Busy, busy and a lead up to an Aussie Christmas

Busy, busy, busy!    And with the lead up to Christmas, even busier.    However, we are certainly enjoying our life back in Australia.

The U3A walking and cycling groups are going well, with some very interesting places visited, plus am getting to know lots of interesting people.    And I am understanding how the organisation of both groups work, so tend not to make errors.    The new U3A booklet now has an inclusion about 'no dogs' allowed on the walks, which makes it clear to new members.    It is funny how first impressions can be so wrong, as the man who I thought was condescending has turned out to be okay.    All in all the people in both groups are friendly and those in the cycling group are encouraging and supportive of my attempts to keep up with them.   They also make sure that I do not get lost!

So where have we walked and cycled.    I have missed out on a couple of walks due to commitments, and once the weather was extremely hot.   But I have since been told that they modify the walk somewhat in hot weather, and spend longer in the cafe. On one walk we battled the wind and rain on a long walk through the back streets of Glenelg.   It was meant to be a walk along the sea front.   Coffee was very much appreciated on this day.

I have completed all the cycle rides, which is amazing as I find them challenging.   However, I am most definitely getting fitter.    We cycled from Carrickalinga, on the south coast, to Yankalilla which is inland, no hills but a strong head wind both ways.   The direction of the wind changed while we were having coffee!  Absolutely brilliant scenery along the coast.   I must try and find some time for photographs.

We also rode along the coastal path and roads from Seacliff to Henley Beach, and return, 30 kms altogether, and surprisingly it was slightly uphill all the way back to Seacliff.   Tough ride.    And this weeks ride followed the same route as my first ride with the group, and I found it considerably easier this time around. 

One of our walks took us from the railway station in Adelaide, along the Torrens River, through the Botanical Gardens and along North Terrace, where we had coffee at the cafe in the library.   Perfect weather too.

Reflections on the water.

Looking happy and relaxed under the bridge which spans the Torrens by Adelaide University.

The grove of Moreton Bay Figs in the Botanical Gardens.   After visiting many botanical gardens during our travels I have to admit that the ones in Adelaide are pretty spectacular.

The Saturday ParkRun or ParkJog or ParkWalk, depending on one's preference.   The following photographs were taken by the person allocated to the job of photographer.

Walter striding out.                                                     Emma running with Piper.

Piper very eager and keen to get going.                                        Piper, frustrated with my slow pace.

Our new 'old car'.  A Honda station wagon, twenty years old, bought for $3000, with a further $800 spent on it, namely a service and the suspension fixed.   A brilliant car, with everything working in it, and which drives so smoothly.   

Yes, you may wonder why we need another car, bought on a whim, when we visited a second hand car sales place with Emma.   Emma and Steve have found that only having one car, away out in Aldinga, with work commitments and children in a country school, does not work.   Also Jackson is learning to drive. They also bought an excellent car, a manual, a Holden Astra with a spoiler on the back, sporty looking too.   It is not as old as ours, and cost less money too.

But back to the Honda.   We needed a tow bar, to carry our bikes, and there are currently no tow bars available for our Kia, until perhaps March or April next year.    And the Honda has a tow bar, and the bike rack fits.    However there is so much room in the back of the car that I can easily just slide my bike into the car.   And we have found more benefits as the car is excellent for taking the bottles to the recycling depot, carrying large items, going to the beach and most of all carrying Piper to and from the beach.  No more messing up our new car, with a sandy and wet dog. 

Of course, we all have to admit, we are loving the extra wheels, never having to worry about not having a car, or having to negotiate 'who needs the car' to do whatever 'needs to be done'.   Such convenience!   But not environmentally sound.

Of course the front of our house now looks like a car sales yard, three cars in front of the garage and the station wagon on the other side.   Two of the cars appeared magically on the same day.    I just have to make sure that I don't scrape any of the cars as I reverse in or out, given my previous track record. 

Piper loving her own special area in the back of the station wagon, complete with harness, bed, blanket, and toys.

