Travels – Page 4 – MakeCookGrow.com

8 Things About Summer

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It is the middle of summer in the Southern Hemisphere and Western Australia is at the end of a heatwave. It has been very hot and unusually humid. Summer brings its own activities and for many Australians, a ten day break between Christmas and the New Year. The school year finishes before Christmas and goes back at the beginning of February.

What does summer mean to you? What are the seasonal foods and recipes, the daily occupations, the things you do that are particularly related to the long, hot summer days?

FOODS

Stone fruit, watermelon and rock melon (cantaloupe), cherries, grapes, figs and so many salad vegetables. Masses of different tomatoes, sweet corn, cucumbers. They’re all in the shops in an array of amazing colours and aromas. We shop at a greengrocer who only has seasonal fruit, vegetables and herbs. All delicious.

Luscious seedless grapes.

2. SUMMER FLOWERS

pink roses in close up photography

Masses of roses, lilies, hydrangeas and agapanthus, but almost nothing in my garden! A recent heatwave has decimated everything except the hydrangeas although the roses are beginning to bloom again.

3. SUMMER ACTIVITIES

River picnics, going to the beach, barbecues and eating outdoors when the sea breeze comes in (aka the Fremantle Doctor) and watching the cricket. Lots of time spent reading. Walking the dog after dinner; it is still light and much cooler. Jugs of iced water with lemon or lime and maybe mint. Anything to stay cool. Many of my friends are teachers and still working. It is the Summer Holidays for them, nearly six weeks off, so lots of lunches and catching up, which I really enjoy.

4. SUMMER ENTERTAINMENT

The Fringe Festival in Perth, running from 15th January until 14th February, has attracted over 500 local and Australian acts, but travel between the states is limited due to CV-19 hot spots in other states. Some overseas acts were already here and have stayed. I’ve been to two shows so far. I’m off to another comedian this evening. Enjoy a good laugh!

The first was a British standup comedian, Gordon Southern, who was working on a cruise ship which terminated in Sydney due to CV-19 cases, so he stayed. A comedian for over 23 years, ‘Nicolation’ (pronounced Nice-o-lation) was Southern’s fast paced commentary about making the most of his year ‘stuck’ in Australia. Had a good laugh!

This was followed by ‘Brassy Broads’ which pays homage to some legendary jazz and cabaret singers. Some of the amazing women featured were Eartha Kitt, Edith Piaf, Dinah Washington and Ella Fitzgerald. Energetic, loud and very entertaining.

5. SUMMER SHOES

This summer means espadrilles, old ones and new ones. The espadrille fashion first occurred for me when I was at university and involved lacing long cotton tapes around and around our ankles and partially up our legs. The next time the fashion came around I had a beautiful pair with soft leather ties. I loved them! They were cream and went with the floaty, pale clothes of that summer. I wore them all the time and eventually the rope soles began to disintegrate so off they went!

I have bought two pairs this season, mainly because I’ve bought dresses this year. I haven’t really worn dresses for so long but bought one for a wedding. Then I bought another one and since then two more. They are cool and easy to wear. So are espadrilles.

6. SUMMER HOLIDAYS

Western Australia’s hard border fluctuates depending on CV-19 cases in the eastern states. This makes any travel plans outside W.A. risky. Australians can’t plan overseas trips either. When we return from anywhere outside our state, we need to quarantine for two weeks.

Perth across the Swan River.

This has resulted in a boom in travel within W.A. We have no travel plans for a few months but many West Australians have flocked to coastal resorts. Cafes and restaurants are full. We’re able to freely visit the cinema, Fringe Festival events and shopping centres. Social distancing is evident but not always enforced as in W.A. we have been Covid free for over 200 days.

Rottnest Island, everyones’ favourite island holiday destination.

January and February are very hot months here. Activities centre around the river, pool and the beach. Light food and casual clothes rule. Thongs (flip-flops) are popular!

AUSTRALIA DAY

Australia Day is celebrated on the 26th January every year marking the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships to arrive at Port Jackson in New South Wales. It’s a public holiday in Australia. Four out of five Australians consider this an important day of celebration, not just a ‘day off’. Over 16 000 immigrants choose to become new citizens on this day every year.

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10 Things to do in York, Western Australia

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York is the oldest inland town in Western Australia. It is situated on the Avon River, in the wheatbelt. York has been recognised for it’s important buildings with Historic Town Status. Established in 1835, the area was important for cattle, sheep and wheat, sandalwood harvesting and goat, pig and horse breeding. York now attracts visitors for its buildings, festivals and fairs.

It’s an easy 90 minute drive from Perth to York on good roads. The forecast temperature was 35°C so we left Louis, our dog at home and took hats. I’d made a list of things TO DO and it was easy to complete the list. York is a compact town with many interesting things to see and do with guided walking and cycling maps available at the Visitor Centre.

One of the most interesting aspects of the townsite is the hotels, homes and shops. You can drive around the streets of York and admire the architecture. Most of the houses are privately owned and many have been carefully restored and maintained.

10 Other Interesting Things to do in York

1. VISIT MT. BROWN LOOKOUT

We started at the Mt Brown Lookout to put the town into perspective. Standing here we could view the York townsite and across the Avon Valley. The lookout is a short drive from the town.

