Another Full Day in Australia

Betty, who lives in the caravan park where I am staying, took me to worship services today, where we observed the memorial of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ by taking of the emblems (above).

Betty is riding on the wings of my holiday in her country by accompanying me to places in her area that she does not normally visit. Today we had lunch at the T and Chatta Cafe, where the staff is so friendly and the food is delicious.

This is what I ordered,

and this is what Betty had. She said she was a rabbit. I am writing down some of her one-liners, which I will share. She keeps me laughing.

This was the cup I drank from. The photo does not show the pretty pink color.

I admired this majolica dish, but since it weighed something, and would have to be put in my suitcase, I did not buy it. I was not sure about getting it home without chipping it. It looked like the flower would hold a dip or salad dressing, while the leaf would hold fruit or salad.

On the way home, Betty indulged my fence-fetish and let me walk on the sidewalk while she waited in the car. Here are some of the fence photos I took. Betty says she has observed that I like three "f's": food, fabric and fences.

There are not a lot of fences between houses, where I live, so I am enjoying the different eras and styles of the fences here.

This is my favorite fence today, and when I took the picture, Betty said that I had more front than a Meyers store. That means that people in the neighborhood were looking from their windows, watching me snap this photo.

This fence had a matching letter box made out of some kind of steel can,

and this is a letter box made from a portable gas can and other things I cannot describe.

Betty took me to visit her brother and his wife just so I could get a picture of his lighthouse letter box,

and look at the view from their lovely house,

and see this mail box in the same neighborhood. I think the Australian ladies could tell us what kind of letter box it is.

After that much activity I enjoyed making these paper lanterns, which I clipped to a rope with clothes pegs and made paper doilies and shelf edging

and some simple sewing projects.

I covered this small travel-size iron board with a piece of flannel fabric

made a towel with coordinating trim,

a covered for a clothes hanger that came with a cardigan I bought,

and a storage bag for the iron.

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Chat A Latte and Tea

 

 

Saturday a childhood friend who used to live in Tasmania but now resides on the Mornington Peninsula took me to tea time in an old house called Chat a Lot and Tea, or some name like that, in Tyabb, where we enjoyed sitting in luxurious 18th century style chairs and drinking tea from pretty cups. We found this tea room a short distance from the train tea room, which also has a name but I will have to post that later.

We were advised that the Italian style savory pie was delicious so we divided one between us.

 

My friend, Gaby, ordered a latte,

 

and fruitcake with cream. What do you think of these antique forks? Maybe they are spoons. Every tea room uses them, and a friend who invited me to her house had a set of them which we used for eating the pastry she prepared.

A very poor photograph of Gaby, (10 years younger than me; no wonder she is so young ;-) looking like her cute self as she was at 5 years old, and me, ---well, am I really that fat? It must be the camera! We all know that double cream, which I have been enjoying so much here, produces a double chin and other doubles. My friend Betty, whom I took to tea yesterday will broke no talk of food and diet and all that. "We all have to die of something," she told me. I will get back to you one day soon when I have written down all her one-liners. In order to survive old-age she says you can't forget your one-liners.

Later when I went for a walk I saw this pink car for sale.

 

The tea I bought today was interesting: No Worries Koala tea, and tea sticks which have small perforations for stirring into a hot cup of water til it is just the right strength.

Someone has offered to take me to get photographs of unique country mail boxes so I am looking forward to that.

 

 

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Tea in Tyabb

 

 

Today I had a wonderful break from caravan-keeping and care-giving, with my 79 year old friend, Betty. She provided transportation in her little red car, and I bought afternoon tea. Betty is the lady who has taken me to church each Lord's Day since I have been here.

Can you detect what kind of a building we are sitting in? I was not able to get a clear photo of the outside, so I will definitely have to come back and see it again tomorrow.

We picked cabin 5 to sit in because it had a direct view of some lovely flowers growing outside.

 

Betty is such a pleasant lady and I have grown quite dependent upon her for transporting me to places I need to go. I always compensate her for her efforts by taking her to tea or lunch.

The lady who served us offered to take the photo but I forgot to adjust the ipad camera inside the case, and that is why there is a black corner on the upper right side.

Here is one of the other tea rooms,

with a lovely Victorian tin ceiling, (we are in the state of Victoria, so everything here is Victorian, including the people!)

and another room in the series of about 8 rooms, in which I hope you know by now is an old train.

 

This is the road we travelled, and my friend said she has lived here all this time and did not know this place was here. It is a little street next to the Tyabb packing house, which one of my readers commented that I should visit. Thank you so much! It was worth going just to enjoy how thrilled my friend was to be there. She was overjoyed with the afternoon tea and very happy to be sitting in the little train cabin. She was an experienced train-traveler and she said that sitting there had taken her back in time.

Above, some of the little shops around the train tea room.

 

Last night I sewed together a very quick blanket for the couch in the caravan. It was a fast job that I threw together so I hope no one analyzes the stitching on the other side. I only have a few days left here and I will have to return Betty's sewing machine.

As a care-giver I have learned how important it is to do something that is pleasurable and relaxing and creative, yet personally fulfilling. It is energy-giving and mentally-emotionally renewing. Every single evening, no matter how late it is I try to make some little thing, and it does not necessarily have to be a sewing project. I brought my crayons with me and I "paint" tiny pictures. If you are a care-giver, you do not have to have talent or training or skills in order to be creative. You just have to do something that is relaxing, even if it is coloring, and do not be reluctant to use crayons if you like them, because it is an adult hobby these days, and is very good therapy for the care-weary soul, celebrating the color of God's creation.

I am very home sick for my own family and my home, with all the comforts and conversation.I have now lived with them longer than with my own parents, whom I was at home with for only a few years in comparison to the years with my husband children. Skype has been a wonderful thing, and I certainly would not have been able to endure the separation without the twice-a-day contact. I learned that Skype was invented by someone in Denmark. Well doesn't that just figure! They also invented Lego! I suppose they had to create Skype out of necessity when Mary Donaldson of Tasmania married Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark, so that she could have video communication with her family in Australia.

Please be sure to email me if you think of it. I also look forward to your comments.

 

 

 

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