Big Lap WA 2015- Day 38- Hahndorf- South Australia

Pack up was easy because we stayed in a cabin over night, with a fan to keep us cool. This morning we got up to a HOT morning, I was kind of glad we didn’t have a whole camp to dismantle. We left Port Augusta at 9.45 am and by 11.00 am we had turned off the roads we were familiar with and drove on “New Roads” It was already 34c

We stopped at Port Wakefield for lunch a little town along the way we went to the only open shop which was a bakery, and I decided to be brave and try something new, I was so glad I did, it was delicious.. I had a Lamb rosemary pie. It was just like eating a roast lamb meal including thick gravy and mint sauce, sooooo good! The Bloke had a pastie and said that it was really good too.

As we drove along we left the fields and the desert behind and started passing wheat and salt lakes.

Salt Lakes

Salt Lakes

The temperature started to drop about then too, the sky was grey and over cast and frankly we got a bit nervous about the weather turning nasty. which is why we were heading to the Adelaide Hills anyways to avoid the bad weather.

We arrived in the little German town of Hahndorf.

Hahndorf is a small town in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. Currently an important tourism spot, it has previously been a centre for farming and services. It is accessible from Adelaide, the South Australian capital, via the South Eastern Freeway. The town was settled by Lutheran migrants largely from in and around a small village then named Kay in Prussia and now known as Kije, Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Many of the settlers arrived aboard the Zebra on 28 December 1838. The town is named after the Danish Dirk Meinhertz Hahn, captain of the Zebra. It is Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement (taken from Wiki)

I’ve been here before but the boys have not. I love this little town it’s the oldest German settlement in Australia. So we decided that while we were here we would try as many German experiences as we could.

We stayed at the Adelaide Hill’s Big 4 Caravan park called Hahndorf Resort. and it was stunning, the most amazing camp kitchen you could imagine, three microwaves, stoves, bb’q’s, fridges, all cutlery, crockery and cooking utensils you could think of, it was amazing and so HUGE, with three huge tables and bench seats, so on cold rainy days you could hang out In there.

The bathroom block had just been refreshed and it was amazing. There was only one day that I actually shared the space with anyone at all. Niiice!

After we set up camp and got our dinners sorted for the night we went for a walk around the camp, the boys had a quick game of Volleyball and we had a super quick jump on the jumping pillow before it started to rain and we headed back to camp.

I had just started another book  so I spent some time getting into that, bedtime 11;00pm, late for us!

The entrance at the caravan park.. I wanna live there!

 

Camp Hahndorf South Australia

The Year of reading Aussie Authors… book reviews

The Year of Australian Writing challenge

Its been a while since I’ve done a book review for a simple reason, I just haven’t been reading as much, but when I left to come on this trip I packed a bunch of my “Äussie Author ” books in an attempt to get back on track and it’s worked!!

First of all I finished the book “The Thorn Birds” by Colleen McCullough

Taken from Good Reads

Powered by the dreams and struggles of three generations, THE THORN BIRDS is the epic saga of a family rooted in the Australian sheep country. At the story’s heart is the love of Meggie Cleary, who can never possess the man she desperately adores, and Ralph de Bricassart, who rises from parish priest to the inner circles of the Vatican…but whose passion for Meggie will follow him all the days of his life.

Well I had several people telling how good this book was so I found it and read it… it took me two months being busy with Grandbabies and getting ready for the trip.. I didn’t LOVE this book at all. I made myself continue reading it hoping it would get better… but I didn’t love it or really even like it much… give it three stars out of five.

Then because I finally finished this one I decided to start another whole I was on a roll.. so I read…

“Matilda’s Last Waltz” by Tamara McKinley

Taken from Good Reads

After the tragic death of her husband, Jenny travels to Churinga, a remote sheep-station in the Australian Outback that he intended to give to her for reasons she doesn’t understand.Churinga is harsh and unforgiving, but also has its beauty…and its secrets. The more time Jenny spends on the farm, the more she is aware of the lingering presence of Matilda Thomas, Churinga’s former owner, and the more she wonders just what she is doing there.

