Saturday 9th October 2004Election day today. Ann had to go to the local primary school to vote for the House of Representatives and the Senate. Outside, there was a mob of canvassers who were handing out leaflets and encouraging Ann to vote for their party. Every surface seemed to have a poster or advert for one political party or another, each putting down the other, or saying "this school would be better off under our party".
Once the compulsory actions had been completed, we all decided to head off
to McLaren
Vale for the day. We took a picnic of salads and chicken, with everything
that we would need for the rest of the day. McLaren Vale is only 36km south
of Adelaide's centre, so it was not a very difficult or long journey. On the
way down, we noticed how quiet the streets were - everyone was off voting.
We were a little confused by the map, as there were two parallel roads that
lead south - the South Road (imaginative road naming 80 years ago), and the
Southern Expressway (even more imaginative road naming 10 years ago). The problem
is that the Expressway is only one way - and it changes direction twice a day.
During the mornings, the 3 lane road leads from the south to Adelaide city,
and after lunch it goes back to the south and the Fleurieu
Peninsular.
The drive was very easy and scenic, with parts looking like rural England with
the rolling grassy hills, the only difference was the blue sky and open vistas.
Once we got as far as McLaren Vale, immediately we saw signs to some of the
45
wineries with cellar-door access, and hints of the other crops that are
grown here, including olives,
almonds
and lavender. We dropped into the visitor's centre, got a map and directions
to the best place to have a picnic, and headed off into the tumbling fields
of vines to find our own little idyll.
It didn't take long to get to our first port of call - Coriole
vineyard. They are Ann's favourite Chenin Blanc, and are relatively highly regarded
in Australia. Coriole wines are not easily available in England (only the 'boutique'
style wine shops have it), which makes it even more pleasurable for Ann to be
there. I must say that it was one of the most tranquil and beautiful places
that I have ever been to. Look at 
my photos
and make up your own mind.
Next, we crossed the road to Rosemount Estate - in England (and Australia)
there were often deals on Rosemount
wines, and they were very good value without tasting too bad. When we went into
the cellar door, we were able to do as we do in almost every winery, which is
to taste their wines. Tasting always starts with the sparkling wines, then the
light whites, finishing either with the heavier reds or with ports. Ann and
I have learnt not to go through every bottle, but to select wines to taste that
we think we would like to buy. We generally avoid the reds when going out wine
tasting, as the next thing you drink will taste completely different.
In Rosemount, we also had a little bread and olive oil, dipped in "Dukkah"
which is popular in McLaren Vale, made from crushed almonds, sesame seeds, garlic,
herbs and spices. It looks like breadcrumbs, but the balance of flavours is
really quite stunning. We were dipping the bread in the olive oil and then the
dubbah between every sip of wine.
By this time, we were all getting a bit hungry, and decided to head to the
picnic area that had been recommended to us. Up at the Kay's Winery, there is
a lawn with some old farm tools and picnic benches. The
view
over the valley and hills is quite stunning, and we started on our lunch and
were completely alone for over an hour. The only noise was of the birds singing,
the bees humming, and of the dog from the winery panting, wanting to play fetch
with a soggy tennis ball. One car pulled in to the winery, and three people
admired the view, dropped in to taste, and came out with a case of wines. The
sun was warm and bright, the air fresh and gentle, the slight scent of spring
blossom in the air. We all loved it, and felt completely relaxed and at ease.
It is probably one of the nicest experiences that I have had in a very long
time.
After the lunch, we went to Chapel Hill winery, just 3 minutes drive away. This is a very lovely building, and we pulled in off the main road to have a look and a taste. As I drove in, I noticed a small bush that was casting some shade, and I tried to get the car under it - but not very much. Then this guy appeared, advising that there was a great tree that would give enough shade, just around the corner. There was no reason for him to help or be so good to us, and it just made me so happy to be in Australia where people are willing to help and be nice without any provocation.
Taking the "long way" back, we drove through the Adelaide hills and past one of Ann's old homes. When we got home, we got ready to go to Linda and Ashley's "Election Party". Ann's sister was hosting the party because the original party hosts, Peter and Helen, had had some other people pull out, and then it worked out better because Linda's house has got a separate room with a television to put the children in.