My early morning walks with Piper at Port Willunga.   Such a delightful area, always changing depending on the weather.

On the day I took the photographs it was a perfect day, blue skies and the sea was flat with barely a ripple.    It is a safe place to walk a dog off the lead, as there are no roads to worry about, and the high cliffs keep the dogs on the beach.   We had to stop walking on Aldinga Beach, due to the road that runs along the beach , with just sand dunes in between.    Piper was starting to chase birds up the sand dunes.   

Lots of sand, and a nearly deserted beach.    On this particular day, anyway.    But in fact there are usually plenty of people, and most importantly, lots of doggy playmates for Piper. 

The remains of the Port Willunga jetty, always a very photographic site.

Behind the jetty there is a road carved into the cliffs, which was used to transport goods to and from the ships anchored at the jetty.

  And there are also man made caves in the cliffs, built as shelters for small boats, I have been told, but they look more like temporary storage sheds to me. 













A photo of our swimming pool on a very wet and story day.    This is to let people know that the sun does not always shine, here in Aldinga Beach.   In fact we have had more overcast and windy weather since July, then days of warm sunshine.    We are all thinking that the sun always shines here is part of a myth.

Christmas is looming fast.   We have three Christmas trees as there is so much space.

The minimalist tree, stark branches, which Emma felt needed to have a few decorations.   And I must admit it does improve its appearance.   We bought this one from the UK.

Then there is the artificial tree, purchased from Woolworths, which decorates the lounge room.

And finally, the 'real tree' out on the patio.   When I went to Bunnings, the hardware/garden store, to buy a real tree I saw they only had native fir trees.   Then I realised we had the same tree growing in our garden so we cut a few branches off it, and Emma did some magical adjustments, such as tying small branches to the wall behind.  And hey presto, a Christmas tree.   For free.

We brought our Christmas stars from the UK.    And here they look less like brothel lights, then in the windows of our house, on a hill, by the woods in the UK.

Our mermaid has a Christmas hat.   I really think she also needs a bikini top, a more modest look, as she no longer has water spilling over her.

The front of our house is lit up with sparkly lights, not too 'over the top' and all solar powered.   I love Christmas with solar power, one can really go overboard with the lights here.

The very old Catholic church, St Josephs, in Willunga.   Built on the side of a hill, in the early 1800s, the inside has been left in its natural stone, which gives it a rustic feel. 

We had a family girls' Christmas get together in Adelaide.   Emma, Donna, Andreena and me raising our glasses.   Great to be together again.

 Jay had a belated birthday, end of school year party, with her friends.    It was lovely having a group of very well behaved teenagers having a good time in the back garden.

We all helped deliver presents, through the Smith Family, to families around Adelaide.   Walter and I were given an area behind Semaphore, and it was fascinating to see all the very old cottages there.   The families we delivered the presents to, where also very appreciative.    

We collected the bags of presents from the showgrounds and were very impressed with the how the distribution was organisation.    But more about the Smith Family, an Australian wide charity, at another time.

Carols by Candlelight on the reserve at Aldinga Beach on a Sunday evening.    Emma and Steve had also been to one in Adelaide on the Saturday evening, which was very impressive.   Our small local one was well attended, and people were enjoying themselves, although were not great at joining in with the singing sadly. 

And finally a photograph of part of the gigantic and totally ostentatious Christmas display in front of a very secure gated compound on Aldinga Beach Road.  The local bikie establishment, according to local hearsay.   

And my last comment.   I am always fascinated by the array of dried animal parts on display at the pet shop in Aldinga Beach.    Nothing is wasted and money is to be made considering that the price of a dried kangaroo or bull penis, is $10.

Yesterday I noticed that there were dried shark penises for sale.    They were very small, more like the penis of a dog fish rather than a great white pointer!    Fascinating.    Sorry Piper, there will be none for you, too expensive, even for Christmas.

