’s going to be a sunny day so there’s no excuse not to go.
I’d better set the alarm!
Where I’ve been:out to lunch.
On Friday I went to Brighton Beach for lunch with a couple of friends from my thermomix days. It was supposed to be 4 of us but one pulled out due to ill health. We had a great time, but I was a bit taken aback to find out that two of the four of us had had cancer – one to the point of losing a breast.
They’re both younger than me. Then the very next morning there was a long post on FB from a guy I went to high school with who’s battling cancer popping up all over the place in his body.
It’s confronting to think that I seem to have reached that age where bad things start to happen.
What I’m reading:nothing that I’m particularly excited about.
I read a couple of books on the cruise and the two I have on hand now are just finishing up the stories. I thought I may as well follow them through, but they’re fairly ‘meh.’
I started this last night on Netflix. Yes, I know I should be watching the Olympics, but once the swimming was done I turned back to Netflix. I like my stories.
This looks to be quite good.
What I’m listening to: music coming from Georgia29’s room.
Uni has started again for Georgia 29, but today is one of her free days. I know she’s studying at the moment because the music coming from her room is slow, steady and doesn’t have lyrics.
What I’m eating: Meatloaf.
I’m so happy. I love meatloaf and I’ve never made it before. Jaybee on the Simple Savings website posted THIS RECIPE and I made it last night, but instead of using BBQ sauce for the glaze I used plum sauce, as Jaybee recommended.
It was lovely. The recipe instructs you to make 2 loaves, one to eat now and one to freeze. I’m really pleased that I now have an easy meal in the freezer for when I’m rushed. Also, because there’s only Georgia29 and I at home, each meatloaf lasts us for 2 dinners.
Winning!
What I’m planning:what to plant in my gardens.
Liga is coming in November and I’d like the place to look colourful and welcoming for her and her friend – also called Liga. If I want it to look good then, I’d better start doing things now.
We’ve booked the accommodation for the “Ligas’ Crazy Rad Trip” and they’ve booked their flights from Sydney to Melbourne.
It’s all happening, Baby!
Who deserves a ‘thumbs-up’:not me.
Look at the picture above. After owning a thermomix for over ten years, I finally got too complacent and stripped the blades.
The blades are designed to fall apart if there’s too much stress being placed on the motor. It’s better that a set of blades falls apart rather than the whole motor!
I had a frozen clove of elephant garlic that I wanted to chop. It was massive. I thought, “Should I chp this in half before I put it in?” but then I thought, ‘Nah, she’ll be right.
She wasn’t. Fortunately, Thermomix still have tm31 blades for sale, so I ordered another set lickety split. But yes, all my own fault. How stupid.
What has made me smile: my Explorer pack.
Yes, remember I wrote about this last week? It’s from the people on the Ghan trip that are taking us all over the red Centre and the Top End.
It arrived on Friday and I dove straight in.
The first thing that occurred to me is that they must have enormous trouble with people bringing luggage that’s too big. Underneath all of this was a backpack. I was pleased by this, because I don’t own one. There was also a piece of paper with INTRICATE instructions on the dimensions of bags to pack.
I haven’t looked at it yet. That’s Future Frogdancer’s problem.
It also had a towel for these leisurely swims in the lagoons among the rocky cliffs; a bright orange water bottle; a brochure with more rail trips inside; and various bits and bobs.
It seems that this trip is really going to happen.
By the way, does anyone know if I’ll need a fly net on my hat in September? Or November, when the Ligas and I will be there?
Following is a photo of me in my absolutely flattering hat,
This photo is from yesterday, when I asked Georgia if she wanted to come to the beach with the Little Woofs and me. It was a crisp and clear winter day, just perfect for a beach walk.
In years gone by, I would have been in a classroom, looking out of the window at the blue sky, wishing I was at home doing anything other than grammar. Now – I’m doing whatever I feel like doing on any given day.
I have the time to spend with the people I love the most. Tom32 dropped in on Monday morning to do some washing. His girlfriend has a washer/dryer combo that she’s moving into his place n the weekend, and he sold his own washing machine. He stayed chatting with me for nearly an hour and a half.
If I was still working, he’d have come and gone without seeing me. As it was, we had one of those wide-ranging conversations that cover everything that’s going on with his life. I had another of those conversations with Evan27 last week, just before he and Jenna flew off to perform in the Edinburgh Comedy Festival.
I feel very fortunate that I know so much of what goes on in my adut children’s lives. Don’t get me wrong – I’m sure that I don’t know EVERYTHING! But they share enough to show that I’m trusted with a lot of things that not every parent would be.
Where I’m going: To the vet.
Jeffrey has had sensitive skin all his life, to the point where he’d be almost tearing himself to bits with his scratching. A couple of years ago, our new vet suggested a prednisolone tablet each morning.
Instant change! Finally, Jeff has quality of life. It’s so lucky – his heart tabs cost a fortune but these ones are cheap as chips. We used the last one this morning, so I’ll be jumping in the car soon to get a refill.
Where I’ve been:to my parents’ place.
Ugh.
