I do miss Glenelg. The walk along the promenade everyday was just so therapeutic, here in the centre of town it’s difficult to get going as traffic lights constantly seem to be on red. I do like the ease and proximity to the market however, and a daily fix of a ‘skinny flat white’ and the newspaper is a very civilized way to the pass time. But I have been struggling with my jigsaw… the most difficult puzzle I have encountered for years. All the colours are mud brown and black. I am going blind and mad with frustration. It is actually supposed to be ‘an old master’ still-life of a vase of flowers. I shall persevere.

Eddie Izzard last week at the Festival Theatre was OK; his rambling stream of consciousness took in most of the Old Testament, with his old friend Noah making a welcome appearance. He does ‘God’ as James Mason and ‘Noah’ as Sean Connery. Quite funny, but the ramblings ended as mumblings and I couldn’t hear. Maybe I should invest in a trumpet (for hearing, not blowing).

John and I drove out to Noarlunga at the weekend and walked miles along the beach, to feel the wind in our hair and breathe in the sea air. All very nice and invigorating. It will soon be officially summer (1^st Dec) and it is nice to know that the shark-spotting planes will be going over once an hour. Also in the Hills, everyone is on fire-alert. A worrying season, it would seem. But Santa is alive and well in Rundle Mall, and is glorious in his hugeness!

I snapped some pretty Christmas trees and Sturt peas in a nursery. I just wish I could buy some. They were found growing in the desert by Charles Sturt, the explorer who crossed Australia from the South right through the middle to the top. Glad he had time to appreciate the pea.

We finished the day having a seafood buffet at the Grand Hotel in Glenelg… now that was a treat.

I ate too much, but convinced myself the shellfish were a necessary part of one’s diet – loads of zinc etc.

I had to smile earlier in the week when I read about the Magill Estate winning the Restaurant of the Year. This is the wine estate that boasts the Grange Red Wine that costs $600 a bottle. Well now you can eat a meal that would complement such a bottle. I was worn out reading the menu. Imagine trying to find the following in the supermarket:

Coorong Mullet, smoked over vine clippings in a barbecue, with slices of preserved truffle and a ridiculously delicious grissini filled with truffle cream.

Failing that, you could also opt for Kangaroo Island marron with a tangle of peas, greenery and a dressing touched with honey, and scallops with walnuts, endive and crisped pork cheek!

I have been wondering what to cook to impress my new prospective ‘in-laws’. I think a fish pie might be a better option!

But the best thing was yesterday. We drove first to a very lovely suburb, King William Road, where I would really love to buy a house, very classy with jacaranda trees forming avenues and vines draped along the verandas of the shops.

So nice. Sort of like Chipping Camden and Broadway villages in England, where it is all so picturesque with 400 year old wisteria taking over the ancient houses.

Then on to Belair National Park where we thought we would go for a 4 hour trek into the bush. Needless to say we decided to do this, after we got there, so we didn’t take water, and the day was HOT. Never mind, our tongues didn’t swell up, or go black and we managed to march into the wilderness with only the birds for company. I was busy telling John about the warnings in the newspaper about brown snakes being seen around Adelaide, and how we have to be wary etc. The undergrowth was quite verdant, and I was gaily marching along, full of the snake stories, when we reached ‘Echo Tunnel’.

John suggested I go in first, as he wanted to take a quick snap. I objected, but was told that I should just remember that South Australia was mostly ‘discovered’ by intrepid Scotsmen… so I should just get in there. Hmmmmm.

The tunnel went on for ever and ever amen, and the light at the end was a bit similar to what I suppose people see in near death experiences.

I was yelling loudly, very pleased that the echo was working and scaring any sleeping snakes away.

But the highlight of our walk was seeing a REAL koala in a tree in the wild. No zoo, or conservation area, he was just free to hug his tree and stare at us. It was fantastic.

After many sweaty hours tramping through the bush we were glad to get back to the car and glug the water.  We were both so tired,  it’s been ages since we have done that kind of walking… memories of tramping  through the forests and paddies on the  Hash in Hanoi with Kate and Jasper… I was sort of hallucinating and trying to conjure up the ‘beer truck’ but to no avail!

Tomorrow I am off to the quilting group to meet up with my old sewing friends. I am taking along my Ukrainian embroidery that I started in Kiev, and needless to say didn’t finish. Now I have the chance… I just hope I still remember my Russian alphabet as the pattern is all in Russian!

And it’s farewell from Australia…we are off to Auckland on Saturday!