I haven't written here for such a while but I am inspired by my determination that this year will be one when I try to make more time for creativity. I know I already do lots of creative things but all too often they reflect my interpretation of someone else's creativity. I also know that there is nothing new under the sun but still, would be nice to generate a little more original thought to contribute to the greater pool.
We are now a week into our Summer Cottage Point Season. I have booked out the whole of January for ourselves - after all, that is why we bought it. The house was booked out for much of November and December and it was very nice to hear how much our guests enjoyed staying there. It gives me pleasure every time to see that the hard work that went into setting the house up to be as comfortable as possible has paid off.
This last week it has just been Eva and I and with one thing and another, we only stayed half the week at Cottage Point. It has been one of the hottest weeks on record in Australia's recent history and considering the bushfire risk, I decided that we would return home on Tuesday. The thermometer peaked at around 43C which is pretty damn hot by local standards. I spent the day in reasonably pleasant conditions at work whilst Eva was entertained by our babysitter, Gina in a variety of airconditioned spaces. The boys meanwhile were living it up in Niseko, Japan in -16C or so and enjoying themselves immensely. Eva was well out of sorts in the absence of her boys. We have had a very quiet week with lots of movies, walks to the park, swims in the pool and plenty of craft. Reading, sewing, drawing and a little shopping. I've done very little cooking through a total lack of inspiration and profound laziness. Topped off by the fact that my arthritis is playing up and affecting my jaw and hands, making it very difficult to prepare food and to chew it. Lots of soft pasta for me this week.
Simon joined us for the weekend with my niece Illy. Lovely to have their company. The girls played (mostly) harmoniously, and Simon and I sat for hours on the verandah looking over the water, reading, talking about everything and nothing and answering the calls of girls to mediate disputes, get food, more food, drinks, help put up cubby houses, kiss bruised knees and egos and so on. We took them swimming in the pool at the Yacht club and Eva's newly acquired swimming skills advanced another quantum leap - a delight to watch as she practices and practices and stretches and stretches herself just a little more everytime. So pleased with herself and rightly so. I know many would argue we have been irresponsible not to have forced her into swimming lessons before this time but she never liked them, protested loudly and it was just miserable all around. I figured she do it in her own good time, as she does most things. I'll get her a few individual lessons now which will be much more cost effective than years of expensive, mutually painful and inefficient group lessons. The boys will be very excited to see how much she has improved in a week too.
We left Bondi at lunchtime yesterday after visiting Linda and Mark who have just returned from a a year travelling with their two children. So good to see them. The temperature had already dropped from high 30s in the morning to a pleasantly cool mid 20s with a little rain by the time we left. But Cottage Point was still 36C when we arrived and very humid. SImon took the girls to the pool and I headed to the Supercenta for more fans. The house is so beautifully designed for cross-ventilation except for the bedroom mezzanines which trap the heat badly and become untenable in hot weather. I have explored many solutions in terms of whirly gigs etc but to no avail - the roof is too steep, made of the wrong material, etc etc. So, down to cheap fans to try to force a little circulation of air.
By the time I returned, the temperature had plummeted 15 degrees. We opened up the house and within an hour, the house had also cooled. We sat outside after dinner until the mozzies forced us in and the possums got too cheeky. Right on schedule, the first possum emerged from its box on the verandah at about 8.30pm. It was soon followed by another, less tame individual. Our first emergee made its way to the verandah floor and found a crust of bread, no doubt abandoned by one of the girls. It sat happily at our feet. Against my better judgement but wanting to demonstrate how tame it was, I presented the very grateful possum with a small sprig of grapes which he gladly consumed. Boldened, he then climbed up to the table and began to explore, looking for more delights. Simon was delighted to see them so close. They grew bored with us and took off to explore and over the next couple of hours we sighted them from time to time climbing the fly screens or banging on the roof. I warned Simon to mind his toes after my experience of having one of them nibbled by our bold and furry friend. I guess they could be mistaken for grapes in the dark.
