Weekend in Carrickalinga (1)

Kelly, Jo, Miller and I headed south on Friday to the holiday home that Chris and Kelly had rented for the weekend. It's one of their favourite spots and it's an area Jo and I knew as well, having just spent a week in nearby Normanville.

We took a detour in to Glenelg - another place we know well, having stayed there on our two previous trips Down Under - to get me a new pair of thongs. (Don't panic - that's Aussie for flip-flops!) We bypassed the dancing waters in the square at Glenelg - Miller was in his element:

He didn't even mind when the waters shot up his trouser leg - as witnessed above.

We had lunch overlooking the Marina, adjacent to the apartments we used to stay in. Miller had his favourite Babycinno:

Further south, we had another quick pit stop at Myponga Brewery:

It's known as the Smiling Samoyed brewery - and here's why:

Finally we arrived at what we thought would be a beachside "shack" in Carrickalinga:

This is the view from the upper decking:

Chris arrived a bit later - after a day's work, and having picked up the emergency supplies of red wine and champagne, which we planned to attack over the 2 nights here.

More to follow.

Thursday week 3

Of course, it's now Friday morning in Adelaide and I'm celebrating Andy Murray's success in winning through last night to another Aussie Open Final on Sunday. Hope he does a bit better than the last time we were in Melbourne 4 years ago.

The train journey in to the city yesterday was easy. We got on at Peterhead station and were advised by a friendly lady not to bother buying tickets on the train but just to wait and do it at the machines when we arrived in Adelaide. Well, there were no machines so we had to stand in line at the information kiosk - and, incidentally, they don't give free travel to overseas Seniors - only locals.

We had a to do/wish list but there was nothing really desperate on it so we weren't really in despair when we failed on most of the tasks. We managed to get me a new watch strap and I did pick up a book from the Oxfam store, but otherwise it was failure.

We had a lovely fatty nibble and drink at Brunelli's and we hoped to have a beer at the Exeter but it seems there has been a change of ownership there and it was all Cooper's beers so I exited and we went instead to the nearby Elephant British Pub. It was OK but perhaps we should have popped in to the Austral instead.

Only one photo from yesterday - Miller sweeping up:

Today we're getting ready to head back down south again - to a house in Carrickalinga that Kelly and Chris like to go to. A couple of nights there and then back on Sunday evening.

Some observations of the little bit of this vast continent that we've seen so far on this visit:

• Ants - lots of them - especially in Derby St. Thankfully not in the house.
• Barkless trees - huge chunks of bark appear to fall off the trees entirely randomly. Mind your head!
• Not as hot yet as previous visits - very pleasant in fact - we've only had a few days in the 30's so far.
• Mosquitoes - I've had a few more bites than on previous visits. Nothing more than an irritation, however, and nothing like as bad as Scottish midges!
• Spiders - the house Huntsman is nowhere to be seen. Where has she gone? There is a spider in one of Kelly's car's mirrors, however, as you can tell from the webs that are there every day:

Wednesday

I made a start on this blog diary entry last night but didn't get very far. It's now Thursday morning and therefore the present tense no longer applies.

Jo's watching The Block on TV so I'm passing the time by blogging about today's events.

Kelly was off work so she took us on a drive up the Adelaide Hills, just past Hahndorf to the Kiddies' Farm Barn. Miller took a shine to some of the animals, but, strangely, not the little cute ones like the kid goats and the Guinea Pigs.

It's definitely more of a farm and not a zoo - you're allowed to enter the outdoor pens and feed the large animals. We had one packet of feed and Jo was carrying it when we entered the enclosure containing the deer, who instantly accosted her for it:

They were harmless, but quite aggressive in their search for the goodies and Jo felt quite intimidated. One of them ripped the bottom of the packet open and seed scattered everywhere, whereupon Jo threw the rest away, hoping the deer would then go away. No chance - they reckoned she must have had more and when she and Kelly turned their backs on them, the deer started to nibble at the bottom of their cardigans. (We were up in the hills and it was still morning so there was a bit of a chill wind at times).

