Many Voices

This is all that remains of the Welsh Church built more than a hundred years ago in a little township south west of Ballarat. The congregation here spoke and wrote and worshipped in Welsh. So many languages spoken on the goldfields; Chinese, Italian, Welsh, Gaelic, German were all significant languages. 

Now they are all subsumed into English.

Just recently someone is putting up little signs in the local and ancient Wadawurrung language which has been spoken here for tens of thousands of years. I would love to be able to speak even a little of this first and original language.

Blossom August 2017

The spring blossom is well and truly  out in Melbourne, but in colder Ballarat it's still mostly  buds.
I'm walking down Sturt Street every work morning now, and yesterday I saw this lovely cherry tree dropping pink blossom over the footpath.

Autumn to winter 2017

Canadian Creek May 2017

I've been pottering around Canadian Creek, just near Poverty Point trying to match up the mining settlements on the nineteenth century survey maps with what is here now. This spot was full of people and their mining gear and huts 150 years ago.

The land has been mined and lived on and covered with rubbish and cleaned up and now replanted with local trees and shrubs. They are growing well, as you can see when I stand Mr Pip against the last one on the right of this photo.

Custard tarts

This is the best custard tart in Ballarat, possibly in Victoria. Better than the Portuguese style in Journal cafe, better than Chinese Dan tarts. Rich, soft & flaky pastry. Sweet cool custard inside.
Plating Works makes these. They sell at the Lakeside Markets and in Wilsons - occasionally.

Custard tart, white nectarine, Queensland green tea. Perfect Autumn snack.

Summer lushness

I walked down through Victoria Park to see the annual begonia display in the Botanical Gardens by Lake Wendouree.

The luxury of the cool green grass in the gardens, when all the city is parched this late end of summer, was wonderful.

The conservatory was already full of people who love begonias.

I participated too, in the happiness of masses of wildly fluorescent, frilly and fleshy-petalled begonias.

Once begonia flowers were modest, tough little rainforest plants like these.

Now here they are, in their humid glasshouse, safe from the dry, alien summer of Ballarat. A triumph  of a hundred years of gardening art.

Illuminations

Coming in to Ballarat for the White Night illuminations. 

In a minute the sun went down 

the lights came on.

A beautiful night