Life in Eden (Hills)

Ted. It didn’t take long for us to become comfortable in this appropriately named suburb of Adelaide. In our first couple of weeks, we have visited several popular destinations. 

The South Australian Museum has the most extensive collection of Aboriginal artifacts in the world. People have lived on this continent for at least 50,000 years. There may have been as many as 500 tribes, each with it’s own language and culture. The museum has grouped the tools, weapons, baskets, etc by tribe so one can see the similarities and variations that existed across the continent. It is overwhelming but fascinating. 

Belair National Park is very near us. We did a short walk there and learned about the variety of wildlife to be found so a return trip is on our schedule. 

We live just three blocks from Wittunga Botanic Garden so it is easy to drop by there to enjoy the wide variety of indigenous plants on display. 

Most of our days, though, are spent just living here. We can take a short walk to the village of Blackwood for everything we need. As Judy says, it’s a bit like returning to the 50’s. Along a four block stretch of Main Road, one can find three groceries, two butchers, a seafood market, a fruit and vegetable stand, two bakeries, a pharmacy, a hardware store, four barber shops, six op shops (thrift stores), three banks, lots of cafes and restaurants and countless other small shops. It’s fun to just prowl around, stop for a coffee and then walk home to cook lunch and take a nap. 

Each morning we are awakened by the otherworldly songs of the Australian Magpies in our garden. Go to Youtube and type in “Australian magpie singing”. 

While we enjoy our breakfast we are often visited by some of the many other local birds. Once again, I feel compelled to share a few images from the Internet. 

Galah

Kookaburra

Crested pigeons

Rainbow lorikeets

Noisy miner

The noisy miner is a bird which we see everywhere but have learned to despise. To understand why, return to Youtube and watch a short video called “Noisy miners: when good birds go bad.” We have actually witnessed a flock of noisy miners swarming a pair of cormorants who had chosen the wrong tree in which to dry their wings. Hitchcock would have loved it! 

On Sunday mornings, we take the train to Church of the Holy Innocents. The people there are extremely friendly and after the service, someone invariably drives us back home. 

The weather is also Edenlike, typically sunny and mid seventies. I suppose we could get by wearing just fig leaves but then the kookaburras would never stop laughing!