As part of the My Aged Care package Mum is on, she and Dad get a medical alert watch/pendant each. It detects if the wearer falls, and they can also push the button if they need help. The medical people contact them through a machine in their living room, or by their phones. So far so good.
Dad keeps bumping his alert button when he drives. (How the hell he does it is a mystery to me.) If Mum’s not with him when the Medi-Alert people call, she can tell them that he’s ok through the living room machine or the home phone. The problem comes when they’re both in the car, blissfully unaware that people are trying to get hold of them to check that they’re ok.
I’m the next person they ring. If I can’t get hold of them by phone, I have to jump in the car and drive 40 minutes to their house.
On Saturday morning I got a call from the Medi- Alert woman. I was still on the couch in my pjs with only a cup of coffee inside me. I jumped in the shower, buttered a bread roll so I could eat in the car and raced over there. Even though I knew that they’d be ok, Mum’s had many falls and it’s always in the back of my mind that one day… it’s not going to be a false alarm.
Dad answered the door, and when he asked, “How are you?” I replied, “A little bit annoyed, to tell you the truth.”
“Why???” he asked, trying to be all innocent.
“Because I’ve had to come all this way simply because you two never take Mum’s mobile with you when you go out. You know… the one I gave you. One phone call could have saved me driving all the way out here.”
All of a sudden he’s yelling. “I WANT TO THROW THAT FUCKING PHONE IN THE BIN.”
Oof.
“If you swear at me and raise your voice, I’m leaving.”
“OK THEN, SEE YOU LATER!”
I’m not one to ignore a charming response like that, so I picked up my bag and water bottle without another word and left. I didn’t even see Mum, though I’m sure she heard what went on.
You have to teach people the behaviour you’re not willing to accept.
I found out after talking with my sister Kate that Mum had already told him off for not being more careful with his alarm, so when I wasn’t happy with him it was like a match to tinder. Still, there’s no excuse for acting like that. I didn’t leave my awful marriage just to let anyone else yell at me!
Anyway, I went back on Monday to do more of the Storywell stories. The only reference any of us made to the outburst was when Mum said to me, “I’m going to get a routine going for when we leave the house, so I’ll put my phone in my bag…”
I finished this one yesterday and I really enjoyed it. Right at the start we find out that someone gets deliberately run over, then of course for the rest of the novel we try and work out whodunnit.
It’s set in WA… which is Western Australia for all of you overseas people out there.
I started this one while I was eating breakfast this morning, and I’m itching to get back to it. Another Aussie one!
What I’m watching: The Godfather movies.
I saw that Stan has all three, so three nights ago I started watching. I was only going to watch the first one, but you know how it is when you follow a story! One movie a night – perfect!
I saw this meme on Facebook and had to add it here.
What I’m eating:Homemade Blood Orange and Poppyseed cake.
I was on Facebook in the Dull Women’s Club group and someone posted a link to an orange and poppyseed cake. I had 2 small blood oranges from my tree that had been sitting in my fruit bowl for a while.
So now they’re a cake! I have a friend over at the moment, and he’s getting a remedial massage treatment from Georgia. When all that’s finished, we’ll have a snack as we catch up.
What I’m planning:Getting back into quilting.
I’m almost ready to start working on a new creation. The only thing stopping me is that I’m conscious of how much still needs to be done in the veggie garden before I head off on my next adventure.
Who deserves a “thumbs-up”:MUM!
As I was typing out the first answer here, my phone rang. It was Mum on her mobile.
“The Medi-Alert people have tried to call. I’m calling you so you can ring them to say that we’re ok, we’re just at the doctors.”
I hung up and began a search in my contacts for their number, when my phone lit up. They were calling me. I was SO pleased that I was able to say, “I was just going to call you. Mum rang to say that you’d called. They’re fine.”
The girl laughed. “Why didn’t she just answer the call?”
I answered in an exhausted tone: “I don’t know…”
We both laughed.
‘Anyway,” I continued. “They’re both alive and kicking.”
“That’s great news!” she said.
The REALLY great news is that I’m still sitting here at home, instead of leaping in the car and heading off down Nepean Highway again. A big ‘thumbs-up’ to Mum for her new routine.
What has made me smile:An Explorer Pack is coming!
I received an email from the people running The Ghan tour that I’m doing in September. My Explorer Pack has been sent to me.
So… on Saturday morning I was scrolling on the laptop and I suddenly decided to stop shilly-shallying about booking a trip to Borneo, so I did it. It’s just under 5K and I get to see orangutans and pygmy elephants!
I get to see other things too, but they’re the ones I’m most excited about.
Where I’m going: Here’s the list.
1. Sept 2024 – 2 week Ghan Northern Territory Explorer trip from Adelaide to Darwin and all in between. Uluru, Kings Canyon, Katherine Gorge, Kakadu etc.
2. November 2024 – The Crazy Road Trip with Liga and Liga from Latvia. From Melbourne – Healesville Sanctuary – Grampians, Great Ocean Road – Adelaide – Port Augusta – Coober Pedy – Uluru. Then back to Melbourne driving solo.
