So Many Wineries so Little TIme

Friends and students at school showered me with little beautiful chocolates. Hot Cross Buns must be the biggest item sold on this weekend. Easter is big here but  I can't quite wrap my head around what it typically means to me but is not here-daffodils and spring. Here we are moving into fall and beautiful shades of red tint the leaves in the hills.  At school we have celebrated birthdays, Iranian New Year, St Patrick's Day, Harmony Day, The Chinese New Year and now Easter. The kids made little bird houses and at recess little dime store chicks flew in the open window and chocolate eggs were scattered around the bird houses.  Then we had a chocolate egg hunt. With the exception of two students none of the children seemed to have an inkling of Easter. When explaining, it would have been okay to tell about the religious Easter since there is no separation of church and state here, but I didn't go there. All I really wanted to say is that it is a celebration of Spring, but it doesn't work like that here.  It didn't quite matter. The kids from all over had great fun and were tickled to squeals with such delight when opening the doors to their little bird houses. 

Nutella is big here too!

The hills, the Barosa, the Clare, Mclaren Vale are all quite well-known for their wines. Touring them all could take a life time, but each has its own distinct flavour, and I am not even thinking about the taste of wines. From barns to glass like castles, some snooty, but most have beautiful hosts as if you have joined their party.

 My favorite name for a winery that I have visited if The Lazy Ballerina. The best space for tasting has been at Johnson Oakbank. The vines growing on the steepest hillsides are at Norton Summit close to home. My favorite cheese served at cellar doors and made right here in the hills located at the beginning of the wine trail is Udder Delights. My favorite label is from Cockatoo Ridge. Here's the link for my local area for those of you thinking you may visit:  Adelaide Hills Visitor Guide

 I have ticked off more wineries in the hills, cycled and tested wines at Mclaren Vale on bikes, will be in Clare with Pauline, Ken, Melissa and John during Easter weekend and there is a "Winemaker for a Day Workshop in the Barossa coming soon. http://barossavintagefestival.com.au/event/a-winemaker-for-a-day/ The wine country is an extra perk living in South Australia. Another exchange teacher came here so that her partner could work in the wineries and he is now learning the trade in the Barossa.

end of the tram in Glenelg

On Sunday I was out way before sunlight to go on the dolphin swim from Glenelg, and I suppose it is really time for a cell phone. I missed the message informing me that it had been canceled due to high swells. When I got back to my car that I left at the Cole's market the exits had been chained up, and I was unable to go four wheeling in my little Holden. It was obvious that the store was tired of beach goers taking over their lot. So I was trapped. There was a guard with a sinister smile and I think he was happy to have three or four captured in his lot.  I spent some time walking from 6AM to 11 when the parking lot finally reopened. It was a nice morning on the beach although not what I expected. I will try again in the spring to swim with the dolphins.

The location to leave on the tour is Glenelg which is the end of the line for the tram that goes from city to the beachfront .  When you exit the tram, lo and behold, Maccers is smack across the street. I must admit it is the best looking McDonalds that I have seen. And, ,, I must also admit that I have been once or twice for the promotional lamb burger. . . and don't disown me, it was delicious!

But, I still prefer the unlimited coffee/pastry shops, pubs and of course the central market. They all have such character. Adelaide is a city of great eating.

Dogs accompany humans everywhere

great ambiance at outdoor cafes

As always there is more to come. I hope that all is well. Thinking of everyone. Love Pam

Random bits ofGilles Street Primary School

Harmony Day is managed by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It is a day of cultural respect, widely celebrated across schools, community groups, businesses and federal, state and local government agencies.The message of Harmony Day is Everyone Belongs. In 2013 the theme is: Many Stories – One Australia. 

Everyone tried to wear orange on Harmony Day.
One student was draped in a orange pillowcase. 

At Gilles Street Deb, Ginny and I conveniently walked a few doors from the school and across the road to the balloon shop where 3 enormous bags of orange, helium balloons were waiting. We then tied them along the front fence at the school and hung a harmony day poster. The wind, of course, the biggest that I have encountered, caused willi-willies, and pushed many of them into the rose bushes to pop. By noon those left were rescued and brought into the library. The weather eased enough to have an entire school picnic across the street at the park where kids brought food to share and then were given orange freezies. One mom from my class brought chicken tandori and when I told her how much I liked it she said that she would send it once a week for me to enjoy.

