I made this banger of a literary reference at Josh's traditional long weekend BBQ (as confirmed by location tracking and on-this-day photo updates). We were playing a game called "Skull" after I ate two chicken schnitzels and the whole bowl of salad that I brought to share.

In Skull, you start with four cards and lose one each time you win a bid and then reveal a skull card. Because you have to reveal your own card first, if the previous process leaves you with only a single skull and no way to win the game against rational opponents, you are essentially out. But because the others don't know you have only a skull, there's a chance you can take someone down with you. This had some echoes of the final scenes of For Whom the Bell Tolls, the Hemingway classic about war and dying that I finished reading on the Sunday afternoon of the long weekend. The book was not without its issues, but I did find the final chapters to be immaculately well written and moving, though I don't rescind my complaints of earlier in the book, where repetitive internal monologues lasted whole chapters.

It was just good timing for the literary reference; if next weekend had held the public holiday Monday, chances are it would already have slipped from my mind. Before this weekend slips from my mind, a few highlights: On Saturday we visited the markets and drank coffee. On Sunday, I tuned Vanessa's bike as well as mine and we rode to Glenelg and back. We played mini golf and I won. On Monday we walked a loop around the lake, then I went to Josh's and I did not win a single game of Skull nor a game of Footy Feud either. After the BBQ I squatted 8,000 kg and then, after dinner, Vanessa and I walked on the sand. Daylight saving had started and we caught the colours of the sunset. It wasn't warm, but I wasn't on a hillside.

The entire time I've been a Sturt fan has been nothing but losses and despair. Thankfully, that time period has only been about five hours.

I mention this because Tim asked how many SANFL games I'd been to, and I couldn't remember a single one. So I'll record that today I went to the SANFL Grand Final, watched Sturt take control after half time as I bathed glorious spring sunshine, only for Norwood to make a mockery of the premiership quarter and kick some great goals to seal the deal.

Today was, in fact, a very South Australian day. It started with a bike ride along some of Adelaide's most famous coastline, the early morning light glowing off the rocks of West Beach and Henley. I then parked my bike at SAm’s old house and walked to Glenelg and the finish line of Adelaide's most popular running race. It was the fifty-second year of the City to Bay (I was standing by the speaker and I heard this very loudly). I watched Vanessa run across the finish line, completing the half marathon in a few seconds over two hours.

We then had a coffee from Cibo, and hung by the racers, before driving home for lunch.

I then drove to the train station and caught the Adelaide Metro to the iconic Adelaide Oval, crossing the Torrens footbridge to get to the game.

I do regret choosing to not purchase Coopers Pale Ale at the bar, Australia's only remaining locally owned major brewer.

After the game, we went to the pub for dinner and I ate a large rack of ribs.

Like South Australia, this entry does not have a satisfying conclusion.

While discussing options for a winter getaway, we considered a lot of options. Headway was made into plans for both Vanuatu and Magnetic Island. In the end we picked Hamilton Island and this turned out to be a fortuitous decision.

Other than being not cold, the priorities we had for a holiday destination were: Peace and Quiet. Pools to chill by. Spending as little of our time off travelling as possible.

So one of the best parts of Hamilton Island is that there is an airport right on the island. It took longer to get from home to the plane in Adelaide than it did to get from the plane to the bungalow.

The airport is on the back side of a big hill, so it does not interfere with the natural enjoyment of the island once you’ve landed there.

The fact that the island is so small made the whole stay incredibly easy. We were able to walk to everything each day. There are a lot of tourists and other people zipping about in the numerous golf carts, but these are unnecessary. We even walked to the top of One Tree Hill for the sunset.

The hotel/pools/resort are in the sandy cove. Over a small hill there is the marina/ferry terminal and the shops, bakery, pub and yacht club. Behind/past the resort there is beach and walking trails into the bush and up the hills, leading to secluded coves, shady creeks, cool cliffs and a few lookouts.

