The Dubbo Chronicles No. 15

Above: An old water pump on the outskirts of Dubbo.

The end of this month marks the half-way point of my exile to Dubbo. The experience so far has brought huge learning opportunities, unforeseen responsibilities and has forced growth as an emergency physician. At the same time it has expedited the progress of WBP.

I am flying home tomorrow to check on construction again, and to start on the first of two winter gardening projects to get the last of the planting for the park completed before spring. There is a little bit of tree transplantation to be done, and we have more trees and shrubs yet to arrive.

Peter has resigned his job at the Cathedral, and will be working full time at Willowbrook from the end of July. There will be much to do in late winter / early spring to get the estate ready for a summer opening; and until we are up and running and employing a small staff, it will keep him fully occupied.

The lighting arrived from the UK last week, so we will finally be able to position the fittings exactly on the walls, and to see them for the first time (having purchased everything on the internet, and not being exactly sure of how closely the delivered products will resemble the photographs (I am always a little nervous about buying things online).

We are starting to source the smaller items for the project, such as towels, bed linen, and bath robes, and having them monogrammed, along with leather folders and stationery, for the rooms.

Peter and Darin, our technical consultant, have already sourced the telephones and PABX system, and are looking into the security cameras, intercoms etc. The brief was 'unobtrusive state of the art'.

Meanwhile I have sourced all the remaining whiteware and small appliances including televisions, soundbars, and in-room espresso machines in Australia. I have shipped them back to NZ (where inexplicably the same items are 2-3 times the price).

One of the most pleasing finds recently was a set of three large cut glass urns with taps that will make splendid juice dispensers for the breakfast buffet or for functions. They blend modern function with period aesthetic...

I look forward to taking lots of photos this weekend which I will share on my return soon.

The Dubbo Chronicles: No. 14 - An evening with John Cleese

Last night I went to a charitable event at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, where John Cleese (who is sensitive to the plight of the ring tailed lemur) was performing 'an evening with' to mark the opening of guest accommodation where people would be able to stay the night at the zoo...

I had been invited by a friend who had got a group of people together...

The evening started with cocktails and canapes to the sound of African drums...

 Then the star of the evening turned up and talked about his childhood...

Career... 

and his passion for conservation...

Dubbo Chronicles. No 13...

Well, it's probably time for another Dubbo update, as a lot has happened over the past few months!

At present the NSW forest fires have died down, but they did get close enough to spread a veil of smoke over Dubbo (see the photo above). The temperatures don't show any signs of letting up however, with the past few weeks being in the 30s (90F). It is sure to only get hotter in the months ahead.

Meanwhile I have accepted a promotion at work, to Director of Emergency Medicine Training, with which comes quite a bit more work and will see me staying in Dubbo for at least 3 years. Peter and I talked about it, and it was an offer too good to refuse. The past 9 months have flown by, and we are sure that the next 28 will do the same. I am going to start flying back to NZ more next year – aiming to return every 6 weeks for a long weekend.

With my promotion comes some additional training, so I am off to Melbourne for a couple of days next week which will be nice, and I am also going down to Adelaide later this month for a conference, which I am really looking forward to. Peter is flying over from NZ to meet me there, and we are both hoping to catch up with Ms Millie from The Laurel Hedge.

I've also received my first formal invitation to a party, which luckily is the night before I fly off to Adelaide. ..

The dress code is 'Formal Chic' – luckily I still have some of the clothes that I bought in London with me. There is not a lot of call for black tie in Dubbo – the last time I went to an event in Dubbo I was well over-dressed, but then as Oscar Wilde said...

This year will also be the first Christmas that Peter and I have been apart since we were married, which will be rather odd. It is always my favourite time of year for so many reasons. Still, the plan is for me to work this Christmas in Dubbo, so that I can have next Christmas to return to NZ, where Peter and I can celebrate our first Christmas in WBP, surrounded by our extended family and friends.

Dubbo Chronicles No. 12 - Take me to a zoo that's got chimpanzees

I have just joined up as a member of the Western Plains Zoo! I went on my first visit there the other day.

I didn't see all the animals, as I ran out of time. But my membership allows me to visit as many times as I like for a year. 

Above: With the Giraffes.  There was a newly born giraffe there last week, only a few days old. 

Below: Some African Gazelles

Above: More of the Giraffes (they were far away feeding). They have to splay their legs in order to reach the ground.

It is a very large zoo, about 10 kms away from my flat. There is a cycle path all the way from door to door, and once there you can cycle around from enclosure to enclosure.

Below: More African Elky Thingees

Above and Below: The amazingly lazy Hippos. They didn't flinch a muscle for the whole 10 mins I was there, even when a bird landed on one's face!

Then I saw 2 female Rhinos and a baby Rhino...

The Rhino calf is called Macheo, which means sunrise in Swahili.

There were also some Cheetahs...

And some different African Elky Thingees....

A Bengal Tiger...

Some Monkeys...

Ostriches...

Zebras with a foal...

Emus and Roos...

Another African Buck of some species...

And some Galapagos Tortoises...

I had to cut my visit short, as I was getting dark, but look forward to my next trip out there soon, and taking my camera with me, instead of using my iPhone!

The Dubbo Chronicles No 12: Sold to a private collector for an undisclosed sum!

Yesterday my friend Fran and I went to the annual Dubbo antique fair. It was a really too small for it to have been called a fair, with only about 10 dealers there; but given Dubbo only has one antique store, it was worth a look...

I had gone with the intention of looking for some larger pieces of Wedgwood. However, there were none to be had - not even for ready money. There was a little bit of silver, but anything vaguely interesting did have a fairly high price tag attached...

I almost bought this sweet little stirling silver salt spoon. Not sure why I didn't now!

I did happen across this frosted glass ornament which I thought looked reminiscent of a somewhat famous French artisan's work...

It reminded me of a Lalique, and so I acquired the item for a very reasonable sum, only to find that it was indeed a Lalique piece. The dealer did not seem to know what he had.

It will go along side the two other pieces we have at home...

 Then I found this set of decanter tags. I had half been on the lookout for a nice set of these for a while, but couldn't seem to find a matching set of antique ones. These are stirling silver Victorian tags with silver belcher chains.

My final little purchase was a gold belcher chain...

All in all not a bad little haul, and to top the morning off, my friend won the door prize, a gift voucher for one of the dealers!