Month: March 2022

Monday, 21st March 2022

Another slow day for events but not for planning.

Floor polishing, furniture removalists, furniture purchasing etc etc etc.

But first, the daily walk. We go past mini horses. I don’t know enough to say whether they were Shetland ponies. It would be sort of like having a big, weird dog. Cheap to run though. Just hay to eat.

Many phone calls. Long day. Friends birthdays. (always good to have them)

Happy birthday, Lou and Rick!

Cheers.

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Sunday, 20th March 2022.

Another walk around the same track. ‘Gawler Markets?’ Huge area but doesn’t look like t has been used.

On the way back, we pass a furniture store.

We want one of these. Similar to a caravan bed. Lift the bed to complete storage under. They’ve got one. We shall see.

In transit to the container to unload stuff then onto Harvey Norman. Another deserted car on the side of the road. Where do they all come from?

Harvey Norman. They have lift up storage beds also.

I haven’t seen this cushion design since my mum did it. She was a member of the CWA and I am pretty sure it was one of their projects. I guess we now have to get them from China.

We wanted a divan bed sofa as well. Lots of then and a wide range of prices.

This one is our prime divan of interest as it is ‘in your face’ and ‘out there a bit.’ Not everyone’s cup of tea but we like it. Bad taste? I am at an age where I just don’t really care what others think. We shall see what happens. We have a list.

Looked at rugs as well. Choices?

Replace the existing carpets? Polish the floor boards? Buy a rug to put on top of either? Again, we shall see.

Bunnings for a few odds and ends.

Home. Showers, pasta (and hence red wine) and a movie.

Anne spots the sun set which is pretty good.

Good movies on tonight. But here’s something we really need today …

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A funny?

 

Saturday, 19th March 2022

A slow maintenance day.

The highlight of the day was the walk.

Looks exciting. Doesn’t it. (snigger)

Washing, a shower, a movie (or 2) pasta for dinner …

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Friday, 18th March 2022.

Our morning walk.

A palomino?

Back to be picked up by Phillip and Ann.

Needed a pull over. They need room. Lots of room.

last tick of thumbs up for the farm clean up.

The four of us are now off to Lambert’s winery. Owned by an American couple.  It is lunch time and they have a restaurant.

Oh look. They also have two Tesla electric car rechargers.

Pondering the menu.

They have a sense of humour.

Tanunda on the way home.

Home sweet home.

It was a big day. Satisfying though.

A bit of TV. A light meal of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on toast.

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Thursday, 17th March 2022. (St Patrick’s Day)

SAINT PATRICK’S DAY !

Early, we packed up and took the 10 minute trip to just south of Gawler to the Gawler Gateway Van Park. I think they use the term Resort. What is the qualification for ‘resort?’ We unhitched, set up and then off south to Adelaide to visit Phillip & Ann for St Patrick’s Day.

In transit, I was going to say, getting there is half the fun. Not necessarily fun but interesting.

We stop at the lights and this beautiful old Holden ute  turns in front of us. It would have been a perfect side shot if I hadn’t just zoomed for another photo and left it zoomed in. Damn.

 

We must have done at least seven kilometres at 40km per hour and why? No lines marked. However they did have the markers installed which clearly shows the lanes. They must allow for the dimmest of dim drivers who can’t work out that the markers are where the  lines will go.  Then again, I’ve seen some pretty thick drivers. Well not all thick. Many are more  pig ignorant. Even here with this speed restriction,  there must have  been twenty or thirty people whizz past us, in particular a truck and and a sedan  would have been doing at least 70!

This wasn’t the only restriction. There was tree trimming.

Then the famous Gepps Cross.

I did spot our next stop to pick up Guinness. Dans.

Then on Prospect Road, what is this monster being built?

Oh dear. It’s the new town hall. The old one mysteriously burnt down. So they built another about five times bigger than before. I wouldn’t mind betting there are NOT five times the employees. Well Prospect residents, you don’t have to wonder where your council rates are going. It’s in your pace right here.

Now more traffic restriction as they are knocking down a lovely old building. Probably preparing to put up another future ghetto as they have been specialising in over the past few years all along Prospect Road and Churchill Road. Ugly as sin.

On a positive note, autumn is my favourite season for the colours.

We arrive. Now let’s get serious. Ah! Guinness.

… and the BBQ, with Irish complimentary eats.

Anne in her Irish glory.

…and a very green/Irish dessert.

Some sweet with the sweets. Port!

I toast ‘Denis.’

Denis who? Denis Carroll , my Great Grandfather who came out from County Tipperary and had eleven children here, one who was my fathers father, grand dad George, who died when dad was in the army in 1943.

…and all outside in the lush green backyard.

Home time but we are down in town so we check the Post Box. Bills. What else.

