Stella's Busy Weekend

It's been a busy weekend.

It started on Friday when I collected Stella and took her to Rupert and Hugo's house for cups of tea and chocolate biscuits (in honour of Austin's birthday).

Rupert and Hugo were very pleased to see her. They were also pleased to see the chocolate biscuits - although they weren't allowed to have any. They had dog chews instead.

Rupert, very pleased to see Stella.
I'm not sure Stella really wanted a Great Dane
head on her lap!

Wendy came up by train on Saturday and she, Jim and I met Lindsey and Stella at a "new" coffee shop in Buninyong. It used to be the Pig and Goose but they left and the bike shop moved from up by the fish and chip shop into the empty premises. They have added a cafe to their collection of bikes and I must say they do excellent hot chocolates and Very Good Cakes.

Lindsey and Stella went back to Mount Clear. Wendy hasn't been to Buninyong for a very long time so we did a quick tour around in the car (this did not take very long) and then we drove up Mount Buninyong to look at the view. We did not climb up the fire tower!!! Then we drove out to Lal Lal to look at the falls. We've had a bit of rain recently so Lal Lal Creek had enough water in it to feed the falls

Wendy and a waterfall

A waterfall without Wendy

Sunday was Tatsuki's birthday so Lindsey, Stella, Wendy, Jim and I celebrated with a Sunday roast at my place. Roast chicken, roast potatoes and pumpkin, vegetables and mushroom gravy, followed by apple and blackberry crumble. It was going to be apple and blueberry but blueberries were $8 a punnet. Blackberries were $2.50 so blackberries it was. Sunday morning was slightly enlivened by the power going off. Only briefly, it must be said and it wasn't at all inconvenient - until I realised that the cats' water fountain had stopped working. Nothing could persuade it to spring back to life so Wendy and I made an emergency dash to Petstock in Delacombe to buy a new one. There's only so much being stared at reproachfully by two discontented cats that I can take.

Brandy thinks this is a perfectly acceptable replacement
Whiskey does not.
The previous fountain flowed into a little reservoir which he could
lap water from. The new one does not

Matthew and family came to inspect Stella's new abode on Sunday evening and stayed at Hill House overnight. Wendy went home on the train

Sun rising behind a car covered with frosted patterns

Matthew and William called down on Monday morning for a cup of tea and to inspect Jim's tool collection. He has a lot of very nice tools that he can't use any more. I can't or won't use them. If I need something done that requires more than a hammer, a screwdriver, a pair of pliers or the garden tools, I'll get someone in to do it. I would really rather like to sort the garage out and get rid of things that won't be used, so the next time they're in Ballarat, Matthew is going to come and take anything that he wants. Then I'll drop the rest off at the Buninyong Men's Shed. I'm sure they'll find a use for them.

Matthew and family took Stella out for morning tea before they went home. She has now had her two weeks respite "taster" and will now transition to permanent care. At least, I hope she will. I often drive past or close to the Mount Clear Aged Care facility and it is very much more convenient to drop in for a chat there than it is if she is in Mount Martha, which is becoming increasingly difficult for me. It is more and more difficult to take Jim there overnight. Mount Clear is much easier.

Construction on the new housing estate continues apace. There is now one house that is almost finished. There are two that have their frames and roof joists up. And there are two plots that are being prepared for building. I think there will be 20 something houses in the end. All the activity gives Jim something to watch from both the lounge room and the bedroom windows.