Cleland Wildlife Park

On Sunday, Hugh's mum and I weren't sure what to do for the day, but I happened to mention that I hadn't been to Cleland Wildlife Park yet, so it was settled. At Cleland, you can hold a koala. That's right, a koala! And they have all the other wonderful Australian animals, too. Wallabies, wombats, Tasmanian devils, potoroos, kangaroos, bandicoots, and more! In my year here in Australia, I've seen one pet baby kangaroo, and that's it. I haven't seen any other Aussie critters (except birds), not even from the road! So I was pretty excited for Cleland.

I fed lots of little guys and patted a koala's butt. I even saw a kangaroo with a joey! So cool!!

Either potoroos or bandicoots (can't remember which)

Art Gallery of South Australia

I had some time to kill on Friday afternoon while Hugh and his coworker got started with their whiskey conference. We all had lunch together at the Central Markets Asian food court. The boys had yum cha while I went for Korean. It was delish, and I was reminded that Adelaide has some great things going for it!

Then I headed out on my own to kill time. Annoyingly, it was raining, and didn't stop raining until late in the evening, and my suede moccasins were soon a bit damp. We were lucky, though--Melbourne experienced record rainfall on Friday, with 48.6 millimetres in 24 hours (that's, like, 2 inches). Five motorists were stranded in floodwaters!

I visited my old work to say 'hulloo' to work buddies, but then I was at a bit of a loss. I decided to hang out at the library until it closed at 6pm, then take advantage of late night shopping to stay dry in the department stores.

Note: In Australia, stores and malls generally close at 6ish. But once a week, Friday in the city and Thursday in the suburbs, stores and malls stay open until 9pm. This is called, "late night shopping." Oooh, they live large out here!

However, the Art Gallery of South Australia is on the way to the library, and I remembered that I never did check it out when I lived in Adelaide. So I stepped inside. There was a large desk in front of me, staffed by two women. I tentatively approached. "Hello," I said. "Er, how much..."

"It's free," the nice lady informed me. Ah, excellent, my favorite price! I checked my coat (also free!), deposited a couple dollars in the donations box, and stepped into the first gallery.

It was then that I remembered that I hate art, especially old art. Meh, too late, I'm committed now. I checked my coat, after all. But it wasn't long before I found a pretty piece of Australian metalwork that I quite liked: it was tall, like a large candlestick or a small side table, and held a crystal bowl at the top. Basically, a candy dish holder. But the candlestick bit of it was made to look like a palm tree, and had a metalwork landscape at the base of the tree, and even a metalwork Aboriginal man with a spear. It was beautiful, and there were several of them! As I ventured deeper into the museum, it became clear that the museum was under a bit of construction. The floorplan definitely didn't match my map. I also noticed that some of the rooms had a mixture of old European artwork, and modern artwork. I'm not sure if this was intentional, or simply because of the construction, but it was brilliant! It drew me into the "boring" rooms with really interesting installation pieces, so I ended up looking at everything. One room, featuring homewares, included a plaster toaster decorated in bright colors and referring to the Cold War, as well as a beautiful Japanese bookshelf created for Westerners, with shelves at offset levels, which for some reason I really wanted to be a dollhouse. I never quite did grow up...

All in all, I was really pleasantly surprised with the gallery. I shouldn't have put off going there, but it was a perfect diversion for this rainy day. When I left, I deposited a couple more dollars in the box.

Drive to Adelaide

We drove over to Adelaide on Thursday, arriving in the Adelaide Hills in time to catch the sunset from Mt. Lofty. I was surprised how green everything was! I visited the hills a few times in July of last year, mid-winter, and maybe I've just forgotten how green it was then. Or maybe it looked less green because there weren't bright orange leaves on the trees to contrast with the green fields. Anyway, it's lovely and makes me think of Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas...sigh. I'll have to create special Australian holidays to get me through the winter. Pi(e) Day is in July...I could make something of that. Anyway, June will probs be taken up with my visa application.

Giant Koala, somewhere in Victoria (it has red laser eyes that glow at night.)

Port Adelaide from Mt. Lofty.

Adelaide Festival

My friend, Kimberly, invited us to the opening night free concert for the Adelaide Festival (not to be confused with the Adelaide Fringe Festival, which started a couple weeks earlier). It was held in Elder Park, next to the Festival Theatre. Two artists, Adelaide-born Paul Kelly and Kiwi Neil Finn of Crowded House fame, joined up to play each other's songs. They had done a similar concert in Sydney that cost $125 and completely sold out. Apparently, they're both kind of a big deal, but I'd never heard of 'em. The music was great, though, so I kind of wish I had. They were kind of like Paul Simon, sort of folky and rocky. Hugh even sang along to some of the songs (I love it when he sings, even though he is tragically tone deaf).

