Not a Hasty Decision ...

The sign in the Estate Agents window said "Not a Cent to Spend", so we went and had a look at what was to become our 'Forever Home'.

As I look at this photo, I see all the things that have been changed in the ensuing years. 

From the front footpath to the Garage doors and beyond.

But,  as we walked up the front steps that first time, note book in hand for the 'For and Against' list, we both declared

Well, THAT has to Go!

The light on the Front Porch was, truly terrible. 

Neither of us liked it and agreed it would be the first thing to change.

As I said, a lot of things in that photo have changed over the years each becoming much more important to a Light, that was 

- after all still working.

So finally in 2019 we bought a new light!

And even asked an electrician to install it for us.

He took one look at the wiring behind our 'Ugly Light' and declared it was a much bigger job for today and he'd come back. 

We never saw him again...

Exactly Seven Years later, 

That 'new' light was no longer fashionable

So we bought another New Light - one that was in keeping to the Era of House.

With a List of Electrical work

 

A new Electrician who wasn't frightened by an unearthed wire and 45 and a Half years after that first encounter...

We have Finally replaced that Porch Light!

I wonder how long it will take the family to notice?

We went to the Zoo

Melbourne Zoo is just 30 min by Public Transport (Door to Door) from our place.  So, with a Beautiful Day and a Friend to catch up with - it was a good choice for an outing.

Going in the back door - from Royal Park Train Station:

First stop - The Big Cats

We are fortunate to have a family of Six Snow Leopards with four cubs born in January.

All of the Cubs were out and Playing, and we also caught a glimpse of Mum.

(Here is a link to the Snow Leopard Keeper Talk and how they keep their cool)

Our Orangutang conceded to put in an appearance and was was clearly unimpressed.

All the Giraffes were enjoying the sunshine and a snack  

including Our "Little One" who was soon to take his own 3,332 km road trip across The Nullarbor to Perth.

Shot of the Day belongs to

! Tiger Tiger !

We spent a lot of time with these beauties, and were fortunate to see both Hutan and Indrah out and about. Tigers are solitary animals and are kept separate to replicate their natural behaviour.
(They are also siblings, born at Melbourne Zoo in 2010)

It was an awesome day that ended too soon but they close the doors at 5:00pm.  

We missed the last direct bus home and had another adventure working out an alternate route!

Showcase and Showing Off

SHOWCASE 2026

I didn't Volunteer to do White Glove at Showcase this year, as I didn't know if I had a free day that I could commit.  Turns out I did - so for the first time in as long as I can remember I went as a Visitor.

I had lengthy conversations with wonderful people about lots of things, and wandered the Quilts getting Inspiration for Fabric I have in my Stash, and still had things to see when they started the 'Time to Go' music.

SHOWING OFF

I am Totally sure that Our Barista is trying to get me to give up Coffee.  

Just HOW am I supposed to drink this?

Although, DD showed the photo to GD#1 who was mid 'I don't want to go to School meltdown', she was so impressed with the Catachino that she forgot to throw the Tantrum!  (I call that a WIN.)

Mum

I do not write about my Mother. 

Sadly, there is actually nothing to write about.

As I scrolled through 15 years of Blog posts looking for a photo, it saddened me to recall just how disinterested she is with anything.

I am not sure when the Dementia started creeping in but once we lost Dad, she was alone and with nothing to engage her, she has gotten worse until mild eccentricity turned into alarming paranoia.

Her Doctor said to me  ".. she needs a team of people 24/7 to look after her now" and with that we started the process of placing her into care.

Whether it was by Divine Intervention or just plain Good Luck, we moved her 4 weeks later, out of the home Dad & Mum built 73 years ago. 

She is not happy about being moved, and definitely NOT happy with having someone else in charge, but 6 weeks on and she is looking so much better and is even holding sensible conversations.

Oh -and the Paranoia? It is still lurking

but we did discover that there actually was "someone living in the roof."

What happened in August?

August's calendar is crowded with Birthdays 7 in total.

Fortunately most only require a Text sending greetings and best wishes and the promise to 'Catch up Later'

But when Someone is turning SIX

Grandma is back making Cake Decorations.

This Time it was a request for a Magic Faraway Tree Cake.

A favourite bedtime story for DD and introduced to GD#1 via the new Movie.

