Todd Mall Sunday Markets

Todd Street was the first main street in The Alice and turned into a mall in the Seventies. Now it's home for the Todd Mall Markets held every second Sunday during the cooler months operating between 9 am and 2 pm. Several evening markets are held on special occasions during the summer.

Tourists from all over the world flock to the markets mainly to try the variety of Asian, German, Indian and other foods on offer and to buy cheaper dot paintings and local crafts.

It's a great place to people watch ... the variety of hats, dresses, adornments etc is always interesting and usually colourful. A few tourists get kitted out in what they see as the Aussie bushie style with cowboy boots and Akubra brand hats. Trouble is, you never see a real bushie with a clean, crisp new hat and boots ... for some reason they always look weather worn and work beaten. (Is there an art to that .... hmmmmm?)

If people watching isn't your thing (what are you strange or something?), the Mall also has some great al fresco cafes and restaurants so you can enjoy breakfast, lunch or just a cup of coffee.

Chris and I usually have breakfast or lunch and this visit tried the QA Restaurant, which is new since we were last at home. We always run into people we know and have a chat and it's a good opportunity to meet local stall keepers whom we don't know and to chat with some of those visiting town.

The photos show a small part of the whole. (Double click the strip for a larger view)

Best wishes

Robin

PS: Our container is being processed by Customs in Adelaide. Provided they don't find my cache of drugs, guns and smuggled women, it should be here this coming week or next.

Waiting for Our Container to Arrive

Today when I woke I realised that if I had stayed at the HCT, I would be going to work for the first day of the new academic year. I'd meet and chat with my work colleagues and we'd share each others' summer vacation travelogs. I'd have a chance to get organised for the next round of students and the holidays would eventually fade behind me.

Not today. Not for me.

Today I have to continue sorting through "stuff" we have stored on the shelves and floor of our two-car garage. Much of it belongs to daughter Meredith who is "between" houses while getting settled-in to her new house a few kilometres away.

I also have to do some tree lopping. We have several trees that have died and need cutting back so we can dispose of them. I cut part of one with an axe a few days ago, but it was so hard, I've decided to do it the easy way ... I bought a new electric power saw with 115 mm of hardened steel. It has three different blades and can cut wood, plastic and steel, so it will come in handy for more than just tree lopping.

The container we sent from Al Ain with our furniture, clothes, lazer printer, carpets and other stuff we had gathered during our three years overseas was due on 13 August but apparently missed the intended ship because it was fully loaded and is now due to arrive in early September.

Maybe it will arrive on Father's Day. That would be nice.

In the mean time, we have been busy micro cleaning every square foot of our house and doing a bit of gardening most days. We've had three airconditioners installed to heat the place up because we were freezing. They'll also cool the place in summer and complement the evaporative cooler we have sticking out of our roof.

Evaporatives, or "old swampys" as they are known are losing popularity now because of their high water consumption.

Christina has signed-on at the Alice Springs Hospital and starts work on Thursday 21 August 2008. Thursday is the beginning of the roster period.

On Saturday there is a Wine Festival at the Alice Springs Convention Centre. Naturally, I will attend and partake of some (or perhaps a lot) of the lovely wines the organisers promise will be there.

Until next time, stay well.

Robin

"There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way."- Christopher Morley

Still in holiday mode

Although we have been home for 17 days, I still feel as though I'm in holiday mode. I've been sleeping unusually well, going to bed around 11 pm and not waking until about 6-6:30 am, which is very unusual for me.

The cold weather, plus the fact that we have a roller blind in our bedroom that blackens the room completely and the lack of free singing from mosques, is responsible. I guess I'm also relaxed about being home and back in my own bed. No place like home eh?

We wake up for a leisurely breakfast of rolled oats or toast with marmalade or vegemite and then sit and decide what we are going to tackle for the day. Today we tackled our ensuite cleaning it from top to bottom and shortly I am to return to the garage to repack my trunk, the contents of which I pulled out last night finding stuff I never knew I had.

Yesterday I pumped up the tyres of my beloved bike and relocated a couple of bookshelves.

Tory's bedroom has become my office. Most mornings I go there, shut the door and turn on one of our small heaters and work on the computer until Chris gets up an hour or so later. When the sun rises around 7 am, it shines through the window making it a glorious place to be while the rest of the house is cold.

Friday we have a guy coming to discuss installation of two new split-level, reverse cycle airconditioners that will make heating the place a bit easier. They will also be handy for the hot weather when it hits in the next couple of months.

Tomorrow Christina is off to the hospital to complete all the paperwork for her return to work on 21 August and I'm off to Meredith's place to install some blinds. It's all go here.

We won't be really settled in our house until our container arrives on 13 August with our lounge and spare chairs and some additional clothing.

Before we know it it will be Christmas.

Stay well and if you are on holidays from the UAE, enjoy the rest of your leave and have a safe return journey.

Robin

PS: We found out recently that there is a Northern Territory election on 9 August, so we are having to get up to date with local political issues so we can cast our votes for the best candidate.