2. GALLERY 152

The York Botanic Art Prize 2020 Exhibition of the Finalists is what originally motivated us to go to York at this time of the year. Usually we’d wait for a cooler day so we could walk around the town, enjoying a slow look at the old buildings and parks, especially along the Avon River.

The Gallery has an exhibition area, a gift shop and a cafe all housed in a beautiful old building with outdoor eating areas. The York Botanic Prize, the current exhibition, featured paintings, prints, jewellery, ceramics, pencil and photographs all based on local wildflowers. There are regular exhibitions throughout the year. We enjoyed the coffee there, too, despite the slow service! I think they forgot our order.

3. THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE

The original suspension bridge crossing the Avon River was built in 1888, but was totally renovated in 1988. It’s a bit wobbly but fun to walk across.

4. THE YORK MOTOR MUSEUM

The Motor Museum, established in 1979, is in the main street. There’s so many exhibits, plan to spend quite a bit of time here. There are motor cars, motor cycles and pedal cars. See cars once owned by the rich and famous, land speed record breaking cars, vice regal cars, racing cars and old and rare cars. Knowledgeable staff, too.

5. COURTHOUSE COMPLEX

The Courthouse Complex is a collection of colonial buildings also in the main street. Construction began in 1852, prompted by the need uphold colonial law and order. See the lofty court room and the stark prison cells complete with graffiti and other archaelogical finds.

6. PENNY FARTHING SWEETS

A shop full of old fashioned sweets. Intriguing for young and old. Delicious finds. We weren’t the only adults gleefully recognizing old fashioned lollies and buying childhood favourites, too. Also in Avon Terrace, the main street.

7. THE YORK TOWN HALL

The imposing Town Hall, built in 1911 and renovated in 2000 also houses the York Visitor Centre. Here you can collect maps and local information. While you’re there, enjoy the imposing Hall. Go upstairs for the best view.

8. THE YORK RESIDENCY MUSEUM

The Residency Museum is currently closed for renovations. It is undergoing remedial works to strengthen the building and chimneys against earthquakes and other natural disasters. It is expected to be open again in July.

We have visited in the past and hope it retains many of the displays we saw and enjoyed. This included displays about the Aboriginal people in the area and interactive displays for children.

9. THE PARISH CHURCH OF HOLY TRINITY

The Holy Trinity Church of York was consecrated in 1858. The tower plus other additions to this beautiful building were added between 1891 and 1905. There’s an Alfred Pearse pipe organ and windows designed by well known West Australian artist, Robert Juniper.

Across the road is the Holy Trinity Rectory, although only the kitchen remains from the original building.

10. THE FLOUR MILL

Now housing antique shops, crafts shops and bookshops plus a gallery and cafe, the Flour Mill was built in 1892. It played an important role in a region well know for its wheat and grain exports. Milling ceased in 1967.

We ate lunch here at the Mill Cafe. There’s indoor and outdoor seating. The Visitor Centre has a list of the cafes and restaurants and their opening times. We ate here as we met my brother and sister in law for lunch and they’d eaten there before. Very generous sized meals!

Near the Suspension Bridge along the Avon River is the Avon Pioneer Park, with picnic facilities, public toilets, a barbecue area and really interesting looking play equipment. There’s easy parking available. We found parking easy everywhere we went in York.

There are many shops housed in the historic buildings along the main street, Avon Terrace. There’s intriguing antique shops and second hand shops, plus clothes, furniture and craft, a supermarket, a chemist, a Chinese restaurant, a vet and the amazingly tempting sweet shop. There’s several old hotels on street corners, many with restaurants, plus several cafes. The sporting club also has a restaurant.

The Visitor Information Centre can help with accommodation and there are many options online if you want to book somewhere to stay. Enjoy your visit!

Apparently, yesterday 21st January was Hugging Day. I think every day should be Hugging Day!

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A Week In Kalgoorlie (Part Two)

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buildings of boulder

Wandered up and down the main street of Boulder looking at the beautiful buildings. The streets in Kalgoorlie and Boulder are very wide. This was necessary 120 years ago so that the Camel Wagons could be turned around in the streets. It was too hot, dry and remote for horses to be used for haulage transport. Many buildings from the Gold Rush era have been retained and restored.

This is the old Town Hall. It currently houses a very good War History museum and the famous Phil W. Goatcher (1851-1931) curtain covering the stage. Regular guided walks of the Town Hall are offered.

Boulder was gazetted as a townsite in 1896. It merged with Kalgoorlie to create the City of Kalgoorlie Boulder in 1989.

Monument to the miners who have worked in this area in hot and dangerous conditions in the past.

The Goatcher Curtain, Boulder Town Hall

Philip Goatcher, born 23rd November, 1851, worked as a law clerk before becoming apprenticed to a shipping company . He sailed to Melbourne in 1867, jumped ship and set off for Ballarat, in the height of the gold rush.

He then went to New Zealand and then to San Francisco, where he met J C Williamson, an American actor and later theatre director in Australia. Williamson paid for him to return to Australia where Goatcher painted for most of Williamson’s opera and drama productions. He moved to Perth in 1906.

