ALMOST A YEAR

I am just 3 weeks away from the anniversary of my arrival in Bathurst to begin work on No.6 York Road, and believe it or not, we finally unpacked the last few boxes just two weeks ago despite having actually “moved in” to the house two weeks short of 8 months ago (30th August, 2018). This final unpacking brought to mind a comment of Jon Peters during a chat with him a couple of months ago when he said that, “……since living in Bathurst there is quite a bit that I might want, but most importantly, I want for nothing.” Jon has been here some 28 years or so, so I do need to take him quite seriously - importantly however, I feel compelled to share that very same sentiment.

During all of the unpacking I became very aware of just how much unnecessary baggage we actually have, yet most of it bears a memory of a moment in time, someone that we know, or reminds us of the generosity of certain individuals who trusted us with one or two of their prized possessions when they made epic moves to distant shores ……….. possessions which have now become “ours”, and which we would find it very difficult not to have in our home as part of our everyday lives. Two or three of these come immediately to mind: Lynda’s beautiful porcelain vase which she entrusted to us along with a most beautiful indoor plant that has become an integral part of our everyday lives. Also entrusted to us was a somewhat special rock with a painting of a Bat-Eared fox on it by Rob - Lynda’s husband, (which I, in a moment of un-thinking, called a jackal in a previous blog), sorry Rob. Said rock however guards our front door daily - welcomes us home when we arrive, and quietly says goodbye when we leave.

Of all our possessions however, and virtually the last thing to be unpacked were the ones I most value: a few pieces of 4000 year-old Minoan pottery artifacts which I excavated at an abandoned dig on a hill close to Kritsa on Crete in 1973, and which I snuck out of Greece wrapped in dirty socks and old underpants deep inside my travel case. The plate too which holds them is very special, but not quite as old - just 48 years or so - and one of the last pieces of pottery that Pat made at her Camden studio in London before Caradoc was born and we moved to the farm between Henley and Oxford.

4000 Year-old Minoan Pottery artifacts

For those of you who have never had the opportunity to  simply sit and hold such old artifacts - feeling their shape and texture between your fingers while allowing your mind to transport you back to some ancient era - in this case that of the Minoans who with their incredible artistic and engineering skills constructed Knossos at Heraklion on the northern shores of Crete - I really do urge you to do so - the imagination transports you to places and experiences that the cinema and TV can never begin to match.

What I was doing on Crete, and how I got there is a story all its own, which I may or may not relate here sometime in the future, suffice simply to say now that it is a canvas of memories which I shall carry with me always.

The Bathurst show has come and gone, and we were really very pleasantly surprised at its size and the diversity of experiences it had to offer. Pat and I were invited by Chrissie Craddock to help out on a couple of occasions with timing at the showjumping events - an experience we thoroughly enjoyed, and which offered the opportunity to become familiar with quite another side of a sport that I have participated in (as a youngster), and watched with interest most of my life.

The stock auctions were mind-blowing and something everyone should endeavor to attend just once in their lives - again, it offered insights into aspects of farming and commerce of which I was entirely unaware. In the same space on the following day was the Chefs’ Cookoff. Six invited chefs asked to think out of the box and come up with something special over the coals using limited ingredients ……… a really great atmosphere, great competition, and ultimately great food that we were lucky enough to taste. Congratulations to Chef Carl Penn from the Pig n Whistle who captured first place with a stunning wild mushroom Risotto topped with rump steak meatballs filled with some very interesting flavours. There are quite a few pictures of the show in and album on my Flickr site - just follow this link: https://www.flickr.com/…/lance_gal…/albums/72157677565706887

As autumn approaches the light begins to change - as it does almost everywhere in the world - and if one is lucky enough to be aware of it, it offers sensory experiences which can really be savoured almost like a good brandy after a special meal - then it is gone; so beware! The early mornings are often the best time to catch this light, and I have been lucky enough to catch a few amazing sunrises that paint the sky in colors I promise to remember on my deathbed one day ………….. life is really so good, we must savor every possible moment, especially when they are this good.

Magic morning sunrise

The birds too have been particularly active, and rather than pick on a special bird for this week, I have decided instead to show a little of the activity that the female Amethyst Sunbirds get up to in their battle to get to our feeder. Enjoy!

Coming in to land

A race for the perch

Where's my food?

At flippen last!

OMG that tastes soooooo good.