Monthly Wrap- up - December & Signs (part 1)

The last month of the year is always super busy, and it started with lots of social events:  

- a BBQ at our friend's W & L at their house by the Canning River, where we usually stay for the birds feeding session - black swans, ducks, coots and purple swamphens.

- a get-together with friends from the Portuguese community at Point Walter Reserve, by the Swan River. Everybody takes something to eat and drink and with 2 tables full there's plenty to share. I took a cake and Codfish fritters that I had found in a supermarket I had never been to. Just fried them and they were actually quite good.

Portuguese flag draped on a table at the gathering and codfish fritters

- an afternoon coffee with a Brazilian friend, who I met in Perth years ago and who now lives back in Brazil, but was here to attend her daughter's wedding, and a breakfast with my work colleagues as this year we didn't have a Christmas work function. 

With my Brazilian friend Monica we met in the city, then took a free bus to Subiaco, just west of the city where we visited the Theatre Gardens to find Bille Bob, one of the wooden giants from Norwegian artist Thomas Danbo.

We were in awe of this amazing and huge giant, and surprised that no one was there, apart from a few kids with their mothers in the nearby playground.

Bille Bob in Subiaco

Some of the Christmas lights I saw while walking with Monica

Ever since I came to Australia almost 16 years ago, I've been doing Christmas Eve dinner at our house, but because this Christmas we wouldn't be home, I decided to have a Christmas lunch on the patio on Saturday 10th with the family and a small group of friends.

This year it was decided gifts to be given only to kids and we had 10 of them here!

As tradition I made Codfish with cream, Jose made a chicken curry, and I made 2 desserts. A friend brought lasagne, another brought a huge salad, and others brought more desserts...because you can never have enough desserts!

Our Christmas table with the 3 mains and then with the 7 or 8 desserts we had!!

Our Christmas tree and gifts

This elephant was picked up during verge collection in my street a couple of years ago. I painted it then for my grandkids to use, but they are now too big for it, so it got a makeover and was gifted to a friend's 1-year-old boy.

The rocking elephant before

The rocking elephant got a makeover for this Christmas

The following day we met the young French couple who would be house-sitting for us during our 9 day holiday to Bali. I showed them around the house, and they met Twiggy and it all went well. We arranged to pick them up from the station the day before our departure, so they could have dinner with us and go over the list I had typed up for them with instructions for the appliances, cat feeding schedule, etc.

On that day after dinner, we walked around the suburb to show them some of the decorated houses which they weren't familiar with.

Thursday 15th - Jose and I went to the city centre with the daughter of our friends W & L, her husband and their 2 girls who were visiting from the UK, to show the kids the Christmas lights in the city.

We didn't get to see many or even the best, but kids being kids they just wanted to see the "Alice in Wonderland" lights being projected at the WA Museum Boorla Bardip.

Lights in the city

City lights and projections

I still managed to squeeze a melt and pour soap making workshop at home for our "Community Harvest" group, but in the end only 1 person managed to attend. We still had fun and I made soaps for myself and for Christmas gifts too.

Melt and pour soaps

On Friday 23rd Jose and I flew to Denpasar (Bali). It's just a 3,30h flight, closer to Perth than any other Australian city. Our flight was delayed by 1h at take-off, and then due to the late arrival coinciding with other flight arrivals in Denpasar we had to circle around another 30 minutes. 

Our daughter Karina and son in law Thomas arrived in Bali from Cologne about 2 hours after us, and we were both picked up by drivers we had previously arranged through the Airbnb house where we were staying in Seminyak.

Hello from Perth:

This photo was taken when we went to the city with our friend and her 2 girls to see the Christmas lights, and Jose took a photo of me in front of the sign, but like a good photographer, he cut the P & E out, so here is one with an unknown person in front of it.

Next episode to follow hopefully next week with details about our Bali holiday.

Monday Mural - Silves I

Happy New Year to you all, hope you had a lovely celebration with your family and friends. Wishing you health, peace and happiness.

I love murals and street art. If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme is for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  Once you start looking you will find murals everywhere.  The "Monday Mural" meme goes live on Monday at 12,01AM, Perth,Western Australian time. Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters. Looking forward to your mural finds this week. Thanks Sami.

I found this beautiful mural in Silves, in the Algarve, Portugal's southern region, during our holiday in July this year, when we had lunch with our long-time friends who also live in Perth and were also holidaying in the Algarve.

Silves was the original capital of the Algarve district and was an important trading centre with North Africa during the Moorish era (9th to 12th century).

Its rich history includes the imposing Silves Castle, from where the Moors ruled over the entire region of the Algarve, the heavily fortified gateway that leads into the historic centre and the Gothic Cathedral which was constructed on the site of a Moorish Mosque.

The mural was painted by grafitti artists Hélder José (known as ‘Bamby’), and Filipe Gusmão, of Style Spectrum and is located near Praça (Square) Al-Muthamid gardens.

The main characters in the mural are Portuguese King Sancho I, (known as "the populator") (who used the title "King of Silves" from 1189 until he lost the territory to Almohad in 1191, and the Arab poet and writer Al-Mu’tamid (also known as Abbad III), who was the third and last ruler of the Abbadid dynasty of Seville, and was appointed Governor of Silves at the age of 13 by his father Al'Mutadid, lord of Seville, who conquered the city of Silves in 1053.

