CARAVANNING

I arrived home today to find the first three editions of Vintage Caravan    magazine in my letterbox. It was lovely to flick through the pages and contemplate the beautifully restored vans. I am surprised there are enough of them in Australia to warrant a magazine.

I am a caravan convert. Not to big caravans -but to small caravans with character.

P:-) and I own a caravan and it has a lot of character. It pops up and pops out. It is probably old enough to be termed 'vintage'. It is 30 years old. We bought it unseen from Ebay. We have had it about a year now.

It folds down into a trailer and only weighs around 600 kilograms. The canvas is a bit worn but we intend to replace this at some stage.

It isn't the most beautiful caravan in the caravan parks but it is very cosy. It can sleep 5. 

There are two double beds that fold out at the ends, and provision for another bed when the table is collapsed.

 

 

There is very little storage room so it is still a lot like camping, but we are off the ground and unless the rain is extremely heavy and blown by a fierce wind, we are waterproof. 

There is something very attractive about pulling your house behind you and being self contained. 

We are still arranging and rearranging bits and pieces. It is an ongoing process and half the fun of caravanning is sitting around and figuring out improvements.

There is a water mark on the ceiling and I really want P:-) to let me paint some leafy vines over it but he is very hesitant. I'll have to let him read my Vintage Caravan  magazines just so he can see what is really possible in the world of caravan decorating.

A PRIMAL WEEKEND

A primal breakfast on the weekend consists of one low fat ginger and shallot pork sausage; herbed mushrooms; fried tomato; fried eggs; and a salad of rocket,capsicum and torn oregano.

This is so different to my usual breakfast of cereal and milk. I used to live on carbohydrates - cereal and bread (all whole grain), potatoes (still love them) and corn. I counted calories but most of my food was processed. Now I eat very little processed food. I have full cream milk; plenty of fresh fruit; tons of raw vegetables; eggs; lean meat and fish: nuts; and yoghurt. The primal diet includes fatty meats but I am not really game enough to try yet, although we did have some lamb shanks done in the slow cooker for tea.

P:-) is very fond of lamb shanks and cleans the bones, but I tend to skirt around the fatty parts and just eat the lean meat.

For lunch I cooked a tuna frittata .

This made it quite an eggy day, which I once would have avoided at all costs. It isn't long since I used to buy my eggs in half dozen lots and barely used those in a month. The thought of cholesterol hangs about the back of my mind, but the egg carton does have a Heart Foundation approved tick on it - and I really think this diet is working.

My jeans which I had bought on the internet and several weeks ago had not fitted are now comfortable enough to wear. And I haven't had to feel half dead to get them there.

My next aim is to cut out dairy products. People on this diet who cut out dairy products seem to lose weight faster. But I am very fond of milk in my coffee and eat a lot of yoghurt and frozen blueberries. I'm not quite sure if coconut milk or coconut cream would be a suitable replacement, but I shall give it a go.

DAMP FRIDAY

After a few sunny, warm days Spring has reverted to cold, damp weather.

 

This was the view from P:-)'s place, looking west towards the mountains. The clouds were like cotton wool just hugging the top of the escarpment.

 

The wet weather didn't dampen the bright pink of the grevillea  in P:-)'s back garden.

 

And the water drops seemed to highlight the pink and green hues of the succulent

 

I love dandelion seed heads.

Above is the small school where I teach. It is an old church which makes a great teaching space. It was built in 1900.

 

This is the main entrance to the school. There is a covered outdoor area where the students eat lunch. Further on is the main teaching space.  There are only 2 weeks left in the term. I am really looking forward to the holidays to get lots of things organized. Hopefully Spring will really have arrived by then.

PUZZLES

 The students at my school have been busy doing Zentangles. I am quite impressed with the results so far.

Manna House again tonight. People come into the church hall for a free meal. They come for all sorts of reasons. Some are poor. Some are lonely. Some are just looking for company. Ages range from 1 to 81. It is a friendly, family-like atmosphere. I create puzzles for everyone to do. These are based on a biblical theme. The main aim is to help improve spelling and reading skills.

 

Everyone receives a mini Flake for each puzzle they complete. Many of the volunteer staff participate as well in order to earn their chocolates.

