Not quite snowing yet

Christmas Day dawned with a dusting of snow. It did not last. After church , the gathered family unwrapped presents. laughed a lot , and everyone played with their toys, even the children.

In the evening , a huge turkey accompanied by mountains of vegetables , was reduced to a small hill. There were thirteen or fourteen adults, three children and one cute baby.

Later we played a game of Wise/Otherwise. Sort of Ex Libris meets Trivial . Good fun. Louis & I came second. (Louis is one of our landlords, they of the beautiful horses & scenic sunsets)

This author continued to suffer with her cold, so she has a lot of drinking to catch up.

On Christmas Eve , Michael & I went to Shusan , a town with a covered bridge and interesting Antiques/ Gift store. Very close to the Vermont border , in sight of snow topped mountains.

A very pretty village.Well kept houses, I wondered who lived there and why. I cannot write my suggested answers here in case I  decide to live here too.  Nothing to do with thiw stuffed bear , M is wrestling though!

Today we drove into Vermont , to Bennington.

On Holidays!

It was a long flight, well two long flights really, separated with a sleepover in Narita. When we arrived  at JFK , a burst of madness driven by frugality, made us catch the Sky Train, then the subway, into Penn station. Not an unpleasant journey in itself, but hard work with all the luggage!  And got our tickets to Albany on the Empire line ( Amtrak) with only a few spare minutes to get a soft drink before boarding the train. So JFK to Schuylerville took another six and a half hours, including Immigration and Customs .

The train journey along the Hudson is always fascinating to me, this time, all  the boats in the little harbours & boat clubs along the way are wrapped tight in plastic;  gigantic boat shaped wraps, protecting the contents from the advancing winter . Patches of snow from last weeks fall, still settled in shady spots, grubby now with the mud along the way.

View from my bedroom , first morning. Hudson Valley

Yearlings 

Our hosts home, just below our cottage

Susie was there to meet us with a big smile  and a new green car .

After dinner she delivered us to  the horse property on which we are agisted  until the English visitors have been and gone. We have a warm & cosy cottage with wonderful views of heaven and earth

Two days have followed with frantic shopping for snow boots , purple fleece gloves, car hire  and a cheap mobile phone service. Now we can begin to feel settled and ready for the round of parties, gallery openings and who knows what that form the life here for Susie and John  .

The weather has been cool, occasionally wet, sunny , and promises to get cold by the weekend. But Wednesday, our first day here, we were in short sleeved t-shirts! Better weather than the day we left Sydney!

We have joined the YMCA for swimming and the first morning there I met a friend I made 3 or 4 visits ago. SHe was a victim of polio as a child, and introduced me to two fellow travellers. I guess Australia did not experience the intensity of that dreadful disease , I know of only one or two  I have met over the forty or more years I have lived in Australia. An illness that leaves a complex legacy for its sufferers.

Perth visit

I was in Perth last weekend. The wildflowers were ablaze in colour in King's Park . It was so lovely I went twice. Also visited Pinnarroo Memorial gardens .

Planning an escape

Whilst the chook run was being renovated  the girls had some fun ways to get out.

Michael has a birthday Lunch

And Katja gets a gift too!!

Japanese Raisin Tree

Today at the markets, the lady at the stall where I buy my rhubarb offered me a taste of a Japanese Raisin.


It was sweet, crisp and chewy. fibrous but not unpleasant . Bit like a Nashi pear flavour- honey? The drupes are not pretty until you bite them!

I perched them on top of the fresh cauliflower ( that is now soup!)

those naughty hens

Were pretending they has stopped laying now we are well past the Summer Solstice. No "I'm gonna lay a cackleberry noises" and the frantic rushing around that goes with telling the whole of Leichhardt that an egg is happening.
But I kept looking at  a couple of them thinking  they must be laying them somewhere. Found them amid the thorns of a rose bush at their back gate. And yes they are all still fit to eat, they passed the sink test!

Christmas Eve @ Katja & Justin's home

These lovely German women learn Italian together

A lovely setting!

Justin prepared a stunning meal Garlic prawns followed by Grilled Salmon on a puree of peas, and several salads and potato dishes. Thank you Justin and Katja!!

SMALL HANDS DO NOT MAKE ME TALL

I have written this previously. If you have small hands, it is likely that you are not a tall person. So why is it that when I go to buy rubber gloves in the supermarket, they are up high? What kind twisted aesthetic says the gloves are "shelved"

Small


Medium



Large


I bet it irritates tall people in need of rubber gloves to have to bend down so.

