Discoveries with Dougall 42

I have reluctantly climbed into 64. My eldest sister lost her life at this age. It makes me feel uneasy though I accept it is irrational. I could have done without the added kerfuffle of burglars looking under beds, while leaving me with a slightly fuzzy view of the world, but that is over now. I am 64 and marching onwards to 65 and the burglar was a bit silly wanting his liquor on our credit cards from a shop with CCTV. So while all that is being sorted in incremental steps, I take steps into the sunshine with Dougall whom I have neglected shamefully for over a week. 

We stepped forth and found our rhythm and it was almost manageable this time, as if he knew I needed a little more care and attention.

We found flaming bougainvilleas, bushes with red berries and mulberries growing plump. Can you spot the dog? 

Very pink galahs crossing the road, butchers in trees and flowering orchids in the fork of a tree. 

He had fun cooling down and we loved the birdsong that stayed with us all along. 

Burglar's Bonanza

To read the heading of my previous post seems apt now and you will soon find out why. 

Sunday saw us having a lovely stroll and lunch in Paul and Robyn's garden, catching up on the latest news and views and having a fun time. Paul continues to amaze us with his abilities in the garden and here are just a few standouts. 

In the time we were away from the house, in broad daylight, the house was broken into and a fair few things taken. I agonised about whether to write about this on the blog but I guess it is no different a part of life then any other things experienced, and memorable in that we hope we never have to live through another. 

The robber, we think it is a he, forced his way into the house from a french door. He was a lucky robber because very unusually on this day we kept the shutters shut in our bedroom and had decided to leave our valuables at home as we were planning a walk after lunch. So he walked off with a couple of handbags haha, the irony, none valuable however, so not much re sale value, but of course all our credit cards, medicare and driving licences and other subscription cards. He also located some fine and precious jewellery and hubby's watch a present to him many years ago. He left all my custom jewellery and all my homemade earrings. Clearly not to his taste. 

What however is quite bizarre is that he took a decanter of whisky and left all the wine bottles, even the Penfolds, took hubby's binoculars, yes, they would fetch a good price, but also my reading glasses from my desk. Did he need them to check what he was choosing to take away I wonder? And finally and most bizarrely he moved all the bedspreads and the mattresses and looked under them, as if he was expecting to find stashes of cash, bags of jewels and other goodies. He was of course disappointed as we haven't quite resorted to those tactics. 

We have lived in many jurisdictions and I have often said that if someone wanted to take things from me because they don't have enough, so long as they don't hurt me, well I suppose I can live with it and live with it I will, though many of the items had a significant sentimental value. Its not a pleasant feeling knowing some stranger has gone through your house but thank goodness we have good neighbours, lovely sunshine and QPolice who were quick and helpful in their follow up and forensics. Now to the pawn shops and Cash Converters to see if any of the stuff turns up there! 

Hold onto your handbag

Today I was doing a live programme at the Radio and one of the articles I read was this one - because it was a break from Covid news and I was curious about what they had to say. 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/strong-returns-the-best-designer-bags-jewellery-to-invest-in/news-story/df3eb1d2934c2bedc54965020d798a44

I read it, tongue in cheek, and thought what a load of baloney, codswallop -but then walked into town and the first shop that hit me was a new one with a spinning wheel and would you believe it designer handbags. So all you women out there - forget gold and titanium, bricks and mortar. An Hermes - Birkin or Louis Vuitton is the one for you - never mind that most of them are not big enough to hold a purse let alone anything else - the funniest bit was don't bother buying new - pay the inflated second hand value price because we think that is better for our world. Oh my, what has the world come to. 😕

Well I laughed my head off and can tell you with certainty that this is one investment advice I will not be following, let alone be caught holding any of these, but its a funny thought storing your investment handbags at home. Would holding one over each shoulder make you an insanely rich woman?

Today's visit to the city was the first after several weeks at home or in the neighbourhood and it was lovely to come across this inventive wall paper for the lobby of a downtown block of flats- Book group this is one for all of us. Wasn't our session fun on zoom last night. 

