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.

noo noo's friends

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

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

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

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.