After settling into the 'guest wing', she inspected our retirement villa and pronounced it ... very suitable for retirement.
As a welcome, I had made one of her favourite cakes: ginger cake with war-time mock cream icing, although it didn't turn out that great, the mock cream being an actual disaster. She showed me a photo of the perfectly plump macarons she had made for her step-granddaughter's birthday party. Hmmm ....
Not wanting to waste time, and with the announcement of imminent rain for the next day, we drove to Granite Island, walked across the causeway and did the 1.5 kms walk around it.
The weather was glorious and I enjoyed sharing our new environment with Sharon. We wandered the main street of Victor Harbor then retired for a rest and a cup of tea back home. Dinner that night was fish and chips from our local beachside cafe.
The next day, we woke to pouring rain, the remnants of a tropical cyclone that had penetrated south. Our rainwater tank was overflowing, the shed was inundated, the courtyard awash with the water 5cms underfoot and rising. Not to be deterred we waited for a lull after lunch then headed off to nearby Port Elliot where we skipped showers and popped into a homewares shop and secondhand book store. The cafe where I intended to have lunch was closed 'due to flooding', so we drove further on to Goolwa. Sharon insisted on finding a place that had Devonshire teas and we struck it lucky on our fifth try!!! The shop was a combination of curtains, blinds, cushions, homewares and food.
I drove to the Goolwa Wharf where the water was grey, murky, choppy and cold. Sharon spotted a pelican adrift under the Hindmarsh Bridge. Can you?
That night we went to the Anchorage Hotel for a tapas dinner which was absolutely scrumptious. Here is a pre-dinner photo .....
and here is our meal, though we're still waiting for the dips and bread.
The weather the following day behaved itself and we drove around the coast near home. Sharon spotted these Pacific Gulls.
As the time drew near for Sharon to leave there were more photo opps. She modelled the new black dress she had selected from the Alannah Hill range.
I took one last shot as we were waiting for the coach to take her back to Adelaide.
What a whirlwind three days. I'm always sad when our time together is over and this was no exception. But I have the memories and the photos ... until next time.