Goatcher painted the Boulder Town Hall curtain in 1908.The canvas was intended to complement and close the “picture” frame stage. This ‘Bay of Naples’ curtain is believed to be the only surviving theatre curtain from this era in the world. It measures 6.25 metres x 8.46 metres. It is signed and dated Phil W Goatcher, 1908 and was delivered on 11th June, 1908. It was restored in 1991. The restoration cost $224,000.

buildings of kalgoorlie

Streetscape.

The head frame at the left of this photo is at the Mining Museum.

Almost every corner in the main streets of Kalgoorlie boast a two storey, old hotel, some in excellent condition, others rather neglected. Their wide verandas offer shade on the footpath when Kalgoorlie is really hot.

This is a vibrant city with many cafes and restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, schools and shops.

Courthouse.

Old Commonwealth Bank, intact but boarded up in McDonald Street.

some street art in Kalgoorlie

I followed the HEARTWALK map to look at street art. The original project was intended to transform the Kalgoorlie CBD into a vibrant arts and cultural precinct. It must have been great to have all these works dotted around the central area of the town. The only remaining artworks are those painted on buildings, walls and fences. Originally, many of the pieces were in empty shopfronts, but these have since gone to make way for new businesses.

Kado and Deeva Muir, a multi-disciplinary duo living in Leonora.

Lundy Carol Thompson form Kalgoorlie Boulder and Tjubriin Valma Wicker-Schultz from Norseman who has also exhibited at the Olympic Games in London.

Danny and Nikki Ulrich, Kalgoorlie Boulder.

Unattributed.

Brenton See, Perth, paints small sized canvases up to large scale interior and exterior wall murals.

As the heat increased we headed for the Goldfields Art Centre. There are two galleries but no permanent Goldfields collection on display. There was no traveling exhibition, either, despite this being a huge, central building. Bit of a surprise.

This Stormie Mills painting was on a wall in the car park. Mills relies on a limited palette, usually white, black, grey and silver. He has morphed from street artist to working on canvases and is hung in many galleries.

summary

We have really enjoyed our week in Kalgoorlie. The diverse population is reflected in the town. We’ve visited Kookynie, Menzies, Boulder, Kambalda and the main town of Kalgoorlie. The wide open spaces, the colours of the bush, meeting up with a friend I haven’t seen for a long time, the buildings, the artworks and food all added up to a great break for us. We were able to take Louis, our dog with us as we stayed at our son’s house. We really enjoyed staying with him and catching up. I hadn’t seen where he lives before this visit. CV-19 has had an impact on many businesses but the town seems to be managing this quite well. Now Western Australia has opened the hard border between us and the other states, we will wait to see if our “safe” situation remains.

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A Week in Kalgoorlie (Part One)

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We’ve just spent a week in Kalgoorlie, staying with our son who has lived there since February. He works in the resource industries. He also went to the School of Mines in Kalgoorlie fifteen years ago.

Kalgoorlie, 600 kilometers (400 miles) from Perth, is most famous for gold mining. On June 17th, 1893, a prospector, Paddy Hannan filed a Claim, resulting in the Gold Rush. Kalgoorlie and surrounding towns are a fascinating mixture of very old buildings from the Gold Rush and new, plus everything in between.

Statue of Paddy Hannan who discovered gold in Kalgoorlie. It is at the corner of Hannan and Wilson Streets.

Gold continues to be the leading industry in the region, most evident in the Superpit which is close to town. Nickel is also mined in the area.

We set off to look at Boulder, almost a suburb of Kalgoorlie with many old, gracious buildings reflecting the wealth of the Gold Rush era . Then on to the Superpit, originally a consolidation of local mining companies called KCGM. Mid 2020 KCGM was bought by Saracen and Northern Star. The Superpit, an open cut mine, is getting bigger and mining will go underground, adding many years to the life of the pit. At the moment it is approximately 5km long, 1km wide and 500m deep.

Three haulpaks parked about a third of the way to the bottom of the pit.

The haulpaks are enormous.

From there we set off for Kookynie via Yarri Road, which is mostly gravel, passing remnants of ghost towns and signage for many small mines. The soil along the road was red, pink, cream and sometimes black, with shrubby bush and small trees.

The gravel road to Kookynie.

Are we there yet?

Evidence of several long gone towns along the road.

Stopped at the Kookynie Hotel, thinking we’d have lunch, but we were too early. Met Willie, the Hotel horse. I’d taken him an apple, which he obviously enjoyed and he snuffled around us, thinking we had more somewhere. Then he drank the water in Louis’s collapsible dog water bowl! He accompanied us from the ute to the Hotel door, where he made it impossible for us to enter without paying him more attention.

Willie, the Grand Hotel Horse arrived as soon as we parked.

He drank the water from Louis’s traveling water bowl.

Willie preventing us from entering the Hotel until we paid him more attention. He is a lovely, gentle horse

He is a beautiful horse. Kookynie is a long way from anywhere else and he just turned up one day, very thin and ragged. He drank and drank and then ate and then just settled in. Researching his brand information, it was discovered he had been a race horse. When he was retired from racing he apparently was moved to a station (a very big farm) but obviously didn’t like it there, so he left. A sad story, but Willie is now a well fed, much admired horse and a local attraction. He visits all the town people each morning and then settles at the Grand Hotel, ready to greet visitors.

