Spider Alert! Arachnophobes before you look too closely at the photos, the mosaic below includes a pic of our kitchen spider… it’s lovely – doesn’t jump, bite or wander about at night – just keeps to itself in the corner. For the brave there are also pics of a wallaby and joey, birds and flowers…
As we do, the G.O. and I escaped Sydney, early this year on a full moon lit Wednesday night and headed to our house in the rural village of Taylors Arm for an Easter break. We knew from experience there’d be cleaning and gardening courtesy of the earlier few months of hot rainy summer. After we attended to business we relaxed and enjoyed a few days of fine Autumn weather.
On Easter Sunday rather than going to church, I listened to the singing from the congregation waft down the hill as I pottered in the garden and wandered around with a camera. The G.O. went off on his motor bike into town and had a cup of tea with his mum while she had a good yarn. Later I relaxed in my usual manner on the verandah futon reading Vohktah by A.C. Flory of Meeka’s Mind on my phone, and hoped to read Dianne Gray’s The Everything Theory but there’s never enough time so I now have a date with it and the futon on our ANZAC long weekend.
Even though the laptop stayed in the city because I couldn’t be bothered dealing with dodgy internet coverage – the aerial connected to new phones finally gives us mobile coverage and 3G data – the WordPress blogging community so much inspires me to know one day I will be able to embrace the “retreat” lifestyle permanently, and invisibly accompanies me… in my: kitchen; garden; weather; insects; wildlife; nature; ideas, food; thoughts; words; goals and walks .
Easter is my favourite time of year… and as well as 5 tiny Lindt bunnies for the chocolate loving G.O., ok, 4 tiny bunnies if you count the one I ate, there was an abundance of non-chocolate Easter treats.
*Wildlife photo credits: the G.O.
daleleelife101.blog 
A truly beautiful sweet retreat.
The birds and the flowers are so exotic, the view from your verandah is wonderful.
I can really understand your love of escaping there.
Your spider doesn’t worry me, I have resident spiders too 🙂
Oh, I got carried away in you pics, I almost forgot, thanks for the ping back 🙂
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Thank you. For me also, who grew up inland the birds except the kookas, and flowers are exotic, something I only experienced on holidays. The verandah reminds me of my grandparents’ home and I never tire of wandering around it or laying on the futon! I’m so glad there is someone else who doesn’t mind spiders 🙂 When we have time, we like to take a walk down to the river.
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Looking at those photos, no wonder easter is your favourite time of year, LOVELY! Cool, damp, green, flowers and critters (and the G.O. does find the best stuff, what a great sign) 😀
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You braved the spider 🙂 Autumn is my favourite time of year anywhere but at TA the garden is colourful and at best we get warm days and cool nights. The critters – once they know we are home, they are there for the duration. The G.O. casually produced that sign as he unloaded the ute and was going to put it in the shed… hah… no way. There were a couple more that were shed-worthy.
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Definitely house-worthy that sign! I love Autumn too, summer is too hot and in winter all the critters are hiding.
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I had to squint past the pics to get to comments. What is it with you spider loving people???? Colin of Colinology posted about a giant tarantula. I saw the pic before I could close my eyes.
Your Easter sounds idyllic though. And thank you so much for the mention. I had no idea you could read books on smart phones. Is the font very small or is it normal but with just a few words per line?
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Thank you for being brave 🙂 I had a much closer up pic but decided it would be a bit too much. The one I used was taken by the G.O. who isn’t fond of spiders so I thought it would be ok. I thought about getting a Kindle but it would be just another device to lug around… maybe one day. You have a Samsung, so you just need to download the apps – I have Amazon Kindle & Aldiko which also links to Smashwords – set up your accounts and away you go. And yes, the font is normal with shorter lines but readable and there are several variations to choose from. The best part is it’s backlit so you can read in dim lights… good for me as my near sight is getting as poor as my long sight.
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I still don’t love my Samsung so I’ll stick with the Kindle. I do however empathize with the vision thing. Being able to adjust the font to compensate for my not-so-great vision was a major selling point for the Kindle. That plus the fact it fits so neatly into the bag I carry around everywhere. This bag is only about the size of a short brick so that’s saying something!
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I can see why the Easter break is your favourite time – everything is so alive and full of vigour! Gorgeous photos – there’s no way to choose favourites, everything is interesting and comment-worthy, and warrants sitting on the veranda and looking, and thinking about, and chatting about over a coffee, or just dreaming about … I like the idea of the GO going up for a chat and a coffee with his Mum – nice man. Glad you had a good break.
Oh, and thank you for the pingback – lovely surprise!
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Thank you. I think of you when I contemplate our move to TA (delayed, similar to you but for different reasons) and hope you easily find a new place to call home. Oh yes, a lot of verandah sitting happens when we are there 🙂
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Your post is like a wonderful Easter basket – full of surprises and pretty treasures, (thanks so much for including me in that basket of delights!)
This time of year – and fall – it’s very hard for me to be inside. Growing up I was able to wander the woods and fields (we had a little place similar to yours) – didn’t really play with toys, but built forts and “landscaped” spots around little springs, and carried sketchpads and notebooks. I really miss having places to wander off sidewalks.
