Joans jottings

I’ve just returned from an enjoyable gathering of Rollers held by Noreen at her place in Mumbil NSW. Twelve of us had driven from all parts of the state. It was good to catch up and hear of each other’s travels as well as get news of many other members we haven’t seen for a while.

On Saturday night we had a pot luck dinner. Usually we end up with too much food which was again the case.

Jan, our newest member had brought her tools of trade and offered her hairdresser skills which were taken up by a few of those present. She lives in Wellington NSW, she told us that she had in the past lived in the Illawarra and had her business in Gwyennville.

This is not just any duck, Darcy is insured for 4 million dollars and has featured in many adds. His photo is on Melbourne trams in advertisements and commercials. His predecessor featured in Babe. He has his own website and is on Instagram. A well known duck in Rainbow Bay.  He appeared to have enjoyed our company over the weekend. (A very spoiled duck indeed)

Miriam another Roller invited us out to see her working properly 78k  away. It was an interesting afternoon learning the history of the property and their future plans to restore the old homestead dating back to early settlement in the 1830s. They are situated on the Bell River a tributary of the Macquarie River. Over time and recently floods have inundated the property causing damage which led to the need for a substantial levy being built surrounding the house to protect against future flooding.

I decided that I would come back through Cowra, mainly to visit the Japanese gardens hoping that some autumn colour remained. I thought it was highly likely as my Japanese maple hasn’t coloured or lost its leaves yet. Usually this occurs at the end of May.

Fortunately the gardens were a picture although almost at the end of the autumn colour.

The gardens didn’t disappoint and I had an enjoyable wander around them. I would love to return in Spring to see the blossoms and new growth emerging. That would be quite a sight.

Not quite 12 months since the retaining walls and drainage works were done which is hard to imagine. All the plants are settling in as I planned/hoped and transforming the backyard into an abundance of beautiful flowers.

Even the vegetable garden has provided me with summer vegetables and now I have  root veggies, brasicas, peas, beans and rhubarb growing.

I really like the ring garden design and this new version is a bit smaller than the original.

The soil has required a lot of building up and I used the no dig method. A bonus is having the compost collection in the centre of the ring garden. This has worked to attract a large amount of worms to the garden.

My big project was the spiral herb garden. It’s a permiculture technique that provides a micro climate for growing plants. I’m keen to see how it works in my backyard.

It’s lovely to do my morning round of the garden to check on it’s progress and take a cuppa up to the gazebo to watch the birds and  my wind spinner (a birthday indulgence).

Now that the garden has seen two seasons I have a better idea of what to edit. Pruning the roses and perennials will be the next task. I also have some barerooted roses to come.

Lot’s to look forward to and of course more plants to buy. I shall see how the garden copes with winter.

Another amazing Roller event. This one was special because it was the last of this type of gathering due to the growing numbers and logistics of organising such an event yearly it had morphed into a huge task.

I was happy that it was in Queensland as I have now travelled to every State for the event.

Because it was on the East coast and because I had travelled many of the places before with Chris I decided to travel at my own pace and didn’t join a tagalong. Many were doing the same and I met some fellow Rollers on the way.

This year’s venue was a challenge as it was on a private property bordering on the rainforest which meant  no powered sites. We needed to be self sufficient for the week. Not everyone has solar so this didn’t suit everyone. Portable toilets and showers were brought on site.

There were many activities on offer so plenty to do. Craft, yoga, line dancing and art work.

Trivia night and Bingo night are usually a hoot.

Food vans came in so those interested could pre- order.

Visits to a banana plantation and barramundi farm where you can catch and release. For the record I caught 6, the record for the day.

The owner of the property made his catamaran available for us to experience the joy of moving under sail around the nearby islands with a stop over at Dunk Island. It has recently been restored/repaired after the last cyclone that went through causing a lot of damage. He  happened to be one of the new owners of the Island. We were among the first to visit the restaurant. The weather was ideal, an amazing experience. I always wondered what a catamaran was like inside, now I know.

We also could do a Unimog tour of the beaches and rainforest. Both off the beaten track and away from tourists. We walked along the beaches and did a 2 K rainforest walk along and over a babbling creek. Then returned to town to a restaurant on  Mission Beachfront which surprisingly the owner had ownership in.

