February Wrap - Up

Saturday 1st - the Gala dinner of the Portuguese Australian Women's Association (PAWA) commemorating the formation of the Association, was held at Fremantle Football club.

Belinda and I were in charge of receiving guests, ticking them off our lists and allocating tables.

Top to bottom - Belinda and I waiting for the guests to arrive, Jose and I and the Committee members on stage during Silvia's speech

The President of the Victorian branch of the PAWA - Silvia Renda, introduced the President of the Western Australian branch - Manuela Marques, and the rest of the committee.  Then followed short speeches by the invited mayors of the of Fremantle, Wanneroo and Cockburn. 

Dinner proceeded with background music by Brazilian Juliana Areias (who resides in Perth), with her Jazz/Bossa Nova music. 

Before desserts another fabulous musical group took over with dancing music - Chantal Basilio and the Carbon Taxi band.  

The three course meal was provided by Benny's Bar & Cafe from Fremantle. 

A dessert table was set up with cakes baked by some in the Committee and offered by members.

I made up 7 baskets with beauty products that were given to me, plus we had things donated by other entities, and mid-dinner a couple of ladies went around selling raffles. 

A necklace and three picture frames were auctioned, and all funds are going towards Zonta House Women's Refuge - a total of $1382, which will be handed over next week.
Not a lot, but not bad for a first event when we still didn't have many members and there were a lot of start-up expenses.

Guests were also invited to bring food items to be donated to Foodbank WA, and we heard later that 53kg of goods was donated.

The gift baskets I packed for the raffles, the table with the goodies for the raffles and auction and the food bank collection

Table setting, guests at our table and partial view of the dining room

  

All in all the Gala dinner was a success, we had many people congratulation the organization. 

 Saturday 8th - we joined a couple of our Drs from the clinic where I work to go and watch a movie at the Luna SX in Fremantle -  "H is for Happiness", with a mostly Australian cast, with the exception of Miriam Margolyes. It started at a slow pace, but ended with a bang! Such a fun and happy movie tinged with a bit of sadness in-between.
The young actors, Wesley Patten and Perth teen Daisy Axon are destined for great things.
The movie is based on the Barry Jonsberg’s popular young adult novel My Life as an Alphabet.

                        

The you-tube trailer of H is for Happiness

Sunday 9th - Our friend Idalia who is almost 87, and lives in my suburb had called a few days earlier to find out if we wanted to go to the Portuguese club to celebrate Madeira Day, and we accepted. 
She was the first Portuguese woman to come to Perth in 1959 (from Madeira), and her husband was among the first Portuguese to arrive in Perth in 1952, on a fishing boat - the North Cape - via Cape Town, South Africa, with about 20 other Portuguese people.
These men and their families were the starters of the Portuguese community in Western Australia.

I discovered that the island of Madeira actually only celebrates their day on the 1st of July, but maybe because it's winter here that the club celebrates it in February?
Lunch was, cod-fish and then there was music and dance.

The party was held outside the club premises, Idalia dancing (top right)

Somehow that night, or early morning, I got quite sick with gastro and at about 5am I was messaging a colleague to arrange for her to work for me on Monday.

On Friday 14th, I met up with Grace for lunch at Ikea, and as always she cheers me up 
(no photos).
Being Valentine's day, I received a bunch of roses from Jose. 
He also cooked a delicious dinner - with a starter of fried prawns with beer and garlic sauce, and then garlic prawns in the oven. Dessert was chocolate mousse which I made.

Sunday 16th - It was a hot day, and we waited until 4pm to go to Bather's Beach in Fremantle to see the "Sculptures at Bathers".
In it's 4th year, the exhibition started on the 15th February and ends on the 2nd March, and includes about 80 artworks all done by Western Australian artists. 
All artworks are for sale, and suitable to various budgets.

The tiny Bather's Beach in Fremantle

After walking around we sat down right next to this beautiful lacy umbrella to catch a bit of sun, read our books and we left the beach just after the sun-set.

Unapologetic decoration - my favourite sculpture, a huge lacy umbrella, by Tania Spencer, which retails for $25000.

A pretty lacy umbrella - Unapologetic Decoration

 Saturday 22 - We took the train into the city to go to Michael Bubble's concert at the RAC Arena.  

The tickets were a Christmas gift from our children Karina and Michael. The concert hall was packed with 15,000 people, and Michael was not only a fantastic entertainer, but very funny too.  He mentioned this was his 112th concert, and Perth was the last stop on his New Zealand and Australian 2020 tour.
He dazzled the audience with his 36 piece orchestra behind him, singing crowd favourites like Home, Always on my mind, Cry me a river, Feeling good (soundtrack to Casino Royale, original by Nina Simone), When I fall in love, Just haven't met you yet, and my favourite Sway, which I love dancing to (a James Dean original).

He brought all his family along - parents, wife and kids, and at least 2 of the kids were at the concert, he would wave to them once in a while and he got them to "sing" a few words on a couple of songs. Very cute.

Tuesday 25th -  Last week in French class we talked about birth dates, days of the week, mobile numbers and spelled our names. The teacher and 2 colleagues realized I would be celebrating a big birthday next week. 

On this day, before we started our lesson, surprise, surprise, Suzanne brought out some delicate cupcakes and a small bottle of Spanish bubbly for my birthday.
At the end of the lesson the teacher gave me a postcard and pen she had bought at the Louvre in Paris. And after class when we got to our cars Suzanne had another surprise bag with more gifts. So sweet of both of them, and I specially loved the cat themed mug, coaster and shopping bag. 

Cupcakes and early birthday gifts

On the home front, our grapevine is full of fruit, which the Honeyeater birds are enjoying, the fig tree had to be covered because the Rainbow lorikeets wouldn't leave the fruit alone.
Somehow they seem to go under the net as we still find figs with beak marks on them 🤣.
I've also made quite a few jars of fig jam too.

Fig jam, the covered fig tree, vine full of grapes, and figs

The small Spotted doves are still coming to eat the seeds I put in the bird feeder hanging from the lemon tree, and the dancing birds, the Willie Wagtails have returned to our backyard.

Top left to bottom left - The Brown honeyeater bird, Spotted doves, (?), Willie wagtail

Fluffy and Twiggy having a nap

The house next door is almost ready, paving around the house done, side gate done, garage door done. Now just needs the driveway to be finished and a front lawn.

The owners said there's a few bits to be finished indoors and once the driveway is done they will move in, which should be in a couple of weeks.

Next door house - already has side gate, but I haven't taken photos of it in a while