LibertyLittleBasil

A Bingle Year

2011-12-29T14:07:00.000+11:00

Family
This was a year of mixed blessings and emotions: we celebrated my mother's 90th birthday with family and friends at her favourite Thai restaurant. Mimi looked splendid as always, elegantly ignoring her previous night's visit to hospital emergency as well as the two-week hospital stay in June. I had a few weeks of worry at that time, but Mimi bounced back well, although a little frailer. On her birthday, she and I visited the Serbian church for an impromptu morning tea with Father Dragan.

Father Dragan, Bobby and Mimi

I went to Melbourne a couple of times to visit Alex and Peter and catch up with her daughters Helen and Ali as well as with Tony and Jonny, their respective partners. But the best visit was their trip to Canberra in August. This is the family in front of Parliament House.

Alex, Peter, Ali (in front), Tony, Helen and Jonny

Louis had a terrific 2010. He turned 20 in October. He completed his first year at ANU with high distinctions and distinctions in most subjects. He and Joe have signed up two songs with a US record label, and the possibility of another two-song EP with a German label. I think the most exciting thing was his moving into a share house with Joe and Jordan: ten minutes cycle from ANU and Civic, home of all the hipsters. Here he tries on Alex's Christmas present, a knitted scarf.

Louis

Thomas hung up his soccer boots after a fall that broke his arm, but that didn't prevent him from taking up a new position with the Attorney Generals, where he's happy managing grants administration. He's done well with his Adoption Journal, even delivering eloquently at a Senate Enquiry into the effects of adoption in Australia. We enjoyed good holidays and trips away: Tasmania, Tuross, Tathra, Sydney and Victoria, camping, driving and a bit of eating.

Thomas

Work

As always work was fun: I enjoyed working with my team, re-acquainting myself with publishing skills: ebooks, apps, iBooks, iPads and all those wonderful new reading technologies that emerged this year. As expected, it rained on our annual Bingle Street BBQ, but we all still enjoyed it. Even though he's no longer working with us, Jason, pictured here with Donald attended our function.

Jason and Donald

Learn

I took a few evening classes at ANU this year: 'So you want to write a thriller' was most probably the best course I've done for years: highly recommended. I enjoyed German I as well and may even continue in 2012; it's either that or piano lessons. I'm still working my way through an online interior design course (only 8 more modules to go). Perhaps the most beneficial exercise has been my time with Myles, my personal strength and mobility trainer: I've rediscovered bits and pieces of my body that haven't been used for quite some time.

Home

When we moved into Bingle Street in 2006, we temporarily placed our books in the kitchen. This year we finally moved them into the studio when we had our kitchen renovated in time for Christmas. We're delighted with the new layout, cupboards and all the space. We've ordered an artwork for the red wall, all the way from the US (it's easier shopping online than on foot).

Thomas and Bobby

Connections

I bought a new camera to use when we go on holiday in 2012. I've had fun trawling through old images, scanning and publishing them on Facebook and Flickr. I've enjoyed spending time with my Canberra friends, making new friends and re-acquainting myself with older friends - Phaldiela visiting from Cape Town was a big treat - and socialising through Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Soundcloud and any other social medium on offer: the new 'me-ism' of social media works well for me. I think family and friends is what it's all about. I look forward to 2012; I hope it brings more of the same joys and interests.

Discounted designer skin care

2011-09-13T21:21:00.001+10:00

I shop at Strawberry.net, a discounted designer cosmetics and skin care site. When they send me a box of products, it arrives wrapped with a lilac ribbon. I enjoy that; I think I've received a present. Even the contents are wrapped in spangly paper, adding to my gift experience. This might be a Strawberry sales gimmick, but it works for me.

Of course I pay for the products. I shop with Strawberry because it has a) a range of beauty products; b) a selection of brands; c) good prices; d) no shipping costs; and e) loyalty discounts.

A year ago I bought an eau de toilette. Since then, I've bought soaps, shampoos, conditioner, lipsticks, lipliner, moisturiser, body lotion, hair products, deodorant and foot creams. I can't remember when last I bought cosmetics at the mall.

My latest purchase was a foot scrub, which I liked enough to buy a foot smoother from the same manufacturer.

At Strawberry I enjoy bargain buying as well as shopping at the high end of town. Sometimes I'm rewarded with small gifts: a lipstick; an eye shadow.

Strawberry also sells men's products. I'll have to persuade Thomas he needs beauty buys. I wonder if boy's stuff comes wrapped in lilac ribbon?

Strawberry.net

Valance shopping

2011-09-11T11:42:00.000+10:00

I decided our queen size bed needed a new valance when even Thomas noticed how daggy the old one was. The trouble with a valance is that once it's on a bed, it's a whole lot of effort to change it - so we seemed to live with the same one for quite a while (hate to admit that, but it's true).

Two Saturdays ago I went to Target at the Belconnen centre to check out their valances - it's an old-fashioned word and I doubt that many people use it any more. Maybe there's a better name that I don't know about?

I searched for a long time through the aisles of quilts and covers and eventually found three valances right at the top of a shelf - unfortunately not the colour I wanted and quite expensive at about $50 for my size.

Back home that day I searched the net for valances and discovered quite a few for sale at a very low price - but I've been caught before with cheap products so thought I'd go upmarket and settled for one from Peter's of Kensington.

I've bought kitchenware from Peter's previously and know that their service and quality is good. I placed and paid for the order and received my valance by Wednesday morning, which I think is good service. Because it was a big box, I had to pick it up from the Belconnen Business Centre rather than the Charnwood Post office, but I don't mind that at all because they're open early in the morning so we can pick up parcels on the way to work.

All in all a good experience and this morning Thomas helped me to put on the new valance (who knows how long before it gets washed or replaced - but that's another story).

Peter's of Kensington valance

Hit at the House

2011-04-26T16:03:00.001+10:00

1
Friday, 4.45 pm

I hauled myself onto the platform and clutched the rail. Gary, ‘the Gorilla’, muscled up the steel buttress, seconds away from the platform. I sobbed and flung my shoe at him. Gary bared his yellowed teeth:

‘I’ll get you, you bitch.’

‘Fat chance,’ I snarled, sounding more confident than I felt.

I’m on a flagpole above Australia’s Parliament House, chased by a thug. How did I get into this mess? I’m just an Aussie girl looking forward to a Friday night party in Civic.

‘Take that, you idiot!'

Gary howled as I hit him with my second shoe: what a waste of a good pair of heels.

The crowd gawped as Gary and I battled to the top of the flagpole. I guess not much happens in the House on Friday afternoons. I spotted Su-Lin and hissed inwardly; if only I hadn’t trusted her.

Gary planted his paws on the platform. I'm frozen to the spot; there's nowhere to go but down. Why did I climb this stupid flagpole? If I slip, it's a helluva drop to the concrete. How am I going to get out of here?

'I'll get you, you bitch,' he repeated. Not much of a conversationalist, our Gary.

‘Leave me alone! Go away! I haven't got your silly papers. I'm not the person you want!' I stomped on Gary’s hands, but he held on tight. He squeezed his body under the rail, pushing a meaty knee onto the platform.

I heard a massive noise - Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! A helicopter powered above Parliament House.

‘Help! Help! Get me off!' I waved my arms and jumped up and down. I think they got the message. I saw the co-pilot grin. Oh my god! It's Troy!

This is so embarrassing. I don't know which is worse: a madman chases me up a flagpole or someone I fancy rescues me from that flagpole.

'I've got you now, you little sheila,' crowed Gary and clamped my ankle.

'Oh no, you haven't.' Thank goodness for glossy fake tan. I yanked out my slicked foot and booted Gary's face.

'Yaaaaaa!' Gary clutched the metal rungs to save himself.

A rope snaked from the helicopter door. I toed my foot onto the platform rail. Would my slippery sole get some traction? The crowd gasped collectively. Would I make it or not? I'd have to balance on a teeny strip of metal. Would it hold my weight? If I could just reach that rope . . . not a good time to think of heights or what I'd look like if I fell. What choice did I have? I looked down into Gary’s eyes, heaved myself onto the thin metal strip and jumped.

A Taste for life

2011-04-26T14:32:00.003+10:00

At some point I heard Bobby paraphrase the words of Oscar Wilde, ‘I have the simplest tastes. I’m always satisfied with the best!’

Well, you don’t turn 55 every day and being the younger partner – that’s me – I thought it best for a fun filled, action packed Sydney weekend. The appropriate shade for an autumnal double celebration – Bobby’s birthday and Easter.

The sensational Jersey Boys, at the Theatre Royal in the heart of the city, topped the list. The show is brilliant – energetic, colourful; a visual and musical feast chronicling the ups and downs of Frankie Valli and his band The Four Seasons. Part concert, part biography, a fast paced story of Italian boys from the wrong side of the tracks, writing their own songs and inventing their own sound, based on the catchy lyrics of Bob (Gaudio) and Frankie’s falsetto voice to become one of America’s biggest pop sensations ever. The stats alone are impressive endorsement – nine million theatre patrons and over 175 million records sold.

“You're just too good to be true. /Can't take my eyes off you. /You'd be like Heaven to touch. /I wanna hold you so much ...”

Oh what a night … get the picture

24 hours later we sat in the comfy, soft lit 360 Restaurant and Bar atop The Tower – Sydney’s tallest structure – 250 metres (over a thousand feet) above the CBD on a clear night, the spread of the city resembling a giant sparkler. Oscar’s words echoed across the table as we dined on fresh Salmon and Barramundi, crème brulee and chocolate mousse, NZ wine and sparkling water while enjoying the ever changing view courtesy of the restaurant’s revolving floor. A floating romantic treasure, how come had we not visited this enduring Sydney 80s icon before?

Earlier, the day began with a flat white, hot chocolate, apple Danish, bacon and egg rolls and a short train trip to Circular Quay – one of the world’s best located stations; overlooking Sydney Harbour, the enormous expanse of its steel Bridge, fluted sails of the Opera House and steady procession of ferries and small craft crisscrossing the water.

Leaving two of Australia’s icons behind us we headed for a third …. Bondi Beach…. taking the scenic route by ferry, stopping briefly at Garden Island, Double Bay and then Rose Bay, our destination, the scent of the ocean adding a special sweetness to the air. A taxi called, within ten minutes we were at the beach. What Clifton is to Cape Town and North Beach is for Durban …. Bondi is to Sydney. The quintessential Australian urban beach (sorry Queensland but it is).

We had come for a walk, not a swim, even though the sunshine, turquoise tinted ocean and mild conditions remained a tempting inducement to change into our bathers carried in my rucksack. Heading south along the coastal footpath, part of the Bondi to Coogee Walk, we absorbed the great views of the sea and popular neighbouring beaches of Tamarama and Bronte.

Along the way the pristine pools of the Bondi Icebergs Club where membership is attained by swimming three Sundays out of four during the winter months of May to September, over five years. An arduous challenge? Obviously not when you discover the club has over 600 members.

The pathway hugged the coastline, the sandstone cliffs sculpted into pleasing shapes by the forces of nature over the millennia; to Mackenzies Point, and onto Tamarama beach, the morning’s first beach volley game under way on the soft white sand while surfers took to the sea with their boards offshore. Bobby took a breather while I walked onto Bronte Beach and the Waverley Cemetery; an eerie archaeological landscape of marble tombstones running to the edge of the cliff. The resting place of many famous Australians, including Dorothea Mackellar, whose My Country was the most popular poem of its time…

.

“I love a sunburnt country,/ A land of sweeping plains,/ Of ragged mountain ranges,/ Of droughts and flooding rains./ I love her far horizons, /I love her jewel-sea,/ Her beauty and her terror -/ The wide brown land for me!”

It was the love of her jewel sea that kept me company as I progressed to Clovelly Beach before returning to Bondi and the Hurricane Grill, Bobby and I tucking into South African style burgers with monkey gland sauce – that typical Saffa sweet and savoury BBQ sauce. Renowned for its racks of succulent spare ribs, boerewors and steaks – in gigantic portions – I was offered, and accepted, a spare rib from a fellow patron at the table next us (neighbourly Easter goodwill in action).

A bus to Bondi Junction, a train to Circular Quay and we were back at the waterfront now humming with people. The air filled with the echoing amplified throb of didgeridoo’s mixed with guitar strings and the commentary of street performers on high wires or juggling swords, fire sticks … even a chain saw. Our interest lay in more sedate and quieter visual pursuits entering the Museum of Contemporary Art – our first ever visit – to see the work of legendary American photographer, Annie Leibovitz. Anyone who has ever picked up a Rolling Stone or Vanity Fair magazine will be familiar with her striking celebrity images; a nude pregnant Demi Moore among the most memorable. The show contained much of class – Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Day Lewis, Queen Elizabeth II – however Bobby and I found the overall arrangement of mixing Leibovitz’s private family snaps, generally no more than postcard size, among the lavish and large celebrity pics, a distraction. For us the formula didn’t work.

Kissed by the sunburnt country we made our way back to our hotel the elevated attraction of The Tower next on the evening’s menu. On a day when transport included a train, boat, taxi, on foot, all that was left was to take to the air … a vertical 250m lift into sky would do

To the final morning … ANZAC day … solemnly revered throughout the country. The day …. wet and grey …. but clearing. A good time to bypass the street parade and visit the Archibald Portrait Prize 2011 exhibition at the NSW Gallery (with parking right outside the front door )

The Archibald is Australia’s most prestigious annual portrait prize and this year’s entries are stunning. Over 700 original works reduced to a refined field of 41, the worthy winner Ben Quilty’s large portrait, essentially the face, of Margaret Olley, the colourful artistic legend now in her eighties. The painting remarkable for capturing Margaret’s likeness with minimal thick brush strokes combined with vast areas of unpainted, white space.