Notice on the cover it reads “An epic novel in the tradition of “The Thorn birds” so I almost didn’t read it but so glad I did because this one was so  much better and I got through it quickly. Since we are camping with “”Matilda”” our trailer and “Tamara” our tent, I found it quite ironic when one morning the Bloke announces… “This will be our last Big Lap with “the girls” (meaning Tamara the tent and Tilly the trailer) I turned to him and said “Does that mean this is Matilda’s Last Waltz?” he said “Yeah I’m too old for it… blah blah blah”… I  just held up the book cover and showed him.. the irony was not lost on us..

I really enjoyed this book, maybe it’s because I’ve been to some of the places she mentions and I can picture them and the smells and the sights are real to me.. better described that by Colleen in the Thorn Birds. Giving this one 5 stars our of 5 and I let the book go, I left it in a laundry room in the Caravan Park in Kalgoorlie. I hope Matilda’s waltzing again with some one else.. maybe going to a new corner of Australia.

My final book review for today is by a new author to me Di Morrissey and it was called “The Opal desert”

Taken from Good Reads

The Opal Desert is the story of three women from different generations with unresolved issues in their lives who meet in the fictitious NSW town of Opal Lake.

Kerrie, in her 40s, has just lost her famous sculptor husband who had been the centre of her existence and for whom she made many sacrifices and she now finds her life has lost direction.

Shirley, approaching 80, was betrayed by her lover many years before and has retreated from the world, becoming a recluse living in an underground dugout.

Anna, 19, has a promising athletic career but is torn between the commitment to her sport which could carry her to the Olympics, or enjoying life-like other young people.

The friendship that develops between these three women, who meet in the strangely beautiful but desolate landscape of the opal fields, helps them resolve and come to terms with the next stage of their lives

A lady we were camped next to at Fowlers Bay was talking about a book she had just finished and said to me “would you like it? It’s a great book, it’s an Aussie Author” so the Bloke started telling her about my challenge this year to read Aussie Authors and so she went and got the book for me, not what HE wanted not more books!! As soon as I saw the title my interest was sparked.. being that last Big Lap we went to Coober Pedy to find an Opal.. I promised myself I would do that for my Dad who sadly passed away before he had time to go and get himself an opal. The other famous place in Australia for Opals is Lightening Ridge and it’s on my “to do list” as well. Di also mentioned Broken Hill which we have been to and loved and seen the places she writes about.. she describes the people so perfectly. I loved how she weaves all these different people into one story and I had to fight to put this book down. Its 406 pages and I read it in two days! I’m giving this a 5 star rating and will be on the look out for more of her books.

That brings my total for the year for this challenge up to 18 books.. woo hoo…

I went to a charity shop at the start of this trip and picked up some books for 25 cents each, one is an Aussie one about Russell Crow so maybe I’ll read that next!

Book Review- Two for the Road..

I thought I posted this first but oh well…

I’ve been a bit slack with my reviews… but I also haven’t been reading as much due to the fact that there is too much else to do..

This book is called “Two for the Road” by Shirley Hardy Rix and Brian Rix

Good Reads says

Roads are for journeys, not destinations.

In 2003 Melbourne couple Shirley Hardy-Rix and her husband Brian Rix fulfilled a lifelong ambition of motorcycling across the world.

In an incredible 350-day journey, they would do everything they’d ever dreamed of as well as getting much more than they’d bargained for. Crossing 27 countries and covering 56,671 kilometres, they raced around the Isle of Man motorcycle circuit on Mad Sunday, survived Iran’s traffic and travelled through Taliban strongholds under armed guard. Shirley and Brian’s story is an epic account of the ups and downs of seeing the world on two wheels – from the frustrations of potholes and flat tyres, to the splendour of some of Europe and Asia’s most awe-inspiring sights.