3. December 2024 – a week in the Snowy Mountains.
4. February 2025 – Vietnam for 2 weeks.
5. March 2025 – Japan for two weeks.
6. April 2025 – Tanzania/Kenya and Zanzibar for 3 weeks. They had me at ‘Zanzibar.’
7. June 2025 – Borneo for 10 days. Orangutans, pygmy elephants etc.
8. September 2025. Iceland. This will be with Morgan from Antarctica as he tour guide.
9. September 2025 – Greenland cruise. Also with Morgan as the tour guide. I’m hoping for the Northern Lights on my birthday.
10. September 2025 – Scandinavia trip.
Then I think I’ll have a rest. I’m hosting Christmas in 2025 so December is off the table for holidays.
Where I’ve been:to see Evan27.
He and Jenna are flying out to London on Tuesday on the first leg of their Edinburgh Comedy Festival adventure. After that, they’re going to see Sicily and Malta. They’ll be gone for a couple of months.
When I went over there, I was also bringing an electric wok that Megan from my last holiday was looking to give away. Evan27 was there on his own, working from home, so we had a terrific visit. I love seeing the girls and having the couples together, but I love it when it’s just me and one of my children. It doesn’t happen often so I treasure those times when it happens.
I read a few “meh” reviews about this on Goodreads, but I decided to ignore them and dive straight in. I’m glad I did.
This novel is based on the author’s grandmother’s life. It was fascinating seeing how an intelligent, restless woman had to navigate around a world so patriarchal. It makes me so glad that I’m living in the here and now.
What I’m watching: Alone.
I first got into ‘Alone’ when the Australian version came out and I began watching the US ones when I was getting ready to go to Canada. I love them, and now that I’ve been to Alaska I’m enjoying seeing people struggling with that landscape.
For those who haven’t heard of it, it’s like ‘Survivor’ on steroids with no challenges, games or idols. They take 10 people out into the wilderness and drop them off individually. They take their own cameras and have to film themselves trying to survive in the Alaskan countryside. No camera crew – they’re totally by themselves, with only a satellite phone to contact the outside world if they want to tap out.
In Alaska, these people have bears, wolves, wolverines and moose to contend with. One woman had to be pulled out because she was in danger of losing toes due to frostbite. The last one gets the $500,000.
It’s crazy how these people survive… and also why they choose to give up.
I love it.
What I’m listening to: Jeff snoring.
I know, I know. I say that a lot. But I just got back 30 minutes ago, I had the ecstatic reunion with Jeffrey and Scout and now they’re both sound asleep on the couch with me after the agony of waiting for me to come home. These are happy snores, I’m sure.
What I’m eating: an easy dinner.
I’m simply going to put some chicken schnitzels and potatoes on a roasting pan and that, along with some steamed veggies in the thermomix, will be our meal.
What I’m planning: when my next ‘spend’ day will be.
I have to pay an instalment for Greenland within the next few days, so I’m trying to coordinate my spending so that I get a successful week on my ‘No Spend’ chart.
Yes, it’s still going and I find that it’s a fantastic way to curb my spending and make the things I buy far more intentional. For example, today I was driving back from Evan27’s place and I was STARVING. I was so tempted to pull into a Maccas and grab a quarter pounder and fries. But that would turn today into a ‘spend’ day and that wasn’t in my plans. I drove straight home and didn’t spend the $12 or so that would’ve been spent.
Who deserves a “thumbs-up”:ME!
For using the ‘no spend’ chart and also grabbing the opportunity I have for guilt-free travelling. At the end of 2026, I’ll have to rein myself in. I’ll have no free dog sitters anymore.
Evan27 and I were talking about how amazing it is that after pretty much 2 decades of us staying still and living like paupers (because we were!) we’re now jumping on planes and jetting off to have adventures at the drop of a hat.
Isn’t life wonderful?
What has made me smile:seeing these cockatoos on my walking group last week.
I don’t see cockies where I live, but they were happily living their lives in Dromana!
What’s top of my mind:Getting the house and garden to rights.
I’ve finally got my strength back after that nasty bug I picked up in Alaska. I’m looking at all that has to be done before I disappear on my next holiday. Fortunately, I have until September, so the situation isn’t dire, but I’ve already filled up the green waste bin and I have DAYS before it’s going to be taken away.
The picture of Jeffrey was taken on his 11th birthday – his first one without Poppy. He’s a snuffly old man.
Where I’m going:To Beacon Lighting.
I’m slowly getting the back half of the house together. The guest room needed bedside lights. I didn’t want to spend a fortune on them because the guest room hardly ever gets used, but at the same time, I wanted the lights to be functional enough for someone to be able to read in bed, if they wanted to.
I picked up this light last weekend. The other light is waiting for me to go and pick it up. The crazy thing is that the bulb for each light is almost the same as the base!
Oh well. By the time Liga and her friend Liga come, the room should be looking good.
Where I’ve been:Mum and Dad’s place.
On Monday I was pottering around, doing some gardening, (more on that later), when an unknown number came up on my phone. I let it go to voicemail, but I called them back right away because they were from the Medi Alert place, saying that Mum’s alarm had gone off and they couldn’t reach her.