Home  and happy. Another great St Patrick’s day.

Slàinte!

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Wednesday, 16th March 2022

We must do our morning walk before it gets too hot. A sign promoting a local walk state s what we already know that the indigenous have been here for 40,000 years and Europeans only 200 years.

Glad I wasn’t here for the first 39, 800 years.

A quiet morning.  Well at $2.20 a litre, I guess a lot of people who have a choice are just not driving.

Seriously, this  driveway would be a hell of a way to get going in the morning.

Almost back. Dumb park of the week. Run directly into the kerb with no attempt to turn out once they feel it hit. Dumb.

Off to meet friends to help out with a property preparation for sale. Here is the feature advert

A fab view off the back terrace. It was a great spot for lunch.

We decide (Ann) to go look at furniture on the way home at Tanunda. It isn’t on the way home by the way. It’s the opposite direction in fact.

Out on special. Well I think the prices are pretty special!

Good furniture and we shall see.

Some pieces are out there a bit.

Then when we get back to the park, I see some similar colouring. Might be an emerging theme colour.

A great day, though tiring, but worthwhile with achievements.

LISTEN! Tomorrow is St Patrick’s Day! Did you hear what I said!

I can’t wait. Better go to bed so time goes quicker. Cheers …

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Have a laugh and/or a think.

Love this one.

Tuesday, 15th March 2022

Anne says, ‘there’s an army water truck by the amenities block.’

I cared enough to get out the van, but not enough to walk the 30 seconds walk to the truck. Given the potential value of the exercise, I thought a zoom was sufficient. It was camouflage painted  and it may have been an army truck. We will never know. This has no punch line but I took the photo so I posted it. A bit of intrigue though?

We do a shorter morning walk because we have a lunch  engagement. Before we left on our walk I noticed the water had gone dirty/brown. As we return the water company seems to be ‘playing’ with a water mains source. I am guessing the dirty tap water and the street gusher are tied together. Anyway, a significant loss of water for whatever reason. By the way, that is the van park in the background and we are immediately behind the fence and adjacent the gate. How ‘handy.’

There we are. Just over the fence.

A stop at Woolworth’s on the way out for a few things. I have never seen a Gopher in the market before but this one  has a mobile walker on the back as well. So could he have just used the walker. I saw him stand up to get his wallet out his pocket. I respect and support anyone with a disability but I also dislike people using and abusing the system. Hmmm.

We are off to DPM’s for lunch and a catch up. A good afternoon of reminiscing and we also solved most of the worlds problems except for a method of initiating the plans. It requires being a world leader or being able to influence them. We also retrieved some stored dining chairs he was kind enough to look after (amongst other items) for a while. We then took chairs to a local upholsterer for covering and re-gluing.  Cloth already chosen and ordered.

Home (van) in time for unpacking shopping and a light shower to turn dust to mud.

Checked the diesel prices in transit and all are either $1.99.9, $2.10.9 or $2.21.9 depending on how greedy the outlet owners are, selling fuel bought earlier and cheaper for grossly inflated prices. They can’t pass up an opportunity like that I guess.

A light meal and a heavy movie to finish the day off.  Oh happy days.

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A funny (or 4) ….

Monday, 14th March 2022

Lots to do on the computer. Lots of old emailed invoices and receipts to be organised. ‘A stitch in time saves nine.’ Remember? Well I didn’t and now I have to pay for it with days of work to do.

Another walk. Not a clever one. We set off at 11.35am just in time to hit the peak, or near to, of the max 36 degrees. No. Not clever.

These guys don’t seem to mind.

I’ve seen plenty of extension tables but never an extension bench in a park and only one end. Notice also the seat doesn’t go full length. I reckon the planks were just too long and they couldn’t be bothered cutting them.

Now in Murray Street for a coffee at Cibo and some interesting observations.

This  LITTLE biscuit or should I say, ‘Viennese Biscotti was $3.50. I feel like it’s almost gone and we haven’t started it yet.

Also, two Cappuccino at $4.20 each, which seems to be the going rate just currently. Why the price hike? It’s not made with diesel.

Also, a second shot on the side for a mere $1. Yes. I haven’t used it yet. That’s the whole $1.

Oh! And $1.94 for public holiday surcharge.

Makes a mere $14.84 for a couple of coffee’s and a whee biscuit.

I got to start thinking about this.

Now, there is a joke around that goes something like this. ‘If you think that the young of today are smarter than the baby boomers, the old car manuals used to describe how to set the tappets on the motor. The new manuals warn against drinking the contents of the battery.’

With that in mind, here is a pedestrian crossing with a safe island in the middle.

The  road marking not only advises us to look before we cross, but which way.

And when we get to the middle,  it has covered both crossing directions with specific advisories. Very re-assuring,  (?)

