As I have written about previously (ad nauseum) the weather has been doing our heads in. So much rain and then lots of sun is just perfect conditions for GROWTH! One in every three people I talk to down here are looking for some help in their gardens and it’s only those who do manage to secure someone to help that have beautifully manicured grounds! At an average of $75+GST per hour for someone to basically weed that soon adds up. Most companies will only send a ute with equipment for a minimum of 2 men for 4 hours….that’s $660 and they sometimes insist on that being a fortnightly thing in summer at least. Luckily I didn’t have to win the lottery in order to renovate our very overgrown veggie patch because my Super Heroes arrived in the form of good friends from Forster – Baz and Kathy. They kick started us into transforming our patch from a wildflower meadow which successfully hid LOTS of weeds into a neat tidy and productive garden once more! We weeded, sprayed, mulched and laid metres and metres of weed mats on the pathways. Then my other Super Hero (Tom) arrived to help lay out pavers and truck loads of pebbles to hopefully keep the dreaded weeds at bay. Already I have hundreds of tiny tomato plants popping up as literally every seed in a fallen tomato grows a new plant but I am determined to keep on top of it from now on and as Autumn is here next week hopefully things will start to calm down. It is lovely to see everyone’s hard work pay off – thanks so much guys!

In between all the hard work we took our Forster friends to a few local places that have been on our to do list for a while. Baz is a great watercolour artist and we took a Sunday afternoon off to visit Bundanon, the estate of the late painter Arthur Boyd. It is quite an extraordinary place in a beautiful location. So peaceful, surrounded by a thousand hectares of bush and the magnificent Shoalhaven River. The old buildings sit alongside the new ‘Bridge’ which houses a creative learning centre and accommodation and has been awarded the Sulman Medal for Public architecture. It all works together despite the different eras and designs and we thoroughly enjoyed poking about in all the buildings young and old!

Bundanon is many things. An art museum embedded in the landscape. A wildlife sanctuary set on 1000 hectares. A gift to the Australian people. Arthur and Yvonne Boyd’s gift of Bundanon has given Australia a unique cultural and environmental asset. It was born out of Boyd’s wish that others might also draw inspiration from this remarkable place. The nineteenth century Homestead, twentieth century farm workers cottages, and world-renowned contemporary buildings are great examples of Australian architecture. His personal studio and house is located 20 minutes further downstream and is quite remarkable as it is on display exactly as he left it with paints, brushes and various tools and artworks in various stages of completion – a real lens into the way he painted.

The Art Museum itself was a wonderful space and we enjoyed the current exhibition featuring the work Miwatj Yolŋu – Sunrise People from Arnhem Land and I loved some of the modern colours being used in a traditional way which gave them a completely new feel. Apparently a rubbish pile of old printer cartridges were used to give the pink tones – fantastic!

Another place we have been wanting to visit for ages is Jim Wilds oyster shack at Greenwell Point. It’s a little gem of a place right on the river and selling the yummiest oysters done a few ways alongside fresh prawn rolls. All washed down with a nice bottle of wine swilled out of plastic cups. The ground is strewn with crushed oyster shells giving it a unique and cheap landscaping style! We pondered life on the river as we sat enjoying the sunshine and a brisk breeze off the water – a well earned break from all that hard yakka!

The day finally dawned for Myla to start school and she was so very excited. She loved the whole theatre of dressing in her new uniform with matching ribbons – even enduring the creation of her plaits (not easy when you have super curly hair!) She completely unpacked her HUGE schoolbag to show me all the treasures within – her lunchbox with all the little compartments, her library bag, sports bag and contents plus a little necklace she had made with India which she packed to remind her of her sister when she wasn’t there! I see that she was wearing it when she had her kindy photo taken – very cute! I guess they have been together pretty much every day of the last 2.5 years so it’s quite a change for them to be separated. She loves school so far and I love that they can just walk to school – no bus/train or car trips necessary! It gives them the perfect 10 minutes on the way home to debrief the day’s activities before she crashes on the lounge totally exhausted! Go Myla Moo!

So as the days start to shorten and the leaves start to change colour we look forward to Autumn when things slow down and our food changes from barbeques and colourful salads to slow cooked delights and plums and apples take over from mangoes and peaches. There is just enough time left to make a couple of yummy desserts/tarts/cakes before they disappear for another year and hopefully eat outside (if the mozzies allow) before those long winter nights arrive and it’s dark at 4pm! I am so glad we live in an area with four distinct seasons to enjoy, each with a little something to recommend it ❤️