noo noo and friends

charles' birthday

2011-04-26T02:16:00.001-07:00

Another Anzac Day, another birthday which we celebrated in our usual way - Cup of tea in bed; cooked breakfast; presents; coffee; reading the weekend paper; lunch with good wine. The menu this year?
Lamb tagine with fennel and artichokes, baked eggplant and capsi with pinenuts; a lovely Bec salad, and a choice of rice or couscous. All followed by a flourless chocolate, apple and cranberry cake.
It was a long, lazy meal in the warmth of a perfect day.

brisbane on a sunny day

2011-04-25T01:17:00.000-07:00

These are a few of the pics I took when out on walks with friends who have been staying over easter, all, except the last which is at the Power House in Newfarm, within walking distance of our house. Perfect weather, too much food and alcohol, lots of walking, lots of chatting, and LOTS of laughing have made thgis a great easter.

Great gardener next door

Neighbourhood house

Hot tin roof without the cat

Smooth as satin tree trunk on my daily walk

Flowering gum, often full of parrots in the late afternoon

Grass trees outside Southbak TAFE

Look carefully at the image - what does it say?

activities for a sick boy

2011-04-13T01:07:00.000-07:00

Remi has fallen in a heap at the end of a very long first term at school ... ridiculously long in my book for little preppies who are starting school at the hottest time of the year. Consequently he came down with a very nasty virus and is staying home from school for the whole of the last week, after sleeping, sweating and vomiting through the worst of it. He has been here for quite a bit of the time, and after a slow start with lots of stories and DVD's has moved on to pasta making and cubby houses.

four days with jack and sarah

2011-04-06T01:53:00.001-07:00

Last week we were treated to Jack and Sarah's visit, and it will come as no surprise that a lot of the time was spent looking at art and eating. We saturated ourselves at GoMA, ate our way through treats from West End, drank good coffee and the occasional glass of wine, and drove up to Mt Coot-tha to see the Brisbane vista and visit the Botanic Gardens. It was so lovely to catch up and spend time with our lovely old friends.

2011-04-04T20:19:00.001-07:00

There they were this morning, all the little preppies the first to be lined up after doing their warm ups, and they were off. Once I wiped my eyes I could see Remi running his heart out, full of determination to do his best. And to his great delight he got third! I got a ribbon! He could scarcely believe it. It was so lovely to see the whole school cheering on the last kids as well as the first, and all those in between.

bits and bobs

2011-03-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

The weather still can't make up its mind what season it is, or else I am confusing southern seasons with those of Brisbane. Bill and Judy were here for 3 days last week and it stayed comparatively cool - only reaching 28 during the day. Yesterday it was 35 in our kitchen and we are back top a sheet on the bed and fans on all night.
Some of the city cats are back in action so we were able to do a river trip, which enabled Bill to practice being a pirate. According to Remi he had to look fierce.

The cooler spell let Charles have a good go on the garden - he's put up my Anne Durkin sculpture which I have since planted around with indigenous grasses, and has the vegie garden back in order, with everything growing as fast as ever. Beans up in a few days still has us amazed.

mum's new home

2011-03-01T23:04:00.000-08:00

Mum has moved in to her new home and after a few hiccups is settling down to life on the river, though the heat can be a challenge for her. Still, she has an A/C and fans, so if she stays inside it's OK. The river is just across the road, a beautiful spot to sit and commune with nature and whoever feels like a chat.

She still has things to sort through, but is taking her time - some things are better done in cool weather. She has been driving to Simon's only 6 minutes (she tells me) up the road, and driving home in the dark if she's there for dinner. We wnet down a couple of weeks ago and Charles and Same went down last week, and I ring her often.

And the other good news is that Gillian has sold her house and moves out this coming weekend, after having garage sales over the last 2, enough to pay for her move. She has divested herself of lots of stuff and the rest goes in to storage until she moves up here in easrly May. No more winters on the south coast for her. She hates them so and can't wait to get to warmer weather.

We had the most outrageous thunder and lightening storm in the middle of last night, and I woke up levitating off the bed. Sounded like a direct hit across the road. The humidity is pretty thick, 72% yesterday morning.

Remi is loving school. Wednesdays are particularly good as he has music with Mr Williams. Here he is wioth the latest creation, a space helmet.

first day of school

2011-01-23T19:56:00.000-08:00

Well, the day finally arrived, after great anticipation and preparation during the previous week. Remi has not been out of his uniform since he got it last Tuesday. At first the top and hat, then off to buy shorts. Bec was waiting at the checkout with 3 pairs in hand, Remi beside her in said part uniform. She looked down and there he was , in his undies, waiting for her to paqy so he could put them on immediately!

This morning was a "keep Remi calm" plan, complete with stories. He dressed, had breakfast then decided his nails needed cleaning. Bec, Remi and Mitchy set off on their bikes at 8.20 and we followed 20 minutes later. Remi arrived to find his "best mate" Cisco there, so his first moment when confronted by the size and noise of a primary school playground was soon allayed. It did not take him long to settle in to the toy corner, whilst we looked on with teary eyes. I know...hopeless.

Despite Birdy's nail biting, the parents took it all in their stride and we went off for a celebratory coffee with the boys waving cheerfully goodbye, but not before a few final instructions.

cleanup starts

2011-01-13T18:18:00.001-08:00

I think these photos speak for themselves. The organisatgion is amazing. Places to pick up rubber gloves and cleaning equipment, people leaving tools out for others to use, registration stations for volunteers, while everwhere within cooee of the river is covered in thick, sticky, foul mud. We have loaned out our gumboots and are doing child minding. everyone is doing something to help.

ghost city

2011-01-12T20:18:00.000-08:00

Have just been down to Boundary St, West End, usually a buzzing, busy spot where people gather each day to catch up, eat, drink coffee, visit Avid Reader, our wonderful local book shop, buy the paper, listen to music, have a beer abd generally take part in the great community that we love. But today it was really eerie. No shops open, no people, and you could see from one end to the other right down the shopping strip. All services, including doctor's surgery were closed. Only the pub, full of people either celebrating a dry house or drowning their sorrows, was open, a worker sitting on a pile of sandbags just outside the door, having a smoke.

I didn't walk down to Melbourne St, which was full of brown water this morning. I've had enough. Had a fleeting moment of regret that I didn't have my camera with me, but only fleeting. Then went off in search of a shop that sold food and was in luck. Both of the supermarkets we use were flooded - West End and Fairfield - and none of the smaller shops are open. Now I'm home with the television on - again.

moving pictures

2011-01-11T20:10:00.000-08:00

...and it keeps on rising

2011-01-11T19:39:00.000-08:00

Like many other people this morning, we went out to view what is happening in our watery city. You can see by the two photos above how much the Brisbane River has come up in 24 hours. The patch of green in the right hand photo is the top of the trees in the left.