More photos from the weekend at Culburra

The Sea The Sea!

We went to Culburra for a couple of nights

2mbs-fm

Held captive for hours in the Book & CD bazaar.
hooray, only bought CDS!!

Things my little hens teach me.

There are four little bantams, but they range in size. The littlest gets chased away by the bigger 3  (‘henpecked’) when the food is out. She & I have a private arrangement whereby she follows me to a corner of the garden where I give her a small pile of grain of her own. She has to be quick, else the others rush over .This does not work when they are in the run, but sometimes we manage to work out another secret arrangement.

Generally Nanette, the littlest hen has a hard time of it. But at dusk, when it is time for rest, if she hangs about outside the gate waiting for the others to settle ( and not therefore peck her) the largest hen, Blanche, waits around for her and eventually head butts Nanette into the boudoir.  A sort of maternal responsibility. It touches me to see that this care is displayed at the end of the day. The peaceable kingdom

Flying to Perth

Do I look like a terrorist? At 5’1’’ with short grey hair I am beginning to look more like someone’s Gran.

Do I look like an arms dealer? Well yes , the carry on brief case with Lap top is a bit on the heavy side, it could be samples of weapons, but really it’s just the laptop and the water bottle (which was empty when coming through security) and a book & sandwich. (I like flying with Virgin, the meals are great, I bring them myself)

Oh, maybe I look like a geologist  or a blast supervisor from the North West? It’s the only reason I can imagine why I get stopped & tested for explosives at both Perth & Sydney airports at least once each time I cross the nation. I tell the operative, whose English is not often sufficient to cope with my irony, that my personality is magnetic, not explosive. So far I have passed the test. Probably should not push my luck.

New Chicken Hilton

Warm room arrived just in time for the cold nights!

At a Craft sale today

I purchased three handmade spurtles for $10. One will go to a family of ours who will be soon moving house! Along with relevant victuals.

Cockatoo Island 2010

It's been 4 years
since I went to Cockatoo Island. A few changes since then.  This time I took a friend who has not been before. It is a great ferry ride on the harbour and a good many things to look at once you are there.

amigurumi

Her name is Gulab meaning "Rose"

Kitwana, my new Pilates instructor. ever so gentle!

Christmas Hot Cross Buns

Well if I made a bet with myself, I lost. I guessed that hot cross buns would be in the shops before the schools go back. In this town that is the end of January. But they were advertised in this week’s Coles specials. Which means that the flyer was printed before 12th Night. I did not imagine it would be this soon. Hey, lets have Easter before Christmas next time round eh? Pity the Wise men, barely delivered their gifts, gone on their way & they are back to watch the star being extinguished
In the household in which I grew up, we had Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday at lunchtime, we had one each, it was all we had for lunch as we were fasting.
These days I feel that I occupy a strange territory, populated with people who think that my religious engagement is either excessive, or insufficient, and others who privately shake their heads and wonder why. Yet we are all happy to take the Public Holidays, do the shopping, and say,”well it is family time”. In my current household, I joke that every day is like Easter Sunday as I go hunting for eggs that the chickens like to hide in secret places. But that hunting time is also a time to remember to feel gratitude and thanks to a generous and loving Creator. And that joy can be found in strange places. Even when I fail to find the eggs.
I also feel for those of other faiths who are committed to their religious and faith practices. How must they feel when they cannot take time off to engage in their practice? And yet they have to endure the inevitable price rises that happen in our supermarkets, the parking hassles, the road rage (and just plain bad manners on the road) and the stress that a so-called Christian celebration imposes on everyone.
And I wonder about families and individuals who are struggling with loneliness , or D & A problems, or severe poverty, or the loss of special people, how stressed they must feel at this time of the year. There have been many road deaths in NSW this Christmas/New Year period, often involving more than one family member. How will next Christmas be for them?
I find the whole matter a dilemma. I don’t wish to sound like a mealy-mouthed naysayer, but I can’t help feeling cynical about the whole she-bang. Maybe Herod was not the only reason that the little family with the special babe headed off to Egypt. Though I wonder if that was not a nation of excess at the time? I bet they all would be shaking their heads in horror at what has become of Christmas and Easter.

Today we swam

At Leichhardt Pool
as we have been for some months.  It was Michael's request even though he is in a lot of pain. Only four more sleeps till he goes into St.Vincent's for a new hip. Please hope/pray/wish that all goes well with no complications.