The other coast

It was forcast to rain today so john and I set off early to go walking on the other coast, the Gulf coast near Normanville. It was quite cold but pleasant walking weather.
The little beach we went to has been a favorite of mine since I was a child and had a grandmother living near who we visited during school holidays so it was a shock to see the sea weed.
Mountains of it looking like great sea beasts, I have never seen sea weed like this on what is usually a gorgeous sandy beach where I can always find a cowrie or two. Not today.
A lot of things one doesnt usually see, lots of sponges and sea urchins and pebbles and a few shark eggs and that was it.
You can see that backing it are high steep hills and further along the coast headlands reach out into the gulf.
A wonderfully exhilarating walk non the less and although when we went inland searching for the advertised galleries they were not much and we missed one entirely we were home for hot soup for lunch and I have frozen ever since.
Still trying to go through back copies of newsletters in my research for the Australian Welsh Pony and Cob Society's history and how our State related to it.
As publicity officer for many years I should have it at my finger tips but not on the computer! It was all before computers.
So back to the research.

To Market to market and a few other things including this weeks TAST

This is what I bought at the market this morning, we have already eaten those lovely large mushrooms, stuffed and baked for lunch. with a piece of the sour dough bread that is there.
I intend to have the leak and tiny turnips braised in butter with the fish tonight.
The sky this morning was spectacular, it was 1 degree outside and should have been a frost but I suppose the cloud kept that at bay, but it was cold on my toes as I stood on the front terrace flagstones to take this photo.
This crazy looking white cockatoo has been coming to pinch the wheat and seeds I feed the peacocks at night, he looks very tattered so must have been having a rough time of it. We dont really encourage them as they tear the trees to shreds but he is so silly I have a sneaking affection for him.
My last is a scan of TAST 23 which is called wave stitch and it really does look like waves, it is a simple but effective stitch which I had a bit of fun with.
We walked after we had gone to the market and got the papers this morning, and I had forgotten to bring my hand bag, with money (borrowed from John) and horror of horrors my camera. So we walked for about an hour around the bike track over the Inman River and over Kent Reserve and along the bay.
That is about all my knee will take at the moment and for some reason my back doesnt like me which is incredibly frustrating.
The good news is that I will start a few weeks painting on Saturday morning classes. I am really looking forward to that.

An odd couple

I have to thank Chris Gray whose blog is here
who inspired me to have a bit of fun on paper. I seem to be scared of doing new things unless I have seen them done, but I love what Chris has been doing and she inspired me to have a go. So with Khadi paper, some fabric scraps, a bit of know how learnt from Dale Rollerson whose blog is here of the Thread Studio who did some gilding in our Gilding the Lily class and who also sent me the wonderful button made in Tasmania, and come to think of it I probably got the Indian block stamp from Dale as well, and also the stencil, what would I do without her!
So put it all together and sew it up, in my slightly wonky stitches and you have what I think with practice could be a small gem.
I do have a worry though, did I get the Japanese writing the right way up?
It made me go through boxes and do some searching, oh and the paper the button is on is one I rusted a few months ago, I must do more when the weather gets warmer, it is still freezing here today.
Now the knitted object, which John calls a cover for a surf board is my hug me tight, as you can see I ran out of wool half way through but as only I will see it I dont think it matters.It just took far more wool than the pattern suggested, perhaps I knit too tightly.
I think I should have modelled it but as my back is aching and I am almost bent double at the moment it would not have been a pretty look.
Off to feed the dogs and the chooks and of course Oscar.

Clouds, flowers and rocks

Just a few photos, I have been doing housewifely and very boring things today so the cloud was from Pt Sturt, the slightly blurry flower is the Japonica flowering in the garden and the rocks are a collection from walking over at Pt Elliot.
Have a nice day!

A gift in the post and a break in the clouds

I received this wonderful collection of stuff from Gail in America, Thank you so much Gail, it made a pretty ordinary day a lovely one.
We headed for Adelaide today through sheeting rain, I wasnt able to see my mother for long as she needed dressings changed but I did have almost an hour with her. She actually looked better and sounded a bit better too.
We had lunch looking over the sea half way home, near the old oil refinery, quite windy and the waves were up, no rain until I got out to take the photos!
Our average for the year is slowly creeping up which is great, the Back Valley Creek was almost running a banker, but not quite, I think this is the highest it has been all year.
I am having problems with a diabolical back ache, not sure why but its one thing after another.
We had a lovely time last night with Millie telling us all about her adventures and showing us which photos she took on Mummy's computer. The joys of a digital camera, even 2 1/2 year olds can take photos, and I have to say some were remarkably good.

Tuppy and some flowers

It has still been cold or perhaps I am feeling it more but I wandered around with my camera and found my dear old pug Tuppy sitting in the garden, he shows up much better than his black wife and she was off somewhere else any way.
There are a lot of camellias out at the moment, and a few native dendrobiums are coming into flower in the shade house, this one is always early, I love the starry shape.
I dont know why the almond blossom is always out during the worst weather of the year, my tree struggles but was bravely showing a few flowers, I have seen wonderful trees around all full of blossom, but the weather has not been the sort to get out of the car and take photos.
I have not been feeling terribly brilliant so tired lately but my doctor just said it was nothing so I had better pick myself up and start feeling better, I think it has been the cold and dreary weather and with all my joints aching it doesnt exactly make me feel like doing a great deal.
I look forward to spring.

Pt Sturt 2010

If you go back to July 2009 you will see some photos I took at Pt Sturt almost a year ago and how much sand was showing.
Today we went to have a look and there is quite a lot more water in Lake Alexandrina than there was then.
Some from winter run off and some from a bit that has come down the Murray River as although there is still not much in the River there have been reasonable rains across the catchment.
It was heartening to see.
We had gone to Clayton Bay to see Jane Hynton's studio which was open as part of the SALA (Living artists ) few weeks and she suggested we went on to see what it looked like now.
I have to say it blew, it hailed, it poured with rain and was freezing cold.
We came back through to Pt Elliot and had lunch in the pub where it was almost too warm, and had a quick look at another couple of open studios, not as interesting I thought as the one at Clayton Bay.
Next week we may go to see more at Strathalbyn.
All in all a good thing to do on a wet day when your favorite football team is losing (again!)