Much like the Jersey Boy’s this year’s Archibald is first class – Barbara Tyson’s painting of Quentin Bryce, our Governor General, The Country’s Woman; Tim Storrier’s self portrait, Moon boy and Sonia Kretschmar’s, mystical portrait of Cassandra Golds (The heart of things), personal favourites.

The show a perfect exclamation to our weekend’s activities.

Time to head for home …

One more detour to come. Usually it takes a good hour to drive out of Sydney on the 3½ hour trip home. The last western Sydney suburb on route, not renowned for anything special, is Campbelltown. It does have a Spur – one of three in Sydney – so breaking convention we stopped for an early lunch at the Mustang Spur.

What is a Spur? They are a chain of South African Steak Ranches, started by Allen Ambor, the first opening in Newlands, Cape Town in 1967. Today there are over 200 scattered across 28 countries. Bobby used to work in one! A nostalgic twist to end our trip. The cosy ambience may have been lacking, the familiar décor, warmth and colour absent …. the burgers, however, were spot on. The slogan on the menu cover, A taste for life, said it all, it summed up our weekend really … some things endure … a good marriage, the music of Frankie Valli, the visual splendour of Sydney Harbour, the tangy flavour of a Spur burger … a taste for life, indeed.

Thomas Graham

http://www.showbiz.com.au/jerseyboys/?&gclid=CPjb1PTvuKgCFYgdpAod4VRTCQ

http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/archibald-wynne-sulman-prizes-2011/

http://www.cntower.ca/360_restaurant/overview/

http://hurricanesgrill.com.au/

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/city-guides/sydney-walking-tour-3/

http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2011/entries/28931/

Louis produces electronic music

2011-04-14T16:36:00.002+10:00

Louis and Joe have spent time in the studio writing electronic music. You can hear their latest work at Sound Cloud
http://soundcloud.com/search?q[fulltext]=bruteproductions

iPad: hot or not?

2011-03-10T08:47:00.000+11:00

Six months with an iPad

2010-12-01T09:14:00.002+11:00

Since getting my iPad in May, I've read about a dozen books and nearly all of those have been on my iPad. I'm happy to be able to download bestsellers, prize winners and literary works via Amazon Kindle. I shop from my couch on a Sunday morning and have the works synced within seconds to my iPad. The price is about a third of what I would pay for a print book. The reading experience is terrific: I particularly enjoy reading in bed.

I use my iPad for gmail, Facebook, Twitter, reading novels, checking the weather globally and reading aggregated news through various apps. Recently I've added my favourite reference sites to Flipboard and enjoy the magazine-style reading experience.

The battery lasts forever but I have had trouble with the home button: sometimes I can't toggle between applications, which I believe is a flaw with this version of iPad. Maybe the new operating system download will improve that - otherwise it's back to the shop for an exchange of device.

I have a wireless keyboard if I want to type for longer periods - maybe emails over a weekend, but most of the time I find the touchscreen keyboard practical enough.

I think the portability of iPad is good: it's light enough to carry in my handbag. I've discovered the pleasure of renting movies and watching these (on my couch). The elegant iPad case is useful for propping the device on a cushion and provides protection in transport.

All in all, I'm very happy with my iPad and recommend it highly as an alternative to a laptop or notebook.

Faces of Serbia

2010-08-09T14:39:00.002+10:00

Faces of Serbia by Slobodanka Graham | Make Your Own Book

1973 Good Hope Seminary High School prefects

2010-07-06T16:18:00.001+10:00

1973 Good Hope Seminary High School prefects
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

Cuddle up to a Kindle

2010-01-26T21:23:00.002+11:00

I love ebooks. You may remember bob-e-books.com, my attempt to revolutionise reading with ebooks and print-on-demand titles. That was way back in 2000 and some unkind people laughed at me. I'm pleased now to be vindicated: ebooks or online reading of content via a reading device are finally here.

I recently had a chance to test drive a Kindle. I'm not sure if this little device will convert all traditional book buyers, but it's certainly going to convert some readers.

The first thing I did was to use the touch screen - only to discover it doesn't have one (booooo!). I base all my handheld online experiences on that brilliant little piece of technology, my iPhone. I found the Kindle big (compared to my iPhone) and the typepad clunky (compared to my iPhone), but there were some things I liked.

I liked holding 20 or so books in my hand and not feeling their dead weight. I liked buying a new book from Amazon through the whisper thing - the wireless transmission was terrific. I liked the thumb pager - but not the menu button.

I didn't like the black interface between pages - what's that all about Amazon? I didn't like the typography of my book: there were blank lines between every paragraph. What? Am I a reluctant reader that I need this kind of help? But I can't blame that on Kindle as the book was produced by a packager on behalf of the publisher. Thumbs down to that production. Other books on this borrowed Kindle have decent typography.

I couldn't get comfortable holding the Kindle in one hand (unlike my iPhone). I felt stupid holding it with two hands. I tried tucking it into my elbow, but that didn't work either. I reverted to the two handed approach (but I have to confess I gave up on reading the book, more because I chose a rubbish title than because I don't like the Kindle).

As with most gadgets, I only explored some functionality. I'm sure there's lots more I could have done. All in all it wasn't a bad experience. Now I can't wait for the iTablet . . .

Canberra artist at work

2010-01-26T21:17:00.002+11:00

Last Sunday Nena and I tried once again to get into Materpieces from Paris. As the queue was so long, went to the National Portrait Gallery instead where we enjoyed the 'Idle Hours' exhibition.

As we were walking back to the car, I spotted this woman painting. I thought she made a pretty picture. So I took her picture, which I uploaded into Twitpic to link to my Twitter account. An added bonus is the fact that I can link the pic to my blog as well. The only pity is that the pic is a bit small in this particular display. Never mind.

How we wiki

2010-01-21T14:53:00.001+11:00

In October 2009 I gave this presentation at the Gov 2.0 conference.

How we wiki

View more presentations from Slobodanka (Bobby) Graham.

Serbia and Montenegro

2010-01-21T14:49:00.001+11:00

In August 2008 I travelled to Serbia and Montenegro with my mother and my aunt. This is a photo summary of that trip.

Serbia and Montenegro

View more presentations from Slobodanka (Bobby) Graham.

Open Publish at the National Library of Australia

2010-01-21T14:46:00.001+11:00

At the National Library of Australia, we use Open Journal Systems to host open access scholarly journals. This is an overview of Open Publish, our hosting service.

Open Publish at the National Library of Australia

View more presentations from Slobodanka (Bobby) Graham.

Jerusalem by Patrick Neale

2010-01-01T15:18:00.002+11:00

I read many books. Most I forget quickly even though I enjoy them at the time of reading. This year I will blog a short review of each title - for the record.

Jerusalem is about British identity overlaid with notions of post-colonial integrity or lack of. Told through related stories spanning more than a century, the main characters are flawed, funny and sometimes pathetic. They range from a British officer returned from the Anglo-boer war to a modern-day spinner of cool - with witchdoctors, tinpot dictators and a minister of the crown thrown into the mix.

I laughed aloud in parts, especially at the dilemmas endured by the minister in 'real Africa'. I also thought the auther did well to describe contemporary culture. I thought the narrative structure worked well exemplifying the fracturing of both society and psyche.

Ceeda Studio is launched

2009-12-24T11:14:00.003+11:00

Last Sunday we formally launched Ceeda Studio. Tonight Alright set up their instruments and played for the first time, declaring the room good. The band, parents, other contributors to the success of the studio, all gathered for a great afternoon of drinks, snacks and friendship. I think Thomas' hard work has paid off and he deserves a medal for workmanship, persistence, and dedication.

Louis, Joe, Maddy and Gabe

Gabe, Louis and Joe

Tim

Evan

The studio with instruments

Ceeda Studio signage

2009-12-11T14:37:00.002+11:00

After nearly nine months, Thomas has nearly finished the massive task of building Ceeda Studio - a sound room where Louis can play with his band.

Here Louis paints the letters for the sign.

Canoeing down Kangaroo Valley

2009-12-11T14:05:00.002+11:00

A few weeks ago Thomas and I did a two-day canoe trip down the Kangaroo Valley - just south of Sydney. We paddled 20 kms - yes me! - camping overnight on the banks of the river.

We saw many beautiful birds, some wallabies and a very fat wombat. The scenery grew more beautiful and more rugged the further along the river we travelled. During the first day we had strong headwinds, which made paddling a bit tough. On the second day we struck camp very early to take advantage of the very still morning. It was quite something to slip through the waters at 7.00 am with nothing other than birdsong keeping us company.

Louis goes retro red

2009-12-11T13:39:00.003+11:00

The traditional Year 10 or Year 12 formal is - well a formal affair. The girls wear gorgeous dresses and they boys wear smart suits. For his Year 12 formal, Louis decided to eschew tradition, electing instead to wear retro red (the jacket is eighties; the trousers seventies and the shirt and tie are from St Vinnies).

I admire him for going against the norm - I'm not sure I could have done it when I was eighteen. And I think he looks terrific.

Tonight Alright social network

2009-12-11T13:27:00.003+11:00

I'm impressed by the Tonight Alright publicity machine. You can see or listen to them in the following places:
Facebook
My Space
TripleJ Unearthed
MP3.com
YouTube
Twitter
My School Act

Louis shreds like Gilbert

2009-12-11T13:16:00.002+11:00

Louis spends hours and hours in his room practising guitar. I'm looking forward to the day he can move into Ceeda Studios - shouldn't be long now - so that he can give it full tonk in there.

One of Louis' favourite guitarists is Paul Gilbert (along with Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and John Petrucci). Listen to Louis shred it like Gilbert.

Tonight Alright

2009-12-11T09:48:00.005+11:00

Gabe, Evan, Joe, Louis and Tim

I'm impressed by Louis and his band Tonight Alright. They have practised together every Sunday this year, spending four hours locked in a tiny studio. The result has been nine songs - five of which they've recorded professionally. A couple of weeks ago they broke out of the school/college circuit, performing at Ghetto Chemistry.

On Saturday 12 December they're playing at Walk for Warming in Canberra and on Sunday 13 December they're the first band up at Summer Rhythms. Thomas and I will be there, videoing and supporting the group.

In addition to recording and playing, Tonight Alright has a great online social network with a presence in Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, MP3 and other online music outlets. I look forward to following their career.

Is print your pleasure?

2009-11-10T12:22:00.004+11:00

What is it about books that intrigues, fascinates and draws hordes of devoted supporters? I've just read an article in the Guardian where the author suggests there is a 'visceral fascination with print and paper'. I wonder who still has that fascination with printed works.

I worked in book publishing for many years and I too was attracted to the freshly printed volume. Mmm. Sniff the glue. Yum. Run my hand over the paper. Heaven. Weigh the hardback in my hand.

But have you ever kept books for a while? The funny thing is they deteriorate: the paper yellows (or pages fall out); the dust jacket fades in the bookshelf; the materials attract all sorts of bugs. And have you ever moved house? Have you had to pack, box, sort and unpack books? How does your back feel?

I am sentimentally attached to certain titles - mostly my school prizes - but that's more for the memory of schooldays than for the love of the book. As far as the other books in my shelves are concerned, I'm thinking of chucking them away. I throw out my old shoes (even though I think fondly of the time I wore them) so why not throw out old decaying books. I used to think that my books made me (What's Bobby reading, mused my house guests as they looked admiringly at my bookshelves. Hmm. T. S. Eliot, I see - that's impressive), but now my books just seem to date me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a great reader: I devour a book a weekend and at least one during the week. But I'm quite happy to borrow books from my public lending library - and then give them back. I'd be even happier if I could digitally download everything I want to read.

My idea of reading pleasure is a Kindle, or some other reading device. Imagine 1500 books loaded onto a handy tablet that weighs a few grams. I know that the Kindle or Sony reader might go out of fashion or production, but how much better to have nice clean content that doesn't deteriorate? What a delight to scroll up, down - or even to the end of a book (admit you like to know the end before you've read it all).

I thought the point of reading was to get at the stuff packaged within books. I do not think having that content wrapped in paper makes my reading experience more valuable. I certainly have no 'visceral fascination with print and paper'. Give me a digital experience any day.

How we wiki at the National Library of Australia

2009-10-30T16:29:00.002+11:00

I think it's terrific that CeBIT is making all the Gov2.0 presentations available on video. This is me in full flight, talking about how we use a wiki at the National Library of Australia.

Bobby Graham: How We Wiki - Gov 2.0 Conference from CeBIT Australia on Vimeo.

Wikis, tweets and Gov 2.0

2009-10-29T16:06:00.001+11:00

Bobby Graham @ the Gov 2.0 Conference
Originally uploaded by CeBIT Australia

At the Gov2.0 conference I spoke about how we use the wiki at the National Library of Australia.

I enjoyed the plenary session; the keynote speakers, particularly Senator Lundy and Minister Tanner, were warm and empathetic, responding well to questions from the floor.

I met many people and made good contacts. I thought having a conference dinner for speakers the night before the event was good: meeting them the night before made me feel more relaxed on the day.

Tweeting the conference was definitely the highlight of participating at the event - it's pretty daunting knowing the audience is giving feedback as you present - but I survived (and I enjoyed tweeting about other speakers).

Amazing Women

2009-10-13T08:39:00.001+11:00

Therese Rein and Jan Fullerton
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

Last night I went to the wonderful 'Amazing Women' event at the National Library. Deborah Thomas of Women's Weekly introduced guest speakers Therese Rein (wife of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd), Kate Grenville (author) and Caroline Doogue (TV presenter).

These three amazing women spoke about the role books had played in their life. They gave us an insight into their reading preferences and shared with us the books and authors that had shaped their reading.

The Library foyer was packed. Bookplate served canapes and drinks. I caught up with Library staff and other friends.

