Chasing ghosts and dreams

Goodness knows how my subconscious works, but I realised halfway through my day I was walking to all the wrong places. Through Hyde Park and then down to Circular Quay and up by the MCA and the Rocks and then over that damn fine bridge.

And by the time I had realised, my heart was in my throat and my eyes stung with tears. I wondered what I was hoping to find on that beautiful walk. 

Goodbye yellow house

I'd be lying if I'd said the last week has been easy. It has been challenging for more reasons than many of you would know. 

And today there was this interesting coincidence...just as I was packing up the last bits of my house, I looked beyond the empty room towards the garden. In the corner of my eye I spied there was Barney on the floor - in that weird little jar that I was asked to arrange all that time ago.  Sitting in the middle of a very empty room in a very empty house. 

It was right that there were tears today. That house has a lot of memories for all of us. I'll miss its creaky floors and tin roof. I'll miss the view as I arrive home from work - a skyline of suburbia with the brightest stars fighting to make their way through the pink hues of sunset. 

I'll miss the dinners, the breakfasts and making pots of tea.  I'll miss the daphne that is just about to bloom (why couldn't it just come out a few days early?!?) and I'll miss that perfect time of the year when winter turns to spring. The thing that I'll miss most though, is knowing that you all know where I'm at in this house. That I'm there to talk to, or to invite on bike rides, or to grab coffee or to sit by the heater and drink pots of tea. That's what I'll miss the most. That and the dog.

Perfect

Sean's Kitchen, Adelaide

I sat at the bar, overlooking the kitchen pass. I drank a martini #3, which was a dry martini (Australian gin) with blue cheese filled olives. I ate two oysters. I tasted apple and cherry cider, but opted for a New Zealand sparkling wine.

I watched the busy kitchen - turning meat in the wood fired oven, rolling pastry for dessert, char grilling slabs of beef. I had the best linguine with big chunks of crabs. Inspired by the pastry chef I ate a donut with meringue and some sort of lemon curd ice-cream. I listened to the Church (unguarded moment), the Dandy Warhols (bohemian like you) and PJ Harvey (the song where she sings about little italy).

I then squealed in delight when I got the bill hidden inside a beautiful, letter pressed envelope - including a pack of heirloom tomato seeds.

If you are in Adelaide go. Sit and watch the kitchen team. Drink good booze. Eat great uncomplicated food. Sing out loud to yourself like you are at karaoke.  Then get excited by vegetable seeds.

Things I'll miss # 3 - surprise gifts

I'm a lucky girl. I often end up with surprise gifts that make my day - there was a golden week about 18 months ago where everyday I'd turn up to work to find some sort of treat...

And to have friends who know me well enough to give me this random trifecta of things and know I'll adore them all. I was particularly enamoured with the home grown lemon (seriously - it's hard to grow things from scratch and then to give a bit of the bounty away is a generous thing), but nothing compares to the unicorn wheat pack. It's a unicorn and a wheat pack all in one. Never has there been a better excuse to hug a soft and cuddly unicorn...medicinal purposes for sure!

Spanish Club - Sunday morning markets

Nothing like some crispy churros and sweet hot chocolate to cut through a sub zero Canberra morning. I'm not sure if these markets are on weekly (such an uninformative blogger that I am), but it is worth going for the great atmosphere of community. 

You could just tell that people come here regularly to catch up, buy fresh chorizo (and other pork products) and shoot the breeze in their quaint little club. And what a great little club it is - not many places left in this world where there are signs above the telephone saying local calls 50 cents and mobile calls one dollar.

Tasmania - Day 6

Tasmania - Day 5