I called both the landline and her mobile, then jumped in the car and drove down. Of course she was fine. They’d been to get her a pedicure and she must have bumped the alarm getting her seatbelt on.
The time wasn’t wasted. We are quite a few weeks behind on the Storyworth stories, so I sat with Dad and got 4 more stories of his life done.
The next day I was back there, helping Mum at her hydrotherapy pool. Usually, my sister Kate does it but she was busy. After we got home I sat with Mum this time and got 3 more stories done for her.
I’m learning a lot more about them. They don’t want to sit at the laptop and type the stories themselves, so I pull up the questions, ask them, and then hand them my phone with the microphone on in Notes. They dictate, then I sit there and type it up straight away, reading it back to them to check that they’re happy with it.
I love it when the latest King comes out, especially if it’s short stories. I’m finding that the older he gets, the more his short stories are pulling ahead of his novels.
This is an interesting novel, with the stories of 4 women, some in the past, some in the future, intertwined throughout. Set in Melbourne, too, which I liked.
What I’m watching:Not a great deal.
I’ve finished a lot of shows that were piling up and now I’m waiting for some new ones to be released. Friday The Spider Queen series 2 comes out and I’m really looking forward to that. It’s a modernised version of Catherine De Medici’s life.
What an absolute force that woman turned out to be! Definitely not the nicest woman, but she hung onto power on the French throne with a fierce grip.
What I’m listening to:Bronwen.
Hedley Thomas, who was the journalist who did ‘The Teachers Pet’ and ‘Shandee’s Story’ has come up with another cold case that deserves investigation. It has eerie similarities to the Dawson case in ‘The Teacher’s pet’ which resulted in Chris Dawson being tried and convicted of the murder of his wife Lynette, back in the 80’s. I’ve come late to the party, as episodes were released when I was away.
You can get it where you get your other podcasts. Me? I use Overcast on my iPad.
What I’m eating: Rye sourdough bread.
After I took Mum to the pool, she needed a few things so we stopped at Woolies. I paid $7 for this loaf of bread and I’m enjoying every mouthful.
What I’m planning:when to start quilting again.
I haven’t touched my sewing machine with any real purpose for nearly two years. I want to make some fresh quilts for my lounge room and a couple of gifts. (Yes, Scott – I’m looking at you.)
I know I’ll get back in there – it’s just a matter of when.
Who deserves a thumbs-up:my neighbour.
There are some ornamental pear trees on the side fence that drop leaves every autumn – which I love, because I use them as free mulch – but are starting to encroach over my solar panels – which I don’t love so much.
Yesterday he thinned them out. I now have more sunlight coming in my side windows and a couple of branches that fell on my side that I’ll have to get rid of. But my solar panels are free to catch the rays all they want!
What has made me smile:my free bulbs.
Last year Georgia and I planted a few citrus trees in the back yard and she dug out a pile of pink bulbs that come up every spring. I put them in the laundry and promptly forgot about them… until I went in there a couple of days ago and saw that they REALLY wanted to be planted.
There are about $100 worth of bulbs here, and the flowers are very pretty. So, just before the phone rang for Mum’s alarm call, I strode outside and planted them under the two maple trees in the front yard.
More people will be able to enjoy them there. They’re mixed in with some jonquils.
It’s a very calm and peaceful place at the moment, my mind.
Where I’m going:to the backyard.
Yesterday I finally felt energetic enough to go out into the backyard and do a day’s gardening. I cleared out both patches of warrigal greens and chopped and dropped the last of the Lazy Housewife beans. There’s so much still to do out there, so I’ll probably be out there later today, seeing as the day is so bright.
I’ll be doing so much travelling in the next two years that I’ve decided to scale back the veggie gardening and let most of the beds rest.
Where I’ve been:Walking group.
Remember I joined a U3A walking group before I went away? I finally felt well enough to go back. We went for an 8km walk down in the mangroves and these black swans were the most exciting things I saw when I was there.
I enjoy Dervla McTiernan’s novels and this one was no exception. A young woman disappears and her boyfriend is the last known person to see her alive. Each chapter is from another character’s perspective, which I’ve always liked.
One of my favourite comedians and one of my enduring passions – the kings and queens of England. What a match made in heaven!
Quite a few of the jokes are very “now”, which means it won’t age well, but I don’t think he cares.
What I’m watching: Life After Life on ABC iView and Lessons in Chemistry on Binge.
Both are excellent series based on excellent books. I finished Lessons in Chemistry last night and had a little cry – yes, they got me!
What I’m listening to: the kids next door playingfighting playing.
It’s school holidays. These kids are primary aged.
They were outside with their father while he tried to get some yard work done. After around 3 hours of constant loud happy play, even louder crying and fighting and then loud happy play again, I heard him wearily ask, “Sierra, do you go and whinge to your teachers about every little thing when you’re at school?”
What I’m eating:for the next 3 days – whatever I want!
I’m going to be Home Alone. I’ll be cooking all the things that I like that Georgia doesn’t.
What I’m planning:nothing much.
Liga has decided that she still wants to do the long drive to Uluru. Apart from that, there’s nothing much coming up until September.
Who deserves a thumbs-up: No one in particular.
