Random Things

I stayed in Melbourne on Wednesday night. I was opening up on Thursday and, without a car, there was no possible way I could get from Mount Helen to Reservoir by 7:30.

It was a good evening. I had pizza from the shop below, enjoyed the sunset and dusk, had a mellow evening and was up nice and early on Thursday morning to enjoy a leisurely tram trip into work

This photo is rather blurry, sorry
But it does catch some of the vast crowd of fruit bats
heading out for their dinner

It was Hugo's 7th birthday yesterday. He is enjoying some of the unexpected advantages of being an Only Dog. New toys, that he doesn't have to share. The treats are all for him. The birthday bone was all for him. And best of all - he gets to go for walks! It's been a very long time since Rupert was able to go for a walk, and quite a long time since he could get in and out of the car. We couldn't take Hugo out and leave Rupert behind, so their social life had been confined to home and the gardens. Hugo misses his companion - but he is definitely enjoying the walks and the toys and treats

Evening stroll in the forest with Lindsey and Ian
Photo by Ian

At some point in January, Lindsey asked if the Talbot Market was still operating. As far as I was aware, it was. I checked and yes. The next one was on Sunday 18th February. We marked it on the calendar and yesterday we headed out for a visit. Lindsey asked if we had been since the covid lockdowns. I thought we had, maybe?, perhaps once?, with Jim? I checked with the blog. And yes - we had been in June 2021, but not since.

My memory vaguely suggests that the market didn't operate reliably in 2021 because of various metropolitan lockdowns and other restrictions, but I am not really sure. I do know that we got out of the habit of going. I have put it back on my calendar, and added the Clunes monthly market that we haven't ever been to but feel we should check out.

It was a beautiful day for a potter out to Talbot and a wander around the market. I couldn't buy much because there is almost no mobile signal so most of the market stalls couldn't take card payments. I, of course, had no cash. Next time I'll make sure I have cash as well as my card.

We should go more than once every two and a half years. Pre-covid we would go two or three times a year.

On another note: my runner bean plants are thriving out the front, as are the silverbeet plants, the zucchinis and the cucumbers. I have had lots of runner bean flowers, although I think that something sneaky is eating them overnight. I'll have to keep an eye on that

And - the patio fly screen door fell off its tracks the other day. I couldn't work out how to get it back on, though I could see that the bottom needed lifting, after I had inserted the top into its space. I tried to lift it, using a screwdriver, which sort of worked but not properly. So I looked at a few videos on YouTube and now it is properly on its track and running more smoothly than it has, almost for ever.

Go me!!