Full of terrific anecdotes, down-to-earth humour and practical advice, Two for the Road is a must for anyone who’s ever imagined escaping the daily grind to experience the romance of the open road.

‘Few books are as inspirational as that just written by Melbourne journalist Shirley Hardy-Rix and her policeman husband Brian Rix.’ – Herald Sun

‘A great read for anyone with a yearning for the open road and exotic climes.’ – West Australian

‘This book might tip undecided travellers over the edge – no bad thing.’ – Two Wheels

---

I enjoyed this book because this is something my husband and I would like to do.. maybe not overseas or around the world, but around Australia anyways. I loved how there were two POV’s throughout the story, you know the Blokes want to be all technical and us Sheila’s want to do the romantic side of things. So I enjoyed that, when we travel I do it all and then pass the book to the Bloke who adds stuff about kms travelled and fuel amounts and costing and handling of the bike, we have tow journals for the bikes “Scarlett Journal” is for the Triumph 650 her name is Scarlett because of her paint colour and “Bette’s Book” Bette is the BMW we drive on longer rides.

I’m giving this one 4* out of 5.

Book Review.. Fortune Cookie

Book Review time…

and here’s another one for you.

Today I am reviewing a book called “Fortune Cookie” by Bryce Courtney

Good Reads says…

Simon Koo is an ambitious Australian-born Chinese young man who goes to Singapore in the mid-sixties to work for Samuel Oswald Wing, an advertising agency. But the Wing brothers, who run the agency, are not what they seem.

---

To be perfectly honest as much as I love Bryce Courtney.. I did not LOVE this book, I struggled through it because I was loyal. I haven’t read ALL his books but this is only the second one I didn’t love.. the first being “Sylvia” which I was dying to read because it was medieval..and though I love what he tried to do he shouldn’t have jumped into a different genre.

Anyways this book was not one of my faves. I did finish it only because I KNOW Bryce is going to finish with a BANG and he did again! the ending was the best bit.. I’ve giving it 3 * out of 5.

Busy long weekend. Update, Book reviews, photos.

This weekend was a long weekend, which simply means that it was a public holiday today for the Queens Birthday..like most long weekends in Australia it’s just an excuse to go away and party or in our case relax!

We spent the weekend at our holiday place in St.Leonards and I’ve written lots about that so I won’t bore you again, instead I’m going to tell you how amazing I am that I got so much done this weekend. Its amazing really when I have some baby free time how much I can achieve. I had a stack of penpal letters to reply to so I took those along, seven letters to be truthful and so I got ALL of those written and posted! Yay! that in itself is a job well done, because I hand write all my letters and  they are usually 4 or more pages long.

Next on my list of “to do” was to finish a book I started back in April it was called “Adams Empire” by Even Green..

Mine was a different cover, but this is the one “god reads” has on display..

From Publishers Weekly
The protagonist of this robust and sprawling saga set in the untamed Australia of the first half of this century is a true child of the outback. Orphaned at age nine, at home under the stars, completely unschooled, Adam uses his fists and his wits to rise from poverty to prosperity. He befriends an aborigine, performs dangerous work in the opal mines, falls in love with a sensual half-caste, has a run-in with a murderous policeman, marries a cold and manipulative beauty and finally treks west to carve himself an empire. This striking first novel tells a colorful and entertaining story, vividly evoking a vigorous, multiethnic society and a beautiful, diverse, often dangerous land. Green is a journalist and the author of Alice to Nowhere.

Nine-year old Adam is orphaned when his father is buried during an Australian desert sandstorm. A childhood of roaming the outback with his father’s drilling partner instills in him a fierce determination to have a place of his own. In this fast-paced, gripping saga, the reader follows the hard-working Adam and his mates, Jimmy, the practical aboriginal, and Josef, the impetuous young German immigrant, from the opal mines to the desert. They feint with death in mine disasters, at the hands of Mailey, the revenge-seeking law officer, and in the ravages of flash floods. A more deadly threat for Adam is his beautiful, calculating, near-mad wife, but a seductive half-caste woman lends her own type of danger to all of the men.