Most of the day was full of kid harmony except for, guess what, (the same issue at home: another universal issue), cutting and pushing in line- and then what do you think, yes, dobbing on one another. But, for the majority of each day Gilles Street Primary School seems to be a very peaceful place. Everyone that I meet when I say that I work at Gilles St. smile and say how lucky I am. The school has a great reputation. Then people will say that it has heaps of good things going on. Their arts program is fantastic, and even without test prep the students are high achievers. The school has the highest rating. Some great teaching include the excellent applied math lesson which shifted from concrete to abstract. Kate's class built birds' eye models of their homes with base 10 blocks, then drew their diagrams from the models and figured area and perimeter. 

will upload some great photos soon

Cathy's reception class was working on patterns in math and created patterns to music. They choreographed pattern moves while crossing jump ropes. They are up to repetitions of four, ADORABLE and earnest.

I thought that I videoed her class, but it has vanished. More manual reading required. 

 I love the drumming groups. One group has drummers in training, while the schools' more advanced students are part of city hall performances in the spring.

At breaks girls have a clapping, singing, cup passing game. Gardner kids may want to learn to play. It takes heaps of concentration and teamwork.  (Also thought I had a video)

great art all around the school

Jon, the TRT, taught my class an excellent game in the hall. PE teachers here's a recipe for a great game: You have 4 equal teams. Each child on a team has a number. The teacher calls a number. Those children with that number run around all four corners of the room then after rounding a riser they rush to the middle and try to footie kick the ball to the child who ran last and is now sitting on the riser in one of the 4 corners of the gym. The person in the corner on the riser may not lift their bum off the riser or they lose the chance of getting a point. The point goes to the team whose sitting goalie gets the ball. It is great fun and so is scooter dodge ball which I will explain later Teachers conduct their own PE here and only once a week. 

banners around perimeter of the hall

kid made banners 

Amy's receptions have modern furniture to stimulate group learning and barra range lunar and barra cloud shaped tables. It is a beautiful learning environment. Check out this school furniture website http://www.vef.com.au/pro_kidzworkz_lilypads.php  It might make you jealous, teachers. 

The smart board is essential to most of the junior primary teachers. It is used so well, and the school subscribes to great resources.  I am learning to use it slowly, but the units of study are already beautifully created. 

family portrait by one of  my students from India

portrait of jumping on stool at home 

Student's family portrait form Portugal

I Bump into  Gilles Street students
all around town

Great diorama work last week

Glossary:

tangrams- universal in classrooms

willi-willis:  dust devil 
freezies:  Popsicles

dobbing:  tattling

reception:  5-6 year old class

Kindergarten: is preschool

TRT (Temporary Relief Teacher) earning about $450 for a school day:  sub teacher

hall: the gym

footie:  soccer

heaps:  commonly used for a lot

 Strange random objects 'de art'e found around town. China with living cactus glued on to storefronts

....and on the weekend friends and I
went to visit some wineries
The grapes are so close!

tidbits

Feeding time for the rainbow lorikeets 

After a very social weekend on Kangaroo Island I was ready for some down time.

mystery bird

So I had a quiet Saturday just walking to town to the fruit market and to window shop. Later I went back to Cleland for a great wildlife

wander and then hiked to the 

top of Mt. Lofty, the highest point in South Australia. 727 whole meters above sea level! Light snowfalls are not uncommon on the summit, although it is possible for Mount Lofty to go two or three years without any. Mount Lofty is the coldest location in Adelaide, during winter months the temperature will not surpass 3-4 degrees Celsius some days. It is the most common location for snow in South Australia, but I don't think that I will be waxing up my skis any time soon. Switchbacks are not understood on the Lofty trails or anywhere that I have been.  It is just up, up and up. Good workout and kangaroos just beside the trail. Must return for the views on a cloudless day.

The Tassie Devil is kind-of cute
Prelude to my Tasmania Trip

Piccadilly Valley- My favorite Sunday drive
The Piccadilly Valley was for many decades a market gardening centre which produced food for the Adelaide and overseas market. A large part of the valley is now used for growing premium 'cool climate' grape varieties.

overlooking Piccadilly Valley

The Tawny Frogmouths are my all time favorite strange bird.  Often confused with owls but have weak feet and lack curved talons. The are great at using camouflage. They sit in trees looking more like a branch than a bird. You can spot them when you listen for the ooom-ooom-ooom

Strange, aren't they?

THe Fringe and the Adelaide Festival

At the Fringe festival venues just pop up in
parking lots and sadly disappear this time of year. 

The Depot became a border for musical gatherings.

And funky art appeared everywhere- or Aussies would
say Far OUT like they mean it more 60's than the 60's. 

And temporary pubs made from stacked crates
of course with temporary sunshades

Roos at Cleland

I know that I keep hinting that I am going to let you know about happenings at Gilles Street Primary School. Well, last week I thought that I had made recordings of kids doing all kinds of amazing things, but I guess I didn't know how to record, so I will try again soon. Guess what? I actually went to the online instruction manual. I am really trying to read an instruction book!

