Sunday 8 October 2017
On Sunday morning we stumbled on a spring fair in a community centre located in Green Street, barely a block away from where Ruby and Rob were living. A cheerful gathering had convened there on a sunny morning to show off the shiny new facilities and the community garden. This consisted of numerous small plots planted with all kinds of fruit and vegetables.
Ruby and Rob struck up a conversation with a local called Bart and his mother who was called Elizabeth and who wore a necklace that advertised the fact she was a vegan. Bart was similarly inclined. The four of them stood around Bart’s plot for ages exchanging information about where to eat and the best places to purchase ingredients for vegan cooking. I overheard Bart self-consciously observe that vegans flock, and Ruby and Rob put their name down to take on a plot of their own. They have constructed a small garden bed on the pavers at the front of their place, but it’s hard to see any vegetables surviving the rigors of an Adelaide summer in a shallow bed. So a plot around the corner seems like a great option.
After a while Susie and I wandered off to explore the rest of the fair. She bought some exotic jams and heritage seeds. We checked out the flash new community centre and voted in the poll to choose a name for it. After a while Rob headed to the beach to go surfing and Ruby, Susie and I drove to the botanic gardens, where we spent the afternoon.
Adelaide’s botanic gardens are a treat. There is a vast greenhouse built to accommodate a miniature rainforest and there are shady walks though groves of trees.
Susie rested for a while on a patch of grass under tall maples while Ruby and I chatted over a coffee at the café.
We then checked out the Amazon lily which occupies a purpose-built greenhouse. A delightful, vintage structure houses a horde of formidable, spiky plants from Madagascar, and is surrounded by an equally delightful cactus garden.
Having had our eyes filled with vegetable beauty at the Botanic Garden, we headed back home to Brompton and then caught a taxi into a Mexican restaurant in the city which Ruby raved about. We ordered at least one of everything that was vegan and washed it down with Margaritas.
After dinner, back in Brompton, we sat around chatting late into the night, sharing a wickedly good GSM from Rockford winery.
Wundercliffe 