From there to Menzies, still thinking we’d get lunch. No luck, so we settled for a muesli bar and some crystallized ginger. Set off to Lake Ballard famous for its Sir Antony Gromely sculptures. The lake is a salt pan at this time of the year.

Sir Antony Gromely, an acclaimed English sculptor, was commissioned by the Perth International Arts Festival to create the sculptures to celebrate it’s 50th anniversary in 2003.

Gromley persuaded 51 locals to strip and be digitally scanned to create life sized models which were then cast in a stainless steel alloy. Standing in the shimmering heat haze looking over the now dry saltpan, the view is as unexpected as it is amazing. The sculptures throw interesting shadows. There are 51 “people” in an area of 10 square kilometres.

“It is one of the greatest artistic installations I have ever seen” Sir Ian McKellen

On a previous visit I walked around almost the entire area to look at every sculpture but this time it was too hot and dry.

Quite a climb to the top in the heat. Looking down at the footprints going from sculpture to sculpture looks like a massive Aboriginal dot painting, as people don’t seem to walk in straight lines.

Lake Ballard from Snake Hill Lookout.

Fire pit with frame for hanging the billy for heating water.The frame swings over the fire pit. A billy is a covered pot. Once the tea leaves have been added to the boiled water you put the lid back on it and swing the pot around to settle the tea leaves.

Finished the day with a visit to our son’s office and warehouse, then drove around a big industrial area. Kalgoorlie is a vibrant and interesting City.

A slow start the next day, which was Sunday, as the galleries we wanted to visit didn’t open until later in the morning. This meant our son had time to make us pancakes and I pottered in his garden in the warm sun. It got very hot later in the day.

Then we discovered the three galleries online information wasn’t current and none of the galleries open on Sunday. CV-19 has changed the hours galleries are open and how many people can enter at a time. Set off to look at Kambalda, known for nickel mining, then back to Kalgoorlie. Made a late lunch and spent some time looking at our photos and wandering around the neighbourhood, giving Louis, the dog, a good walk. It also meant I could look at the houses, too. So many places around my son’s house have put up dazzling Christmas decorations, including the house next door with four metre high deer in the garden. Their heads move and Louis likes to stop and look at them. The two rottweilers who live there don’t like Louis stopping and bark and bark!

We are really enjoying our visit and already planning on returning.

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Going Down South to Bunker Bay

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For many West Australians, holidays means “going down south,” to swim, visit vineyards, eat local foods, go for beach or forest walks, meet friends and eat icecream. We like to flock down south, referring to the area south of Bunbury. This region abounds in beaches, vineyards, forests and interesting, small towns. There’s galleries and boutiques, restaurants and cafes, whales and wild flowers and beautiful coastal walks, plus unique animals. Lots of good fishing spots, plus, at the moment, sharks!

We have spent this week at a resort at Bunker Bay, a beautiful bay, quite close to more amazing beaches, wineries, galleries, restaurants and a lighthouse. The weather has be perfect, the resort lovely and the beaches are beautiful. I bought a new rashie, a long sleeved swimming top, to protect me from the sun after having basal cell carcenomas burnt off and cut out lately, only to find a seal colony on the peninsula is attracting sharks close to shore. There’s been several sightings of 3 – 5 metre sharks along the coast, so beach walks and pool swims, unfortunately. So no beach swimming.

After we’d checked into the resort we set off for the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse. Built in 1903, it was manned by a shift of three men until 1987, when it was automated. The three lighthouse keepers’ houses are now an entrance point to the precinct, an interpretive centre and a cafe.

There’s a viewing platform in front of the lighthouse. This is where you can see the migrating whales between September and December. We did, too, which was very exciting. We peered out into the ocean, sometimes locating white, disturbed areas and after about twenty minutes, saw a whale break the surface and then one appear out of the water! All happened too fast to take a photo.

There’s lots of information about several lovely walks around the coast of Cape Naturaliste National Park, some taking sixty minutes, some taking hours. Take water, a hat and beware of snakes on warm days.

Looking back across the bay to the resort.

We had coffee and cake on the trip down and stopped in Dunsborough for lunch so settled to a “bed picnic” for dinner. We often do this when we’re traveling and have had a big lunch. Some of these treats were part of a ‘welcome’ platter with additional tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, goats’ cheese and more cold meats and crackers. This spread fed us for two nights!

Red and pink bottlebrush. Up close they were covered in bees. Endemic to Australia, bottlebrush are now widely cultivated throughout the world

White grevillea, also full of bees. Native to Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Sulawesi and some other Indonesian Islands.

The next day we went to the Vasse Felix vineyard in Cowaramup to visit the Holmes à Court Gallery. The exhibition was titled “Tracing the Swan” . The black swan is endemic to Western Australia and features in this exhibition, which aims to show how historically WA was presented as an ideal destination, although history reveals the harsh realities of this era were very different. The river going from Guildford, though Perth and on to the ocean at Fremantle is called the Swan River.

An etching from 1800 of the iconic black swan.

The swan was a significant creature in Indigenous folklore. Represented here by Deborah Bonar 2012.

An interesting exhibition focusing on aspects of our history not often described in terms of wildlife, in this case, the black swan.