King Sancho I

Governor of Silves Al-Mu’tamid

Monday Mural - Mexican Mask

I love murals and street art. If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme is for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  Once you start looking you will find murals everywhere.  The "Monday Mural" meme goes live on Monday at 12,01AM, Perth,Western Australian time. Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters. Looking forward to your mural finds this week. Thanks Sami.

There are 2 murals on the outside walls of Guzman Y Gomez Mexican drive through/restaurant in the suburb of Cannington, in one of the corners of Carousel Shopping Centre - 2 faces of probably Mr Guzman and Mr Gomez and another mural of a Mexican mask, hidden under the main facade mesh cladding.

Please note:  This will be my last mural of the year 2022, as our daughter and son-in-law will be visiting from Germany and the 4 of us will be in Bali for 10 days from the 23rd December to 1st January, so I won't be posting a mural on Monday 26th December and Monday 2nd January. 

To all those who have contributed with your wonderful murals and take the time to leave a few words every week, thank you very much.

Wishing all my readers a most wonderful Christmas and may the new Year be filled with happiness, peace and joy. 

Happy mural hunting :)

                      

November Wrap-up & Signs

Also linking with Tom's signs. Please check other signs from around the world via this link

On Friday 4th, together with the other ladies from the "Community Harvest" we set up our tables at the Canning Show, which would open to the public from 5 to 9pm and then on Saturday 5th from 9am to 9pm.

Our tables at the Canning show, and Community harvest sign

                                   Our sign to try and get people to join our group with things we have made

The Canning show which has been hosted for over 100 years by a not-for-profit organization - Canning Agricultural, Horticultural & Recreational Society (CAHRS), attracted about 15 thousand people this year, lots of small businesses with stands, entertainment, ending with fireworks show at 9pm.

Art and crafts exhibition

Cakes and jams exhibition

Farm animals, petting Zoo

Plant and flower hall

Fire show with music

The first night ended with a fantastic show of fireworks.

We Saturday we also had a 59th birthday party, so I just helped at the Canning Show until 1pm, and with another lady we presented a cooking demonstration, serving two pasta salads, which proved very popular with passers-by (free food is always enticing). The demonstration was sponsored by "Live Lighter".

At 1pm Jose picked me up and we then drove about 45min to Mandurah, where our friends have a house by the man-made canals.

Plenty of desserts for the birthday boy

Mandurah canals and a wonderful sunset

Sunday 13th, Jose and I joined about 50 other members of the Codfish Academy (whose aim is to raise funds to help various causes) at an Italian Restaurant - Portorosa Pizzeria in the suburb of Spearwood.

Thursday 17th November, Perth was blasted by a cold front, and we had the coldest day in November in the last 20 years, with a maximum of 12C!! (53,6F). Just the day before we had 31C  (87.8F).  Talk about climate change!

Friday 25th the 7 main ladies from the "Community Harvest" group, got together for lunch at an Italian restaurant - La Fattoria- in the Perth hills to celebrate our friendship and our group. 

Before lunch was served, we had a wine tasting of up to 6 wines which they sell to the public. The 3 course Lunch was served in the open veranda with wonderful views.

We attended a wedding of the youngest daughter of our long-time friends, on Saturday 26th, held at Fremantle Prison.

Entry to the prison

The wedding ceremony was held in the small prison church, then after group photos we all came down to the gardens where we were served snacks and alcohol-free drinks. 

Prison church

The guests were then divided into 2 groups, for a tour a tour of the prison.

I've done a couple of tours of this prison with past overseas visitors, and I'm always reminded how cruel prison life was in that prison.

Opened in 1850, this World Heritage site, represents the last and most authentic British convict-built establishment in Australia.

It was finally decommissioned as a maximum-security prison in 1991, after prisoner riots when guards were taken hostage and burned with boiling water, and a fire causing 1,8 million dollars damage in 1988. Over the year the prisoners were harshly punished with flogging, long prison sentences, deprivation of visitors, entertainment, solitary confinements and circa 40 hangings, as it was Western Australia's only lawful place of execution between 1888 and 1894.

Sign in the former prison office

After the tour, the party of about 50 people was led to the event hall where shortly after, the bride and groom made their entrance.

Food was served then and after the main dish we were entertained with music from a local band - Chantal Basilio and the Carbon Taxi band - whose main singer Chantal is Portuguese, and they frequently play at the Portuguese club, as well as 4 songs played by the groom's cousin and a friend who had an angelic voice.

Potato gnocchi for starters, Salmon (my dinner), Meat (for Jose) Chocolate dessert

The band (top) and groom's cousin and friend

The long table in black and white

Wishing well, bridal bouquet and teddy bear where guests wrote their wishes

table setting in black and white with the "prison gate" menu

Sentenced to a lifetime of love - cake made by the bride's sister

Sunday 27th we had lunch at the house of the President of the Codfish Academy (Jose is the treasurer, I'm the secretary) to discuss the event of the previous week, do the accounting, decide on a charity to support with the funds.

And the month ended with our 42nd Wedding anniversary on Wednesday 30th. Jose took me to dinner to an Italian restaurant - Bravo's (it seems we were on an Italian themed month 😏) in the suburb of Victoria Park. We both had a lovely cocktail, before our delicious meal.        

Our anniversary dinner at Bravo's - cocktails with Arancini balls, prawns for Jose and calamari for me

        

Photo taken at the wedding by the 10-year-old niece of the bride :)

Poppies in my garden