The river is running incredibly fast, and along with it pontoons by the score that have been ripped adrift; a floating restaurant that has ended up crashing into one of the bridges; white goods; trees; and much much more. And all the while the sides widen, creeping up streets with stealth and determination, submerging all in its path, like Drifters Restauarant on the opposite bank. The street are abuzz with energy as everyone falls into conversation with whoever is nearby. It's almost like a party atmosphere, but with a crappy ending in store that people are determined not to cave in to. The worst is yet to come, tomorrow they say. The house we evacuated yesterday is now under water, with only the tops of bus stop signs in Fairfield showning this morning. By now they, along with everything else, will have disappeared.

talking about the weather

2011-01-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

It's all we are talking about at the moment. We keep swearing we won't but it's impossible not to. We wake up every day to rain amd go to sleep with the same accompaniment - the sound of rain hammering down. It's not cold, tho the wind has a cooling effect, but EVERYTHING is damp. There's no escaping it - the air is full of moisture which varies according to whether you are inside or out. There are queues a mile long at every laundromat dryer in Brisbane, thousands of pairs of gumboots were sold at the Woodford Folk Festival, every book and piece of paper feels thick and soft, and it's summer. A summer like no-one here is familiar with and which everyone wishes would just stop.
Things have really gone from bad to worse with the devestation in Toowoomba, where my aunt lives. And we are all holding our breath here as the dam that supplies Brisbane water is 43% over capacity.
This is certainly a very different summmer experience to Lima East, but it's still not as bad as waiting for fires to come over the hill.
Off to sit in a darkened cinema today with mum. At least I can pretend the sun is shining.

Well, since I wrote that a few hours ago the heavens opened wider, Claudia turned around and went back to her place with mum, and flood warnings are going out all over the lower lying parts of Brisbane, which, given the winding nature of the river, will be many households, and sandbagging has started. With a king tide to come tomorrow we are all holding our breath. The photo does not really capture the ferocity of the rain, but will give an idea of the day. Radio warnings are going out saying not to go out in your car, so here we are. More toast, coffe and reading.

Later: Well, have just been down to Fairfield, a low lying suburb on the river, to evacuate the house of friends who are away at the moment. A team of us ferried stuff out to the cars and van as the Brisbane River steadily rose at the end of the street. Word is that this will be worse than the '74 flood, the one everyone talks about, and it came up to the guttering of the house next door to our friends' place. God, it's terrible, trying to decide what to take, but we got a lot including photos.

All along the river there were people evacuating, cars, utes and moving vans everywhere. The river has broken its banks ... did so this morning, as Charles & I saw when we went for a walk down to West End. For those of you who visited Skinner St, this is where we went down to the river. You can just see the top of the railing and behind that is the walkway round the river...somewhere under the water. And beyond that is the river bank. By the time we walked back up the police were blocking off the streets down to the river. It's a sight to behold. The picture of the sodden city I took on the way home. Arrived dripping wet, changed, and now have to do it all again. A hot shower and dry clothes. Lovely.

christmas break activities

2011-01-09T21:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a lovely day, even tho it started at 5am, when Remi discovered that Santa had not only drunk the wine and eaten the panforte, but the reindeer had drunk the water. And to top it all off, Santa had left him a note. I thought he was going to explode with excitement.
These pics show a little of the day, and those following, up to last week when it began raining, AGAIN, and hasn't stopped. Thank god we live on top of a hill. It's all running past us to some other poor families.
At least we got a few smims in, both at Southbank and the lovely pool at Yeronga, all greenery and trees and surrounded by bush.
We went twice to GoMA last week to see the 2000-2010 Contemporary Art that has filled the gallery from top to bottom. We took Remi on day 2, and the camera. He did not want to leave the Infinity Room - it was amazing.
Mum has arrived back in Brisbane and goes down to her new house at the end of the week. She looks very well, despite all the upheavel.
Happy New Year to you all. This is going to be a great year!!!

chapter 2 catch up

2010-12-27T22:20:00.000-08:00

Well, we drove down to Victoria in 2 days, landing at Tim and Janet's where we had a lovely couple of days with them. It is always so special to see them, especially as their visit to us in Sept was cancelled because Tim was sick. They have lovely healthy vegies growing. some of which we consumed with relish.

After an all-too-short stay, but with every intention of catching up more, and with lots of others on the way back north, we went down to Melbourne to Kristine and John's, Charles picking up his evening suit for Felicity and Chris' wedding, and a Christmas catch-up dinnner with the Braddy family.

Down to Charles' brother's farm in the Western District on Saturday for the wedding that evening, a grand affair for which their garden was at its most spectacularly beautiful. It was a happy occasion for all, magnificent setting, delicious food and lots of dancing. The following morning was brunch, with perfect weather for the entire weekend. Gillian came from Tower Hill and took us back to her place on Sunday afternoon, where it rained and blew a gale for 2 days, until we picked mum up at Avalon on Tuesday. Gillian's house was auctioned, unsuccesfully the next day in Melbourne, which she and Charles attended, and she stayed on until Sunday morning. As you can see, it was tiring work, helping mum sort and pack, as mum's house sold the day after we arrived. From then on it was go, go, go, to get the house packed, garage sale organised, saying goodbye to friends (very hard) and finding a carrier that could move her before Christmas.

Two days into this Charles 93 year old Mum, Edna, was put into hospital with no pulse in her right leg and her toes starting to turn black. The upshot of that was a bypass with a plastic tube in her leg, which got the blood flowing again, but she had heart and lung complications which were a challenge that saw her stay extended far beyond the original week. This, of course, meant that Charles spent lots of time at the Austin Hospital. She has finasally made it to rehab.

So, our planned catch-up-with-friends holiday was cut short and we only had 3 full days in the north-east, staying with Shirley and Kevin and in which time we managed to see, briefly, quite a few people,tho not all, collect a few things from the farm and draw breath for the next leg to Sydney. Shirley and Kevin's place was a beautiful haven , their dam as full as I can remember it.

We were both feeling pretty exhausted, and still had mum's car as well as our own to drive back to Brisbane, so set off early Friday morning. Claudia had flown down to help with the driving, and it was great to see her as well as Mat and Jeff. She hadn't been to Sydney for a very long time, so we did a tour on Saturday that was real Sydney. Ferry to Watson's Bay, lunch at Doyle's, walk up to South Head, bus back in time to put on our glad rags for a night out.

Mat took us to a restaurant in Bondi, balcony seats looking down Bondi Beach. Could't get more Sydney than that. Started with cocktails followed by a magnificent degustation that went on for ever and was uttrerly delicious. It was so lovely sitting in the warmth with people you love, and relaxing, finally.

The next afternoon Mat and Jeff had a Christmas party full of buff boys and glam girls which was great fun, and ended at an hour that enabled us to get enough sleep for an early start the next morning. After 13 hours on the road (lots of coffee stops and back stretches) we got to Simon's where we were fed fresh fish, home made perfect chips and wine. Home on Tuesday, tired and happy. It's great to be home. My next blog will be Christmas.

catch up

2010-12-27T22:17:00.000-08:00

This blog wrote in Nov but I accidently put it on my work blog. So here is the first chapter in the saga of the past 2 months.

