Hello,
Tonight's blog comes from in front of the open fire at Ann's family beach shack at Clifton Beach. A rustic but tidy well appointed dwelling originally constructed in 1927 with the usual beach shack additions.
We arose this morning to another grey drizzly day at Woodbridge. It's hard to believe we are 5 days into summer especially reading the forecasts for towns on the mainland which feature the words sunny and with temperatures over 27.
We sauntered down the highway pausing at Kingston to visit the post office. Within in an hour we had negotiated our way to the shack in an area a bit reminiscent of Aldinga Scrub. Presently Ann arrived and we set to work tidying the grounds, They weren't too bad so it was mainly whipper snippering and weeding with an accompanying bonfire to dispose of old prunings.
We knocked off around 5pm and strolled up the back of the sand hills to the line of dunes over looking the beach. Fairly good surf rolling in. The beach faces the Southern Ocean so there is nothing to stop the swell. We could see Cape Raoul near Nubeena in the distance. I will try for some pictures and video tomorrow.
Tea was ably prepared by Susan and Ann. Steaks, salads and vegetables. The highlight was dessert. Strawberries dunked in cream and then coated with caster sugar. Largest strawberries I have seen in a while and the flavour divine. We are doing it tough over here.
Tomorrow Ann will head back after compiling the job list. We will stay tomorrow night and return Wednesday. C,mon sun!!
night folks
Simon
Day 311 Woodbridge Sunday 4th December 2011
Job completed!
Snip snip snip
The walk up to the house. Susan was working near the yellow barrow.
Line feed malfunction. Moved shrubs in the picture.
Back yard lawnmowers in Woodbridge. The fence didn't look very secure. I had visions of them running amok in the main street.
Photos by Susan.
Evenin' folks,
A slow start to the day for us made easy by the weather, fresh breezes with heavy showers and the occasional sun patch. We continued on our garden tidy up.
I spent most of the day on the brush cutter. Susan worked on the second rhubarb bed, and weeding, laying papers/mulch for an eventual artichoke bed. She also followed after me raking up grass cuttings. I moved three bottle brushes further away from the road and in the clean up discovered another 3 hardenbergias. Susan and Ann planted out bean seedlings and made a tepee for the scarlet runners, I have a job on the angle grinder later in the week to erect trellis.
We worked between the showers and also took the opportunity to visit the local market. It was a day of leisurely toil.
We had a meat and veg tea cooked by Marge and washed down with some local pinot noir. It was excellent with the meat being slow cooked lamb neck chops. A leisurely evening in front of the television to finish off the day.
We head to Clifton Beach in the morning. C'mon on summer!!
Night folks
Simon
Day 310 Woodbridge Saturday 3rd December 2011
0530 at Woodbridge
A rare market shot as i actually appear to be working.
Distant Roulette's
Hi folks,
Yawn. Salamanca Saturday and I am yawning because the alarm awoke us at 5am today. We departed just after 6. Susan following in the Pajero and picking up Aidan a young guy who works part time for Ann. This was our day to learn what we need to know to do it on our own next week. We will not be quite on our own as we share the stall with Bruny Island cheese so they will be able to carry us. It was a long day with rain interruptions but we did sell a fair bit. The day went fairly smoothly. I drove the van on the way back. There was an unexpected performance from the Roulettes in the afternoon. Typically I did not bring my camera or video to capture their fairly low level passes.
I observed to Susan that if on one of our trips to the market earlier in the year someone had said you will be running a stall here I would have not believed it. I still won't until the panic sets in next week. There are a hell of a lot of stalls and chaos at set up time and it is said to be the largest market in the southern hemisphere.
On our return to Woodbridge a concerned motorist came up the drive to tell us a sheep had become cast in the neighbours paddock. This is when they are so fat and heavy with wool they get stuck on their back and can't get up. I now know how to right a sheep. A skill I am sure will come in handy one day.
We had fish for tea, bream caught by Ann's friend Marge. It was a nice evening although the long day had taken its toll. Monday we are off to Clifton Beach I think, to do some shack tidying for a couple of days. The weather here has returned to it's blustery showery worst so I don't think we will be packing our sun cream. Tomorrow we are at the local market I think.
night folks
cheers Simon
Day 309 Woodbridge Friday 2nd December 2011
Looking over the ex rhubarb patch towards our donga and the preserve shed
Sideview of the ex rhubarb patch
A scary balloon
Looking down over the brush cut veggie garden
Tomato's in the polycarbonate greenhouse
Seedlings ready to go
Evening folks,
A sunny day! We worked "dans le jardin". I spent the whole of my day on the brushcutter. First off in the vegetable corral where Susan contiued her herculean effort of digging up all the rhubarb and the weeds. I then decamped to the bottom end cleaning up around shrubs. This involved removing the wallaby guards to pull out weeds by hand close to the trunks. Ann suggested removing them but they provide excellent protection from butchers with brushcutters. Susan then started working on the strip of rhubarb pulling weeds and tidying edges, but called it a day so she could go cook an excellent pasta tea. I washed and dried the brush cutter and wound on another 10 metres of line. We have gone through 20 metres plus in the last week and there is still plenty of cutting to do.