Everything from breakfast, coffee, pool, shops, mini golf, table tennis, beer and dinner could be reached by foot.

The hiking trails were great. The network crosses and loops around two heads, with plenty of variety and reward in the trails. We had breakfast at various locations on the island the last three days and it was all peak hiking breakfast experience.

The sunrises and sunsets were also fantastic.

And going in July, after the school holidays, was perfect timing. The pools were close to empty. The water was about 20 degrees. Drinking a coffee by the water and then having a swim was a daily activity.

By the end of the second day I had a thong blister.

Did I have to pay $40 for a bad steak sandwich and a beer? Yes. But groceries from the supermarket and coffee were pretty reasonably priced. The resort itself provided free table tennis, shuttle buses, gym and housekeeping.

It was a very nice place. And I didn’t even go snorkelling or see the crocodile.

My first impressions of Whitehaven were not awe at the spectacular landscape, nor sighs of contentment at the tropical paradise so far from home. No - I needed to pee after being rushed off the big boat and then onto the small boat for a 30 minute jolt along the cove.

This was partly my fault, as I'd prioritised lining up for cookies instead of using the head, and partly the fault of all the people in the line who weren't on the full day tour who were disobeying instructions and getting cookies ahead of me.

Our tour guide, who was operating on the opposite of island time, marched us from one side of the cove to the other. I took in the white sand under the blue skies, and regretted drinking that free bottle of water after that extra large coffee.

Eventually the tour took us to some lookouts and a set of long drops. There was quite a queue. The coves of Whitehaven were like Normandy, the boats dropping off the tourists as the helicopters passed by over head.

The long drops, so thoughtfully placed kilometres of land and sea away from civilisation, were being widely panned by the crowd of people before me.

There were 18 heads (and 4 toilets) in front of me (I counted due to cookie greed), and everyone seemed disgusted by the problem they were about to directly contribute to.

I returned to the lookouts and enjoyed the vantage with more patience. It was a beautiful place and the weather was great. The third most photographed location in Australia, apparently. I have some doubts. Unless you're going by the percentages of people visiting. Then, probably yes.

Following our landing boat taking us back to Whitehaven south, we swam briefly in the crystal clear water before enjoying copious meats and salad to follow up the cookies.

The cruise team had a great business idea keeping people on the island for the afternoon sun, while selling cans of beer at a premium from a big cooler.

Instead we undertook one of our favourite activities together - long walks on the beach.

Whitehaven stretches over 7 kilometres of pure white, silica sand.

The further we walked, the more peaceful it became. The tour operators and their flocks were content to linger at the south end with the boats and the beers and the other long drops and the giant size Connect Four.

Whitehaven's silica sand is famous for its exhilarating properties. After 12 kilometres of walking, my soles were feeling pretty smooth.

Eventually we were all alone, or close enough to it. Blue sky. Blue water. White sand. No internet reception.

It was only 25 degrees in the pool this afternoon, despite it being over 30 degrees on the pavers next to the pool. I don’t think it has been under 25 degrees in the pool since September, which is coincidentally when I started a note titled “Things I've put in my pool” to commentate on the painful and occasionally rewarding tasks that come from being responsible for maintaining a pool.

Now it looks like pool season might be coming to a close, I need to dive back into that list and update it otherwise I might only post two entries this month instead of three.

Things I've put in my pool

Water test strips
Phosphates remover
Gordy (the pool robot)
Bricks (accidentally)
Hydrochloric acid
Cyanuric Acid
Salt
Gordy again
Myself
The wifey
Nash (once, briefly)
Diving rings
Inflatable basketball hoop and inflatable basketballs
Foam basketball
A lot more hydrochloric acid and test strips.
Myself and the wifey a few more times.
Friends
Friend’s children
Gordy (a lot)
More water
The wifey
Myself

Things I've put in my self in my pool

Beer

Henley Beach for Ice-Cream

Park Run (walk), cafes, swimming, sausages.

