Author Archives: kathy

twenty years

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Twenty years ago on this day something happened that changed my life. I was invited to a barbecue by a very special friend, there was someone she thought I should meet. “I’m not interested”, I said, but I went anyway. Little did I know, she had said the same thing to the “someone”, with the same response. The rest, as they say, is history. We had a couple of dates

Mark Worthington’s 40th, June 1996
Whalers Inn, Victor Harbour, October 1996

and before long we were cohabiting. We’ve had some good times, both at home

My 40th, March 2000
St. Peter’s Old Collegians black tie dinner, August 2001
Dawesley, July, 2004
Harj’s 21st, July 2006
first Tasmanian winter, June 2009
after a hard days work, July 2009
9.7th wedding anniversary 01.10

7th wedding anniversary, January 2010

and away.

Caddo Lake, Texas, September 2008
The White Lion, Tenterden, Kent, October 2008
Spirit of Tasmania, November 2008
Loongana, March 2009
14.Sydney Opera House 12.10

Sydney Opera House, December 2010

Cradle Mountain Lodge, July 2011
La Lucciola, Seminyak, Bali, November 2012
Breeze at the Samaya, Seminyak, Bali, November 2012
Il Castagno, Tuscany, May 2014
Uluru, N.T., June 2015
Sails in the Desert, Uluru, N.T., June 2015

We’ve had some adventures

21.Hanson Bay,Kangaroo Island 02.98

Hanson Bay, Kangaroo Island, February 1998

Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges, June 1998
Huon River, Tasmania, November 1998
scenic flight, Sydney, December 2010
Snake Hill, Cradle Mountain, July 2011
Ayung River, Bali, November 2012
scenic flight, Uluru, June 2015

and some silliness.

Lake Fyans, The Grampians, June 1997
shopped till we dropped, Melbourne, October 1999
pick of the bunch, November 2000
moving in, Dawesley, November 2001
The Balhannah Chainsaw Gang, October 2002
Xmas card, December 2009
Xmas Day, December 2009
new chairs, May 2010
36.Harbour Bridge climb,Sydney 12.10

Harbour Bridge Climb, Sydney, December 2010

Fish Spa, Sanur, Bali, November 2012
Waldheim’s Spa, Cradle Mountain, July 2011
39.with Kevin Bloody Wilson,Launceston 08.14

with Kevin Bloody Wilson, Launceston, August 2014

Six and a half years after that fateful day, we had a very formal wedding

40.wedding1 01.03

Wedding, Dawesley, January 2003

and reception.

41.wedding2 01.01

wedding reception, Dawesley, January 2003

Along the way, we have learned the essential ingredients of a successful relationship. It takes a lot of teamwork,

moving rocks, Dawesley, October 2005
building shed, Stowport, May 2012

a bit of role play doesn’t go astray

Sovereign Hill, Ballarat, October 1999
Murder Mystery dinner, ‘The Watersdown Affair’, June 2001
Murder Mystery dinner, ‘Archeologically Speaking, It’s the Pits’, March 2004
Spider Witch & The Ghoul, Halloween, October 2004

and most importantly, don’t argue over the little things.

48.little things 11.09

with Charlie, November 2009

It’s been a fabulous journey, looking forward to the next twenty……

Lacock Abbey

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Lacock Abbey, in the village of Lacock, Wiltshire, was founded in 1232 and served as a nunnery until it was converted into a country house in 1540.

1.Lacock Abbey2.Lacock Abbey

A lot of work had gone into the window above the entrance door.

3.Lacock Abbey

The Gothic Arch

4.Gothic Arch

led to the Stable courtyard

5.The Stable Courtyard with brewery & bakehouse

with its quirky Tudor clockhouse,

6.Clockhouse

bakehouse and brewery.

We spent some time wandering through the fascinating rooms. They may look familiar if you have seen the Harry Potter films, particularly the medieval cloisters.

14.cloisters

The internal cloister courtyard had a certain tranquility.

