TODAY'S CARTOON

 Today's cartoon in our local paper.  This says it all:

 On Saturday morning we went to the Growers' Market just after 6 a.m. I was able to get a couple of the things I was after but there were very few stalls and also very few customers.

We decided to go down to the Town Basin and wander around but, once there, we decided to walk around The Loop, it is a very pleasant 4.2 km. walk.  There were very few people and we had a pleasant walk before heading home for breakfast and to start the day.

It was a perfect morning at had not got too hot.

Just as we got to the Bascule bridge it opened to let the yacht below through.

in the second photo you can see the mast

HAPPY NEW YEAR

As I write this it is just under three hours to 2022.  I will not be seeing in the New Year, it will arrive quite well without me waiting for it and the Growers' Market beckons bright and early tomorrow morning.

This is a spray of roses that I picked this afternoon.  They were reaching over the fence so I decided to bring them indoors where we could enjoy them.

WISHING EVERYONE A HEALTHY AND HAPPY 2022. 

ANOTHER BIRTHDAY

Where does the time go? It does not seem possible that it is a whole year since my last birthday nor does it seem possible that I have been on this earth for 78 years but I must accept it as a fact.

Doug suggested we go out to one of the many restaurants at the Town Basin today but I said I preferred to stay home and have a quiet day, cooking a simple lunch so that is what we have done.  We had steamed rice with fresh carrots, beans and courgette finished with some soy sauce and maple syrup and sauteed scallops.  It was delicious.

Doug knew the date of my birthday but thought it was tomorrow so had a rush to finish his gift.

It is a delightful small carving of two fish.  Max and I got the piece of coral in Queensland back in the 1960's

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

The vegetable garden is coming on well.  I have been watering it every night (I know it is better done in the morning but that does not seem to fit with our routine).  Yesterday, we finally had rain forecast and it was pleasantly cooler but stayed dry so at 5 p.m. I went out and started to water even though there were black clouds around as I thought the rain may well land somewhere else.  I had been watering for a few minutes when I heard a noise like a freight train and realised it was the rain.  I turned off the tap and put the hose away just in time as huge drops came down with thunder and lightening.  It did not last long and then went to a light drizzle but it was very welcome.

The "bunnies" were a Christmas gift.  In behind them are some newly planted lettuces.

The first of the Capsicums is ripening.  Also have red and orange.

It is hard to get a photo of the tomatoes but a lot have set.  Just have to wait for them to ripen.

and basil with them

The beans are looking good.

and two types of cucumber, these apple ones and Lebanese which we have been eating for a while now.

BUSH WALK

This morning 5 of us from the walking group decided to walk along the river.  Because of the heat we started half an hour earlier than usual at 9.00 a.m.  

It was a lovely walk and nice and cool under the trees.  A lot of chatter and a lot of laughter.  

The view from the bridge looking back towards our starting point.

One lady has just recovered from a fall so Doug helped her on some parts with loose metal.

We had taken drinks with us and sat at a picnic table in the park next to our vehicles and enjoyed various treats and lots of chatter.

CHRISTMAS DAY

    Christmas day dawned sunny and bright (just after 5 a.m.). We made some phone calls, I answered some emails and made several smoothies to take with us.  We had just over a 30 minute drive to the new home of Doug's two grandsons.

We arrived just as the others did.  Doug's daughter and ex-husband were there (he always joins in family festivities) his Granddaughter who is expecting her first child in May, his 2 Grandsons, the partner of the eldest and Great-granddaughter.  

Since they moved to this house Doug's youngest grandson has taken up baking and they all started with fried bread (a New Zealand speciality with the raw dough being fried, some delicious pastries filled with spinach and cheese, he had also made some milk bread which he said started with making a roux and he had made and iced a very nice triple layer chocolate cake.  There were also the usual nibbles of camembert, grapes, crackers and a host of other things.

We sat and chatted nibbling on these and then it was time for a lunch of ham, lamb and chicken with roast potatoes, salads, asparagus  and multicolour baby carrots.

We then opened the presents before sharing various deserts, pavlova, trifle and fruit salad and I had a gluten free trifle which I made in a Bonne Maman jar which was a perfect size for a single serve.  

Once home, we put our feet up for a while before watering the garden and then watching The Chase, The News, The Queen and Repair Shed before opening our other presents at 9 p.m.

The temperature reached 29°C so we did not go to the beach but stayed indoors with the aircon going.  A thoroughly enjoyable day.