Cygnet...Sydney...Cygnet

 

Sunday and its a grey Market day.
We get the fire going in the shop after breakfast..
John and Tom get stuck in to making the shelves in the shop kitchen..

 

 

 

I open the shop and do a few orders etc..
John and Tom head up to RV for coffee and I follow them up there after a while and enjoy a Soy Chai Tea.
We have a fairly busy morning with customers...selling a number of books..
Its a double market today...in Town Hall and Carmel Hall..
The rain comes and goes a bit during the morning.
We close up about 1.30pm and have a quiet read etc ...nice.
Then we go up to Wattle Grove to inspect road works that we've had done on Cawthorn's Rd...
It was a real goat track and now a lovely smooth drive down to our property... (Unfortunately they must have run out of road base a metre short of our gate...so its still a bit of a mudbath...but at least its graded..so hopefully any rain will drain off into the ditch)
We collect sticks and its an easy business due to the winds last week...there are stacks to be found.

 

 

 

W enjoy a number of games of Boules (John bought the set from Talan's Trove shop during the week) The cow pats prove a bit of a challenge...and John is disqualified when his Boule lands in one!! oops

 

Back home and the boys go up the street for milk and come home with scones and a coffee from RV..We have a delightful afternoon feast..then enjoy some more reading etc.
After dinner we settle down for a quiet night.

Monday and I'm determined to get back into my walking...Just taking a quiet stroll down to Burton's reserve. Its good to be out early again.

We get on with morning chores then head into the shop to begin business day..
Its an interesting morning. .
Paul Thomas and Bob Brown bring in some 2nd hand books for us to purchase for the shop..great books..trouble is John has taken possession of a number of them!!
One of the teachers from St James comes in with her son ,partner and grandson..they stay and browse/ play for quite while...really nice.
Liz Smith comes in to show us her revised carpark plan..that is being proposed for behind our building. The bus route is no longer going to be  around there so there is an opportunity to make it a better space..we look at the plan together and make our comments..
We have alot of orders to keep us busy...
After lunch the boys go over to the school oval for a game of Boules...then head up to RV for a coffee/hot choc.
The afternoon passes...and after the post goes up..John minds the shop so I can start packing things for our Sydney visit. Tom and I leave Wednesday morning...John will come on Friday night after work..
We enjoy a dinner put together with leftovers on the fridge...it comes together well.
John reads Tom some Pobby and Dingan...a story about a family living in Lightning Ridge..
I have a play of my Concertina...just lovely...
Then its settle down time for the night..

Tuesday and its cool out. There is a low mist..so the day may well turn out sunny..
John is preparing to go into Hobart for the day to sort through more books for the shop.
Tom and I will hold the fort for the day.
At 9.30 Tom decides to go down to Community garden to see what is happening. I'm sorry to be missing out today.. He watches Laura clean the chooks feet..helping to catch them first!! Has a chat to Kate and checks on the lettuce seedlings.
I get on with orders and have a few customers too.
Tom works on some design ideas on the laptop...then has a bit of a lego game.
Its a good day with enough work to keep busy...but not too hectic.
The day passes quickly.
John arrives home at about 5pm..a long but successful day.
We go up to RV for soup and bread and enjoy socialising..
Then home and early to bed ...Sydney tomorrow..

Lovely Sydney visit...
Visiting Pa and Ma, wedding dress sewing, catching up with the girls and their boys, seeing Sandra, Spotlight shopping, morning tea with dearest sisters/brother in law, Madagascar movie with Tom ,Rozelle Markets, fabulous Opera..Aida, ..Bridge climb for the boys , a walk through the Gardens and visit to Art Gallery..afternoon tea in Paddington bookshop..then homeward bound.
Thanks to Hannah for being chauffeur over the weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back home and the temperature  is decidedly chillier than Sydney...top of 12 degrees on Monday.
Beautiful to be home despite the cold..
I am waking early and enjoying walking...so many delightful sights and sounds..swans launching into flight..their wings thumping the water...all sorts of bird life returning now the weather is warming up..

 

We get stuck into the orders that are waiting for us and Tom happily heads off to school.
No scouts tonight which is a good thing as Tom is very tired...as we all are..

Our Tuesday is as usual...Community Gardening for me in the morning. Its very wet as there has been alot of rain while we were away. We have a productive morning weeding...Back to the shop and orders and jobs fill the afternoon ..Soup and bread at RV for dinner...enjoying the company of others...

 

Wednesday flies by with orders, creams to make and fill and customers through the shop. 
Tom has rockclimbing after school.
I go up to RV to have a cuppa with the St James gang...
I do a bit more work on my U3A presentation for next week.

Thursday and a lovely morning.

 

 

 

We get on with orders that come through one after the other during the morning..
Its Footy Colours day at school today

Paul brings in another load of Bob's books for us to look through
I go over to school to help with a writing activity...working one on one with some of the students encouraging them along.. (all credit to teachers!!...)
We have visitors from Sydney (Anthroposophical customers)..nice to chat with them about our move.
Nice quiet evening...

 

Friday and I'm going over to the school garden today as Stephanie Alexander is coming to visit with a busload of visitors. We are christening the newly completed cob oven..
The morning goes really well..various speeches by Anne Foale (Principal) and Stephanie.
We mingle with the visitors (mainly teachers from other schools) and enjoy eating the delicious morsels brought around by the students..

 

Suckling pig just coming out of the new cob oven.....

 

 

 

There is not alot happening at the shop when I get back...

That's quite good really as I'm having a cuppa at Lotus Eaters with Kate..a friend from Woodbridge. We have been trying to meet for a few months now...so we have a delightful time catching up on so many topics...

After work we prepare to have Nolan come at 5pm to read the new English translation of the Tao te Ching. There are about 6 of us in total...(John takes Thomas out to the flat to read to him..) Its a very tranquil experience and we all agree we would like to have a second reading sometime as there are so many chapters we'd like to revisit and discuss.  A lovely way to end the day.

 

We have Devour takeaway and settle down for the evening...

 

Saturday ..its a freezing cold wind blowing this morning as I walk out to Martin's Point..

 

 

 

I invite the boys to breakfast at Red Velvet (before the weather deteriorates..there are predicted snow falls to 400 metres). We potter through the morning..I sew and the boys plant out Mandragora and do some other chores.

 

 

 John goes up the street and buys treats for the BIG game ..AFL grand final. Hawks vs Swans..(Go the swannies). John is going for Hawks!!. Tom and I watch the game  (well I do sewing and watch and Tom gets a bit over it at times and wanders off)..

 

 

 It is a very close match and very exciting viewing..and the Swans win!!

We have homemade Pizzas and enjoy the cosiness as the rain falls outside..