Gawler

Last weekend we went to Gawler to stay with Andreena and John.  A lovely weekend, great company and a large modern house, fully airconditioned.  Perfect.

In the morning we drove down the hill to Gawler, and a walk around the main street.   Very, very hot winds were blowing from the Adelaide plains. One forgets about the searing heat on the Adelaide plains.  And a shock everytime I experience it.   And if one suffers from allergies, Gawler is the worst place to visit, but I had come prepared this time, as I have been taking allergy tablets since arriving in South Australia.

But Gawler is a lovely town, and a good place to stop for coffee on the way to the Barossa Valley.  There are plenty of cafes, serving very good coffee.  And we made good use of one on Saturday morning.

Sadly this heritage listed building is now empty.  It even has an original spring loaded pulley system in it (called a flying fox).  Only three left in Australia. How it worked; the sales attendant put the money into a container and sent it via wires to a central cashier, who then sent the receipt and change back to the sales attendant.   Very simple but effective.  But impossible these days when paying with a debit or credit card.

A pub getting a makeover.  The pubs in Gawler appear to be flourishing, with great adaptations into the cafe/breakfast/lunch venue, with umbrellas and tables on the footpath.

Andreena and John's very large and comfortable terrace, even on a very hot evening.

Lily the cat seeking out the coolness of the tiled floor.   A  very pretty cat.

John and Walter sitting in the shade of the garage, while cooking lamb chops on the open grill barbaque.  Plenty of smoke.  And the most delicious meat.  This was on the Sunday evening when the temperature was much cooler.

Their house is high up on Gawler hill, with a view over the plains.  Great sunset viewing from  up there.

Scott having fun while making 'light' pictures.

The fountain, in an eerie evening light.  A fascinating garden ornament.  It reminds me of something.   Now what can that be?

Sonya enjoying the evening with Elvis, the dog.

Relaxing in the cool of the late evening.

On Saturday we had a most delicious pork roast, cooked on the spit, with crisp crackling.  We ate it in the coolness of the airconditioned house.  A perfect end to a beautiful day.

And the cool change came through during the night. Hurrah.