Number 96: A Sleep-over to see in 2019.

We have gathered a group of friends to see in the New Year. And it's a sleep-over here at our cottage at Millstream!

Number 96:

A Sleep-over to see in 2019.

The Johnz from Hawaii, Alistair and Glynis from Johannesburg and Rosella and Neville from Pretoria.  Our guests have never met before, although that is not technically correct as Alistair, Rosella and Neville were at our wedding in Vanderbijlpark in 1979! But either way, strangers.

As always Millstream creates a space to hold everyone, the place is so restful and beautiful, and the group has settled in, conversation flows in all directions, stories are shared over delicious food and a glass of wine. We walk, we read, we do soduko, we fly a kite, we take photos, we embroider, we sleep, we prep food, we cook, we set tables, we eat, we have coffee to start the day and a glass of something to end the day, we take in the endless views, we nap and we sleep, we argue, we debate, we make endless mugs of tea, we laugh... and as 2018 closes out and we see in 2019, I did not quite make 100 Different Things but what a year I have had.

All the moods of Millstream.

The 'work' at Millstream, prepping, cooking, eating, drinking, walking, photos....

Number 95: Celebrating a Quarter Century at Millstream.

In a blink of an eye our 26th year at Millstream has started. Our timeshare here at Millstream, in the high altitude grasslands of Mpumalanga, just before Dullstroom, has been a joy over the last quarter century.
It has been a place of beauty; a place of family and a place of friendship, and how I have loved to share this space.

Number 95:

Celebrating a Quarter Century at Millstream.

Special memories: Barry getting anxious about being lost in the 'wild woods'; Shawni playing with her dolls on 'Barbie Island'; my many hours with Dad on the veranda; starting my passion for birding at Millstream by wondering what the Stonechat was; reading on my couch at the window; walking in the cold, the heat and the wet; my brother Clive and Fred going off into Dullstroom and 'misbehaving'; having a sauna and a swim; listening to cricket under the trees; the mist obscuring the views; cooking delicious food for friends and family; playing scrabble; early morning coffee and rusks and evening G&T's; circle days and quilting days; Fred catching a biggie; making trout pate when the fishing has been good; watching Rosella make gnocchi; gifting Millstream to Shawni and Craig and Barry and Kim as their wedding gifts; Bri and Di making music; snow; finding lifers; marveling at the wildflowers in spring and summer; variability of the weather; a roaring fire; the fourth generation at Millstream; celebrating Christmas here... 

Some photos from the years at Millstream.

To celebrate I am doing something different. I have booked a pedicure this morning from the mobile therapist who will come to our cottage. It feels fitting as Millstream is my walking happy place.

Shawni's memories: Nostalgia indeed. For me it’s the many horse rides, swims in the heated pool, arriving late on a Friday night, choosing which of the many rooms to stay in, introducing Craig (and James) to Millstream, rowing out on Lake Millstream with Barry, sketching out at the lake Millstream “bridge”, our Millstream “circuit” walk, walking the shortcut route to and from the “Rec house” as kids....the list goes on!

And a note to family: my ashes at Millstream after you have had a coffee and rusk while watching sunrise over Lake Millstream.

Number 94: The 2018 Christmas Feast, one to forget

How I revel in planning my Xmas table settings; the theme, the colors and the menu all around the people I love. The prep and the cooking is all part of what I enjoy.

Number 94:

The 2018 Christmas Feast, one to forget.

Well I knew this year would be different, we had a special Christmas Eve dinner with the Tudhope clan at Chintsa Beach, it was a perfect beach setting, a beautiful table and delicious fare. 

Our drive back to Johannesburg was on Christmas Day. I used some of Debbie's left-overs to make a few rolls just in case the usual garage stops along the N1 were closed. 

Just as well!

The photo says it all - ham and egg sandwich and an ice-cream, with foil as decoration. Oh my. A Christmas feast to forget very quickly.

Number 93: Barefoot on Chintsa Beach

Our favorite spot, the 'green' pavement stones.

