In celebration of ... me!

This is going to be a self-indulgent blog, documenting my 'birthday-with-an-0'.

First of all I had a wonderful day with emails, phone calls and visits from friends and family, making me feel very treasured. Of course it was a bit of a shock to see '70' figuring prominently on many of the cards, but hey - I felt happy and after all, it's only a number.

Steve gave me an e-book of the pre-birthday trip to Tasmania that we did in November. Not only was it a good way to relive the memories, but he also added photos from the archives from when we lived there 25 years ago. There were photos of the places we visited now - and then, often with friends.

He also gave me a beautiful gold ring that we had selected together in the Gold Museum in Bogota, Colombia when we visited way back in February. It is a reproduction of a ring from the pre-Columbian era and shows a twining snake representing the power of women (or so the lady told us).

 I love the way it is made. We saw a lot of similar ones in the museum.







My lovely daughters gave me a collection of Aesop's products, realising that I need all the help I can get. I can't wait to start slathering.

I decided I had better get dressed. I am wearing a necklace made up of gems from the Syrian desert that the women collect and polish into beads. Steve bought it when we visited Syria 12 years ago.... and last month discovered it hidden in a box. Now that was a huge surprise - the necklace that is, not the fact that Steve had forgotten about it because he does it all the time and I often get presents bought years earlier that he has hidden and subsequently mislaid, then re-discovered.

Neighbours invited me in for a drink and a friend stopped by.

Gardening figured prominently. Here is a book on gardening in South Australia...

... and here is a pink kangaroo paw!

Neighbour Anne took a photo of Steve and me because we rarely have one together. 

Then it was off for a picnic by the river.

In the evening we went to Loco, a local Mexican restaurant. It was fabulous. I had a mojito and a burrito. The restaurant was buzzing and we had a great night, but I forgot to take the camera, hence no photos of the food. Here I am dressed up for our night on the town (we were home by 8.45).
I am wearing the sandals I bought for Sharon's wedding and as she celebrated her 15th wedding anniversary on my birthday, I know exactly how old they are! As they say, everything old is new again - just like me!!!!!

And so ended a lovely day of celebration. 

As the song from the Disney musical version of 'Alice in Wonderland' goes, I have 364 un-birthdays before the next one. I think I can handle that!

Remembrance of Times Past

Recently I have reconnected with two old friends. Perhaps there is something about growing older that draws you back to your past. You realise there were times that were really good, and the bits you would like to forget are pretty much forgotten as you focus on the happy moments.

Anyway, I was thinking about all this for a couple of reasons. While organising my old photos and memorabilia I came across the diary I had written in 1964 as a 16 year old. It was all Beatles, and boyfriends, parties and girlfriends, with words such as 'fab' and 'wow' liberally dispensed. All I seemed to do was sleep over at my friends' houses, have a new boyfriend every couple of months, have fights and makeups, and discuss clothes and music.  School was mentioned every now and again in connection with exams or dances.

Connection 1
One of my best friends during high school was Lesley. We had done lots of things together all through those five years.

On the Narrows Bridge, Perth,
watching the Head of the River race

At a school dance

At Quinn's Rocks when it was a faraway coastal
holiday place full of fibro shacks.

Here we are being silly at a school sports afternoon.

Another school dance. These were my close friends. That's me third on the left in case you can't recognise me; what was I thinking having my hair tied back?  Lesley is next to me. My dress was red chiffon with a silver belt.

And on our last day at high school...

I am sure other people have similar experiences.

We lost touch after high school as I went on to teachers' college and Lesley to university.
And then...... 50 years later, Lesley calls me as she has seen someone who knows my current number. But she doesn't leave any contact information and our phone did not record incoming call numbers.  I decided to do some detective work and after a while, tracked her down. We talked and talked, our lives being fairly similar in that we had moved a bit, travelled a lot and had two children.

We exchanged photos but, so far, have not met again as Lesley is still living in Western Australia.

Still looking great!

Connection 2
In 1965, my first year at Graylands Teachers College in Perth, Western Australia, our family billeted a student from an Adelaide Teachers College. Kay Hannaford arrived as part of an exchange week with the South Australian colleges that included art and craft displays, lots of sporting functions and theatre events. Kay was a hurdler; I was in our college play. I can't remember much about this week at all apart from the ball we went to. We never kept in touch afterwards.

1965

 And then, when I moved to South Australia I decided to see if I could find her.
With a bit of sleuthing I did. We met recently ... and had such fun reminiscing and filling each other in on how our lives had unfolded. There were some startling similarities - lots of travelling, a deep interest in history, and we both had a book published.

Kay's book

My book

Kay had also kept a copy of our ball photo as I had done, so, of course, we had to do a similar photo - 52 years later.

