MANNERS AND OTHER MATTERS

It all started in summer last year. My partner and I were having a two week holiday at my beach house, a good time to get the little jobs done around the house and garden. It is an asbestos clad modular house built about 1970.  I have co-owned it since 1989 and loved it for its rustic, very casual ambience, never worrying too much about maintenance as it was just  "The Beach House. Being in the country, at Guilderton 100 kms north of Perth, which is located at the mouth of the Moore River where the river flows into the Indian Ocean, I was advised to have a termite/white ant checkup as the house had not been inspected for some years.  From the moment he arrived the termite expert looked worried..."there's a lot of activity around the garden" (activity being termite trails) and when he finally climbed to the top bedroom and I casually mentioned a bit of a "bounce" in the floor boards, he pounced.  With what appeared to be a moment of almost glee he pul...

It all started in January.  My partner and I were having a two week holiday at my Beach house, a good time to get the little jobs done around the house and garden. It is an asbestos clad modular house built about 1970.  I have co-owned it since 1989 and loved it for its rustic, very casual ambience, never worrying too much about maintenance as it was just "The Beachhouse". Being in the country, as the house is located at the mouth of the Moore River and overlooks the river flowing into the Indian Ocean, I was advised to have a termite/white ant checkup as the house had not been inspected for some years. From the moment he arrived the termite expert looked worried..."there's a lot of activity around the garden" (activity being termite trails) and when he finally climbed to the top bedroom and I casually mentioned a bit of a "bounce" in the floor boards, he pounced.  With what appeared to be a moment of almost glee he pulled back the carpet and ann...

The beach at Guilderton, Western Australia, February 2013 (photo LP ) I have spent a few days recently at my beachhouse studying my French lessons, but more specifically the “wonderful world” of French pronouns in all their various guises. Pronouns, both in English and French are fraught with difficulty and having an afternoon cooking yesterday, while simultaneously watching a cable cooking channel, I was annoyed by the number of presenters who used " we" when speaking to their television audience: "Now we take our eggs, break them into our bowl..."  We, the audience, are not there with the presenter; they are joined by a camera operator, lighting operator and others to assist in their presentation, none of whom are helping with the actual cooking process. By the time "We are now plating our meal..." was announced, I was so removed from the whole experience that irrespective of how delightful the menu appeared, I was distracted and uninter...

(Source unknown) This is  humorous etiquette advice sent to me by a friend…we Australians can be quite irreverent...… ************************************************************ " Aussie Bush Etiquette is recognized throughout the civilized world but we all need to be reminded from  time to time. In General:   1.       Never take an open stubby ( a beer can )  to a job interview... 2.       Always identify people in your paddocks before shooting at them. 3.       It's tacky to take an Esky ( a portable cooler )  to church. 4.       Even if you're certain you're included in the will, it's rude to take your ute ( an open back utility vehicle ) and trailer to the funeral.  The vastness of Australia...  Guilderton, Western Australia (photo LP) Eating Out: ...

The "Peace" Rose (photo LP) This morning, when I returned home after a weekend away, enjoying the spring blossoming native wildflowers during  my walks,  I was delighted to see that the first of the spring roses had bloomed.  This rose is called "Peace" and comes from a 50 year old bush which was given to me by friends who were demolishing an old house;  the rosebush would not fit with their new garden. Geraldton Wax, a native bush which parades it's beautiful flowers only in Spring (photo LP) Some details about the "Peace" rose from Wikipedia:  It was developed by  French   horticulturist  Francis Meilland  in the years 1935 to 1939. When Meilland foresaw the German invasion of France he sent cuttings to friends in Italy, Turkey, Germany, and the United States to protect the new rose. It is said, that it was sent to the US on the last plane available As Meilland sent his cuttings just before the war, communication b...

A Guilderton pelican "overseeing" the fishermen Over the years  I have supported, and been supported by, my special girlfriends at my beachhouse.  It is situated only one hour north of Perth and as so is easily accessible for last minute invitations...and spontaneous  visits. Last weekend I rang my girlfriend, Diane,  at the last minute and said as the weather was going to be perfect, with chilly mornings but twenty degree temperatures during the day (yes, winter in Perth is wonderful!). I was going to head north for a few days and I wondered if she wanted a break from home.  As her husband was away working, she enthusiastically  said yes, and "what can I bring?" A very Australian habit is to take food and wine when staying away with friends. Diane watching the Moore River flow into the Indian Ocea n, a rare occurrence Saturday dawned with bright sunlight, after a few weeks of grey winter gloom, which renders me utterly despondent.  I w...

The Moore River, Guilderton...it flows into the Indian Ocean Ruby exploring among the vines Last weekend was spent with my son at my beach house at Guilderton.  The late autumn is a wonderful time of the year;  the countryside is slowly turning from burnished beige to tentative green;  the vine leaves are dropping;  the  summer wind has gone somewhere else to wreak it’s fury;  the sun is gentle but persistent after about mid morning;  and the chilly awakenings are conducive to enveloping clothes and warming cups of tea and coffee.   The part of me which almost continually thinks about things culinary turns to slow cooked meals, dredging up recipes from past and also recent European adventures . St Luke's Anglican Church, Gingin, 1860 We went exploring in the region of Gingin.  There is a wonderful old church in the town, or at least old by Australian standards! We took the dogs for a walk through the ...