By this I mean: friends, food, ferns and falls...let me elaborate...

One of the wonderful things about blogging is you get to 'know' people from all over the place. And if you're lucky, you get to meet them for real J

Such was the case last Wednesday night when I had dinner with Sarah from Molly's Maison and Jane from Life on Planet Baby. Here we are looking surprisingly presentable after a few bottles of wine, lovely Thai food and a great deal of conversation. Jane's car got locked in the carpark we yacked for so long!

And even better, Richard and I were invited to their homes on Saturday afternoon...now that I consider a real privilege. Beautiful pastries made by Jane and India for afternoon tea, and champagne at Sarah's...spoiled rotten we were. I wanted to take photos of their houses but thought that would be stretching the friendship a bit far! Just go to their blogs for that ok?

And then there are furry friends.  I had no hesitation in taking photos of the famous Molly in her natural habitat!  I'm not a dog person at all really, but I've fallen in love with Molly...well honestly, who wouldn't. Just look at her J

The day before this we'd headed off on a bit of a drive and ended up at Russell Falls in the Mt Field National Park. This place was stunning, really serene, and the oldest national park in Tasmania. We didn't have the best weather while we were in Hobart (and yet today it's going to be 36!) so it was quite cool but that didn't matter at all. I'm a bit fascinated by ferns...and moss apparently!

And the food...oh the food! Several kilos later...thanks in part to these delicious things. Without doubt, without a shadow of a doubt in fact, the raspberry danish you can see behind the chocolate thingies was the BEST Danish I have ever tasted.

From this place...

And then there were the oysters! From the Barilla Bay Oyster Farm, a saturday lunch of 30 assorted oysters (for $39...I thought that was really good value) and a wonderful ploughman's lunch that Richard got to before I could take a photo...you think he'd know about bloggers and photo opportunities by now wouldn't you! And as an added bonus, a view over the bay and a glass of Tasmanian wine. Bliss.

The produce at the Salamanca Markets on Saturday morning was also brilliant. We were going home the next day so didn't get to sample any of it, but doesn't it look amazing...all those jewel colours?

And just because I can, I'm going to finish off this post with alpacas. They're furry. They're funny. That fits with the theme right J

all images: a tranquil townhouse

Across the road from Richard's house this morning...

A kombi van converted into a ute...and a dual cabin one at that...only in Australia! And a huge surprise in conservative old Canberra. It must have taken a wrong turn somewhere :)
Put a smile on my face anyway.
image by a tranquil townhouse

I'm not much of a one for caravaning...although I did enjoy my armchair travels with the Moerks very much!

My friend Terry (husband to the chandelier fairy) got this book for his birthday last month (actually it was August but let's not quibble) and was kind enough to let me have a borrow...it is aptly named! Caravans that are cool on the inside...

 as well as the out...

 
 They have names...this one's Diddy (not as in P...)

Say hello to the 1954 Winchester Pipet...

 Freeman...well yes, probably...

 This is a Ralph Lauren wallpaper and a caravan chandelier...a carandelier perhaps??

 a 1970s monza 1000...I hope this is meaning something to you...it makes no sense to me I'd have to say...

 This is Mr Smith's caravan. Mr Smith? I think not with that shagadelic interior!

And this may be familiar to you...Roald Dahl's gypsy wagon that inspired his story Danny the Champion of the World...

 I'm quite taken with this newly built shepherd's hut...

 This is a 'canned ham' caravan for obvious reasons. Not sure about its inhabitants.

 ...but I'm quite loving the interior...

 And of course I had to include an Aussie...although I'm a bit disappointed in its lack of panache. Southern Cross is good though.

This is called a teardrop...4 foot wide and high and 8 foot long. Sleeps 2 apparently. Cosy. 

 Guess who owned this next one? The castle might be a giveaway. Prince Charles and Princess Anne when they were kiddlywinks. A play caravan...just what every (royal) kid needs.

 A nicely padded headboard in a caravan called Daisy. Of course.

 But this is my favourite. Cheerful, even though it comes with a cat that looks a lot like the vampire slayer (not shown).

Almost enough to convince me to consider caravaning. I said almost.

Sorry about the photos...taken in the fading Canberra light. Daylight saving? Spring? Ha...get a wriggle on good weather! Please and thank you.

