Lindsey and I went to Mount Martha last Sunday to carry on with the clearing out of Stella's house. 

Lindsey has packed up most of the things in the study, even if only by putting them in boxes and taking them to her place to sort out later. I have packed up more crockery and more books. We are hoping to have a day when as many of us as possible can go and pack boxes with enthusiasm. We need to get a skip or three at some point.

Lindsey found Tony's rainfall records going back 30 years or so. I've got the more recent ones, over the last five years or so of his life, but we knew that he had records going back much further than that. They're at my place now. We also found the family tree he, and before him an uncle, had worked on over many years, plus an official copy of his father's Freedom of the City of London certificate. They're now also at my place. I might try to bring the family tree up to date, as much as I can. One day - when I have time!

Rupert, Hugo and I watched The Funeral Ceremonies on Monday night, wrapped in blankets on the couch up at Hill House. We slept through quite a bit of it, but woke up for marching bands and other exciting bits. I, at least, was awake for the Windsor ceremonies. I'm not so sure about Rupert and Hugo!

Matthew was in Mount Helen on Sunday night and dropped down to my place on Monday morning to take away some of Jim's tools. I've sorted out some other duplicates for Freyja and Simon, if they want them. The sorting out of the garage has begun. It needs quite a lot more! I am also thinking of bringing the bureau desk here from Mount Martha. I have a flat desk in my study but I don't really use it now that I am here on my own. The bureau desk will take up less space and provide more storage (not that I want storage, of course, given my de-cluttering program!!!) Then I need to think about what to do with the flat desk. I might pop it on Facebook marketplace, which is where I got it from.

There were multiple major accidents on the road network around Melbourne yesterday, which closed the Western freeway amongst other roads. I didn't know about them when I left here early yesterday morning to make my way to work. I was surprised, but not excessively so, when the sat nav took me along the back roads from here towards Ballan. I was very surprised when it didn't drop me onto the freeway at Ballan but took me towards Geelong and then along a steep, winding road towards Glenmore and then Rowsley.

I've been along this road before. It reminds me very much of the road that drops down into Rowsley in Derbyshire. It's a very pretty road but I am hugely grateful that I wasn't driving it in the dark. Mind you, there were lots of cars and even some trucks driving along it as well so I could have just followed them had it been dark. I followed them anyway.

The sat nav kept me (and everyone else) on the backroads until past Melton and then finally dropped me onto the freeway. It wanted me to come off at Robinsons Road but the queue to come off was over 3 km long. I decided not to. I didn't know that the ring road was also closed! So I went over the West Gate and Bolte Bridges and all around the place and eventually arrived at work a little over three hours after leaving home.

It was a pleasant morning for a country drive but it definitely wasn't what I had planned. Fortunately I had a packed breakfast and a flask of coffee with me.

It's a national public holiday today for the Queen's Australian Memorial Day. Tomorrow is a public holiday in Victoria for the footie grand final. I have a feeling that it is going to be quite a busy weekend, despite me not going to work.