Met this chap in the tasting room on the way out.

Gunyulgup Gallery and Little Fish Restaurant where we enjoyed a very good lunch. Simple ingredients, beautifully cooked and presented.

Fresh fillet of local fish, a rack of lamb and a trio of local icecream.

Walked along the beach later in the afternoon hoping for a pretty sunset, but it was too cloudy.

Another beautiful day and we set to do some jobs in Dunsborough. Met Craig Silvey in the local bookshop. He is the multiple award winning author of “Rhubarb”, 2004, “The World According to Warren”, 2007, “Jasper Jones” 2009, made into a film 2015 and his latest, “Honeybee”, just published.

Set off for another art gallery then a silver smith’s studio. Saw so many lovely things but we’re at a stage where we want less, not more! Besides, we have no wall room for more art, and I thought the silver smith’s work was very beautiful but I don’t wear the precious pieces I already have, so no more for me! Then we heading to a brewery where we’d booked for lunch.

The trimmed lavender hedge looks very pretty. Each block has a big cauldron like pot in the middle on a limestone plinth with contrasting red geraniums.

Hardy plantings needing little upkeep except regular trimming. Very big koi in the ponds under the walkway to the entrance.

More highly fragrant lavender swaying in the afternoon breeze plus contrasting foliage and clusters of seed pods hanging from the tree.

Two views of Gracetown, mainly a holiday house destination. The town is about 21 kilometres northwest of Margaret River, set on the Indian Ocean. Gracetown offers world class surfing breaks close to the town.

Gracetown was named after local heroine, Grace Bussel who, in 1876, rode into the surf in a terrible storm to rescue the crew of the SS Georgette which was sinking off the coast.

Two views of Meelup Beach. Protected in the bay with miles of white sand. So pretty.

Lush, cool forest in the Meelup Regional Park. Wish you could hear the birdsong, too.

Today we are on our way back to Perth. This has been a wonderful holiday, with beautiful weather, lots of lovely things to see and do and some great food. The resort was been very good, too, and we hope to return soon.

Did you know today is World Food Day? No, neither did I, but I’m willing to celebrate by eating whatever is necessary!

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Our Silo Art Trail Roadtrip

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Western Australia’s major agricultural crop is wheat, with about fifteen million tonnes produced annually. The grain production area, known as the Wheatbelt, covers seven million hectares ( about 17 million acres ). The area further south, the Great Southern region, produces grains, avocados, wine, strawberries, plus other berries and fruit.

Many towns in these regions have huge grain receival silos, often close to the town centre and always next to the train line. The grain is transported by rail from the silos to the ports of Fremantle, Bunbury, Albany and Esperance. Most of the grain is then shipped overseas in containers.

In March 2015 FORM, a West Australian not-for-profit art group, initiated The Silo Art program. The goal was to paint silos in the Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions. All the silos are at fully operational CBH Group grain receival sites. The first silo to be painted was in Northam in 2015 and is the first silo to be painted in Australia in mural form. The last, in Pingrup, was painted in September 2018. Much of the Wheatbelt is quite flat and the painted silos are visable from miles away.

We planned a four day trip to visit the silos and spend some time in the surrounding towns. When I first graduated as a teacher I was appointed to a very small town in the Wheatbelt but hadn’t visited the areas very often since then. Most of the roads were very good and the scenery was often spectacular.

DAY 1 NORTHAM Painted March 2015 Eight silos painted, four on each end. Artists Phlegm, from the UK and HENSE, an artist from USA. It took 16 days to complete and silos here sit in bucolic farmland.

DAY 1 MERREDIN Four silos painted by Kyle Hughes-Odgers who grew up in the area. Each silo is 35m ( 115 ft ) high and the entire project took 14 days to complete. Painted August 2017 using colours typical of the local landscape.

Left Merredin heading for Hyden, most famous for Wave Rock, where we stayed overnight.

An amusing stretch of fence decorated by shoes, boots, slippers, sandals and thongs. Went on for a long way!

Too early to see many wildflowers but these were along the road heading to Hyden. Gorgeous colours.

Some local metalwork, Hyden.

DAY 2 NEWDEGATE via LAKE GRACE

DAY 2 NEWDEGATE Painted May 2018. The artist was Breton See and shows a mallee fowl, lizard, phascogale and tree frog. Silo height 20 metres (65ft).

DAY 2 PINGRUP

Painted September 2018 by Dominican born Evocal. It took 15 days. The silos are 25 metres (82ft) high and 15 metres (50ft) wide.

Day 2, heading for Albany. Canola crop with the Stirling Ranges behind.

Fully operational five storey Dutch windmill used to produce spelt flour. There were also two typically Dutch cottages offering accommodation.

Day 3, ALBANY. Painted March 2018 by Yok and Sheryo (USA) It took 17 days and shows a Ruby Seahorse dragon, only found in the local coastal area.

There are many service providers in Western Australia, but we soon discovered that we were out of range or only had flaky communications once we left Merredin until we arrived in Albany. Only one provider covers the areas in between and there’s still gaps in service. So phone and tablet unusable, but wrote every night in my journal. And the pebble? I’ve collected and labelled a pebble in most of the places I’ve visited in the last thirty odd years.