The party started with drinks, cheese and biscuits, olives and nuts. As the results came in on the TV, conversations bounced from subject to subject, occasionally dipping into politics or the election. In case you don't know, the existing prime minister, John Howard, got re-elected. The party continued with kebabs, salad and a vegetarian lasagne. We also hade cakes, puddings and coffees. It was a great end to a really wonderful day.
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Today I brewed my second batch of beer. I have chosen a slightly lighter "Mexican Cervesa", as I seem to prefer the lighter beers. Another 5 gallons is on the way in a couple of weeks.
I think I have caught a cold too - the first time since arriving in Australia. Ann (and to a much lesser extent, Thomas) have had it for the last few days, runny nose and aches. I hope that I stay in good condition for any possible interview in the next few days. I normally know when an interview is coming up when I get a few spots - so I must have a really big interview soon as I have a bright red nose.
This afternoon, Thomas' grand parents popped over for a few minutes. Liam and
Shirley brought another pedestal fan and some more clothes for Thomas. We were
demonstrating to them how Thomas has learnt to crawl in the last 10 days, and
also our new outside area that has the new roof installed.
A funny thing happened with Thomas - he was crawling over to the patio doors,
and he saw that we were all outside. Then when he got to the end of the carpet
and to the patio door, he put out his hand so that he could rest on the glass,
and missed (because there was no glass there) and fell down. The strange thing
is that Thomas has never crawled over to that part of the room before, and has
never put his hand on the glass on that door before. He likes the patio door
on the other side of the room, and he likes to crawl up to it, look out, and
bang his hands on the glass. It was interesting that he had assumed that the
end of the carpet and the start of the patio door track would mean that there
was glass there. He did not work it out when Liam was demonstrating to Thomas
that there was no glass there by walking through the open door, and Thomas just
sat on the carpet and did not try to crawl any further. It's interesting to
see the way that Thomas' mind works...
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Today our nephew Brendan stayed with us all day. His sisters Marie and Victoria have already returned to school, but his school had one extra day off. He would have stayed at home alone, but he decided that he wanted to spend the day with his Auntie Ann and Thomas.
Brendan arrived at around 8:30, whilst it was still cool. The overnight low temperature was 20°, so it was pretty warm all night. Thomas had not been happy, and had kept us up pretty much all night. He has just learnt how to sit up from lying down, and he seemed to get "stuck" when he sat up but could not remember how to get down - resulting in crying.
Brendan, Thomas, Ann and I went out to get some plants for the patio area. Brendan knew of a garden centre that was nearby, so we all went to have a look at the selection. Brendan kept Thomas amused by racing around the garden centre with the push-chair, and Ann and I looked for low cost plants that were bushy and green, and that could cope with being neglected. In the end, we decided to go to another garden centre, where we bought a Ficus and Umbrella Plant, pots and soil. Brendan helped carry and lift, and in the end the patio area looked great. Now we have far more ideas for what we can do for that area.
I've got through to the next stage of interviews for the job that I want. It is now tantalizing to wait for the call to tell me if I am going to go to the office and see the place where I could work.
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Today the temperature reached 38°C. In the sun, my thermometer reached 45°C (that's 110°F). We have had the windows closed, because the air outside is hotter, and the breeze is not cooling. It's hot enough to stop ironing or doing anything energetic, like writing a blog.
Today was a new experience for Thomas and Ann today, as they went to "KinderMusic". It's a guided playtime, with music as the main emphasis. Ann had put her name down a few months ago, and the place came up, and so Thomas had his first try today. Ann had to pay the fee up front, and then after the class regretted it, as the teacher didn't seem to know what she was doing and it all seemed a bit of a mess. Maybe Ann can ask for our money back.
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This morning I woke at 7, and had one of those spring-Sunday-morning feelings.