This morning we awoke to a cool, slow, still and beautifully subdued day. A grey sky and all the colours of the water and bush merging in an array of subtle greens and greys and a faint mist on the water and over the distant hills. We ate our Sunday pancakes outside and watched the sea eagle peruse his territory - coming close enough to get a good look at his white and grey plumage and appreciate what a substantial and graceful bird he or she is. My jaw was so sore that it really got in the way of enjoying my pancakes, even bedecked with fresh raspberries and Harris Farm cinnamon and honey yoghurt. Yum. I stoked myself with an armamentarium of drugs and as I write this evening, I am no longer in so much pain.
We decided to take the children walking and headed for West Head to our favourite America Bay walk but were dissapointed to discover that, despite the lower temperature, all the tracks were closed because of fire danger - a risk of lightning strikes apparently. We headed for the entrance to the park where there is a fire trail and commenced on a brief walk - the girls were already whining. They lasted around 20 minutes before needing a break on a convenient rock platform that afforded a good view over the valley towards the ridge on which Mona Vale rd sits. Eva consumed 2 large nutella sandwiches. We had a clear view of the B'Hai temple. Eva became preoccupied by the occasional inch long red and black ants that we sighted on the way and was unable to comprehend the level of risk they posed to her (ie hardly any) despite all of my best cognitive therapy efforts. She declared she never wanted to bush walk again. Illy spent most of the route back on Simon's shoulders. Sigh. Our little bush babies. Not.
After another swim and some lunch and a final verandah session, Simon and Illy headed home, Deanna having been allowed a peaceful weekend of gestating and thesis writing. I cleaned up a bit in anticipation of the boys' imminent arrival (not that I expect they will notice) and stole a quiet half an hour with my difficult puzzle (David's coronation of Josephine by Napoleon)- lots of browns. I planted some pieces of a ground cover that Linda had struck and ignored very successfully in Bondi and on cue, the skies opened with a wonderful, exhilarating, cleansing storm - a perfect start. Not the best time to be planting but you never know. The ground is terribly dry. One of my jobs for tomorrow is to call the fellow who looks after they treated effluent system and get him to come and consult re the watering system.
We are now a week into our Summer Cottage Point Season. I have booked out the whole of January for ourselves - after all, that is why we bought it. The house was booked out for much of November and December and it was very nice to hear how much our guests enjoyed staying there. It gives me pleasure every time to see that the hard work that went into setting the house up to be as comfortable as possible has paid off.
This last week it has just been Eva and I and with one thing and another, we only stayed half the week at Cottage Point. It has been one of the hottest weeks on record in Australia's recent history and considering the bushfire risk, I decided that we would return home on Tuesday. The thermometer peaked at around 43C which is pretty damn hot by local standards. I spent the day in reasonably pleasant conditions at work whilst Eva was entertained by our babysitter, Gina in a variety of airconditioned spaces. The boys meanwhile were living it up in Niseko, Japan in -16C or so and enjoying themselves immensely. Eva was well out of sorts in the absence of her boys. We have had a very quiet week with lots of movies, walks to the park, swims in the pool and plenty of craft. Reading, sewing, drawing and a little shopping. I've done very little cooking through a total lack of inspiration and profound laziness. Topped off by the fact that my arthritis is playing up and affecting my jaw and hands, making it very difficult to prepare food and to chew it. Lots of soft pasta for me this week.
Simon joined us for the weekend with my niece Illy. Lovely to have their company. The girls played (mostly) harmoniously, and Simon and I sat for hours on the verandah looking over the water, reading, talking about everything and nothing and answering the calls of girls to mediate disputes, get food, more food, drinks, help put up cubby houses, kiss bruised knees and egos and so on. We took them swimming in the pool at the Yacht club and Eva's newly acquired swimming skills advanced another quantum leap - a delight to watch as she practices and practices and stretches and stretches herself just a little more everytime. So pleased with herself and rightly so. I know many would argue we have been irresponsible not to have forced her into swimming lessons before this time but she never liked them, protested loudly and it was just miserable all around. I figured she do it in her own good time, as she does most things. I'll get her a few individual lessons now which will be much more cost effective than years of expensive, mutually painful and inefficient group lessons. The boys will be very excited to see how much she has improved in a week too.
