Elizabeth's Post

Loved this post of my daughter, Elizabeth's, on facebook today and as this is our family blog/album I have asked if I may share it with you...

"""It was freezing! Even the wet sand was toe numbing. The day almost ended before it started when Caleb skinned his knee and cried for a solid 5min. Went combing along the beach, found some cool crabs in a couple of rock pools, David filled another one up (note to self: never ever step in a yellow rock pool) and then we found a little patch of hidden beach to go paddling in.

I can't explain how much energy they burnt off! They were running and shouting and throwing and digging and pushing and shoving and laughing and laughing and laughing non stop for 3hrs. Then we came home and David tore the end of his big toe off. I'm still trying to work out how I'm going to wash the sand and salt off him.

it runs in the family

I've been intrigued with this little patch of coast lately. Just a few hundred meters down the beach (in both directions) and there's kilometres of fine white sand and clear green waters. They're beautiful clean beaches, they've won national awards. But they're so...stereotypical.

And then you come around the corner to this Point and it's so dissimilar that it's like visiting a foreign country. Even the sand is different, it's courser and studded with thousands of shells. There's reef everywhere, in the water and out. There's remnants of rocks all along the beach and little caves washed into the limestone cliff. I'm sitting on the beach here but looking 20m to my right and there's surf smashing against the reef, filling dozens of rock pools. And another 80m beyond that, I'ld be standing on a massive hill looking down on the bays and islands.

And it's quiet! I've never seen more than half a dozen cars in the car park. So when you do actually stumble into someone you can't just walk passed them (like you would on the street), you do the neighbourly thing and greet them and ask them if they had any luck fishing or tell their kids where to find a rock pool with crabs or fish in it.

It's untouched enough to confront you with..this sounds cheesy...the majesty of nature... the spectacular force of the waves, the echoes of them breaking all around, the way the sun light bounces off the water, the clean seabreeze (blowing in fresh from Antarctica) hitting you full in the face. It's timeless. And it grounding.... it's been here, doing its thing, ebbing and flowing and eroding away for hundreds of years and no matter what problems I have today, it'll be here doing it's thing for hundreds more. I really needed that today. I think we all came home tired but reinvigorated. And tanned.


 Oh! And some of the rock formations! I'm the first to admit...it's "just" a rock, right? But when you see them through a childs eyes... there's one near here that has the same profile as a naval gun ship. Then a little further south there's another one that reminds me of a pirates cog in full sail. And a couple of km down the coast, there's one last rocky, reefy formation waaaaay off shore.... I'm pretty sure I spent the first 15 years of my life thinking it was a rice barge like the ones I'd seen as a kid on the river in Bangkok."""

Hope you enjoyed Eliz's words and photos as much as I did,
Have a great weekend
Sue
xxx
 

Mum's Muffins

I first wrote this recipe down on the 10th August 1998 and have no idea how many times I have used it since then!

You'll need

1 cup of milk
1 egg
1/3 cup of vegetable oil

Blend them together and then stir in

2 1/2 cups of SR flour
1/3 cup sugar

Choose from this list of treats or add your own favourites...

1 orange, processed
100gm choc chips
a chopped apple
300 gms chopped rhubarb
2-3 mashed bananas
3/4 cup of frozen blueberries

I only had 2T of blueberries so threw some choc chips and seeds in to make it up.
Bake at 190C for 15-20 minutes. That's it! They'll freeze well and will satisfy that sweet tooth without too many calories.
Mum will ask why I am using paper cases again...because I lost my muffin pans as well as a few other items when we moved house last year. Sorry.

I keep meaning to show you these photos of the long-billed corellas that we see around the area now...these were on the seafront over-looking the Indian Ocean. They are big, noisy and destructive and just fascinating to watch, I love 'em!

I've had a lovely week and am looking forward to 2 outings this weekend, a special soccer match and the the casino with Mum on Sunday.
What are your plans?
Hope you have a lovely weekend whatever you decide to do,
Love, Sue

Priscilla has just updated her blog and has some rather exciting news, the link is on the right-hand side of this page. Please keep her in your thoughts. xox

Stormy Weather

For the last two days we have been buffeted by up to 140km per hour winds and lost our power for the afternoon yesterday. Other households have been without electricity now for over 24hours,  local shops have sold out of candles and batteries and in the shopping centre many shops and all the banks are closed. Trees and fences are down, branches have crashed into roofs and cars and some schools had to close too. Our local hospital has been running on it's generators overnight.

I've just been out to take some photos(please just call me Your Intrepid Reporter!)....this rather unusual ship has been in Warnbro Sound for a few days now, not sure what's it's purpose is and it hasn't moved it's location....

This is the Bent Street jetty, almost underwater, you can see the tip of Tern Island on the right where the kite-boarders were last week...it was too windy even for them today, in fact I could hardly stand up on this western facing beach....

A few doors away from our house a large branch had snapped off this huge eucalyptus tree and broken half the roof tiles...

This huge tree was being trimmed before any of it landed on the children's playground next to the library...2 workers in the cherry picker and about 20 supervising!

