Playing at work and working at play

It's a wonderful thing to be able to work a couple of days a week. It helps financially, keeps me feeling like I'm contributing something and it structures the week so we have time apart and time together. Keeps us both on our toes. While I'm playing at work David powers around working at play, getting all sorts of things done. I enjoy my work, so maybe I'll keep going for a few more years. But I can't keep doing it forever, can I? I turn 64 next birthday! What the?! How did that happen? I was thirty five just a few minutes ago. Sometimes when I see photos of myself, I wonder who the old lady is, can that be me? Well, these are the photos we took of ourselves for our passport applications - here's what we actually look like up close these days.

I can see my Dad in my face more and more, especially around the eyes. Once, when I was 51, I took my Dad to a specialist appointment and when the fellow appeared at the door, he looked at us both and said, Well, I can see who is related to who here! He seemed to think he was hilarious. But I was not amused to think I so closely resembled an 80 year old man. Better get used to it, I suppose.

Someone who looks nothing like an 80 year old man is my young husband, who works like a navvy all day most days. I helped him do some shovelling and barrowing yesterday and I'm suffering in my muscles today.

We are trying to stay fit with walking and swimming at Diamond Beach most days.

It is beautiful down there first thing in the morning.

Gardening is pretty good for you too, physically and spiritually. Take these for example - doesn't that sight lift your heart? Those bulbs came from friend Anna in Canberra. They have a cold dry Canberra winter in them, so they may never flower again in this climate!

We are learning about gardening in the warm temperate bordering sub tropical zone from friends and neighbours. Today, a visit to the markets at Laurieton with Jenny and Tim. This pic (above) has Tim tour guiding us - there's the sea, he says, grandly. Oh, David enquired, that blue stuff? Lovely day we had, lots of laughs and teasing and many plants bought.

Visited Sunshine Daylilies on the way home, run by horticulturist Isobel, a delightful lady well into her 80's who has bred and named scores of varieties. She does bromeliads as well (above). What a delight. We bought quite a few plants. You can't kill daylilies, they say. Let's hope.

Here's the haul from the markets and from Isobel. Bit of serious planting will need to be done this week.

And here's the haul of fruit and veg, including some seville oranges for yet more marmalade. You can never have too much marmalade.

While I've been typing, David has been mowing. A small interlude to tow the mower out of the gully at our front boundary...

This part of the garden is going to have to become something other than a grassy mower-trap. Not quite sure what, though. Maybe a rockery? Can't leave it wild or the grass would grow head high, just like it was before we bought the block when it hadn't been mown for years. Gardening in this area is a different kind of challenge than we are used to from Canberra!