Life Archives - Page 2 of 8

Ants in my pants

August 15 2018 by Vicki Leave a Comment

I smile wryly as I acknowledge it is more than two years since I last posted. Same old, same old! It is not exactly that nothing ever happens — though it certainly seems that little of importance does, in the scheme of things — it is more that I don’t think that other people would be particularly interested. Still, I am notoriously bad at judging such things, so here I am again.

A little update

At the moment I am halfway through a degree in Professional Writing and Publishing. I’m loving it! I’ve learned a lot so far. I’ve attained a few useful skills, and a healthy respect for those who write well. I have recently joined the committee of Editors WA, which is the Western Australian branch of the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd). I’m starting to feel I’m on my way to finding my feet in the writing and publishing world.

Picnic!

Now, on to more immediate matters. Hubby and I made it out of the city on Monday. It was a beautiful sunny day and we went up to John Forrest National Park for a picnic. We’d heard Hovea Falls was currently looking good, and neither of us had been there in decades. (Scary, hey?!) Well, the falls were quite nice, though I fear that the amazing waterfalls in Far North Queensland have forever spoilt for me the waterfalls around Perth. Still, it was pleasant!

It was an easy walk to the falls from the car park, which suited this unfit old lady just fine. The viewing platform over the falls was closed, presumably for maintenance, though the sign said “until further notice” which doesn’t bode well. I was forced to stumble nervously over treacherous rocks (not really — they were pretty tame as far as scrambling over rocks is concerned) to attempt some photos. Side-on, it was less than ideal but one can only do what one can do.

Waterfall with a medium gradient and flow, with bush-covered hills and a blue sky in the background

Hovea Falls from sort of the top/side. Ish.

All was well until I lowered my camera and looked down to see I was standing on a teeming ant nest. It put me in mind of another picnic at John Forrest National Park as a kid. Something similar happened, and my parents ended up taking off my jeans and dipping me in the river to get rid of the nasty biting ants. I wasn’t keen for a repeat today, so I swatted off the ants that were visible and waited to feel them crawling up the inside of my jeans. You will be pleased, for my sake, that I didn’t have to wait long.

“Ow!” I exclaimed. (See? I have such a way with words.)

Fortunately, this time no stripping off of jeans was necessary and I escaped unscathed, except for a solitary ant bite (and numerous mosquito bites, but hey, them’s the breaks).

We took the “low road” back to the car park, sandwiched as it was between the river and the old railway. It was so refreshing to be in the bush again after several months of not leaving the suburbs.

An old, cement block railway bridge with two channels cut through the hillside beneat it to let the creek water flow through

Under the old railway bridge.

A creek with still, green-brown water and thick vegetation overhanging at the sides

A section of Jane Brook near the walk trail.

Bird house.

Wildflower season has begun. If we can manage it, we will go on another picnic next month when the season will be well underway.

A small tree covered in bright yellow blossoms

Flowering wattle by the edge of Jane Brook. Glorious colours!

Small red flowers with yellow centres, with grey-green foliage

Wildflowers.

Back at the carpark and picnic area…

A creek flows under an old railway bridge

The view from our picnic table.

… we munched on omelette rolls and salad…

A melamine picnic plate with a blue striped border, piled with food, on a weathered picnic table

Omelette roll and salad for lunch.

… followed by cappuccino muffins for dessert. (I’m afraid I just tucked straight into those without stopping to snap a photo. Sorry-not-sorry!)

Altogether, a lovely, lovely day.

Ants in my pants and all!

Back to nature

June 15 2016 by Vicki Leave a Comment

Serpentine Falls

Hubby and I have both been sick lately — “just” head colds but nasty ones that dragged on and on. I spent 8 days in bed, with the exception of a doctor visit when I developed an ear infection. But even after that, I have been feeling bleugh. You know, heady, no energy, pretty much merely existing without taking any pleasure from the fact.

On Thursday, the first time in 8 days that I didn’t have a headache, I did something radical: I made a plan. I suggested to Dohn that we go for a picnic on Saturday. I like picnics. Normally, though, we only start to think about it on the day, which means we generally don’t do it at all as we haven’t allowed time for prep. This time, we decided where to go and what we would eat. We even did the necessary food shopping ahead of time. Wonders will never cease.

We decided to visit Serpentine Falls and Serpentine Dam, in the Perth Hills south-east of the city. We headed down the freeway and turned into Mundijong road. Pretty much the whole stretch of this road from the freeway to South West Highway was countryside (as opposed to suburbia). Just driving through it, I felt refreshed. Open spaces! I hadn’t been out of the house since my doctor visit, over a week beforehand. And there is just something about green-covered, wide open spaces that lifts my spirits.

At Serpentine Falls, we parked and wandered the 400m to the falls. I can’t say they were exactly impressive in themselves, but there is just, well, something about walking down a bush trail on a lovely winter day, with birds singing and anonymous rustles in the undergrowth to alert you to the fact that you’re not as alone as you might have thought. And then, a lovely waterfall and natural pool to greet you at the end of the trail. There is something very soothing about water in a forest.

A pool of water with Serpentine Falls barely visible in the background.

Along one of the walk trails near Serpentine Falls.

