Go Sporting

Luckily for us Sporting Gijon decided to stop striking and starting playing in the 2nd round of the Spanish Primera Liga, but the fans, and glamorous spectators, proved much more interesting than the football and they lost 2-1

Today is summer in Gijon

When you only have 6 days of sunshine in a year in Gijon you have to aprovechandelo (take advantage of it) and this is exactly what everyone in town did, enjoying the sun the sea and the colourful tiendas del la playa (beach tents).

Picos de Europa

The exhaustion of 48 hours in transit magically evaporated once we left Leon and started heading through the magnificent Picos de Europa to green green Asturias beyond the mountains. I had forgotten just how beautiful Northern Spain can be and it's stark comparison to the parched land to the south.
I guess there has to be some compensation for having so few rain-free days during summer.

Tapas time again!

A brief visit to Madrid provided just enough time to find a funky tapas bar and a cool convertible to head north in

Finland!

Finnair may not have had many luxury features but this was really cool. A camera mounted in the cockpit so passengers could watch the take off as if in the Captain's seat. Once flying it switched to viewing the sights below...flat ground and firs.

Singapore cocktail time

When flying for days you lose track of the time so when in Singapore you just have to remember that somewhere in the world it’s cocktail time. When these guys offered us a free vodka sling, what else could we say but... Bottoms up!

Adelaide Oval Cocktails

The newly renovated Adelaide Oval was a great venue for the pembroke cocktail Party.
A fun night and a few too many drinks were had by all.

Mongolia in the news

CNN Eye on Mongolia

Here comes the sun

The sun is finally commencing it's path  southward...to summer and into view once again.

Bloomin' Canola

When the canola blooms the fields transform to luminous yellow, so intense it's hard to believe that it's natural. A sight to behold.

Hardcore quad biker birthday girl.

For Rosanna's birthday the whole family went quad biking. What fun sliding around the sandy tracks and through the puddles. We all had a hoot and were satisfyingly filthy by the end of it all.

SALA in the rain.

A wet day in Adelaide is perfect for taking my interstate visitor to some of the sala exhibitions on in town.

funky flats

Banff is back!

The Banff Mountain film festival is coming back to Adelaide for a second session this year. Check it out http://banffaustralia.com.au/

Eggs and Koalas

When Bodhi was out collecting the eggs this morning  he found and surprised a koala walking up behind him. They're not fazed by the cold wet weather like the rest of us.

White transience

We were so excited with the transient beauty we took Rosanna back for a second look. This one is in it's first 24 hours of life and hence white. The fur ball on the right is a new lily pad about to unfurl.

Red gums

Birds, the occasional mountain biker, curious kangaroos and a snoozing koala or two in the post storm silence enhanced by the last glow of sunset on the gums, make Belair a joy to visit in the evening.

Miss Gladys

Colourful Miss Gladys Sym Choon's premises offer a breath of fresh air to the skyline on Rundle street

Wet wilderness

Walking in Belair with all the rain we've had is like walking along a stream, but it also means that the waterfall is gushing magnificently.

Saatchi insects

Challenged to put our creativity into action at the Saatchi Exhibition, Rosanna and I both came up with our own versions of insectopia, to emulate Tessa Farmer's swarm of insect/fairies.

Saatchi Exhibition in Adelaide

Adelaide's revelling in the good fortune of having the Saatchi exhibition here for a few months and one of the many interesting pieces was Tracey Emin’s bed which reveals the bloody aftermath of a nervous breakdown. By presenting her bed as art, she shares her most personal space, revealing that she’s as insecure and imperfect as the rest of the world.

Misty mountains

For days we have hardly been able to see beyond the balcony with foggy rain keeping us indoors. But actually once I got outside with raincoat, scarf, gloves, beanie and waterproof boots, it was actually quite lovely walking in the silence of the mist.

Those virgin lilies, all the night
  Bathing their beauties in the lake,
    That they may rise more fresh and bright,
      When their beloved sun's awake.
      - Thomas Moore,
    

Ephemeral beauty

This transient beauty sees the light for a mere 48 hours. First as a white bloom then reappearing for it's final flush pink.

Winter warmth

Looking in to the warmth of the house from the freezing outside makes winter seem quite cosy.

So many birthdays in August.

Can you tell how old Anja is?
Also Nana Nancy would be turning 99 is she were still here with us.

Arnie turns 21

Now that's what I call a cocktail. Serves 20.
Happyyyyyyyyyyyy Birrrrrthday Antoine!!

70 in the 60s

Big brother celebrates his 70th again and this time in 60's style. We had forgotten it was dress up...but as Shan rightly said, "just grab anything from your wardrobe Lynwen and you'll be fine" Ha!

Pathway to heaven

From the summit of Mt Lofty we watched the storm approach and only one gap in the clouds created a brilliant shaft of golden light onto the Gulf waters.
Beam me up Scotty.

Healthy eating?

With the new healthy eating guidelines in place at school the Tuckshop is no longer able to sell sweets until 30 minutes after lunch has begun. As a consequence the mums serving have little to do and the kids just line up to wait to buy the junk food later.

Kindness

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.
~Dalai Lama

Riding with my honey.

A beautiful day...it's time to get on your bike, with your honey if possible.

Brave?!

Unlike the rest of his family Bodhi took his blood tests without a squeak. Results all normal! Yay!