Taken from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4116936-adam-s-empire

So it had 780 pages and normally that doesn’t phase me but I’ve been so busy it’s taken me almost three months to read it all.. shame on me.. but to be honest I did read other things in between..I loved this book which started in 1919 and went up to I think about 1940’s so a nice long-span of time, and I like that it mentioned places we have been as a family. I enjoyed it but it was time to finish it and move on… I’m giving this one a 4 out of 5 star rating

So I wiped that off by Saturday morning and then, my cousin Lee went to a charity shop to look for bargains because it’s kind of a thing we do whenever we are down there together, and while we were there we heard about a BOOK SALE! at the St. James church. They have two a year one in January and this one in June, and this year I missed the January one because it was star son’s 13th birthday party weekend.

So we went to St.James in Drysdale and spent an hour wandering through endless rows and tables and shelves of books! I love it! I was able to replenish my supply of “Christian books” and I was very pleased about that and I ended up with about 10 books or sets of books for only $8.50! Bargain!

So while I was book shopping I found another book which was “Australian” for my “Read Australian Authors” challenge..

This  book was called “Diamonds and Dust” by Sheryl McCorry

Sheryl McCorry grew up in the outback carrying crocodiles to school for show and tell. When she was 18 her family moved to Broome, and it was the first time she’d ever used a telephone or seen a television.

A year later, only hours after being railroaded into marriage by a fast-talking Yank, Sheryl locked eyes with Bob McCorry, a drover and buffalo shooter. When her marriage ended after only a few months, they began a love affair that would last a lifetime and take them to the Kimberley’s harshest frontiers.

Sheryl became the only woman in a team of stockmen. She soon learned how to run rogue bulls and to outsmart the neighbours in the toughest game of all mustering cattle. The playing field was a million acres of unfenced, unmarked boundaries.

Sheryl went on to become the first woman in the Kimberley to run two million-acre cattle stations, but her life was not without its share of tragedy. Her story is an epic saga of life in one of the toughest and most beautiful terrains in Australia a story of hardship, drought, joy and triumph.

Taken from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11864222-diamonds-and-dust

This one was much easier to read it’s a true story and therefore fascinating to me a “City Slicker” I loved it and finised reading it this afternoon! I’m giving this a 4 out of 5 star rating.

Another thing on my “to do” list was.. “do some art”

I had downloaded the video clips at home while I had the internet connection and so I was able to just watch them from my lap top computer down there, Last week I mentioned about a friend of mine who had gifted me some art classes… you can read about it here: https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/im-back/

So I wanted to do some of the art classes Carrol had gifted me.. first class I did was from the 2013 version of LifeBook the “Tam Edition” which was “Celebration and Journey”

I forgot to take progress photos! Never mind here she is finished.. the Clouds are things we are grateful for and the flowers are things we want to journey towards.

Next up in the series was “our art guardian” and here’s how she turned out..

More info about Tam’s courses here: http://willowing.ning.com/group/lb2013-tam-edition

I also had downloaded a few of Mindy’s lessons from “Sunday Mornings 2” and So I also got done a double pages spread titled “The Crucifixion” This is the second time in the past three or so weeks I’ve painted on this theme and both times it made me cry. Maybe because I understand the background of the disciples deserting him in his time of need.

I am so loving this piece!

Here is the previous “crucifixion” painting I did- I am calling it “Mary’s tears”

But you know what I am finding annoying? I am doing all these lovely pieces in my art journal! Arghhhh.. I had a Facebook friend ask me “how much for a signed copy”? and I replied “Priceless it’s in my art journal” so now I need to do it again and send it to him! I found this weekend that whatever I was touching was turning out nicely!!

More info about Sunday Mornings 2 here: https://app.ruzuku.com/courses/7987/overview

I also got caught up on my ICAD project…

This week the prompts are

and you can find out more about this challenge at: http://daisyyellowart.com/vividlife/icad-2015-index

Tam’s and Mindy’s classes are at a cost.. and the ICAD is a free challenge.