Well it's been a bit of a bumpy ride the last few weeks, with mum ending up in hospital up here with what the medicos say was a small heart attack, but the tests continue. It all came as a bit of a shock, becuase we were under the illusion that our mother never got sick. The last time she was in hospital was to have my brother 51 years ago! The good thing is that she has her house in Melbourne on the market and has bought a truly beautiful litle cottage in Brunswick Heads. We are all very relieved that she will be near us. Simon is just around the corner, Deb up the roasd and we are 1 1/2 hours away.
We are heading down to Vic for a wedding and will be staying with mum to help her sort and pack - well, we'll be doing it under her direction, and I have no idea how long we'll be there. Just depends on how quickly the house sells.
Bec and Helen have just returned from 10 days in Malaysia which they began with 2 days at a cooking school, the highlight of their trip! Mitch took a week off work and moved in next door, and we did the backup and relief time. It all worked very smoothly, especially as Charles and Sam were working under his house, which provided hours of entertainment for him.

house and garden with lots of help

2010-10-26T21:23:00.000-07:00

After we came home from Mt Cootha (see previous blog) planting started in earnest on the vegie garden. Jeff couldn't wait to get his hands in the soil, and worked all afternoon with Charles to do a great planting. This was followed up a few days later when grandpa and Remi completed it all with some new seeds. It is astonishing to us how quickly plants germinate. Here are some pictures of some of that work. I'm only sorry I didn't take any of the garden before the clearing began. The difference is astonishing. The beans are ove a foot high, and we have the following growing as well: tomatoes (a variety of); lettuve; bok choy; corn; carrots; capsi; eggplant; beetroot; and a variety of herbs: basil; parsely; sage; oregano; thyme; and thai basil. No shortage of water here, well, not this year, well, not so far, and from the forecast (cyclones mand rain...something new to look forward to) it won't be lack of water that will be the problem.

As well as helping grandpa in the garden, Remi put his experience to work, putting together our purchases from Ikea. Yes, I have had my first Ikea experience...on a rainy Saturday morning...my god, it's full of people on family outings, to say nothing of the enormity of the place. Thank god I was with Bec, who knew her way around. The stool, though, (this is what Remi and Charles are piecing together in the photo)was worth the effort. It's been very useful. And I'm pleased to report that next doors' new hens are all laying, so we are now receiving little warm brown eggs with the brightest yolks. All this, despite the serious loving they get from Remi.

what a weekend

2010-10-03T17:03:00.000-07:00

It has been a wonderful weekend, celebrating Bec's 40th birthday with friends and family. Wednesday was the 29th and her 'real' birthday, for which we had breakfast and dinner together, with lots of delicious food, then on Saturday a long Asian Banquet lunch. Rain saw us indoors, with the house filled with talk and laughter that fillled the air. The food, which Bec had meticulously planned, was magnificent. Helen and I did our bit, with Bec as the director and main chef. The food was light and tasty, tangy and sweet, aromatic and utterly divine, which meant that we didn't fill up to immovable. Dishes included prawn and beef satay, fish cakes, papaya salad, coconut chicken curry, and many amazing dips and sauces to complement everything, followed by cocnut and lime panne cotta.
Di Diddle and Billy came up from Melbourne, Mat and Jeff from Sydney, as well as Bec's friends from Brisbane. Mum was here as well, so it was pretty special.
Yesterday (Sunday) we went to Mt Cootha Botanic Gardens and walked off the day before in occasional light rain and clear mountain air.

family and marriage.

2010-09-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

It has been a big few weeks, with Mitch's brother, his partner and daughter over from France where they live in a little village in the south ... just as you'd imagine, after which Charles and I flew to Melbourne for a brief 2 day visit to celebrate Edna's 93rd birthday with a big family gathering, including five of her 6 great grandchildren, all boys except one.
Back here in time for Gillian's arrival, the first of my family to fly in for the wedding of Claudia's middle child, son Jesse, to Meegan. They live in Perth, so there were plane arrivals all week, including one from Ireland and another from New Zealand.
There were lots of big decisions about what to wear, some of which were left to the last minute, Sunday morning, the day of the wedding. Gillian, Claudia and I had the table flowers job, so set off early Saturday morning, the results of our efforts as you see here. How can you go wrong with such beautiful flowers.
We had a big family dinner on Friday night which was a great opportunity to catch up with people before the big day. From the top, we have my sister Deborah;Claudia's elder son, Sam; Charles with my brother Simon; Claudia and me doing the flowers; Claudia's daughter Zoe in her bridesmaid dress and her partner Gray; Charles and me waiting for the bride to arrive; Bec and Helen ditto; Jesse and Claudia; Meegan, Meegan and Jesse.
It was a lovely occasion. Marriages, the official formal ones, are a bit of a rarity in my family, so we all made the most of it.

2010-09-05T23:41:00.000-07:00

Brisbane does not really have the sort of beaches we are used to, so a morning out at Nudgee beach is quite a different experience. Tide's out in these pics, but who can complain - after all, it's only early September and here we are in shorts!

A couple more pics of the house...Charles at work at the breakfast table, and the newly exposed garden beds which are now completely weeded and have had compost dug in ready for the first planting.

our house

2010-08-26T01:24:00.000-07:00

Lounge; back deck; hallway from the front door;front of house; back steps which give you an idea of the slope of the block; under the house which Charles is outting to good use already; view to Bec & Helen's from the back steps and in to their office where Remi is getting a cuddle.
We have started putting pictures up and I am doing a lot of pfaffing, but things are shifted around daily. All good fun.

leaving and starting

2010-08-26T00:40:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I last blogged, and in that time we've been down south for 3 weeks, mostly getting our things organised to truck up here; catching up with our mums and other family members (a very short 2 day trip to Melbourne); a wonderful farewell dinner at a local eatery organised by Shirley and Kevin; 3 days in Sydney to celebrate Mat's birthday; a night at Simon's on the way here in time to meet the furniture van; and since then trying to get things organised...i.e. nesting. We stayed with Shaun and Nobuko in their cosy house whilst at the farm, which was really lovely. Their view on to Lightening Ridge changed every day, often dressed in cloud, whilst the garden round what was our house was in full winter bloom.

We really love our house and living with Mitchy. Being next door to Bec, Helen and Remi is truly wonderful for all of us. He sometimes pops over before going to kindy,and if he is lucky he'll get a story as he is here with his dad, sitting in the morning sun on the back deck. He has developed a passion for going to the skate park and spends lots of time perfecting his riding and scootering and is growing up way too fast.

housing news

2010-07-16T04:21:00.000-07:00

We have secured a lease on the house next to Bec, Helen and Remi, and will be sharing with Simon, Remi's dad, starting in just over a week. We, of course, will be packing up down at the farm, and look forward so much to having a place we can call home, at least for a while. When we get in I will publish some pics of it. I have been over the fence and exploring the badly neglected garden, and today discovered garden beds, ready for weeding and planting in veggies! So exciting. It has 3 bedrooms, so plenty of room for visitors. And a deck on the back with great views. So book your holiday in Brisbane now, folks.

four days on the island

2010-07-11T21:27:00.000-07:00

For many years I have dreamt about going to Stradbroke Island and last week my dream came true with 4 days on this beautiful little patch of ground. Having fought off the developers and mining companies, Straddie retains its slow, calm paceand its beauty. Off the beaches are dolphins surfing the waves, and, at this time of year, whales in their hundreds heading north, just off the coast, spouting water and breaching as they glide past.
The first couple of days were glorious, then the wind changed to the s-e and we had to rug up, although it was still wonderful, wild seas with spray whipping off their tops.
We did a trip to Brown Lake which is in the middle of the island, suprrounded by melaleucas in full bloom, underpinned with magnificent rushes whose refelctions I could not resist.
If you want a great holiday, this is the place to come. And they have first class coffee and the best icecream I have ever tasted, home made and different choices every day.

down the coast

2010-06-26T03:41:00.000-07:00

When people from Brisbane go to the beach south of the city, they say they are going "down the coast". Well, that is where we are now, at Simon's having a bit of R&R. Here is Charles displaying his version. If you look very hard you can see Cape Byron in the background. It is whale season, so fingers crossed we see some.
Lisa and I spent some hours this morning at Byron Bay doing a small shop (new "handbag" for me, tho it goes over my shoulder rather than in my hand) and a couple of small surprises for you-know who, including a beautifully crafted and balanced yo-yo made in Austria, then back to Brunswick Heads for a late lunch. Charles and Simon caught 3 fish, 2 whiting and 1 flathead, all undersize, but are having another go tomorrow morning.
We are also meeting up with Pam and Ian tomorrow, and Kaye, Peter and Thea later in the week. Very exciting to catch up with friends and we are looking forward to seeing them all.