The positively persistent pergola painting procrastination is no more. Bet you're glad about that...just so the bad alliteration ends if nothing else. Did you think I'd ever do it? I wasn't sure myself but...I finished painting that bloody pergola yesterday...and here it is...ta dah...well a bit of it anyway.

While I was up a ladder painting the last almost completely inaccessible parts of the pergola...that is unless you're a circus performer, in which case it would be extremely good practice for your high wire act...it occurred to me why it's taken me so long to finish this. It's because I am scared of ladders!

This, dear bloggy people was a revelation to me. I'm no scaredy cat...I've jumped out of a plane for crying out loud...into shark infested waters no less...yes, really...I may have been pushed, I may have been many years younger, I may have screamed for quite a lot of it, but still...I did that. I've abseiled down the side of quite a tall building as well...gee that was fun (actually it really was)...and I've been at the top of the tallest mast on this ship (the Royal Australian Navy's Young Endeavour) with a microphone and a cameraman, in my old Defence PR days...ok I confess...that WAS scary...

...but when it comes to an ordinary old household ladder...nope, don't like it...don't want to be there. Even when there is a very good view from the top...which I can't show you because the photo I took was crappy...and I'm not getting back up on that ladder for anyone! So here's a picture of a nice gardenia I grew all by myself instead...I'm sure you won't mind...they're pretty and they smell good...

And here's what the vampire slayer was doing while I was getting much too closely associated with the large rhododenron bush I had to navigate while reaching those aforementioned inaccessible spots...

...that's right...like a typical cat...abso-bloody-lutely nothing! But then...when it was all finished, she thought she might as well come out from under the table and check out the paint job I'd done...everyone's a critic aren't they?

And I have to throw this in because it makes me laugh every time I see it...a bit of good old Aussie improvisation...

One night when a few of us were having dinner in the courtyard and the mossies were coming to join us, we needed somewhere to put the mosquito coil...and this was the solution one of my smart alec clever friends came up with.  A hooped skirt for a beer bottle...I love it!

So there you have it...quite pleased I am, and now I'm looking forward to the wisteria growing over the pergola so I have lovely white flowers hanging down...and quite probably dropping into the food and chilled beverages, but hey...who cares about that when you're sitting under a particularly pretty painted pergola (sorry, last time!)

I'll leave you with one last picture of the vampire slayer, because you guys seem to like her...yes, she looks cute...don't believe it!

Happy week everyone...I've got a busy one.

all images by me except for No.2 which is from here and No.3 from here

Aren't long weekends fabulous? This one was jam-packed. Went to Sydney on Friday afternoon to spend some time with my gorgeous girl. Bonus, got this fabulous flea market find from the Surry Hill markets on Saturday morning. The first born said this was the definition of a 'cheap thrill'! I have to agree.

Back to Canberra on Saturday night. Managed to get my book club book read on the trip up and back as well. Another bonus.  Must travel by bus more often.

A lovely dinner at a new restaurant with the MGM on my return...Japanese...could become a favourite.

Lunch on Sunday with a neighbour left me...well let's just say I shouldn't have been in charge of power tools or paint brushes... so not many projects done that day.

Monday (thank you Canberra Day) was full on. Painted my bedroom wall black, yes black.   

It was a tough decision.  Do I? Don't I?

Let's just have a little test first...hmm, not sure...oh go on, don't be a baby!

First coat on...too late to stop now

And here it is. I completely love it. How good does the white painted screen look against the black? Artwork on the left by Richard Baldwin, on the right by my talented son. 

Waiting for the 2nd coat to dry, and the rain had stopped, so I pulled out the straggly tomato plants and got this fabulous yield.

Is it possible to make green tomato chutney from small tomatoes? Only one way to find out I guess. Moved the beetroot plants so they're all together, planted some Chinese cabbage and a climbing white banksia rose that I hope will one day bloom outside my bedroom window. Now I just need to work out how to get the vampire slayer from sleeping on my chair near said bedroom window...

Did a bunch of other stuff too boring to talk about or take photos of...weekend well used I think.

Hope you had a good one too.

How is it possible that today is the first day of Autumn? How did it get to be the 1st of March so soon? Oh well, nothing for it but to celebrate quite possibly the best place in Australia to be during the Autumn season...Canberra...oh yeah, we've got much more here than you know!

panoramio

via ninglun books