We left Bondi at lunchtime yesterday after visiting Linda and Mark who have just returned from a a year travelling with their two children. So good to see them. The temperature had already dropped from high 30s in the morning to a pleasantly cool mid 20s with a little rain by the time we left. But Cottage Point was still 36C when we arrived and very humid. SImon took the girls to the pool and I headed to the Supercenta for more fans. The house is so beautifully designed for cross-ventilation except for the bedroom mezzanines which trap the heat badly and become untenable in hot weather. I have explored many solutions in terms of whirly gigs etc but to no avail - the roof is too steep, made of the wrong material, etc etc. So, down to cheap fans to try to force a little circulation of air.
By the time I returned, the temperature had plummeted 15 degrees. We opened up the house and within an hour, the house had also cooled. We sat outside after dinner until the mozzies forced us in and the possums got too cheeky. Right on schedule, the first possum emerged from its box on the verandah at about 8.30pm. It was soon followed by another, less tame individual. Our first emergee made its way to the verandah floor and found a crust of bread, no doubt abandoned by one of the girls. It sat happily at our feet. Against my better judgement but wanting to demonstrate how tame it was, I presented the very grateful possum with a small sprig of grapes which he gladly consumed. Boldened, he then climbed up to the table and began to explore, looking for more delights. Simon was delighted to see them so close. They grew bored with us and took off to explore and over the next couple of hours we sighted them from time to time climbing the fly screens or banging on the roof. I warned Simon to mind his toes after my experience of having one of them nibbled by our bold and furry friend. I guess they could be mistaken for grapes in the dark.
This morning we awoke to a cool, slow, still and beautifully subdued day. A grey sky and all the colours of the water and bush merging in an array of subtle greens and greys and a faint mist on the water and over the distant hills. We ate our Sunday pancakes outside and watched the sea eagle peruse his territory - coming close enough to get a good look at his white and grey plumage and appreciate what a substantial and graceful bird he or she is. My jaw was so sore that it really got in the way of enjoying my pancakes, even bedecked with fresh raspberries and Harris Farm cinnamon and honey yoghurt. Yum. I stoked myself with an armamentarium of drugs and as I write this evening, I am no longer in so much pain.
We decided to take the children walking and headed for West Head to our favourite America Bay walk but were dissapointed to discover that, despite the lower temperature, all the tracks were closed because of fire danger - a risk of lightning strikes apparently. We headed for the entrance to the park where there is a fire trail and commenced on a brief walk - the girls were already whining. They lasted around 20 minutes before needing a break on a convenient rock platform that afforded a good view over the valley towards the ridge on which Mona Vale rd sits. Eva consumed 2 large nutella sandwiches. We had a clear view of the B'Hai temple. Eva became preoccupied by the occasional inch long red and black ants that we sighted on the way and was unable to comprehend the level of risk they posed to her (ie hardly any) despite all of my best cognitive therapy efforts. She declared she never wanted to bush walk again. Illy spent most of the route back on Simon's shoulders. Sigh. Our little bush babies. Not.
After another swim and some lunch and a final verandah session, Simon and Illy headed home, Deanna having been allowed a peaceful weekend of gestating and thesis writing. I cleaned up a bit in anticipation of the boys' imminent arrival (not that I expect they will notice) and stole a quiet half an hour with my difficult puzzle (David's coronation of Josephine by Napoleon)- lots of browns. I planted some pieces of a ground cover that Linda had struck and ignored very successfully in Bondi and on cue, the skies opened with a wonderful, exhilarating, cleansing storm - a perfect start. Not the best time to be planting but you never know. The ground is terribly dry. One of my jobs for tomorrow is to call the fellow who looks after they treated effluent system and get him to come and consult re the watering system.
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