Work goes on bit by bit at Gladstone Rd, the latest being a new clothes line. This may not seem significant, but believe me, if you had been climbing over wire and through a rapidly growing garden that had overtaken the old line, you would be as grateful as I am. As well, the interior has taken on a totally new look with its new plastering and paint. It was all hands on deck and it looks fabulous, and much lighter now.

what a day

2010-06-24T01:45:00.000-07:00

Well, June 24, 2010, what a day. The first female PM took office, replacing poor old Kev who thought he had the right idea, but didn't ask anyone else. Another historical event we have lived through. What does the future hold now for Australian politics?
June 24, 2010, Charles was given the OK to start driving again, and to resume work slowly. His BP is right down, so the new medication is doing its job. Great news.
June 24, 2010, on a sadder note, Helen's faithful old dog, Maxie, came to the end of the road of life. It has been a day of weeping, and I daresay there will be a few more tears before the week is out. Max has been Helen's faithful companion since he was a tiny pup, and has been everywhere with her. He was much loved by us all, including Cosi, but it is a relief that he is no longer struggling as he was for the last few days. Here he is with Remi a year or so ago, still looking youthful. Vale Max.

first kindy concert

2010-06-07T00:24:00.000-07:00

Remi had a wonderful time a couple of weekends ago, one Sunday morning in a local hall with all the other kindy kids. They sang a variety of songs with Remi and another boy leading the way with their pure joy and great enthusiasm for singing. One song, "I love you" brought a tear to my eye, and lots of memories of Bec and Mat performing their many concerts when they were children.
We are in the process of negotiating the house next door to Bec and Helen, along with Mitchy, Remi's dad. We are all very excited and full of plans, although the house won't be available for about a month or so. I will keep you posted.

T-Rex and crocodile

2010-05-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

Remi shares his birthday each year with his great friend, Cisco. They also share a sense of humour and a physicality born of having acrobatic parents. Here they are in their new birthday hoodies, a T-Rex and a crocodile, having a great time.

an eventful week...not to be repeated

2010-05-21T22:44:00.000-07:00

Well, week it's been. Charles gave us all, but most of all himself, a huge fright when he has a stroke (moderate we now know) on Friday night and ended up in the Mater hospital until Tuesday afternoon, our 43rd wedding anniversary. Here he is smiling at the thought of going home, with flowers I had just delivered, unaware that he'd been given the nod to go home. Accompanied by his little offsider who would not go near Grandpa until he got rid of the tubes and hospital gown. He told Mat that grandpa was better because he had a T-shirt on now.
Things are fianally settling down and we are getting our adrenalin overloaded bodies into a state of normality.
Everyone has been so wonderful, sending messages of support and they have really helped. And of course it's been so wonderful being surrounded by family who have been superb through the crisis, whilst going through their own trauma and fear. Bec came in the ambulance with us, whilst Helen stayed with Remi after being the director of us two mad women, really keeping us focussed while we waited for the medics to arrive. Claudia came in to emergency as well, and Mat and Jeff flew down on Saturday, so we were all there.
Charles is doing speech therapy so people won't think he's slightly tipsy all the time, and starting to get a little energy back, tho I think it will take a while. We had intended to go a 10 minute walk today, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.
In the meantime he stays cheerful and in good spirits.

everything grows so fast up here

2010-04-29T22:32:00.000-07:00

Well, the garden bed see in construction in my last post was planted out a week ago, and within days little green shoots began to appear, much to everyone's excitement. Our mornings begin with close inspections, lots of oohs and ahs, and big smiles, and for Charles and me, gasps of amazement when we see broad bean shoots coming up in a week. We have planted peas, beans and broad beans, tomatoes, rocket, parsley, beetroot, carrots and bok choy.
Remi is right into it, especially as he helped plant the seeds.

back in brissy

2010-04-20T23:45:00.000-07:00

Well, WE are back, both of us. Had 10 mad days in Vic, including a night at Apollo Bay before going to Gillian's for 2 nights, round the Great Ocean Rd, which I haven't driven in many years. It is beautiful. Then back to the farm for a final pack. Went via Sydney where we had a couple of lovely nights at Mat & Jeff's, then here via a night at Simon's where we caught up with mum. We are now residing upstairs at Bec & Helen's, and Charles is spending lots of time catching up with Remi - "Can we have a wrestle, grandpa? is the favourite request of the moment. Jill was over from Vermont (USA that is) arriving the day after us in Brisbane, and by that time my sore throat and headache had added to it a shocking cough, which I am still grappling with. Other than that, everything is wonderful now Charles is here.
We've had lots of rain which is perfect as we are about to plant out the first vegie bed. In the pic here Bec is putting the last layers of the no-dig garden in place, and it now has a solid covering of bird netting to keep of the possums, bush turkeys, rodents and othe hungry critters. We can't wait to eat the produce, and the rate things grow here, it won't be too long.

critters

2010-03-30T20:36:00.000-07:00

I am filling in time until I go to the airport this afternoon and wing my way south for a week or so. Haven't seen Charles since Feb 19, so am really looking forward to getting to Melbourne. We have a frantic social calender for the week, including a night at a lovely place at Apollo Bay, 2 nights at Gillian's and various lunch and dinner dates. As well, the Swanny Cinema is reopening this coming weekend (Easter) and we are working on Saturday night. Then we are driving back to Brisbane with as much as we can pack into our new (2nd hand) car, another Corolla, hatchback this time, to be here on April 10. Our friend Jill, from Vermont, arrives on the 13th, then it is Charles' birthday on the 25th. Lots of fun ahead.
Here are some of the critters I have met up here. Hope you like them.

the newest super hero

2010-03-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

Rocket Boy has arrived in great triumph. He even visited kindy this week, but was forced to change into street attire due to the threat of either heat exhaustion or drowning from the accumulated moisture under his flying cap. He has suggested that his family all get suitable flying outfits and we can leap into the sky and away together.

angelina ballerina

2010-03-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

Only parents of young children will have heard of Angelina Ballerine, but in this house she is the star of the moment. The op shop has again provided the material for an Angelina dress, so here is Remi dressed, he tells me, as a boy Angelina. Last night he and his friend Lucia (dressed as a girl Angelina) put on a show for us. Here is the prima ballerina.