I was sent a photo - Sorry I can't attribute this awesome cake, but it gave me the help I needed to make the decorations.

I made dozens of Rose Leaves, 

in several Fondant colours and dusting them in various shades.

As well as an assortment of Butterflies and Bugs.

Making hundreds of decorated Lollypops at the Whittlesea Show over the years was a good foundation to make the Cast of Characters.

Silky the Fairy and Moon-face were challenging as was Saucepan Man.

But I was delighted with Dame Wash-a-lot and her Soap Bubble Hair doo. Which happened by accident when a Butterfly Wing broke, leading me to adapting  other moulds to save time and frustration.

After making a Plaque in the shape of the Cloud at the Top of the Tree,

 

I packed everything up and handed over to DD & DGD#1 to make and decorate the Cupcakes for the small (new friends only) after school Party.

* * *

The Cake Decorator in me wanted this to be perfect. 

It was close enough to the Inspiration Photo but,

after all it is not about perfection it is about making a little girl happy.

And she was VERY Happy!

 

Catching up with June and July

Now that I have caught up with our Anniversary trip in May,

Lets do a Photo dump to skip through the the months that I have missed.

June:

At Cake Decorating we moved into the new Community room at Watsonia Library and had a fun time learning to make ..

Fondant Cake Toppers for a Newborn or Christening Cake

There were plenty of expressions to master but the crying ones proved to be the hardest to manage!

DH received another Certificate (with accompanying Handshake and Brunetti Cheesecake for afternoon Tea) for his 550th Blood donation.

We watched as a disaster of a local backstreet roundabout got the makeover it so badly needed.

And in July ...

I made a Mermaid!

100% Fondant and she took me weeks to get right!

And at the 11th hour did a run to *Lulu and Stone for other Sea Themed decoration moulds for DGD#4's 3rd Birthday Cake.

Then it was a school celebration I wasn't familiar with.  

Marking GD#1's first 100 Days of Primary school where everyone had to dress as Old People...... 

Little Miss A wasn't sure about that so went as a Red Hat Lady!

Note:  Unfortunately in Todays Online climate I have had to make the decision to no longer show my Beautiful Grand daughters adorable Smiles on my Blog.

*Thank you Lulu and Stone so much for filling my order at the last minute!

Lulu and Stone Cookie Stamps and Cutters

Heading Home

Today we pack our bags for the last time and head home...

Well, after a trip to the Perth Mint (They also sell Jewellery) - DH wanted to spoil me rotten for our 45th Anniversary but, would you believe there wasn't anything there I liked - at any price!

So, with time to fill in, we boarded the free City Cat Bus at Barrack Street Jetty just to see where it went, ending up at Kings Park and the Botanic Gardens. 

(Note to self - Spend more time here!)

Perth certainly said Welcome, and blessed us with beautiful weather. 

I will miss going down in the lift to the Jetty below, in search of an evening meal or just to enjoy 

Ice-cream on the boardwalk. 

For the stats nerds out there, Western Australia is Our biggest state at 2.646 million km² there is a LOT to explore and although we won't be going off the beaten track, we will be back to see more of it than just Perth.

Will we go via the Indian Pacific again? 

Perhaps the half trip from Adelaide, or Darwin to Adelaide on the Ghan and then pick up the Indian Pacific to Perth. 

But I will advise anyone thinking about doing this Train Trip - there is a lot of Nothing in the middle of Australia, so pack something to do or learn to play UNO!

But Wait - There's more ...

Our Holiday isn't over just yet.

Today we boarded the Rottnest Express and took a leisurely trip down the Swan River before hitting the accelerator for the 20 km ocean crossing to Rottnest Island.

We had been here 5 years ago and honestly thought it quite run down and 'nothing much to write home about'.

But, todays visit showed what 5 years of restoration and improvements have achieved.

The streets were beautifully paved and seemed more open, old holiday shacks had been restored and renovated and the Coffee Caravan at Cape Valmingh has a new veranda that shelters all from the prevailing winds. A vast improvement on the Picnic table and Umbrella.

The Lighthouses that were shrouded in tarps are now fully restored, removed of the lead paint that once coated them.

Reflecting in the Salt Lakes below, the Wadjemup Lighthouse was constructed in 1896 on the highest point of the Island Standing 38 meters tall and with a range of 26 nautical miles it is still a crucial beacon.