Just take one for yourself!
What has made me smile:Spending time with these two.
On Sunday I went across town to see Evan27 and Jenna. He’s back from California, where he went for two weeks to tech for a friend’s show called ‘Motorboat.’
They’re full of plans for the Edinburgh Comedy Festival. She has a space booked for two weeks for ‘Underwire’ and he has a very central spot for 5 nights for ‘Long Play’. I’m proud of them both.
Izzy’s mum has had a procedure on her sinuses and is taking a few weeks off work while she recovers. I’m popping into her place to have a coffee and a chat, now that she’s feeling a bit better.
Where I’ve been:At Apple.
Last week was very expensive. I bought a new phone, a new (dumb) Apple watch, and left my laptop there to get a new battery and keys. It wasn’t a fiscally happy time, but Mum now has my old SE and is learning to drive it and I have a really good camera for my trips and Little Adventures.
I have no idea how to use my watch, but I’ll get the hang of it over time.
I absolutely adore English history, so I’m loving this book by David Mitchell. It’s so funny and so interesting at the same time – always a good thing.
What I’m watching:Barry.
Henry Winkler is in this as a drama coach. I started watching it purely because of this. I’ve just finished the last ep in the first of 3 seasons and I’m enjoying it.
What I’m listening to:The windchimes from Kangaroo Island.
They’re hanging from my front verandah. They sound beautiful to me, but Georgia isn’t a fan. If there’s some wind and I go away from the house for a while I usually come back to find that she’s stopped them from chiming.
What I’m eating:Crumpets with Kangaroo Island honey.
I don’t eat a lot of honey, but I bought a 3 pack of different kinds of honey from Kangaroo Island in January. Every now and then I buy some crumpets for breakfast. Yum!
What I’m planning:Liga’s trip.
We had a video call last night, she was in her summer backyard at midday and I was in my warm lounge room after dinner. We’re going to sort of whether they fly or we drive to Uluru from Adelaide.
I need to draw up an alternate itinerary so they can see what’s on offer.
Who deserves a thumbs-up:David31.
When the kids came over for dinner on Sunday night, he brought his cordless drill and hung my Alaska sculpture. I’m so happy!
It’s made from a moose antler, with the fish being the top of the moose’s skull. The eyeballs are made of caribou bone. This screams ‘Alaska!’ to me – that ‘can-do’ attitude, making art with whatever is lying around.
What has made me smile:The soles on my new shoes.
I bought these closed-toe sandals online from my favourite shoemaker (Josef Seibel), thinking they’d be good for Vietnam and Japan. These soles were a quirky little surprise.
I took this photo yesterday at the Backyard Beach. It’s looking towards Melbourne, with Scout in the foreground having a paddle, even though it’s the middle of winter.
I sent this photo to Jenna, because it’s looking towards where she and Evan27 live. He’s in California at the moment, doing tech for a show called ‘Motor Boat,’ He’s staying with a friend that he met at Clown College last year, which tickles me a lot. I love that he’s making travelling friends, just as I have.
It’s strange not having Poppy saround me every step of the way, but in some ways it’s easier to just have Scout and Jeff. I’ve been really sick, so the two older dogs ahave been content to blob around with me while I slowly get better.
You should’ve seen Scout crossing the road towards the beach though! Thanks godness I have a sturdy harness on her – she was practically levitating in a horizontal line towards the beach.
Where I’m going:To Apple.
Mum’s phone is on 3G, which is being discontinued in a couple of months. Dad refuses to buy her a new phone. He can’t see the value of a mobile phone because he refuses to use his. So, seeing as I’m not really happy with the quality of photos that my 2 year old iPhone 6 takes, I’m biting the bullet and shelling out for a new phone. Mum can have this one.
Her old phone is so awful that it doesn’t even accept photos via text. She won’t know herself when people can send photos. She’ll have to get used to a slightly different way of operating it – her old phone was an android.
I hope that isn’t a bridge too far…
Where I’ve been:To renew my passport before the price rise kicks in.
Apparently, you can renew your passport inline if it isn’t expired. I wish I’d known this before I traipsed up to the post office to get a form to fill in, but that’s all behind us now.
It was painless and very quick. All I had to do was take a printed form back to the post office, get my photo taken and that was that.
Once I get my new passport back, I can start filling in the details for my 2025 trips.
What I’m reading:Georgette Heyer.
While I’ve been sick I’ve been reading books I have at home. Non-challenging reads. But yesterday I picked up 7 books I had on hold at the library. Once ‘Regency Buck’ is finished, I’ll be revelling in reading!
What I’m watching:OUTLANDER!
I’m so happy that this is back on. I love the books and the tv series. It’s so unusual to be able to love both, but the tv people are doing a great job.
What I’m listening to:Jeffrey snoring.
It’s the sound of home.
What I’m eating: a sourdough bread roll.
It was Megan’s birthday yesterday, so I bought her a cheese and chive pull-apart, to compare to the onderfu one we had in Vancouver. She laughed her head off when she saw it, so I consider that $7 well spent.
While I was at the bakery I saw they had sourdough bread rolls, all crisp and crunchy on the outside. I don’t mind if I do, though $2 for one bread roll is daylight robbery.
