How to get a Spitfire going...

...backwards. A secret talent, with nothing up my sleeves, but luckily some other folks with real muscle.

We had the bi-annual RAAF Museum Pageant last Sunday. It was a busy, fun and knackering weekend, but we were lucky with the weather (I wasn't - I got burned hands for the first time!) and there were loads of highlights, but here's a smile, getting to push one of Australia's only two flying Spitfires That's me at the port (left) wingtip). Pic by Glenn Alderton (thanks Glenn) who normally takes a lot more interesting photos! They can be seen on the website he runs here.

The real Spitfire driver is Guy Bourke, seen here taxiing out for the display.

Sunrise mutterings

It's getting light later in the mornings now, and for the last few days when I've stepped out of the door to take Toby for his walk, the sky is suffused with pink. This morning was no different - I wish I'd had my camera with me. There were dove-grey clouds in front pale blue and pink sky, all chopped up and far away. Perhaps there's a breeze up there, but it was quiet, very quiet, and still in our streets. No-one else was out, except for a solo dog walker and a teenager who whizzed past on a bike.

Here's a photo I took on Sunday, of a colourful corner of our neighbourhood:


Do you ever feel like you're being watched?

cheers,

Bev

Saturdays are for playing in the park

It's a blustery Saturday morning, and the clouds are skidding around in a big blue sky. Toby and I ran around to the park this morning where it was all too exciting - he obviously didn't know whether to sniff all the smells first, or chase the ball, or roll, or dig. It must be quite fun to be a dog. In the end, he sat there and wiggled his bum and tail excitedly as he lifted his nose to sniiiiif the air - ah, a nice bouquet! He looked like he was drinking a fine glass of wine.


I'm trying to teach Toby to find his ball. Partly 'cause I'm lazy, and partly because he has a better nose than I do. And it's a dirty green ball on a dead grass green park. So we practiced, with me hiding the ball all over the park and asking him to find it - each time he did, he got a cuddle, lots and lots of praise, and of course, the all-important slice of hot dog. That dog will do anything for a piece of processed meat that I shudder to think of ingesting. However, he IS a dog...

Anyway, just at the end I hurled the ball long and far and told him to go find it, because this time, I really truly had lost it and had no idea. Off he charged, and then he bounced around in a flowerbed telling me 'it's here somewhere' and then, all of a sudden, he sat and stared up into the bushes above the flowerbed - and lo and behold, the ball was stuck in the crook of a branch. I think I was gushing when I told him how clever he was. That dog looked so proud of himself and pranced all the way home....

Now we're having a lovely quiet morning together - he's doing dog-doughnut (nose under tail) on his bed next to me, and I have been ranging online, looking at quilting, crafting and other wonderful sites like this colourful one, and this tempting one, and of course, checking up on the Craft Sanity blog.

Happy Saturday!

Bev

Self portrait with in-laws and Henry

It's fun just to see what can come up if you look at the geometry around you. The National Gallery of Victoria has a monolithic but appealing building, and a neat sculpture garden with a brushed steel Japanese style bridge. Pam & Jim were happy to stop while I caught a self portrait, and one of Mr Moore's ladies regarded things from a comfortable reclining position.

We then had coffee, which is what art galleries are really for.

James

Tomatoes.

One of the best things about summer is having our own tomatoes. These beasts are the largest we've had off the vines, and nearly the last. That's a 50 cent piece there, for scale (on a very nice tablecloth supplied by Bev's aunt Pat - thanks Pat!). A 50 cent is the same size as a 50p piece, for the Poms, and is big and scary sized as a coin for Americans...

James

Greetings

Well, G'day.

This blog was set up in response to a request from several friends of ours, and while we feel like early adopters, we are assured that blogs are the way to go.

We'll aim to post an update at least once a week, and would love to hear back from you as well.

There's plenty of news, mild amusement and thoughts, random which we hope will be of interest, and we'd like your responses to them to appear as well.

Cheers

James