The weekend we arrived back from Cairns was, a little unsurprisingly, a quiet one. Sunday 26th January was officially Australia Day but Monday 27th became the workers' holiday - and it was a hot and busy one. I understand this picture made international news:
This is Aldinga beach - one of our regular walks. It's a beautiful sandy beach and it's usually quiet. It's also one of the many beaches round Adelaide where you're allowed to drive cars on to the hard-packed sand but we've never seen it looking anything like this.
I guess many people still celebrate Australia Day but there's a growing feeling amongst many Aussies that it's not appropriate to do so any more. It marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet and the raising of the Union flag of GB. In today's Australia, due reverence and deference is given to the original inhabitants of the land.
Jo and I chose to dodge the heat and went to the cinema to watch A Complete Unknown - the Dylan biopic that covers his early years in New York up to the time he "went electric" - and very good it was too.
TUESDAY 28th Jan
We took a run to Brighton beach where the annual Sculptures by the Sea is held. I've posted a lot of the sculptures on Facebook but here's a 3 more with us posing beside them:
We had a beer break on the balcony at the local Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC):
WEDNESDAY 29th Jan
We took our first trip in to the city this morning. Chris had a slightly later meeting at work so he gave us a lift in and dropped us off at his office and Jo and I just wandered round from there. The usual stops - pharmacy, book shops and a coffee stop. We popped in to the Railway Station to top up our Metro cards for the return journey then walked through from there to the Malt Shovel for lunch - a pub that is perfectly situated overlooking the River Torrens and across at the Adelaide Oval, one of the world's most beautiful and iconic sports stadiums (stadia?).
The return train journey was a further opportunity to read a chapter or two of our books and when we arrived at Seaford Meadows station we decided to walk the more scenic and quieter way back to Chris' and Kelly's.
THURSDAY 30th Jan
Although we had exceeded our notional target of 10,000 steps round the city yesterday, it had been a very casual walk with lots of stops. Today we decided to go for a proper walk round the trails at Onkaparinga River Recreation Park:
We had arranged to pick up Asher from OSCH (after school club) at 5 pm - Miller made his own way home from school at 3:30 pm - and drive the boys in to Marion to meet Chris and Kelly, who had an appointment in the city to order materials for their new house. The bait was that we would meet at the Lego store for Asher to pick a present for one of his school pals whose party he was going to on Saturday.
The shop was an eye opener for Jo and me - especially the prices of some of the exhibits. This one exceeded 4-figures in A$:
Our evening meal was in the Food Court - each of us choosing a different franchise - Asian, Indian, Mexican.
FRIDAY 31st Jan
Jo and I went for another late morning walk - our first time this year over the nearby footbridge over the Onkaparinga river - a regular solo trip for me in previous years, doing a loop up the relatively short but steep hill that overlooks the appropriately named Hillview - but I had been spooked by my nasty fall last year and vowed never to do it again - at least not alone.
This time, it was the much gentler Chuch Hill walk with Jo:
After an inspection of the churchyard graves we deposited some of the books we had read in the local bring one, take one, box and then went to Long Shot for coffee.
Friday evening - end of the working week - time to open the gin - not to mention the beer and wine. We had a good old chinwag round the kitchen island.
SATURDAY 1st Feb
I decided it was time to get back on the bike again - maybe not the smartest decision, given the heat allied to a slight lingering effect from the night before. I didn't go far and was glad to eventually get back to the shade and the A/C:
SUNDAY 2nd Feb
Kelly takes the dogs out to the beach a few mornings each week and she usually asks me if I want to tag along. Until now, I'd always said no but this morning I agreed to join her. It was already pretty hot as we set off along the clifftop and down to the beach, followed by a short but occasionally steepish climb back up the cliffs:
It was a busy day - Kelly had arranged to take the boys to the beach and meet up with a couple of the school Mums and their kids. The plan was that this would be done after our morning dog walk and before Chris' Mum and Dad arrived early afternoon. Best laid plans and all that - everyone was running late, but, in the end, we did all get together mid-late afternoon.
Chris' best pal Anthony, who recently celebrated his 50th, also came along and brought with him his new girlfriend Anne-Marie, her daughter and her daughter's pal. The girls spent the entire afternoon in the pool while the boys and Kelly had spent 2 hours in the sea.
MONDAY 3rd Feb
Even hotter today - it reached 39 C (102 F), slightly lower than the forecast 41 C but still pretty unbearable in the full glow of the sun. Jo and I decided that it might be another day for us to go back to the cinema, but, first of all we would do a short walk at Christie's Beach.
Our walk along the beach included a pit stop at the Espy Bakehouse for brunch/early lunch and our first proper Aussie pie. We made it back to the car and then off to the cinema to see Conclave, which, incidentally, is excellent.
We did a short store shop (groceries and liquor are separate shops in Oz) before heading back to Old Noarlunga and a plunge in the pool. The Steele family went in after dinner - boys first, then their parents:
That's all for now, folks.