The pictures are so wonderful – (don’t tell, but there’s a daddy long legs and a little spider in the house – they eat mosquitoes and stay out of the way, so they are left alone)
Thanks for sharing your lovely retreat
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Thank you. Your inspire me with your engagement and imagination… and I now understand the building blocks of it. And, to live happily in the country you need engagement and imagination 🙂 Since I was a kid daddy long legs fascinated me, and I try not to kill them when I’m cleaning but there are so many and they are so used to having their space.
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This looks like the perfect spot for a retreat — especially now that you’ve got 3G coverage. 😉
The wildlife, especially the birds, would be the big attraction for me. I’d sit on the veranda and watch them for hours — once I got rid of that monstrous spider in the kitchen and the beast that built that web. But that’s just me.
It was a surprise to see that you included me here and an honor once I looked at the rest of the group. Thank you so much, EllaDee.
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The specialness of the wildlife never wears off. We were very late going into town on Saturday and missed the shops because we “wasted” so much time feeding, watching and photographing the birds in particular – they are such clowns! You have no idea how much your influence has crept into our eating. I still do my thing but it often has a ChgoJohn infuence in that I’m more adventurous and knowledgeable 🙂
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I absolutely LOVE your retreat! I’m so glad you put pictures up of it here because now I can visualise it whenever you go there. The iron work around the top of the veranda is beautiful and its the exact pattern of what I’m looking for at the moment 😀 I’m not sure what your weird climber is (would it be some kind of fruit!) but it looks lovely. No wonder you love going there (and network coverage is always a plus!) Your G.O sounds like mine and that ancient ‘no smoking’ sign is something he’d pick up in a second!
I really hope you enjoy reading TET and thank you so much for the mention of the book and the pingback! 😀
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Thank you. The iron work is an embellishment, a gift that the G.O.’s son found and gave to him when he was restoring the house. The weird climber is a weed I think, the “pods” are filled with air and feel creepy when you squeeze them but the flowers are similar to a striking & unusual orchid bloom… regardless, we rip it out but it will probably come back. The network coverage is bare and only via the mobile calls & phone data but better than we’ve ever had so it’s a small victory. The G.O. has a knack of finding things on job sites, footpaths, in the bin room etc and bringing them home… our decor is correspondingly eclectic! I’ve been enjoying seeing the progress of the RUC 🙂
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Great update! I just love hearing about Tailor’s Arms. No wonder Easter is your favourite time of year 😀
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Thank you. I’ve given elladee_words a tidy up and imported elladee_images which seems to have woken up some old posts. But we are looking forward to Easter this year which we are joining up to ANZAC Day to make an extra long break.
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How wonderful! 😀 Enjoy xxxx
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These are really lovely shots, EllaDee! It looks like such a nice spot (except for the kitchen spider – how big is it?)
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Thank you 🙂 The spider when its legs are extended is about saucer size, and the biggest I’ve ever seen.That photo was taken by the G.O. who isn’t fond of spiders when it was at the top of the wall, and the house has 10 foot ceilings. I took a close up when it ventured lower to about chest height but I thought it would be bit too up close and personal for most 🙂 I like spiders when I know where they are, and don’t wander around. If they break the rules, I evict them!
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your retreat looks so green and fertile, did it rain over easter? wonderful shots of flowers and the water flowing into the tank, and a good looking spider to guard the kitchen … hhmmm, can see how it is tempting you elladee! PS my grandparents had a little table just the same on their back verandah, or was it in the sleepout?
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Thank you. They’ve had heaps of rain all summer but yes, Sunday was lovely and showery from midday, especially good as we’d gardened and cleaned the gutter so got the full benefit 🙂 The G.O. found that table the week before in the large item discard pile in the basement of our apartment building, and I had the perfect spot for it – the drawer is already full of handy gardening stuff 🙂
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what a great find!
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How do you ever come back to Sydney? It looks absolutely idyllic there – so glad you were able to take photos to share with us, thank you! (And thanks for the linky too!) x
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I aspire one day to be able to do Fig Jam and Lime Cordial worthy “in my kitchen” and “in my garden” posts. I looked at the poor succulents which had been languishing in the old bathtub, thought of you and re-potted them, then used what few herbs survive in our absentee garden to make a frittata 🙂 In the past coming back hasn’t been pretty but we can see the benefit in doing the city thing for another couple of years… there’s light at the end of the tunnel – I hope it’s not a train 😉
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The spider totally freaks me out but I’m glad you have a nice understanding with him. 😉 I can see why you keep the place in the country. It is stunning and relaxing just via pictures. 🙂
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Thanks – it certainly is a contrast to our city life 🙂
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My friend did the same thing–a nice getaway in the countryside and an apartment in the city–you get the best of both worlds. 🙂 The spider does make me a bit squeamish. Glad you have a nice arrangement with him. 🙂 Happy Easter!
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Thank you. The process of making over elladee_words and importing elladee_images seems to have woken up an occasional old post. Easter is a week or so away and we are looking forward to it this year as we are joining up to ANZAC Day to make an extra long break 🙂
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