Melting …

My shoulder is slowly but surely thawing!  It no longer FEELS like a frozen shoulder … until I try to wash my hair or reach up high - BUT - it's almost there.  I reckon' by July 16th (6 months exactly) it will be completely healed!!

Already I can do so many more things now …

Like go birding … 

…well MY kind of birding!!

 He bribes me on a 1.5hr trip south of Adelaide with the promise of seeing Albatross and Whale(s)!!  The chance of an Albatross is due to the particularly horrible weather heading for coast of S.A. and apparently they like that kind of weather.  The whales are due to … well … it's winter and they migrate along the south coast regardless of horrible weather or not … apparently.

….is anything out there?!!??

The horrible weather arrived as we were driving down and I guess our combined weight stopped the van from being blown over in the crazy winds and Joseph's slow (ever so slow) driving that stopped us from crashing in the blinding rain!  At the "best whale-viewing spot" we could see from the car there were no whales  - or maybe there was but due to ridiculous waves it was impossible to tell.  So we braved the weather and made it to the nearby cafe for cake and coffee.

No whales out there

We drove a few kilometres further along the coast and made the short walk onto the beach on the Great  Southern Ocean that looks out toward Antarctica (it is really the Indian Ocean according to Joseph but not according to every Australian I know)

 … and  we are rewarded with a rare (and fleeting) glimpse of a

 HOODED PLOVER!  

Not sure why they are so special but they seem to make the two-minute walk worthwhile. 

There it is!
(the black dot is his head!)

  The tiny campsite is just over the sandhill and we are the only people there!!  It's snuggly warm inside the van - so snuggly that by 2.00 a.m. I have to open out the window next to me and let the howling wind in to cool me off!  Note:  this is a WINTER storm!!

Next day -  the trek to find the Albatross…  Turns out the Albatross is best seen on the bluff that is a two-hour hike from the campsite and - well - my kind of birding doesn't include two-hour hikes to anywhere-  let alone out onto a wind-blown bluff and especially not out onto a wind-blown bluff in the middle of a crazy storm!  So Joseph packed a lunch and headed out on HIS 4-hour trek and I sat snuggled in the van with the windows open watching the Fairy Wrens hopping around

 - and the kangaroos.   

 I did "hike" over the sandhill to the beach and managed to NOT get bitten by a snake due to socks with my Tevas! and even though the weather was still pretty crazy I sat on the platform and enjoyed the view and  I thought I saw an albatross and pretty sure i did not see a whale!!   

Albatross?

Joseph made it back hardly wet at all and sadly no Albatross!    He had a couple of "lifers" so was moderately happy but he totally disputed my Albatross sighting!  Humph - back home we go - that's enough birding for me!

I can also do things like … 

*Enjoy a nice Birthday lunch

… with Alecia, sis Jen and Fiona … at the Art Gallery of S.A.

*Attend openings!

Our neighbour Bev is an amazing artist who made these painting using a technique she calls



and she had an exhibit at our favourite local cafe
Red Lime Shack

That's Bev- the artist!

crazy stuff!

Collen -I waned to buy this for you!

  

* Help Mischa demolish the back of his house! …

Mischa is so patient with me!

Just chipping away … as I  do!

Hmmmmm...

Taking it from this ...

to THIS!!
and even THAT back wall is going!
We took off the red bits the following weekend.

…and Joseph cleans up the bricks
so that Mischa can reuse them - at $1 a brick these days -it's worth it
(pavers? ( no freezing here) or walls?)

* Have a Canada Day party!

I cajoled/persuaded/bribed my family to come over and celebrate Canada Day (Aust. time). They were told to wear red - and they did!!

Good 'ol Canada Rocks! .. those **@@!! boxers on brother David!!

I played the National Anthem for them - poor dears - they have no idea - which hand/which heart!!

Menu:  Corn, ribs, hot dogs, coleslaw & pizza (it was cheap night at Dominos!)

Ice Cream with hot choc fudge sauce (or maple syrup

 but I think they thought that was a bit too weird!)

* Help at the Community Garden

Not so much handwork for me this time - but the guys are working hard building the plots (due to concrete on the ground the beds must be raised) - and of course always available for a BBQ!

*… and of course …. look after # 1 Grandson

He just gets cuter ...

and more cuter-with ribbon in his hair!

* VISA VISA VISA!!!

We also received the wonderful news that Joseph's visa had been granted!  This means he can stay in the country for as long as he likes.  He can go "home" to Canada but can't stay for more than 5 years!

It was a bit of a non-event in the end -  because the week before Immigration had sent an email asking for all kinds of forms that we didn't think needed be submitted and copies of forms we were sure we already did!  So with hearts pounding Joseph sent a polite reply with copies of the copies, we had already submitted and querying the need for further forms!  Et voilà the following week came the official acceptance email with a copy of the precious visa!  Urgh - seriously - they play with people's lives and they just don't realize it!


 … Anyway off we went (walking) to celebrate !!!!

He's pretty excited to be celebrating at one of the six hotels in the square mile of our neighbourhood!
….and pretty excited they have champagne glasses!


Next party is Christmas in July - with the Ingham side of my family!  Yikes that's gonna be a treat! :)