From inside the Artist's Studio

We have a new and interesting experience to report on this week - Heather and Bernard were asked to sit and pose as models for a group of sketch artists, painters and a sculptor!

How did this come about?  Well I am glad you asked...

Recently, towards the conclusion of one of Bernard's numerous daily exercise walks, he had a bit more energy left to burn off than usual and was not ready to go home just yet.  He started snapping and tugging at Heather's coat tails while she was walking alongside him - he wanted to play tug and was not letting go.  Those people that have met Bernard will understand that he is a big boy and will be able to appreciate that when he is in a feisty mood and wants to do his own thing he can be quite a handful to control.  After a couple of minutes of this Heather had had enough as he was being particularly unruly so she told him to 'STOP IT!'  Suitably rebuked Bernard came to heel and let go but unbeknownst to our intrepid duo a woman standing in a nearby doorway had been watching the show.  The doorway, which is literally next door to our apartment, just happens to be the front door to the Adelaide Art Society studio.

The Adelaide Art Society now resides in what was formerly a grain store

She must have noticed what a striking and interesting pair Heather & Bernard made so after a brief chat she asked if they would mind sitting as subjects for a group of artists to draw, paint and sculpt - and she was willing to pay them to do so!  The invitation was duly accepted and so it was that on Monday 22nd June, my Heather and Bernard officially became professional 'models'.    I think it was Linda Evangelista that once said "I don't get out of bed for less than $10000 a day."  Now neither Heather nor Bernard will get out of bed for less than $50! (ha ha).

From all accounts a good time was had by all with both the subjects and the artists enjoying their time together.  He was well behaved (unlike the behaviour he had been displaying that resulted in them getting the gig in the first place).  A final 2 hour sitting is to be done next week so that the group can put the finishing touches to what they have started.

It is amazing how differently a group of people looking at the same subject at the same time in the same setting can see things and then there is the different way each artist captures what they see.  Below are a couple of photos of their works in progress.
 

Portrait of Heather and Bernard

One of the painters was a little more abstract...

That's all for now.  Once the paintings and sculpture are finished I will post an update for all to see.

Fleurieu Peninsula

Another nice weekend so another local road trip to discover and re-discover some of the places of interest that are on our new doorstep.

On a driving loop to and through a region known as the Fleurieu Peninsula that lies to the south of Adelaide the three of us visited a number of little towns and parks along the way.  All in all it was a pleasant way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

First up were to neighbouring towns of Yankalilla and Normanville where we enjoyed a nice lunch in an historic pub.

Next planned stop was to be at the Deep Creek Conservation Park where we thought we would take Bernard out for a bit of a walk.  This however, was not to be as the 'Conservation' part of the park's name also means 'no dogs allowed' as they may decide to chase the native critters that they come across.  So as we were doing our drive through and out the park without any leg stretch for the dog we had to be satisfied with the consolation prize of some beautiful views of the coastline from the higher elevations of the park.

View of the coastline from Deep Creek Conservation Park

As it turns out we did come across a small mob of kangaroos (for non-Australian readers, the word 'mob' is how a group of kangaroos is described) while still in the park.  With the dog confined to the car the kangaroos were not too bothered by our presence so we took the obligatory photos then continued on our way.



A few roos enjoying the green grass and sea view

The seaside town of Victor Harbor (population 14,500) is the major centre at the southern end of the Fleurieu Peninsula.  There used to be some whaling activity run out of the area way back when.  Today there are a couple of outfits that run whale watching tour boats which is a much better way to make money off of the whales.  Although the whale watching season has just started (it runs from June through to October), we decided to stay on land and take the dog for a walk across the causeway to nearby Granite Island.

View of the Causeway and Granite Island from Victor Harbor

The causeway connecting Victor Harbor to Granite Island (so named because it is essentially a big lump of granite - the early settlers were literal if not very imaginative with their place naming), is about 600m across which makes for a pleasant stroll on a cool but calm day like today but may not be quite so much fun when it is colder and windy.  For those where the walk there and back may be a bit too far, or perhaps just for the novelty of it, you can also take the horse drawn tram across.