Time went quickly and after fond farewells and future plans to catch up we all departed and went our separate ways.

My trip home was shorter in time as I was keen to get back.

What an amazing privilege to be able to create your own garden. I have spent weeks planning and buying plants, seeds and bulbs just for this purpose. I’m thankful that I have 3 Bunnings stores in the area so I can and  do the rounds of them all. I take advantage of the plants that need TLC. In doing so l have effectively cut the cost of many purchases.

All planted up September/October.

Each day brings new surprises and joy. I’m enjoying watching the garden taking shape. The birds are frequent visitors including one especially curious cockatoo.

A local company, Coastal Landscaping and Earthmoving Company undertook the work to address the drainage issues as well as concreting down the side of the house.

The work commenced in July and took four weeks to complete. The weather was mostly fine but heavy rain delayed the end of the job making the backyard a boggy quagmire. I wasn’t able to do much planting out before my planned holiday. So that was delayed for almost a month which as it turned out allowed the backyard to dry out. Being heavy clay soil and having lost much of the precious topsoil a lot of soil restoration needed to be done.

A big thank you to Rob and his team for their professional and considerate approach to this challenging job. I learnt a lot. Also, I enjoyed watching them work as a team and the progress each day.

This years Steven West knitting challenge occurs in October every year.

Sadly we had to put Van down yesterday. She was a big part of our lives for 11 years.

We were a good pair in the end. Me with my #ankle and Van with her sudden loss of mobility to the point of not being able to use her back legs. Robyn had her hands full with both of us! Her home visit was very timely.

Never too old to attend your 1st Rock Concert. Thanks to Paul we all enjoyed the Red Hot Summer event at the Berry Showground 2 weekends ago.

I asked Tamika if she would be interested in taking a camera to take photos and videos of the concert. As I thought, she was more than keen. So I dusted off my Nikon camera, and oldie but a goodie. Recharged the battery and did the same to a more recent Pentax camera. Interestingly on checking the SD cards I found some old pics and videos of Jai as a baby (15 yrs ago) Chris featured in them as well. There  were even older pictures mum had taken on a trip she had taken ? 20 yrs ago.  Quite nostalgic for me. If I hadn’t got the cameras out those memories would have remained unseen.

It’s been a quiet start to 2025. Can’t complain when you see what’s happening in the world these days.

Robyn has gone back to work. She drove this time. She caught up with the Adelaide Maher’s. Picket, her canine friend was pleased to see her.

Paul’s birthday is coming up soon and I have been busy creating the annual Family Photos photo book.

Lynda and Ethel called in last Monday on their way to the Abbey at Jamberoo for a 5 day retreat.

Autumn has had a wet start. The garden is growing at a rapid rate. It will be interesting to see any early autumn changes in the Highlands next week. Fran and I are having a catch up.

The last couple of months have gone quickly. I’ve settled back after my SA holiday and fully recovered from my sprained ankle.

Family activities are now my focus and the end the year is upon us.

Christmas this year was a quiet family affair. The weather was kind and everyone enjoyed opening presents and sharing Christmas dinner together. We are aware and mindful of how fortunate/ blessed we are.

Robyn and Sharon had a quick visit to see Lynda and Ethel in Old Bar before New Year Celebrations.

Meanwhile back home we celebrated Ian’s 48th birthday.

I’m traveling back alone so I can travel at my own pace. I decided to come back the same/similar way. It will be much quicker and include Bendigo and Wangaratta.

I had intended to stay in Bendigo but on checking the shop hours at Wangaratta Woolen mill they were only open on Monday and Friday. So I left very early from Bordertown and did manage to visit both places. That night I stayed in a CP in Wodonga.

Another beautiful sunny day. I decided to break the trip home and spend the night in Yass. I have enjoyed visiting places along the Hume Highway (M1). First stop was the bakery in Holbrook to get morning tea. Then drove to the park where the famous submarine features. Back on the road again, next stop Tarcutta. Tarcutta is the middle point distance wise between Sydney and Melbourne. Often used as a truckers changeover point. The area itself is rural. I found an amazing craft shop in the main street.

I decided to continue on for a little bit longer and see if I could get accommodation in Yass. That makes a shorter trip home tomorrow.

Not far from home now.