All go at Dolphin Boulevard

It is always 'all go' here in our house on Dolphin Boulevard, and regardless of making promises to myself to regularly write blogs, time and other activities always seem to get in the way.

Today is definitely a day for writing a blog, due to it raining outside and I am putting off filling in forms to see if we qualify for any benefits here, namely a health care card for me, and perhaps a bit of a top up of pension.   The process for applying for any benefits here is so difficult, and cumbersome and requires a high degree of intellectual mastery of form filling.    And if you fall outside of the normal criteria, then it is extra complex, and no one is ready to answer questions or give any assistance.   Not for free anyway. And if anyone suggests popping along to Centrelink, forget it.    

The rain is falling steadily outside,   One would think, in the driest city, in the driest state, in the driest country in the world, that rain is always desperately needed.   But not so, and I think that we have had our fill of rain here, for a while.  So anyone that lives in the northern hemisphere and is currently feeling envious of us living in a state of continuous sunshine, I can assure you it is not true.   We are not a city with perpetual sunshine.    Mind you, when it does shine, it is wonderful.    But we get our bad weather also, and this is especially so in winter and in spring.    At the moment we are getting a few days of glorious sunshine followed by days of cloudy, windy or rainy weather.   Last week we had a storm of massive proportions, so much so I thought the new verandah would be blown away.   And it took me most of the day to clean out the swimming pool as it was full of dust, leaves and twigs, which had got underneath the pool cover.    

And before I go any further, I must write about our little bit of excitement yesterday.    The door knob on our bedroom door would not open the door, it just kept sliding around.    At 5.50 a.m. the dog, Walter and I were trapped in our suite, namely bedroom, walk in robe and bathroom.   Luckily we had a bathroom.    And there was no climbing out of the windows, because they have security fly screens on them, and are not removable.    Walter tried to open the door with a screwdriver, kept for emergencies in his drawer, but without success.    After a few moments of panic, I rang Steve, who was conveniently sleeping in a bedroom not far away, and he got up and opened the door from the outside.    Thank goodness Emma and Steve were living with us.    'Pensioners rescued from bedroom' is a headline that comes to mind.    Walter went out and bought new door knobs and mechanism, as I would not accept his assurances that he could fix the old door knobs.    The old knobs also had a lock that was part of the mechanism.   Very strange.

But life is not all about door knob dramas, or rain or filling in complicated forms.    It is mostly about having lots of fun, and activity filled days.

We celebrated Jay's birthday, and to be here for the first time on her birthday, was very special.  Hamburgers, with all the trimmings, cooked by Darren, followed by the most enormous pavlova, covered in sweets and fruit., which Billie-Joe brought with her.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and Jackson, Isabel and Jay started the party off, with a game of pool volleyball.

The birthday girl, looking very happy, with Darren, Billie-Joe and Jespa.

We have had another two dogs visit us, a gorgeous pair, who Piper fell in love with, and then tried to dominate.

Piper was also very jealous as both dogs wanted to sit or lie close to me, and Piper also tried to do the same thing.     And I was not feeling ill when the photograph was taken, rather it was a case of trying to have a little snooze on a cold day, with three dogs sitting on top of me.    Very cosy.

One of Piper's favourite resting positions, lying stretched out but ready to bounce up should someone want to play with her.   Hope this pose is not detrimental to her hips. 

Finally, Piper has completed her Bronze level training and she has a certificate to prove it too.   It also means that we get a reduction in our dog registration fees next year.    Happy days.

Our U3A walk last Thursday was held in the atrocious wet and windy weather.   Just about everyone turned up for the proposed walk along the beach, which ended up as a walk along the edge of Aldinga Scrub Reserve, where there was a little less wind.   However we are a tough lot. 

A view of part of the wetlands, which is part of the conservation programme.    Large areas have been set aside for the programme, namely how to manage storm water, rather than let it flow straight out into the sea, which then causes pollution and destroys the sea grasses.    The wetlands have attracted many species of water birds, as well as being attractive areas to walk around.