Miller really loved the old tractor that was lying around:

Lunch was at a pretty little place in Hahndorf - speciality salads - after which we headed back down to the city and took a slight detour out to have a look at Penfolds Magill Estate. They had tours and tastings going on, but there was also a huge amount of building work going on - apparently a major extension of their visitor facilities. With Miller asleep in the car with Kelly, Jo and I just popped out for a few photos, including these ones of the beautifully maintained old buildings:

We got back to Semaphore mid-afternoon, affording me the opportunity to go for another cycle and attempt to justify the beers that would end my very brief alcohol abstention. I headed south along the beach esplanade this time - right in to the teeth of what was a pretty strong wind coming off the Southern Ocean. I guess the last land the wind crossed would be Antartica, but you would never know it - it was strong but warm. This is the track I cycle on:

I only went as far as Grange, where Jo and I had walked to a couple of weeks ago, so it was just a little longer than yesterday at 19+ kms. Here I am at the cafe that Jo and I had breakfast at:

My knee has coped well with our various walks and the 2 recent cycles - it must have known that my appointment to fix my torn cartilage was imminent and, sure enough, I've just had confirmation that the operation will be on Monday 23rd February - just 2 days after we get back.

Today (Thursday) Jo and I are home alone again and are planning to catch the train in to the city to have a stroll around and do a bit of shopping. Chris' car is also available, but I don't think we'll need it.

Tuesday - down day

Yesterday was very quiet - Miller was at Day Care and Kelly and Chris were back at work, so Jo and I were home alone. Jo wasn't feeling on top of the world - listless is how I would describe her - so all we did was walk down to Semaphore Road and buy the ingredients for the salad for tea from Foodland - although we did stop for a cold drink and some dips at Swedish Tart.

We also decided to have an alcohol free day - our first since we came here. Surprise, surprise, Jo's feeling better today.

It's Wednesday so Kelly's off and we're planning to go somewhere today - perhaps a winery and/or the Kids' Farm Barn. She's just back from the gym - Chris was at his gym before he went to work, so we were in charge of Miller between gym sessions. Jo skulked in her room for a while before Miller and I invaded her space.

I did, however, manage my first cycle of the year yesterday on Chris' bike, complete with Miller's baby seat. I stayed off the road and cycled north up the beach jogging/walking/cycling path, covering a modest 16 + kms and stopping for occasional photo opportunities, including this one at the Marina:

Australia Day

Well, it was a delightful, if slightly boozy, day yesterday, starting with champagne - 3 bottles' worth - for brunch at 11am. Chris' Dad David's specialty is devilled eggs so we had these with smoked salmon pancakes, followed by large shell-on prawns/langoustines/shrimp - delete as appropriate, depending on which country you're from.

Earlier on, I'd taken Miller for a walk/carry down to the beach, to allow his parents to get on with the preparations for the big day. The table was set:

Even the front door had the flags up:

Miller was waving the flag too - check this video out - http://youtu.be/HsSfwGIk_fY

Miller loves the beach - his eyes widened when we arrived there - http://youtu.be/GOIVcdn5kok

He looks a little sad - thwarted by the wall of seaweed - here, however:

Chris' brother Matt belied his apparent reputation and arrived not too long after his parents, armed with a pile of bacon and promising to do the barbie, putting his young brother out of his usual job. Before that, however, a couple of beers and then, in deference to the previous day's Burns Day, Chris got the whisky out - the bottle Ross gave him last year:

Perspective is a wonderful thing. Matt is quite big and David is quite small, but the photo above exaggerates this somewhat. Drams - and it's not even noon yet!

Meanwhile, Miller is in heaven, getting the full attention from both his Grannie and his Nan:

Matt's barbie consisted of bacon, large mushrooms, tomato and fried eggs and we had large rolls as well.

