Out and about and The Adelaide Camping Show

Its been a wee bit of a busy time over the last couple of weeks. Surprisingly, none more so than me, we have not been put off of camping from our recent time in the Snow Fields. And as luck would have it a Camping and Caravan Show was being held in Adelaide, a great opportunity to source more suitable equipment and ideas. Having booked a fairly local (to the show) caravan park off we trekked back once again to the big city.

The grounds at Brownhill Creek are so pretty and even though it is close to the centre of Adelaide you can still here the creek and the wildlife above the gentle hum of the traffic.  Funny how you don't notice traffic noise when you live with it all the time.

Shopping list at the ready we headed off to the show, which turned out to be more about caravans and trailer tents then tents and proper camping.  What a difference to the last time when we were here, only two years ago. I think we counted just three tents at the whole show. It is just incredible what can be taken with you on holiday now far more about Glamping than good old fashioned camping these days... I think you can tell I am still in shock.

By the end of the day we hadn't done too badly and 'saved lots of money' with the special show deals. The best bit was finding someone who still makes traditional canvas tents, not quite like the ones we used in our youth. Now they are so much lighter, totally water proof for life and (we are told) easy to put up, ours just has one centre pole and a bit at the end and two guide ropes for the awning. There will be no excuse now and we will be off camping at every opportunity...

House update
Back at the block our new fire has arrived.... hurrah AND the fan works on all speeds.... YAY..... just need to get it installed now. The fitter was due to come out this week but that didn't happen.... hopefully it will before the end of winter... fingers crossed. It's getting a little crowded having two fires in the sitting room. Oh and we had a call from the suppliers to say a spare switch has also arrived... none of us are sure why we need a spare.... hmmmm

We also took delivery of two beautifully crafted River Red Gum doors, they will be even more beautiful when totally finished. A chap came out to measure up, door jams and furniture were discussed as these two beauties are pretty solid and will need three hinges each. And then we realised they are actually smaller than we'd asked for. A quick phone call to the maker and we found much to his embarrassment he'd sadly misread Ricks instructions.

At this point both of us are beginning to wonder if anything we order for our home will ever be straight forward and 'good' from the word go.

The maker of the doors was so embarrassed when he realised his mistake and has offered to make another set of doors or give us a decent discount. To cut a long story short the ones we have may turn out to be ok... we'll see.


Fresh air
The weather this week has been more on the wet and cold side but everyday there has been an hour or so of sunshine. Sunday morning was so spring like we decided to go for a walk around the block. It was a beautiful though fairly short walk. Some of the roads around here are so pretty and, as I discovered coming home in the dark the other night, are easily mistaken for drive ways. The house lights were a bit of a clue I was on the wrong track!

There is a different spring feeling in the air. Camellias in some gardens are looking beautiful.

Rick spotted a Magpie working hard at stripping the bark off of our old man Stringy Bark tree the other day, useful nest building material we think and I saw a couple of Kookaburras checking out a tree hollow. Buds are beginning to appear on trees and shrubs, a wee bit early, hope we will be frost free now.

Tea Cosy Competition

To raise funds a local care home here has set a challenge to all 'crafty' people to make a tea cosy for their Mad Hatters Tea party. All cosies will be on display at the local art gallery for a week and then judged.

It took an age to find a tea pot in the local Op Shops, any pot being snapped up almost before it had reached the shelves. Eventually I laid my hands on one but was then stumped as to what to make although it was a lovely colour I found it a little uninspiring.  A few nights later and the idea came to me. I raided the yarn stash which for some inexplicable reason seems to keep growing, and started to make Rita. It was a challenge as there was no pattern to follow, much unpicking and time later and here she is. If nothing else she makes me smile as only a colourful eccentric tea post cosy can.

Rita the Rainbow Snail

Other than being eccentric I am not sure what she has to do with a Mad Hatters Tea Party theme, perhaps qualifies for the mad part. But she has now been entered and for the very first and possibly last time in my life I can truthfully say I will have an exhibit in an art gallery.