What I’m planning:to get back to Liga’s trip.
Now that I’m getting better, I want to get back to Liga’s crazy road trip and book in a few places. She’s given me the dates that she currently has for flights, so we’ll make it all work.
Who deserves a thumbs-up:Georgia.
After I was home for a couple of days and stopped sleeping so much, we had a good long talk about Poppy and we had a good cry. Georgia described the week leading up to Poppy’s death as the most traumatic of her life. The actual decision to give Poppy the green dream was easy – it was obvious that she was too sick to continue. But it was when she was starting to fail that the responsibility hit home – what to do when Mum’s dog is sick.
The kids gathered to see Poppy before she died and David31 and Georgia both went with her to the vet. They let Jeffrey andScout sniff her all over when they got back, so that they knew, and then they buried her directly in the corner of the orchard where I can say good morning to her every day.
I was proud od the kids – they did everything as I would have done it.
What has made me smile:Seeing the galic I planted before I left sticking up out of the ground.
I still have more to plant and the solstice is on Friday, so I’d better crack on. But gee – isn’t gardening so rewarding?
Here is the last view from our balcony. What a beautiful sight to wake up to.
I don’t think that any awakening will top our first morning in Banff though, when Megan pulled back the blinds and said, “It’s SNOWING!” That was a great moment.
We went down to breakfast and while we were there, the first announcements came over the speakers for groups of people to depart. The way we board and leave the ship is to tap our room keys on a reader, so that the ship always has an accurate tally of who’s on board or not.
The cruise director’s voice rang out, “Orange and green groups please assemble at the Venetian Lounge for disembarkation. Please remember to bring your room key for that last emotional tap.”
That made us all giggle.
Finally, it was our turn and we boarded the bus for the 2-hour drive from Seward to Anchorage.
It’s funny how people get used to things. These mountains sweeping down to nothing, with crystal-clear water below are utterly spectacular, yet most people near me on the bus were giving cursory looks as we went along. That is, unless the bus driver announced a photo opportunity. Then everyone’s phones were aimed at the windows.
I was uneasily aware that I was coming down with something. I felt like I should nap, but how could I? This was the last chance I was going to have to see these views.
Like – see the reflection in the water? This place is spectacular.
You could paint a picture of this, though maybe without the guardrail!
The sheer acuteness of the angles is something I never tired of seeing. Australia is such an ancient land. Most of our angles have been worn away.
Goodbye, rivers!
We were stopped a few times by roadworks. We heard people say this a few times while we were in Alaska – “There are only two seasons in Alaska – winter and construction!”
It reminded me of when we were wandering around Ushuaia in 2022, waiting to board our ship to Antarctica. Everywhere, people were out patching holes, fixing potholes and working on their houses. They have to make the most of the good weather.
Goodbye, steep mountains!
Captain Cook actually sailed up this inlet. He thought it was a passage to somewhere or other but it wasn’t.
I found the story interesting but I was also starting to feel not great. I wasn’t taking notes.
Mudflats. They’re like quicksand.
Apparently, Anchorage is surrounded by them.
And here we are.
The population of Anchorage is 303,000.
Alaska overall has 750,00 people. This is a very empty state. It’s 1 million square kilometres smaller than Western Australia, but we have more people in WA compared to Alaska.
Imagine Australia having more people than somewhere else!
I have a moose antler in my luggage, so I had to pose.
Naturally, I had Michelle Shocked’s song, “Anchored Down in Anchorage” playing in my head. I challenge anyone who knows the song to go there and not have the same thing happen to them.
These lyrics are a beautiful piece of poetry. I can’t post a link to the song because Michelle Shocked doesn’t have her music on Youtube or Spotify because she doesn’t like the way the artists are paid. She appears to have gone a bit fundy, which is a shame, but these lyrics perfectly capture this woman’s yearnings and isolation.
I took time out to write to my old friend I walked across that burning bridge Mailed my letter off to Dallas But her reply came from Anchorage, Alaska
She said “Hey girl, it’s about time you wrote It’s been over two years you know, my old friend Take me back to the days of the foreign telegrams And the all-night rock and rollin’… hey Shell We was wild then
Hey Shell, you know it’s kind of funny Texas always seemed so big But you know you’re in the largest state in the union When you’re anchored down in Anchorage
Hey Girl, I think the last time I saw you Was on me and Leroy’s wedding day What was the name of that love song they played? I forgot how it goes I don’t recall how it goes
Anchorage Anchored down in Anchorage
Leroy got a better job so we moved Kevin lost a tooth now he’s started school I got a brand new eight month old baby girl I sound like a housewife Hey Shell, I think I’m a housewife
Hey Girl, what’s it like to be in New York? New York City – imagine that! Tell me, what’s it like to be a skateboard punk rocker?
Leroy says “Send a picture” Leroy says “Hello” Leroy says “Oh, keep on rocking, girl” “yeah, keep on rocking”
Hey Shell, you know it’s kind of funny Texas always seemed so big But you know you’re in the largest state in the union When you’re anchored down in Anchorage Oh, Anchorage Anchored down in Anchorage Oh, Anchorage…
We were actually lucky to be departing today. Yesterday, without explanation, the whole airport and airspace got shut down by the military. (Megan overheard that explanation given to a pilot.) People were left hanging, having to find accommodation for the night.
