The best beach in the Limestone Coast

Driving this stretch of beach is just the best day out. 

We drove onto the beach at Southend. There were families everywhere parked along the first few kilometres of beach, swimming, fishing, boogie boarding and surfing.

We stopped along the way for a play. Brett sold his Land Rover. We were in his new fishing bus. It's a real shit box, but at least we have a four wheel drive we can take on drives like this.

It's about a 15 kilometre drive to Beachport along the beach, where we ate a fish and chip lunch. This time of year Beachport swells with tourists, and it was packed. 

Biding my time with gardening and art

As I gardened yesterday morning, I had thoughts of some smug little bastard looking down on me, smiling and nodding, all Mr Miyagi like. He'd be all happy I was learning some patience. Not that I need teaching. I think hubby needs that lesson. The lesson for me was to slow down, to live in the present, I am sure of it.

You can't get more down to earth and living in the present that doing some gardening. I deadheaded roses and cut back some perennials that had had their moment in the sun. Their flashy show of colour. Instead of wishing my present away, waiting for the keys to our new holiday house, I was tending to the house we already had. A garden that needed tending to, before it is neglected in the excitement, of a new house, that will steal our attention for a while.

I have been busy making my own art to hang at Casa Pelicano. We really can't afford to go all out and buy all the stuff. I have seen the stuff, even pinned it. I've just gone out and made it myself, for much less. It's the only way I can have said stuff!

I bought two canvases, two picture frames, brushes and paint for $23, from the cheap shop. A sheet of MDF for $10, and learnt to use(not very well) hubby's jig saw. 

The two canvases

The two frames with free chalkboard printables

rainbow fish made with old wood offcuts, painted and glued to a sheet of MDF.

A pelican for the front door and a sign for kitchen

I am suitably impressed with myself, even though they are not perfect, they are me. They are folk arty, like the way peasants have decorated their homes for centuries.  I like them and that is all that matters. 

An InLinkz Link-up

A licence to occupy, PEBCAK errors and klingon.

Who can actually believe it is Monday again!

Why, Oh Why, does this time of year has to be so freakin' crazy?

We are off at 8:30 this morning, to drive 50 km. We are signing the papers at the lawyers, to make our holiday house ownership, legally official. With a Licence to Occupy, we may well have the keys to move in as well. Our official settlement date isn't until the 8th of January, but if all parties are happy, we will be very happy!

Early this morning, I'll be ringing to have the electricity connected,  so we can clean and connect a pump to the rain water tank, which thank god, is full. There is no town water in Pelican Point, we have a sewage pit out the back. No water rates is a bonus. A water bore is on the agenda though, just in case.

We will be able to clean up the place and empty all the furniture we have been accumulating in our shed at home. All we are missing is a washing machine and some outdoor dining furniture.

Almost finished stripping the paint of this beauty. It belonged to my Gran. She's just moved into the old folks home at the hospital. the makers mark on the inside of the door says it's made by the Mt Gambier upholsterer and undertaker. I'm guessing it's pretty old! I remember this cupboard in the middle of Gran, and dear departed Grandpa's beds(they slept in singles), when I was just a wee thing. I still remember seeing their teeth,  in a glass on the top, by the bedside. A packet of White ox(pa's), and a Mills and Boon novel(Gran's). It's going to look great in our holiday house bathroom.

I have become a little unhealthily obsessed with Facebook sites in our area, selling used goods. Please dear god people! Sell me your washing machine!!

I saw someone even selling a Big Bang Theory board game. Trivia, of course. I thought that might entertain the punters who decide to rent out holiday home. Of course being the cheeky smart arse I am, I replied in Klingon, HISLaH. Which means Yes. Next time I am in his neck of the woods, he's going to earn $5 for his board game. A woman POSSESSED! By Facebook selling sites. 

What I will not buy, is used undies!!

Anyhoo. Boggy's (Brett's) mate, is down for Chrissy. They are at the moment(Sunday night) sucking down a lot of ales in the shed. He came in inside whining he can't work out how to find all the music on the computer and he needed some help(FFS). We have an old computer in the shed we use as a jukebox. No brainer, unless your name is Brett and you have a gut full(of piss).

I walk all huffy into the shed find the 'Windows Media Player' icon. Click on it and select 'Library'. Then select "songs". OMG. The strangest thing happened. (I am being all sorts of sarcastic here). Every song on the computer, EVER, comes up in alphabetical order. I stormed out the shed, all pissed of like, saying, "It's a PEBCAK error, Brett!" Sounding like, in tone and everything like Kim, from Kath and Kim. I think I was doing the walk too!

