Home; a place for coming from!

Coonalpyn in the Mist

The last post I wrote was on the 28th April, almost three weeks ago. I took off to  Mount Gambier and was there for a two day conference – two days to get there, conference, two days to get back, change clothes and off again for two days in Adelaide. Poor Benji – this is not helping his seperation anxiety one little bit. The WaWa is not too bad since she has Annabell but Benji is my dog and he does not like me being away from him. Anyway, I did bring him back two new toys and a new collapsable, silicone water bowl for when we are out walking in warm weather.

Mount Gambier was cold, but it generally is this time of the year. Annabell told me that it was raining at home. I had no rain to speak of other than a few


Still a touch of blue there

showers in Adelaide and some early morning mist in Coonalpyn and Tintinara. It was cold and I didn’t really didn’t do a lot but I did get out to the Blue Lake, which it was still marginally Blue but starting to fade and not the vivid blue of my visit last November. I had intended to get to Bunnings but ran out of time and had to get back to the hotel ready for the first meeting that  afternoon. It was almost 9pm before I got “home” and called Annabell to let her know I was still around. The second meeting started on Saturday afternoon and was supposed to finish at 2:30. At it happened it finished at 4:40 and I was only able to get as far as Naracoorte (115klm) before it got dark and I  called a halt for the night. I had intended to get to Tailem Bend and Naracoorte was about 230 klm short. This meant that I had to make 800+ kilms if I wanted to get home on Sunday afternoon.  Starting to get a bit tired I called a halt every hour or so and used my facecloth, soaked in cold water, to wash my face, not to mention the coffee at Port Wakefield, the Tin Man and Port Augusta. As it was it was getting dark before I pulled into the driveway. Annabell was not at home.  Knowing that I was away the boys had opted to look after her during Mother’s Day and dinner was at Andrew and Trishs’ place. I could have gone up and joined them, but I decided not to and to let the boys look after her.   The dogs, however, were happy to see me and the WaWa is now my new BFF.

Is photography going to the dogs?

Monday I spent  sorting things out and repacking and Tuesday I took off to Adelaide. I miss Annabell – of course – but I also miss the dogs and I have come to think of both of them as  My Dogs. They will always be Benji and the WaWa but I feel that the WaWa is now my dog  as three months has now turned in to 14 Months and no contact nor any indication if Sooa will return.

The meeting in Adelaide was interesting and I have organised with the CEO to have a meeting with himself and  one of the advisors and discuss how we will

Thw WaWa with her collar – not the best because she wouldn’t stay still. Benji looks on bemused

procede with the restoration of two of the  graves in the West Terrace Cemetary. Both of these graves are of two of the three founders of the Church in South Australia ( 1860) and both have been neglected to the extent that both are on the endangered list. After the meeting in early July and the CEO has an opportunity to inspect the graves, we  should be able to come up with a plan and hope that Mount Gambier – and Queensland – will also get inhvolved and these graves can be protected. For me it has been a frustrating sort of time in that I really didn’t get time to do the things I wanted to do. I wanted an archway for the garden and had fully intended to get out to Bunnings but didn’t , either trip. Also I want to get the WaWa to the vet as she has a bad cut. My vet has gone to see his sick mother again and the clinic is closed – the other vet was too busy to even have a look, so, tomorrow I will phone the clinic. If there is no reply I will make a second call and take the WaWa to the vet in Port Augusta – about 50 miles away.  The Vet was

In Adelaide

open so I took Kongsoon (The WaWa) over to see him. The wound is not as bad as it looks so, with a slight washing and application of some cream it should start to heal up without causing her too much concern. – Mea Culpa…..

Remembrance, RFDS and watering the garden.

In just over a week, we will hold ANZAC Day – for those of you in Europe – that is our Remembrance Day (although we still recognize that particular day) and for my American Friends I think the nearest thing is Veterans Day. However, it is the day that we remember the Australian and New Zealand men and women who fell in battle to preserve the freedoms that we take for granted today.  I have often argued that this is not a glorification of war, far from it. ANZAC Day is a time of Remembrance and Thanksgiving – remembering those who did not come home, AIFwho paid the ultimate sacrifice for us and a time of thanksgiving for all the men and women who did come home and whom we honour that day.   Generally, after the dawn service,  all the  former service people and their families head off to the Returned Serviceman’s League (RSL) for breakfast. I have never gone because I am not ex-service and and I don’t deserve to be there with them.   Those of us in that situation generally head off to Maccas and have breakfast there. Last year herself was unwell, so I just got a take-away for two and came home.  When I was in Adelaide I walked through West Terrace Cemetery and the  Military Section. Whenever I walk through a Military Cemetery I am always reminded of the words of Eric Bogle – the Scottish/Australian songwriter and singer and his words from ” The Green Fields of France”

 

But here in this graveyard it’s still No Man’s Land

The countless white crosses in mute witness stand

To man’s blind indifference to his fellow man

And a whole generation that were butchered and damned

Tomorrow is Good Friday and our service will take place at 10am. I will be leading this service.  Saturday I have a RFDS function. This was fun to organize since I have two functions running at the same time. The majority of people will be at the foreshore at the big function and I have a team at the smaller function. I will be doing the smaller

Sturt's Desert Rose
Sturt’s Desert Rose

function until lunch and then heading over to the Foreshore to assist if required.

The back garden is still a disaster area but the front is doing  well.  The Sturts Desert Rose is producing flowers, the Sturt’s Desert Pea is growing away good style and the three small conifers I planted some months ago are still with us. They have not really grown much, but at least they are still alive – which is something.  I would like to redo the plot with new topsoil so I might give that some thought and see if it will improve things. But I think the important thing is to make it dog proof. I think part of the trouble in this area of the back is that the dogs are doing their thing to help by personally watering the plants.  The experiment with the propagation sand was a bit of a fizzier. I have bought new  fencing which I will put around the area I want to plant in. It should be high enough to keep the dogs out and let me have the fun of watering things on my own – without any help. When we finished the function at the Hardware Shop, I made my way to the Foreshore to assist at the other function and was there until after 4pm. So, from 08:30 – 4:00 it was a  long and tiring day. I was quite happy to get my feet up for a bit.

Sunday evening and we have the Clan for Dinner, which is something of a tradition. Well I think it’s a tradition with everyone that has children – they grow up – leave home then came back each week for  Mum’s Sunday Dinner. I like this because it’s what we used to go with our parents when we were children – every Sunday we would take turns visiting the relatives and finally, after a while, they all met at our house – about every five weeks or so – and yes, we have been round to the boys places  for dinner. I like that.