Megan said that it wouldn’t have been a big deal – we’d find a room then go out and explore Anchorage. She’s right, but once I have my nose turned towards home, I want to get there ASAP. Plus, I was retreating within myself. I was getting sick.
After the worst trip home on a plane I’ve ever had, I returned to these little woofs.
Poor Georgia! After looking after them and dealing with poor Poppy’s death, I’m sure she was expecting me to come in and take over the reins. Instead, I staggered in, took a 4-hour nap, then stayed pretty much on the couch and slept for the next week.
We had the opportunity to adopt a 5-year-old dachshund from the shelter Blogless Sandy worked in. We tried, but after 4 days we had to take him back after he wasn’t listening to the older dogs in our pack. That was sad.
I’m still missing my Poppy, though I can say hello to the group of irises that are planted atop. The other two are growing closer. Scout even lets Jeff sleep beside her now. A few days after I got back, I turned to Georgia and said, “We haven’t talked about Poppy yet.” We both had a good cry and felt so much better.
So it’s been a week since I came home. I’m just about feeling human again and that’s a relief!
Would I recommend going to Canada and Alaska?
Absolutely! They’re easy places to travel to, given all the similarities between us and them. The wildlife and scenery are spectacular. The feelings of awe and absolute delight when I saw them are things I will never forget.
What about the luxury ship?
It was expensive, but EVERYTHING was included. After having to self-cater for the two-week Canada trip, it was a relief to relax and just eat and drink whatever I wanted. The dining was exquisite, and even though I’m not a ‘foodie’ I still thoroughly enjoyed the tastes and, frankly, the feeling of being pampered. That hasn’t happened much in my life up till now.
I was also glad we weren’t on one of those ENORMOUS ships with 5,000 passengers. For me, that’s far too big. Our ship had around 500 passengers, which seems large enough for me. In September next year, I’ll be back on the Hondius on my way to Greenland. She only carries around 120 passengers.
On the way home, on the train, Megan and I agreed that we’d travel together again. Honestly, if our worst fight was about what a pavilion/rotunda/gazebo is called, that’s pretty damned good. We respected each other’s space and little habits – at least I did. I’m sure Megan found no problems at all with me. I have no irritating little ways.
Haha! I know she’ll read this and her eyebrow will rise almost to the top of her head.
I think the best thing we did was to sometimes spend our days apart doing different things. We each had our little adventures and had some space. I’d definitely recommend doing this if you and a friend are thinking about travelling together.
All in all – it was a very successful holiday and it was my 7TH CONTINENT. It feels unreasonably satisfying to tick this off the list. Now, I’m going to double- back and spend the next couple of decades zeroing in on where I feel like going.
The list is (so far) as follows:
September 2024 – My trip on the Ghan, with a week in the Red Centre and a week at the Top End. To be honest, this is another ‘Tick off the list’ trip. It’s Unaustralian not to have seen these places.
November 2024 – My crazy road trip with Liga from Latvia, who is coming over to complete HER last continent. This will be a 2-week drive to see as much as possible.
December 2024 – a week by myself in the Snowy Mountains. I’ll probably need this to recover from #2!
February 2025 – Vietnam for 2 weeks.
March 2024 – Japan for 2 weeks.
April 2025 – Tanzania, Kenya and Zanzibar. Yes, I’ll be back in Africa!
September 2025 – Iceland/Greenland/Scandinavia. I’ll be gone for the whole month.
Thanks for following along with me. I enjoy writing these travel blogs so much. I initially started writing them in 2015 for the kids, but absolutely no one from my family reads them. I’m glad to have had your company along the way.
This is what we woke up to this morning. The Silver Muse was still making her way towards the docks at Valdez. The air was fairly cold but it was all utterly serene.
This was the view from our balcony once we docked. It looked almost like someone could drive right on up to the ship!
At breakfast, I was talking to a lovely American couple that we met on the first day. She was saying that they have a helicopter flight to the glacier booked for 10 AM, but the clouds look to be too low.
“My husband Hank’s a pilot. He said that even if they say it’s ok to fly, we’re absolutely not going. It’s a shame because it was so expensive.”
I was so glad I chose to do mine earlier in Juneau! Those clouds look beautiful and mysterious, but not so wonderful when you want to fly.
We were loaded onto a full-sized coach and off we went. We drove out of downtown Valdez pretty quickly, though Faith, our guide, informed us that there used to be an old town and a new one.
“The old town was set a little ways out of New Valsez,” she said. “It was destroyed by a 9.1 Richter earthquake on Good Friday in 1964. The epicentre was only 40 miles from here.”
That must have been awful. The people were given 3 years by the government to move their homes onto the new site. Two wealthy families in the town gave people land in the new town so that they could afford to move.
The water in this place is everywhere.
We turned down the road that would have led to the old town of Valdez. Our tour guide kept telling us where things used to be, which struck me as a bit odd. She said she’d been here for 13 years, so it wasn’t as if she had a personal memory of the old bank… the hotel… etc.