Between dinner courses we had a quick how to on packing the van. We leave for the Salamanca market at 6 tomorrow morning which means up at 5 to get ready. I might sleep in my clothes in the van with my porridge on my lap! Time for a quick shower and an early night! Hopefully there won't be many bargains at the market!!
night folks
Cheers Simon
Day 308 Woodbridge Thursday 1st December 2011
Blustery SW wind blowing in at Oyster Bay
Kettering marina
The author showing his best side
The whale scuplture at Woodbridge school and maritime college
Hi Folks,
First day of summer and we celebrated with some heavy showers which gave way to sun in the afternoon. Susan continued digging over the rhubarb patch while I did some more brush cutting around the bottom of the garden and transplanted a couple of trees. We decided to have a half day which by the time we had lunch and coffee and scratched our noses started at 3pm. We drove to Pelverata where a home Susan has been eyeing off is located. We found it however it was set well back from the road so we couldn't get a good view. Pelverata did not appeal to Susan. "It has too many trees!" Moi "What do you mean it has too many trees?" Susan " Bushfires" Simon "sighs" We continued on to Cygnet and cut back through to Kettering where we had a little drive around the fairly packed marina. It's an early blog tonight (630pm) since we have Edward and Ness here for tea so I might be short on time later. Besides I am feeling tired so an early night is in order. Fingers crossed the weather is improving so we should be in the mood for sightseeing. Rumour has it we will be over on the east coast early next week cleaning up the holiday cottage for a couple of days.
Day 307 Woodbridge Wednesday 30th November 2011
Half way through the red currant patch
Red currants
Putting on a Bureau Veritas hat turns one into a knife wielding maniac!
Hi Folks,
One of those sunshine and showers days today. We worked mainly outside starting off with cobweb removal. Susan did all the easy ones and I got to hang off the ladder swiping away at the really high ones with the broom. We then went to work in the grounds, Susan continuing on with the newspaper and grass mulch in the raspberries. After we coiled up the chicken wire fence around the raspberries I set to work with the brush cutter while Susan went in for the kill in the rhubarb patch. Driving the mower around with the trailer on the back to move the grass clippings is an interesting experience. The slopes and the wet grass can make it a bit hair raising especially when the ride on mower is going downhill with the wheels spinning backwards and not showing any signs of stopping. Luckily I was not close to the creek. I worked meticulously around the red currant canes and was feeling pleased with myself until I went back to where I started and found 2 that were hidden in the weeds that I had decapitated. They should both live and judging by the scars on some of the others it is not the first time. I marked them by knocking in some stakes so hopefully it won't happen again. Susan cut all the rhubarb in preparation for moving the corms. It will find its way into Ann's produce. At the moment she is making vinegar blends. The acetic acid odour from the kitchen is quite pungent when she boils it up for several hours.
We are enjoying our time here and I am thinking we should have moved around a lot more instead of spending so much time in Nubeena. Oh well there's no use crying about spilt milk under the bridge.
It has been brought to my notice that last nights pictures are not of Peppermint Bay which is just around the corner in front of the township but of Birch's Bay. I am sure you all spotted this one. Also i need to explain that Brown's swans was a play on "Brown's cows" since they are walking in a line. They are of course black swans.
That's it for now. We need to consider where and what we will do on 2 days off. Maybe we will split them since we have the Salamanca market on Saturday which will be hectic as it is the big tourist market. Should be good fun, the only problem being when I go to Hobart money burns a hole in my pocket.
Night folks
Cheers Simon
Day 306 Woodbridge Tuesday 29th November 2011
Peppermint Bay in the day (click picture for a bigger view)
Peppermint Bay late afternoon (ditto)
Swan and Gosling. The stuff on the water is Azolla a prescribed noxious weed in SA. They don't seem to worry about it here. In the dams there are hordes of little fish probably Gambusia another prescribed noxious species.
Browns swans
Hi Folks,
A warmy balmy evening, well its 20 in the cabin and 18 outside. The weather forecast was way off beam today with none of the dire consequences coming to pass apart from a small amount of light rain this morning. The rest of the day was almost tropical with temperatures reaching 24!
We spent most of the day working in the garden. Susan raking up grass cuttings and mulching the raspberries with wet newspaper and me brushcutting the grass around the garden beds, cleaning the roof gutters and mowing. A busy day.
This morning I tried to take a picture of a sea eagle perched in a tree but apparently was too close causing it to fly off. There is a metal table under the tree that Susan says people use to feed the pair. I had to settle for pictures of swans making their way up the creek plus a couple of panoramas.
The weather was so good we actually had our dinner entrees outside on one of the decks. This house has been very well designed to take advantage of the block and the view. By the time main course was ready it was cool so we decamped inside.
We have been lucky to have two excellent helpex's in consecutive assignments. It's a great life.
Night folks
Simon
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