Floriade 2009

2009-10-12T16:29:00.001+11:00

bobby and thomas
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

Thomas and I visited Floriade on the last day of the 2009 season. As always we were impressed by the glorious flowers. An opportunity to ooh and aah like nowhere else.

Web Directions South 2009

2009-10-12T14:37:00.002+11:00

I enjoyed Web Directions South 2009 in Sydney - my first visit to what has become the top web industry conference. The conference organisation was tops and the food, coffee and contacts were pretty good too. I found every session entertaining and informative.

Highlights were Matt Webb's impressive keynote address; Doug Schepers laconic overview of W3C; Leslie Jensen-Inman's enthusiastic Open Web Education Alliance; Suze Ingram's Service Design; Cameron Adams' superb Google Wave; Kelly Goto's workFLOW; Deb Schulz's social focus; Andrew Fisher's authoritative Cloud Computing and Christian Crumlish's take on social interaction.

Nelson

2009-09-23T16:39:00.002+10:00

Just by chance we parked our car outside the Suter Gallery, Nelson's oldest gallery, dating back to the 1800s. After a walkthrough and coffee, we took the gallery guide's advice to take a walk along the beautiful riverfront before heading into town.

Our first stop was a wool cooperative where I would have loved to buy a handmade shawl, but even I baulked at the price. Our second stop was at a chic gallery where again I would have loved to buy a painting, but fortunately it was already sold (thereby preventing me from spending even more money).

The weather was glorious in Nelson so we parked at the water's edge for a light lunch and then headed off to Picton. Our route took us along Queen Charlotte Sound. If ever there was a place to inspire me to write a book, this would be it: stunning views over the waters with bays (and lovely yachts) all around.

Finally, after about 15 kms of winding road, we sighted Picton from above the Interislander Ferry depot. A good place for another Top 10 experience (that's caravan park land).

Maui Merc

2009-09-22T17:09:00.003+10:00

A brief note about our transport: we've rented a Maui mobile home for 10 days. We picked it up in Christchurch last Wednesday and have lived and travelled in it ever since.

There's two of everything: two plates, two cups, two glasses, two towels, etc. - one bed, which is folded up every day and made up every night. We have a shower and a toilet (luxury), a dining table, an outside table and two camp chairs: everything a modern day nomad needs to explore the country.

We've had breakfast, tea and dinner most days in the Maui - although it's been good to occasionally break the pattern and go out for dinner or breakfast. All our goods - groceries, clothes, maps, cameras, toiletries - are stowed away in neat little cupboards. It's exactly like going sailing.

The Maui takes diesel, which is a novelty for us. It has huge water tanks that regularly have to be filled or emptied. Gas powers the hot water and the stove and the toilet comes with a neat capsule for emptying every so often.

I think we've covered nearly 2000 kms in the past week. It's quite true that short distances take much longer to travel in NZ as the roads are either narrow, high or dangerously winding. But the setting and views make up for any delays.

Akaroa

2009-09-22T16:58:00.003+10:00

Thomas and I dubbed Akaroa 'Franschoek by the sea': it's French, friendly and beautifully situated on a peninsua 75 kms from Christchurch. Definitely worth a longer stay - maybe next time.

We visited Lyttleton specifically to see the Time Ball, only one of two working balls in the world. We got there too early to enter the building, but it's still an impressive sight at the top of a hill overlooking the working harbour. Our breakfast at Fuze cafe was pretty good too: I can recommend the porridge.

Thomas is determined to swim with the dolphins, but we decided against doing it today so have travelled to Blenheim instead. Tomorrow we'll visit Montana and Cloudy Bay wineries before heading off to Nelson.

Te Anau

2009-09-21T06:22:00.002+10:00

Te Anau was our base for two nights. On Saturday night we celebrated the All Blacks win over the Wallabies (you have to support the team in which country you are) with cheering locals at The Moose, a lovely pub right on the waterfront.

Thanks to David's recommendation, we went to the movies to see Fiordland, a film made by a local man.

Milford Sound

2009-09-21T06:16:00.002+10:00

I think Milford Sound must be one of the most stunning places I have ever seen. We had perfect weather for the two hour drive from Te Anau to the Sound (which is actually a fjord) and the perfect weather continued for the 1.5 hour catamaran trip around the Sound.

Max the driver took us unbelievably close to the edge of the water, nosing the boat right under the waterfalls. I thought he was going to push off the side, we were that close. The waterfalls are at least 50 metres high, dwarfed by the peaks which are a mile high above them. The water is 417 metres deep, slightly more than Queenstown's lake at 300 metres, and the temperature is about nine degrees.

The boat trip took us out into the Tasman Sea from where we could look back on the Sound. It's easy to see why Cook sailed past it twice; the Sound is almost invisible from the ocean. It took a sailor escaping a storm to find the Sound in the early 1800s.

Heading back to the quay we saw hundreds of bottle-nosed dolphins who cleaved the water right in front of the boat. Lazy furry seals warmed themselves on the rocks and the occasional penguin sunned itself on the edge of the water.

Queenstown

2009-09-21T06:12:00.002+10:00

We loved Queenstown. I had imagined it to be rough and brash (only boys and their toys), but in fact it is sophisticated and very pretty. Thomas checked himself into a beauty centre for a flotation (immersion into a tank filled with very salty water; I declined) and a massage so I explored the town.

In my very best French I ordered a hot chocolate at a patisserie on the edge of the quay from where I could admire the snow-capped peaks (we've seen a lot). We had arranged to meet up after the relaxation treatment to board the steamship that crosses the lake.

Thomas so enjoyed this excursion as everything reminded him of his days on the Alwyn Vincent: smell of coal; wood polish; sound of the engine. I enjoyed the beautiful views and the sun.

Turquoise blue

2009-09-17T18:05:00.003+10:00

I find it hard to believe that the water in New Zealand lakes is really the gorgeous turhoise blue that it is - just like the pictures! Seriously, we've been to Lake Tanaka and others and they are all the most wonderful shade of blue.

This morning we admired the view from the quaintest little church of the good shepherd and this evening we gasped at the wonder of the snow-covered Alps in Wanaka. Inbetween we oohed and aahed at the natural beauty of all the inland waters and mountains. It's a bit overwhelming to see so much natural beauty.

I relieved all this glory by going shopping and bought myself two Icebreaker jerseys from a shop in the middle of nowhere, but apparently where the Icebreaker sheep come from.

We've had a bit of setback tonight as I managed to log myself out of my PC. Thank goodness for internet kiosks at the camping ground.

The Maui Merc continues to delight us: we've settled into an easy pattern of pack and unpack and stopping occasionally for a roadside tea. I reckon we could get used to this lifestyle.

Tomorrow we head for Queenstown and then onto the majestic Milford Sound.

Not far from Fairlie

2009-09-16T18:18:00.002+10:00

It took us a while to leave Christchurch this morning: three hours to get our Maui Merc mobile home signed over to us, but it's been worth it. I won the coin toss so we headed south - not as far as we'd like to have gone, but we're spending the night at Fairlie which is at the foot of the snowy Alps. Tomorrow we're going to Mt Cook - maybe only to the lookout - and then Queenstown.

The mobile home has a little place for everything. I'm reminded of my sailing days by all the nifty knobs and cosy little tuckaways. We shopped in Christchurch so now the fridge is fully stocked - and we even bought boerewors from the local South African shop (Magda and Chris Basson, a nice couple from Secunda, own it).

I have yet to try the toilet and shower, but it's nice having these facilities on board. We've had dinner so now it's time to wash the dishes, put out the bed and turn off the lights.

TranzAlpine train ride

2009-09-15T17:59:00.002+10:00

We thoroughly enjoyed our four hour trip train trip there and four hour train trip back, all the way through beautiful green fields followed by deep ravines and snow-capped mountains.

We left Christchurch at 8.15 am, stopping two hours later at Arthur's Pass - 700+ metres above sea level. Lots of photos to follow. A further two hours later we were having lunch at Greymouth on the west coast. Our train back to Christchurch left just before 2.00 pm, returning to Christchurch at 6.00 pm. We had a great commentary on the train, including descriptions of the 240 km race (wonder if Paul has done it?) from coast to caost.

Great dinner at 'Cookin with Gas' and now back at our B&B, which deserves a mention as it's a terrific house and location. I'd reccomend Orari to anyone visiting CC.

Christchurch, New Zealand

2009-09-14T18:38:00.004+10:00

We've had a terrific day in Christchurch. We started the morning strolling through town. Thomas climbed to the top of the cathedral while I busied myself with my iPhone (no service in NZ; have to contact Telstra). We discovered that the Avon River has huge eels in it - nearly two metres long according to Quinton who punted us down and upstream. Christchurch is looking beautiful: full of magnolias, camellias and rhodedendrons in full bloom.

Our massage in Merivale was enjoyable and put us in the mood for a light lunch at a pub overlooking the river. After so much hectic hedonism, I retired to bed for a nap while Thomas explored a little further, finding us a restaurant in the Arts Centre - Annie's - from where we've returned after a dinner of bread, salad and local fish, that was excellent.

Tomorrow we catch the Transalpine Express to Greymouth.

How we wiki

2009-09-10T16:56:00.004+10:00

At the National Library, we've been using a wiki for the past few years. I've been invited to talk about our experiences at the forthcoming Gov 2.0 conference. This will be in Canberra on 19 October. All conference presentations will be posted after the event. So watch this space:

Social networking services

2009-09-07T14:41:00.002+10:00

I've just been interviewed by a PhD student who's researching the factors influencing web-based social networking services.

At the Library, we use a variety of social media services. Since 2006 we've had an external and an an internal wiki. Earlier this year we implemented blogging. We have a Facebook presence and have recently created a Library Twitter presence. We publish videos to Youtube.

We use these spaces to promote Library events and also to write about areas of interest and specialization. We enjoy engaging with our users and listening to their views about the Library.

College of Careers

2009-09-07T13:51:00.002+10:00

I only got into publishing because I learnt how to type. My first job was with College of Careers where I started in 1976 as a typesetter. My typing teacher at the Cape Technical College suggested I apply there for a job as she'd heard they were hiring.

The first year I learnt how to operate an IBM Composer before moving onto an IBM Electronic Composer (the difference being that the electronic machine had a brief memory). We had to change the fonts (fondly known as 'golf balls') whenever we needed to change the type face or type size. If there were mistakes on the pages, we'd have to strip in the line with correction. We did this with a waxer on a light table.

I typed study guides to prescribed works, mostly in English but sometimes in Afrikaans as well. Occasionally we'd type the 'Fancy Pigeon Guide' or some other commercial publication.

I worked with Sue and Leslie, both typesetters, and also Ivor who operated the headliner, setting large headlines for the book covers and chapter openings. All the study guides were printed on the premises in an old building at the top of Plein Street. The Progressive Party had offices in the same building.

Yellow stuff

2009-08-20T16:26:00.002+10:00

We really don't want to annoy Mick the neighbour with the sound of a doof-doof drum so we researched the best way to soundproof a room and came up with yellow stuff.

Yellow stuff is to sound like pink stuff is to heat: it insulates the space so that the sound doesn't escape. We bought nine bales as the whole space has to have yellow stuff inbetween the rest of the stuff (floor, ceiling and wall boards).

Here's the yellow stuff standing in the yard.

Start of a sound studio

2009-08-20T16:02:00.003+10:00

Earlier this year we decided to turn our garage into a sound studio where Louis and his friends can play music. The garage is a tin shed so we have to build a 'room-within-a-room' in order to make the space soundproof.

This is how the space looked at the start of the project.

A postscript about my suitcase

2009-06-08T16:48:00.003+10:00

I never did get my suitcase in Belgrade, but three weeks after my return to Canberra, my mother got a call in Belgrade asking her whether JAT should deliver my case to Canberra. It had finally turned up, six weeks after I did. My mother got JAT to deliver the suitcase to Nada's flat in Belgrade where she checked the contents and nothing was missing, even my father's ashes were intact. She never managed to scatter them in Belgrade as by this time the rains had come. I think I'll have to make another trip to Belgrade sometime soon so that I can scatter his ashes over the Danube.

9.00 pm 23 August Sunday, Canberra

2009-06-08T16:40:00.002+10:00

I had a three-hour sleep this afternoon as I didn't sleep much on the various planes coming home. Nada had packed me some burek and my favourite mak sa oracim strudel for the trip, which I enjoyed in the Belgrade Business Class Lounge and the following morning at Dubai airport.

The flight from Belgrade to Dubai was a relatively short seven hours, spent comfortably in seat 1F, business class. Dubai was much the same at 6.00 am on a Saturday morning as it had been three weeks earlier: busy - passengers lying on the floor waiting for their flight or shopping at their excellent 'Dufry' shops. I had a four-hour wait during which time I had to get a boarding pass as I hadn't been onward booked - a bit of a worry. I was glad to get onto the plane and leave hot Dubai behind.

The trip to Sydney was uneventful: I watched a few movies: Outsourced; Doris and Bernard; PS: I love you, and Shine a Light again. My neighbour was a nice young man from Tehran, returning to Sydney. The big surprise of the day was to discover Rebecca flying back from Sydney to Canberra after her six-week European holiday. An unexpected coincidence as both of us were flying back on unscheduled flights. I had to pay a $38.50 service fee to get onto the plane because of my no-show the previous day, but I was happy just to be going home. Rebecca's husband Ian gave me a lift home from the airport.

The house looks very clean and uncluttered and I enjoyed sitting outside in the Canberra sun for lunch, catching up with Thomas and Louis. I phoned Nena and Nada in Belgrade. I miss their company after such a long time together. I have had a wonderful trip and many memorable experiences.

