The amazing Vic market

Here I am about to eat a polenta pizza for breakfast mmmmmm. Sue & David & Chris are about to eat dough-nuts for breakfast.
I hate to think what Kate's about to eat for breakfast.









Mmmmmmmmm....flathead, new season pink lady apples, huge stuffed olives & donuts.

Morning walk

Each day I've been here I've been going for a "death march" walk with my sister who has longer legs than me...half an hour of torture really, where my bum muscles go into spasm & my calves feel like they are going to burst.... still the scenery is beautiful and I can't give in. (She's my older sister!)
It's weird because the days are getting shorter & shorter here. I keep forgetting which way the seasons are going.

Rheola continued....

A few more pics from the amazing Rheola show... all roads lead to the tiny town at easter and have been for the last 136 years.
Such an Australian phenomenon. I'd forgotten all about the good old Aussie wood chop and the tractor pull.

Easter at Rheola central Victoria (to turf)

When Mum was independant & 'Gung ho', she lived by herself in a mud brick, solar powered, self sufficient house on 40 acres of land up past Bendigo in Victoria, at a place called Rheola.
She planted an avenue of lemon scented gums up the driveway & almost broke her heart & her back trying to carve out a garden in that clay rich, dry as a bone 'gold country'.
My sister & I went with family this Easter for a visit to that dry, grey, soft australian bush. More scented with eucalyptus & lemon than any English rose garden. Relaxing time for Sally & Suez to knit next to the camp fire.

Easter at Airey's Inlet (from surf)

Easter was big.
First Airey's Inlet on Victoria's South Coast. For Mard's 40th.
What a rip snorter. Magreg made 40 flaming arrows & he & Mard shot them at dusk straight at the full moon. In tandem like shadows of each other. I have this one photo but it's really hard to see. The two points of light are the flaming arrows.
We all had a go and boy it was fantastic. I'm completely inspired to take up archery & hire myself out as Eros for weddings & other significant events.
After we'd shot all the arrows off into the ocean, MacGregor dipped the last bit of flame onto the sand and a flaming heart whooshed into being. (One he'd prepared earlier). He had also carved a heart out of sequoia wood that you can see at the beginning of this post.
Wow what a guy.... no wonder Mard looks so happy.

Wednesday...visiting buddies

What luxury it is to have a bit of time to visit my favourite friends in sunny Melbourne. Here are some pics of my buddies Mardi & Macgregor, then Nellie & Katerine (Lula the cat). Thanks Dad. Thanks Ricardo.
It's Mard's 40th coming up.
Question: What would a girl want for her birthday?
Answer: Flaming arrows made & shot by her man into the sea at Airies Inlet....
Here they are being made. Hopefully I'll get some shots of them being fired.
And let's hope another ash Wednesday is NOT forthcoming.

All over..............

And it's done.
James Frederick Thomas 6th February Kuchang Korea 1920 - 2nd April 2006 Reservoir Victoria Australia. (The dash is the most important bit.)
90 people turned up to say goodbye to our lovely dad at Montsalvat yesterday. Old bowling club honchoes, Diamond valley councellors, Matcham, Marcus & Sally, & Louisa Ludbrook as well. Really nice to be there but bloody hard. Why oh why do they make the family walk out first when you can hardly see the ground because you're crying so hard.
It was sunny & warm. I realised what a beautiful family I have & how lucky I am.

Airport 2006

Off to Oz for unfinished Thomas family business.
I'm at Singapore airport.... waiting for my connecting flight to Melbourne.
Knackered.
My eyes are stinging & wont focus. Sick of the smell of a million perfume counters.
Tried to find my cousin. I must have traversed the entire airport, arterial system.. thought i could do with the walk but cowboy boots in 27 degree heat weren't such a good idea.
Missing my buddy Richard already.... Miss you babe....lots.
An airoplane surrounded by strangers is a lonesome place.

Hope & friends

This beautiful basket of flowers came from my friend Vicky.
Seems easier to see hope in Spring time.

From great change and endings, come new beginnings and opportunities.

My Dad died... suddenly.... on the other side of the world... we think a massive heart attack...he was 86. It's left a kind of Dad shaped hole.
Even though he wasn't around much when my sister & I were little (through work and the expectations of the era) I eventually got to know him when I hit my forties and lashed out at the world & all who'd had an influence on my life... trying to find the fault somewhere. In fact the "lash out" was the best thing that could have happened. It meant I met with Dad beside the river about 5 years ago on a cold but sunny day & we sat and talked about things we'd never talked about before. He opened up so honestly & gracefully. I felt as if I'd finally seen & heard him.
He came over to the UK when we got married in 2003 and had a grand time despite being pissed off that he couldn't hire a car here at the age of 83 (he was still driving 12 hours or more each winter to go on holiday in sunny queensland).