claudia's 60th celebration

2010-03-16T00:11:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night we celebrated Claudia's 60th with a C party...what a great night. There were some wonderful costumes, including a pair of cupcakes; Capt Cook; Cheerleaders (who performed a chant for Caludia); cars; a credit card; and much more. Claudia went as Cleopatrea; I as Carmen Miranda; Helen as Claudia and Remi as Carabos, a mouse character from a ballet he is enamoured with at the moment, Angelina Ballerina;and Bec went as Christ, but when she put on the beard she turned into Charles! We had a very late night or , rather, an early morning, which has taken me some days to recover from. Mum saw out the night as well!

words of wisdom

2010-03-11T21:09:00.003-08:00

You may have read an article a few months ago in The Age A2 by Cate Kennedy about the things children say and how we musn't correct them, but leave them experiment with their own language. Remi provided us with a beautiful example of this yesterday. He had said that he wanted to have a sleep after lunch. so lay down and Bec read to him, until, some time later, he quietly told her, in a serious little voice, 'Bec, the sleepiness has gone and now the wakeiness is here in my body. I can't help it.'
The other one was a week ago, when he announced that he was feeling 'fartish'. Perfect, don't you think!
It is Claudia's 60th party on Saturday, and this is what Remi is wearing. I am going as Carmern Miranda, and he is so impressed, he's going as Carmen. We bought some necklaces today in the op shop.
I have been making fabric brooches for the market. Here are 2 examples. It is great fun .

tropical tales

2010-02-28T01:38:00.000-08:00

I am back in Brisbane and as I write the rain is bucketing down in tropical expansiveness, as I sit here in my tropically suitable clothes. I wonder if I will ever become blase about the luxury of rain and warmth together...I hope not.
This is my second week back here, for which time Remi has generously allowed me to sleep in his room, something, I am proud to say, he will not grant many people. I am one of the chosen few. Whilst it has its advantages - a little boy climbing in to bed with me in the morning to play wonderful games of imagination and fantasy - I am permanently sleep deprived. Still, the wonder of his world is a great place to be.
Charles is still at the farm, and despite our nightly phone calls, I am missing him very much. Not sure how long before he gets here, but Remi has said that grandpa can sleep in his room too.
I have been reacquainting myself with the West End scene, have borrowed books from the library, visited a number of coffee shops, been to the flicks and dinner with Claudia ('Precious' - confronting, exhausting and great, and barramundi extraordinaire) and am having a wonderful time with Helen, Bec and Remi. Sunday mornings is the organic market to buy the week's food supplies.
Remi has started at 'proper' kindy and is loving it. He has put on some shows for me, and is well on the way to swimming - he can float, dive under the weater and retrieve items, as well as dog paddle. Do I sound like a proud grandma?
Charles collected our new (2nd hand) car yesterday, a 2003 Corolla hatchback. Or it may be 2004. With the comparatively little driving we do up here it should last us quite a while.
Well, that's about it for the moment, so til next time, cheers.

a long hot summer

2010-02-09T13:45:00.000-08:00

After a long saga my laptop has been back in action for a few weeks, but as we have no wireless connection at the farm opportunities to update my blog are few. I am sitting in the supper room of the Swanpool Hall to write this post.
It has been a long, hot summmer at the farm, but fortunately only one Code Red day, over 40 and a frightening northerly. We watched green turn to brown, but it has come back to a degree as we have at last had a bit of rain.
We have been very busy catching up with family and friends - 2 trips to Gillian's at Tower Hill, 2 to mum, 1 to Wonthaggi,and 6 days in Sydney at the beginning of January. In between we've been sorting out the house, as we have made the decision to move permanently to Brisbane and sell our house and share, 33 years after we bought the place in 1977. It has been a decision long in the making but nearly 10 months up there last year, testing that it worked for everyone, we have all decided that we want to be near each other. I am flying back next week, on the 18th, and Charles will follow when the fire season is over, driving to Sydney where I'll meet him and drive back together.
We had a farm meeting and work days last weekend which everyone came to, plus Uki and Hugo, which was wonderful. We celebrated our time together at a dinnner setting that reminded me of medieval settings at long tables, combining our cullinary skills for a magnificent meal, and concluded with words from members to Charles and me that were very humbling. Then on Sunday they presented us with a truly magnificent table made by Shaun. It was a very emotional time, and we are just recovering.
The photos are from the November farm visit by Bec, Helen and Remi. We had lunch with Charles' mum on their last day, and you can see how big Remi is at 3 and a half.
I'm afraid I haven't reduced them in size, but will do so in the future. Til then, hope you keep enjoying my blog.

still offline but going places

2009-12-22T14:54:00.000-08:00

Have finally got my laptop back but all the applications have to be reloaded and...they are stored in a box in a shed at Claudia's, aren't they? And she is in W.A. so I just have to use other people's computers in the meantime. God knows how many emails will be backed up by the time we can access it again. We came down to Gillian's yesterday, having left here only a week ago, and are here with mum for christmas, then home for a few days before another 5 days in Sydney. After that we should be at the farm most of the time. I will be going back to Brisbane towards the end of Feb when Helen goes back to uni, and Charles, sometime in March, depending on the fire season.
Our big news is that, after long deliberation, we have decided to make our move to Brisbane permanent, and will be selling up both house and share. So if you know anyone who would like to live in the beautiful Lima East Valley, let them know.
By the end of next year, at the latest, we Bristol siblings will all be living within an hour and a half of each other, with Gillian in the process of putting her house on the market and also moving to Brisbane.
I still have many people to catch up with, so will making many pilgrimages up the drive to the only spot we can get reception at the farm, between 7 and 8 pm (our free hour on the mobile). If I ever get email back, I will email (as long as I haven't lost all the addresses).
That's it from the windy south coast. We are off in to Warrnambool to buy some food.
Hope you all have a great break over christmas, and get to the new year refreshed.
Love for now, Penny

breaking the long silence

2009-12-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

In response to complaints that I have not updated my blog recently, it is because my laptop has been at the laptop hospital for some time with a mysterious and undiagnosed illness, and is awaiting a new heart from Toshiba. Fortunately all the data was retrievable, but if you have not had answers to emails, this is the reason.
We have been flat out since we arrived home, pulling logs and branches out from the gully behind the house, burning huge piles and getting rid of flammable old grevilleas and so on close to the house. As well, Charles has spent many many days on the slasher, and we have both spent lots of time on the ride on.
In between all this activity, Bec, Helen and Remi spent a blissful week here, during the heatwave, so we spent lots of time in the 'dam'. I will post some photos as soon as I get my laptop back. Remi had the best time... horses to be fed and patted, eggs to collect, animals to spy on (including a snake), dogs to play with, a trampoline to jump on, oranges to pick and make into juice, and lots of water to swim in. Needless to say, we are all missing each other.
Getting back to my last post, we took Jeff & Mat to Kylie Kwong's restaurant on the last night in Sydney...what a truly magnificent meal (and those of you who know how particular I am about restaurant meals will know that this is very high praise). I recommend it to anyone going to Sydney - Billy Kwong's in Surry Hills. For those of you who saw her on Master Chef, yes, we had THAT duck dish, amongst other heavenly dishes. And it was very reasonably priced.
We had a week of rain recently, with over 3 inches which has turned the farm green again. We are hoping desperately for a good follow up before Christmas. We had 3 weeks in Shaun and Nobuko's house whilst they were in Cambodia and Vietnam and are now back at John's. Until I am back in line, the only way to contact us is via Charles' mobile. We have found a place on the farm where we can get reception, and as we have a 'free' hour from 7pm to 8pm, we have an evening stroll to the other side of the farm to get messages and ring, so leave us a message if you want to.
I am at Tim and Janet's. It has been great catching up with them, and everyone else of course. This is it for the moment. Cheers from the sunny south.