This time, we were only here for a day trip, so with a quick Hello to the Quokkas (who seemed to be less of a problem as they were last time) and a not too impressive lunch

We boarded the Express for the return trip back to Perth. 

(Post written 21/10/26 and backdated)

Margaret River Heading Back

Today was supposed to be, (I think) a "Taste of Margaret River".

Breakfast at a local Cafe - 

A very nice Granola, Seasonal Fruit and Greek Yoghurt.  

With the exception of Swapping the Raspberry Coulis for Milk on the side - it was identical to what I had for breakfast this morning!

Next Stop was Coffee Tasting.  

I was getting excited about this - until we got a lesson on "This is an AeroPress and how to use it..." followed by a French Press (Plunger) followed by .... oh dear.

Where next?

Brown Hill Estate for a very comfortable and informative Wine Tasting - In the shed.  

This trip DH and I chose to do the Wine Tasting even though we don't drink and it was refreshing to be advised about what wines we should start with as non-drinkers.

At the end we had our choice of any wine on the menu - 

Much to the Glum faces of some who had already chosen... I was the only one who asked if the Dessert Wine was included...  

It was VERY nice!

Then it was on to more wine tasting - this time paired with local cheeses.  A welcome change from just Wine, as we were finding it all much the same after a while.

There was an informative talk on how they Age some of their Wines in perfect conditions 18 meters beneath the surface of Flinders Bay, Augusta (WA). 

At (AUD) $150 / $165 a bottle - we didn't get to taste this one!

Olive products and Oil tastings at the Olio Bello Orchard was our final stop 
where a Hearty Lunch was also served.

Then time to rest and listen to the Wartime adventures of the tour Guide's Grandfather, or relaxing Music for the 3 hour trip back to Perth.

 - Back in Perth:

THIS is an Ozone Generator - You should not find one in your Hotel Room when you check in.  It is used to remove strong odors like Smoke / Pet smells / Mildew etc.  

In a sealed room (ie: A Hotel room) it MUST be ventilated 4 - 24 hours after use.  

IF you can still smell it - The Air is NOT safe to breathe.  

Fortunately, My Perfume allergy went into overdrive within seconds of walking into the room and we were able to get it sorted quickly.  

The Concierge was very apologetic and WE got a very nice upgrade!

Post written 20/10/26 and backdated

Margaret River - Day 1 Caves and Capes

Hello Folks - here I am playing 'Catch Up' again. Post dating my entries is not something I like doing as it throws everything out of whack, but it is what it is - so let's get on with it.

Margaret River was Soooo long ago I am really ready for another holiday - but réminiscences will have to do! 

We have a couple of Cafes within walking distance at home,  but not with a view like this - I wonder just how long it would take to tire of having breakfast here every morning?

No time to get sand in my shoes, we have to hit the road for our 9:30 tour of ^Mammoth Cave. Unfortunately, we were here at the wrong time of year to see the beautiful stream that flows through the Cave. 

Today it was just a trickle.

It is a Cavernous, easily accessible Cave that has beautiful Speleothems* (or Decorations) and includes bones and fossils of the Megafauna that once inhabited the area.

The Cave is 500 meters long and 30 meters under the surface, which is a little confusing, as you enter at the base of the cave and climb 540 stairs UP and exit into a Karri Forest walk back to the carpark. Not having time for the walk we returned via the 540 stairs and the Gift shop!

A quick taste and lesson on local honey production (something that was more interesting to those of us who have not kept bees) and we were back on the bus and heading for ...

a BUCKET LIST stop for me! 

The opportunity to climb a lighthouse. 

The Lighthouse at Cape Llewyn is the tallest on Mainland Australia, standing stoically at the end of a windswept cape and guarding the waters where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet. 

176 narrow steps hug the cool stone walls, it was a hard climb for me, considering I had just done Mammoth Cave, but I wanted, needed to do this.

Was it worth it? 
to climb through a small door onto the gangway at the top - 

TOTALLY worth it.   

And for this view, I am posting a rare uncompressed panorama photo.  

As the DIL says 'Pics or it didn't happen!'

The rest of the day was taken up with Lunch and a Wine tasting before ending back where we started to watch the sun set.

*ABC archives - Oz Fossils

^Margaret River Western Australia - Mammoth Cave

More on Cape Leeuwin