St. Peter's Cathedral

I took this photo of St. Peter's cathedral the other night when I dragged Hugh to the opening night parade for the Adelaide Fringe Festival. It's perdy. I will definitely miss bits of Adelaide.

Valentine's Day!

My second ever V-Day while in a relationship, and my first ever V-Day being taken to dinner by a boy (and such a handsome one to boot)! (If you'll recall, somebody flew home to Australia the day before V-Day last year, leaving me sobbing into my tea in Edinburgh.)

We went to Concubine, an award-winning "modern contemporary" Chinese restaurant on Gouger Street. I got the Spicy Sechuan Eggplant with Chicken--it was lip-smacking good. Hugh got a lamb dish, and though I don't normally like lamb, they had cooked it really beautifully. It was tender and tasty and not at all gamey. But I mostly ignored his dish and totally slopped mine up. Yum!

These came with the bill, and I, having consumed two gin and lemonades, cried out, "Are those nipple chocolates?!"

They were, dear reader. They were. They had some sort of creamy bit in the bottom and a hazelnut to form the nipple.  Hugh now knows that when Valentine's Day comes around again, heart-shaped chocolates will get him nowhere. Nipple chocolates are the only ones for this girl! After dinner, we drove to Henley Beach and walked in the sand while the sun set.

Someone who is good at being a sweety-pie but not good at aiming a camera. I suppose nobody's perfect!

(J/K I love you, handsome!)

Second time surfing

We went body boarding again yesterday. We went all the way down to Victor Harbour, to a spot called Chiton Rocks (watch out for the large rocks hiding below the surface in some spots!) It was not as calm as the last time, but the waves weren't great for riding. I did catch a couple good ones, though, one which I rode straight in to shore, and another in which I finally managed to ride sort of parallel with the wave (I forget what Hugh told me that's called). So far, I've focused more on staying on my board and on the wave than I have focused on actually manoeuvring along the wave. I have not yet learned to become one with the board.

I also haven't learned to become one with the water, and I got smashed by waves more than a couple times. I quickly learned to always face away from shore, and to plug my nose and drop into the water when a big scary wave caught me unprepared. With the choppier and deeper water on this go, it became apparent that I needed some flippers, so we stopped at the good surf shop in Glenelg on the way home and picked some up. Now a just need my own board, in a pretty color, of course!

We also grabbed some tasty treats from Port Elliot bakery, which Hugh displayed down the front of his shirt.

omg surfing!!!

Scoping out the surf

Moana beach (waves no good)

The boardwalk to South Port

Carrying all dis stuff

The river, just before it meets the sea

Love

Time to get ready!

Awkward posing

Let's go!

Guess what?! Bodyboarding is so much fun! The waves were itty bitty, but I caught a couple good ones thanks to my wonderful teacher. Mostly, I just enjoyed being in the water on a gorgeous morning. It was totally like a Qantas ad. I could definitely get used to this. Dear Family, I may never come home again.

Bakker Burke collectibles

There's a store down the road from here that sells random junk and furniture, and I like to stop in there periodically to treasure hunt. I recently learned that it's called Bakker Burke Collectibles (I don't recall ever seeing a sign on the front). I headed over there to pick up a date stamp I had clocked on a previous visit. The stamp only covers the years 2000 up to 2011, but at 50 cents, the price was right. I also grabbed another stamp that said "Munro Bros." for another 50 cents. Cool!

A Day Out and About

Hugh told me about a cafe in our neighborhood located in a disused train station. Then I read about it on the thousands, so I decided it was time to check it out. It's called the Loose Caboose and the menu is timetable-themed. And though the building itself is no longer used as a train stop, the railway is still in use for commuter trains, which stop outside the cafe every 15 min. I sat at a long wooden table and had a latte and the soup du jour, which had lots of ingredients, the only one of which I remember was bacon. It was tiz-asty. It's a really cool cafe, and the food was good, but...it's a new place and they don't seem to have quite worked out the details yet. Hugh's sister went there another day and had a similar experience to me. It was just kind of unclear whether you're supposed to seat yourself, when and where to order, that sort of thing. I'm sure they'll fine-tune everything soon. Also, the food is on the pricey side for a cafe, but it's really tasty and well done, so it's justified. Basically, it's the sort of cafe to go to if you want to relax a bit, are looking for a fancier lunch, and have some cash to burn. In other words, if you're not me. I'm happy to let my man take me there for brunch, though!

After lunch, I headed up to Hindmarsh Disposals to check for free vinyl records (they often have a box with free records and books in front of the shop). I was looking for cool record covers for a project I was planning (and have since abandoned). I grabbed a few, then headed for the tram.