A holiday week here in Chintsa with the Tudhopes and the opportunity to spend many hours each day on a perfect beach walking barefoot.
 
I am collecting beach walking hours.

Number 93:

Barefoot on Chintsa Beach.

It is more than 25 years since I set foot on Chintsa Beach. We were doing the Strandloper Trail with the kids and the Krone family, the gang had set out from Morgans Bay and 5 days later the trail ended in Gonubie. 

I can still remember this magnificent stretch of pristine coastline and in particular this beach. It stretches uninterrupted for over 10 kilometers, it's wonderfully wide, firm and flat with high vegetated dunes along its length.

It's been full moon, so the tidal difference is significant and low tide has been in the morning. So we start off early after coffee and a rusk, walk a 100m to the beach, take off our slops and head off barefoot to spend a couple of hours walking - perfection.

Joy of hours walking Chintsa Beach

And of course, I have kept track of the numbers - 16 hours and 80 kilometers.

Number 92: A booking goes horribly wrong!

I suppose it is reasonable to expect that one of the '100 different things' that I experience should be challenging and confrontational.
So I have just had my one for this list. My first ever guests walking out on me.

Number 92:

A booking goes horribly wrong!

A termite causes me heartache.

I have been so happy managing my places on Airbnb and TravelGround. I enjoy the process, the interaction with my Property Managers and I am excited to be part of 'the shared economy'. And I take huge pride in our spaces.

Until - drywood termites made their presence felt at The Loft! 

We had a booking for 6 people from the UK and on day 5 of their stay, amidst the heat and humidity of Amanzimtoti, these little termites left their comfortable 'home' in the door of our bedroom 3. Talk about poor timing!

The termites caused endless concern and much hysteria and as a result I got yelled at, abused and the guests left.

I now await their formal complaint through Airbnb and I will have to breathe through the negativity.

Fred has been remarkable, he has removed the offending door, hung a new one and brought in an expert who checked out the rest of our wood, we seem clear and now I am holding my breath that it is an isolated incident. 

Our next set of guests arrive soon.

Number 91: A new Gadget, out with the old and in with the new.

We have arrived at The Loft. Fred is replacing a door that has wood borer. The eruption of the little grubs created such a drama with the last guests here that I am now looking for a bit of piece of mind and a new project is a good way to distract me.

Number 91:

A new Gadget, out with the old and in with the new.

The last frontier of decluttering and sorting to be done here at The Loft is my parents slide collection dating from the 1960 and 70's. A record of family holidays and family milestones, meticulously itemized and recorded by Mom.

Many years ago my sisters and I did an initial sorting and throwing away of slides that we thought would not be of interest to us and the remaining pile has been lurking at the top of a cupboard, quietly hidden but not forgotten.

So our Christmas present to ourselves this year is a Wolverine Slides Negative and Photo Digital Converter, sourced on Amazon. It has arrived, along with some spares that the Johnz organized for us before they left Hawaii to come out to South Africa. 

The stash of slides that need to be converted into digital images.

Out with the old and in with the new!

So here I am, just a little intimidated about where to start and how to use this new gadget. I suppose the manual that Fred printed for me off the internet, a cup of tea and looking out to sea, is a good start!

Number 90: The Much Anticipated but Most Unexpected News

In this year of so many different things this post is a standout.

We have celebrated the wedding of our son; the second birthday of our grandson; we have travelled extensively adding new countries and new destinations to our global travel; we have walked wherever we found ourselves and did some incredible hikes in Sicily, Austria, Italy and Tasmania; we have eaten gorgeous food and drank interesting gins; visited family in Malta, Australia and New Zealand; spent time with dear friends from all over the world; I have birded and baked and knitted and quilted and taken in amazing art spaces; bought a new car; and so on and so on. The list is getting to the magical 100.