I stopped on Arcadia Drive facing Seal Island and watched in awe as the clouds moved and the sun broke through over Point Peron....the pelicans in the next photo were struggling to get back to Penguin Island to roost for the night but they were almost stationary...

Around the corner and into the more sheltered Cockburn Sound there were at least three pleasure craft on Palm Beach....this cabin cruiser didn't look damaged...

the rest of these boats are safe on their moorings...

Sadly two beautiful yachts are also on the beach nearby...this will be a huge task to get them off...

As if we haven't had enough damage there are worse storms forecast for tomorrow so I hope there are no injuries, houses and boats can be repaired, we are somewhat more fragile,
Take care
Love from Sue
xx

A Walk on Tern Island

What do you do when you are feeling very sad? I head out to the beach, especially in Winter when we have clear days like this week. In the afternoon the 'breeze' off the Indian Ocean is very strong and kite surfers make the most of this shallow bay that has formed between Tern Island and the main beach...12 years ago Tern Island was indeed an island, a large sandbar that kept growing until finally it has turned into a spit. It is a sanctuary for birds...

You can see Penguin Island in the background, there is a Fairy Penguin Conservation Centre on that island as well as the pelican breeding area...

I was delighted to find this pile of seaweed mimicking the shape of the small island on the horizon.....one of the local fishing boats is on the left, Warnbro Sound is rich in crayfish, crabs and all manner of fish...

The seaweeds are quite beautiful...

and these twisted and worn roots look like old rope....

Looking back toward the foreshore at Safety Bay....

hehe I look like I'm on stilts.....

...and perhaps I should have read these notices before I went a-walking...

Hope you enjoyed our little walk, it certainly cleared my head and showed me how fortunate I am to live in such a beautiful place.

My poor Dad is having his last 8 teeth removed today, I could cry thinking about that but he said "Don't you worry about it!" Hopefully having full dentures will be easier for him now. I have to go to Mandurah for my 3 monthly venesection this morning...what fun!

Bye bye for now,
Love Sue

Horses and Carriage, Like Love and Marriage

On our way home from Mandurah yesterday, Deb and I stopped at the Boat Ramp Cafe opposite the new ramp on the Safety Bay Foreshore. As I sipped my orange juice I realised I could see a white horse through the trees across the road.  We walked over and there were 2 beauties and a replica carriage being readied for a local wedding. Also admiring them were Deb, Chloe and Chelsea....Chelsea was in Deb's class the year I was her asst(10yrs ago) and Chloe had been in Kerry  and Jane's class with me about 14yrs ago! Eeek. Anyway here are some of my photos.

Deb had to kiss them much to Chelsea's delight!

They were both males and around 16yrs of age

The driver's hat

The beautiful replica carriage, a phaeton perhaps from the early 1800s?

I took lots of photos at Dolphin Quay in Mandurah and will share them this week.

Our little family has 3 birthdays today, all in England. Auntie Jessie, cousin Dave and second cousin Rebecca...hope you have a lovely day xoxo

It's a public holiday here tomorrow for Labour Day and the forecast is for 35C!
Happy Long Weekend fellow Westies,
Love from Sue
xx

Filming In Our Street, Polarised

Earlier in the week we had a short note in our letter-box warning us in advance that Wire Horse Films would be filming in our street and that "If you see some strange vehicles and suspicious looking cameramen, don't worry, it's just us!"

It's short film set in this area of a 13yr old girl who "learns many lessons about growing up while holidaying at her grandmother's house with her younger brother, Michael." Beth is played by Olivia De Jonge who has been nominated for Best Young Actor at next years's Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Awards. She has also  come to the attention of director, Sophie Coppola, in the US. Her younger brother is played by a young Inglewood lad called Caderyn who is brimming with self confidence and offered Joe a nectarine when he went out to talk to them! I'll never forget his strident voice performing the only spoken line of the day, "Walk the plank you scurvy dogs. I'll have no insubordination on my ship!"

http://www.davidspring.com/2010/09/olivia-de-jonge-tells-us-story-from-set.html

 I'll let Joe's photos do the talking now.

Setting up...they couldn't close the road like they do in Hollywood so the man at the far end of the street(and the one at this end) called "CAR" when one approached and the children were quickly moved off the road.

Emma powders Olivia's nose while Caderyn waits his turn...he wanted her to do his Mum's nose too but she preferred shiny...he then noticed how shiny Joe's bald head is and thought that was wonderful!

Producer/Director, Steve Fleming, goes through the scene one last time before calling, "Silence on set!"

The lovely Emma Vickery directs with one of those nectarines in hand!

Steve holds on to his hat

Scene shot, Cadem heads back to his Mum, she told Joe that they'd been working since 6am!

It's a wrap....or whatever they say...thanks for the interesting afternoon team! The film will be shown at Film Festivals in Fremantle and Melbourne at this point and then possibly New York.

I do hope you are enjoying your weekend, my grandchildren are playing T-ball this morning but we don't have any plans at all....well I have knitty and garden plans :)

Love from Sue
xx