out and about

Pete and I went to the Concert Hall on Thursday to see a documentary about Paul Kelly and to listen to him sing some of the songs on his new album.  Both levels of the Hall were full and the film was very personal and interesting.  The last time I saw him he was singing with the Dots in a pub and wearing skin tight jeans and a very small animal print shirt.  His black curls were long.  He is now nearly bald and wears quite conservative clothes but the singing and the songwriting is still there.

We went to the Cultural Centre on the ferry - the city looked lovely at night and the weather was mild enough for us to sit outside on the deck.

The jacarandas are all looking wonderful at the moment.  I expect we'll get a storm soon which will blow them all off (that's usually the way it is).  I took this picture on the way to work - it reminded me of our last house which had a picket fence,  jacarandas and a flag pole.

This weekend was a quiet one - I have been far too social lately and just wanted to stay home.  Marg and I went to the craft fair and a did buy some fabrics so have been having a play with baby quilts - now that I have a godson and a daughter about to produce babes.

The garden is SO DRY - haven't had any proper rain since July.  I hope we don't revert to the dreadful DROUGHT!!!  However, the pots are getting watered and the smelly things are making it all smell delicious.

tea and gardens

I made mint tea in my Moroccan teapot for the first time yesterday and drank it out of the beautifully decorated green tea glass.

The handle gets very hot so I was able to use the 'gift with purchase' - the robed black wise man pot holder!!

Last week we had some rain and now everything growing looks very refreshed.  I'm always pleased when the first gardenia comes out in the hedge - this one has now been joined by several others which came out last night

The red hippies are very happy

 as are the geraniums

 and Max, the neighbours cat is thoroughly enjoying his pretty garden.

 The wisteria has grown lots of leaves - pity it only had one flower!!

the bridal tree is blooming again

the mulberry has got over it's very heavy pruning and has produced fruit, leaves and branches and I have eaten two pawpaws from the front garden tree.

And the jacarandas at the USC (and everywhere else in Brisbane) are in bloom.

a nasty experience involving balls

I brought home a leather pouffe from Morocco and today was the first chance to stuff it!  Instructions on the bag of beans is to do the deed in the bath:

little balls have escaped and just about filled up the whole bathtub.  I tried to wet them to make them easier to gather up but they reject water and then all tried to get down the plughole and block up the drain!




























Then I got the nearly full pouffe into the study and opened it up to put in  a few more balls and about half of what was in there escaped again!

So it's going to stay as a semi stuffed pouffe and I sincerely hope that no one ever undoes it's zipper.....
Up until today, I was sorry I hadn't bought more of them.....

murder in the suburbs

I live in a suburb of leafy trees and fairly quiet and respectable people.  You don't expect to hear about violence nearby.  I have a security door, but it's probably more useful for keeping dogs in or out of the house.

Last week the news reported that a couple and their dog had been found dead in their house in C.....d.  I have now heard the story.  They were in their late 30s - 40s.  The man went to school with Niall C at Terrace and has been working in the city.  The women worked at Cake Star as the cake decorator.  After they broke up, she came back to collect some of her belongings.  Unfortunately, she didn't make it past the front steps where someone she had obviously cared for once, shot her and her dog and then turned the gun around and shot himself.

The extreme arrogance of a person who does this type of thing is astounding!

back again

I am now home from 3 weeks in Morocco and one week in Jordan.  It was a great holiday and it is now also nice to be back home.
It's been rather hectic in the last week - all the chickens in the nest last weekend and then a lot of catching up with friends during the week as well as back to work........


DHL delivered some of the souvenirs from the holiday .. I don't know where I'm going to put them but it's fun having them and remembering the time when we first met!

 This bowl has already had it's first salad in it - it came from Fez and was free-hand painted at the pottery we visited.

 One Bedouin rug and another plus a leather pouffe which now needs to be stuffed

 I love the silver moroccan teapot - am looking forward to making mint tea in it.  The baby tagine can be used to put a tea light in which will be pretty on summer nights.

 I think this rug for here??

and maybe this one will get hung up somewhere?

We've had very summery weather this weekend with temperatures in the 30s.  Grand(god)daughter Audrey came to visit with her rubber ring and the pool got a bunch of swimmers -

 In the meantime, the bunnies have given up their tricks and are looking out the window to try to spot the next lot of visitors...