Number 90:

The Much Anticipated but Most Unexpected News

A 12 week baby scan from Johannesburg

The photos tell the news.
We have been anticipating the expanding of our family so the news that both Shawni and Craig and Kim and Barry are pregnant was not completely surprising.
But!
Two babies due within days of each other, that was completely unexpected.
This is what is called abundance. 2019 is going to be a very special year for Fred and me.

A 12 week baby scan from New Zealand

Number 89: Streaming and Bingeing

Just because I am can!

Number 89:

Streaming and Bingeing

Date with the remote and my wool.

I have to sneak this into my year; this new way of watching TV, fibre optic high speed internet, streaming Netflix for the first time (thanks Ingrid and Justin) and bingeing on 4 seasons of "Grace and Frankie" this last week.

Certainly makes me think back to the time of Dallas and Rich Man, Poor Man in the late 1970's, where I had a standing Tuesday night date with a friend at her mother's apartment in Berea (who had the TV of course) for dinner and watching our favorite show. How different things are now.

So I went digging into my wool stash, found the beautiful hand woven wool made in Barrydale  (thanks Natalie) and started a cushion cover for my Moroccan Room. 

I have completely loved my daily date with the remote and my wool. The project is not finished yet so I need recommendations on series that make for great bingeing.

Number 88: A Bow for my New Car

Suddenly our fleet of vehicles have aged and getting the aches and pains of old age! Time to sell and time to replace.

Number 88: A Bow for my New Car

Gee it is a long time since I last walked into a car dealer and drove out with a car, it must be about 15 years ago when I was still part of the corporate world. So many decision points, so much paper work, a frustrated Fred sorting insurance but eventually I drove her out into the mayhem of Randburg and rather enjoyed the feeling of brand new.

Maddie joins the fleet, almost ready for our December road trip to the Eastern Cape.

Number 87: Accumulated Merits

I have been thinking about how to meet my goal of reflecting on 'different things' this year, when I have been meeting up with my special friends for more than a decade. We circle, which is sending time together and appreciating all that means. I have also been to Hermanus many times, I have seen whales in the bay before too, I have eaten at Bientangs Cave too.

So...

"Marvel Diver" and
Sharon, Natalie, Bev and Sharon loving the beauty of a few days in Hermanus.

Number 87:

Accumulated Merits.

In a year of traveling far and wide, what is different for me is seeing and experiencing what I know with a child-like delight and feeling as though it is the first time. My few days in Hermanus with my dear friends was an exhale, I had left my heart behind in New Zealand and felt its integration for the first time and the exhaustion of endless travel is abating.

Natalie shared a Buddhist concept with me, 'Punya or merits' - it is a beneficial and protective force which accumulates as a result of good deeds, acts, or thoughts... And I felt these merits; glorious weather, rainbows, whales, friendship, gifts, good food and wine, a roaring fire, marvelous sculptures, walks along the Cliff Paths, luxurious sleeps, sitting quietly with a mountain view and breathing deeply.

Number 86: Four generations of art and crafts in my home

James' finger painting age 2. Framed and hanging in my kitchen.

We hung a piece of James' finger painting in the kitchen today and I was struck by the span of the generations represented in my homes through art, crafts, soft furnishings, accessories and ornaments.

Number 86:

Four generations of art and crafts in my home.

Dad's woodwork; lamps, bowls and tables.

Mom's delicate botanical watercolors and fine lined monochrome or colored heritage buildings. Her handmade dolls.

Fred's photographs and woodwork.

My quilts, framed embroideries and cushion tapestries.

My sisters Inel and Doreen's paintings and lithographs - watercolors and acrylics.

My dear brother Clive's metal candlesticks and wooden chopping boards.

Shawni and Barry's childhood paintings.

And now my grandson.

Each piece has a story, evokes a memory and makes me appreciate the person behind the work. And it makes me happy.

Just some of the art and crafts in my home.

PS. And I thought I just had - I have some pieces of handiwork in my kist done by my Nan, so four is actually five generations gracing my homes.