Take the Horse drawn tram if you are not up for the walk

The three of us were all set to walk across to the island when we saw the 'Dogs and Cats Prohibited' signs at the start of the causeway.  For the second time today Bernard was deprived of what would have been a good walk for him - this time on account of the existence of a colony of penguins on the island.  With Bernard unable to make the hike we loaded him back into the car, cracked the windows to let some cool air in for him, gave him a dog biscuit and then we scurried away without looking back at the car in order to avoid the 'stink-eye' look that he gives us when we don't take him with us.

Heather and I made short work of the walk across and then around the island.  The penguins have been making a comeback on the island of late so they get the rule of the roost hence the Give Way to Penguins signs dotted about the place.

It was getting later in the day so it was time to start heading home.  Along the roadside we came across an old gum tree (a eucalyptus tree) that had had a large 'blaze' cut out of it.  A signpost stated the bark section had been stripped off by aboriginal people many years ago in order to make a canoe.

Aboriginal 'Canoe Tree'

We got home just as it was getting dark after setting out at around 9:30 that morning.  A much longer day than we were expecting but the time seemed to fly by as something new and interesting always appeared around the next corner.  Despite our best efforts Bernard probably got the raw deal for the day but that is also one of the few times in his life where that has been the case.  He needn't worry as we will make it up to him tomorrow...

It was inevitable...A trip to the Barossa

A long weekend where Saturday morning revealed a beautiful, sunny, clear day was all that was required for us to decide that a short road trip to one of Australia's most well known wine producing regions - the Barossa Valley, was in order.

The Adelaide Hills closely flank the eastern side of the city so just 15 minutes after leaving home we were out of the suburbs and into the winding hilly roads.  We were in no particular hurry so when we came across the renovated and refurbished Inglewood Inn (established in 1857), and saw it to be open for brunch, we pulled in.  Cappuccinos and hearty breakfasts later we hit the road again.

Australia, just like Canada, has a bit of a fascination with BIG things as roadside attractions.  We had purposely opted to take the lesser travelled scenic route from the city to the Barossa as it passed through the region in the Adelaide Hills that I grew up in as a kid and as such made for a trip down memory lane of sorts as well.  With that having been said, just a few kilometres further up the road in the little town of Gumeracha was what is stated to be 'The Largest Rocking Horse in the World'.

The Big Rocking Horse - you can see some people standing above his tail

The Big Rocking Horse stands at the entrance to a toy factory where they make all sorts of wooden toys.  Next to the Rocking Horse is a busy signpost where you can find the distance and direction to many cities around the world.  This revealed us to be standing about 17,000km from Toronto and 'just' 13,873km from Vancouver.



It is a long way from here to Canada!

In contrast to how far it was to Canada, we were now just 30km from the Barossa so we chose to continue as planned.

Next stop en route was a water reservoir where the design of the dam wall has resulted in some interesting acoustic effects.

The Whispering Wall

While standing on one side of the curved wall and speaking normally, or even whispering, you can converse easily with someone standing on the far side of the dam wall some 140m away as if you were standing next to them.  Bernard was pretty confused when I called his name which he obviously heard clearly but he could not see me nearby - good for a bit of a laugh.  The wall is known as The Whispering Wall and makes for a pleasant 15 minute stop and a leg stretch.

Once in the Barossa we stopped at a couple of wineries to do a little tasting (I drive, Heather tastes, Bernard waits).  First stop was at Rockford's Winery.

Entrance to Rockford's Winery and their free Cellar Door tasting rooms

Not only do they produce a nice drop, we got married nearby and had our wedding photos taken at Rockford's so it was another nice trip down memory lane for us.



This press used to produce Rockford's Basket Press Shiraz

Last stop was Peter Lehmann's winery.  The 'cellar door' is situated in a very large park like setting where you can enjoy a glass or two on the grounds in a picnic setting.  The day was perfect and as a result there were several groups of people spread across the area doing just that.  We took Bernard out for what we thought would be a quick walk in the park before heading home.  However, as he does, he captured peoples' attention and drew a small crowd (like ants to the aforementioned picnic).  He shamelessly lapped it all up until his public had to leave to get to the next stop on their winery tour.