I still wasn’t completely well, but I felt good.

We had a delicious barbecue lunch with kangaroos hopping greedily around the picnic tables, apparently friendly, but then again tourists who didn’t give a hoot about their health were feeding them despite the many warning signposts, so naturally they were hanging around.

Kangaroo at the picnic grounds.

We then drove over to Serpentine Dam.

Serpentine Dam.

Serpentine Dam, which is one of the dams that supplies water to the Perth area, is a far greater expanse of water, complete with vast concrete and limestone rock structures, and overlooked by a cafe on the nearby hillside where many “tame” birds (who really just like the readily available birdseed) hung around.

Common Bronzewing — an apparently shy bird!

It’s no secret that getting back to nature refreshes and sustains the human soul. Some folks, like my hubby, don’t appear to crave it. But many, like me, do. Think how many urban dwellers plan to spend their holidays or weekends in rural areas? “Getting away from the city” is a Thing. Most of us seem to simply feel better, after the opportunity to connect with our natural world. There are plenty of articles on the interwebs to explain why this is, from angles ranging from the scientific to the philosophical to the spiritual. All I know for sure, however, is that it nourishes me, revives me — and makes me very nostalgic for the times I’ve lived in the country.

I’m grateful for my time living in the country, but Dohn and I are fortunate now to have the beautiful Swan River at our doorstep, and lovely countryside not too far away. Plus: family! All chicken soup for the soul.

What do you think? Do you crave time out in nature?

Our (Non) Christmas

December 28 2015 by Vicki Leave a Comment

Plate of Christmas cookies and a glass of milk, with an envelope on which is written

It seems we were bad. :-(

Christmas Eve

The dread of the preceding weeks had finally built its way up to a crescendo. On Thursday morning, Christmas Eve, we braced our shoulders and flung ourselves head first (no, not really) into the madding Christmas crowds at the local shops.

I hate crowds. *glower*

Shopping (eventually) complete, we arrived home, ate brekkie and I set to work prepping food for Christmas Day. We had to bring food to two separate family gatherings. I mostly had to make salads and dips, plus crudités and zucchini chips and spiced nuts — basically the finger food.

The potato salad was to take the most time. Boil the spuds, steam the eggs, make the mayonnaise, fry the bacon, chop the spuds, chop the eggs, chop the bacon, chop the chives and spring onions. It was a bit of a marathon and my back was giving me some grief (a day of babysitting the heffalump grandson does that to me, and we’d had him the day before) and it took me a few hours to get done everything I needed to get done that day.

Well, nearly everything. I still had to make one of the dips, and then the next day assemble the potato salad and other salads. But all was pretty much under control. Whew.

Then, with cunning and stealth, it attacked — slow but invincible.

“Uh-oh,” I said to Dohn. “I’m feeling uncomfortable. Maybe it’s heartburn?” After about half an hour or so of discomfort, I headed to the kitchen to get some apple cider vinegar in case it was heartburn, though I wasn’t convinced as it was lower down than heartburn tended to be. Then, before I even had a chance to pour the ACV, I knew for sure it was not. I made my way quick smart to the bathroom.

The Bug had made its move — and move it did.

That was that as far as the day’s prep was concerned. The final dip would just have to be crammed into the next morning’s prep. It couldn’t be helped. I felt, in a word, bleugh.

I lay on the bed, not wanting my computer(!), not wanting food(!!), not wanting bubbles(!!!) but wanting to feel better more than a little, as day drifted into evening and evening drifted into night. It was all the same to me.

And then it was Christmas

At some point in the night, The Bug had felled Dohn too. So by morning there we were, two sad souls, feeling crook together. At this point it was The Bug: 2, Us: 0.

“Merry Christmas,” we greeted each other, with somewhat more irony than joy.

After some discussion, but not much as it was really a no-brainer, we decided we must stay home that day and not subject other family members to The Bug that had laid us low. And it did lay us low! We spent Christmas Day in bed feeling quite pitiful. Still no computer, no food and no bubbles. On Christmas Day! So many firsts. Always trying something new, that’s me. Hah.

In the evening, I thought of my family celebrating at my daughter’s house but felt too ill to wish I was there, although I hoped they were all having a good time. I did, however, have fleeting thoughts for my Mum’s pavlova. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth but I do adore my Mum’s pav. I have been known to “order” it as a birthday cake in the past. It’s sooooooo good. And therefore it was sooooooo tragic! *sniffle*

But the food…!

So, that was our Christmas. Dohn was better by yesterday, evening the score a little, and I am also better today. Such a relief! (Take THAT, The Bug! You lose!) But now we have to face all the food. Oh, my. So much wasted food. We couldn’t give it away (in case it was contaminated with The Bug) and haven’t been up to eating it ourselves. And oh, how I love my potato salad! I don’t get to eat it normally, as hubby isn’t fond of it. Such a waste — of both money and the food itself. When I think of all the better uses both could have been put to, I could weep. And all that stress and prep for nothing!

But that’s life.

(Belated) Christmas wishes!

I truly hope your Christmas was better than ours. Despite the tardiness of the message, I sincerely wish you all the blessings of the season. Merry Christmas everyone!

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