By the way, if you ever want to use it, PEBCAK, means Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard. In other words, the problem begins with the the arse on the computer chair!

I just love the idioms, and tones that television programs bring to my vocabulary. I am so proud of my youngest, for a while there, when I asked how she was, her answer was, "I'm good, Prue". 

What idioms have made it to your vocab, through telly programs?

Only last month, I was cracking up Summer, with renditions of the Goggomobil ad, for Yellow Pages. Remember that?! G-O-G-G-O! No, not the dart!

If you don't hear from me in the next three sleeps, please have a safe and Happy Christmas! See you on the flip side!

An InLinkz Link-up

Hold the phone! A long drive home and our second home

We went for a Sunday drive to Coonawarra. Not to buy wine. To buy a couple of single beds off a bloke, for our holiday house. 

Hold the phone! 

Yes! I didn't buy wine!

Even more so, yes! We are buying a holiday house. Bit exciting. I am trying not to wish the rest of the year away, waiting for the settlement date on our two bedroom stone house. Our second home will be in Pelicans Point, about half an hour away. A quiet seaside hamlet just down the road. Got it for a steal. It will be available for holiday rental early next year, tell all your friends. 

Anyhoo, I should have bought wine. The Land Rover overheated on the way home, and it took us 50 minutes to drive 26 kays. A mate came and towed us home. Boggy has some mechanical work to do.....

We kept having to stop, to let it cool and put more water in. These are some of the views at our stops along the way. It became a bit of a thing for me to take a photo every time we stopped, with my phone of course. Times when I wish I'd remembered to take my 'good' camera.

We did stop at the IGA in Penola for supplies for the way home. I did let the kids and Boggy have one each. Should have bought wine.

Could have bought wine. The Leconfield cellar door was twenty metres away.

I've also joined all the local buy, swap and sell facebook groups and am becoming a Gumtree ninja. So much cheap stuff out there, some crap too. We are furnishing it pretty well though, on the cheap. 

I have this hankering to call our new house, La Casa Pelicano( The pelican house). What do you think? I want it to have a mediterranean feel, but I fear it is going to turn out hodge podge shabby chic. But who cares! Hello! HOLIDAY HOUSE!!


If you had a holiday house, what would you call it?

What's your favourite website for looking for and booking holiday houses? (yes this is sneaky research)

An InLinkz Link-up

DIY family photo christmas greeting cards

I came across this site years ago and thought I would share it with you. 

If you are anything like me, SLACK, then you might find this an awesome and quick alternative to sending out your christmas cheer.

Nothing makes people ooh and aah, like a family photo of your gorgeous children presented on a professional looking card.

All you need is a decent photo, a printer and photo paper.

This link will take you to the Christmas Photocard section, of the WiddlyTinks website. 

Choose your frame.

You will then need to upload your family picture in the space provided. 

You can also edit the text to suit yourself.

Save your finished creation to your computer. 

Print out cards on photo paper.

Whack a magnet on the back and you have a printed card you can give out to your family and friends.

If all that seems to hard you could always share straight to Facebook on Christmas Eve and tag all your family and friends. I am sure they will love it.

This link will take you to the Christmas section of the Photo Tinks, which have some lovely scrapbooking themed templates that are good too. 

Now go and have a play on the Widdlytinks site. I hope it helps you this Christmas. In fact there are templates there for all occasions, not just Christmas. You could just about go absolutely batshit crazy creating stuff!

What's your hot tip for Christmas this year?

An InLinkz Link-up

It takes a woman

A few months ago we went four wheel driving. Long story short, one of the cars got bogged on the beach. They slowed down in the sand when they should have gunned it.

The blokes begun digging the sand from under the wheels. I asked whether they wanted the rubber mats out of the car to put under the wheels. No brainer.

"No", was the answer I got. They tried reversing out, bogged again.

The tide came closer to the car, and still they were trying to dig around the wheels. Things seemed a bit hopeless when I took things into my own hands.

I took the two rubber floor mats from the front of our car and put them behind the back wheels of the bogged car. I grabbed the sun visor from the boot and laid it out behind the passenger side front wheel. While I was walking back out the way, the car had reversed out of the bog and was off again. I looked at my friend, a young girl and clued her in, "It takes a woman Dene. It takes a woman".

It makes me ponder, whether primitive man actually invented fire. I think, after primitive man dumped a dinosaur carcass on the ground and grunted something translating to, "Cook me a steak Bitch", bitch got busy inventing fire. Much to woman's amusement, man choked on steak and the flame grilled BBQ was born.

You may be surprised, or then again, not really, at the ingenuity and inventiveness of women. Take Josephine Cochrane for example. In 1889, Josephine invented the first dishwasher. All hail to Josephine.

