I had the pleasure of sharing my morning breakfast with a parrot, a grouse, and a magpie. They were a bit noisy, and I'm not sure who surprised who more, but we all managed to get along well on my deck. They were feasting on some nuts that had fallen from the tree. The magpie seemed more interested in sunning itself on the railing, truth be told, and I was tucking in to my breakfast, with gusto.
No need for a bird feeder here; the trees seem to be doing just fine so far.
One great memory I have of my backyard in San Francisco was the hummingbirds. There was a pair of them living there year round. More than once, something zipped by my head; only later did I piece together it was one of the hummingbirds. There were flowers all year round, and a temperate climate, so they stayed around. They both had iridescent green ruffs, with flashes of red if the sunlight reflected just so. Hummingbirds have the sweetest little "peep" when they call to each other.
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Moving House
I spent most of the last week, and almost all of my four day weekend moving from the highrise into my new home. Happy days are here again.
I was thrilled on Thursday afternoon to get a big delivery of most of my home furnishings. The big surprise was the bedroom set and mattress. I wasn't actually expecting those until this week. But, they were just about the first thing I set up. Nothing like sleeping on a bed. Oh, I slept on a 6" thick futon on a hardwood floor for twenty years, and I would be OK with doing that for the forseeable future. I just don't mind sleeping on the floor all that much. But, I will say that there is a near-erotic quality about sleeping up off the ground and on a soft cushion. It's nice, and it's nice to be able to afford the luxury of sleeping on a nice mattress in a nice bed.
Second on my list was the refrigerator. I did expect that, and it does make a big difference in the livability of a place. Once I got it settled and levelled and chilled, I immediately stopped eating take-away. I went grocery shopping as soon as I could and began filling it up.
Third on my list was getting my grill set up. Some assembly was required. I had to go out and buy a ratcheting screwdriver, and then, go out and find a place to buy an LPG cylinder. Once that was all set, I spent some time baking all the cruft and manufacturing oils and paints off the things, and seasoning the grills. It took a bit of work. But last night, I finally fired it up and made dinner. Fantastic! This one is about twice as big as needed, but I suppose if I ever have a couple dozen people over for a party, it'll do. Meantime, I can work with half of it and be content in all my grilling needs.
Moving all my clothes, papers, and kitchen supplies from the high rise flat was a bit of a chore. It took me about three trips in the Landie, but each of those trips entailed quite a few visits to the lift. Ah, it turned out all right.
There's a fair bit of traffic noise at the new place, since I'm just a whisper away from the major intersection. But, you know, I don't mind. It's not the constant fan noise 24 by 7 from the building next door. I can retreat to the back rooms or deck and most of it is blotted out by distance, plants, and whatever is going on in the house.
I've woken up each morning and heard a new species of bird in the backyard or the park. I've also learned there are way more bats than I thought...they blanket the entire neighborhood at dusk. They must be the equivalent of a hunting party, sweeping through the lush lowlands to search for food.
Anyway, there's still a lot to do in the house, lots of unpacking and organizing. But, I'm outta the high rise de facto if not de jure, and I'm very happy about that.
I was thrilled on Thursday afternoon to get a big delivery of most of my home furnishings. The big surprise was the bedroom set and mattress. I wasn't actually expecting those until this week. But, they were just about the first thing I set up. Nothing like sleeping on a bed. Oh, I slept on a 6" thick futon on a hardwood floor for twenty years, and I would be OK with doing that for the forseeable future. I just don't mind sleeping on the floor all that much. But, I will say that there is a near-erotic quality about sleeping up off the ground and on a soft cushion. It's nice, and it's nice to be able to afford the luxury of sleeping on a nice mattress in a nice bed.
Second on my list was the refrigerator. I did expect that, and it does make a big difference in the livability of a place. Once I got it settled and levelled and chilled, I immediately stopped eating take-away. I went grocery shopping as soon as I could and began filling it up.