Some impressions of Serbia and Montenegro

2009-06-08T16:34:00.002+10:00

I like the food - I haven't eaten a single bit of processed food other than a little salami at Bane's house and the prosciutto in Tivat - and have enjoyed the fresh fruit: peaches, nectarines, watermelon and figs. I especially like the cheeses: mladi sir, kosi (goat's cheese) and the wonderful kajmak. I also like the white bread and djevreci (bagels), baked every day. I like the habit of eating a proper lunch and then something light in the evenings, which are spent outdoors in the parks.

I can understand why Nena likes markets: most food shopping is done at the markets with their adjoining mlekare (dairies), pekara (bakeries) and mesare (butchers).

I think the young girls are very beautiful and dress very femininely and individually - no little tailored black suits but rather frills and floars in gauzy fabrics. Most women wear high-heeled sandals - contemptuous of the cobblestones.

I think Belgrade is a lovely city: easy to get around, great cafes, restaurants, monuments and friendly people. A great place to holiday and explore a different culture.

3.30 pm Friday 22 August, Belgrade

2009-06-08T16:25:00.002+10:00

I'm packed and ready to go. Miki, the taxi driver, is coming at 6.45 pm to collect me for the airport as my flight leaves at 9.25 pm for Dubai. I'm travelling in a skirt and top as I can't bear to put on my tracksuit and boots in 35 degree heat. Dubai will also be hot so I'll change once we're closer to Sydney. I'm not sure a bout my Sydney to Canberra connecting flight as I wasn't successful in changing it online. I'd misread the JAT e-ticket and thought I'd be arriving in Sydney on Saturday, meantime it will be Sunday when I get to Australia.

I'm looking forward to getting home, even though I'll miss the heat once I'm back in 10 degrees cold Canberra.

This morning I caught the no. 26 bus to town, keen to check my emails, but no news from anyone. I bought souvenir t-shhirts for Thomas, Louis and myself from Beogradski Izlog (1900 dinars). I photographed Hotel Moskva and explored the streets parallel to Knez Mihaila. I had an iced coffee at a different cafe (150 dinar) before returning to Ruski Tsar for a final WC stop and a visnji sok (cherry juice, 180 din). Back on the no. 26 one last time, arriving back home for lunch with Nena and Nada: fried lamb's liver, salads (cabbage and green), leftovers from yesterday and of course kaymak and bread. Delicious pita sa orahima and pita sa mak for dessert.

Yesterday, after a little rest frm lunch, I headed back to town to the internet cafe. I was frustrated not being able to change my Qantas booking; I kept getting an error report - both in IE and Firefox. After trying for an hour, I gave up.

We'd arranged a final gettogether at Skadarlije with Vesna and invited Radica and Mitra (Dacko's widow) and daughter. Vanya came as well so we all enjoyed drinks at 'Ima Dana' restaurant.

1.30 pm Thursday 21 August, Belgrade

2009-06-08T16:16:00.002+10:00

I've had a partially successful morning in the city: I bought a Sveti Luka icon for Louis; found a new book to read; confirmed my flights to Sydney via Dubai. I didn't exchange my Croatian Kune as the shop refused them; I couldnt' find lithium batteries for my camera so have settled for alkaline. I'll have to change my Sydney-Canberra flight as I arrive on Sunday (aned not on Saturday as I originally thought). I'll have to go back to the internet cafe to do so and to let Thomas know.

Yesterday started off well as all our other days in Tivat. We went as always to the beach where we met Nadezda and her daughter Sonja, a violinist, also holidaying from Belgrade. They very kindly offered to take us all to the airport, Nada at 12.30 and Nena dn me at 4.00 pm. After a light lunch of cheeses and bread, Nada left according to plan. I had my last Adriatic swim and off we went, farewelling Mirjana and paying her EU50 for the apartment.

We received a little surprise at the airport: flight gone! Not cancelled or delayed; just wiped off the board. I spent 1.5 hours haggling in Serbian and finally shouting in English before I managed to get us onto the 7.00 o'clock flight. Our experience was not as bad as the girl's sitting next to me. On a previous flight, a few year's previously, she and two friends were given the toilet as their seats . . .

Today I have to give some thought to what I can take back with me. As I'm travelling with cabin luggage only, I won't be allowed to take any liquids on board. So unfortuately I'll have to leave behind the bottle of Vranac Pro Corde wine that was meant for Thomas as well as the bottle of vodka that the Russians gave me.

Nena and Nada are busy cooking lunch. This evening we'll meet Vesna in Skadarlije for a drink. This morning I explored another city street, cutting down from Sveti Marka churck to Terazije before having my traditional Ledena Kafa (d265) at Russki Tsar.

6.30 pm Tuesday 19 August, Tivat

2009-06-08T15:44:00.002+10:00

I'm sitting on the balcony of the yacht club. Cat Stevens is playing and I'm enjoying my 'Bitter' (Schweppes Bitter Lemon, E1.60). I've bought a copy of 'Hello' (E1.20) for later - it's easier to read Serbian if there are pictures - and I'm biding my time until the ladies arrive at home with a pizza - expect them at about 8.00 pm.

This morning we changed accommodation, moving about 100 meters down the road to Mirjana, Sandra's friend who rents one room. It's a good place: new, spacious, with a decent-sized bathroom and a kitchenette. The only downside is it opens onto a passageway shared by the adjoining restaurant. But we have a view of the sea as we eat our meals in the passage way, sitting at a small table.

We've fallen into a pattern of early swim at the ladies' beach followed by a coffee (ledena kafa, capuccino and bitter - E4.80) at our beachside cafe and then home for lunch. I finished my book today. It was a terrific read and somewhat of a juxtaposition: Biafra and Tivat - starving children and land of plenty.

I've bought a holdall - bright puce - to replace my missing Wagga Bag. It should come in handy when I fly back as I can put my rug into it. I realised today that I'm returning to Canberra on Sunday - I hope my booking for Sydney to Canberra is right - and not Saturday as I thought. I'll have to let Thomas know once I get back to Belgrade.

I've enjoyed our Montenegrin stay; my hand feels better, as does my foot. It must be the swimming the in the salty Adriatic. Every day we have two swims; our second in the late afternoon, after our post-prandial rest.

The fires are still burning on the mountain. I think it looks worse and there's no effort today to hose it down. Luckily there's not much wind, the smoke just hangs in a huge pall. Yesterday the Russians went to a lookout up in the nearby mountains and they declared the trip rather unpleasant: smoky and hazy. We had a jolly leavetaking from the Russians this morning, exchanging emails and kisses.

I'm emjoying drinking the Poles bottle of red wine with kisela voda (soda water). We're going to take back the honey to Belgrade - all 1.5 kgs of it. We haven't been able to eat all our cheeses so I've passed some on to Elvira. I've been the caterer for our stay and Nada has been the dishwasher. We paid EU225 for five nights accommodation.

This morning we also said goodbye to Sandra who has gone to Belgrade for a three-day visit. She plans to buy boots and we left saying we might catch up when I'm back in Belgrade.

Bosco is downstairs sanding his father's wooden boat that sank yesterday. It split between the beams, letting in the water. Bosco showed me how they put string between the wooden beams and then cover it all before painting the boat againl. Is this called caulking?

I like this spot. You'd never know the yacht club is here as there's no external sign, but the inside bar is charming and even has an Australian cloth hanging on one of the walls. The deck is wooden with half-moon tables attached to the balustrade, each with three director's chairs pulled up to them. Sandra brought me here yesterday evening where we stayed until Bosco joined us, leaving after sunset. The bar sells lots of drinks but no snacks so Sandra brought us nuts.

Bosco's father has just taken out their white launch; I wonder where he's going. It's glorious now: the sun has gone behind the western mountains but is still catching the eastern side of the bay. I'm sitting in a singlet and shorts and the temperature is perfect. I think I've finally acclimitised: no more dripping perspiration.

Boys are fishing off the pier; smaller kids are playing on the quay; older folks are sitting along the bay. Sandra says the the Canadian Peter Mark, who bought the shipyard from the military, is going to extend the promenade all the way to the centre of Tivat. He plans to build a marina, where Bosco might work, giving up his six-monthly stints on boats to China and back, working as an electrician. The marina will increase the appeal of this part of the coast - and bring welcome employment.

A plane has just taken off from Tivat airport. I'm constantly amazed when I see them soaring over the bay. This one's turned south - I don't know where it's going. The Russians are flying directly from here, three hours to St Petersburg.

At 8.00 am yesterday Peter, our EuroTaxi driver arrived to collect Nena and me for Dubrovnik. It was very comfortable in his airconditioned car. The drive was long: 2.45 hours to Dubrovnik. We had two toilet stops at service stations. Petrol costs about E1.20 a litre. We had a 20 minute wait at the customs: first we checked out of Montenegro; then we checked into Croatia. We also crossed by ferry from Lepat to Keramanen (not sure of the spelling). Peter was a large man, slow spoken and with lots of gold rings and a heavy gold chain. His short hair was slightly longer on top, a style I'd noticed in Belgrade, a little like our Australian Lebanese boys.

The Croatian countryside grew steadily rockier and drier as we approached Dubrovnik, which is a beautiful sight from the roadside lookout where Peter stopped. The approach to Dubrovnik was slow and crowded so we agreed on a spot where Petar would collect us at 2.00 pm. He dropped us off just before 11.00 am at an entrance that had few steps was was well placed as it led straight to the widest Dubrovnik street.

The architecture is quite magnificent. I'll have to consult the map (E1)to identify all the palaces we saw. The city is paved with marble. We walked towards the sea, peering up and down the narrow alleyways, most containing cafes, restaurants or souvenir shops. We heard every language imaginable and saw people of all nationalities.

We settled on an Italian restaurant for lunch: calamari for me and pljeskanice for Nena. I had a glass of white wine and Nena a beer. I can't remember what I paid for the lunch as it was in local currency, but I think it was about $30 - not bad for a Dubrovnik experience.

After lunch we took a street parallel to the main one, heading back to the pickup spot. I bought a little sketch of Dubrovnik for Eu20.

Peter picked us up as planned and we headed back to Tivat, retracing the drive through the hills and the customs checkpoints. The coastline is beautiful. There are apartments to let all along the way. We saw Herceg Novi, which is also an old town, but we didn't stop.

It's getting close to 8.00 pm and pizza time. This is our last evening in Tivat. My camera battery has just run down, but I'm going to soak in the view.

4.45 Monday 18 August, Tivat

2009-06-08T15:27:00.002+10:00

We've just returned from Dubrovnik. It took us 2.5 hours to get back and 2.45 hours to get there. We spent three hours in the city, which is like a big Kotor, but full of tourists from all parts of the world. Peter, our Euro Taxi driver, drove us there for EU120. He was very kind and accommodating, happy to spend as long as we wanted in Dubrovnik. He parked at a lookout above the city, reading the paper and enjoying a coffee while Nena and I explored the Stari Grad. We walked all along the main street, which is very impressive with its paved thoroughfare and enticing alleyways, down to the sea.

We looked into the Theatre before reaching the piaca. I was tempted to buy some sugared lemon cubes but Nena found them too hard to chew so we left them.

We walked along a narrower street, parallel to the main thoroughfare where we found a little sidewalk cafe (many to choose from) for lunch: fried calamari for me; pljeskanice for Nena. After lunch we made our way back to the fountain where we started.

I found Dubrovnik crowded after the charm of Kotor, but the architecture is superb.

Yesterday I did my usual shopping at the piaca, although I may have bought too much cheese and kaymak as we have to move tomorrow and may not be able to eat it all befor our return to Belgrade. We were given a bottle of red wine and some honey from the Polish couple who left this morning.

After shopping I joined the ladies a t 'their' beach where I very much enjoyed a swim in the sea. The water was like silk and wonderful to be in once I'd stumbled over the sharp pebbles. My toe is still sore and I hobble barefoot.

Lunch was a terrific selection of cheeses and salad and Nada and I had a swim before we all boarded the boat for our trip to Perast at 3.45 pm (E20 for us three).

The wind had come up and the sea was quite choppy, which made Nena rather anxious. She was further worried as our captain couldn't dock at the next port to pick up more passangers; the swell and the wind were too great for him to chance it. According to Zvonko (Zvonimir), who was crewing, this was the first that something like this had happened.

Once we motored into a more sheltered part of the bay, we were back on smooth waters. Zvonko told me that in olden times the locals draped chains across the narrowest part of the bay to prevent the Turks from entering safe harbour.

We stopped at a man-made island to visit the little Church of Gospa od Škrpjela (Our Lady of the Rock). This is another little jewel in the Boka Kotorska Bay, full of beautiful paintings on the walls and on the ceiling, reminiscent of the Sistine Chapel. Our entertaining and knowledgeable guide gave us a tour that included a visit to the museum, housing beautiful stone artefacts and paintings.

We boarded our boat again and crossed to Perast where we had only half-an-hour to explore, eat a pancake, buy some woollen souvenirs (cap and socks) before embarking on our trip home, arriving in Tivat at 7.30 pm.

Dinner was a pizza at our regular outside table, preceded by amare (a drink) with Sandra and Bosco.

This morning I discovered that Nada has an earlier flight back to Belgrade so I've asked Sandra to try and change it for us.

2.00 pm Sunday 17 August, Tivat

2009-06-08T15:17:00.003+10:00

Kotor was a little jewel. We caught a taxi there just after 4.00 pm and drove about 10 minutes. The road took us through a tunnel of 1600 metres, drastically cutting the journey which would otherwise have been along the coast.

Stari Grad (the Old City) is a walled maze of paved streets lined with very grand buildings, some dating back to the 18th Century and most having housed Italians. The hillside above the city is criss-crossed by a stone wall and steps with fortified lookouts. We lost ourselves in the delightfully shaded streets, admiring the architecture, shopfronts and cafes. We visited the Church of St Luke (Sveti Luka, who is Louis' birth saint) and the rather grander church of St Nicholas (Sveti Nikola). Sveti Luka was built in the 1100s. Both churches are Orthodox.

