A Good Friday

I'm working half time now, so Friday is the beginning of my weekend and I'm generally fairly kangarooted and don't do much. But today was a good one. We both managed to avoid doing any housework whatsoever by going to the shops at Taree and also exchanging the new brushcutter for one that actually works. A coffee and one of Luisa's excellent Algerian biscuits at Ciao Bella to round off the morning.  Then a trip to the new house, which now has roof trusses.

There is a local stone artisan, Cliff Southern, whose beautiful rock walls made of local stone can be seen everywhere in this area. He just lives around the corner. Lives and breathes his work. Is teaching the craft to his lad, Ryan.

The stone comes from the quarry nearby at Rainbow Flat, and the colour and mix you get depends on what is being pulled out at the time. Cliff is pleased with our stone. Beautiful stuff this lot, he says. See this lovely one, I put it here for you to look at from your bedroom. And see this one, he said, pointing at a big keystone on the ground in the corner, that's the first one I laid. And I put a silver coin under it for you, for good luck. My Dad taught me that.

After visiting the house, we went to Diamond Beach, our local, to visit the Landcare site and see the extraordinary tree fungus that David and Chris discovered there a couple of days ago, growing on banksia. Chris was there at the time, with old friend Phil Pope, who was our mutual neighbour back in Duffy in the 70's.

Gorgeous thing. You know how I like a good fungus, and this is a cracker.

Tiny sand crab, nearly translucent

Oh, the symbolism. Standing on the beach in the relaxing afternoon sun of your life.

While standing in the afternoon sun of our lives, a large, ungainly looking big bodied short-necked bird flew over.  We both said, what on earth was that?  Went to look for it where it landed on the rocks by the water. Well camouflaged, but we found it.  A striated heron. Fishing in the rock pools.

Meanwhile, back at the Landcare site, Chris and Phil had found a stripey friend.

Seeing Phil takes me back to my twenties, and memories of building the Duffy house and garden come up. Funny old life, feels like I've come full circle.  This new house and garden at Diamond Beach will be the fourth I have established from the ground up, the third that David and I have done together. Spending time with Robyn and Chris also reminds me of my former life, and here's a photo Chris has just sent of me from that time, digging a hole to bury rubbish someone left at our favourite campsite at Termeil on the South Coast. Aged 27 at the time. I think I still have that sarong!