Later on, we thought it would be a good idea to go for a short stroll and find a coffee somewhere. Matt took Miller in his stroller:

We had been led to believe there was Aboriginal/original/indigenous Australian dancing and music going on down the shore and sure enough there was plenty of activity, but it was mostly rock/blues music. We then wandered off to the Palais for coffee, where Miller was again being spoiled:

Back at the ranch, all that was left to do before David and Lorene set off home again was for a team photo. There's always one of the Steele's does something a little silly - but it wasn't Matt this time:

OK, let's try again:

We were still sipping red wine in the evening and nibbling away at leftovers when Kelly decided she wanted an ice cream - so we all had to have one. Connoisseur is a bit like a Magnum, only better. Salted Caramel was popular.

Sunday in the Adelaide Hills

Happy Australia Day everyone!

Chris and Kelly did the last of their shopping for today's celebrations yesterday morning and then we headed for the hills - back to our favourite microbrewery, the Lobethal Bierhaus - a little gem of a place that was really buzzing yesterday. Encouragingly, they're even in the process of installing 4 handpumps to serve British style real ale.

Lunch was lovely and we finished off our beers on the lawn:

Kelly and Chris obviously thought a session here was insufficient to keep our alcohol levels up to the standard to which they have recently been accustomed, so they took us on a slight detour to visit the beautiful little Pike & Joyce winery on the way home:

Back home, we had planned to have flathead for dinner, but none of us were really hungry so we just nibbled at scraps and settled down to watch some of the Aussie Open tennis. I ended up on the midnight shift, waiting for Andy Murray to finish off his opponent.

Here's one of Miller playing with my sunglasses:

I imagine Chris' parents will be getting ready to leave their home in Port Eliot about now to come and join us. Chris is cleaning the BBQ just now and Kelly is preparing some of the brunch, whilst Jo keeps Miller occupied. As for Chris' brother Matt, nobody is sure exactly when he will arrive - presumably with daughter Abby.

Saturday in Port Adelaide

We drove down to Henley Beach to go shopping in Foodland with Kelly on Saturday morning, and, in the afternoon, we all went to nearby Port Adelaide where there was a large scale graffiti-style art exhibition. Here's some examples:

Also in the Port was the oldest Clipper style ship in the world, shipped over to Adelaide from Scotland last year. It's even older than the only other survivor, the Cutty Sark, which also has a Scottish connection. Its "modern" name, the City of Adelaide, makes it obvious where it should reside. It's on exhibition just now:

Chris had arranged to meet up with some of their friends and we caught up with them at the Old Port Hotel Brewery. After a couple of drinks there, we wandered off round the Port a bit more:

The final bit was the kiddies' corner, where Miller had a ball - check http://youtu.be/aQafjq1wmII

Kelly and Chris are out just now shopping for the big Australia Day celebration tomorrow. Today is Burns' Day, however and we hope Andy can do the business in Melbourne this afternoon.

Back to Adelaide

After packing on Friday morning we checked out of our resort:

Myponga is just a few miles north of Normanville and that's where we planned to watch the Tour Down Under cyclists going through. We had time to kill so we went for coffee and doughnut/Danish Wedge at the local bakery, from where we planned to walk up to the corner where we knew the tour would be passing in a couple of hours. In the end, we just drove our car up to the junction and checked with the parked police car that it was OK to park there - "as long as you make sure it's well off the road when the cyclists come past, mate".

I wasn't quite sure exactly when the Tour would pass this spot. I knew they were scheduled to leave Glenelg at 11:30 am and that's just over 40 kms away, so I had told Kelly that it would likely be between 12:30 and 1:00 pm when they passed, but I was anxious not to miss the moment. We tried sitting at a few places, but one of them was near a dried up underground pipe and there was a bit of a stench there and it was plagued with flies, so we moved away. Some of the other Tour watchers told me 12:50 would be when it happened, so we had tons of time and went back to the car for a while. I kept going back to check, however, and eventually a flotilla of 20-30 advance promotional cars came racing through, tooting their horns and cheering:

We assumed the cyclists wouldn't be far behind but we were wrong - it would be at least another half hour. Another local gave me a good tip to stop me from continually jumping in and out of the car needlessly - "when the cyclists are getting near, the first thing you will see and hear is the TV helicopter coming over the hills". Good tip, but actually before that there was a procession of police motor bikes and cars, each a few minutes apart. I guess there were as many as 15-20 motorbikes and 10-12 cars. Bit of a holiday day out for the boys in blue, methinks.