It's when you are lying in bed, feel totally comfortable, the bed is just the
right temperature and you know there is nothing that means you have to get out
of bed right now. I dozed off, to be woken at 8:30 by the phone. Ann answered
it (because she was already up, feeding Thomas and looking after him - she was
having an any-day-being-a-mother sort of morning). It was my niece Marie, quite
out of breath and upset. She was at home, and had to go to school to go on a
field trip that was leaving soon. When Ann asked why her mother could not take
her, the concerned response was that everyone was gone and she was alone. Ann
was asked if she could pop over and take Marie to school - but obviously Ann
was up to her wrists in soggy Weetbix, so she asked if I could do it. When I
was dressing, Ann told me that Marie sounded quite concerned, and that I should
hurry over. I leapt into my car and headed over to Linda and Ashley's house
to collect Marie. It seemed that all the traffic was against me (there are three
right turns across traffic), and I was getting concerned, as I had no idea of
what was wrong - having been half asleep when Ann passed on the story to me.
So, I screeched to a halt in front of the house in Pauline Drive, where Marie
was standing, looking worried. Ann had been concerned that if Marie was going
off on a field trip, that there would be bags to take. When Marie jumped into
the car, she had no bags. I needed directions to get to her school, but we arrived
at 8:44 - one minute before Marie had to be at something called "home room".
Whilst driving over, I asked what happened.
Marie had got to school, and found out that she had forgotten something that
she needed on the field trip. They are going to the Flinders
Ranges, walking with backpacks and being in the bush for 3 days, and Marie
had spent the previous evening packing her backpack with her mother, ensuring
that everything she needed was packed. So, when she realised that she had forgotten
this one thing that she needed, she ran back home from school to collect it.
After running back home, she had got out of breath because she has some asthma,
and realised that she would be unable to run back in time to leave. Marie had
had to borrow the house key from her sister, because obviously Marie would not
be taking keys with her to the Outback,
and so Marie would have to return the key to Victoria before leaving - otherwise
they would all be locked out!
Finally, as Marie left, I asked what she had forgotten to take with her that
was so important that it meant that she could have missed the whole thing. She
held up the offending missing item - her toothbrush.
We moved Thomas' swimming day to today, because otherwise it would have clashed
with the KinderMusic class that Ann had been trying to get Thomas in to. We
had a different teacher today, and she was a little easier to hear in the noisy
swimming pool. Thomas is enjoying himself much more, and is getting the hang
of the games and nursery rhymes. Two good developments that he has learnt are
that he can always grab the side of the pool to feel safe, and that he has to
close his mouth when I count, 1, 2, 3 and then blow in his face. Both of these
things are taught in the class, so it's good to see that he has progressed.
By the end of the class, Thomas was getting tired and wanted to get out. I think
it's just because he is waking up earlier each day that his morning snooze time
is getting earlier. We put him to bed as soon as we got home.
After the success of Tuesday's plant shopping, we went out today to buy some small seedlings to plant in some pots that were already at the house when we moved in. I lowered the pots from head height to a more pleasurable chest height, and then moved the watering hoses down to match. We planted some tomatoes, basil, snapdragons and impatiens. The barren area that had previously held no appeal is now one of the more interesting places in our home. I planted up two pots that have both basil and tomatoes - all we need now is a mozzarella plant, and we have a whole salad...
Still no response from any agency. I have called all the ones that have interesting jobs, and nothing has progressed. Maybe the hot weather is causing everything to slow to a crawl.
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Today I made a momentous decision - as far as the blog and the website goes... I have decided to remove the code that I put on to every page to prevent it being indexed by the search engines. I used to put a hidden line at the top of the page to tell Google and Yahoo not to bother to read the page or put it on the search engines - this meant that only people who knew the address could see the slideshows and read the blog.
So, from now on, anyone in the world could pontentially be reading this
blog,
and looking at the
pictures, and [horror] posting
on the
messageboard. To get people to come to the site,
I have registered on six Blog directories (Blogstreet,
Blogorama, Blogwise,
Blogsearchengine,
Blog catalog,
Blog Universe, Bloogz
and an Adelaide.blogs
directory). I also submitted the website address to Google - the others will
find it eventually.
So now, you may have to excuse me if I put in stuff that you
already know, or describe who people are as if you don't know them, it's all
for the 'strangers' who will be eventually reading this blog. I have had to
write an
introduction to explain what is
going on in the blog for the uninitiated. I wonder if people will find it interesting
or helpful?
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