Onkaparinga Gorge, Somerton, Grange

Bakery, Family, Friends, Reading.

Yes, it was another perfect long weekend of hiking and beach walks, catch ups and coffee, back roads and BBQs...

...Partially ruined by Big Box Hardware and home ownership.

At least the front lawn looks less weedy now.

It was a great weekend. The exact days that winter feels officially over, even though I'm sure there will be cold and rain again soon. Despite the many sights and sun, I didn't take any photos. So I'll recap it with words.

Friday night, date night with Vanessa, Lebanese food in North Adelaide. Mixed grill. Hot chips. A lot of salt and garlic. Very tasty.

Saturday morning I needed a haircut so after dropping Vanessa in town for an appointment I parked at my old barber and then walked back through Croydon to see how the flowers were going on my old walking streets. Okay actually I was going to see if one of my favourite jasmine vines was in bloom yet. There were some blossoms, but not enough warm breeze to carry the pollen to me. I got a coffee on Queen Street and then walked back for a haircut. In the mood for supporting more local businesses so I bought some sausages from a butcher and rolls from the baker - these would feature in lunch and dinner later in the day.

Around sunset we walked on the beach with bare feet before returning home for a BBQ. I slept with only one doona.

This morning the sun was shining and glimmering off puddles from overnight rain. We walked Nash to her new bakery and fed her a weekly treat of sausage roll before returning home under sun-showers.

After washing Nash, we drove north for a father's day lunch and a lot of sunshine coming through the windscreen.

Once back home, I walked around the lake as a huge moon rose into the lavender sky. Then I cooked another BBQ.

Yesterday felt like the first day of Spring, and today felt like the first day of summer.

This morning we climbed to the summit of Meraftafjellet, east of Ålesund. We have done a lot of hiking this trip so far and a lot of inclines but this hike felt like the first time we'd actually climbed a mountain. Just a thin trail to follow through bogs, over boulders, up rocks and between trees. A good challenge, and with amazing views at the top despite the typical Norweigan blue skies and bright sunshine.

After lunch, we walked into the Ålesund old town for the second consecutive day and again we got rained on by the water.

I wanted to like Ålesund a lot more than I did while here. Its colourful, art-deco downtown along the canal gave me Venice vibes but all we got were tourists from cruise ships, kitschy shops, and scaffolding. You know, like Venice. But I didn't feel a vibe. It has everything you'd want in a town. Good panoramas from a nearby mountain or two. Cool buildings. Seaside and mountain views. Nice houses with some awesome backyard trees visible from the road. But something seems missing.

I reflected on this, as I ducked out to the Kiwi Mini Pris for some dessert strawberries, and grey clouds rolled over me again. If I lived in Ålesund, in one of these apartments lining Borgundvegen, what would my life be like and would I enjoy it. (Technically according to my Lyca mobile agreement I do live in Ålesund off Borgundvegen...)

Which of the green spaces would I walk Nash and what pub would I come second at trivia at with friends?

Norway as an advanced society has really rammed home that all humans are the same and they just want to eat hot, salty food and scroll their phones and take the same photos and get home safely. There are lots of great places to live in the world, but the best ones are where your friends, family and dog are at. That's the vibe I've gotten here today. I never got that vibe in Venice. I could have stayed there forever...

And really, is it Ålesund's fault that it stands in a climate not suited for drinking an Aperol Spritz with a slice of orange at any time of the day ? A little bit, I guess, because the city did burn to the ground in 1904 and they rebuilt it where it stood instead of moving it to the Mediterranean. I did enjoy my walks up the various hills, especially after dinner in the low light of evening. It's a city at the centre of an archipelago. If you treat the wide expanse of glacier sheathed waterways all around that reflect the still standing mountains from which the glaciers came, and think of those as canals instead of the lone Ålesundet, you can appreciate its natural beauty. And I did enjoy a beer while wearing just a t-shirt and pants under the heater, behind the double-glazed windows that looked out over the mountains.