Interesting Site

Macrame as ART

American artist Barbara Natoli Witt has been a macrame jewelry artist for over 40 years. She  has designed more than 1,500 pieces and sold them in art galleries, museums, and through her website (necklaceart.com) for $4,000 to $7,000 apiece.

SPRING IS SPRUNG

It is the beginning of spring and the bottle-brushes I planted last summer in my front garden have grown at varying rates. I planted them as seedlings. One that has a good position in the sun is about 80cm tall.

My garden is largely Australian native. In early spring it is mostly green but there are some tinges of color.

Native Eriostomen

The wattle has finished flowering and is covered in seed pods.

New red growth on the eucalyptus

 

A lone nasturtium adds a splash of color by the path

Nasturtiums are not native but very easy to grow. I have planted nasturtiums in a narrow shallow garden where I needed to grow something hardy. But in the heat of last summer only a couple of them survived. They are good to put in vases and on salads as they are edible. So are the leaves, and the seed pods can be used in the place of capers.

A kookaburra landed in the Casurina just outside my computer room. It was hunting. It dived down and returned to the branch with something wiggling in its mouth. Most probably a lizard.

 

My daughter R and I have begun walking again.  Just a 20 minute walk 3 times a week but its a start and a good chance to talk. We go in the late afternoon. R's dog Jasper loves going for walks. It is azalea time as seen by the white blooms behind Jasper.

This is sunset looking from the front of P:-)'s house. The sun sets over the mountains in the west. 

The good thing about writing a blog is that you notice the things around you. I am always on the lookout for things to photograph. I really believe that it is important to enjoy the small moments in life.

ENRICHED AND BLESSED

...he who puts his trust in the Lord will be enriched and blessed. Proverbs 28:25

This was very true for me this weekend. It was a very full weekend spent with P:-)'s lovely family.

SATURDAY

Saturday was a birthday barbecue for P:-)'s  youngest son -  Son3. P:-) has 5 children and 2 grandchildren, so that even though it was just a family occasion there were quite a lot of people. It was held at Holsworthy where Son3 lives and is doing up an older house he and his wife bought a couple of years ago.

 The photo above is of sons 2 and 1.

Much fun was had with the hammock received as a birthday gift.

P:-) and granddaughter

 

Yummy caramel mud cake made by Son3's wife - delicious. (Not on he Primal diet but i ate it anyway.)

SUNDAY - FATHERS' DAY

Sunday morning was Father's Day brunch at P:-)'s house organized by Daughter1 with her in-laws.

Fresh pancakes, cinnamon swirls and  croissants. Strawberries, blueberries and yoghurts. A selection of jams, ham and cheese, honey and maple syrup. Orange juice and freshly brewed coffee.

Above is the table set for brunch and Daughter1's dog Charlie strolling through.

A pleasant time around the table was followed by a walk along Lake Illawarra nearby.

 

The dogs Tiffany and Charlie enjoyed the water.

On Sunday evening we had dinner at the Illawarra Yacht Club with P:-)'s Son2 and Daughter2.

It was a lovely family filled weekend.

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WHY PIGGYWHISTLES ?

As Father's Day approaches it seems timely to explain the name of my blog - Piggywhistles.

My father James died suddenly when he was 41 and I was ten years old. I adored him. He used to call me Piggywhistles.

He was very special. He told me I could be anything I wanted to be. He taught me that everyone was equal no matter what country they came from or what colour they were. He taught me that we should accept people who were different and show them courtesy and respect. He taught me about God and he taught me about the world.

 This is me when I was 4, at my beloved house at the beach. The first ten years of my life were idyllic - my mother, my father, my younger brother and me. Our house was on a headland overlooking the beach and we could watch ships and whales from our big dining room window. In summer we spent every possible moment swimming in the sea, just a stone's throw away.

I often think of what it would have been like to have grown up with my father and how my life would have been different. Special times like my graduation, wedding, and the birth of my two daughters were times when I especially missed him. I am forever thankful that even though I only had my father for 10 years he was a wonderful man and I have many wonderful memories.

So Piggywhistles seemed a great name for my blog. And my younger daughter R, who is a talented artist, came up with the idea of little flying pigs and did the design work. 

My favourite quote by William Blake says it all.

To see the world in a grain of sand

And heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand

And eternity in an hour.