A couple of years later, Catherine Deiner made the first rolling pin. Her husband must have been really bad, or she just needed to make some pie.

A year after that in 1892, Sarah Boone had a lightbulb go off in her head and invented the ironing board. Why Sarah, Why?!

Only yesterday, I had the pleasure of passing a street sweeping machine in my car. I smiled a smug smile and motioned with a nod, to my girls. "You see that. A woman invented that". Clean streets, all thanks to the inventiveness of Florence Parpart, in 1900. Fourteen years later she also invented the first electric refrigerator! Go Flo!

In 1903, a clever clogs named Mary Anderson invented the first working windshield wipers. Mind you all the while her husband was probably saying "What are you doing you stupid woman?". I can just see him driving along, running all and sundry off the road with his head sticking out the window in the rain. All the while in fast forward and with that silly music of silent film era. Good onya Mary.

There are so many more who made their mark, and we reap the benefits today. Ida Forbes who made the first electric hot water system in 1917. Marion Donovan who invented the disposable nappy in 1950. THANKYOU ladies!

There may have been SO many more female inventors kicking arse pre 1890s. Patents were not allowed to be taken out by females before then, as they had no claim to possessions. A patent was deemed as a possession, and therefore most were taken out in their husband or fathers names. 

When my sister was about 17, I remember her saying someone should invent an electric blanket that is a fitted sheet. She should have run with it.

Thought of any great inventions lately? 

Had any light bulb moments?

Flogging the blog at With some grace

Beautiful morning on the beach

Saturday was the most gorgeous day. 

We headed down to Southend. Boggy went out in the boat to check the cray pots, but there were none. Bugger.

The girls and I had fun on the beach anyway. 

Are you right? Or are you left?

When I was a kid my dad asked this all the time. The only difference was the twist he put in the question. 

"Are you right. Or are you left?".

My answer was always the same. "I'm right".

In turn, out of habit, I ask Izzy the same thing. The same way. And I get the same answer.

It only occured to me after asking her, that saying "I'm right" all the time, may not be a good thing. Am I conditioning her to always say "I'm right"?

I have to wonder if it is a good thing. I tend to have a 'She'll be right' mentality.  I do believe I am a fabulous optimist, most of the time, with a can-do outlook. 

I am one of those people that, when asked how I am, have the same stock standard answer. "Good Thanks!". Even when I am not. I am the eternal smiler. That smile though, covers a lot of emotion.

There was a chaplain in the mill I used to work at. I'd see him coming, and I knew he was heading for me. Sometimes I just didn't want to talk to anyone. But he'd come up and say with a big beaming smile, "Hello Smiley". I am guessing he knew. He knew the smile was a front, that I was one of those people he needed to talk to the most. I was nice to have that short little chat though. God bless him.

I have to wonder if saying "I'm right", for so many years, has just become the norm and I don't speak up enough when I am not alright.

I don't like to think that my Dad had something to do with that, I am sure he didn't. Dad has been my rock, always. Sometimes all it takes to feel loved, is for someone to ask "Are you right?". Really ask. It doesn't really matter about the left bit. It always made me feel important.

I guess the most important bit, is that when I ask Izzy, I really listen to her answer. I'd like to think if she gave me the stock standard answer, and I was really listening, I would know if she was really left. 

So how are you? Are you right. Or are you left?

Do you have idioms you've gained from your parents and repeated them with your kids?

An InLinkz Link-up

White Christmas Slice

Need something sweet and christmassy to make? Make this! It's yummy!

1 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
125 grams butter, melted
2 Tablespoons honey
1 egg, beaten

220 gram block of Cadburys Dream white chocolate(any white chocolate will do)
3/4 cup rice bubbles
80 grams glace cherries
60 grams sultanas*
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 160C. Grease and line a slice tin.

Combine the flours, oats, sugar and coconut in a bowl.

Mix the melted butter, honey and egg, then pour into flour mixture and stir until combined well.

Press the mixture into the pan and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Set aside in the tin and make topping.

Break the chocolate into squares in a microwave safe bowl. Melt the chocolate on 50%, stirring every minute until smooth.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread this mixture over the base while still warm.

Let cool in the pan, then place in the fridge to set,  before cutting into 20 even squares.


*You can use a mixture of craisins(dried cranberries) and pistachio nuts here for something a bit more fancy.

Adding to Lydia's Christmas Link up

November garden

This patch, at the front of the house, is looking all gorgeous and stuff at the moment. It's a sea of blue and burgundy.

Nigella

Agapanthus

Snapdragon

Rose