Today we got back home and took Star Son’s friend home, we took a friend down to the holiday place to keep him occupied and once we had dropped the friend home, we un packed the car and went to visit my Mother-in-law at her facility, we took Sweetpea with us which is always fun because she’s so tiny and doll-like people just cant help but love her.. the Oldies adore her and she’s happy to perform for them, today’s little game was taking off Star Son’s hat and putting it back on each of us in turn, at one point she dropped the hat and as clear as a bell she said “oh shit!” I guess that means now we will all have to watch what we say!!

I wish she’d say Grandma like that!!

How was your weekend?

A- Z Blogging challenge is finished but….

Here are a few neat things I’ve discovered…

• I miss it already!!
• I visited 214 of the 1,516 blogs listed (I thought I was doing OK but I think I could have done better)
• in the 30 days of April, I got myself 33 new blog followers.. fellow A-Z’ers I guess and thank you very much!!
• I stuck to my predetermined theme and posts (pretty much)

• I also discovered I suck at writing short blog posts. I think this is because during the day my “job” is as Grandma to two small people 17 and 16 months, and I don’t use up enough words so then I come to blog and they spill out to make up the quota for the day….
• I guess this means I’ll never be doing a “challenge” where I have to count my words (or at least nothing under say 3,000 words anyways!
• At the start I doubted myself, about going the distance.. (what’s new I do it ALL the time) but then I found myself loving this new routine and really enjoying introducing my family and super close friends to everyone.

Here is a list of my posts with links, in case you missed any and want to go back and read them…

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/30/z-is-for/ Z is for Zoo

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/28/y-is-for/  Y is for Yabbered and others

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/27/x-is-for/   X is for X-tra Best friend – Deanne

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/26/w-is-for/  W is for William AKA Star Son

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/25/v-is-for/  V is for Victoria our home state!

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/23/u-is-for/   U is for Update on my life.

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/23/t-is-for/    T is for today, Tomorrow and Tony

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/s-is-for/ S is for St.Leonards (our holiday place)

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/21/r-is-for/   R is for Rob (My Bloke)

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/19/q-is-for/  Q is for camping in Queensland

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/p-is-for/   P is for Penpalling (my other career)

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/17/o-is-for/   O is for Other family

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/16/n-is-for/  N is for Nieces and nephews

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/15/m-is-for-ooops-its-a-long-one/ M is for Memories (stories from others)

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/14/l-is-for/   L is for Lee (my cousin and friend and sister figure)

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/12/k-is-for/  K is for Kit, My son from another Mother

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/11/j-is-for-triple-treat/ J is for Jock, Jasmin and Jarrah (Father-in-law, Daughter and son)

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/i-is-for/  I is for I am…

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/09/h-is-for-lots-of-pics-in-this-post/ H is for Hine.. the day I became a Hine

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/08/g-is-for-warning-long-post-ha-ha/    G is for Grandmahood

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/07/f-is-for/  F is for Fran (my Mother in law)

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/e-is-for/  E is for Easter

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/d-is-for/  D is for Dad John Oliver Scarffe

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/03/c-is-for-triple-treat/  C is for Cousin, Crochet and caravan.

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/02/b-is-for/ B is for Babies, meet my Grand children

https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/its-april-1st-you-know-what-that-means-right/  A is for Amber

I’ve really enjoyed following along with other people’s challenge topics, I learnt all the names for God from one blogger and from another she ate her way through the alphabet, one had a music theme so I learnt some new music. There were many varied and different themes and I’ve learnt something new at each blog, so it’s been a learning curve for me as well. I’ve loved sharing my family with you all and now I have to start thinking about 2016’s theme!!

U is for….