After a long and refreshing drink (bitter lemon and cokes all round) we walked back to the harbour where we admired the enormous yachts, one even from London. We heard both Italian and English spoken.

Earlier in the day I wet to the piaca for figs and other supplies and discovered the supermarket where I bought bread. My hand still troubles me when I write and my toe is swollen and the surrounding area is painful. Maybe its broken.

I discovered yesterday that the planes flying overhead were waterbombing a fire on the mountain. Last night, as I walked to the shop, I could see the red glow along the mountain, parallel to the silver moonshadow of the full moon on the bay - and unforgettable image as the light silvered a small boat in the water.

I'm enjoying swimming in the sea and the feeling of dried salt on my skin. We all get along well in the house. Elvira, the Russian, and I communicate somehow in broken Russian/Serbian/Englilsh and we laugh a lot together. The family in the apartment gave us a plate of delicious homemade doughnuts. This is the life.

2.00 pm Saturday 16 August, Tivat

2009-06-08T15:06:00.002+10:00

We had lunch today sitting at our outside table. Each day is a variation of bread, goat's cheese, hard cheese, salad of tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, olives (today I added sliced yellow peppers), olive oil, lemon juice, prosciutto, sliced meat and my favourite kaymak. We also had tiny ripe figs. I can't think of a better combination than their sweetness with the salty chees and prosciutto with crusty bread.

The day started overcast with a little wind, which has now cleared to a blue sky, blowing away the haze. We're leaving at 4.00 pm by taxi to Kotor. As I sit here, the sea is a glorious sparkling blue.

Yesteday, late afternoon we went to the beach across the road. I clumped into the water in my oversized Filas, abandoning them to the care of Nena wo as on the shingle to swim to the closes buoy and back. The beach slopes steeply and five metres out I can't stand. The water temperature was ideal and I must have spent an hour in the sea, swimming as far as the ropes that cordon off the bathing area and back - whenever I felt a need to exercise or to ward off the slight chill. Nada did her exercises in the shallows while Nena coolled her ankles. At that time of day, it was truly blissful.

Today there must be some kind of airshow on as every few minutes a small plane roars overhead. As it is, jets fly across the bay regularly from Tivat airport, heading north to Belgrade and beyond.

This morning as Nena and Nada went to their beach, I walked to the indoor piaca to buy Nena's figs that she'd requested the day before and to find a pekara (bakery) or supermarket to buy bread. We have enough food for today; I might have to shop a little more in the morning.

After my shopping expedition, I joined Nena and Nada on the beach before we all sat at a beachside cafe for a capuccino and bitter lemon (for Nena).

Last night Zvonimir joined us as we ate dinner and he helped us finish our platter of cold meats. Afterwards his girlfriend Tanya joined us so I bought us all ice cream for dessert.

Our fellow guests are pleasant: we share the kitchen with a family of Russians - Elvira, Andrej and their son Timur. We keep different times so it suits us all. We sometimes see the family who are in the apartment at mealtimes. There's another young couple at the back of the house. Upstairs relatives of our hosts live while behind us are the hosts and Bosco's parents. We met Vesna, their 17-year-old daughter.

My hand (and my toe) still hurts.

Late afternoon, Friday 15 August, Tivat

2008-09-18T13:00:00.001+10:00

Sandra in Tivat
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

My hand is hurting a little less today - have I been writing too much - but it's hard to write.

Nena and Nada are sleeping so I'm enjoying the quiet on the terrace, reading 'Half of a yellow sun'.

The day is again hot, although we enjoyed a lunchtime mistral, the breeze coolling our sunkissed arms - I think I've picked up a little colour since getting here.

This morning Nena and I walked about half a kilometre to the markets to buy more cheese, fruit, honey, prosciutto and a fish. Nena gutted and fried it for lunch, which we ate outside at our green table. I fed the fishtail to Artur, the ginger cat.

I might have a swim a little later. Tomorrow we plan to visit Kotor. On Sunday we'll take a boat trip to Perast and then Dubrovnik on Monday.

Today we met Zvonimir (Zvonko), Sandra's older boy and Matija, the younger son, who'd been racing in his Optimist.

6.00 pm, Thursday 14 August, Tivat, Montenegro

2008-09-05T14:18:00.001+10:00

Tivat beach, Montenegro
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

I'm sitting on the verandah of our guest house in Tivat. I've just returned from the beach, which is literally across the road from where we're staying. I found the shingle a little unpleasant and was happy to wear my Fila sandals right into the water, which is clear and warm. The beach is small and pretty and very busy. I expected it to be deserted, but I forgot that this is late summer and still school holidays.

Nena and Nada have gone to another beach, which Nena prefers as she can sit on the rocks to put her feet into the water. They're planning on buying a few provisions on the way back. I've already bought bread, cheeses, fruit and stocked up on water, milk and yoghurt. Sandra, who owns the house and kindly collected us from the airport, took me to the shops and market when we arrived. She and her husband Bosko, a merchant seaman, have run the guest house for the past five years, taking it over from Bosko's parents. Sandra and Bosko have three children, Zvonko, Vesna and Matej and they live behind the guest house.

Our house has an apartment and three rooms to let. We share it with a Russian family from St Petersburg, Elwira, Andrej and Timur. Elwira has been very kind and we communicate in broken Serbo-Rus. This is their fourth visit to Tivat. The other guests are a group of Serbs and Poles.

Our room is tiny (45 euro a day) but adequate and we have our own shower and WC. We share the kitchen with the other Russians and the Poles - the Serbs are in the apartment - and we each have our own fridge. We share the terrace and have our meals outside.

The garden is lovely and green with very tall palm trees, hydrangeas and beautiful white oleanders. I wonder what Chris von U. would think of this place.

It was 34 degrees when we arrived at midday and I'm still hot even after a cool shower. Luckily there is a faint breeze. It's cooller here than Belgrade which had a forecast of 40 degrees today. It wasn't yet that hot this morning when Rade, the taxi driver, arrived to collect us at 9.30 am. We were annoyed that there was no wheelchair booked at the airport, but they soon fixed us up with one both in Belgrade and Tivat, which is an hour away from Belgrade, so we whizzed through customs and security at both ends.

As I sit here I can see what look like passenger ferries crossing the bay. Tivat is set on the Bay of Kotor, a sheltered inlet a little like Sydney Harbour. I'll ask Sandra about the boats. Maybe we can explore the bay. Tivat is a good central spot for this. Sandra says the weather is good from April through September although they only have a two month season when they can expect guests. I think this coast will boom over the next few years as tourists discover how beautiful it is.

I've just spotted Nena and Nada returning from the beach. They've been stopped by a local; must be someone who remembers them from one of their previous visits.

9.30 pm, Wednesday 13 August, Belgrade

2008-09-05T14:02:00.002+10:00

Nada: her 90th birthday
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

Nena is packing her bags in preparation for our trip tomorrow to Tivat. This afternoon I escaped the heat for a few hours by going to see 'The Dark Knight' at the movies. I walked to Pionir Park (Pioneer Park) - or shuffled really - from the horse; it was very hot.

Earlier today we went to visit Milena who lives beyond Karaburma in a charming freestanding house, which she has decorated very nicely. As well as being a scientist, Milena is an accomplished seamstress and modeled her lovely handmade dresses for us. She served us a mushroom pie, coffee and ice cream, which encouraged me to buy some for us this evening.

Yesterday we celebrated Nada's 90th birthday with lunch at Srpska Kafana. This is a restaurant where Nena and Daddy celebrated their wedding 60 years ago. Nena pointed out to me the wall where they had a long table for all the guests. Her father augmented the food by providing a roast pig for the wedding feast. After Nena had praised the restaurant so much, I was surprised to hear that this was the first time that she'd been back there - even though she'd lived a stone's throw from the restaurant.

The food was terrific: I had slatki kupus (cabbage and pork). Nada had punjene tikvice (stuffed marrows). Nena ahd sarme and Vesna had a goulash. Nena even managed palacinke (pancakes) for dessert although the rest of us were groaning with food.

After lunch we walked from the restaurant to Russki Tsar, passing 4 Lole Ribare, the flat where Nena, Daddy and Alex lived while in Belgrade. I coolled off in the evening by taking a walk through the park hoping to see Vanya walking Luna, but all I saw were bats.

11.30 am, Tuesday 12 August, Belgrade

2008-09-05T13:52:00.001+10:00

Nada and Nena in Skadarljie
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

To surprise Nena on her 90th birthday, we put a Cune CD on her new CD player while she was doing her early morning exercises. Nena also gave her a few lovely blouses and scarves. We had a jolly time as she opened all her things.

After breakfast I caught the no.26 to the horse and my new internet cafe. I found a Kodak Digital store to burn my pictures onto a CD (150 din) so that I can free up my memory card. After checking my emails, I caught the no.26 back to Love Coffee for my favourite capuccino, stopping first at Lilly to buy toiletries. Back onto the no.26, I got off at the piaca to buy breakfast things at my favourite health shop before getting back onto the no.26 for one stop to get home. Now we're getting ready to go out for lunch to celebrate Nada's birthday.

Yesterday's lunch at Vesna's was tremendous: roast chicken, roast potatoes, salad and bread with corbe (clear soup) to start. We finished the meal with pita od orase (walnut strudel) and sladoled (ice cream).

After a little rest, we caught a trolley to the horse before walking to Skadarlije, Belgrade's bohemia: a street of cobbled stones and cafes. I found the atmosphere charming and we all enjoyed a beer sitting in comfortable chairs watching the world go by while we listened to a band playing gypsy music, serenading two young girls.

Vesna was very kind, giving me two pairs of trousers, shorts, beach shoes and a sarong - all for the beach. These were hers, but she also gave me a pair of gold slip-on sandals as a present. I felt quite special.

Earlier in the day I made my now familiar call to Lost and Found, but still no suitcase. I'm thinking of flying back to Australia with only the things in my onflight bag, but I may take up Nada's offer of a suitcase to carry all the extra things.

12.45, Monday 11 August, Belgrade

2008-09-05T13:41:00.001+10:00

My internet cafe, Belgrade
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

I've just returned from a satisfying shopping expedition: two bras; two pairs of panties; one bathing costume. I found a great underwear shop where the assistants were very helpful. I've also bought Louis a CD and Nena a Cune (singer) set of three CDs for her birthday tomorrow.

I found an internet cafe nearer the horse (the horse is the one that Knez Mihailov is sitting astride, outside the National Museum in the city - a well-known meeting spot), although I was very fond of my subterranean internet cafe (with no markings) that I'd used previously. I was much cheered by Thomas emails: one, a copy of that to Bogdan Popovic at JAT Sydney, telling him about my missing suitcase; the other with information about VISA, detailing my claim options: I can spend $500 while my luggage is missing - which explains the shopping spree above.

Yesterday I felt a little sorry for myself as I couldn't access my emails - it being Sunday everything was closed - so I consoled myself with an iced coffee at a sidewalk cafe and two more fridge magnets from a street kiosk near Kalemegdan Park.

In the afternoon I extracted family information from Nada: names, birth dates and places. There are still a few gaps, but Thomas will be glad I've managed to get what I have.

In the evening I walked to Vanya for a chat and a cool drink. She enjoyed looking through my photos so far.

Shortly we all leave to go to Vesna for lunch. We've been promised roast chicken and potatoes. I'm looking forward to seeing her flat, which is on the 16th floor and I believe has an excellent view.

8.40 am, Sunday 10 August, Belgrade

2008-09-05T13:31:00.001+10:00

Grozdana and Nada in Kusovac
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

We're expecting Bane and his daughter Milena to visit us at 9.30 am. Yesterday he very kindly collected us at 5.00 pm from Kusovac to take us back to Belgrade. We stopped at Kragujevac where his wife (also called Nada) had prepared a wonderful early dinner of proja (polenta) with a platter of sliced salami, cheese, kajmak and a tomato salad. This was followed by schnitzel and chips, which I declined having already eaten quite enough.

Their son Misa (whom I last saw 23 years ago) joined us for ice cream and a chat. Like his parents, he's a psychologist. Both Bane and and Nada have retired - Misa took over Nada's job - but at 71, Bane has a new job with a private university. He very much enjoys this, particularly visiting their campuses in Novi Sad and Montenegro.

After dinner and goodbyes, we resumed our drive to Belgrade, 144 kms away, arriving home at 9.45 pm.

Yesterday morning, after an excellent breakfast of fresh eggs (scrambled), fresh milk (from the cow), bread and cheese, Milan drove us to Borac, a short distance from Kusovac. The road wound through fields of corn, as high as the car. Occasionally we got a view of the beautiful hills. Cherry trees, heavy with fruit, lined the approach to the town. We arranged with Milan to be collected a few hours later.

Nada and Nena were both christened in the Church of the Archangel Gabriel, built in 1359 and tucked into the hillside for protection from marauding Turks. This is where we made our way, but as the parish priest was on annual leave, we weren't able to get into the church so had to be satisfied with a walk around it.

Leaving the church, Nena wanted to visit a local family whom she'd met on previous visits. They live in a house near the church which she says was previously in habited by her father's aunt. Unfortunately the friend was not a home, but we were entertained with coffee, honey and water by the relatives.

We walked further along the main road of Borac, leaving the tarred part for the gravel, in search of the river, which runs merrily through the village, cold and fresh straight from the mountains. Turning back to the town, we admired the houses and gardens. I am astonished by how green the countryside is and find it hard to believe that in winter everything will be covered in snow.