Third on my list was getting my grill set up. Some assembly was required. I had to go out and buy a ratcheting screwdriver, and then, go out and find a place to buy an LPG cylinder. Once that was all set, I spent some time baking all the cruft and manufacturing oils and paints off the things, and seasoning the grills. It took a bit of work. But last night, I finally fired it up and made dinner. Fantastic! This one is about twice as big as needed, but I suppose if I ever have a couple dozen people over for a party, it'll do. Meantime, I can work with half of it and be content in all my grilling needs.
Moving all my clothes, papers, and kitchen supplies from the high rise flat was a bit of a chore. It took me about three trips in the Landie, but each of those trips entailed quite a few visits to the lift. Ah, it turned out all right.
There's a fair bit of traffic noise at the new place, since I'm just a whisper away from the major intersection. But, you know, I don't mind. It's not the constant fan noise 24 by 7 from the building next door. I can retreat to the back rooms or deck and most of it is blotted out by distance, plants, and whatever is going on in the house.
I've woken up each morning and heard a new species of bird in the backyard or the park. I've also learned there are way more bats than I thought...they blanket the entire neighborhood at dusk. They must be the equivalent of a hunting party, sweeping through the lush lowlands to search for food.
Anyway, there's still a lot to do in the house, lots of unpacking and organizing. But, I'm outta the high rise de facto if not de jure, and I'm very happy about that.
Monday, 17 March 2008
The Garden
I went out shopping again yesterday for housewares. The local hardware box store, Bunnings Warehouse, is roughly equivalent to The Home Depot in the States. I've finally found the big box stores near where I live. For me, they are in Carindale and Cannon Hill. And I've only scratched the surface of them....lots more stores to explore. Bunnings has a parking lot the size of Nebraska, which made life much easier. I spent a couple of hours wandering about, looking for garden tools, cleaning supplies, push brooms, and eventually settling on a barbeque grill.
The grill I chose has a timber frame, so I spent a bit of time assembling the frame when I got home. I had a great time putting it together in the the late afternoon. It gave me some time to spend on the deck. I got a great deal on the thing, and it was cheaper than the black or chrome all-metal grills, so I think I did well. It's very satisfying to assemble kits. And this grill will be a beauty and the source of so much enjoyment, I can't wait to get it all together and fire it up the first time. Flame grilled food...yum!
I also spent some time with the garden tools hacking away at the hedges and the palm trees. The picket fence in front of the house is backed by a hedge that had gone to flower and seed. It is too tall, too wild, and had grown through the fence. Quite messy. There's something very calming about pruning and shaping plants. It can be hard work, but hedges are really easy...I had a small hedge back in San Francisco, so I've had a bit of practice with them. Since the hedge at my new place is overgrown, my biggest challenge is being patient enough to not over-prune. So, I pruned it back just enough to leave some spaces between the leaves. In a few weeks, they'll grow back, and the interior spaces will come alive, and I'll be able to prune it back some more. It's too bad the owners let it go, but it's understandable. I think they spent most of their time on home improvements in the interior, which I'm grateful for.
Cutting back the palm trees was simple, and I really only wanted to get them out of the way of the walkways and stairs and deck. There are a couple of trees that look ill. It's hard to tell if it's because they over-grew with all the rain this year and are now dying back to a more sustainable level, or if they are really sick. I'll have to keep an eye on them.
It's nice to have a garden and green, growing things to look after again. I hadn't realized how much I did miss gardening. I'm not a master at it, but I did somehow manage to coax my backyard in the States into some semblance of order. More importantly, I learned how to keep plants alive, and how to prune and weed. Gardening is a skill that is undervalued in urban society, I think. I'm glad I had a chance to learn it in San Francisco. What little I've done so far here in Queensland has been wonderful, and I'm really looking forward to looking after the backyard.
I met my neighbors yesterday. They have the cutest little boy. He was running around in a Spiderman costume all afternoon. He and his Dad ran around their backyard. The whole family seemed happy. They seem like good people. I saw the neighbors on the other side; didn't get to speak with them, but they do seem to keep a tidy house.