Aldinga Beach after the storm, when the storm left a large area covered in stones and looking like a beach in England.

We visited Glenelg with Donna, Patrick and Lucy, in order to look at the world Surf Life Saving competitions.     This is a very exciting event for Adelaide.    Sadly the weather has not been pleasant, what with rain, wind and cloud cover plus low temperatures. 

On the beach there is now an area set aside for hiring sun loungers, together with a bar and I presume a restaurant. 

Lucy took the photograph below the previous Sunday, on a lovely hot day, and before the storm the following Wednesday.    Very Mediterranean.

The view of the same area last Sunday, after the storm.   There was a deep ditch in front of the building in order to prevent the waves washing everything away.    We think one of the stands for the Surf Life Saving Carnival was washed away, but not really sure.   The competition was being held in the background.

The competitions in progress.

Some of the swimmers.

Moseley Square, Glenelg, all ready for Christmas.

And a couple of photos of new additions to the house.    Darren used left over timber to build a long garden bed in which I am growing herbs plus a few vegetables, namely peppers, courgettes, tomatoes, silverbeet and a couple of strange looking rhubarb plants.   Unfortunately some of the plants are struggling due to Piper digging up the soil in search of the horse poo which lies at the bottom of the beds.

The new verandah and pool fence, so  much room now to walk around the house and on a couple of hot days we could feel the benefit of the wide verandah.

I managed my second bike ride with a very patient group.   It was a gradual climb all the way from Aldinga to Willunga, a climb that is barely noticeable in a car.    But I should have realised it would be tough, the view from Aldinga is of a town half way up the hills behind us.    Our 'Mr Condescending' or 'Mr Know it all' kept away from me, and generally just circled around, and did a few extra kilometres.   But he was full of information about bike paths around Adelaide, and very pleasant about it, so I decided that he was okay after all. 

And now that I am finished this blog, there is no excuse but return to the paper work.   Ever onwards.

A challenging week

I have definitely been challenged this week, on three occasions.     There was a difficult bike ride on Monday, an ongoing dog training class on Tuesday, and an occasion where I needed to follow an unwritten rule on Thursday.    Unfortunately I do not have any photos of any of these events, due to being too involved in the challenges.

The bike ride.    I eventually gained confidence to join the U3A cycling group, and persuaded Walter to be my back up vehicle.    He very kindly loaded my bicycle into the back of the car, after taking off the front wheel, and drove me to the starting point at Seaford shopping centre.   We waited at the wrong place, before driving around the shopping centre where we found the group nearly ready to ride off.  Not a good start.  

The bike ride was extremely hard work, mostly on bicycle paths, some of them gravel, some potholed, and some in excellent condition.    There were two extremely long climbs,  and a strong hot wind just to add to the challenge.    The people in the group were fantastic, and were very encouraging but I was always so far behind them, and one rider had to stay with me so that I did not get lost.   It was during the ride that I regretted the decision to buy an ordinary bike rather than an electrically assisted bike.   

And to add to the challenge there was Mr 'Condescending' who let me know that I paid too much for my bike, and I could have got a cheaper bike from KMart rather than Bike 99, that the new tubes added to the weight, and that I wobbled at times.   And by the way Mr Condescending was thin because he cycled and exercised a lot.   That is what he told me, and Walter, both of us a little on the chubby side, during the coffee break.  I gained most of the information above as I struggled in the head wind, feeling very inadequate, while Mr Condescending rode slowly beside me.   

But the good news was that I dressed appropriately in trousers and a long sleeved shirt!   No lycra allowed in this group.  

I am now practising cycling uphill every day.   I am determined to not give in.   I have been told that it will get easier.   Next week the ride is on flat ground.   It will be interesting.

Now Tuesday evening is always a challenge.   Dog training night.    Both Walter and I attend, it is too much for one person.     We are in the group that has restless dogs, or difficult to train owners.   Not sure of the difference.    Piper is certainly not the star pupil, and she has an attention span of about five seconds.     She would also much rather chase the birds that tantalising land in groups behind the class, or play with the other dogs.     And to top it off the weather has been cold every night, with a strong wind often sweeping across the open reserve.

