Mid Winter

 

It's mid winter here and it is wet and cold and as I have said before I would much prefer the summer, but it is winter and I try to make the most of it.  Most other years we try to get away from the cold weather and head to the north but as travelling is still a bit of a gamble we have stayed put.  We have friends who have travelled north to Queensland and now with the lockdowns they are not sure when they will get back home.

We have had a few day trips out and as I have been having trouble walking, it has been great to go out in the car to just get out of the house.  

One of our day trips a few weeks ago was to Milang, about 70km from home.

The old blacksmith building in Milang

Milang is a lovely little town on the shores of Lake Alexandrina.  It is now more of a holiday destination and only around 800 permanent residents live there.  Our family used to have a holiday house shack on the foreshore and we all learnt to water ski when we stayed there in summer holidays.  Now there are many more holiday houses, and quite a few of the older shacks have gone or will go as they are on a lease arrangement.

The War Memorial, Milang

Lake Alexandrina, Milang

The Butter Factory, Milang

Last weekend we did another day trip to Lyndoch in the Barossa Valley where we had coffee at the local bakery.  It is a lovely drive from our home and on a wintery day it was great to be in the warm car for the trip. I didn't take any photos of the bakery as I was too busy enjoying my Capuccino and Vanilla slice!

These lovely trees have a yellow type of fungus growing on them on the way to Lyndoch

Not far from home but definitely a country scene

The old Sandy Creek Hotel

The Wheatsheaf Inn, est. 1849

On our way home, the town of Gawler

Gawler Railway Station

                  View of 'Para Para', the mansion built by Walter Duffield at Gawler in 1851.

Dead Man's Pass is a nature reserve near the Para River, Gawler

The reserve in Dead Man's Pass

UPDATE

As of today, 20th July 2021, in South Australia we are in Lockdown for 7 days and in the North Eastern area where I live, is the Hot Spot where the Covid-19 Delta strain has spread to 18 people in 2 days, and it is spreading fast.  Our medical team and Premier have made the tough call to close shops, schools and any businesses that aren't essential.  We are more than willing to stay home and I will do my food shopping on line and have it delivered.  I probably have enough food in the pantry, fridge and freezer but will get a delivery for the basics and perishables and of course chocolate too, to make life in lockdown a bit more enjoyable.  I will be keeping busy with my art and have more decluttering to do, as well as the usual housework and cooking, and believe it or not I do enjoy the mundane chores, well the end result! 

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We have been fortunate here in South Australia as we have only had one other lockdown, but NSW and Victoria have had to endure more than us and I feel for them as it is a difficult time for many people.

Hoping everyone stays safe and well and if we stay home we will get through this.