Overall, I seem to have landed in a nice neighborhood. I still have lots of exploring to do. There are several restaurants I have to check out, including Mexican, seafood, and Indian. There's even a pub up the road a bit, a tackle shop, and cake shop. I had a pizza from the local Pizza Hut, which is just steps away from home...uninspired pizza, but I was really, really hungry. Way better than the last Domino's pizza I had, so it'll do in a pinch. I have to find a real pizza place, though. Sadly, the local video store is a Blockbuster, so I need to find the real video store.
Anyway, I'm starting to settle in to the new place. I'm getting a lot of things delivered in the middle of the week, so at least I'll be able to start making my meals, cleaning up after myself, and eating on a table. It'll be another few days after that before I get my bed, so I'll be sleeping on the floor for a little while. I don't mind, but it does make for late nights and early mornings. There's lots more to do to move in completely, but I'm making some real progress now. I hope I can be out of the high rise by the end of the month.
Oh, yes. I've seen the bats go hunting every evening I've been at the house. I saw the flight last night. I also saw three species of birds in my backyard, and saw the lizards climb down from my roof back to garden level. Yay! Another benefit of the garden and the park are all the living things. I missed the natural world, and I'm glad to be in a small slice of it in my new home.
The grill I chose has a timber frame, so I spent a bit of time assembling the frame when I got home. I had a great time putting it together in the the late afternoon. It gave me some time to spend on the deck. I got a great deal on the thing, and it was cheaper than the black or chrome all-metal grills, so I think I did well. It's very satisfying to assemble kits. And this grill will be a beauty and the source of so much enjoyment, I can't wait to get it all together and fire it up the first time. Flame grilled food...yum!
I also spent some time with the garden tools hacking away at the hedges and the palm trees. The picket fence in front of the house is backed by a hedge that had gone to flower and seed. It is too tall, too wild, and had grown through the fence. Quite messy. There's something very calming about pruning and shaping plants. It can be hard work, but hedges are really easy...I had a small hedge back in San Francisco, so I've had a bit of practice with them. Since the hedge at my new place is overgrown, my biggest challenge is being patient enough to not over-prune. So, I pruned it back just enough to leave some spaces between the leaves. In a few weeks, they'll grow back, and the interior spaces will come alive, and I'll be able to prune it back some more. It's too bad the owners let it go, but it's understandable. I think they spent most of their time on home improvements in the interior, which I'm grateful for.
Cutting back the palm trees was simple, and I really only wanted to get them out of the way of the walkways and stairs and deck. There are a couple of trees that look ill. It's hard to tell if it's because they over-grew with all the rain this year and are now dying back to a more sustainable level, or if they are really sick. I'll have to keep an eye on them.
It's nice to have a garden and green, growing things to look after again. I hadn't realized how much I did miss gardening. I'm not a master at it, but I did somehow manage to coax my backyard in the States into some semblance of order. More importantly, I learned how to keep plants alive, and how to prune and weed. Gardening is a skill that is undervalued in urban society, I think. I'm glad I had a chance to learn it in San Francisco. What little I've done so far here in Queensland has been wonderful, and I'm really looking forward to looking after the backyard.
I met my neighbors yesterday. They have the cutest little boy. He was running around in a Spiderman costume all afternoon. He and his Dad ran around their backyard. The whole family seemed happy. They seem like good people. I saw the neighbors on the other side; didn't get to speak with them, but they do seem to keep a tidy house.
Overall, I seem to have landed in a nice neighborhood. I still have lots of exploring to do. There are several restaurants I have to check out, including Mexican, seafood, and Indian. There's even a pub up the road a bit, a tackle shop, and cake shop. I had a pizza from the local Pizza Hut, which is just steps away from home...uninspired pizza, but I was really, really hungry. Way better than the last Domino's pizza I had, so it'll do in a pinch. I have to find a real pizza place, though. Sadly, the local video store is a Blockbuster, so I need to find the real video store.