This fun challenge is brought to you by: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

and today is the letter “U“

The theme of my blog and this challenge has been about “family” because they are my job and they are who I spend the most time with so I have introduced you to most of them one more for letter “W” coming up, so these last few letters are starting to get tricky…so I am using “U” for “U”pdate!

I had endeavored to do my blog daily I’ve pretty much succeeded and along the way I do the odd challenge, like the NABLOPOMO which I did for Nov, Dec,January and February. I don’t know why I missed March but never mind, it did the trick which was to write each day with a prompt (or not) which was provided.. you can find out more about those monthly challenges here: http://www.blogher.com/blogher-topics/blogging-social-media/nablopomo. I am lucky that my family support my blogging and allow me to use their funny, weird and wonderful stories I asked them all before I wrote about them… actually all except for Kit and Jarrah.

Another challenge I’ve been doing is “A year of Australian Writing” and that is run by Pip Lincolne over at :http://meetmeatmikes.com/2015-a-year-of-australian-writing/ When I signed up for this I said “I am NOT buying any more books” ha! yeah right!! I did find a bunch on my bookshelves of Aussie authors..I also ended up at a Church book sale in January this year and I asked the lady who was working there do they have an “Australian Author” table? she pointed me to the place and I was chatting to her saying “I am doing a reading challenge to read only Australian authors” when one of the other ladies in the hall said “Are you blogging with Pip Lincolne?” I said “yes I am” and she went on to tell me that Pip is a friend of hers and although she’s not doing it this year she’s done challenges with Pip in the past! Small world! but it was also helpful because she and her friend went on a mission and found me a bunch of books from Aussie authors I’d not heard of and it’s scary to buy on someone else suggestions, but I read Nikki Gemmel’s “Shiver” and I brought her other book which she wrote anonymously called “The Bride Stripped bare” I haven’t started it yet though.

     

Here is a small sample of what I’ve got piled up waiting to read..

According to “Good reads” I’ve read.. 12 Australian books and one I gave up on.. so far this year!!

 I am currently reading “Adam’s Empire” by Evan Green which is a nice long book.. What I do with my books is part of a much larger challenge which I began in 2007.. the goal was “To read a Million Pages” When I have finished a book I try to do a book review on it.. so keep watching for those any book lovers out there.

As of right now I have read :180,432. Clearly this will be the rest of my life goal.

Another thing I started doing on my blog was a weekly check in with my Bible studies, but even I got tired of that, This week Bible study returned it’s been on a break and so we have just started “The Book of Leviticus”

This is the colour chart we use and so my bible is now getting very colourful.

 With the colour chart method

Close up of how different lines are coloured differently.. I am too pedantic most don’t do that.

Book of Leviticus we just started it this week, 

My Sister-in-law was eager to try a new crochet pattern so she made me this book mark

Another thing I was regularly blogging about was my Garden. Over the summer season I designed and planted a vegetable garden, I really enjoyed it, but now I’ve decided to give the garden bed a rest due to the fact that we are going to be going away travelling.

And finally the reason I started this blog so long ago, was to share my art with my pan pals who did not have Facebook. so I started a blog. Recently after becoming a Grandma I stopped doing art because I was so busy gazing lovingly at these little people.. but then late last year I realized I missed  my art, I miss the”getting lost” in my art, some days when Star Son was at school I could paint from 10 and till 3.00 pm and even forget to eat, and sure it was not something that I would share with others, but it was my way of chillaxin’ and maybe even running away from the real world. I had been doing online classes with different teachers, learning different skills and compiling them all in an art journal. This year I decided I was taking back my “Art time”   So My cousin read about her here: https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/14/l-is-for/ we have decided that once a month we will escape our houses and families and do an art class, one day or half day a month..

January we went to Woodend and did a “faces” class where we learnt to use different mediums and techniques.

February- We won a place in an art class held by Perth Western Australian Artist Melini Parker.

You can read more here: https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/art-course-first-for-2015/

March-  We started doing “Life Art” classes, having no idea we would be painting naked men or women.. we lasted two weeks.