15.internal courtyard of the cloisters16.Lacock Abbey

The Warming Room was the only room in the original Abbey where any warmth was provided and the 500 year old cauldron remains.

17.500 year old cauldron in the warming room

The Chaplain’s Room had a 14th century doorway and remnants of a medieval wall painting.

18.Chaplain's room

The valuables of the Abbey would have been housed in the Sacristy.

19.sacristy

The Chapter House windows were stunning.

20.Chapter House windows

We strolled around the grounds, admiring the Abbey from all angles.

9.Lacock Abbey10.Lacock Abbey11.from the south12.Lacock Abbey21.Lacock Abbey22.Lacock Abbey23.Lacock Abbey

It would have been nice to have seen more of Lacock village – maybe next time.

Devils Marbles

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In the middle of nowhere, 1084km south of Darwin and 393km north of Alice Springs, the Devils Marbles are spectacularly scattered across the desert.

1.Devils marbles3.Devils marbles

Located in the traditional country of the Warumungu, Kaytetye and Alyawarre people, they call the Devils Marbles Karlu Karlu, which literally translates as ‘round boulders’.

4.Devils marbles

The stones are made of granite and have been formed by erosion over millions of years.

5.Devils marbles

They vary in size, from 50 centimetres up to six metres across.

6.Devils marbles

Many of the giant stones are precariously balanced on top of one another, appearing to defy gravity.

8.Devils marbles

They continue to crack and erode today, creating an ever-changing landscape.

10.Devils marbles

The Devils Marbles have great significance for the Aboriginal people and there are many ancient creation legends surrounding Karlu Karlu. Many of these stories are secret and only a few can be shared with visitors. One of the main Dreaming stories for the area relates to how the Devils Marbles were made. An ancient ancestor, ‘Arrange’, was walking through the area making a hair-string belt. As he was twirling the hair to make strings, he dropped clusters of hair on the ground which turned into the big red boulders.

11.Devils marbles

auspicious autumn

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Autumn is a busy time in the garden, with two truckloads of mulch to spread

1.mulch pile14.mulching 3.mulch pile3

and firewood to get in for the winter. We don’t cut down trees in our forest but sometimes nature helps out.

5.wood16.wood2

It’s hard work – he cuts,

7.wood38.wood49.wood5

I stack

then Betsy helps us take it up the hill.

12.wood8

I find some fascinating features in the forest

15.lichen16.web

trees that appear to have died have not.

We split

19.splitter1

and stack the wood ready for our winter warmth.

23.woodshed1

The garden still has some colour

and the bees love the callistemon.

36.callistemon bee

Five years ago I made a bench from the branches of our pruned fruit trees.

37.bench1

Sadly, it has succumbed to the elements.

38.bench3

Maybe another project…..

Montefegatesi

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Our last day in Ponte a Serraglio was grey and drizzly but we had planned a drive to Montefegatesi and nothing was going to stop us. On the way we passed San Gemignano and took the opportunity to pull over and admire the scenery.

1.San Gemignano2.San Gemignano3.view

Montefegatesi is the highest village in Bagni di Lucca at 842m above sea level and was used by Lucca to guard the boundary with Modena.

4.Montefegatesi

We wandered through the village along impossibly narrow streets

11.walk7

14.walk10

with random cars parked at impossible angles.

15.car1

The old wooden doorways had so much character

and the houses were wedged into every available space.

25.house2

26.house328.house5

At the top of the village is a monument to Dante Alighieri built by the villagers in 1908.

29.Dante530.Dante6

His stern countenance belies the breathtaking vista from his vantage point or maybe he just doesn’t like the rain.

31.Dante432.Dante333.Dante734.Dante8

Returning to the village we were rewarded with more gorgeous views.

35.view136.view237.view3

We enjoyed a prosciutto & formaggio panini at the Pizzeria (ham & cheese roll sounds much more enticing in Italian)

38.pizzeria

before the hair-raising drive back down the mountain for our last night in Ponte a Serraglio.