Number 85: A dinner in Sydney with the Next Generation

We are making our way back to South Africa from Tasmania with a stopover in Sydney. So we arranged to meet up with Jason and Elly.

Number 85:

A dinner in Sydney with the Next Generation

Jason works in the city and met us at St James station. He had already had an afterwork run around the Botanical Gardens. The two of them reflect the youth and energy of Sydney.  I was a proud aunt as we watched the city lights from our trendy eatery setup on a roof in Darlinghurst.

Number 84: Wineglass Bay from the Land and from the Sea

It’s early morning and I am watching the sunrise over the east coast of Tasmania in a little town called Bicheno. My legs and feet are ‘talking to me’ as yesterday we did a 15km circular hike in the Freycinet National Park.

The sweep of Wineglass Bay Beach.

Number 84:

Wineglass Bay from the Land and from the Sea.

Pared down beauty of Wineglass Bay Beach

Fred and I have quite a few favourite beach walks like Noordhoek Beach in Cape Town,  Sandfly Bay on the Otago Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand and we added another to our collection. The magnificent Wineglass Bay Beach, the sand is rich in silica so it is pure white and squeaky underfoot. 

The hike starts with a steep uphill to a lookout point to see the crescent shaped Wineglass Bay with the sea a magnificent blue-green. Quite fabulous!

The name of the Bay comes from both the shape of the sea-facing bay but also from the isthmus that connects it to Hazards Beach and Oyster Bay created by the magnificent Hazards. But also from a story about the sea running red with whale blood and the whalers thought the bay looked like a glass of claret.

From the sea? Well I keep being fooled that I love the sea, I was miserable - cold and seasick and so relieved when the cruise was finished!

Number 83: An Evening Vigil for a Tasmanian Devil

Len out host at Mountain Valley Wilderness Eco-retreat, Loongana in the north-west of Tasmania, has been on his property for almost 40 years. And he knows devils!

Number 83:

An Evening Vigil for a Tasmanian Devil.

A cabin in the woods and a Tasmanian devil!

When guests are settled for the night after dinner, Len drops either chopped roadkill or chicken
in front of each cabin. The instruction is to leave the porch light on, switch off all interior lights and make no noise and keep movement to the minimum. 

The first night I did not make it past eleven and there was no sign of the pesky devil and over breakfast the rest of the gang shared their sightings with us, the Tasmanian Devils had been seen from after 11pm through to 3.30am. Oh dear...

The second night and round two of patiently waiting, this time with determination to wait out the devil. We had a roaring fire going and watched a few episodes of Australian Masterchef until midnight but still no sign of movement. We heard a screech a little while later so I stood at the window, staring out into the dark, the bits of chicken seeming to glow and eventually at 1.10am our first view of a fast moving Tasmanian Devil. A little later it popped back for the next piece of chicken. It looked at the cabin for a quick moment, we saw its face, noticed the white markings before it disappeared. 

Our mammal list now includes a wild Tasmanian Devil.

Number 82: Curious Creatures of Cradle Mountain

We took a long and slow drive across Tasmania from Bruny Island to the second destination of our Rockjumper tour with Steve; Cradle Mountain National Park.

A platypus in the wild.

Our beautiful wombat.

And her young made an appearance out of the backward facing pouch!

Number 82:

Curious Creatures of Cradle Mountain.

So excited, what a sighting!

The birds had to take a back seat as the curious creatures of Tasmania made their appearances along our travels in the Cradle Mountain National park.

A platypus seen from a low-level bridge; a Short-beaked Echidna trying to play hide-an-seek by putting its’ beak into the sand; a shy Brushtail Possum sneaking around at night; Bennetts Wallabies and the diminutive Tasmanian Pademelons feeding around us, we even saw a couple of blond Bennetts; an evening encounter with a Spotted-tail Quoll as I was walking up to our cabin, it was sitting on the steps; but the highlight has to be a female Common Wombat.

Our wombat sighting was a trip highlight, her fur was luscious and her pouch was hanging low. I had not known that wombats have back facing pouches to avoid getting mud and dirt into it. We quietly watched her rear end and the baby put it’s face out to nibble some grass!

