Weekend

It remained wet, chilly and foggy for most of Saturday. There were no local markets but Lindsey and I went out to the mushroom farm and to the farmgate shop inn Elaine. We also went to Petstock, where we had attempted to buy cat and dog supplies on Thursday, only to be thwarted when the major banks' electronic presences abruptly disappeared. No electronic payments possible. Fortunately on Saturday all was well and Rupert, Hugo, Brandy and Whiskey are nicely stocked up again.

Sunday was an entirely different story. Sunny, bright, still, not too cold. A lovely, bright blue sky. I was reminded how very lovely the front rooms of our house are when the morning sun is shining. The spare bedroom has a lovely view from the bed. Our bedroom also has quite a nice view but not from the bed. which runs parallel to the windows. There isn't anywhere else to put it. If you placed it so you could see out while reclining in the cosiness of the pillows, you would block off the wardrobes!

The sun was shining beautifully yesterday morning.

Our room.
The red car out the front isn't ours.
Lindsey had just arrived in Ian's car

The spare room, resplendent in
the morning light

We haven't been to the Talbot market since January of last year. For most of 2020 and parts of this year it was in abeyance. When it has been on, it hasn't been convenient to go. Yesterday, however, Lindsey and I were both free for an outing. Jim was persuaded to come along. Ian was in Melbourne for the weekend so wasn't available. The weather was beautiful. So off we went.

Jim was a bit worried about walking all around the market which, you may remember, takes over pretty much all of Talbot. But we took his walker and Talbot is mostly flat and the market is along the roads so navigation was relatively easy. I think he quite enjoyed his morning out. Lindsey and I very much enjoyed our first visit to a country market for well over a year. We must go to more now that we can.

The market was as busy as you would expect on such a lovely day. I'm not sure so many people would have gone had the weather been like Saturday's offering!

Lindsey is ahead in the colourful coat

Jim using the walker with determination -
avoiding small dogs and darting children 😁

We thought about having lunch out but decided that the various restrictions and density limits might make it hard to find somewhere where we could just walk in. So we all came back to Tani and had a steak and mushroom pie that I had bought at the mushroom farm.

I still haven't constructed the new washing line. I really should. The fixed washing line is along the back wall, which is the only place you could sensibly put it. Alas, that wall gets very little direct sunshine at any time of year and certainly not in the winter. I put the clothes horse out yesterday before we went out and it worked well.  Yesterday! On other days it doesn't work so well. It is quite light and blows over when it is windy. The new clothes line is free standing so can follow the sun - and is much sturdier. I might give constructing it a go this morning.

It took me ages yesterday afternoon to work out how to put the blade into the small hedge trimmer I've got, only to discover that it is entirely ineffective against agapanthus leaves. So I trimmed a small shrub along the front fence. And made a start on cutting back the dead flowers on the massive bank of agapanthus which sits along the front fence, using garden shears instead.  I also cut back the agapanthus which are trying to take over the front wall where the letter boxes are. I haven't finished either endeavour. My green bin is now full. Fortunately, it is due to be emptied on Wednesday. I'll try and get the rest of the tidying up done after that. And I have every intention of finding out how much it will cost to get someone with a small digging machine to come and dig them all out.  I hate agapanthus in large quantities. They are quite pretty when in flower but for the rest of the year they are a complete waste of space, in my view. I could be growing edible things along the fence.  Or Australian natives. Or even a proper hedge.

So Sunday was quite a busy day, all things considered.