Saturday & Sunday, June 6 & 7 2009 (diary)

There are two mango trees stranding directly in front of my cabin, one on the right, the other on the left side. The watering system for the mango trees has as yet not been turned on, but the tree on my right has received some water from the adjacent lawn sprinklers. As a result, surprisingly, that tree is full of stalks covered in buds ready to burst out into bloom. The tree on my left, together with all the others on the farm, is still totally bare.
So I may get some early ripe mangos from that tree come September- October.

Saturday after a leisurely morning on my veranda contemplating the world, I drive into Casuarina for a quick sushi lunch, then onto the Darwin Bridge Club, where I play two long sessions of bridge with Mairead. Most of the better players are competing in this "Darwin Bridge Club Congress" event and we have a most enjoyable afternoon's play ending in third place.
During the dinner break the two if us race down to Stokes Hill Wharf for a relaxed dinner right at the harbour's ocean front. Then it is back to the bridge club for the evening's play. This time, probably partly caused by a measured amount of red wine, we do not so well, but have lots of fun and laughs anyway. In the end we finish up equal 4th for the entire day's event.

Sunday morning I wake up to the news that the Australian socceroos have qualifies for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. They played an away game against Qatar drawing the game 0-0. This gave them the one additional point they still needed to be, together with The Netherlands, amongst the first National teams to qualify.
They have two more games to complete next week, both in Australia, but those results will now be irrelevant to their entry in the World Cup.

So next year, when I will be visiting Wivica again, Europe, like last year when I was there, will be once again in the grip of football fever. I am very much looking forward to it. Many pubs, restaurants and bars in Europe always have special nights and gestures for soccer fans. I especially remember the delightful Cafe Radlos in Nördlingen last year which, during the Europa Cup every night had four special dishes on their daily menu, one originating from each of the four countries competing that night.

Monday - Wednesday, June 8 - 10 2009 (diary)

By Monday I just can't stand my continued coughing anymore and go to a doctor. It is a Public Holiday today, so I manage to see one in the 7 Day Medical Clinic in Casuarina. Diagnosis : bronchitis, and I get some antibiotics which certainly will do the trick.  I play bridge with Mairead in the evening, but remain quietly in my cabin the next two days, missing another pastel painting lesson in the process.

I am working hard on The Martinshof Story and it is coming along fine. I have completed 19 Chapters so far. I am still receiving photos from Wivica and also from the Dumbar family, and was overjoyed with this lovely picture of one of my mother's straw dolls Wivica sent me.
My mother made these way back in the 1940s, some of them when she was in a concentration camp just after WW2. The Camp Commander sold these on to shops in the area. My mother never saw any of that money of course, but she was treated well and was given her own studio room to work in.

Work on the Darwin Airport Gateway Motel is progressing fine and it looks like they are opening on time this coming Friday. I am sorry not to have been able to help them more these past few weeks, but Kim has asked me to do the photos for their website. The website will be of similar outlay as all the other Best Western Hotels in Australia. I checked some of them out to see what is required and look forward to doing the photo shoot on Sunday or Monday when things have settled down there.