2017 

Of course we have aged but, at the same time, we still felt the same. I'm sure that sentiment will register with others our age.

My two reunions have been wonderful. So connecting to our past can be a good thing!

A Tasmanian Odyssey in Five Parts: Part 5

Part 5: The East Coast

We diverted off the main road to drive through the Wilangta  forest.  We stopped to do a short walk but unfortunately the sun was burning down making us hot and photographs difficult to take, as you can see by this photo.








However, I did like the wild foxgloves that we found...


... and, of course, I always like to capture a bird if possible.

On we drove until a sign informed us we had to take a detour. It was the best detour ever, as we had to drive along the coast, past farms, through light forest, until we came upon the delightful Spring Beach.

We drove through Orford and onwards to Triabunna where my friend Bunna Babe - BB - (aka Margaret) lives.

Here we met up with her husband Steve, and her Pharaoh dog Jill. It was a bit disconcerting having two Steves and two Jills in the one place and I visibly jumped when I heard the command 'Sit, Jill' until I realised it was aimed at Pharaoh dog Jill!

My Steve got acquainted with Pharoah dog Jill

I loved her Steve's chicken rolls.

We explored the town. BB showed us the new marina ...

... and the site of a recent archaeological dig and the Barracks (soon to be restored and offered as accommodation). 

We ventured north to Swansea and did the Waterloo Point walk where BB pointed out Schouten Island in the distance.

We then faced the camera for the first of inumerable photos of the two of us.

This sign related the sad tale of an 1850 shipwreck
 that saw six children from the one famiily drowned.
Perhaps we shouldn't be smiling.

The following day we drove north to the Devil's Corner Winery of which we had heard good reports. It was wonderful and we dined al fresco with the green rows of views sweeping before us and Freycinet National Park in the distance.

Closer to home we called in at the ruins of the Lisdillon saltworks at Little Swanport. You can just make them out on the far right of this photo, just above the line of grasses if you squint sufficiently.

The saltworks site is one of only two early salt manufacturing works in eastern Australia where substantial parts remain (the other one, so the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife site tells us, is on Norfolk Island). This one operated from the 1830s to 1841.

We needed a rest after all this exploring and photographing.

We left the next morning eager to move on but sad to leave.

We made three more stops at lovely historic villages:

Campbell Town where we gazed at the gorgeous  1838 convict-built bridge - known as the Red Bridge - and discovered a fantastic book store in the cellar of the 1833 Georgian coaching inn The Foxhunters Return.

An exuberant display of roses.

Longford had progressed from a sleepy village to a busy town but I managed to find a hidden house that reflected bygone days. (Well, Steve did - he had to rise onto his toes and peer over the hedge to get this shot.)

 And so to Evandale, our last stop.

More roses

Solomons Cottage built in 1838 as a bakery and general store.

So ended my pre-birthday holiday, a trip down memory lane for us as it had been 25 years since we had visited some of these places. Tasmania will always have a special place in my heart.

A Tasmanian Odyssey in Five Parts: Part 4

Part 4: The Tasman Peninsula
We next drove over to Hobart then down south to the Tasman Peninsula. On the way to our accommodation we stopped off at the tessellated pavement, a geological marvel of cutting and splitting over the eons until this part of the shore resembles a flagstone pavement. Here are three different views.

Our accommodation was right on the shores of the bay.

There were millions of bees around a bush in the garden.
This is one of them.

Then we found the Port Arthur Lavender farm ....

and a lavender milkshake for me and a lavender hot chocolate for Steve!



The following day we decided to go to the Unzoo. I am not sure why because we have seen all the animals before but it seemed, as they say, a good idea at the time. At least it was fun to see the overseas tourists laugh with delight at their chance to feed kangaroos, and gasp at the Tasmanian devils

who did their usual snarling and fighting.

Even Steve got in on the act.

 And I got excited to see this joey in the pouch.

The birds came when the guide whistled them.
My super lens did not let me down.

Then we drove to the Coalmines Historic site at Saltwater River, a convict probation station and coal mine that operated from 1833 to 1848. It was an infamous place of extreme hardship where they sent the worst offenders from Port Arthur. On display were photographs and a brief history of four of the convicts,  bringing poignantly to life the real people who had worked and lived here. We explored the ruins where once stood a bakery, chapel and stores, officers houses, barracks and the four underground isolation cells where those suspected of homosexual acts were imprisoned.

The irony of such a terrible place having the best views!

The entrance to the underground isolation cells.

 Driving further down the peninsula we stopped off at Remarkable Cave.

 This next shot is the closest we came to seeing the cave- it is hidden to the far right.

 But the bucolic scenes as we drove away were so pretty.

Then off to Whites Beach - another contender for best Tasmanian beach.

The last stage of our journey is upon us. Next part: the east coast.