Bernard draws admirers at Peter Lehmann's

After an enjoyable outing we made the short 65km trip back to Adelaide - it is all rather too convenient (I can see how these winery visits could easily develop into a habit!).

You are now up to date with Where The Farrows have been and What The Farrows have been up to so that's all for this edition of 'WTF? - Where are The Farrows?'.  Surely it must be time to raise a glass and say 'Cheers to living the good life!'

Homeowners but still homeless

Well... it has been a big week for us once again - it takes a lot of effort to get yourself established in a new country!

Over the past few weeks we had progressively gotten all of our drivers licences, banking and health care cards sorted out.  Now it was time to get the bigger ticket items in place - a car and a home.

Transportation:

We now have a vehicle to get about in.  A mid-size Mazda SUV was the selection.  The humans travel in comfort up front while Bernard has the entire back seat to himself.  He enters and exits through the rear door using his ramp and settles himself down on the folded down split rear seats.

Our Little Red Wagon with rear door up & dog access ramp in position

Housing:

After taking care of Bernard's medical needs (he is recovering rapidly), our attention shifted firmly to finding somewhere to live.  During our online searches we had seen a house in a nice leafy green part of the city that appealed to us so we decided to take a look through the place.  As soon as we got there we liked what we saw and after an open house inspection it just felt right so we put in an offer.  A day later the offer was accepted and the place was ours! 

Looks like a semi-detached but the two actually stand alone - ours is on the right

Covered outdoor living space and backyard to enjoy all year round

For most of the time since August last year when we started the house sale process in Toronto we have been living out of suitcases in temporary accommodation.  Now, finally, with the purchase of our Adelaide home the end of our transient lifestyle is in sight.  Unfortunately it is a 2 month closing period (the sellers choice not ours), so we won't be able to move into our new house until late July / early August.  By the time we move in it will have been almost a year of being 'homeless' (it is hard to believe it will have been that long).  We can't wait to get moved in and settle down with our own stuff around us.

So, we are homeowners but still homeless for a few more weeks.  That's all I have time for at the moment as we have to get to the stores to start pricing out household electrical appliances - major ones such as fridges, washing machines, TV, vacuum cleaner, etc., right down to the smallest items like the kettle & toaster.  We have to completely equip the house with new appliances because the household electricity in Australia is a 240 volt system which means the 110 volt appliances we had in Canada would not work here so we sold them all off before leaving.  As I said at the beginning of this post, there is a lot to do to get yourself set up in a new country!

Until next time, stay happy.

Bernard has leg surgery (again)

The first thing we did last week upon arrival in Adelaide was take Bernard to the Adelaide Pet Hospital to see the vet so that we could start the process of getting his sore knee fixed.  The surgeon gave him a quick examination and diagnosed a torn meniscus (cartilage) in his left hind leg.  Bernard was booked into surgery on their next theater day one week later.

 

Bernard checking into the Adelaide Pet Hospital

We delivered him to the Pet Hospital at 7:30am on Thursday, where he had arthroscopic surgery to trim the damaged disc of cartilage in his knee.  The surgeon stated that walking for Bernard with the torn meniscus as it was would have been very uncomfortable when the partially detached flap of cartilage folded under itself - similar to having a sharp stone in your shoe.  During the times that the the loose 'flap' of cartilage had popped back into its normal position his knee area would have been merely 'inflamed and sore'.

The surgery went well but he had to stay in the hospital for the night for monitoring as he required intravenous pain medication until a slow release pain medication patch they had stuck to the top of his foot started to kick-in about 12 hours after his operation.

After work on Friday we collected our boy and brought him home.  They had shaved his entire left hind leg to have clear access to his knee.  They had also shaved him on each of his forelegs so that the various IV needles that he required could be taped on - he looks quite a sight and that bad haircut is going to take more than 2 weeks to 'grow-out' (more like 6 months)!

The medication in the patch administers 'Fentanyl', which is apparently a pretty strong opiate.  To stop the dog removing the patch himself then licking it and potentially overdosing they have it thoroughly and tightly covered up with a bright pink sock that he can't take off.  The patch will continually release the pain medication for 72 hours so on Sunday we will return to the hospital to have it removed.