DAYS 3 and 4 ALBANY

Replica landlocked brig of the Amity, a ship which sailed from Sydney to Albany, then known as Frederick Town, to resupply the military settlement 1826.

This weather vane on a round about in Albany made us smile. Left Albany heading for Kojanup. We had beautiful sunny, winter days and very cold nights.

DAY 4 KATANNING

There’s no silos in Katanning but plenty of street art and painted transmission boxes on school sites. In 2017 FORM arranged for school transformer boxes and some street walls to be painted. These murals were painted by Brenton See, Chris Nixon, Darren Hutchens, Mel Mcvee and the calligraphy was done by Karim Jabbari.

The old Premier Flour Mill has been converted into a luxury hotel. We enjoyed a lovely lunch there.

From Katanning we went back to Kojanup, then headed back to Perth. During our road trip we’d traveled about 1600 kms (1000 miles), seen amazing silo and street art, interesting towns, eaten some good food, met some lovely people and bought a few mementos. The artwork we saw on the silos, buildings and transmission boxes was remarkable and worth the journey.

There’s many online sites to help you plan your journey, book accommodation and learn more about the towns throughout the regions and their artworks.

WORLD PETROLEUM DAY

Yesterday was World Petroleum Day. Petroleum isn’t just for cars. It is used in plastics, detergent, rubber, fertilizers, pesticides, photographic film, makeup, candles and some medicines.

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12 Things I Like About Getting Older

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ABOUT GETTING OLDER

1. My husband and I are both retired and spend more time together. We led busy working lives and my husband was often overseas, so this is a change. We enjoy doing things together and this is balanced by our individual interests which we now have time to pursue. Lying in bed reading in the morning is such a leisurely start to the day.

2. We can have people to lunch during the week as generally our friends are retired, too. Long, lazy, luxurious lunches with some feisty discussions suit us well and leave Saturday free to read the papers with coffee and breakfast and Sunday free for more of the same!

3. I go to a yoga class at 10am on a weekday. Many of the people are older than me and not in full time work. There’s not a lot of lycra. Focusing on flexibility and balance plus lots of relaxation, this class really suits me.

three woman doing yoga inside room

4. We go on holidays when children are in school. As a school teacher for 41 years, my long holidays coincided with families holidaying, too, and often we paid a premium. Not anymore!

boat on body of water during daytime

5. The house is full and we are beginning to declutter. We have everything we want and more, so no expensive purchases. Now we want less, not more. Not everyone in the house agrees with getting rid of stuff, but it is a work in progress!

6. Age has resulted in more personal time. No children at home, no work rush and pressure, so time to garden, paint, read, walk and all the other things I never really had time to do before. The sense of urgency about getting things done has gone although I still have a TO DO list. Often I ignore it.

color palette

7. Many of our friends are a similar age and don’t need more ornaments as gifts, either, so it’s fun thinking of edible or similar gifts. I have time to look for ideas ( hello Pinterest) and time to make things, too. I enjoy creative activities and giving meaningful or edible gifts. And I enjoy making the giftboxes and the cards and sometimes even printing the gift wrap!

8. Issues matter less. I’m more relaxed about political issues and more empathetic about the ideas and passions of others…or I’ve learnt to keep my thoughts to myself!

magazines displayed on a rack

9. I used to walk later in the evening when dinner was finished and cleaned up, watering the garden and preparing food for the next day was under control and the neighbours were in their homes. Now I walk whenever suits me and chat regularly to people up and down the street. I enjoy this greater sense of community. I also enjoy a gentle meander around the dog park in the cool of the evening, not carefully timetabled in between getting home from work and serving dinner. The dog enjoys it, too!

10. Fashions and fads generally pass me by. I know which colours and styles suit me, so I wear what works. I like a low maintenance hairstyle and eschew very high heels. I’ll try new food ideas but stick with old favourites, too. Instagram is good for following friends on holiday but the faux lifestyle photos have no impact. The confidence of being older, and maybe wiser, is a good thing.

women wearing yellow cap during daytiem

11. We have just become empty nesters for the third time. It was very special having the adult child living with us for the past three years but now he is gone. This is the third time he’s left. The first was to go to the School of Mines in Kalgoorlie when he did Mining Engineering, the second when his company transferred him to Adelaide and now he is off to Kalgoorlie again in his new job.

brown nest on tree

So, we eat dinner when it suits us and we eat less. Our bigger meal is in the middle of the day, now. We don’t do the same amount of food shopping and what we buy for ourselves is different. Although we miss the energy of him arriving home for dinner weekdays with his news of his day, the time is right for him to move on.

12. Somewhere along the way you get to know what really matters and what doesn’t and who is important and which people will slowly appear less in your life. I have also made new friends through painting, mahjong and book club. I have developed new interests from spending more relaxed time with people. I have learnt to relax and zone out, things I could never master in the past as I was so busy. I think the very best thing about getting older is having time to do what you want.

aerial photography of blue body of water under white and blue sky

I wrote this blog two weeks ago. China and Italy were struggling with Covid-19 but Australia was still to develop the same problems and risks. That has all changed in 14 days and will continue to evolve daily. So, like many of you, our day to day engagements are seriously curtailed. There’s no yoga, mahjong, book club or visits to cafes or restaurants. I will stop going to my painting class next week. We go to the dog park and stand well apart from other people and have stocked up on food ( toilet paper, not so much) in case we have to go into quarantine.

