Aussie Night at Centrepoint 20 September

A group of us Aussies living in and around Basel got together to put on an Aussie night at the English club Centrepoint. Around 32 people attended.

















Some of the food and wine on offer. I made Anzac biscuits, sausage rolls, lemon coconut slice and lamingtons. They were all a hit. Someone did small Vegemite pieces and pumpkin scones.

















Roger had put together a quizz which seemed to be a lot of fun with everyone. We had some great giveaways.

















Centrepoint is an English club but people come from all over the world. It's a great club to belong to. There is an Open Day at Centrepoint this coming Friday. Centrepoint was renovated during August and it looks great.

We're getting a new bridge ! ! !

The canal at the bottom of our garden
The crane !
This is our home. We live on the ground floor.
Up comes the concrete slabs - the old bridge

We thought the bridge was

perfectly okay actually!!

So you see, it's been an interesting week for us as we have watched all this happening right at our doorstep! All our neighbours are very interested as well. Makes for a good community!

Comings and Goings

I've spent this afternoon helping my friend Sabine clean her apartment as she is moving back to her home town 7 hours drive away. I came home feeling very sad and teary. She has been the most wonderful friend to me and I am going to miss her very, very much.

I can remember someone saying to me before we came to Germany that many people would come and go in my life and that is the nature of our work. This is so true and I find it very difficult to cope with. People are so very special to me and I can get attached easily and quickly.

First there was beautiful Sue who was in Basel from New Zealand with her husband supposedly for 6 months and ended up staying around 10 months (or thereabouts). We talked to easily together, had coffee's together, visited in each others homes, walked together. All special things.

Sue introduced me to the lovely Tara who is South African married to a New Zealander. They were in Basel for a couple of months and stayed 7 months!! We would meet in Basel for coffee and have a good natter together. Tara has a delightful 3.5 month old daughter Cassie. I try to keep in email contact with Sue and Tara.

Then of course Wirt and Linda, our darling friends who we got to know almost as soon as we arrived here have now retired home to Texas and we absolutely miss them so much. No one will ever replace them, but we look for people we can share openly with about what is on our hearts and sometimes the challenges we face.

OUR AUSSIE RULES FOOTY TEAM ! !

I don't think I need to add any more to this picture.

But for those who aren't educated in Australian Rules Football - our team The Geelong Football Club "The Cats" won 156 to 50 points against The Kangaroos (North Melbourne) in the qualifying final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.



"An awesome Geelong underlines its short-priced AFL premiership favouritism with a record thrashing of the Kangaroos. The winning margin was the greatest in Geelong's history in a finals match and the fifth-highest in VFL/AFL history.



As they had done throughout the Cats' barnstorming home and away season, star midfielders Gary Ablett and Jimmy Bartel excelled for Geelong today, while defenders Matthew Scarlett and Tom Harley continued their dominant form".
(as reported in 'The Age')


What an awesome game. What an awesome team. Just as well we have the internet.

OUR SATURDAY

I really felt we needed to have the day off today. Get away from the house and the computer. After a rather chilly week here, today the sun was shining and the temperature got to around 25C. I suggested to Rog that we cycle over to France and have a look around some of the little villages we haven't been to.

We cycled to the station with our bikes and got the train to Weil am Rhein (about a 1/2 hour journey). Then we cycled across the Rhein (river) to France - maybe 2km's at a push. As you can imagine, many people were out and about - walking, shopping, cycling, driving.

We ended up cycling to Saint Louis, which disappointed me greatly, as we have been to this village many times before. So we returned the way we had come and stopped for lunch at a small pub/restaurant. The French make "flambees". Very thin pastry then covered with cheese, onion, bacon - or anything else you like. I don't really want to say a bit like a pizza, because it isn't really! Anyway, we had one between the two of us. Very delicious. I actually think we could have had one each because of our bike riding and we had worked up an appetite.

Then, being the adventurous person that I am, I suggested we cycle to the next French village, which wasn't that far away. I was hoping there would be a nice little outdoor cafe where we could get coffee and cake. But no such luck, so we did a big circle, ending back in Weil am Rhein, waited for the train and came home. The whole trip took us about 4 hours. So when I got home I was tired but very happy that we had spent part of the day outdoors enjoying the beautiful weather.

And guess what? Yes, we forgot the camera - AGAIN. I think we are going to have to leave it near the front door and not in the draw in which it lives currently! So, no pictures of our little trip on our day off. Maybe next time.

SHOWING OFF - (again) ! ! ! !

Go Peter (around 25yrs of age)

Go Gaynor (55yrs of age!) Not sure about the tummy! Should have tucked that shirt in!

A Day out to Murton

Travelling on the bus
to Fribourg, then
train to Murton








The old wall (that you
can walk on) at
Murton








Gaynor on the wall







How many can
squeeze into a
telephone box?!!








The beautiful lake
at Murton (Eliane
and Noah in foreground)





We can't let Jonas sleep
can we? Stacks on the
mill!!
(Roger in blue t-shirt)






There were 24 sitting on
the wall and 1 stood up!!








Marieke and Gaynor
walking back to
the train