Cold Snap

"Released from the grip of humanity
Soaring upon the wings of your spirit
My imagination is your reality..."


Wow, how am I going to get out here? We did have some bright sunny days in the week past and now the rain sets in again. My poor cat will have to endure eating dry biscuits as she runs out of tin food. And my victual supply is zilch. I live on hot cups of black coffee which I normally don’t dare to drink but that will do to sustain me for the time being. There are also broken pieces of Ritz crackers in a jar, left-over from the church afternoon tea last Saturday. That too will help to fill the gap of starvation.

Did I say we’re having a cold snap? Well, I finally found the extension cord so I get the heater running. Inasmuch as I can avoid, I don’t want to raise my Electric Bill because the rate is really killing me. I am no longer working and therefore have no stable income to support my exigencies. August is the last month of our winter ... so I guess the season is coming to draw its last full chilly blast before it ebbs.

I am praying hard that it will be a fine day on Tuesday next week because I really want to go to that Ferry Cruise by the harbour and have lunch onboard. It is going to be a special birthday treat from my friend, Marilyn.

She did that on my 50th birthday too. Sometimes I feel awful with myself because I do not regularly communicate with her. But she is always a very busy woman: a Counsellor by profession and owns and runs a Bed and Breakfast Accommodation business right in the premise of their property.

She also maintains their beautifully landscaped country garden in acreage including a mini vineyard which is kept by her son, Philip; while hubby Peter does the mini farming chores - lucerne farm with cows and sheep to tend. Their location is bit fair way to where the Ophir Gold Mine is. So their business is pretty much handful to some travellers who desperately need a place to unwind and rest from a tedious journey passing their way.

If weather like we have today persists till next week, I’ve a backup plan of taking Marilyn to Sydney Opera House Diner Bistro. It is really great there! I’d been there twice. Once, I was there all by myself. Second, I took this Californian couple whom I toured around the city right after the Feast of Tabernacles in 2008. They too loved the food and enjoyed the view of the harbour.

Bistro might be too cheapskate sounding to the standard of Marilyn, as she is really a very dignified lady of her status; but really too, like most Ozzies, she is as down to earth as anyone else. After all, this Sydney Opera House Bistro is a class of its own where food is prepared and served to its utmost perfection and the staffs are very professional. I was greatly impressed the first time I got in there out of curiosity. I am always curious about everything that is new to me. I am curious to find what is on the other side of the track.

Well, as it is cold, I am tempted to take a sip of a nice wine to keep me warm. It is a Hardy (1853) wine - Crest 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon – grown, produced and processed in South Australia, the pioneering state in winemaking here in Australia. This elegant bottle of wine is given to me by my daughter last Saturday night after the barbecue held in their place. It was a thank you gift for the help I did in preparation to that weekend special night. There was a short Talent Show for entertainment. Yours truly did poetry reading and was appreciated by all.

I am saving this wine for a late birthday co-celebration on a next weekend following with my friend Aurora, whom I shared the same birth date with. It will be held in their place. Her family, and mine along with our friends are coming, so it would be fun. It surely will be another late karaoke night after dinner.

Speaking of wine, I do hope that our trip to South Australia next month will provide me an opportunity to visit at least one winery and enjoy wine and cheese tasting as planned. Last time we’re there, we did not get the chance to do so as it was in the height of summer and the wineries were closed, I guessed.

Here, you don’t have to be rich to be able to experience wine tasting. Wine cellars and display sheds are very interesting places to visit. I have a bit of idea about wine especially because I happened to work a seasonal job in the vineyard while we were yet in Orange: pruning, training and picking. Grapes picking is the best of all.

The vineyard view was awesome in that never ending land. It got wider when thick frost of the morning melted.