The post-CV 19 world will be different from the world we knew before the onset. Financially this is a difficult time for so many people. Emotionally, most people will be focused on who and what really matters in their lives. Keep an eye on elderly or single neighbours and friends.

During these uncertain times take care, wash your hands frequently and don’t expect me to elbow bump as a greeting; you can’t sneeze into your elbow then expect me to touch it! Keep well, be careful and if you’re not in quarantine, go for long walks in the fresh air.

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Visiting Beautiful Brisbane

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Our last city on the eastern coast visit was Brisbane, the second best kept secret in Australia! ( Perth is Australia’s best kept secret) We flew instead of taking the train as we were still recovering from poor health. Off the plane at the Domestic Terminal and onto the Airtrain which delivered us in the centre of the city. Up two escalators and into the hotel reception area.

Well positioned hotel and a really lovely unexpected upgrade. So comfortable, delicious food and so easy to use public transport to explore Brisbane.

Our first day and off to the Queensland Art Gallery, part of the Cultural Centre. It was an easy train ride. Really enjoyed the QAG collection and spent some time talking to a guide about some of the Japanese art. This was very interesting as I’d just had a long conversation with a Japanese lady who was doing an ikebana arrangement near the entrance to the Gallery.

Chinese Art Collection Sculpture

Across the courtyard to the Gallery of Modern Art to see the Margaret Olley Exhibition: A Generous Life. It was fabulous! After I’d been around once, I watched the film about her life and then went around again. Passionate about her art, Olley’s vibrant use of colour and frequently repeated still-life themes was wonderful to see.

This is Danelle Bergstrom’s “Conversation with Margaret Olley”. It was a finalist in the 2003 Archibald Prize.

Following my Mother’s suggestion, we took the train to the Roma Street Parklands. What a surprise! This 16 hectare garden is in the middle of urban development and next to a train line. In fact the garden is created on what was the old railways goods yard, built up from soil removed to create a more efficient and modern rail system. Lush, cool gardens with wild dashes of colour and water crossed by bridges, it also featured works by local artists. Lots of families playing and picnicking and other people enjoying the garden. We enjoyed it, too!

Friends drove us to the Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre to see several reconstructed rooms of Margaret Olley’s house. Gorgeous views, nice lunch, interesting art on display and, of course, the exactly replicated rooms from Margaret Olleys house, a former hat factory, which was also her studio. She liked a lot of colour and a lot of ornaments!

The next day our lovely friends took us north to see the Glasshouse Mountains and the Sunshine Coast. Particularly liked Marleny but every little town was interesting. I loved the Working Harbour at Mooloolah River. I could sit watching the movements on the river all day. So many interesting little towns.

Glasshouse Mountains. Bit hazy due to recent bush fires.

Water Dragon at The Spirit House, Yandina, where we had lunch.

Mooloolah River

Train back to the City from Landsborough, well, train, bus, train due to an incident on the line. By the time we got moving again after waiting for the buses it was too dark to see anything but we’d like to return to Brisbane and explore more of the state.

The City Hopper ferry was a great way enjoy to Southbank and the skyline. The little red dot just above the bridge is the new moon.

Our room overlooked ANZAC Square, a town square and war memorial commemorating the men and women who participated in the armed services. Very peaceful and very moving.

Also enjoyed hotel flowers and room picnics.

Launched in Milan in 2015, INTERNATIONAL COFFEE DAY is celebrated on the first of October. It marks the global celebration of coffee’s journey from the farm to your cup and is an opportunity to recognize the men and women who grow and harvest the beans.

This is an easy day to celebrate. Enjoy!

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A Week in Sydney

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We left Melbourne on the train, arriving late in the evening in Sydney and glad to get to our hotel and relax. We had many plans and were keen to start. After breakfast the next morning we set off across the park to the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Our first plan was to see the Archibald Art Prize portraits. This annual exhibition, begun in 1921, is judged by the Trustees of the gallery. The first part is the Young Archie Prize featuring paintings by children of a relative. They were so expressive and well done! Many of the entries in the Archibald Prize seemed painted to startle or shock, not intrigue and please, unlike the junior artists.

Then to the main event. The Archibald Prize was won by Tony Costa for his portrait of artist Lindy Lee but the real attraction was the Packing Room Prize. Chosen annually by the staff who receive, unpack and hang the works, Perth artist Tessa MacKay’s portrait of David Wenham was so popular it was difficult to see. It shows him looking out of a cafe window with the buildings opposite reflected in the cafe windows.

Apart from the fabulous art I was amazed by the picture window overlooking Woolloomooloo Bay and the Garden Island Naval Dockyard. Such a view; we sat and admired it, along with many other visitors. Also did a lap of the Gallery Shop and bought a scarf.

After the rain and cold weather in Melbourne I found Sydney warm and sunny so went next door to an arcade for a pedicure. Then I could wear sandals! Also realised I often have a photo of my feet when we are traveling, so it’s pretty obvious I only have pedicures when we’re away!

