I am sitting behind this lovely door of a cottage built in 1860. Three bedrooms, a sitting room and one step down to the dining area on the right and kitchen on the left.
Through another door with an old fashioned apron hung on a nail is the access to the bathroom. It is also the door that locks you safely in at night or while you are wandering about the town during the day. The bathroom, or “toilet” as they call it here is through another door off to the right through a small open entry way from the alley in the back.
The “back” has a lovely old table built around an over-hanging fig tree that is just now bearing fruit.
The only figs I have ever had other than the dried ones are here in Australia. I drew this one just before popping it into my mouth at my friend Anne’s house in Melbourne.
Anne is the most amazingly hospitable person for us from the US traveling in Australia. This time she was working very hard getting materials ready for the tutor of a workshop she was taking when I arrived. It was so much work and preparation but she greeted me, the tutor and her dear friend arriving from England. She even managed to get me to the offices of Treasury Wine Estates for a memorable encounter with a public relations manager who could advise me on which winery is responsible for the 19 Crimes wines we so enjoy at home and the vintner to contact.
This time I recorded Anne in just a general conversation among a group of us women after class sharing a delicious wine. Now I can hear her voice whenever I want to feel I am in her company. So thank you, Anne and Tony, for taking me in, getting me where I need to be and giving me the very best memories of Australian hospitality. I hope to never take advantage of your kind generosity. Thank you.
Today I went out to find gifts to take home, contact those at home wondering how and where I am. I thought I would have dinner out tonight but most places are closed on Tuesday night. Well only those that have an “all you can eat” menu which means batter fried fish with “veg” as they say here are open. I came back to the cottage and decided to pour a glass of wine…maybe two. I had a lunch earlier of olive bread, mixed greens, grapes and cheese. That seems enough and I can always have a bit of Greek yoghurt with passion fruit later with that second glass of wine.
It is getting dark. It is 7:30 pm. My pajamas and a good book on the Kindle are waiting. Tomorrow morning I will post this on my blog while using the local library’s internet. I will have to copy and paste into the blog with the appropriate pictures. Then it is just two more quiet days on my own in Goolwa before teaching a three day class on Memory Vessels before flying back home to construct my own memory vessel of this wonderful trip back down under.