I love the cover of this "Songs of Norway" album! The colors are great. Too bad they put red marks across the ones they're giving away.

The tram is free from the Entertainment Centre through the city to South Terrace, so it is my preferred mode of public transport ;-) I had received an email from kikki.k offering $10 off any purchase (no minimum spend!) and I had a wish list to work from. In the end, I bought a book of assorted stickers and some brightly colored ink pads. I've already used the ink pads loads for my scrapbook, and I just love these sailor-y stickers!

Julia Rothman Illustrations

As one of my current goals is to write more letters, I was looking for cute stationery today. There's a really beautiful drawing of an Adelaide landmark by an artist called Julia Rothman, and I was hoping maybe she would have some stationery for sale on her website, but alas, nothing Adelaide- or even Australia-related. Turns out she's a New Yorker. But Google revealed that she does have lots of drawings of different cities, including Seattle. I think they were all done for Design*Sponge city guides, maybe. If only I could get a set of stationery with her city drawings on it! So cute! Alas, I shall keep looking.

Beehive Corner by Julia Rothman for Design*Sponge

Seattle, by Julia Rothman

The Croydon Store

We live about a mile away from Queen Street, a little street with a few really cool cafes and shops. Em and James once took me to the Red Door Cafe, which had loads of little pastries and what looked like some really tasty lamb sausage rolls. I headed up there for Saturday brunch and to read a magazine, but the Red Door Cafe was, as usual, overflowing with customers. So I crossed the road to the Croydon Store, which used to be a little mercantile type shop, but is now a cool diner.

I settled into some comfy green leather couches tucked into the vitrine and very, very much enjoyed The Energiser Bagel. It had honey, cinnamon, banana, walnuts, and cream cheese. I was proud of myself for not getting a bacon sandwich, and my tastebuds were not disappointed despite the fact that it was what could be considered somewhat healthy. I'll be back for sure.

One year anniversary

Hugh and I celebrated our one-year dating anniversary on Thursday. I decided to try out a fun recipe I saw on Pinterest for microwaveable pancakes (originally from boy and the rabbit). I didn't have any berries, though, so it was just plain pancake batter, poured into recycled salsa jars and microwaved. Hugh was horrified and wouldn't eat it. Maybe next time I'll add two or three different types of meat, and then perhaps he'll eat it ;-) Mmm, bacon pancakes....*drool*

We drove into town to get sugar butter buns and iced coffee from the Central Market. Then we headed to Henley Beach to get haircuts from Hugh's friend's mum. What's a more appropriate anniversary activity than couples haircuts, eh? The weather was gorgeous and we were there for a while, chatting and all, so the three of us ordered lunch in the form of appetizers from Estia Greek restaurant on the beach. There was spanakopita, zucchini balls, kalamari, and some dips. It was yummers.

We dropped the car off at home and took the tram into town, where my wonderful man took me shopping, and then checked into the Hilton. We had dinner Wasai Japanese Kitchen. We've eaten there before, and it was pretty good, but last night was FANTASTIC! We ordered tempura sushi, which was good, gyoza dumplings, which are always delicious, a teriyaki mayonnaise chicken dish which was really tasty, and an eggplant thing that tasted like it had been delivered straight from heaven. I wish I had paid more attention to its description on the menu, because I really want to try to replicate it (i.e. I really want to make Hugh try to replicate it).

After that, we went to a trendy tapas y vino bar called Udaberri for cocktails and jamon. It was decorated with (probably recycled) dark timber and old leather couches. Comfy!

my breakfast martini

THEN, we went to a nightclub called the Proj3cts to see Hugh's friends DJ. It was good fun and I got to dance with my man. Then we all went to one last bar for one last drink before Hugh and I crashed into our GIANT hotel bed. Sigh....with the sedentary lifestyle I've become accustomed to, a day as packed as that really wears me out! But it was the best day ever, not least of all because I spent it all with my favorite curly-haired man, who spoils me rotten and makes me feel like a queen. I love you to bits and pieces, Handsome!

2x Dim Sum

In the CBD again (it stands for Central Business District; Hugh informs me that "downtown" means nothing here), and hungry, again, I was hoping the $4 Chinese-hamburger guy would be around, but he wasn't. So I went to the food court, resigned to fast food from a chain. I just wanted a little snack, though, not a full meal, and I wasn't sure that any of the food court restaurants sold snacky stuff.

It was late in the day and all the restaurants were getting ready to close down. An Asian restaurant had grouped it's remaining egg rolls and dumplings into little bags that it was selling off for $2-$4. Score!

It was tasty, too.

