Bushwalking Group at Crossroads

On Sunday, the Bushwalking Group met for the annual planning meeting. The aim was to agree on the walks for 2026. In the days prior to the meeting, there had been a number of emails which created some misunderstandings and a few people took offence when none was intended. It is clear that we are all getting on in years and can no longer do the long and strenuous walks that we used to enjoy. I personally used to think nothing of walking 15 km and on the Camino I could do this day after day: no problem, but not any more! 

Three long time members of the group decided to resign and join a more active walking group (Perth has no shortage of these). It was assumed that these three would not attend the planning meeting, so Margaret M and Sue drew up the agenda between them. We met under a shady spot on Hackett Drive near the river. There were only seven of us and we were all given a chance to say our piece about the future of the group. Most said they valued the social side as well as the walking, but we really needed to shorten them. Everyone was asked what contribution they could make in 2026. I was reluctant to put my hand up, as I’m still suffering from the after effects of shingles which sapped all my energy, not to mention the awful coffee poisoning episode. I don’t feel confident to lead a walk and the group really needs leaders.

We had a break for morning tea, with everyone providing a contribution.

 My banana bread.

Last Protest

Yesterday was our last protest against the “Perth Park” development before the bulldozers move in. There was a big police presence, quite a surprise for such a group of law abiding citizens. We were all assembled in the shade of a big tree, before we were moved on a little way along the track into the sun. Was this a ploy to make it difficult? The temperature was 35 degrees.

The media were there from all the TV networks, but it was only covered by the local ABC News at 7.00 pm:

People had brought placards, but the most ingenious (and useful) was this painted umbrella. It read “Our hearts ♥️ are broken”:

1 really felt there could have been fewer police and one or two St John’s paramedics because of the heat and danger of dehydration.

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A much cooler day was promised for Sunday, so I set off early to drive to Kalamunda Farmers Market.  I found a really good parking spot just opposite Vibe garage, minutes from the back entrance to the market. I grabbed a quick breakfast (coffee and a danish) before hitting the stalls, which were already busy at 8.30 am.

One of the best and biggest stalls sells plants:

This Chain of Hearts plant was one I bought last year, and has gone up a lot in price (as has everything). I must take some cuttings.

What else did I buy? A curry puff for lunch from Govindas. They are the same Govindas as the restaurant in Northbridge; apparently the chefs live here in Kalamunda. I also stocked up on fresh stone fruits: plums and white peaches. Prices were no cheaper than the supermarkets, but at least everything was really fresh. Look at this tray of mushrooms:

Escaping Ed Sheeran

On Saturday and Sunday night, we were being treated to extremely noisy events at the stadium. Two Ed Sheeran concerts (gigs as they are now called) would go on way past my bedtime of 9.30 pm. I asked my friend Val if I could spend the weekend at her place, well away from all this. She took pity on me!

Val lives in a retirement village, where every house has a tiny beautiful garden. Here are two of Val’s flowers:

Val has a black rescue greyhound, Maggie, who sleeps most of the time:

We enjoyed a tasty dinner: mini quiches and salad:

It was a very hot day and forecast to remain so. We went for a sunset walk, Maggie leading the way:

There is a newly constructed boardwalk:

It was beautiful late in the day:

There are information plaques alerting people to all the various birds to be seen:

Returning home, we saw the full moon low in the sky: 

What a lovely weekend I had!

The only downside was the drive home on Monday morning. The freeway was really busy and required 100% concentration. There is a new system of traffic lights at the on ramps, which allow one car through at a time. I can’t imagine doing this commute every day.

Heatwave continues

When I emigrated to Australia years ago, someone said this: in England you have to hibernate when it’s too cold to go out - here it’s the opposite when it’s just too hot to be outside. We are now suffering from an ongoing heatwave:

The daytime temperatures are bad enough, but last night it only dropped to 27 degrees. The only way to get a good nights sleep is to run the aircon very cold. Who knows what my next electricity bill will look like?