We had arranged to meet Milan at the ethnomuseum where we clambered up the rustic path into rooms with displays of implements and furniture from bygone days. Young Steva helped Nena negotiate the wooden steps and steep paths before we settled down for a refreshing sok (juice) at one of the rustic tables.

When Milan arrived at 1.20, he suggested we stay for lunch which was a truly delicious sauerkraut (kiselik kupus) with sir and kajmak and lepinje (bread). The kupus was served in an earthenware dish and flavoured with a little pork. The meal cost 480 din. Earlier I had bought two wooden spoons as a souvenir and those with our drinks costs us 380 din.

On the way back to Kusovac we detoured to collect Angela, Milan's other daughter, who had arrived from Kragujevac. Back home we all ate watermelon from the garden before parting company from the Vesovics.

7.45 am, Saturday 9 August, Kusovac

2008-09-04T17:04:00.003+10:00

Milinko, Bane, Nena and Nada in Dragusica
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

Luna the labrador puppy is chewing my shoes as I sit on the porch drinking my turska kafa. We spent the night with the Vesovics: Milan, his mother Grozdana and daughter Gordona. We arrived here mid-afternoon, quite unexpectedly for them. The message from Nada to Milica (Milan's sister) didn't get through to the household. When we arrived, only the old lady was here (no lunch awaited us) and Milan was shopping in Kragujevac, thirty kilometers away (getting ready for a big wedding planned for Sunday). We arrived hot, exhausted and hungry to no welcoming party.

We'd left Belgrade at about 9.00 am, taking the autoput (autoroute) out of town. The drivers are chancers, weaving in and out of the traffic without indicating. Bane's Lada (a kind of jeep) was a match for most cars, but shortly after going through the toll (you buy a ticket - 90 din - when you enter and pay when you exit), we turned off towards Topolo as Bane preferred the more scenic route. And scenic it was: Sumadije (literally 'forested') is the next Tuscany or Provence: green rolling hills criss-crossed with fields of crops and featuring the occasional red tiled farmhouse roof. Not only is it picturesque, it is also well signposted and the road was excellent.

Half-an-hour out of Belgrade, we stopped at Restoran Dascara in Predgradje Mladenovca for coffee. I enjoyed sitting above the garden and water feature sipping turska kafa with turkish delight. Outside the restaurant they were readying themselves for lunch, roasting five or six pigs over open fires.

After a toilet stop in the restaurant's very nice WC, we continued on our way. The countryside was truly beautiful with green hills as far as I could see. In the distance I spotted white quarries, which Bane told me were for marble. Later we saw a small truck transporting two large sheets of marble.

On we continued to Kragujevac, Bane's home town, where we stopped to buy a few rolls. Kragujevac's population is about 200 000 and I'm sure bound to increase once Novak Jokovic builds his new tennis centre there.

We stopped in Dragusica at Malinko's house. He's a relative on the Bojanic side, recently widowed from Vera and living alone on his 12 hectare property at the top of a hill with a magnificent view over the valley. We pulled out chairs and a little table and sat under a huge tree where, Bane told me, generations of Bojanic and Vesovic children had played. Malinko served us orange juice, biscuits and rakia. We agreed to walk to Nada's house, build by Great-Uncle Misa, after refreshments. I had visions of Thomas and myself settling into Nada's house for a summer to write and experience Sumadijan life. I can see Thomas driving the tractor across the land.

The walk up to the house is steep. Nada and Nena soldiered on while Bane and I took the lead. I was eager to see this house that my great uncle had built. It's a double-storey stone house with terraces and wooden balconies all round, built to take advantage of the view over the lake (to the south-west, I think). The house stands empty so we were greeted by animal droppings as we entered the property, but other than that its in good condition. Downstairs there is an entrance hall, WC, kitchen and living room, which has a wood burning stove. On the far wall there is an artwork of my great-grandmother. The rooms were shuttered against the light and heat and are sparcely but adequately furnished. The kitchen has a hotplate and sink. Upstairs there are two bedrooms, with sloping ceilings and a mezzanine space with window, built for children to play. There is a terrific view from the upstairs balcony.

Back at Milinko's house, I walked around the property with him as he explained that it's not worthwhile to sell his produce. I hopped onto his tractor with him for the ride down to the graveyard. I enjoyed this slightly reckless sensation as we bumped off the gravel road onto the tarred road for the few hundred metres before turning into a field to park next to the cemetery.

We lit candles at Vera's grave before wandering through the cemetery to look at other gravestones including those of my great-grandmother's two babies, lost at a young age in an accident.

We left Milinko outside the cemetery, driving on to Kusovac about 15 minutes away. We turned off the main road onto another gravel road, driving slowly to find the property, which is behind a big gate. There are two houses, one grey where the family lives, and the other brightly coloured, used only when guests come to stay. There is a long row of outhouses for the animals. They have six horses - Milan is a champion trotter - four cows and a calf, and some sheep. In another building there are some pigs, but I haven't seen those. The garden is very pretty, full of geraniums, roses and other brightly coloured flowers and a very green lawn. In fact, everything is very green.

Milan arrived at about 4.00 pm, also knowing nothing of our visit. He produced a delicious cinnamon pie, which we fell upon with great enthusiasm. Feeling refreshed, Nena, Nada and I walked across a field in search of the well, on the site of the original Vesovic family home. We found it in the undergrowth, surrounded by cornfields. I don't know how old it is, but it was there before Nada was born in 1918. Nena couldn't make it right to the well because of the difficult terrein, but Nada and I had a look inside. Milan had followed us with his wheelbarrow to pick some mown cuttings for the horses.

On the way back to the house we meet the neighbour, also a distant relative, so Nena and Nada stayed to chat while Milan and I went back to the house. Overhead dark clouds were gathering.

I spent a wonderful 20 minutes or so watching the horses, which Milan had let out into the yard, muching the greenery that Milan pitched to them. Once they'd finished eating, they nuzzled me in turn, looking for food in my pockets. I loved the feel of their muzzles as they sniffed and caressed my arms.

In the meantime Nena and Nada were invited to the neighbours house for coffee - I declined the invitation - taken by Milan, who left the car there to collect them later. He returned via the fields. No sooner had he returned than I felt a few drops of rain before an almighty wind swept over us, bringing dust and whipping sand across the farm. Above the tremendous noise, Milan shouted at me to get into the house. As I ran back to the safety of the building, I heard terrible banging and looking back at the stables, I saw a gaping hole in the roof with tiles dropping to the ground.

Back in the house, I tried in vain to close some of the banging shutters while the old lady announced that we'd lost the power supply and also the water supply. We stood and watched the rain pour and the sky split with lightning while the thunder crashed overhead. There was nothing we could do other than wait for the storm to pass.

Milan's daughter Gordona had arrived some time earlier with supplies and instructions for dinner, which of course she could no longer prepare without electricity. She paced the kitchen anxiously, wandering aloud what she could o. Milan lent me a jersey as the temperature had dropped significantly. We all huddled in the dark kitchen, gazing hopefully at the pouring rain and wondering how we could reconnect the power. As the rain lessened, Milan decided to go get the ladies next door, which meant he had to run through the fields as he'd left the car at the neighbour's house. When he returned, with them in the car, he told me to hop in as we were going to get dinner at the village cafe. I so enjoyed the pljeskanice, pork schnitzel, fabulous big red tomatoes, bread and beer.

7.45 am, Friday 8 August, Belgrade

2008-09-04T16:40:00.001+10:00

Bobby at Kalemegdan Park
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

We're waiting for Bane, Nena's cousin from Kragujevac to fetch us. He's taking us to Kusovac, the village where Nena was born. Along the way we're going to Dragusica to see the house that Great-Uncle Misa built. We're planning on staying the night in Kusovac.

Yesterday afternoon (in the heat), I waled to Trg Slavije via the Hram, first buying candles for Nada at the church. She wants to light a candle at Vera's grave (recently of Dragusica). It was a hard slog in the afternoon heat and Trg Slavije is a huge bustling square with so much traffic that there was a traffic policeman directing cars. I walked clockwise round the square, trying to keep in the shade, looking for Beogradjanka Ulica to take me down to Bulevar Alexandra.

I eventually had a little rest in Tasmajden Park, sharing a bench with an elderly lady, watching the beautiful young people go by.

After my rest I walked down Bulevar Aleksandra to catch the no.26 bus to Kaleniciva Piaca and was glad to get off the very full bus. I stopped at the underwear shop (it's not that I'm buying a lot of underwear; I'm just trying out the sizes) where the less than helpful assistant left me to find my own way through the shelves.

I decided against going for a walk with Vanya in the evening as I'd done enough walking during the day. I sat with Nena on the balcony as she soaked and massaged her feet and ankles which are still very swollen. After a light dinner of leftover burek, salad and kajmak, I retired to bed while Nena busies herself packing for today's expedition.

The day ended with my stubbing the little toe on my right foot on Nena's suitcase. It's bruised and swollen and I can't walk comfortably. A drive into the country will be just the thing.

1.30 pm, Thursday 7 August, Belgrade

2008-09-04T13:51:00.001+10:00

Nena, Bobby, Nada, Vesna and Vanya
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

Lunch today was a pljeskanica (30 din), a djevercic (30 din), kajmak and salad. I stopped by the piaca to buy the pastries and some olives. I'd set out early this morning, on foot, to Love Coffee for my capuccino. Later I hopped onto the no.26 to Knez Mihailova where I retraced my steps of yesterday to the sub-terranean internet cafe run by a London-based Serb. As they weren't yet open at 9.30 am, I strolled into the Kalemegdan Gardens. A little rest on a bench, listening to the church bells strike 10.00 am was followed by a walk along the low wall overlooking the river.

Back at the internet cafe I happily read emails from Thomas, Michele and my long unheard from friend David. After a joyful hour, I headed back to Russki Tsar to use their toilet and to have an iced coffee.

Yesterday morning I'd strolled along the Knez Mihailova looking for an English book. I popped into the Belgrade shop to buy a few fridge magnets and to enquire about Serbian English titles. I eventually found a bookshop selling English books and settled on 'Half of a yellow sun', which I'd been wanting to read. I also bought 'New York, Beograd' (in Serbian). This will be my first attempt to read in the original language. I'm feeling comfortable talking in Serbian - and even gave my presentation to the Library staff in that language.

I bought a charming ceramic Belgrade wind chime for Thomas before returning to what I now consider my local, the Russki Tsar for a capuccino.

Back home for lunch - burek, salad and baklava followed by turkish delight - a called Lost and Found, but still no suitcase. In frustration I called the claims office and JAT but no-one wants to take responsiblity. I've given up hope of ever getting my bag and have listed the contents to the best of my memory - for an insurance claim. According to Lost and Found, the suitcase has to be missing for a month before they declare it lost.

Yesterday evening we went to Kafana Madera at Tasmajdan to meet Vesna, Zorana, Branko, little Nenad and Vanya. The setting was gorgeous, surrounded by the park and I enjoyed my glass of chilled white wine.

Zorana, a dentist, has changed careers becoming a medical representative since going back to work on 1 July after the birth of her son, Nenad. Branko, her husband, is a manager at Caterpillar. They live in the old family flat that I had visited in 1977 and 1985.Vesna looks good. Her hair has gone quite white.

After drinks Vesna invited us to go somewhere for dinner so after farewelling Zorana and Branko, we caught a bus to Restaurant Sumadije, a stone's throw from Vanya's flat. Marko, Vanya's 16-year-old son, joined us for dinner and he and I had a lovely chat in English, which he speaks perfectly. He's studying fine art and wants to do restoration work once he's finished a degree in archaeology. He's very proud of his aikido brown belt and of course enjoys playing computer games. He's envious of our Australian lifestyle and would like to visit. He says he finds the local Macdonalds too expensive: the burgers costs 200 din. He would like to get a holiday job, but work is hard to come by.

The dinner was exceptionally good. Vesna ordered for us all: fresh sliced cabbage (kupus salata) salad; sopska (mixed) salad; izpriseni saskavalj (deep fried chees - utterly delicious); pommes frites; ljuta papriak and bread - for starters. For main course we had a huge pljeskanica that we shared; belo mese (white meat, I think chicken, grilled) and karadjordjeva schnitsla - a rich pork roll stuffed with kajmak. And to wash it all down, Vesna ordered us each a 500 ml bottle of Lav beer, just right for this very rich meal. I tried to get the bill (4000 din), but Vesna insisted on paying, just as Vanya had insisted on paying for drinks at Kafana Madera. The 500 metre walk up Juzni Bulevar was just what we needed, getting home after midnight.

8.00 am, Wednesday 6 August, Belgrade

2008-09-04T13:32:00.001+10:00

Tamara, National Library of Serbia
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

At last we have some relief from the heat: dark clouds are gathering and we're hoping for rain.

My visit to the National Library of Serbia was a success. Tamara looked after me very well and we enjoyed a visit with the Director, Sreten and the Deputy Director, Vesna. We had turska kafa (black coffee) in his lovely office and I enjoyed his relaxed style of dress (sandals, orange trousers and a t-shirt).

About 10 people attended my presentation, which is apparently a good number. Their questions were about RSS feeds, staff training and qualifications; legal deposit for digital documents and website harvesting. After the formal talk I met with Boriana, their web publisher and she, Tamara and I chatted about their difficulties. Currently their reading room is closed - and has been for the past two years due to renovations and lack of funding. In the meantime, it's business as usual for the staff of about 250 people. They have a CMS for their website but they can't change the design as they don't have a technical staff member. In addition, they have to publish everything three times: in Cyrillic, in Latin script and in English. They were surprised that we only publish in English. What? No German, French, etc? They liked our wiki and were very impressed by our recent project, particularly the report, which has so many pages . . .

I left exhausted at about 2.30 pm and headed for home in the heat.