The challenge on Thursday was more about accepting rules.    After I retired I did not join a group activity, due to wanting the freedom to do as I please without conforming to rules, spoken or unspoken.    But the need to meet people here meant that I needed to join groups and activities.   Although most of the people who belong to the cycling and walking groups are from Europe and England, they have all been here long enough to have picked up the Australian way of doing things.   And I am the new chum.   And there are rules, mostly unspoken, such as the 'no lycra'.

On Thursday the walk was local, to the aerodrome and back again, on a path initially but mostly walking along the side of the road. An ideal walk with a dog, especially as it was a cool day,.   I asked one of the walkers last week, about taking a dog, and she thought it was a good idea.   Of course I should have asked the group co-ordinator.    I know now.    

Anyway I set off to the meeting point with Piper walking briskly beside me, and as I approached I could see a cluster of walkers with their backs to me.   As I approached, they all ignored me, no 'hellos' or hugs, and no eye contact either.   I knew instantly it was 'the dog'.   The co-ordinator was very understanding, but emphasised that no dogs were allowed on the walks, as some people do not like them, and it could be a health and safety problem.   

So I rang Walter, who came and picked up Piper in the car, who thought she was going on an outing, but home she went.

But the upshot was, there was nothing in the U3A brochure about dogs on walks, and like the lycra it was an unspoken rule.  At that point I nearly gave up, I so prefer the freedom to make my own decisions.  However, I went on the walk, and it was lovely, with perfect weather and friendly company.    But I did feel very chastised and my ego certainly had quite a dent in it.

And now onto other events and some photographs.     

The Saturday ParkRun, or in my case a walk/slow jog, is an activity I really look forward to, even though it is often held in windy weather.   Dogs, children and elderly people are encouraged to take part, as well as the people who can run.   On the day that the photo below was taken, I was the 'Tail Walker', with the responsibility of walking at the back to ensure everyone in front was okay.   I also had to collect the banner at the turning point and bring it back.   

Walter has now joined the ParkRun, and today he walked the 5 kms in an hour.   His new knee did not bother him at all.   We were very proud of him.

The two photos below are of Aldinga Beach.   The first photo was taken on a sunny day, and no wind.    

The following photo was taken on a windy day, with plenty of surf.  For those people who know Aldinga Beach, they will notice there is a building on the foreshore.    We think this is going to be a cafe, but the progress of building it is so slow we all doubt it will be ready for this summer.   

Back to Piper.     The good news is Piper has made dramatic progress, due to the lessons and the consistent training during the week, plus a huge amount of treats and a wooden spoon covered in peanut butter.   She mostly ignores the dogs in the neighbourhood throwing themselves against fences as we walk past, and responds to the following commands - stop, sit, stay, lie and go.   She has learnt tricks so can shake hands, walk between legs and today she learnt to roll over.

She is also a very loving dog, and is friendly towards other dogs she meets on the beach.   She loves the freedom of the beach, and I try and take her there every morning at 7 a.m.  Dogs are allowed off the leash until 10 am, on the main part of Aldinga Beach.   She is besotted with chasing a ball, and waits eagerly for me to throw it.    She also comes back instantly when called.    She  goes for a swim, well more like a paddle really, and drops the ball in the water, and waits for me to collect it.   A bit of a game.   

And for two weeks we had a little visitor at Darren's house, namely Elvis.    Elvis very quickly asserted his authority over Piper, who followed him around, the large dog following the little dog.   It was very sweet.   I took Elvis for a few walks on his own, to give him a bit of peace from Piper.   

Elvis believes he is a large dog, but he is in fact a very cute little dog.

And so next week we start again, with a few less challenges I hope.   And a little less denting of the ego too. 

 I might add that despite all the walking and cycling I am still chubby around the middle.