Post 320 Not much to show but a glow

 

I spent much of the day reading the latest of Bruce Beckham's Skelgill series set in Cumbria.  I discovered these in 2018, on my way to a retreat in the Lake District after searching for crime fiction set in the area. It turned out to be a great series to read while there, with a strong sense of place, engaging detection puzzles and characters you want to meet again. I was delighted therefore, when I discovered number 16 in the series, published only 4 days ago.

It was a great read. Beckham skilfully gives DS Jones a major role in this one, seemingly preparing for a series shift in emphasis. We follow her thought processes, including her doubts and insecurities. I really enjoyed it.

There was a cool breeze which did not deter the golfers. The pool was quiet in the morning but had plenty of activity in the afternoon.  I ventured out to move my car back to its allocated parking space, in which there was an alien car when I returned yesterday. 

If I were a painter I'd have a go at painting this bit of my view.  These houses are certainly nothing special in architectural terms but they have a very interesting geometric form in silhouette, that both echoes and contrasts with the shoreline, especially at dusk. Those strange points on the row of houses are in fact the windows on the gable rooves (yes, I know roofs has been standard since the 80s, but my habits were set long before that. It's archaic, but permissible!).

I eased myself out of Skelgill's Cumbria by crocheting another square. 

I quite like the effect of the two neutral colours.

I came across an eco-friendly suggestion for these  circles  as reusable make-up removal pads. Having reached an age when I have time to make them, I no longer use make-up, so I won't be taking up this idea.

I also added a couple of leaves and the rest of the stem under the Phoenix. It looks a little dark in the photo, less so in reality. It will balance out with the flower.

Tomorrow.

The sun sets over the headland which is on the very edge of the view from my balcony here, so there is not much chance of variation. It provides at least a lovely glow.

Post 319 A very happy birthday

These are my friend Deirdre's Queen of the Night flowers, currently blooming at her home in Lismore in northern NSW. It is an orchid cactus that, yes, only blooms at night.    They are native to Mexico. 

What a privilege to have one growing and see it bloom.

It was a day of privileges for me. I woke at 6.30 am, the time (so I was told) that I was born 74 years ago. My mother was just 21 and a great mother. She'd have loved to see these flowers.

I had phone calls this morning from a couple of friends and also my brother. and a long call from Alison late this afternoon. There were emails from other friends, including a lovely long newsy one from Christine in Watford, still keeping on keeping on. She received my Christmas card yesterday. It was posted on 13 December!

There were no less than 3 Jackie Lawson ecards - all different and cheery, as well as newsy text messages - and 20 or so FB messages.  

I don't remember receiving so much attention on my birthday. I am feeling very privileged and loved. It is  important to me, and to my identity, to have friends from all times of my life - from primary school, high school, university, my paid work life and my retirement and both immediate and extended family.  Thank you all for staying connected - whether on my birthday or other times.

. 

The event of the day was a birthday lunch at Normanville (photo courtesy of Caitlin on Katherine's phone!).  The most spectacular meal was Niamh's beef burger held together by a knife.

The kids chose, bought and/or made me really thoughtful presents. Veronica's earrings were made from brown sea glass- light shines through them in the sun. Niamh's annual pin cushion, to keep my chairs safe, was entirely designed and made by her this year without help. I love the birds.  Brigid's earrings were, amazingly, each two fused cowries, so they are reversible, Fionn's shell and bead chime is so elegant - perfect shape for my balcony

and the necklace, by Suzette Watkins of Australian Landscape Jewellery is one I had, unknown to Katherine and Anthony, actually looked at online to buy as a gift. It is really beautiful. 

Back at the Golf Hotel, I talked with Alison, took in the gifts, reread the wonderful cards 

and cracked open the bottle of de-alcoholised (yes, that's what the bottle says) wine I had bought at the local supermarket - the only kind they offered.  It doesn't, I think, have a lot to recommend it.

The birthday surprises were not over.  At 6pm, as a magpie made a lot of noise on the roof above the next balcony, the locksmith arrived to fix the lock on my door! It took 45 minutes, a lot of deconstruction, visits to the van, reconfiguring and testing, but my door now locks and my key opens it. 

I miss the gaffer tape that kept the malfunctioning lock from locking me either in or out, but it will be good not to take my computer, iPad, Kindle and Kobo with me every time I leave the room as a precaution because it doesn't lock.

The big red kangaroos put in another appearance at dusk. I really do wish I had bought my SLR - or upgraded my iPhone to either an 11 or 12 Pro with a 4x zoom. The 2x on my phone just won't do the job.

My stitching has been a bit limited today - two crocheted squares and half a stem to support the Phoenix.

