Ziggy is back And Stephen has Gone

The last weekend in January was Stephen's last weekend with us. We had heard tell of a pop up Vegemite exhibition in Beaufort at the weekend. Sounded intriguing.

So Freyja, Simon and Stephen came up for the weekend on the train.

Lindsey, Wendy and I went to the Zoo drive market, then Wendy and I collected Stella in Lindsey's car (which she had very kindly lent me) and made our way to Beaufort. Freyja, Simon and Stephen went in Julia, Travis and Henry's people carrier.

The exhibition was in a little room off what used to be a small service station on the approach to the Beaufort shops. It was small, cute and reasonably typical of exhibitions in small country towns and villages, I suspect around the world:

Freyja, Stephen and Stella on the Beaufort Main Street
Photo, I think, by Wendy

Then we headed out to the lake for a picnic lunch. Fish and chips from the Beaufort chippy, and picnic food that Julia brought.

It was a really good day - although Stella was very, very tired when she got back to her place.

This did not stop her joining us for lunch on Sunday! We had it at my place. The weather held up enough for me to use the newly resurrected barbecue, although not well enough for us to eat outside. The barbecue worked well, although it has never got as hot as I would expect it to, not even when it was new. I might have to take the jet things off and thoroughly clean them and see if that helps. Oh - and I must remember to move the thyme plant next time I used the barbecue. It's looking a bit singed on one side!

These are Freyja's photos from Sunday:

I did this cross stitch of the traditional county
of Yorkshire in the 1990s
I really must get it framed and put on the wall!

Bye Bye Stephen. 
It's been a real pleasure

We're going to miss you

Today I took the bus into Ballarat. I have never before taken the bus from Mount Helen to the station. I've done it the other way several times, but this was a first for me. The bus stop is a few minutes' walk from my place and the bus goes past it twice. I had been a bit puzzled, when I looked at the PTV website for the timetable, to see that there were apparently buses about 7 minutes apart twice an hour. It's because the bus comes from Buninyong, past that bus stop, then swings up and around the University in a big loop, before going past it again.  That answers that, then :D

And so by train to Bacchus Marsh. I also don't think I have ever had any reason to get off the train at Bacchus Marsh. Usually, I would be heading into Melbourne if I happened to be on the train. Then a wait in the sunshine for a taxi into the town centre. And there was Ziggy, waiting to be released from hospital and to come home.

We managed to get up the Pikes Creek Reservoir Hill without incident and stopped for lunch both for me and for Ziggy at the Ballan service station

Out and about once more

Nice new tyres
to replace the shredded nice new tyres

And Stephen is on his way home:

Freyja's photo

Now that Ziggy is home, I have put a spare broad brimmed hat, a tube of sunscreen and a roll on tube of insect repellant in the car. All of these things would have been Very Useful Indeed last Friday when Wendy  and I were stood on the side of the freeway for an hour or so. The back of my neck got quite sunburnt. I hadn't expected to be outside at all so hadn't been properly equipped, plus I was wearing scrubs so my neck was more exposed than it usually would be. I'm prepared now, although I hope the next time I am unexpectedly outside in the sunshine it is because I am on an impromptu visit to the beach. Or a beer garden