 

Not my greatest of works, but hey it was an experience.

April- We did a 2 hour class with Melbourne artist Gayle Stone.. more inf here; https://www.facebook.com/gayle.stone.50

An Intuitive art class and we made a big mess but it was fun..

Intuitive art with Gayle stone.

Also in April, we did a two-hour class with Julie at the local art shop learning to use “Gelli Plates”

I brought the Gelli Plate to use for other things at home

Also during this time I have been working on a few little projects at home.

My Mother-in-law has recently gone into a care facility fondly called “the retirement home” you can follow along here: https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2015/04/07/f-is-for/ So my Star Son said he’d paint her a painting for her wall, I was allowed to help.. which translated into “you do it I suck!” so i had such a good time doing it and I was happy with how it turned out, I decided to do another one for myself…

Tanny’s version- Pugaliscious

My Version called “pugs ‘ n’ kisses“

Pugs’n’kisses #2

Tanny with her Pugaliscious painting Easter 2015

 

Pugaliscious on Tanny’s wall.

I love it so much and I don’t even like pugs!!

Then I started doing my first oil Painting, I haven’t even played with oils before, so I signed up for a course with Lucy Chen go here: http://lucychenfineart.com/  because she was going to teach us to paint “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” which is my favourite painting.

So that my friends, is an “U“pdate on what I’ve been up to recently outside of the A-Z blogging.

 

Book Review “Hazel’s Journey: A Personal Experience of Alzheimer’s” Sue Pieters Hawke

For More information go here: http://meetmeatmikes.com/2015-a-year-of-australian-writing/

Although Mum is naturally reticent about personal difficulties, and also worried that people might see her as a silly old thing, losing her marbles, she was drawn to the idea of going public if it would decrease the stigma of the disease and help others. She just wasn’t convinced it really would do any good. It’s that terminal modesty again! We told her we were sure it would be helpful. She listened to us, thought about it and finally said, I think you’re probably overrating the difference I could make, but if you really think it could be useful then yes, bugger it, I’ll do it.

In November 2003 Hazel Hawke went public with the news that she had Alzheimer’s Disease. The result was a national outpouring of concern, affection and appreciation on a scale rarely seen. The Australian newspaper described her action in an editorial as an act of personal courage that has touched the hearts of millions. Now Hazel’s daughter Sue tells the full story of her mother’s life in the past 10 years: stepping out as her own woman after her split with former PM Bob Hawke, the early signs of what would prove to be Alzheimer’s, Hazel’s fear and anger, her decision to go public, and the gentle happiness in her life now.

Unflinchingly honest and incredibly poignant, Hazel’s Journey will touch all readers and offer comfort and insight to others affected by the disease. It will also raise money for the Hazel Hawke Alzheimer’s Research & Care Fund

---

Hazel Hawke is the ex-wife of one of Australia’s former Prime Ministers Bob Hawke.. I wanted to read this book for two reasons 1- it’s about Hazel and I grew up watching Hazel on TV beside Bob Hawke, who love him or hate him, he’s a colourful personality. 2- it’s about Alzheimer’s and that’s close to home with my M-i-L. I found some of it a bit slow going, but I kept on reading mainly so that I could learn anything to help us deal with what is happening with my M-I-L, so I give it a 3 out of 5