An Echidna, too curious, what a quirky beak!

A blonde Bennet's Wallaby and a Tasmanian Pademelon

Number 81: My World Birding List hits 2000

The bird sightings on Bruny Island kept coming all day and so many were lifers too. I have been creeping to the 2000 mark ever since birding in Costa Rica and I was expecting to reach this new milestone here in Tasmania.

The shy and quiet Pink Robin of the cool temperate forest of Cradle Mountain.

Number 81:

My World Birding List hits 2000.

After a late night of walking a beach, torches in hand, to watch Little Blue Penguins come in from the sea, I was too tired to do any bird admin – noting which birds had been seen during the day, writing up the details of the sightings in my Australian Field Guide and then updating my excel IOC spreadsheet, where I keep a running list by country of the birds I have seen.

So it was early on day two that I realized that my number was 2007, I am not sure which bird was number 2000 and it will just have to remain a mystery!

Tasmania bird stats: 65 birds seen, 27 lifers and we saw all 12 endemics. We saw seabirds, shore birds, woodland birds and raptors.

Rockjumper Trip Report:

With continuing rain greeting us as we landed in Hobart, we collected the bus and set off toward Bruny Island, our base for the next two nights. Making the ferry crossing to Bruny Island in good time, the first bird we saw upon disembarking was Swift Parrot; in fact, they were seemingly everywhere in the huge flowering Blue Gums there, and in teeming rain we enjoyed our first views of this critically endangered species, a spring-summer migrant to Tas. Our first Tasmanian endemic species came in the form of a

Superb Fairywren by Roderick MacKenzie

family of Tasmanian Nativehens, and we would see many more of this chicken-like, flightless gallinule during our stay in Tasmania.
A few hours later and we were tucking into a finemeal at the Bruny Pub, ready for a good night’ssleep and for more exciting birding here tomorrow. The drive back was punctuated by sightings of Tasmanian Pademelons and Bennett’sWallabies.
Day 21: 18th October. A fine, damp and misty day
greeted us this morning but, importantly, it wasn’training! With breakfast out of the way, we set
about finding some of the island’s endemicspecies. In the tall forests, tussock woodland and
rocky coastline of beautiful Bruny Island, we
quickly racked up Black-headed Honeyeater, loud
and aggressive Yellow Wattlebirds, Dusky Robin
and the unobtrusive and critically endangered
Forty-spotted Pardalote, a major target for us here.
Also in the vicinity was a male white phase of the Grey Goshawk feeding on prey, Scarlet and Flame Robins, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, more Swift Parrot and Brush Bronzewing that were calling from all around, but remained deep within the forest. More endemics were around here too, with Strong-billed Honeyeaters prying bark from branches, stems and crotches looking for insect prey, the beautiful Green Rosella and Black Currawong.
Along the coastal areas of the island, we picked up both Sooty and Australian Pied Oystercatchers, a pair of Hooded Plover, more Black-faced Cormorant and good numbers of Kelp and Pacific Gulls. At one point, we watched as a White-bellied Sea Eagle hunted and took down a Short-tailed Shearwater just offshore.
Sadly, more wet and thundery conditions set in again this afternoon, which stymied our activities somewhat, but cleared enough that we were able to head out after dark and watch as Little Penguins came ashore along an ocean beach and headed to their burrows.
Day 22: 19th October. After a final look around Bruny, we left the island this morning, along the way hearingbut not seeing a pair of Lewin’s Rail that grunted at usfrom deep within cover. Heading to the north of Tasmania and our final accommodation for the tour, today was a travel day, so there weren’t a lot ofopportunities for stopping; but, later in the afternoon, as we drove the backroads towards our lodgings, we picked up some nice birds with Grey Currawong, Pink Robin, Tasmanian Thornbill, Olive Whistler and brief but barely satisfactory glimpses of Tasmanian Scrubwren.