Not bad, all things considered.

It's been a fabulous day.

Post 318 Phoenix rises

 I spent much of today working on the Phoenix -  inside, with the aircon on. There are a few touches still to be done - a bead, or a black French knot for the eye, and a row of split stitch around the tail. The pale green on the breast looks better on the linen than in the photo. I'm pretty pleased with it. I think the dark tips on the wing feathers are an improvement, given the colours I have available.

I also read one of the books for our Book Club this coming weekend. It was interesting, "full of twists and turns" and I finished it, with a bit of skimming. I don't much like books that use the perspective of two characters, told in alternative chapters and I think it shirked the exploration of psychological manipulation that the narrative demanded.  

It will certainly make for lively discussion on Sunday.

 

I decided it was time I explored the hotel beyond my rooms. Given it was 35C outside, my exploration involved walking to the dining room to book a table for a late lunch, then walking back again at 2pm.  

The dining room and bar are large, and in the style of a sporting club rather than a hotel. The view is much the same as from my balcony.  My duck salad was excellent. The affogato wasn't bad. 

On the way back to my room I noticed a bookcase of books for exchange. There was a Minette Walters that I haven't read, but I left it there. I really liked the vase of leukadendrons on top of the bookcase. They are native to South Africa, but grow well in South Australia.

I also began reading Wallflowers and Witches - got through the introduction, the chapter on the Sydney Society of Women Painters and the one on Dulcie Deamer.

By sunset it had cooled down a bit and there was a lot of fast-moving cloud. No rain, of course, in sight. 

There is one bushfire in the State today, at Lucindale in the South East. 100 people were evacuated and the danger has apparently eased since the cooler change this evening.

Tomorrow, my birthday, promises to be a bit cooler.  We have a lunch booking at the beach cafe - in my view the only thing to do if you have a January birthday in Australia.

Post 317 Warming up

 

A couple of weeks ago, when Adelaide Jacaranda turned from purple to green, I commented that the agapanthus were taking up the purple cause. Here in Normanville and Carrickalinga the same holds true. This stand of agapanthus is in the front yard of Katherine and Anthony's holiday rental. 

Today when I called there, a tiny honey eater was making the most of it. I took a number of photos, but this is about the best of them.

There is not a lot of photographic evidence to show for today. I spent much of it reading this 1960s crime novel, the first in a series featuring Spanish Inspector Borge. John Bonett was a pseudonym used by John Hubert Arthur Coulson (1906-1989), an English author of mostly crime fiction, often with his wife Emily Bonett.

It was slow to set the scene of an English expat community in Spain. Once Inspector Borge appears on the scene - nearly half way through - the plot and detection picks up and I very much enjoyed it. I'll certainly try another.

It reached 34C here today and is forecast to reach 35C tomorrow. It was a good day to stay inside and stitch or read. I was going to meet Katherine and the girls at the Normanville Cafe for a milkshake but it was too crowded - no parking and queues at the cafe, so we had coffee at their place instead. There was a jigsaw of hot air balloons getting underway. 

Many people booked out of the hotel today - and a few more moved in. The pool was quiet until this evening, but I didn't venture in.By 8pm there were several families having fun. The consolation is that it was 37C in Adelaide today and the same forecast tomorrow. There's a fire ban over most of the State and a fire alert for most districts. I'm hoping the plants on my balcony in Adelaide have enough water to get them through.

The temperatures are forecast to come down to mid-20s from Tuesday.

The sunset seemed to reflect the brooding heat.

Since sunset, I have worked the tail feathers of the Phoenix. I'm much happier with these colours. I also used double thread. The edges are a bit flaky, so I'll probably go over them with a single thread and finer needle.

Given tomorrow's forecast, I will probably make some progress on this tomorrow. I also plan to start the Wallflowers and Witches paperback I bought on my brother's recommendation. Might need my new clip on magnifier to deal with the print!

Post 316 Lazy day at Lady Bay

 

I slept for nearly ten hours last night and woke still feeling lethargic. I felt much the way I used to feel when we arrived in Bali for a month's holiday when I was still in paid employment - exhausted from finishing up at work, packing, getting on a plane and then on to local accommodation. All I wanted to do for a day or so was sleep and eat.

All I have done this time is pack bags and drive from Adelaide! Nevertheless I went with the lethargy,  had my usual breakfast, showered, read on the balcony. 

At 28C it was a  pleasant morning,  5 degrees lower than in Adelaide.

                                                                                                                                                        I wasn't happy with the Phoenix wing as I left it last night, so I tried a couple of ways to fix it.