Be well- Have a relaxing Spring Break and post TCAP celebration.

Daily Trivia: How do you know when a kangaroo is a wallaroo?

Kangarooless Island

Mothering an orphaned joey

and feeling right at home

On our early morning drive down the Fleurieu Peninsula and through the valles we saw mobs of mobs of  kangaroos. From 7 to 8 AM must be the perfect time to see as many kangaroos as sheep. The ferry crossing was beautiful and smooth but without dolphins. We were lucky to view many on our beach walk along the cliffs of Hewlett Cove. Next week friends and I are scheduled to swim with dolphins.

Kangaroo Island is one of South Australia's most popular tourist attractions, hosting over 140,000 visitors each year. This weekend I was one of them. The SA Teacher's Exchange League (SATEL) group took the big yellow schoolbus,  not used to transport school children for  decades. Off we went at times singing "The Wheels on the Bus." A well deserved public holiday extended the weekend due to the horse races. Relatively speaking, it's not so silly considering I remember hunting holiday break in Durango. We had many adventures; the weekend was full-on, hot, with good laughs and many stories shared by new exchange friends.

Remarkable Rocks were remarkable.

The biggest almost heart-rock with the  wombat mascot

on the opposite side of Remarkable Rocks
is the remarkable Indian Ocean!

Plants grow in eroded rock holes

They were formed by penetrating rain on the upper layer of the rock, decomposing it into separate boulders. Of course the rain, ocean waves, and salt water helped with the erosion. Unfortunately the sun came out after we moved on in our big yellow bus. 

The Admiral's Arch frames the Seal Beach

enlarge to see the seals

Admiral's Arch area located at Cape du Couedic in Flinder's Chase National park was the most remarkable. We walked a boardwalk stopping to watch the colony of New Zealand fur-seals (I have decided that I want to be a seal in my next life despite the sharks). They were having such fun  summersaulting lounging, fighting, catching the surf, lounging on the rocks and in pools. The pups were seen playing or nursing near the rock pools around the arch. The arch is an overhang of rock almost like a backdrop for Dracula. 

Echindna without a puggle

Gina spotted an echidna while staying behind on the track in hope of getting a glimpse of  a platypus. In my reckless way I approached it, only momentarily wondering if it would shoot its quills. Instead it used its long snout to dig a hiding for its face and froze until I left it be. I am glad to know that it does not have the same defense system of a porcupine.

 We watched a scorpion earlier in the day

 It was a great koala weekend. Although they sleep for

 20 hours daily, this guy was almost active.

The goannas sunbathed at the side of the road. Another great adaptive behavior: They lay their eggs in a termite mound which is a perfect incubator. They hatch and their parent goannas are no where to be found. They are left with the perfect food source- termites, of course!

post-hunting nap hour

plovers

Sharing a tree

The rosella lorikeets basked in the trees. We saw a master spear-fisherman's catch lining the sand, the yellow-crested cockatiels flowered entire trees, and of course we were delighted by the seals. We even watched a train of caterpillars cross the track.

And while sitting up front of the bus (Hey no sea/bus sickness, thanks to Melissa who brought me ginger tablets. I actually think they worked). I saw plenty of roadkill but did not indulge in purchasing the roadkill recipe book.

Iconic lighthouse overlooking Remarkable Rocks

We went to a family run sheep farm where cheese was made. Grilled Haloumi from Sicily was a treat. The honey farmer or apiarists impressed me with his knowledge and passion for honey . Several colonies of pure Ligurian honey bees were reared and shipped to KI. Since the island is16 K from the mainland it is too far for the bees to invade, thus pure honey. No non-ligurian bees permitted.  Appreciate your honeybees. They produce 1 tsp in their lifetime unless really cared for and given some easier chances in life. If the bees are closer to water and farming they may produce two teaspoons in their ten weeks of life. So, next time you have a taste of honey, thank a bee.

Many thanks to Martin and Kay for organizing the trip.

now for a little AU trivia:

How many bones in the Great White Shark?

What are the names of four different AU bats?

AND a short Glossary:

Brass razzo: don't have a cent to my name

Brumby: wild horse

jumbuck: sheep

puggle: baby echindna

Shonky and suss: (What's your guess?)

Trivia answers:

0

wombat, dingbat, . . . .

So down the road we sang Once a jolly swagman sat beside a billabong. . . 

Off to bed. Perhaps it has cooled down upstairs in the treehouse. 

Gardner friends: anyone up for dog-sitting Lady over Spring Break??

Spring is upon you. 

No true sign of Autumn here yet. 

Be well. PL