K.I.

 

South Australia is a pretty stunning place, generally, but after a short vacation on Kangaroo Island, I think I've discovered the jewel in SA's crown.

 

We stayed here, in a 100-year-old light-keeper's cottage, maintained and prepared by Parks SA. There was no television, but there was Jenga, Mahjong, and numerous visitor's books to keep oneself occupied during the cold, windy evenings.

 

In four days we managed to traverse 800km of an island that, at its longest point, is barely 200km across. We saw the lighthouses (of which there are a few!), Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch, Flinders Chase National Park, as well as West, Stokes, Emu and Vivonne Bays.

 

We got up close and personal with Australian sea-lions, New Zealand fur seals, KI kangaroos, Tammar wallabies, and a couple echidnas - all in the wild. (We were not lucky enough this trip to see koalas or platypus, but that will keep for another time).

 

K.I. is a truly awe-inspiring place, a bucket-list kind of place to visit. Nothing disappoints, not even the wintery weather (which is, on average, ten degrees warmer overnight than the Flinders Ranges, and a couple degrees warmer during the day - even with the "roaring 40s" raging in!).

 

 



 

1) Cape Willoughby. 2) Snuggling Australian sea-lions at Seal Bay. 3) Seal Bay.

4) Cape du Couedic. 5) New Zealand fur seal (scratches an itch). 6) Cape Borda coastline.

7) West Bay as dusk. 8) Stokes Bay. 9) Silhouettes at Vivonne Bay. 10) Remarkable Rocks.

11) Sunbathing K.I. kangaroos. 12) The only platypus we saw! 13) Karatta Cottage, Flinders Chase NP.

14) Inside Karatta Cottage (entrance hall). 15) Inside Karatta Cottage (bedroom).

16) One of the many visitor's books. 17) Weir's Cove. 18) Admirals Arch.

Vacationing

 

Isn't it nice to get away every now and then? To have a change of scenery and the opportunity to slow life's pace down a bit.

 

A few days by the seaside is a wonderful way to do it.

 

A Seaside Retreat

 

No phone signal.

No internet.

No people.

No interruptions.

 

I love everything about the ocean: The smell, the sand, the sea spray. I love watching the waves roll in, one after another, as the tide moves in and then sucks back out again. I love looking towards the horizon and seeing an expanse of endless blue. I love the sound of it at night as it lulls you to sleep, and the salty freshness of the morning air.

 

This is my favourite retreat.

It is my second home, the one that is familiar and the one to which I belong.

 

Of course, no matter how long we stay it is never quite long enough.

 



The Week in Pictures...

 

 

** It was another frantic-busy working week followed by a quiet, uneventful weekend at home. But you know what? I don't mind it so much. Although it does leave for little to write about on the blog.

 

** The past week was unseasonably warm with temperatures getting into the mid-30s (*C). Tonight we are waiting for the rain that the BoM promised, although so far the sky is clear aside from a few clouds puffing up over the Ranges to the south (in the wrong direction!).

 

** The sky seemed especially blue this week; the ocean particularly turquoise; and the wattles were bursting in red. These are our colours of autumn.

What are yours?

 

365 Mail Art Project: Weeks 16 & 17

I received in the post recently a copy of the NRM magazine for the northern and Yorke regions of South Australia. It doesn't cost a thing and as I was reading through its articles about weed control, conservation methods and plover adoptions, I couldn't help but notice the amazing pictures within. My favourite thing about these pictures is that they are all quintessentially South Australian.

 

So, I kept them. I figured they'd provide some kind of inspiration for some kind of project eventually. Now they adorn envelopes and will shortly be traversing the globe.

 

 

 

#50 of 365:

Stunning red dragonfly for Astrid in Germany.

 

 

#51 of 365:

A rare sight in these parts: A creek with water in it! This is for Arjen in Belgium.

 

 

#52 of 365:

Adorable plovers for Mirja in Germany.

 

 

#53 of 365:

One of the prettiest sights in South Australia are the wine regions, especially in summer when the vines are lush and green. This vineyard is for Megumi in Japan.

 

 

#54 of 365:

Some people will get more than one piece of mail art out of this project, simply because I don't know 365 people. This summerscape is the second piece of mail art for Laura R in Victoria, Australia.

 

 

#55 of 365:

This beach could be any number along the South Australian coastline and it's on its way to Carley in the Adelaide Hills.

 

The Week in Pictures...

 

 

** It was a pretty uneventful week, despite the burst of cooler weather.

 

** I reorganised and sorted and cleaned.

 

** I came down with an ear infection. I could put up with the fever, the lethargy and the general ickiness, but I could not handle the pain. I didn't complete any of the mail art pieces I started because I spent most of my time on the lounge watching nothings on television and feeling sorry for myself.

 

** I finished one fantastic book and started another.

 

** I whittled away an afternoon in the kitchen after an electricity blackout (hurray for gas cooking!) and made tomato soup, herb foccacia, and preserved eggplant in oil.

 

** Shane had work in Port Germein so the Bailey-dog and I tagged along and went for a splash on the beach. The tide was out - perfect for a certain Spoodle that cannot swim, although he still managed to dive head-first into one of the creeks (estuary?) after misjudging its depth. He got a mouthful of sea water and splashed his way back to the bank. Funniest thing I ever saw.