There was plenty happening at the pool, mostly parents teaching young kids to swim, or put their heads under water, or duck dive. I'm curious about the lack of safety fence at the back of the pool. I need to walk down and have a look. It doesn't look right from here. Maybe there's a moat or some device at the back.

A goal for tomorrow.

The other thing that caught my attention was a man who appeared to let his golf clubs run ahead of him  on the path from the green. Suddenly, the clubs veered across the grass and I realised he was managing it by remote control. The still shot doesn't, of course, capture the weirdness of it  - a man casually following a moving golf bag across the course.

My  Standard  room is well set up. This is taken from the small kitchen area. The wall in the left foreground is the bedroom wall and there is a very generous sized bathroom with spa bath and walk-in shower.

It's a long time since I've napped in the day time, but I did this afternoon.

I then visited Katherine's mob and ate some of their barbecue dinner. There is an excellent butcher in Normanville who Anthony has cultivated over the years.

I wanted to be back here before dark, partly because I'm still not entirely familiar with the road to Lady Bay, and partly because I thought there might be the chance of wildlife on the road after dark. I was right to be cautious - except the kangaroos were all on the golf course!

There was a whole mob, spread over the hill where the remote controlled golf caddy had been this morning. It was at this point I regretted my decision to leave my SLR at home. I really needed it!

I got most of this square finished while visiting Katherine and Anthony's place, then finished it back here.                         

                  

While watching the end of a Midsomer Murders and a whole Endeavour, I made another round of changes to the Phoenix. It's getting closer to acceptable. I might need to leave it now and move on to other parts. Any further changes need shades I don't have.

Today was also Deirdre and Alan's 50th wedding anniversary. Their daughter and son had put together a presentation for them of various bits contributed by their friends and family. Mine was the PowerPoint I was working a week or so ago, turned into a pdf. I'm sure they've had a great day. 

Post 315 Lady Bay

It took me quite a while this morning to prepare to leave for Lady Bay.  I took my time but it was pretty steady activity. I packed a suitcase with clothes and toiletries, another with my embroidery, crochet and books, a third with beach towel, bathers, sunscreen, hats and beach shoes and a fourth with fruit and muesli. That's the trouble with holidays close to home. 

Watering the plants took a while. It's only a week, but it's 31C in Adelaide today, 35C forecast tomorrow, up to 37 by Sunday. I left as many plants soaking in water as I could.

Turtle got fed up waiting for me to provide more seed and gave up. I'm afraid the disappointment will last for a week.

I cleaned out the fridge, put out the rubbish, turned off the water, packed the car and set off, stopping on West Terrace to buy petrol.

Lady Bay is about 85 km south of Adelaide. It is close to Carrickalinga,  where my Adelaide daughter and her family are staying for the next ten days. Usually I rent another holiday house nearby with either my other daughter and her partner, or with my brother and sister-in-law. Sometimes with both. This year neither are able to come. I didn't want to rent a house on my own, so I have booked into the only hotel accommodation around here - the Lady Bay Golf Resort

As you can see, it has a pool, tennis courts and the brown expanse between these and the sea is a golf course.

The resort appears to have a helipad - presumably for busy golf players.

I have no interest in playing golf, or using the gym - or even the spa. I do have a spa bath in my bathroom. I have a bedroom, bathroom, sitting room and small kitchen. 

I had a small drama when my room key did not work. The handyman came and had the same trouble. Apparently the locks have all been altered from a key card to a key but the locks not fundamentally changed. This has not worked well. I persuaded him to tape my lock open until the locksmith gets here - probably on Monday.  It's not as risky as it might seem. Rooms are arranged in pairs, with a lockable door from the corridor to each pair, then another door to each individual room. The door from the corridor locks.

I went to Katherine and Anthony's place for excellent fish and chips. When I got back the sprinklers were on. Water is scarce in most parts of Australia and unsurprisingly, the sprinklers are clearly only set to water the greens.

There were flights of birds just before sunset. I couldn't make out what they were apart from the galah on the right. There were a group of magpies making a lot of noise on the path below my balcony but my photos are hardly worth sharing.

The evening saw a couple of families in the pool, a couple of tennis players  and numerous golfers and golfing buggies.

Sunset over the headland was hard to capture until the sun was below the horizon because of the glare.

I did get a start on the Phoenix, but I was pretty slow. It's been a very busy day for me, compared to my usual routine. I hope to rectify that tomorrow!

I also missed some of my eye drops and heat pad treatments. I'll fix that tomorrow too.

Although golf is not my thing, I'm conscious of how lucky I am to be able to be here - just to get away from home is privileged. I won't squander it.