from sydney

2009-11-01T23:43:00.000-08:00

Arrived at Jeff & Mat's on Friday, doing the mandatory take-the-wrong-turn-and-god-knows-where-we-are on the way in. Thank goodness for mobiles...Jeff talked us through the panic.
Their house is lovely, in a very pretty tree-lined little street, with lots of coffee shops and cafes nearby. We've been having a great time with Mat & Jeff. On Saturday we went down the coast and had lunch with Jeff's family at a pub on the cliff edge, with magnificent sea views. Sunday we explored the neighbourhood (and the local cuisine) and today, Monday Charles Mat & I spent 2 hours wandering the shoreline between Bondi and Bronti, looking at sculpture. This afternoon we went plant hunting then helped Mat do a back yard makeover on their garden, making way for some veggies and herbs, and adding some lovely flowers. Out for dinner tonight then home tomorrow.

from yamba

2009-10-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

We have just done a 4 hour beach walk, with lots of poking into rock pools along the way. I am reliving my teenage experience of Yamba, where my grandparents had a holiday house. Gran used to go fishing every morning and come home with whiting and flathead which I always thought she caught, but mum tells me that some days the fish came from the neighbouring fisherman. I don't think I have ever tasted whiting as sweet as that. This pic shows thew beach where I swam as a 16 year old, and was ignominiously saved from drowning by a handsome lifesaver who I consequently avoided afterwards due to my acute embarrassment. We ended our treck at the Pacific Hotel, as also seen in this photo, a beer or two for Charles and a g&t for me.
Tomorrow morning we head for Sydney, but not before a sumptuous meal we have planned tonight, after checking out all the possibilities. Duck and oysters are on our menu.

countdown

2009-10-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

Well, it's only a matter of days and we'll be on the road, heading south. In the time we have been here, we have seen Remi grow at the rate of knots, fuelled by an amazing appetite. I measured him a few days ago, and since May he has grown one centimetre a month. He is now over a metre tall and close to 20kg. The photo above may give you some idea of his size, and he's not quite three and a half.
He is not keen on us going, and told me a few days ago, in most earnest tones, "I don't want you and Grandpa to go to the farm, Tuppy, I want you to stay here."
Today is Charles last day of building round at Skinner St and he is looking forward to it enormously. He has got increasingly tired as the tools have become increasingly blunter. A couple of days at Yamba on the way to Sydney will be wonderful.

shifting

2009-10-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

Here we are at Manly West, not far from the coast and 30 mins drive (45 in peak hour) from West End. A very different Brisbane. We are staying at Claudia's until we leave to head south at the end of the month. We arrived on Sunday morning having gone to see The Audrey's the night before with Lisa and Simon, Claudia and Sam, and Zoe (my niece) and her boyfriend Gray. It was one of the last shows of the Brisbane Festival, and was a great night in the Speigeltent. (not sure of the spelling)
The weather is beautiful. Hope it warms up in Victoria as we are quite acclimatised to Brisbane warmth now. Looking forward to seeing everyone when we get back.

night life in Brisbane

2009-09-25T05:21:00.000-07:00

Last night we had dinner with Ian Mclean who is over from Perth to give some lectures in Brisbane. It was so lovely catching up with him, and his life in W.A. Ian & I went to Monash together and it was through him that we met Shaun.
Tonight I had a very little stall at a monthly market that is held out the back of the local wonderful book shop. As you can see, the table size is small, but I manage to do well. This is the third or fourth market I've been to and I'm making some new items, such as fabric brooches. It's great fun. We each take a plate of food and our fee ($10) goes in part towards a few bottles of wine. It's a venue for local craftspeople to get together and sell their wares. Lovely idea.
And tonight, whilst I was out, Charles was baking for a fundraiser for Green Left Weekly (paper) where there will be Iranian, Turkish and Guatemalan music. Here are his caramelised onion tarts. Look good don't they! The other pastry cases are for apple tarts.

the smell, taste and crunch of dust

2009-09-23T04:31:00.000-07:00

As you will have seen on the news, today we experienced nothing less than an apocalyptic vision, as the sky, our house, our eyes, nose and throat filled with dust. I can still smell it tho it is now evening and the sky is starting to clear. Two of these are 2 pics I took from the front door during the storm, and the third I took the next day. No need to tell which is which. Normally you can see buildings of the city very clearly, but today nothing but dust, then nothing. Everything inside is covered with a film of dirt.

in the swim

2009-09-20T01:19:00.000-07:00

Today it was 31 degrees and by 2 o'clock I could hear the pool calling me, so I bravely donned my rapidly deteriorating togs and had my first swim post winter. It was beautiful. I was joined by Garry who spent last night here on his way to Fraser Island, and who has since left to pick up Annette, Phoebe and Charlotte at the airport. It was great catching up with him. We went to the organic market this morning and met Helen and Remi there for breakfast. Bec was theoretically having a sleep in, but the plants she bought last week awaited her and she could not resist. The garden is slowly emerging out of the rubble and they are doing a wonderful job in their busy lives.
Here are a few pics from last weekend, Mat, Jeff and Remi.

my blogs have disappeared

2009-09-16T01:14:00.000-07:00

Not sure what went wrong, but my last 2 blogs are not here. So here's a third try. These show the deck at Bec & Helen's, almost complete and being put to good use. Matt & Jeff were here last weekend so will put a few pics on when I download them. Only a few weeks to go in this place ... then to Claudia's for the last few weeks before heading south again. Mum is back here in less than 2 weeks so will be good to see her again, tho it seems no time since she was here.

some new pics

2009-09-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

I have been busy making more dressups for Remi, the latest a horse, at his request, which, lika all his toy horse, is called Ben.

These next three were taken at the celebratory dinner after the opening of Sam's latest show...he has sold 7 paintings so far. If you want to see them, they are currently on the website of Andrew Baker Gallery. Claudia, Simon and Lisa, and Charles and Zoe, along with a whole lot of us, had a great feed at the local Indonesian - our favourite eating place.

bet you love to hear about the weather

2009-08-27T00:50:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed on the weather reports lately, there is some confusion up here over what season it is. We reached a high of 35.3 one day, and this is winter...Queenslanders were complaining about how hot it was! I even dipped my toe in the pool one day to test the water, but only managed a short immersion of the legs. Some of the kids went in, but then, they will swim anywhere, any time. We even got down to one only sheet at night, and if you know how Charles feels the cold, you'll know how hot it was.
Bec and Remi have been battling a nasty virus - yes, another one - through the hot. Not at all pleasant, especially when you have a temperature. Fortunately they are on the mend now.
Mat and Jeff have bought a terrace house in Sydney - Surry Hills. It's on the end of the row, so only neighbours on one side. They are very thrilled as they have been looking for a while a just missed out on one in the same street a while ago.
Bec & I have been busy learning pattern making and are learning a great deal. I am about to put my lessons to practice and make my first garmet from my pattern, having learned how to move darts, change shapes...anyway, it's exciting. I have also made a couple of skirts for Nuiska and am about to start some chair and couch covers for her and Rudi, so I am keeping busy. I am also doing a small market in West End at the back of the wonderful book shop, that is held once a month. Very social - we take along a plate and contribute to wine. It's held on a Friday evening from 5 - 8pm. Tomorrow night there is an opening of Sam's latest exhibition. He also has one travelling Europe, which is now in St Petersburg.
Charles is busy doing a building project for the landlord and enjoying it. I't good for him to have something to get his teeth into.
Cheers for now fron the sunny north.

photos from my camera

2009-08-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of many I have taken in our time up here.

cultural delights

2009-08-10T00:43:00.000-07:00

Shirley & Kevin are on the road home. Left this morning - very teary. Have not had a chance to rave about the Kev Carmody tribute concert, with people like Paul Kelly, Missy Higgens, John Butler, Tex Perkins, and many more who gave a a wonderful time on August 1. Simon, Lisa, Nick and Deb came up, and we trooped along with Claudia, Jasmine & Sam.