As for food, cooking in a hot kitchen or eating hot food does not appeal. I made a delicious salad bowl instead:

The saving grace is our swimming pool: a daily swim before breakfast is lovely.

As I left the pool, I noticed an ibis checking out the communal herb garden:

I have managed to keep the herbs alive by watering every day at about 5.00 pm when the sun has moved to the front of the building and the hot wind has died down.

Another strategy is to spend the afternoon in a cold cinema. I enjoyed  Song Sung Blue last week:

A very HOT Christmas

We were not looking forward to the hottest Christmas in living memory. The forecast was 40 degrees plus! On Christmas Eve, we made a plan to go for an early morning swim at South Beach, followed by breakfast at the cafe. The beach was quite windy, with a strong Easterly, the wind that would bring all the heat from inland. The water was lovely, though. We must do this again!

Breakfast was delish: I ordered a stack of pancakes:

C and E had savoury items:

After breakfast, it was my job to brave the crowds at Kailis to purchase seafood for Christmas Day. I was on the hunt for Garlic Prawns, which we’d enjoyed last year, plus a small pot of caviar for the blinis.

C pours some non-alcoholic rose wine:

E prepares the blinis:

We always forget the exact recipe from one year to the next and have to google it from all the vaiations.

My turn to cook the Garlic Prawns:

Prawns in the pan with a few mushrooms:

Prawns and salad for main course:

C had made tiramisu for dessert, which we had much later whilst watching a film on TV:


This film was an interesting choice. It’s an award winning film about a Tokyo toilet cleaner. E is going to Japan soon, so it seemed very appropriate. The toilets on his round are all different architectural structures. I hope E can track them down!

After the film, I drove home without any fear of getting stopped for drink driving. My first job was to water the community herb garden, which I knew would be suffering from the heat. There were sounds of merriment from the pool, but I had already had a swim at 8.00 am while things were quiet:

Finally, a pic of my Christmas/Birthday presents:

Countdown to Christmas

I’m not feeling in the mood for Christmas as I’m still below par with the effects of shingles. The blisters have gone from my face, but the area is still itchy and I have to keep off it as best as I can. I have absolutely no energy and spend most of the day resting. My sister sent me a lovely bunch of flowers to cheer me up:

The Bushwalkers Christmas Lunch was held on Thursday at the UWA Club. We were a somewhat diminished group compared to previous years:

I chose the Turkey, as this would be my only stab at traditional Christmas fare:

The barista made an interesting coffee:

On Friday night, C knew I wouldn’t have the energy to cook for them. She took us to a local Japanese restaurant, where they ate often during their kitchen renovations. I was sad to discover that it wasn’t licensed, but the green tea came in a most beautiful pot:

The food was delicious, though. Mine was tempura king prawns in a bento box (a generous portion and more than I could manage).

This weekend we are expecting a heatwave which will be something else to contend with.

Shingles update

I think the worst is over, but it’s been something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy! I felt pretty tired all the time, with no energy to do anything and certainly not to go out. Besides, I didn’t want anyone to see my face in this state:

That photo was taken on Sunday. It’s now Friday. 

At its worst, I didn’t dare take a shower or wash my hair. C brought me some shopping and finally persuaded me to go down for a coffee. With my hat and glasses on, nobody could see my face. On Wednesday, my cleaners came. This time, one was a French girl who told me her mother had had shingles a month ago. She showed me a photo and her eye was the spitting image of mine. There’s a lot of it about!

The advice is to take your mind off it as much as possible. I moved from the book version of Phryne Fisher to watching her on Netflix, which hopefully I’ve cancelled after the month’s trial.

I’ve finished a week of medication and the blisters are scabbing over. Bits are flaking off:

Luckily I’ve got dressed, as window cleaners are descending from the roof of the building, first his feet and then his head:

I don’t suppose he has time to look in.