I was brought up having, ‘look to the left then look to the right then look to the left again’ drummed into me time and time and time (and time) again. I DON’T NEED an instruction to cross a road, but apparently a lot of people do.

Lovely old buildings. (again)

I need a Commonwealth Autoteller. Now if you are homeless, come here. It looks locked tight but just walk close and  ….

… ‘open  Sesame!’

Now here is progress.

A five chair barber shop ….

… with a bar fridge. We used to have similar in Dili, East Timor. A good, all round service.

Mural of a train with a big hand on it. Yes. I don’t know either.

Back at the van. The weather promises storm with thunder torrential rains and strong winds. The clouds come over, the wind picks up, a hint of a sprinkle and that undeniable smell of pending rain. So awning folded up and all goodies inside. A bit of thunder. Time passes and the sun comes out. So much for that.

Don’t trust the weather.

End of another day of lots of stuff but nothing real practical.

It matters not. Nice meal and a few good movies and …..

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A snigger …

Sunday, 13th March 2022

10.12am we take off for our daily walk. Just as we are leaving the park, this guy whizz’s past flashing me back to memories of Billy Connolly on his trike on his world tours. I remember he did amongst others, a ‘world tour’ of Australia and a ‘world tour’ of Scotland. (define world?)

I remember on the Scottish tour he was narrating as he did. He is not always the joker and can be quite  philosophical. He said something to the effect of, ‘I used to think how much  I missed the old days, but in fact I realised I just missed my youth.’ I know what he meant.

You can’t see it clearly, but I took this to record the gate and fence which we would like to copy subject to council approval of course. N.B. We are terminating the tenancy and taking over our house in the city in the next month or two. There are ‘things’ to do after 25 years of tenants.

The walk takes us past the river and lovely old buildings.

This old church has been restored well.

Sunday in the main street. Coffee and cake and cars and bikes. This little honey has a Ford badge on it and I assume there is an old Ford under there somewhere.

It has ’23’ on the number plate and this below is a 1923 Model T Ford Roadster. Look close to the grill, headlights and side panels. You will see the ‘old girl’ hidden beneath the young guy.

A slightly newer Ford. Nostalgia. I miss the ‘good old days?’

Then these two bikes (with riders) arrive for coffees.

Lots of interesting things.

A quote apparently by Audrey Hepburn ….

‘The beauty of a woman

must be seen from in her eyes,

because that is the doorway to her heart,

the place where love resides.’

This shops shelving is unique ….

… as are the contents. I suspect entirely made in (bloody) China, even this little Koala. An AUSTRALIAN KOALA for crying out load. EVEN the Australian flag pattern socks. No. There were a few things there I was interested in but not from there if avoidable.

The local paper, ‘The Bunyip’.

N.B.  he Bunyip is a weekly newspaper, first printed on 5 September 1863, and originally published and printed in Gawler, South Australia. Its distribution area includes the Gawler, Barossa, Light, Playford, and Adelaide Plains areas. Wikipedia

The editions from 1863 to 1954 are now available to view on trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper .

We walk back past/over the train line, still closed.

A treat. When back this glider circled almost directly over head for quite a while, I assume looking for a thermal to lift it. I find Guinness and red wine uplifting, but that’s just me I guess.

A lazy remainder of the afternoon and a mix of movies before, during and after our chicken schnitzels and vegetables.

A good(ish) sort of day.

Cheers.

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Yeh. Another funny…. or four.

Saturday, 12th March 2022.

10am we left the south of Gawler and moved to the north of Gawler.

The drive took I think 12 minutes. The emergency ‘last’  site wasn’t half bad. Good size. Just on the fence line with the main road the other side and literally next to the gate.

The good news is we don’t miss a thing. Not a damn thing. However, while not brilliant, it had the huge example of being available.

A late walk into town for a few things. It’s only a 9 minute walk and we get there 15 minutes before close.

All done quickly, but we still have to do our daily walk. So, we blaze a new trail even though we don’t have a plan and it is 5pm and hot.

We take a train crossing and I wonder what is a ‘test train’?

And what’s this?

They’re serious about stopping trains on this line. Next step is pulling the lines up I guess.

I don’t know what denomination it was, but it’s a private residence now.

No confessions here now. A little sin maybe.

Back to the luxury apartment on wheels.

A good day. It’s always good to move on and have a change of scenery. Although if it wasn’t for the dramatic price increase of diesel, we would probably be on our way to Broken Hill by now, via Mannum to meet friends I & L for a previous engagement.

You’re not going to believe this but Austin Powers was on tonight. That’s via the Satellite. The local TV reception is crap.

Anyway, that’s today.

Cheers.

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Hang on.

Need a laugh. Most of them come from facebook.

Hope you can read these.