Tag: South Eastern Freeway

Toward the final curtain G

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

It was suggested that since the disruption – whatever it was – at the hotel,  did not really affect me, it seems a little excessive to be changing hotels because of that.  Well, yes, up to a point that’s true, but I stay there because it is conveniently  close to the road leading directly to the South Eastern Freeway.  Mount Gambier is five hours

and that’s what matters
I miss my dog when I am away.

away. A long drive on a country road after the freeway exit. Not the sort of roads you travel when you are sleepy. (no road is!!)  Not getting enough sleep before setting out and getting tired along the way puts me and other road users at risk. I need the rest, so if my Little Park Bench is not providing that, I need to be somewhere that will. As for Mount Gambier itself, I have already decided on a new hotel. I have had a few problems with the present set-up, so It needs to be changed.

The weather since I came home, has been cold, wet and windy. All the work that I did, before I left for Mount Gambier, clearing up the leaves and a general tidy up, has all gone for nothing and the place look just as untidy as it was before I started. The next few days, with a combination of high temperatures and north winds is not looking too great.  I have the feeling that the lady’s coffee morning on Wednesday may well be called off. Annabell is talking about not going to the hospital tomorrow afternoon, which is fair enough. It is for physiotherapy and not really a medical necessity.  I also believe that I was right and the  Coffee Morning on Wednesday  is  cancelled – oh well, so much for my quiet time :o)

The morning began well and Benji and I went for our morning walk without any concern. The temperature was fine and we completed the walk  and back home for a treat and coffee ( the coffee for me!) . It is supposed to be 37c today (Tuesday)  but I expect that will happen sometime during the day. But at the moment (11am) I really don’t see it happening, but you never know with this weather. It was not bad enough for Annabell to not go to the hospital, but we didn’t linger and came directly home.

Wednesday and the temperature is forecast to reach 44+c today.   The temperature didn’t reach the forecast 37c  yesterday and peaked at 32c. Today over 100 schools have been closed in South Australia  today due to

temperature of 44+c and high winds leading to a “catastrophic” fire danger.  We are not included in the school closure list, so none of our schools will be closed for the day.  I took Benji out for our walk this morning. I re-set the alarm from 5:45  to 5:30, and 15 minutes can make a great difference –  and it did today. We were on the road for 5:45 and, although it was light, the sun didn’t show his face until we were less than 100 yards from home.  It is now 10;30 am and I have stopped working outside. Not that I am too concerned about the sun and the heat but I am concerned about Benji. I go outside – he comes outside and, really, it is far too hot for him to sit in the sun, and it’s too risky with the wind to put the shade umbrella up. So here we are.  And before you suggest it, yes I could close the doors and not let him come out, but given he is my dog and he likes to be with me, it is not really a solution. Better I stay inside and let him keep me company  :o) . At the moment it is about 36C and the wind is starting to build up somewhat.  Given that it is a hot wind I expect the temperature to exceed the forecast 44c  ( it did!)

Thursday:  Good walk this morning. I have gotten into the habit of feeding the Magpies. I  bought a box of oat biscuits (cookies) and when I pass the Magpies I crumble a couple in my hand and drop the bits for them. I look back further on and see them eating. We also saw two kangaroos – a big one ( and I mean BIG) and a smaller one further

Dust storm further north (not my photograph)

on. First time I have seen kangaroos in the area for a while since the rain has produced sufficient feed and water for them out bush although it is starting to dry up now. I get  comments when I suggest the temperature “crashed” to 23c, but I  suppose I could just say “dropped” but that really does not convey the massive change in temperature that occurs. Wednesday 46c  – Thursday 21c and 21 is cool –  less is cold and the wind changes to the south – which is a cool to cold wind.  It all be verra confusing…  LOL

Lobethal to Hahndorf

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs
Lobethal main street

The largest Brewing Company is owned by the Japanese, but that aside, South Australian  “Beer” is actually  a lager beer, which the boys don’t like. Andrew has a list of the Microbrewery places in South Australia. They consider Lobethal to be one of the best. Actually I think almost all of the beer manufacturing in South Australia is foreign owned.  I liked  Lobethal., a quiet place, not very overtly German, like some of the other towns in the area – particularly our next stop. I had a wander around the  main street, which for a weekday, was very quiet.  I did, of course, find the little white church and took photographs of   the 1922 foundation stone. Around the place there were many  posts and posters highlighting the benefits of the Lobethal Lutheran  School.  All this came about in 1838 when George Fife Angas left South Australia to recruit prospective colonist for the new  Province in South Australia.  A number of Lutherans were anxious to leave the town of Klemzig In Prussia because of persecution by the   King of Prussia. They were led by their Pastor,  Augusta Ludwig Kavel. They settled in  a small parcel of land by the River Torrens which they called Klemzig after the town they had left. Over the years the area has been absorbed into the City of Adelaide. The second wave of German Settlers move further into the interior of the colony and purchased land there. There were a number of settlements of which Lobethal and Hahndorf are

The old church bell at the white Church- Lobethal

but two.  With the anti-German feeling during the World War One, many of the German names were abolished and  changed – Lobethal became Tweedvale. Most of the names were changed back by government decree in 1934 all except  Petersburg. Petersburg became simply Peterborough. In 1934 when the other towns were allowed to return to their original names, Peterborough decided not to and to remain as it was. Interestingly, the first ever Lutheran Church in Australia was built in Lobethal and the 1641 Bible of Pastor Kavel is kept there.  Not too sure about that so I will have to do some searching.

We spent some time wandering around Lobethal before heading off to Hahndorf for a late lunch. John had been there before so he chose the  place where we would have our meal. We had a quiet walk through the local area before entering the  “German Arms Hotel” Hahndorf was one of the areas settled by the  German Settlers who became prosperous in the new settlement.  The South Australian Wine industry, the largest in Australia had its Genesis here with several German families who realised that the cool climate of the Adelaide Hills was perfect

The German Arms
Hahndorf SA

for  growing grapes and producing wine. There are a large number of Wineries in this area and I am led to understand the the Wolf Blass Gallery and Museum will be built at Hahndorf. Unlike Lobethal, Hahndorf displays its German Heritage  in a number of ways, not the least of which is its food and restaurants. Having been here several times, John took me to the German Arms a German Bierhaus and Restaurant. Because of

The German Arms

the long drive ahead of us we settled on Lemonade ( boo — hiss)  John  ordered a Trio of German Wurt with some sauce, -which he said was really good. I was  less adventurous and had  a Chicken and Prawn Pasta with a really nice  cheese sauce. The portions were very large and I was unable to finish my meal. The staff did offer me a take-away box, but I felt it was a long drive and quite warm – too warm to carry in a car for 550 kilometers. Not being a food blogger in any way shape or form, it never really occurred to me to take photographs of our meal.  The place was really nice, the staff friendly,  the service excellent  and it just had a really good atmosphere. I would have liked to have spent a lot more time there.

Leaving the German Arms carpark  John set the  Tom Tom for Tea Tree Plaza. I needed to go there to get some things for the

Lobethal: Car park at back of the  Bierhaus — not customers.

church before heading home. As I said in  the previous post, our drive through to Lobethal and then to Hahndorf was uphill, downhill, narrow roads, sharp twists and turns, well,  less than ten minutes after leaving Hahndorf we  were on the approach road to the South Eastern Freeway and  a short while later at Adelaide. I asked John why we didn’t go that way in the first place,  “my way was more adventurous”.  Sheesh…