Finally, just so we always remember where we stand in the world and where so many others are. - In this case under a construction tunnel, admittedly next to some nice art, this must be the neatest homeless  bedding in Brisbane. Sadly the occupant wasn't around but it cant be easy. We need to remember that in covid times where people struggle to survive, put a roof over their head, or keep sanitised. Bricks and mortar still OK with me. 

This is a stunning bit of public art, a woman I suspect, but mercifully lacking any arms with which to hold her investment handbags. 

Lost and pink- Discoveries with Dougall 41

In anticipation of being unlocked on Sunday we took Dougall for a walk - this time we decided to socialise in the dog park with many other dogs. He loved every minute of it. We got home and hubby looked for his glasses. That started a 48 hour search for them in the freezer, under the bed, by the bins, in the letter box, in the garden and in our dirty laundry basket, all to no avail - so he decided to repeat the walk. He walked into the dog park without a dog, it was largely deserted at that time. There was a man at the far end who saw him looking on the ground. "Lost your glasses mate" he said in his cheerful Aussie drawl - "Yes" said my hubby. "Well here is a pair!" he said. Oh the happiness and the joy. We can't manage without our glasses at this point in our lives. Thank you whoever picked them up and put them on the table in the dog park.It is making living with hubby bearable once more! 

Oh and the walk - found some glorious pinks all along the way. Spring peeking. 

 

Lockdown Life

It was a cold and windy day in Brisbane - what I would call EKKA weather - sadly for all of us this wonderful agricultural show  has been cancelled because of the Covid outbreak in some of the local schools. So we are in Lockdown once more, this time fully vaccinated. I fancied some comfort food and it is times like these when I think of my beautiful and capable mother who was super fast, super efficient and lunch was already cooked by the time she bundled us in the car to take us to school. 

Ravioles Cypriot style was what I craved with a kota vrasti - a corn fed chicken boiled with veg. 

So I set about getting my Xmas present out - a food processor from the boys. I measured my ingredients and made a smooth dough - super proud. Set it to rest. My chicken was cooking away. I remembered my sister Niki had given me a ravioli making contraption when she came to Delhi to visit me. I fished it out, and started rolling out my dough. My mixture was halloumi and mint with egg, except I didn't have enough halloumi and I put in too many eggs - but I was not going to admit defeat and I carried on. Rolled out the dough nice and thin, put it in my ravioli maker but realised I couldn't get them out of the mould as I had not floured it. They went into the bin. Now floured (there was flour everywhere)  I filled my ravioli maker with second batch. They came out but distinctly misshapen. Never striving for perfection haha so carried on and finally got to the end of the dough and was ready to cook them. By that time, the egg had oozed out of the dough and stuck to the paper and so it was another massive operation lifting them off and putting them into the boiling broth. At that point and after pulling and pushing they really looked like off the wall slime balls with bumps in them and my faith in my abilities was beginning to wane. 

Unbelievably they held up in the cook and I served them with added halloumi and very succulent chicken and while the photo may not do them justice let me tell you my mother was present at our dinner table and giving me a smile.

Life in memories, dough and ravioles on this sunny but cold Brissie day. 

Discoveries with Dougall 40

And we are in lockdown again, masks everywhere, on faces, under chins, on the paths, flung into the roadside- lets hope they keep us safe from Delta. Setting out with Dougall is invigorating for the both of us - I am fully vaccinated and have come through perfectly fine. He is full of beans as usual. 

What we encounter is always a joy and a new capture on the phone to be shared with you all. 

Vibrant bottle brush appearing on the paths once more - bottle brush colours are always a standout. 

Beautiful bromeliads squeezing through 

Duranta Repens Variegata with its pretty yellow fruit 

And the stunning Hairy Rosewood tree with berries you want to touch and feel.  

Happy August everyone - this month might banish lockdowns forever or keep happening all the time. 

I know which outcome I want to look forward to. Wishing you a safe and happy month.