My week (in brackets)

Been knitting at nights (jumper for Mack), and working all week (my best friend Judy came home unscathed from two weeks in Bali, only to get the world's worst stomach bug when she got home, so I filled in for her), and tweaking the blogging on the other blog (it's getting there — details later ... ), and went to see Samson and Delilah (shattering) with best friend Karen yesterday (so no pics from the hood this week), after lunch on Oxford Street (OMG how exy is Perth? "Have to remember, Mum," as Lily says, that "while we were away, everybody in Perth became seriously wealthy with the boom.")

Long phone call from Lily yesterday arvo while I was in the car on the way home from Karen's, so I had to stop driving and park so I could talk to my girl. She was soaking in the bath at a very posh new hotel-cum-resort in Broome after driving there for seven days through the remote North-West, all the way from Kununurra. Can't wait to have her and Nick home again (after another week).

Birthday party this arvo for my best friend Laura (yay!), followed by dinner and bridge with my best friend Dace and her sister-in-law, who makes the universe's bestest-ever vanilla slices. That are, in fact, so transcendentally good that they really ought to be called something else. I will take a pic to show you! 

So very, very good to be back among loved ones.

 

Does anyone know ...

... what to do when your phalaenopsis goes from this:

to this?

It was a birthday-cum-housewarming present from my best friend Dace, and has stood beautifully on the kitchen bench in glorious bloom for over 10 weeks. 

But no more. 

Dace and I reckon the easiest thing would be to buy a 'silk' one and tie it on the stem, having stripped all the sad old flowers off. You'd never know. But I know you can do things to coax more lovely moth orchids out of it eventually.

:: Sorry about the lack of recent posts and especially the lack of words. I'm putting together a new blog and it is (a) driving me crazy and (b) taking lots of time. 

I'll let you know all about it very soon. (I can tell you're desperate to know ...)

:: Lily and Nick have gone up north with Nick's mother and younger bnrother. they flw up to Kununurra, where they were met by Hamish, their guide, and whisked off into the outback as soon as they'd got off the plane. They're taking a week to drive to Broome, including a trek along the Gibb River Road. 

From Broome they go south to Exmouth for a spot of diving on the reef with the whale sharks, and I think there's a helicopter ride in there somewhere. Sounds just wonderful!

:: We have Mack to stay this weekend, while Simon and Marnie are in Melbourne. 

We've had an afternoon of Lego and dinosaurs. Yay! I made a batch of the most amazing-looking apple muffins only to be told that he doesn't like apple in muffins, and could we please make choc chip ones next time? Silly Nanna Les!

Friday in the hood

The bay

I know a little dog who's had several days of very long walkies and will sleep until tomorrow, even though we're back in the city after our stay down south.

It was fabulous, with some wild weather in between the sunny days. Perfect.

And we took a few trips, out to Margaret River and the vineyards and art galleries.

We even saw a couple of mobs of these — which thrilled Christina, Nick's mum, who is visiting from Seattle.
And we all marvelled at the clean beaches. 

On Saturday night we had the most dramatic (terrifying!) storm, with a couple of hours of thunderclaps that must have been oh-so close at times — the house shook. I think we must have been surrounded by several storms, because the lightning was almost constant.

I've never been more aware of the great big tin roof over our heads ...

But the weather made for a dramatic dawn sky (pic by Will, who was coming down with a cold and got up early):

And there were some stunning sunsets as well. 

Love it down there.