While Not Working

The Council announced, with great fanfare on social media, that the boardwalk around the headland between Port Noarlunga and Christie's Beach was complete. A teaser. I got excited.  The boardwalk had been under construction for some time and completion meant that people such as myself, cycling or walking the coastal pathway, no longer had to puff and pant up over the headland but could saunter at their leisure along the boardwalk.  The pictures on social media looked impressive.  Roger and I got to planning: ride our bikes to the train, catch the train, ride along the esplanade and the boardwalk, turn around and reverse the process.  If the cafes at Noarlunga should seduce us with tasty comestibles so much the better. Off we went on our bicycles. "My goodness I'm unfit!" said Roger, after cycling 50m. He cycled another 50m and discovered that it wasn't him at all - his front tyre was flat as a tack and quite unrideable. "I'll take your spare bike instead...

We're half way through our time in a house under the flight path in Adelaide's suburbs. We have two dogs in our care while their humans are off gallivanting and enjoying a winter Christmas/New Year with a dose of Northern Lights thrown in. One dog has short legs and the other has long legs, which causes a distinct mismatch of ability on their daily walks, and they refuse to walk alone.  Short becomes hysterical with excitement when walks are imminent: he breaks into paroxysms of delight when a person collects doggie bags and  struggles to be still long enough for application of his lead and harness. He pulls like a steam train all the way to the end of the driveway and gallops at double pace while Long takes a leisurely stroll, sniffing at this and that and gobbling up anything that is vaguely food-related.  And then, half way along the first block, Short runs out of puff and the walk finishes at glacial pace. Long is very patient. Short, I suspect, has trained his humans...

It's the last day of the year. Time to figure out what I did with my time over the past 364 days... In 2024 I, along with Roger, cared for a total of 7 dogs, 5 cats, and 1 snake* in 8 houses in Goolwa, McClarenvale, Victor Harbor, and various suburbs around Adelaide. Pet Selection.   We had short stays in Air Bnbs, motels, and caravan park cabins in Mt Barker, Goolwa, Milang, and all around Adelaide. The pick of them all was the old butcher shop in Milang. Plus a whole heap in Tasmania but that was on holiday so it's different. Pick of the bunch.  I went on two bicycle tours and pedaled a shade under 2800km for the year.   We had one wallet and one bicycle stolen. Roger got off to a late start on the bicycle front but managed one bicycle tour and clocked up an impressive 1500ish km in just the last 6 months of the year. And that was despite the stolen bicycle so imagine what he could have done otherwise! And he's off! We caught planes to Tasmania (both of us), Sydney (Rog...

Here I am in the void between Christmas and New Year, full of cheese and chocolate and not knowing when to put the bin out because I haven't a clue what day of the week it is. Let's backpedal a bit. I spent the week before Christmas working because someone had to have holidays and it wasn't me. In between working I found several Santas;  went to a Christmas party; Hmmm.   visited Milang where I found my box of Christmas decorations in the storage shed; Pelican flight.  Much more interesting than dusty boxes of decorations.    and tried to take photos of two very patient dogs in Christmas hats. I don't think I have a future as a pet photographer.   My BD (beautiful daughter) arrived by bus and spent three whirlwind days with us, including Christmas day with rellies in Mountain Barker. Not the BD, in case you were wondering.   We took her on a lickety-split tour of Adelaide: Evening picnic at Henley Beach, Big wheel at Glenelg.   Then we decided tha...

I had to go to the dentist as one does periodically, to ensure one's feelings of wealth are adequately controlled.  It was a hot day, well over 35C and humid.  I decided to drive the car to the dentist, rather than riding my bike. The dentist and I had a convivial meeting, at the end of which she presented me with a plan describing all the ways I could spend money on my ageing teeth.  I drove off along busy Port Road, spitting and spluttering at the cacky taste of fluoride treatment in my mouth, and thanking my lucky stars that I hadn't ridden my bicycle in the sizzling heat.  Look at me, turning into a South Australian and whinging about one 30C+ day. Christmas is coming, dentist or no dentist.  There I was, driving along Port Road minding my own business and contemplating dental expenses and all of a sudden alarms pinged, lights flashed, and the car displayed messages to the effect that I had a Problem With Battery or Electrics. Being a responsible car driver,...

We stayed in a unit in North Adelaide. It was a little tatty around the edges but it met the necessary requirements and as a bonus it was slap bang in the middle of North Adelaide where I hadn't yet had a chance to explore. North Adelaide, as it turned out, was dripping with beautiful old buildings from Adelaide's earliest days.  I spoke to the lady trimming shrubbery outside Carclew House , and she very kindly let me come inside and look at the grand staircase and the ballroom. On the way back down the hill I found St Peter's Cathedral .  Normally I would have been able to go inside but sadly it was closed to the public due to rehearsals for a school Christmas concert, so I had to content myself with peering in through the barred doors and prowling around outside like a true cathedral stalker. When I got back to the unit I discovered that the lounge room curtain had parted company with the ceiling. The girl on reception wasn't too worried about it: "Just don't...