That night we had the pleasure of being joined for dinner by a cousin and spent a really enjoyable evening.

To Circular Quay the next morning. My husband’s company was in Goldfields House for years, but now it’s just a hole in the ground! Waited for our ferry then set off for the Maritime Museum and some sight seeing. Caught the light rail back to Martin Place then walked to our hotel.

Headed down Elizabeth Street to David Jones Department Store to see the floral installations and window displays. This event has been running for 34 years and attracts a crowd every year. Each featured different coloured blooms and they were all gorgeous!

Ate dinner locally and wished we hadn’t as I woke in the early morning really ill and my husband followed soon after. We spent the next three days recovering and that really curtailed our holiday in Sydney.

The last afternoon in Sydney I was well enough to walk around parts of the Royal Botanical Gardens.

The honey from these beehives is sold in the garden shop to help fund future projects in the garden.

The garden is close to the thriving business area of Sydney but is calm and quiet and full of birds and insects. Such a lovely garden.

Still not feeling really well we decided to fly to Brisbane rather than face the rigours of long train travel. Sad about all the things we’d planned to do in Sydney and didn’t do due to illness, but we will return one day to compete our planned day trips.

If your birthday is on the 26th of September, Happy Birthday for yesterday. You were born on the most common day of the year for a birthday in the UK, NZ, USA and Australia. Count back nine months and you might understand why this happens! My Mother, who has a birth date close to the 26th, will party for the next two weeks as so many people she knows share similar birth dates, too.

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A Great Week in Melbourne

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We live in Western Australia and we’re closer to Bali or Singapore than most eastern states capitals. We decided it was time to fly to east, starting at Melbourne and then do train trips to get to know more about the state. Later, we went to Sydney and Brisbane, too.

Jumped on a tram to do a loop of the city blocks to familiarise ourselves with the area. Off at the Queen Victoria Market and bought strawberries, goats cheese, some brie, a Portuguese tart a vanilla slice and nougat. This was our bed picnic for the night.

We visited the National Gallery of Victoria and enjoyed 16th-18th century British and European paintings, their International Collection of 19th and 20th century works,Australian Impressionists, fabulous glassware and also Japanese ceramics. Great exhibitions. We took trains and trams almost everywhere; not something you can easily do in Perth. The tram system is very efficient at moving masses of people and it is very cheap. In fact, the central city area is free.

Wandered around the Alexandria Garden after a long lunch.

Set off for Bendigo on the train. A booming gold town from 1850-1900, it became for a while the world’s richest city thanks to gold. The architecture remaining from this era is wonderful to see. The Chinese also arrived with the gold rush and there’s gardens and buildings remaining in the Chinese precinct. There’s lovely old buildings along the main streets and well established parkland but we were there mainly to visit the Bendigo Art Gallery.

We went for the Balenciaga Exhibition, curated by the V and A. Cristobal Balenciaga, a Spaniard, was an influential and innovative 20th century designer. His designs were sculptural and focused on the silhouette and fitting shapes to the fabric. His exquisite craftsmanship is apparent in all the clothes on display. He wanted women to be bold, striking and interesting.

The exhibition included sketches, photographs, fabric samples and catwalk footage, plus modern technological demonstrations of pattern making. All fabulous.

This Balenciaga piece could be worn as a skirt or a cape. I am wearing it as a cape, the most luxurious piece of clothing I have ever worn! It was intended to be worn over a very straight, fitted dress, not my traveling top and trousers with boots made for walking, not glamorous nights at the opera! This exhibition showed how Balenciaga often designed his clothes after he’d chosen the fabric.

To the Old Treasury Building in Melbourne to see the Wayward Woman exhibition, Fascinating history of women in the early settlement of Victoria. Also interesting was the history of the building and the development of this area of Melbourne.

Melbourne is all about food. This restaurant, di Stasio, advertises in the Weekend Australian magazine so we booked before the trip and were delighted with our lunch. Old fashioned service and decor, fresh, carefully prepared food. Worth waiting years to eat here.

The next day we ate at their new restaurant, Citta, and really enjoyed it, too. Different decor but the same carefully selected and presented food. Finished off with a long walk in the Fitzroy Gardens.

Melbourne is all about food. There’s amazing food everywhere and it is generally well priced. Almost every laneway bulged with interesting cafes and bars spilling out from the buildings.

The Royal Botanic Gardens are accessible and beautiful. We had only allowed two hours including the tour we’d rung and confirmed the previous day. When we arrived we were told the tours were off for the rest of the day, no reason, bad luck. The couple behind us, also tourists, had pre-paid, so not at all pleased. It was such a shame as there’s so much to see but we didn’t have enough time.

The next day we took the train from Melbourne to Sydney. We’d decided to do this to see the countryside, but it was exhausting. The train was late, stopped frequently waiting for clearances, the food limited and way too hot. Relieved to arrive in Sydney. although quite sad to leave Melbourne. There’s so much to see and do and I’m sure we will be returning one day.

Today is CONCUSSION AWARENESS DAY. Now recognised as having serious long term consequences we need to ask the person who is possibly concussed these questions. Do they have a headache, did they lose consciousness, decide if they appear confused or are they slow processing information? If you see any of these symptoms, seek professional advice.

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