Bits and Pieces

It has been so long since I wrote a blog that I am having trouble finding the keys on the laptop.   An absence from writing does not do the brain any good at all.

So how do I fill the day?   All I know is that each day goes by far too fast.    Emma, Steve, Jackson and Isabel are living with us, which certainly fills in quite a bit of time.   But great having family in the house though.   There is plenty of outside work taking place, and that certainly takes time, and a special thank you to Darren, Emma, Steve, Jackson, Isabel and Patrick for all their help.   And not to mention family and friends visiting us, which we are loving.   

But the most time consuming activity concerns 'the dog', called Piper.   A puppy still, and the cattle dog part of her wants plenty of exercise and action.   She is keeping us all occupied, and me very fit.   She has now been going to dog training classes for a few weeks, and I might add, she is not top of the class, all the other dogs and birds flying around are just too distracting.   But we are learning heaps.   It is just as well that we are not too house proud, as there is a fair amount of dog hair, muddy paw marks and sand in the house and car.   However, she is a most gorgeous dog and we all love her. 

I have lots of notes and plenty of photos, and a determination to make time to write, but it will be a disorganised approach, unfortunately.    Usually I like to have my blogs organised in topics, but it is good for my super organised ego, not to be super organised.

So here goes.

The sticky flies are attaching themselves to my hands as I am typing, due to the fact that I am sitting outside in the shade.   Bloody Australian flies.   I need a net over the hands.

First off, a view of Aldinga Beach in the early morning.   As from the 1st October, dogs can only go on the beach, without a lead, between the hours of 8 pm and 10 am.   The 1st October was also the first day for cars on the beach so there are now wheel marks everywhere.   But there are usually no cars there before 10 am, with exception to the area called the boat ramp.    I might add there is no actual ramp, but that is where all the boats are launched into the water.

 During the past two weeks the tide in the early morning seems to be either going out or coming in but always at the high tide mark, so not much sand to walk on.   Piper loves chasing a tennis ball, and it certainly keeps her occupied, but she has found a new trick, which is to carry the ball into the water, where she uses her nose to move it around, and then leaves it for me to retrieve.   Wet sand shoes are becoming the norm for me.  On one occasion she jumped against me as I was retrieving the ball, and I fell over, on the wet sand.   I discovered that wet sand is like falling on concrete.   Ouch.

However I love the early morning walks, with hardly anyone on the beach, just me and my dog.

And while we are on the subject of Piper.    The pool hose, chewed one evening, while we were otherwise occupied with our red wine and barbeque.   

 Every Saturday morning Emma, Steve and I join many other people for the Park Run event.  Our Park Run is not in a park, but along the cliff path, with absolutely magnificent views to inspire us.    I must add that Emma and Steve run, and are both doing brilliantly, whereas I join the walkers.   Surprisingly I am finding that I can walk very fast, and I can still jog    Last week I came 52 out of 90 people registered for the event, and the fastest for my age group.   And surprisingly there are a reasonable number of over 70s.     

I have bought some 'active gear', so beloved by Australian women.    I need to look the part. 

A view of the path, with some of the participants in front.    The Park Run is open to all, and there were family groups, older people and people with dogs, plus the serious runners.    There is also a brilliant online programme which tracks everyone's progress.   A fantastic worldwide organisation which started in the UK.

 I have also joined the U3A walkers group.   People were very friendly and I loved my first outing, plus the very long coffee session afterwards. 

Unfortunately I wore the wrong clothes, as I arrived in my 'active gear' on my first meet with the U3A walkers, who were all dressed in sensible jeans, shorts or walking trousers.   For those people who do not live in Australia, 'active gear' consists of lycra sports tops and bottoms, which for some reason is very popular with many women here, and used for shopping trips or for general casual wear.    As they are usually wearing strappy sandals or flip flops and are out shopping, one can surmise that there has been no exercise involved except for a slow walk

The ruins of an old farm house and shed, taken on my first walk with the U3A.

Poppy and Piper having a brilliant time in the water.   They love to play together, great friends.

Our back area in the process of getting a new roof, and pool fence.   I can hear the workman cutting the metal for the fence, as I am writing this blog.   But more about the work later.

And now it is time for lunch, and snooze time for Piper, so innocently asleep on her bed, well more precisely Poppy's bed.

Thank goodness I have made a start, so plenty of blogs to follow, even if they are a little disjointed, but definitely a summary of our life in Aldinga Beach.

I wish I could do something with these bloody flies.