still offline but going places

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

cultural delights

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

friends, food and wine

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.