Not long after the scheduled arrival time, the cyclists eventually appeared. The leading group went past so fast that I barely saw them - certainly I never got time to photograph them. I was wrestling with Jo's camera and trying to remember how it worked (mine was low on battery) and my eyes were focused on the large peloton behind:

Now I was standing off the road on the gravel but I nearly got run over as some of the group, who were incredibly tightly packed, were forced off the tarmac and whooshed inches by me.

Behind this was a fleet of back-up vehicles with spare bikes, wheels etc aboard, followed by ambulances and even more police cars. We joined the procession north-eastwards for a few miles before they turned off and we carried on to Willunga on to McLaren Vale, then McLaren Flat, where we'd arranged to meet Kelly and Miller at the Currant Shed for lunch.

We were a little late in arriving - it wasn't that easy to find - but Kelly and Miller were happily playing in the lovely garden there and we sat down to join them:

We had a glass of wine and some bread in this spot and then sat at our table for our meal.

Kelly asked us if we needed some guidance or to follow her back to Semaphore, but we thought we would manage - and we did - eventually. We had a couple of stops first of all - firstly for some take-away beer at Ekhidna's (https://ekhidnawines.com.au/) cellar door, then later to re-fuel Kelly's car, which we'd had use of all week.

We had beers in the back garden and awaited Chris' arrival home after his first full week's 9-5 regular job for a few years. Chicken, salad and, of course, wine for dinner.

You'll be pleased to know the family Huntsman spider is still alive and well - although she (we think it's female as it appeared to have eaten the previous one) had moved to a new, more prominent, position high on the lounge wall - but it's nowhere to be seen this morning. Cue dramatic music.

Last 2 days in Normanville

It's Friday morning now and we're having breakfast before packing and heading back to Adelaide. We're going to meet Kelly and Miller in McLaren Vale for lunch after taking in a bit of the Tour Down Under cycling on the way there.

How's Jo you ask? Hale and hearty again. Wednesday was a write-off for her but it gave her a chance to recover her strength after a really bad night and yesterday (Thursday) she was all go and raring to go for a long walk.

Whilst Jo was sleeping on Wednesday afternoon I played golf. I walked 18 holes in the afternoon heat and felt it when I was finished. The course was quiet - I hardly saw anyone else, although I did have a bit of a funny experience on the 2nd tee. I was about to play when I looked over and there, staring at me, just a few feet away were:

I turned round and there were another two, then another three. In total, I was surrounded by 10 kangaroos. They watched me intently - never threatening a move, but they're big animals and it felt kind of spooky being out there alone.

Jo planned our walk on Thursday. We drove up to Willunga and set out on the Shiraz Trail, which is part of the much longer Coast to Vines Rail Trail (aka The Kidman Trail). It's a former rail line which is now a walking, cycling, horse-riding track. Our plan was to walk to McLaren Vale, have some lunch and then walk back - a total of 12 miles (19 kms).

We were pretty well prepared - lots of slap on, wearing hats and carrying a backpack with a couple of bottles of water. Our first experience was the loud screeching of all types of birds, including:

It seemed for a while that there was some kind of bird war going on. We still don't know what was driving them all crazy but they were still at it when we returned five hours later.

The trail has little shelters and seats where the former stations were. Here we are at the first and second stops:

Jo was fascinated by some of the apparently dead trees and the growths on them:

After a few miles of walking through nothing but vines, we eventually came in to the outskirts of McLaren Vale and some vineyard visitor centres, the first of which was Serafino:

We walked past the town centre and out to the McLaren Vale visitor centre for re-fuelling and a brief rest before walking back and finding a suitable spot for lunch - which we did. Oscar's was the first proper restaurant we saw, adjacent to the Trail. We thought we may have been there before with Kelly and Chris, but we couldn't be sure. Anyway it was very nice - pasta for Jo and salmon for me, washed down with some Swell Pale Ale:

That's water that Jo's throwing back - honestly!