Still no suitcase; I've given up hope of ever getting it back.

Lunch was a version of the day before: burek, salad and this time Nena's soup. I'm having difficulty eating as I have a sore tooth.

After lunch I headed into town (no.26 bus) in search of a new punjac (charger) for my video camera. The original charger is of course in the missing suitcase. I bravely hopped off the bus a little earlier to buy some more undies, this time at Women's Secret where I made my selection under the watchful eye of a security guard. Most of the larger shops have guards at the door. I wonder what they think of the shoppers. I heard last night that the average salary is 400 euro a month.

I bought my charger (2500 din) at BG Electronics, a little cheaper than the branded version (3000 din) - and it works. I even have an additional car charger.

Feeling sorry for myself (no suitcase), I decided to look for a skirt and after a few aborted attempts, I found a charming and helpful shop assistant in a tiny boutique on Bulevar Alexandra where I bought two skirts on sale (2500 and 2800 din). Feeling satisfied, I caught the bus home, getting back at 6.00 pm, just in time for a visit from Rada (widow of Great-Uncle Misa) and her daughter Zlata (sister of Nada who visited earlier in the week).

They very generously gave me a lovely decorative ethnic bottle (chutura) of vodka, which I can hang on my wall at home. They also gave Nena a calendar and Nada a box of ratluk (turkish delight).

I filmed Rada talking about the family. By the time they left at 8.00 pm I was exhausted and could only manage a peach before I dropped into bed.

I've finished my book, Matrimony, so all I have now are the Russo short stories and the Spectator to read. I'm going to go to a bookshop that I saw on Knez Mihalova in search of English fiction. I might even get something in Serbian.

8.45 am, Tuesday 5 August, Belgrade

2008-09-04T13:15:00.001+10:00

Sreten, Bobby and Vesna
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

I'm about to leave for the National Library of Serbia where I have an appointment with the Director at 10.00 and will give a staff presentation at 11.00 am. It's a cooller day than yesterday, with a hint of cloud in the sky.

Yesterday morning we caught the no.26 bus to the city and enjoyed a walk up and down Knez Mihailova, the pedestrian mall. I like the buildings and architecture and the shops are as smart as anything in Melbourne or Sydney. We stopped at Russki Tsar for coke and iced coffee (600 din) where we saw a large group of guided American tourists. We popped into the Majestic to see where Nena and Daddy used to dine. We returned to Kalanciva Piaca via the no.26 to buy burek for lunch. It's about a twenty minute journey from home to the centre of town. Back home we had salad, burek and soup (cjorba) for lunch.

After lunch I called the airport, but still no suitcase. I spoke to JAT reklamacije (claims) where the man was a bit more helpful than those at Lost and Found. He told me that I could claim up to $100 for essentials and that I shouldn't worry, the case would turn up . . .

I decided to go to town to buy a pair of sandals - with my newfound confidence in travelling by bus. I also bought Nada a CD player for her birthday and a kettle (which Nena thought was essential).

At about 7.45 pm I called Vanya, thinking we could take her dog for a walk in the park. As she wasn't at home, I left a message with her son. I left the flat and strolled through the park before deciding to explore a little further and find Vanya's flat, which Nada had pointed out to me. As I was snooping in the flat's courtyard, Vanja appeared with her groceries. She ushered me to her flat and after a chat, we took Luna, the enormous English Sheepdog for a walk.

Their park runs alongside the main road that leads directly to the Hram and the Library where I'm going this morning. We enjoyed catching up while sitting on a bench, nodding to passersby who admired Luna.

A word about Nada's flat

2008-09-04T12:56:00.002+10:00

I like Nada's flat, where she has lived for the past forty years, ever since the building was built. The walls are painted in a pale lilac and she interleaves her sheets and towels with lavender so everything smells lovely. There are two balconies, the one outside the kitchen facing south and the one off the bedroom facing west. I like the parquet floors and the double external doors and windows. There are wooden louvred blinds on all the windows. She has lovely furniture and family mementoes, with photographs under glass on all the coffee tables.

Nada believes that the water is too chlorinated to use immediately on her plants so she lets it stand in a collection of 2-litre plastic bottles on both her balconies and in the bathroom. It's easy to knock these over, which is what I did the other morning in the bathroom.

She doesn't like rubbish bins so instead she collects the refuse in shopping bags, which she empties in the street bins. She is careful not to throw away something useful so can always be relied upon for a cup, bag, piece of string, etc.

She has no kettle so we boil water on the stove. She boils her milk every day and keeps it in a saucepan in the fridge.

The block of flats has 12 floors and two lifts, which serve odds and evens floors. Yesterday, when we returned hot and bothered from the markets, we had to catch the lift to the sixth floor and negotiate the steps with our full baskets to the fifth floor.

The building has a security system so you can only enter if someone buzzes you in.

7.45 am Monday 4 August, Belgrade

2008-09-04T12:53:00.002+10:00

Stallholder, Kalanciva Piaca
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

I'm up, breakfasted, showered and dressed, waiting for the others so that we can go into the city. Still no luggage; I hope it arrives this afternoon. Thomas kindly found me the VISA help number to phone for insurance assistance. (There's no VISA representation in Serbia; the number he gave me is for Croatia.)

Yesterday morning we left early to catch two buses to Zemun, which is across the river. At their markets, I bought a fan (which I promptly lost), undies and socks. We walked along the Dunav Quay before having coffee and cokes (300 din) at a riverfront cafe. The weather was heavy and humid so we decided to catch a bus (90 din for two tickets; Nada travels for free) to Kalanciva Piaca. The no.83 bus took us one street away from the market where Nena showed me where she, Great-Uncle Misa and my great-grandmother lived from 1934 to 1938 in Kursulina Ulica.

At the markets I borrowed 6200 din from Nena to buy a kilim. I also bought a pair of shorts (300 din) so that I could get out of my black tracksuit pants that I'd travelled in.

We wound our way through the markets as Nena wanted specific things for lunch: tomatoes, cucumbers, peaches, plums and lovely pastries - pletenica (plait), djevrecic (bagel) and pita sa sirom (cheese pie). We also bought sweet pastries: pita sa orasima (walnut strudel) and pita sa mak (strudel with poppy seed). The best part was choosing stari kajmak (a mature soft cheese) in the dairy section where the villagers display their wares in great tubs of sir (cheese) and kajmak (700 din per kilo). Peaches range in price from 40 to 60 din a kilo.

It was 34 degrees and I was dripping with perspiration - mostly from travelling in the hot buses. They're not like in Canberra where the driver waits for you to sit down. Here the driver tries to get away from the bus stop as soon as possible. In Zemun we nearly lost Nada as the bus pulled away before Nena and I could get on. Luckily he heard our shouts . . .

Nena and Nada decided to take the bus one stop down Maxim Gorsky, but I walked downhill with the laden trolley - we'd added yoghurt and milk to our load and I was carrying two cameras.

Back home we gorged ourselves. I was starving as by this time it was 3.00 pm and I'd breakfasted at 6.30 am. After lunch I had a little rest.

Later I went for a walk, exploring my route to the big church (the Hram) on the hill. I passed by a lovely park, full of children playing or on bicycles and parents with strollers or dogs, enjoying the balmy evening. I asked a taxi driver directions and enjoyed strolling through the streets, peeking into yards where families enjoyed al fresco dinner.

A steep road led me straight into the church, which is an impressive building, hugely domed and cavernous. The sound of a choir singing greeted me as I entered the side door, but it was a recording. This church of Sveti Sava is under reconstruction, and has been for decades. The interior is under scaffolding and there are temporary chapels or naves along the outer walls. I sat down briefly to look at the lovely art, but quickly left when I realised I might have breached the protocol: men on one side and women on the other.

Outside the church I saw a jolly scene: children were wading in the fountains; their parents chatting on the benches or strolling through the square. To the left of the park is the National Library, which I'll be visiting tomorrow to give a presentation. This building is also under construction and it looks to me like the offices have been relegated to one portion of the building.

It took me about 15 minutes to walk to the church so I strolled back slowly, admiring the grand houses along the way. One of them has been converted to a restaurant, spanning a street corner. The outside tables are elegantly laid under an enormous white umbrella and all is discreetly placed behind a low wooden fence.

Closer to home is the Ghanian Embassy where I recived a cheery 'Dobro vece' from the two black gentleman enjoying the evening air.

Back home, I called Zorana, Vesna and Vanya, inviting them to drinks on Wednesday evening at Kafana Madera in Tasmajden gardens. Dinner was watermelon and leftovers from lunch.

7.00 am, Sunday 3 August, Belgrade

2008-08-31T17:30:00.007+10:00

I'm dressed and ready to go to Zemun. We're going to catch two buses to get there and plan to leave early as it looks to be very hot. Yesterday the temperature reached 35 degrees.

Yesterday, after I returned from my long walk, I phoned the airport for any information about our missing suitcase. Their advice was to phone after 2.00 pm as the cases had not yet arrived and were only expected on the midday flight. And, I was told, if the suitcases were there, the airport could only deliver them the following morning. If we wanted to, we could collect them ourselves in the afternoon. Naturally this incensed Nena who determined to address the issue with JAT. This led us catching a taxi to JAT in the city, only to discover they had closed that office. Our only hope was to walk to the other office (in the midday heat).

At that office we were greeted by a security guard who, while very kind and helpful, told us that JAT was not responsible for lost luggage and that our only hope was the Lost and Found office at the airport - which I was already calling every day. After long deliberation, Nena agreed that as we could only contact the airport after 2.00 pm as instructed, we may as well continue with our plan to visit Kalemgdan terraces. She'd originally wanted to scatter Daddy's ashes from there, but as these were in my suitcase, which was still on a conveyer belt in Dubai . . . we weren't able to do so.

We found another taxi who took us right to the top of the hill where we exited at the old fortress. The terrace cafe has a magnificent view over the Sava River to New Belgrade with a little of Zemun visible. Our ice-cold Cokes were very welcome. So much energy had goine into the lost suitcases - mostly from Nena - that it's spoilt our impressions of Belgrade. I like the city so far and feel very much at home here. I like the easy unspoilt lifestyle, although there are signs of western excess, like the Mercedes Benz showroom near the airport. Chestnut trees line the city streets and there are cafes on every corner. I particularly liked the street we drove through when we left Kalemegdan.

Our new taxi driver, Rade, was very helpful and quoted us some prices to travel further by taxi, if we wanted to: 100 euro to Kragujevac, for example.We told him about the lost suitcase and he offered to drive us to the airport and back for 2 200 din, a little cheaper than the 1 250 din we paid one way previously. He gave us his card and mobile number.

At home again I was back on the bakelite phone to Lost and Found. A little success: one suitcase has arrived. Luckily it is Nena's. This led to a long discussion with Nena and Nada about how we should get to the airport, with an attempt to reach Zorana to ask if her husband Branko could take us there. As they weren't in, we settled on Rade and his taxi. At 3.00 pm he picked me and Nada up (Nena insisted that Nada chaperone me), and we headed off in the mid-afternoon heat. So far no taxi driver has used his airconditioner in the car; they all drive with their windows wide open, which isn't helpful as the air his stinking hot.

Along the way to the airport and back we saw two car accidents, both with the vehicles on their roof. We also drove past Belgrade stadium, where Eurovision finals took place. I tried to ascertain the price of fuel, which I think is about 100 din a litre. I have a new formula to work out the dinar to AU$ exchange. For example, a cup of coffee is 130 din so I take off the nought and multiply by two: 1.3 + 1.3 = 2.60 or approximagely a little more than $2.60. This is a bit crude, but I reached the forumula the following way:
Euro50 = $75
Euro5 = 3800 din
therefore $75 = 3800 din
So if I take off the nought, leaving 38 and multiply by two = 76 - sounds about right.

At the airport, Rade was terrific: he deposited us at the door - so that we could escape the heat - while he parked the car and then together we went to Lost and Found. I had to surrender my passport in order to be taken into a back room full of lost bags - I reckon about thirty of them - where I had to identify Nena's bag. At first I couldn't find it, which caused some anxious moments as I imagined returning to Nena empty handed, but I spotted it and we managed to confirm the number and prove that this was indeed my property. The lady official advised me to call another number to discuss compensation. No-one seems to want to take responsibility for any issues. Back through customs I was met by Nada and RAde and we returned to the city in the late afternoon heat.

As I had no underwear, I marched up the hill to a shop only to find it closed: most places close between 3.00 and 5.00 pm on Saturdays and don't re-open until Monday. I like the idea of a quiet Sunday, but I was a bit depressed at the thought of no underwear.

For dinner we decided to get take away chevapcici (sausages without skins) and a pljeskanica (hamburger pattie) from our local corner cafe (480 din). These were delicious with salad and bread. We even had a little beer.

After dinner we discussed the best way of getting together with Vesna (my cousin) and family. I've resolved to invite them all for drinks on Wednesday evening.

On Friday, while at the markets, Nena directed us to a terrific health shop where I found all my breakfast needs: muesli, brazil nuts; dried bananas and sunflower seeds. I enjoy my early mornings on the southern balcony where I start the day with a huge slice of watermelon, followed by my cereal.

I'm hoping that Thomas will phone me. I enjoyed his call on Friday (Skype). I wonder what he'd think of Belgrade: it is busy, but not too busy. The pace is far more leisurely than Sydney. There's lots of greenery and parks in which to escape the urban environment. I'm not too charmed by the car drivers: they seem to aim for pedestrians on purpose at every traffic light. I have to adjust to looking left first when I cross the road. I'm glad I'm not driving as that would be a little too challenging.