Anyway, I'm starting to settle in to the new place. I'm getting a lot of things delivered in the middle of the week, so at least I'll be able to start making my meals, cleaning up after myself, and eating on a table. It'll be another few days after that before I get my bed, so I'll be sleeping on the floor for a little while. I don't mind, but it does make for late nights and early mornings. There's lots more to do to move in completely, but I'm making some real progress now. I hope I can be out of the high rise by the end of the month.
Oh, yes. I've seen the bats go hunting every evening I've been at the house. I saw the flight last night. I also saw three species of birds in my backyard, and saw the lizards climb down from my roof back to garden level. Yay! Another benefit of the garden and the park are all the living things. I missed the natural world, and I'm glad to be in a small slice of it in my new home.
Saturday, 15 March 2008
Shopping and the Suburbs
After running around shopping for home furnishings today, I was reminded of a key fixture in suburbs: the shopping mall. I really hadn't wandered around a true Aussie mall until today, and I can now say they aren't that much different from their American cousins. Clothing, food, and children's items seemed to be the focus. This particular mall had a couple of major grocery stores, which probably isn't all that weird, but not something I'd seen very often in California. Usually, the supermarket was its own big box store off to the side, or perhaps part of a Walmart. I can say the place didn't have nearly enough parking. And, now that I have a very tall vehicle, I can say there are some real problems finding a spot to fit it...most of the garage space is too short. That's definitely a major difference. In the States, most of the malls I've seen have probably twice as much parking lot space as floor space in the mall. Here is Australia, they all have parking garages.
Sunday, 9 March 2008
The Bats Go Hunting
I popped over to my new house this evening. I was on call all weekend, and tied to home, so I thought I'd take a look at the new place at the end of the day, take a few things over, and enjoy some time on the deck. Somehow, I managed to catch the sunset and gloaming. It was very peaceful.
While I was sitting back, I looked up through the trees to see the bats go hunting. Wembley park abutts the rear of the property, and there's a drain running through the center of it, heading down toward the Brisbane River. As I looked up at the clouds underlit by the sunset, I saw hundreds of bats flapping their way from some roost to go feeding. They all seemed to have half meter wingspans and were very well fed. I hope I get to see lots of their flights; this one had an eerie beauty to it. I'm certainly grateful they're flying about the park; I'm sure it keeps the insect population under control.
I also discovered an interesting and hopefully useful little web app called Twitter. It lets me post short blurbs about what I'm doing. It only takes a maximum of 140 characters at a time, and the interface is really simple. So, for now, I've taken to providing regular updates. It works fairly well with the blog. You'll see my entries in the upper right hand of the navigation bar on the right of the main posts. Let me know if this is interesting. Depending on circumstances, I might keep it up. Or, it may just be another flash in the pan. Guess we'll see!
It's cooling down a bit in Brisbane, as the summer wanes. It's now typically 25-28C during the day. At night, it's been getting down to 17-18C. Surprisingly, the night feels a bit chilly. There was a week or so there that felt really cold at night, cold enough to sleep with a light blanket on. Usually, I've been so warm that a thin cotton sheet has felt like almost too much. Those days are coming to a close.
I still have a lot of details to work out to really move into my new place. Utilities to get transferred, furniture and clothes and books to move and organize, and a whole new set of furniture to find. I'll go out shopping for the house next weekend. I couldn't this past weekend since I was on call. But, I'm only backup next weekend, so I can start shopping and moving for real. One of the first things I plan to get is a table and chairs for the deck, and some garden tools. The hedges need trimming, as do the trees and bushes. As for the deck, since I plan to spend a lot of time out there, I want a nice comfortable set of chairs and a good table to enjoy.