After the concert we went to dinner at the local Indonesian then back here. A fantastic night with family.

Then last Sat night Charles, Shirley and I saw a guy from the US out here on tour - David Rovics - at a Palestinian fundraiser in an intimate venue just down the road. Great voice and fantastic songs, mostly original.

And then, of course, the film festival. Last night Kevin, Shirley, Charles & I attended the closing night film, Balibo. Great film. The seventies was very convincingly portrayed, including the look of the film quality & colour. Well worth seeing, tho there were some parts I could just not watch.

Get along and see it if you can.

TDC (The Divine Child)

2009-08-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

In response to a comment from Mat that I had not put any photos of Remi on the blog lately, here is one of the latest with his new haircut, which he did himself, well, mostly, with electric clippers. You forget how quickly kids grow and change, and a simple thing like a new haircut can make you look again in wonder. Having been through a series of infections (snot, earaches, coughs and so on) this winter, his first year of kindy, he has reincarnated from a grumpy, unwell state into a completely joyous and delightful little boy. His world is filled with imagination, play, putting on shows, singing, dressups (I made him a bear suit and he has a kangaroo and horse on order )riding his bike or scooter, feeding the chooks and now collecting the egg each day, and generally filling our lives with a great deal of love.

friends, films and good living

2009-08-06T02:12:00.000-07:00

Shirley and Kevin are here, working their way through a vast array of films on offer at the Brisbane Film Festival. I have managed to catch a few, with Kevin setting a cracking pace, and Shirley coming a close second. Tomorrow he is attempting 6 films in one day. They arrived with 3 days to spare before the marathon began, so we have had time to experience the high life, really wonderful spending time with them. We start the day slowly, with Kevin going through the program, whilst Shirley prepares herself for the day ahead.The weather has been nothing short of superb, and we have been making the most of it, walking along the river, as well as a morning at the Mt Cootha Botanic Gardens where the highlight was the dry garden, with strange, wonderful and amazing plants.

We all had lunch at GOMA today after a film and Shirly & I are going in for a 9.10pm start tonight. Highlight so far for has been a NZ film, The Strength of Water. Will be released so you can see it.

Three more days to go. We are all going to Balibo on closing night. Should be good.

outdoor living and the new deck

2009-07-14T16:30:00.000-07:00

Charles , Helen and Bec have been working for the last few weeks on building a deck at the back of their house, which will make a new living space outside, an essential part of living in a climate like Brisbane's. Helen offered to do some dental work for Charles at the same time, but he declined. The decking is actually on now, and the steps complete, but I have no pics yet. Remi kept a close eye on all that was going on and had many questions.

gillian, bike riding and master chef

2009-07-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

Gillian's 2 week visit has ended and she has returned to chilly south-western Victoria to begin preparing to move up here. Two weeks of sunshine, with some rain, has her convinced. "This is winter?!", she kept exclaiming. We did lots of walking, rode the ferry, communed with pelicans, sampled coffee from a wide range of outlets, ate out, ate in, and walked some more. On one foray we ran into Rudi & Niuska, who had driven in from The Gap for a coffee at West End, so we wiled away an hour before heading off for Southbank.

A few days after Gillian left, Remi took off on a 2-wheeler, no wobbles or hesitation, just fierce concentration and determination as he manoeuvred the corners round and round Mitchy's back yard. A mighty effort for a 3 year and 2 month old (can you see me glowing with love?)

And on a different note, I wonder if anyone else I know is watching Master Chef with the same obsession that I have developed. My passion for cooking and food is ensuring the TV will be on this program every night of this final week, only it's Bec and Helen's, as Charles has no interest in it, so I scoot over to their place for an hour. I've got some great ideas for new food combinations. Go Po.

getting my etsy together

2009-07-06T18:52:00.000-07:00

Ever since the Stitches Fair I have been working on and off to get my Etsy online shop up and running. What I really need is someone who has done it to run a workshop for people like me who manage to get the photos the wrong size and shape, and bad quality and spend for ever trying to get through the shipping details without losing the whole thing and having to start all over again, at which stage the lid goes down and stays down until I have summoned the courage to try again, some days later.

In the meantime, I am practising by putting pics here with some of the latest creations, but I am not happy with them. I need some props, so will go and raid Remi's toy box. I will publish more when I have it right, and in the meantime will try not to grind my teeth down too far.

visit from charles' mum

2009-07-03T01:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we put Edna, who will be 92 in Sept, on the plane after a stay of 10 days, having successfully managed the steps and the bath, the two things I had been dreading as accidents waiting to happen. Her visit coincided with Charles working on a deck at the back of Bec & Helen's house, so when he left in the morning we had breakfast, then an assisted shower, and got ready to face the day. Most days we ended up at Bec and Helen's either for or after lunch, so Edna could spend as much time as possible with them. She took us all out to brunch last Sunday, which was great fun. Also along for the event were my sisters, Claudia & Gillian, so it was a great family occasion.
She also went on a ride up the river with Charles on the CityCat which she loved, and managed it all very well.
Gillian is up here for 2 weeks holiday, and I spent today with them ... knitting! We decided we were all turning into mum in our own ways which, I think, is inevitable.

of paul kelly, jindabyne and brunswick heads

2009-06-23T15:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Charles & I went down to Simon's for 3 days, and, as has happened every time I've been there, it rained for most of the weekend. This, I'm pleased to report, did not stop Charles and Simon from fishing, with both magnificent results (as far as a feed or three went), but also an unexpected and disturbing one. Those of you who are familiar with the film Jindabyne, and the Paul Kelly song based on the Raymond Carver short story, may have aready guessed. On Saturday morning they set off at 6am and had been fishing for close to 2 hours from the south wall at Brunswick Heads, when they identified what they first thought was a dog, then a turtle in the sea, as a human body being blown towards them across the water. I will spare you the details, but, unlike the Carver story, it put an abrupt stop to their fishing and they reported it immediately. It turned out to be that of an Irish backpacker who had been missing for a week from Byron lighthouse. His poor parents had flown out, and were about to go home, so it was good timing for them, although no doubt also heartbreaking. Needless to say it consumed our thoughts and discussion for quite a bit of the weekend, one that will not be forgotten.