Everything was just reclaimed forest land.
Then she said something which blew my mind. She talked about the Exxon-Valdez accident – you know… that oil spill that killed hundreds of thousands of birds and animals and shocked the entire world?
I hadn’t put the two together in my mind, since until last night I’d not been pronouncing it as “Valdeez”.
See those two ships? They’re always there, ready to start a clean-up in case it ever happens again. They have ships like this positioned all around where the oil tankers sail.
If you look at the mountainside you’ll see a little series almost like a long dotted line with white on the top. That’s part of the tank farm that is Alyeska, which is the terminus for the Trans-Alaska pipeline.
And that is where the Exxon Valdez left, from the terminus, on Good Friday February 28 1989. She left the port and ran aground on the reef just outside.
“So we are known for the pipeline, we are known for being settled by prospectors, we’re known for the Exxon-Valdez and we’re also known for the 1964 earthquake.”
Weirdly, the earthquake also happened on Good Friday.
This was so exciting. A guy sitting at the front of the bus saw a bear racing across a field. It was running full pelt. He yelled out and the front part of the bus was able to see it running across the road.
I taught half the bus how to air drop (thanks, Antarctica pals!) when I sent everyone the crappy photos I was able to take. Then, half an hour later, I was air dropped this video.
A thing I like about travelling in Canada and Alaska is that so many highways run beside rivers.
I couldn’t believe the height of the snow beside the road. This was at my eye-level in the coach!
As we got further into the pass, we started driving into cloud. I was reminded of the day in Ireland when we were driving around trying to see the Ring of Kerry through all of the rain.
I felt for my American friend and her lost helicopter ride.
Here is the glacier.
It’s tucked back a bit behind the foothills. After yesterday’s viewing, it was a bit of an anticlimax. I dutifully took a few photos, then turned around and saw this:
Look at how much snow is lying on this pass.
IT’S SUMMER. This place gets ridiculous amounts of snow every year. It’s the snowiest town in Alaska. The record for snowfall in a single day is 5’8″/176cms – which is taller than I am! In 1989/90, they had an incredible 46 feet/1,402 cms of snow.
I cannot ever conceive of living here. It takes a special breed of person.
Remember yesterday when I showed you the poles that were set up on either side of the road in Haines, to guide the snow ploughs?
These things tower over the bus. They have a reflective strip at the top so that people driving in the Pass during winter can still find the road.
“Everyone living in these parts has a white-knuckle story of driving through here in winter,” said Faith.
We drove for a little while longer, then got off at the Pass. It was stunning.
The first thing I noticed was this cute little caravan parked at the edge.
The views went on and on.
“If any of you want to come here in the summer,” Faith said, “I’ll happily hike with you all the way down to the bottom of the pass. with the third-graders”
That’s a hard no from me.
I air-dropped this one to the woman I caught taking a photo. I really like this one.
After a little while, we hit the road again.
Greenery started to appear as we went lower.
We were heading to a place on the highway that has lots of waterfalls. We passed them on the way up, but it’s easier to park when you’re driving on this side of the road.
This video is worth listening to, just to hear Faith talking about what the locals do here at Bridal Falls when the waterfalls freeze in the winter.
And here is Horsetail Falls, just 2 minutes down the road.
This shot was taken by a guy who was showing me hw much better his phone was at taking pictures than mine was.
I think I’ll be getting a new phone soon and giving my current one to Mum. Her phone is so ancient that it’s still on 3G, which is getting cancelled in September.
I walked towards the road to take this shot. Scared myself silly when a car shot by me out of nowhere.
Honestly – the North Americans, the Chinese and the Europeans should get their acts together and drive on the proper side of the road!
It’s so pretty.
Here’s the Silver Muse through the windscreen of the bus.
I passed Megan on the gangway, as she was headed into town. She had an hour or so to kill before her bus trip started. I went to the room and yes – our cases were out, and Megan’s was already zipped up, ready to go.
This was really our last day.
So I had my last lunchtime bubby in the café on deck 8.
Meanwhile, Megan was sending me photos of her discoveries down in the town:
Yes, really.
O always thought that Americans didn’t like to swear, but here we are.
I found this one very interesting. What an awful life these women must have endured!
And finally, in the museum, Megan found this. A fur fish.
She helpfully enlarged the blurb about this rare creature:
One last fun fact about Valdez – Commander Will Ryker, from Star Trek Next Generation, will be born here in 2335.
For our last dinner we went back to the restaurant that had my favourite staff member, Amit. We saw him at every breakfast too. He was so funny.
I slipped him the last of my Canadian money. The ship was heading back to Vancouver so I knew he’d be able to use it. I kept my remaining 25 USD to give to Evan27 – as he’s leaving for the US a few days after I get back.
This restaurant also had the best garlic naan I’ve ever tasted.
omg. Worth the price of the cruise.
When we went back to the room we settled into a movie – ‘Gentleman Prefer Blondes’ with Marilyn Monroe singing ‘Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.’
I had that song in my head until we hit Anchorage the next morning.