I also plan to get a nice gas grill so I can finally get back to grilling my food. Back in San Francisco, I bought a portable Coleman grill and used it almost all the time, rain or shine. It only took an hour or so on Sunday to grill up meats for the week, and any time I wanted some veggies, it took 15 minutes to have freshly grilled peppers, zucchini, and asparagus. Easy, healthy, and fast: gas grilling is a great way to cook. Just up the street from the house is an organic butcher, so I plan on visiting the shop on a regular basis for some good cuts of meat. Next, I have to find a good seafood shop, a deli, and a place for fresh vegetables near the house, and I should be good.
Anyway, lots of things to do to get fully moved in. I'm looking forward to all the great new places I'll find. But, most importantly, I am so looking forward to the relative peace and quiet in the new home. I'm so sick and tired of the constant fan noise from the buildings adjoining my high rise flat. It will probably take me weeks to get used to the quiet, but that's something I'm looking forward to. I've already seen more stars at night in the new place than I've ever seen from the flat. It's not quite the same as being out in the bush, which is really spectacular, but it's still quite an amazing difference. Truly, "the stars be strange" here in Australia.
While I was sitting back, I looked up through the trees to see the bats go hunting. Wembley park abutts the rear of the property, and there's a drain running through the center of it, heading down toward the Brisbane River. As I looked up at the clouds underlit by the sunset, I saw hundreds of bats flapping their way from some roost to go feeding. They all seemed to have half meter wingspans and were very well fed. I hope I get to see lots of their flights; this one had an eerie beauty to it. I'm certainly grateful they're flying about the park; I'm sure it keeps the insect population under control.
I also discovered an interesting and hopefully useful little web app called Twitter. It lets me post short blurbs about what I'm doing. It only takes a maximum of 140 characters at a time, and the interface is really simple. So, for now, I've taken to providing regular updates. It works fairly well with the blog. You'll see my entries in the upper right hand of the navigation bar on the right of the main posts. Let me know if this is interesting. Depending on circumstances, I might keep it up. Or, it may just be another flash in the pan. Guess we'll see!
It's cooling down a bit in Brisbane, as the summer wanes. It's now typically 25-28C during the day. At night, it's been getting down to 17-18C. Surprisingly, the night feels a bit chilly. There was a week or so there that felt really cold at night, cold enough to sleep with a light blanket on. Usually, I've been so warm that a thin cotton sheet has felt like almost too much. Those days are coming to a close.
I still have a lot of details to work out to really move into my new place. Utilities to get transferred, furniture and clothes and books to move and organize, and a whole new set of furniture to find. I'll go out shopping for the house next weekend. I couldn't this past weekend since I was on call. But, I'm only backup next weekend, so I can start shopping and moving for real. One of the first things I plan to get is a table and chairs for the deck, and some garden tools. The hedges need trimming, as do the trees and bushes. As for the deck, since I plan to spend a lot of time out there, I want a nice comfortable set of chairs and a good table to enjoy.
I also plan to get a nice gas grill so I can finally get back to grilling my food. Back in San Francisco, I bought a portable Coleman grill and used it almost all the time, rain or shine. It only took an hour or so on Sunday to grill up meats for the week, and any time I wanted some veggies, it took 15 minutes to have freshly grilled peppers, zucchini, and asparagus. Easy, healthy, and fast: gas grilling is a great way to cook. Just up the street from the house is an organic butcher, so I plan on visiting the shop on a regular basis for some good cuts of meat. Next, I have to find a good seafood shop, a deli, and a place for fresh vegetables near the house, and I should be good.
Anyway, lots of things to do to get fully moved in. I'm looking forward to all the great new places I'll find. But, most importantly, I am so looking forward to the relative peace and quiet in the new home. I'm so sick and tired of the constant fan noise from the buildings adjoining my high rise flat. It will probably take me weeks to get used to the quiet, but that's something I'm looking forward to. I've already seen more stars at night in the new place than I've ever seen from the flat. It's not quite the same as being out in the bush, which is really spectacular, but it's still quite an amazing difference. Truly, "the stars be strange" here in Australia.
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