Shaved Leg and Bare-assed wearing a Pink Sock - Nice look!

He looks somewhat naked and ridiculous and is a little out of it at the moment but only one day after surgery he can already hop about unassisted to eat and do his business.  Despite the funny appearance he is now on the mend and in about a week or so he will no longer be in any discomfort which is the outcome we have been looking for.

I will provide an update on Bernard's recovery progress in the next post.

With that taken care of we now have to get into the real estate section of the newspaper and find ourselves a place to live...

Finally... We are all in Adelaide

The road trip across New South Wales, part of Victoria and South Australia was trouble free, albeit a bit grey with drizzling rain on and off for most of the way.  Nonetheless, we are now all safely in Adelaide.

We made a quick stop to take a photo of the 'Welcome to South Australia' sign on the side of the highway as we entered our new home state. 

Once inside South Australia we stopped at a couple of roadside fruit vending stalls in the Riverland to buy some produce direct from the growers.  It was all great quality stuff and it felt good to be paying full value to the farmer directly rather than having a large grocery chain as the middle man taking an overly large cut of the action.

Apples, oranges, grapes, dried apricots, sultanas (raisins), pistachio nuts, butternut pumpkins and all sorts of melons are grown in the area and were for sale at roadside stalls

With just the final leg of the journey to Adelaide to complete we both mentioned we were now eager to be done with all of the travel and to get comfortable not having to be somewhere else tomorrow.

Below, the map of Australia shows Adelaide's location within the country.  The Adelaide metropolitan area has a population of close to 1.3 million (according to Wikipedia), which for those of you in Canada, makes it a just a bit larger than Calgary.  Despite the population it still feels more like an overgrown country town than your typical bustling western world city which is actually quite pleasant.

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia: Population ~ 1.3M

Now off of the road, we are currently settling into our new neighbourhood  Our temporary accommodation is a neat little single floor place at street level in North Adelaide and will do very nicely while we search for our own home.  There is a butcher as well as a baker (but no candlestick maker), next door to our apartment and a nice coffee shop is across the road which is convenient.  Walking past the butcher shop window we saw a bone that was definitely a good size match for Bernard and couldn't help but buy it as a house / yard warming treat for him.

That bone should keep him occupied for a while!

Well, that's about all for now.  Stay tuned for the next installment of WTF? - Where are The Farrows?, when the reality of getting back into the daily grind full time in the office will have set in for me.

Bernard is released from Quarantine

What a happy day for The Farrows!

After having been transported to Australia and immediately locked-up upon arrival, you can't help but think back to the convicts amongst the first settlers here.  Anyhow, after serving his time, Bernard has been released into our care and he is now a free citizen of the country!

We arrived at the gates to the Eastern Creek Quarantine station at about 20 minutes before they opened up at 10am.  We were first in line (no surprise there), but two other cars pulled up behind us just a couple of minutes later with similarly anxious pet owners eager to spring their animals from the lock-up.

At 10am exactly, the door to the office was opened (it was like the store doors opening for the Boxing Day shopping crowds).  Because Heather was at the front of the line she did not have to use her elbows to shove anyone out of the way so that she could get to her baby!  After producing her picture ID and signing some paperwork confirming we were there to collect Bernard, it was through another doorway and into a shed containing all of the crates of the pets to be released that day.  His was easy to pick out amongst the 10 or so that were lined up.

The quarantine handler let him out of his crate.  As soon as he heard our voices his ears pricked up.  He swivelled his head and when he saw us he rushed right at us and started pawing and licking us - he was obviously as happy to see us as we were to see him again!

Genuine smiles all around after a couple of tough weeks apart

Everyone was happy to be together again

It took about 30 minutes to take his crate apart and shoe-horn it into the back of the rental car.  While I was doing that, Heather and Bernard made good use of their time together taking a short walk (he still cant go too far but he was moving pretty well), then he got a serve of raw ground beef mixed with steamed rice - one of his favourite meals.

Once the reunion had cooled down it was time to hit the road again and start the drive back to Adelaide.

It is great to be a complete 'pack' once again.