10.15 am, Saturday 2 August, Belgrade

2008-08-28T12:48:00.005+10:00

I've just returned from a terrific walk: up Maxim Gorsky to Kalinceva Piaca, down to Bulevar Alexandra - where I had a capuccino (130 din) at Love Coffee, up into Beogradjanka and left again via Krunski to the piaca. For Nena's 87th birthday I bought a red geranium (100 din) and a terracotta pot (100 din) with drip tray (110 din). I also bought beautiful white - what look like - water lilies (250 din). The walk took about 1.5 hours and now I feel terrific, albeit a little hot and sweaty.

No suitcases yet, even though there were promised for this morning. A call to the airport revealed an arrival time of 1.00 pm and I was told to call again at 2.00 pm. If the bags were to arrive, they would only deliver them tomorrow. I'm still wearting the black trousers I arrived in and a borrowed t-shirt. I'll have to borrow some more clotes at this rate.

Yesterday our visit to Belgrade started with a pilgrimage to the cemetery. We caught a 'Pink' taxi (350 din) to Novi Grob (New Cemetery, although it's very old), where we walked uphill in the midday sun: first to the Vesovic family gravesite and then to Nada's late husband, Stanisa's grave before finishing up at the Kikic grave (Olga and Sava). The cemetery is a lovely park, full of chestnut trees and shady paths. We were approached by a gypsy woman, begging for money. Later I saw her again with a younger woman and a small boy. This was my first encounter with gypsies. They speak a different language to the Serbs and a rather dark skinned, even though many people here are dark skinned, they are not all gypsies.

It was very hard for Nena to negotiate the gravesites as they are very close together and hazardous: one could fall and hurt oneself on the stones. I admired her determination to visit each of the graves, even though her ankles are so swollen.

Leaving the cemetery, we caught a taxi (300 din) to Kalenic Piaca where we had lunch at the Fish&Bar Restaurant. Nada often buys fried crab here for her lunch although Nena and I elected to have fish fillets and salads. Our kisela voda (soda water) went down very well after the heat of the cemetery.

Prior to lunch we'd bought some supplies at the piaca: peaches (4 for 20 din) and watermelon (10 din). I also bought a lepina (bread) and a djeverecic (bagel) for 60 din from the little pekara (bakery).

On our way home, I stopped at Lilly (like Clicks or Priceline) for a toothbrush (350 din). I also bought two bottles of Rosa still water (60 din) at our local street kiosk.

Back home we had a little rest before Nada Bojanic came to visit (at about 7.00 pm). She is the daughter of Nena and Nada's Uncle Misa (their mother's brother). Nada is about to turn 60 so there is quite a big age difference between her and these cousins. Her father was 47 when he married his 19-year-old bride, Rada. They had three daughter: Nada, Mila and Zlata.

Nada gave me a lovely little gold pendant and two bottles of wine, one of which - the Vranac Pro Corde from Montenegro - was for Thomas.

7.30 am, Friday 1 August, Belgrade

2008-08-28T12:25:00.005+10:00

The view of the Hram (Church of Sveti Sava)
from Nada's flat.
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

It gets light here at 5.00 am. I think they should have daylight saving time. Last night I went to bed at 6.00 pm and apart from a few times that I woke, I slept right through.

Our JAT Dubai to Belgrade flight arrived early - the first time in 20 years that this has happened (according to the steward) - and the lovely Milan steered us through passport control - ahead of 500 people. Unfortunately our luggage did not arrive with us and we've been advised to call the airport this morning to check on any information. Nena was understandably upset but has rallied and is having fun renewing her acquaintance with pervious years' wardrobes. I'm wearing a borrowed t-shirt and will try to get a few other essentials later today; we're planning a visit to a big market. But first we're going to the cemetery.

Nada looks really terrific: fit and trim and scooting around doing everything for us. Our welcome lunch consisted of: a cheese pie (pita od sir); soup and bread (corba); fried chicken with spinach and carrots; and watermelon.

At about 4.00 pm, after lunch, I went for a walk up Bulevar Crevene Armije (now called Juzni Bulevar). The street is being renovated: new paving and parking have been laid and there are signs of new building all around. I saw very smart office blocks and flats; I guess this is now a sought after area, being close to the city and very accessible off the autoput (highway) from the airport.

I turned off the boulevard and headed back to the flat along a road parallel to the main one. This has very grand older houses on it. I eventually came out at a large street (Maxim Gorky), with shops including a branch of MT:S (Mobile Telephone Serbia). I was helped by two terrific shop assistants: I now have a local mobile number and 200 dinar worth of prepaid calls. Let's hope I get my charger soon.

I exchanged 50 euro at the airport. This gave me 3700 dinar. We were advised that taxi will not accept euro so I paid our taxi driver 1250 din for the trip from the airport to Bulevar Crevene Armije - a trip of about 20 minutes.

Nada's flat looks really lovely: she haid it painted last year and I like the soft pinks and lilacs (and of course the smell of lavendar in her drawers and cupboards). She has 1.5 bedrooms so Nena and I are sharing the larger room. Nada is sleeping in the lounge because she has her massage machine set up in the smaller room. There are two balconies: one off the kitchen looking south and one off our bedroom looking west. The bathroom has a bath and shower in it and the entrance has the phone - and old bakelite model.

We've discovered Nena's shopping trolley, which will be a big help when we go walking Her ankles have swelled terribly from the flight, but she insists on going out today. After the cemeteray, the market and lunch, we're expecting her cousin Nada Bojanic.

11.00 am, Thursday 31 July, Lanarca Cyprus

2008-08-26T20:54:00.002+10:00

We're 8.5 hours into our JAT Dubai to Belgrade flight and have stopped in Cyprus to refuel. We should be on our way again in about 40 minutes - I think we have at least another 2 hours before we get to Belgrade. There's a time difference of 2 hours from here.

I saw a little of Cyprus, mostly buildings along the coast. It's a dry place and like Dubai - although not as bad - is covered in a haze. The temperature outside is 29 degrees. In Dubai the heat and humidity hit us like a heavy cloth as we emerged at 5.30 am this morning from our Emirates flight.

Dubai airport reminded me of the one at Kuala Lumpur: high ceilinged with rows of palm trees in the building. The concourse was very busy with people of all nationalities streaming through the building. I noticed a lot of large gold watches on the men, both at the airport and on the Emirates flight. I also saw men win long white robes with black headdress and women in black robes, completely covered apart from their slitted eyes.

We had the wonderful Daneesh looking after us, wheeling Nena from the first flight to the next. There wasn't time for anything other than a toilet stop in Dubai. They have warm seats and automatic flushing toilets.

I found the Emirates flight and service a bit disappointing after our recent Qantas flight to South Africa. There was no midnight snack pack; not nearly enough new movies - I did watch Iron Man, The Savages and Shine a Light (Martin Scorcese's film about the Rolling Stones); the headrest didn't fold closely enough for a comfortable sleeping position; and there were no drinks after hours. But there was a great feature on the monitor: you could see departures and landings via a camera in the plane's nose cone - a view exactly as that of the pilot's.

Nena and I had facing aisle seats and she chatted the night away with her companion, an Iranian lady on her way to London. I had an empty seat next to me which was taken up by the legs of a pretty young arab girl who slept on her husband's lap.

The JAT flight has been a good intro to Serbian culture: people are much less concerned with correctness than Australians. They take advantage of any space available in the overhead locker; consequently our things are spread over a couple of seats. I've been chatting in Serbian to my neighbours, who are from Melbourne, going for a three month stay. To amuse myself I've paged through the online magazine, but I'm too tired to concentrate for very long.

Nena and I have travelled well once we mastered the wheelchair. She holds her cabin bag between her knees - and I pick up the rest. We'll see how we manage in Belgrade with our big cases.

I was amused by one of the passengers: he made a later arrival and I noticed him because of his white tracksuit and gold runners. Perhaps he's an ageing soccer star.

I'm sitting two seats away from Nena who has a young girl for company. I wonder whether we'll get lunch during the second leg of this flight.

7.00 pm, same day, Sydney airport

2008-08-26T20:48:00.002+10:00

I can't believe how fortunate we were, getting through the airports with ease. Qantas service was superb; the staff couldn't do enough for Nena, and I even got a ride on a little cart while she was pushed by Bob from the domestic arrivals to Sydney International Departures.

We checked in early at Emirates and were escorted through diplomatic access to customs and security - oh the benefits of a wheelchair. I had to abandon my two bottles of Franklin water while Nena cruised through with her little cosmetics bottles.

We found comfy leather chairs and enjoyed an early dinner of pizza and beer for Nena and quiche lorraine and salads for me.

I have my Spectator magazine for the plane and am looking forward to a few in-flight movies. Emirates have also checked us for the JAT/Dubai flight so we should be OK on that side. Just about two hours to go before boarding the flight for Dubai.

Thomas was a great help at Canberra airport, steering us through to departures - and he phoned me in Sydney (when I was at customs/security) for a chat.

Now it's time for a toilet stop, a little walk and then onto Gate 57.

11.00 am, Wednesday 31 July 2008, Canberra

2008-08-26T20:43:00.002+10:00

I'm packed, showered and dressed, waiting to leave home at about 1.45 pm to pick up Nena. It's a lovely day in Canberra, nine degrees at the moment with a top forecast of 12 degrees.

We're flying from Canberra at 4.00 pm to Sydney where we leave at 9.00 pm with Emirates for Dubai. We change planes there tomorrow morning, picking up a JAT flight to Belgrade via Cyprus. We should be in Belgrade by lunchtime. We'll be staying with my Aunt Nada at Bulevar Crevene Armije in her 5th floor flat.

Nena turns 87 on Saturday and Nada will be 90 on 12 August, so it should be a festive time.

In my suitcase is a small plastic container of my father's ashes, which we brought with us 10 years ago from Cape Town. I plan to scatter the ashes from a hilltop in Belgrade. I have left some of the ashes to scatter in our rose garden when we return.

Bojangles is sitting comfortably next to me on our sunlit bed. I'm expecting Louis back soon from college as he only has one class this morning. Thomas will come home for lunch to pick me up before collecting Nena.

Bobby in Dubrovnik

2008-08-26T13:23:00.001+10:00

Bobby in Dubrovnik
Originally uploaded by Liberty LittleBasil

On Monday 18 August, Nena and I hired a car to take us to Dubrovnik. Going there took us nearly three hours as we went through two checkpoints (out of Montenegro and into Croatia) as well as a couple of pitstops for toilets and water. Peter, our driver, waited patiently on the outskirts of the city as we explored the old town, stopping for an hour-long lunch - we needed the break from the heat and the crowds.
Getting back to Tivat was quicker as the border was fairly quiet.

Dubrovnik is lovely, quite different to my expectations. I thought the streets would be narrow and winding, but in fact the city is laid out in a grid with smaller streets leading off the main thoroughfare. Of course we couldn't have seen it all in our three hours in Dubrovnik, so maybe there were other places that were more labyrinthine. There were plenty of tourists and plenty of souvenir shops, selling jewellery mostly. I managed to get away with only a little sketch to remind me of our visit.

Louis channels Jimi

2008-07-22T13:47:00.004+10:00

A few weeks ago Louis performed Jimi Hendrix' 'Voodoo child' at college performance night. He sounded terrific - and looked interesting too, dressed in a long sequined coat and top hat.

Meester Vee

2008-06-16T11:57:00.005+10:00

Branislav (Branko) Vasiljkovich, 1913-1990

My father was European. He loved café life, conversations, well-cut suits, good food, opera, books, magazines and newspapers. He had an interest in the world and photographed what he saw. He was influenced by the contemporary portrait photographer, Yousef Karsh.

‘MeesterVee’ was the nickname that he used to help people who couldn't pronounce his real name.

Recently I found a box of his photographs. He snapped people in the streets and on the beaches of Cape Town. The photographs were taken from 1959 to 1963, a short period when my childhood seemed forever summer. I love the fashions and lifestyle that he captured.

You can see his photos in the 'Summer of the 60s' album.

Towards 2008

2008-01-25T16:38:00.001+11:00

The year is falling into place: I'm back in Web Publishing after three months in the Development office; Louis is starting College on 4 February; Thomas is happy in his new job and I've registered for a doctorate.

In April I plan to travel to Cape Town with Louis. My mother is excited at the thought of going to Serbia with me later in the year. We can explore Belgrade, visit Dubrovnik and make a pilgrimage to the village where she was born. I think I'll write a book and call it 'Travels with octogenarians'.

5 Mimosa Court

2008-01-25T16:38:00.000+11:00

I was born on 23 April 1956 in Johannesburg. My parents and sister had left Belgrade for a better life, which is why we settled in South Africa. When I was two years old, we moved from Johannesburg to Cape Town. I think my parents were homesick for Europe.

In Cape Town we rented a flat in the Gardens, in a block called Mimosa Court. For the next 22 years, Mimosa Court was the centre of my life.

The flats were on the corner of Buitenkant Street (which my mother always pronounced 'Bute-en-cant', ignoring the original Dutch pronounciation) and Myrtle Street. Buitenkant was an arterial road leading from the city past our flats to Highlands. I knew that the buses came up the road from town, but I was intrigued by the upper section of the street: what happened to it after it disappeared from my view? Where did the buses go? It was some years before I found out.

Myrtle Street by contrast was reassuringly short. On our side it led into the grounds of the International Hotel. Across Buitenkant Street it butted up to Maynard Street, which led alluringly to other neighbourhoods.

Mimosa Court was to my mind a handsome building: two floors of flats, 12 units in all, brick faced at the lower level and white stucco above. There was an interior well that contained two flights of identical stairs. Our side, on the left, was familiar while the other side, on the right, was mysterious. Strange people used it. Who knew where it would lead? It took me a long time before I would use the righthand steps and when I did, I would run up and back as quickly as I could.

When we arrived in Cape Town, we settled in flat number six. I was about five years old when we moved into the bigger and as I thought, more luxurious number five.