E for Ethel

Because I'm sad and lonely and don't know anyone in Adelaide, I joined some local groups on Meetup.com. One of them is a crafters group (yay!) and they were advertising a crocheting event at a place called E for Ethel in North Adelaide.

I thought maybe, just maybe, this place would sell yarn, because they have regular crochet classes and events. I went to check it out a couple weeks ago, and then I attended the crochet event on Thursday night.

Sadly, they do not sell yarn. But I'm still in love with E for Ethel. It's a cafe and shop mix, and they sell original artwork, graphic prints, and handmade knickknacks of all sorts, all made in Australia. It's wonderful!! I know where I'll be getting any gifts for the next year. Ethel celebrated her 1st birthday last week, so she's relatively new to the Adelaide cafe scene.

 
Sorry, that photo's a bit fuzzy, but I was trying to be slightly stealthy about photographing my work in public. (I don't know why I bother owning a camera if I'm gonna be frightened of taking pictures in public, but whatever.) There is a large basket of de-stashed yarn, and I was able to snag a ball that matched the project I'm currently working on.

On my previous visit, I had spotted these crochet hook sets by UrbanSiesta, and since I got paid on Thursday, I couldn't possibly resist buying one!

Brickworks Market

After my perfect Sunday mojo weeks ago, I decided to have another go at making Sunday magic. Adelaide has quite a few weekend markets going on, but some only run once a month or every other week or only during summer months or whatever.

We've driven past the site of Brickworks Market a few times, and the website for it describes all sorts of things you can buy there, including handmade goods. I wanted to see if, just maybe, I could get my hands on some wool (yes, I have a one-track mind). The market runs Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, so I walked down there last Sunday to check it out.

I made it ma'self. Ain't I clever?

It's set in an old (guess, go on, guess!) brick-making factory. Hence Brickworks. Clever, huh? There's a big old kiln that used to fit up to 300,000 bricks. Now it fits...

The innards

Well, unfortunately, I'm not really sure what it fits. I think a couple factors may have contributed to my market fail. One, The Show is in town and any vendor worth their salt would probably be selling there instead of here. Those vendors not worth their salt probably expected all the customers to be at The Show, too.

Two, it's still early spring. It didn't look like these stalls were empty just for the day. It looked like they'd been deserted a while. Maybe people just don't bother when it's not blazing hot outside?

Third, for three-day market, perhaps Sunday is their slowest day. Who knows?

I'll have to try again in a couple months, when the weather is hot and Christmas approacheth.

I wasn't ready to home, yet. It was a gorgeous day and I wanted to do something, particularly something involving the purchase of wool!! I am determined, if nothing else.

I knew the Handspinners & Weavers Guild of South Australia was just a bit further down the road and open on Sundays. Just a bit further, right?? I continued down the road...and continued...and continued for three-quarters of a mile until I was exhausted and thirsty and a bit peckish too. At a big intersection, I gave up and went to buy refreshment at a gas station and Oh! Why, I do believe that is the Guild itself just two doors further down! I made it! The day isn't a total loss, I shan't return home empty-handed!

Wait, what's that note on the door?

"Closed. Come visit our booth at the Royal Adelaide Show!"

Sigh...I guess I lost my Sunday mojo this week. But hey, at least I spent some time in the sun and got some exercise, right?

Royal Adelaide Show!

Ooh ooh ooh, the county fair is in town and I was so excited to go! 'Round these parts, they call it the Royal Adelaide Show, and it's essentially just like the Puyallup Fair. We went on Tuesday, when the weather was just right.

We started off the day with breakfast at the Central Market: pork sizzlebuns, coconut cocktail buns, and sugar butter buns...I'm drooling just thinking about it two days later...

At the Show, there was lots of stuff on display, including Greek desserts that I really must try some time. There were also scarecrows, and bonsai trees, and a train layout (lame compared to Grandpa P's) and sheep-shearing demonstrations, and cow-milking, and pig races, and competitive wood cutting! I bought two new skeins of beautiful wool (pictures another time).

Towards the afternoon, we took a ride on the ferris wheel, where we could see for miles and miles around. And then I just had to have a "Dagwood Dog," which is really a corndog by another name. It made me oh-so-happy.

Then I bought a "showbag." Hugh says, back in the day, showbags were free and full of samples for various products. These days, you can choose from over 300 showbags offered by different brands, but they cost money. For example, Mars will sell a Skittles showbag, a Starburst showbag, a chocolate showbag...you get the picture. I chose a women's fashion magazine that I've read a couple times, because they had the cutest bag. It came with a pair of sunglasses, a wallet, 3 magazines, and a bunch of samples. I'll post about it later cuz I don't have pictures at the mo'. Then we went home and flopped on the bed in exhaustion.