Jane and Ants Christmas Blog 2025

A very busy year with hardly a spare moment from New Year to Christmas. We started with a North Coast cruise in January and then before you know it Jane was back for first semester of Art College and Ants was looking after the house and sailing, fishing and bike riding.

Sailing in January we visited our old haunts on the North coast of KI

Even though South Australian coastal waters were hit with an Algal Bloom killing millions of sea creatures some decent snook were still around

Out Dragon Boating just after dawn to use the tide to explore Pelican Lagoon. Jane taking a group selfie (if there is such a thing).

In April, during a break from Art College, we volunteered at Hiltaba with Nature Foundation. Jane's nephew Seth had just finished his Gluttony Event management stint was able to join us before he flew home to England.

Seth at Hiltaba

We have kept up on the bike riding near home and on KIBUG rides. Here is Jane digging in to the scones jam and cream from Ants's kitchen

Jane had a great success with a pastel "Looking after your mate" at the Easter Art Show and won this great Artristic Easel (correct spelling of proprietry name)  in a special category of Artistic Exploration

Another Art Exhibition success for Jane at Kingscote Gallery

And Ants continues to make sculptures from old iron (or wood or Mount Gambier Limestone).
This echidna was last seen by friends riding at Island Beach.

This year we sold our little 2CV and replaced it with a 25 year old purple Ford KA. We lined up our car fleet before the "Plums and Custard" 2CV left for Victoria

Ants visited his son Josh in Melbourne in June and Josh turned on a lovely dinner

In July we flew to Joburg and a group of 10 of us went in four 4wds self guided (with Eric and Wilma at the helm) for a month. South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. Camping, flying over the Okavango Delta, Quad biking, Victoria Falls, birds and LOTS of animals. And at the end the group were still friends and still talking. A great trip.



 

A Hornbill in our camp

Around the cooking fire in Botswana.

Sunset and full moon on the Makgadikgadi Pan. Quad biking, sunset, moonrise, dinner and swags for the night. Rhys, Eric, Greg, Anne, Jenni, Ants, Jane, Jane(again), Wilma and Jenny. Plenty of J's. 

And another creature in the camp. Quite safe but unnerving 

In September we went to the Gammon Ranges for a few weeks as Campground Hosts for National Parks. There weren't many visitors so we did plenty of jobs, bait laying for feral animal control, weeding, slate laying and even making a picnic table.

Adding a last varnish coat to our table which incorporated an old sign. Standing on the slate we laid.

Approaching sunset on the hill above Balcanoona Homestead.

This year Jane won a position with an Artist Residency with Nature Foundation. This year she did two trips to the outback properties Hiltaba and Witchelina. She had support provided by NF (and Ants as driver, assistant cook and bottle washer) and next year will be in an exhibition in Adelaide with the two other selected artists.

A sketch for Jane's NF artist residency at Witchelina

A stormy sky near Old Mt Nor West homestead on Witchelina.

On the way to Hiltaba we stopped a couple of nights at Mambray Creek. Ants's daughter Kimberley joined us there and we hiked Mambray Creek and Hidden Gorge.

This year our coast has been devastated by an algal bloom killing millions of fish. However this 7 metre Humpback Whale on Redbanks Beach 3km from home is probably a natural but sad death

To top off the year Jane was offered the opportunity to showcase her art at Southern Ocean Lodge with a short solo exhibition of her work. So for 12 days Jane can rub shoulders with the rich and famous (she missed Albo's honeymoon by just a few days) and talk about and sell her works. A great opportunity.

The Grilled Barramundi lunch Jane was forced to eat at SOL.

Some of the art on display

And more art on bespoke easels made by Ants from timber recovered from the beach at West Bay.

Next year is already looking busy with Tassie, New Zealand with Terri, Italy with a bit of walking in the Dolomites and sailing in Greece with Kerry, Jenny, Anne and Greg, an Art Exhibition or two and a few more ideas in the pipeline.

We hope you all have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Virtual hugs and  kisses from Jane and Ants