Banded Stilt by John Kendall

Green Rosella by John Kendall

Rockjumper Birding Tours

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Trip Report – RBL Australia - East Coast & Tasmania Ext II 2018 15

A Morepork called on dusk and was seen by a few of us, and after dark there was a carnivore-fest as Tasmanian Devils and Spot-tailed Quolls emerged from the forest to feed on strategically-placed morsels, much to the delight of the tour party.
Day 23: 20th October. Our destination for the day was Cradle Mountain National Park, and it was with a much more leisurely pace that we set off this morning, finding a beautiful Platypus in a clear stream along the way, as well as great looks at Yellow-throated Honeyeater, Crescent Honeyeater, the elusive Scrubtit and our final Tas endemic: a Tasmanian Scrubwren that finally gave itself up for decent views.
Cradle Mountain National Park was its usual magnificent self, although low cloud marred the scenery somewhat. Black Currawong were everywhere here it seemed, and became quite pesky when looking for handouts.
A beautiful Wombat with a young joey in the pouch was a clear standout for wildlife experience of the day, as she allowed us to approach quite closely for photographs.
The evening again offered good views of Tasmanian Devil and Spot-tailed Quoll, a fitting end to what had been a fantastic tour. The company, camaraderie and repartee had been simply excellent, and the author cannot remember such an enjoyable and cohesive group.

Pink Robin by John Kendall

And sometimes it is the common birds that create magical birding experiences.

Look at that bill, magnificent Pacific Gull, only found on the coasts of southern Australia.

Number 80: Birding Bruny Island

A Swift Parrot feeding on a Tasmanian Blue Gum

A ferry ride from Kettering and our small party of birders, guided by Steve from Rockjumper, are in the pristine native Tasmanian bush in the far south of Bruny Island. The first lifer was the Swift Parrot, listed as vulnerable, they were fast flying and in and out of the huge flowering Tasmanian Gums.

Number 80:

Birding Bruny Island.

It’s early; I am awake well before dawn listening to the dawn chorus from our Bruny Hotel cottage. The rain has abated and the anticipation for my day of birding at Inala has me excited, Christmas morning excited. The Island has all 12 of the endemics of Tasmania and I am ready for my first full day of birding.

Tonya of Inala has created a very special bush retreat, beautiful Gondwanaland gardens, hides
and a raptor feeding station. Apart from the ‘swifties’, the beautiful Swift Parrots, the target at Inala is the Forty-spotted Pardalote. A tiny bird, which does have spots, I am not sure who counted the forty.

After mugs of coffee and toasties for breakfast, we headed off to the hide, a raised platform to give views into the mid-story of the huge manna gums. And there they were, the pardalotes, easy to get onto, easy to see, which makes it hard to appreciate just how rare they are.

Our target bird, the beautiful and rare Forty-spotted Pardalote

Forty-spotted Pardalote

The Forty-spotted Pardalote (Pardalotus quadragintus) is one of Australia's rarest birds and can now only be found in south eastern Tasmania, including Bruny Island. The bird's name comes from the white spots that appear on its wings.

Habitat

The Forty-spotted Pardalote lives in dry eucalypt forests with white gums. The bird relies exclusively on the white gum trees for nesting and feeding.

Behaviour

The Forty-spotted Pardalote feeds on insects and manna of the white gum. They only nest in the white gum tree.

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Number 79: MONA, Hobart

Visionary, monumental, subterranean, darkness, color, form, light, ancient, old, new, sparkling, texture, odd, quirky, unsettling, inspirational, unique, vast, detail, sound, water, oil, noise, silence, edgy, cool, death, consciousness, conceptual, looming, deceiving...

Number 79:

MONA, Hobart

David Walsh's Museum of Old and New Art is a triumph! 

And to quote the man: A temple to secularism, rationalism, and talking crap about stuff you don't know much about. We won't tell anyone. Come and play. 

And we did.

Fred and I completely captivated by all that MONA has to offer.

MONA, moods.