Kevin in The Grounds 2 July 2013

Early Lunch with Barbara at The Grounds in Alexandria

 

 Kevin, friendly sweet natured, and more importantly, sweet smelling piglet.

It was amazing we arrived at 11:00 and had to give our names and go on the wait list for lunch, which was O.K. because of the lovely and very unusual surrounds to wait in.  There was Kevin the miniature pig, chooks, chickens plants, tress, bar o q  area, children's play area, fountain, and lots of hidden alcoves.

Notice Kevin's white wavy hair which sparkles in the sun.

 

The food was very good, high quality and amazingly fresh, with generous portions & so tasty.  Wait staff suprisingly professional and pleasant considering the place is full and a crowd waiting to come in.  I am so impressed.  There is a lovely feeling of community.  If I had to find a minus:  it's not quite and because of the crowd parking is at a premiun, so car pool and be prepared to wait.

Lots of shade and light with the see through roof and trees.

Coffee bar and take away area.

They have their own bakery on the premises

There are many areas to this cafe that you not aware of at first.

   Close up of Kevin, he is gorgeous

While the cafe looks O.K. here, it was their attention to details that impressed me most. e.g. sharp knife, very clean, every thing worked well.  Although chaotic when full of people they were so well prepared and on top of everything you never noticed.

Kevin is so friendly, he comes over to greet you whenever any one goes near him, he can even reach into your handbag with a little luck.

Waiting area and seating for take away

  I thought Tuesday would be a slow day but it was packed to the rafters.  There was a restaurant next door; empty. It must be Kevin they come to see.

THE time has come, I can no longer function at this weight.  I am not a person who can do moderation and balance, I am all or nothing type of  girl so I've bought the Optifast but still have some things to use of throw out.   I am doing this because of the physical pain I am in and I am scared I  will lose my mobility.  Everything is an effort and hurts, and I don't want to live like this. I can't.

I have been inspired by the Governor General Her Excellency the Honourable Quentin Bryce she looks amazing, elegant, graceful, stylish, chic I would love to look as half as good as she does.

        

16th June 2013

Paul Cox said there are only 2 things in life that matter:  Love & Beauty.

Its is profound, but they are the only two things that touch our hearts it's what we remember.   I think of Wali every day.  

Our 1st Date Sydney

           

For me it was the first love, was the only true love I had, everything else was making do.  I never wanted anything but Wali.

I wonder if Wali and I had married, if we would still be married now ?

I wonder if Wali  found himself free would I marry him ? he would be 69 years.

He is in my mind a lot, I hope he is alright.  I have the fear he may die young as his father did.

 Wali rowing on the Hawksberry  Bobbin Head

The Company You Keep.

 The Company You Keep.

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP is a beautifully crafted thriller and certainly the best film Robert Redford has directed in several years. The film brings to vivid life a time when terrorists in America didn't mean foreigners but were home-grown, and dedicated, opponents of the government.  An intelligent screenplay by Lem Dobbs, based on a novel by Neil Gordon allows Redford to create plenty of tension and to raise questions of loyalty and principle

The next movie I want to see The Hunt  from director Thomas Vinterberg for which MADS MIKKELSEN won Best Actor.  He plays Lucas, who is filling in as assistant at a kindergarten because the school where he was teaching closed down.  He's not having a good time of it with a messy divorce behind him, separation from his son Marcus - but at least he has his mates, chief of which is Theo -  A group of them go hunting every year in a tradition of male bonding. But then disaster strikes. Unwittingly Theo's young daughter Klara implies that Lucas has acted inappropriately, sexually with her.   All that male bonding was for nothing, Lucas' friendships melt away, his place in the community is lost, he's the object of cruelty and violence.

This is not a new story, however it's been handled superbly by Vinterberg working with co-screenwriter Tobias Lindholm. We, the audience are in a privileged position. We know Lucas is innocent and we can only watch in anguish as the life of this decent man falls in a heap. It's really about the fragility of trust in relationships, particularly when the subject of child sexual abuse rears its ugly head. Performances are just astoundingly good, Mikkelsen deserved his win in Cannes. There's a wonderful compassion at the heart of this film, and it's in the character of Lucas for whom nothing will ever be the same again.