2009-06-08T23:32:00.000-07:00

friends, food and wine

2009-06-08T23:21:00.000-07:00

Have just had Kate & Lance up for the long weekend, which saw us trial taste a number of restaurants, all within walking distance of our place. First night was Indonesian, and developed in to an hilarious celebration, with Lance taking over from Mono Man on his casio, and entertaining all patrons with Bridge Over Troubled Water. Everyone got in to the swing of it, waving their arms above their heads and singing full throttle. I got it all on video. Lance & Kate made sure they were on side with Mrs Makanan before Lance took the stage.

Next night was the Mecca Bah, which Kate was very excited to find, being a regular at the one at Docklands. Delicious food but no singing. The last night was Indian - again top food. In between we introduced them to West End, including Avid Reader where we sat and read the paper and drank coffee while Lance found books to buy.

We did also do some exercise. We live very close to the river, and enjoyed a not-so-brisk walk along its banks to offset the oral intake, managing to resist the exercise stations along the way - well, almost. Lance did give us a demo of the challenges of chin lifts. You can see from the photo how close we are to the city. All in all we had a great weekend.

noo noo's friends

2009-05-31T23:36:00.000-07:00

Noo Noo is a toy of Remi's who sleeps in his bed each night. These are some of his friends that I make. They are made from 4 and 5 ply pure wool with no bits that can be chewed off and swallowed. My idea was to make toys that can be held easily and feel soft for little hands of babies and children. No two toys are the same and they vary in size from 12 to 30 cm. This doll on the right is 27cm tall and wears a skirt embroidered with french knots. These others are just some of Noo Noo's many friends that I knit. Watch this blog for details on an Etsy site I am working on where you will be bale to see details of all these critters and more.

I also make alphabet flags which can be strung together to form a child's name. These are all my own designs, and each letter stands for an attribute of the child depicted, such as c is for cuddly. These are the perfect gift for a new baby, or a child who is starting to recognise their name. Lovely in a window, doorway or on a wall.

of flu and rain

2009-05-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

All last week I have been lying in bed listening to the rain on the roof, the only consolation for feeling so crappy with not swine flu, but kindy flu which Remi kindly brought home from kindergarten and shared with us. Only Charles escaped.

Meanwhile Brisbane was gurgling beneath a rising tide. The organic market at Northey St, as seen here, is also home to a wonderful 5 hectare community garden, all of which disappeared under 2 metres of water. When we arrived last Sunday I was immediately struck by the bad parking, which, on closer scrutiny, were cars settled where they will as the water receded. Apparently they spent a few days bobbing around bumping into each other while their owners, staff from the nearby hospital, were helpless to rescue them. Needless to say, it took a massive cleanup to get the place ready for market, and despite the veneer of mud on everything, they did an amazing job.

visitors from tas

2009-05-16T23:58:00.000-07:00

Our 'old' friends, John & Caroline, have been here for 4 days on their way to Europe for their last fling holiday. Have drunk too much wine & eaten too much food, but done lots of walking with them. Great to catch up and share lots of laughs and memories. It's wonderful when friends of 40 years have followed a similar path and ended up with a familiar ethic. These are the people we traversed the world with in '71, and we still speak the same language.
Also caught up with Sarah G, her partner& their little boy on their way through to the Solomon's for a diving holiday. It was so lovely to see her, and meet her family.

the party of the year

2009-05-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

This was the place to be last Sunday morning, down by the river with family and friends spanning 4 generations. Remi and his friend, Cisco, got together for their third birthdays, presents, balloons, and best of all, cake. Whilst Bec made Remi a wonderful pear and blueberry cake, Cisco got a huge red and brown chocolate cake - you can see which one Remi has his eyes on - he got both, plus some orange and almond cake his dad, Mitchy, made. Effects of the sugar overload lasted for two days, and saw Remi staying home from kindy. His parents celebrated the end of the party and another year with a resounding cheer.

2009-05-07T00:02:00.000-07:00

Well, today is May 7 and it is Remi's 3rd birthday. Woken by the alarm at 6 to get us round to Bec and Helen's for birthday breakfast and presents. Mitchy was already there when we arrived, and we polished off berry pancakes with candles, before the unwrapping began. Here are some pics from today, hot off the press. The real party is on Sunday, so watch out for the next installment. No doubt Remi will be riding his new scooter.

It was fantastic being here, at long last, for his special day

Yesterday we made some macadamia and apple cakes for his birthday, Remi wearing Grandpa's Rakali Project apron, tucked up. Made all the difference. They were intended to take to kindy to share with his friends, but I forgot the rule about nuts, so we have to eat them all ourselves - or the kids will on Sunday.

2009-05-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

Another visitor from Victoria was Denise who needed a good dose of leave after working on the fires over summer. She was here for a week and her visit included my nephew, Sam's, 30th birthday party, which was a night to remember. Mum is up here and looked her beautiful best for the occasion. Denise helped us explore more restaurants at the end of the street - Greek and Tibetan - as well as more of Brisbane, including a drive to the top of Mt Coo-Tha for a view across all of Brisbane, and then a walk through the bush. It was lovely to spend time with her.

2009-05-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

Life in the slow lane.

Here are a few pics about life in Brisbane and what we've been up to. Of course they include The Divine Child.

Some of you will remember Rudi and Nuiska, who we caught up with a few weeks ago when we had a long coffee break in West End.Both their kids, Bec & Helen have work/study links with QUT, Alexander lives around the corner from us and Sarah around the corner from Bec and Helen. Amazing? R & N are to be grandparents later in the year when Sarah has her first child.

Over Easter we went down to Lismore and had one overcast but fine morning at Evans Head. Despite the fact that it rained for the rest of the time we enjoyed ourselves immensely, hunkered down with wonderful books at Helen's sister's where we were staying. Can you imagine my heart rate as these 3 precious ones perched on the rocks...we were watching some madmen surf, until a huge wave drove us back. Remi has on his helmet as we took down his run bike - no pedals, all leg work and balancing. Great.

Cheers for now, Penny

2009-04-30T06:25:00.001-07:00

It is 11pm, despite what time zone this computer thinks I'm in, and I've eaten too much chocolate which is still zinging around in my system. Lying there trying to trick myself to sleep, I thought, this blog can be about anything, and I can indulge myself however I wish...a thought not novel to those experienced bloggers, but new to me, the novice in these matters. And then I thought, this is a way of staying in touch with friends who I miss down south, or wherever they may be.

Some of them, well, 3 exactly, have been to visit. Shirl and Andi had a whirwind visit before bussing down to Byron to wade through the mud and rain to hear great music at Byron Blues and Roots Festival. We made the most of every minute, walked for kilometres and ate ourselves silly, indulged in some very nice wine from the very nice wine shop around the corner and saw as many sights of Brisbane as we could pack in to 36 hours.

2009-04-29T23:52:00.000-07:00

2009-04-29T22:39:00.000-07:00

stitches and craft show brisbane

2009-04-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

today my daughter and i went to the stitches and craft show. the incubator section was by far the best area in the entire show. ink and spindle who make beautiful hand printed fabrics were there. check out their website inkandspindle . i am going to go home and continue my current projects. i am making childrens name flags each letter has its own design and you can make up individual names.the other thing i have been working on are hand knitted dolls and animals, no two are the same. i will let you know where you can buy my designs soon.