Lindsey and I made our first market visit for 2022 on Saturday, at Zoo Drive by the lake. There weren't as many stalls as usual, although that is not unusual in January. People on holidays, weather, covid all keep stall holders away. Nevertheless, I got eggs, peas, tomatoes, other useful things. Lindsey bought cherries, raspberries and blueberries which she generously shared with us and with Stella. The mushroom farm is closed for a summer holiday, so we called at Wilson's on the way home. I thought I was well stocked up for the week with vegetables, although I notice that although I have lots of tomatoes and mushrooms, the vegetable bowl only has two onions and a handful of green beans left - and it's only Tuesday!
I woke up on Sunday morning to the news that there had been a fire at the Midvale Shopping complex in Mount Clear. It had apparently started in and gutted the tobacco shop, which only opened a matter of weeks ago. It then spread to the gym on one side and to the bakery on the other. The bakery is a family owned business which I use all the time. They make excellent bread, fabulous pies and lots of other interesting bakery goods. They posted a notice on Facebook to say that they would be closed indefinitely, while the damage was assessed and then repaired. The chicken takeaway shop, an empty shop and the post office were all affected by smoke damage and will also be closed for a time. That is a whole row of shops taken out of action. Fortunately, the butcher is on the row that sits at right angles to the damaged row, along with a smoothie shop, a defunct Subway and the fish and chip shop. They had their turn around ten years ago when the fish and chip shop went up in flames and were undamaged this time. The IGA is completely separate and was also unaffected, thank goodness.
On another matter, I have made many attempts to get to Marlo, at the mouth of the Snowy River in Gippsland over the past couple of years. I had planned a road trip to Sydney in 2020 after our abridged trip to England, going inland via Albury and Canberra and returning via Bateman's Bay and Marlo (a small, out of the way place, but you know - Marlo!). Various lockdowns meant I had to postpone and finally cancel the road trip. I decided that we could still go to Marlo for a long weekend, it being within Victoria and so not subject to interstate border closures. Again, that plan also had to be postponed and then cancelled because of various lockdowns and travel restrictions. I was supposed to go to Hobart for my birthday weekend in December. Nup! No casual travel to Tasmania.
So Freyja and I decided that we would make a long weekend trip to Marlo this coming weekend. Some weeks ago we booked for her, Simon and me. I booked Jim into a local aged care home for respite care for the weekend. I mentioned it to him every time we drove past the place, which is in Mount Clear and opened perhaps 12 months ago, so that he wouldn't be surprised when I dropped him off on Friday. Lindsey organised a VERY complicated roster for looking after Great Danes and ginger and cream cats based on everyone either being away or working that weekend. We were all set - and there are no lockdowns or travel restrictions expected, despite the amount of contagion rampaging around in the country. I borrowed a couple of books from the library for Weekend Away Reading.
Yesterday, as I was filling in the paperwork for Jim's weekend, I got a phone call from the aged care home to say that they had been visited by covid and were locked down, so no respite care available. They couldn't find an alternative in Ballarat but could offer Jim a place in Torquay. Torquay is about an hour and a half south of here and not on the way to Marlo which is about 6 hours east of here - so not really convenient. Also, I want him to go to Mount Clear so we can see if they like each other. It's only 2km from here and I'm looking for somewhere he can go for respite and eventually into permanent care if that should become necessary.
So no weekend in Marlo. Sigh! Freyja, Simon and I have decided to try again in the autumn - although I wonder if we might get past the eagle eyes of the covid dogs by heading west rather than east. They're obviously watching my attempts to get to Marlo. Maybe they won't notice if I go to Port Fairy instead 😂
In happier news, you may remember that I bought an oak bookcase which arrived just before Christmas. It needed assembling and I found the Handy Girls in Delacombe and booked someone to come and put it together for me. She came yesterday. I'm glad she did it, it would have definitely stretched my flat pack skills! I am very pleased with it. They are out of stock in the place that I bought it, but when they come back in stock I might buy another one for the other side of the window.
The bookcase looks great. It's a shame about the home, but perhaps if you keep an ear out, it will change back soon.
ReplyDeleteIt goes to show with the fire. It spreads so quickly and so many people are affected.
I hope you get a weekend away soon.
The home will let me know when they come out of lockdown and I'll book Jim in for a trial visit. And I am very pleased with the bookcase. I am also pleased to find a local company which primarily uses women as their gardeners, handy-people and general house maintenance. The lady who came yesterday was excellent and they're not outrageously expensive.
ReplyDeleteI'm considering a weekend away in March or April - although my daughter suggests that we book a last minute trip if we find that she and her partner and I are all free on the same weekend and we can get Jim into respite care. That may well be the way to go :-D