---

My yearly update looks like this…

01/01/2015-08/01/2015 Through gates of splendor (biblical) Elisabeth Elliot- 207
01/01/2015-09/01/2015 Walk with Me Kevin Hitchcock- 442
09/01/2015-12/01/2015 The Lizard Eaters Douglas Lockwood 212
09/01/2015-11/01/2015 A womans workshop on Phillipians (biblical) Margaret and Paul Frommer 50
12/01/2015-15/01/2015 The Stockman Rachael Treasure 378
15/01/2015-17/01/2015 Mailman of Birdsville track Kristin Weidenbach 216
17/01/2015-25/01/2015 Dreamscapes Tamara McKinley 426
25/01/2015-31/01/2015 The Lost Mother Anne Summers 354
25/01/2015-26/01/2015 Give it all to him (biblical) Max Lucado 58
01/02/2015-15/02/2015 The Touch Colleen McCullough 520
16/02/2015-19/02/2015 Shiver Nikki Gemmel 276
19/02/2015-21/02/2015 Mama Jude Judy Steel 302
21/02/2015-26/02/2015 The Bushies Allan M Nixon 279
26/02/2015-28/02/2015 Walk About Aaron Fletcher 80
01/03/2015-16/03/2015 Walk About Aaron Fletcher 400
16/03/2015-28/03/2015 Hazel’s journey Sue Pieters-Hawke 306
01/04/2015- Adam’s Empire Evan Green

Total pages read this year are: 4,016 pages woo hoo!!

Book review and catch up…

Find out more about this challenge here: http://meetmeatmikes.com/2015-a-year-of-australian-writing/

---

Clean Living Paleo Basics (The Clean Living Series Book 10)

by Luke Hines, Scott Gooding

The definitive guide to the paleo diet from Australia’s favourite personal trainers.

Being healthy is a priority in today’s world – and with new fad diets popping up all the time, it can be hard to know what to eat in order to get the most out of your body. Get back to basics and let Australia’s Clean Living experts Luke and Scott show you how to live the paleo life and be the best that you can be.

The paleo diet has been around since the dawn of humankind – and its whole-food principles, without any processed ingredients, are exactly what our bodies need for fuel.

This quick and easy ready reference guide is packed full of tips, swap-outs and recipes that will see you well on your way to making positive changes in your life. Whether you’re just starting out and looking to learn the basics of how to eat paleo, or you’re a seasoned ‘clean lifer’ and want to grow what you’ve learned so far, this book has it all.

CLEAN LIVING PALEO DIET BASICS is not a diet book, a quick fix or a fad, but a guidebook that will help you achieve vibrant health and sustain it for the rest of your life.

---

** The Above information is taken from the goodreads website.

I am exploring the idea of going Paleo..so I am reading up on the subject to see if I can do it.. what I loved about this book is it doesn’t only tell you what you should not eat but why you shouldn’t eat it. Giving this one a 5 out of 5

---

Book Review…Walk About by Aaron Fletcher

Although mine has a different cover, none the less…

Taken from the Blurb at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/298487.Walkabout

Wrested from the primordial Australian wilderness, Tibooburra Station has taken the blood, sweat, and tears of generations of Kerricks and given them a magnificent heritage in return. But now the golden legacy of the outback station is threatened by the disappearance of the young boy who will one day inherit it all. Fleeing the pain of being abandoned by his mother, eight-year-old Jeremy Kerrick wanders the rough-and-ready gold towns of the frontier and comes to manhood among the primitive Aborigines of the vast, unexplored interior. At one with the land, he draws from it an indomitable strength that enables him to win the woman of his dreams. Together, they will meet the challenge of the outback or die trying.”

So first of all let me confess i love these multi generational books… because I like the idea of family and owned land, so I was probably always going to like this book. One other reviewer said ( and I only just read that when I finished reading the book) that she got a bit disinterested (read bored) in the second part and I did also.. they changed the focus of the story onto another family member who was less than thrilling, it all weaves back into each other later on and I’m glad I kept reading.. The other bit of this book I liked was the time frame, I like history and I especially love reading about how in the 1800’s they had to make do with what they had and they survived, I feel like I want to tell my children “You don’t even know how good you’ve got it!” And of course the location, a lot of places mentioned in the book The Bloke and I have been even camping on the banks of the same river.. last November we spent a week on the banks of the Darling River, which features a lot in this book. So I like to be able to say “we’ve been there!” because it’s not a common place where most people would choose to go, which is why we went! Over all I’m giving this book a 4 stars out of 5… I didn’t love the middle bit so that stops it being a 5, but the characters were great. this was my 11th Australian book for the challenge.