Morning Sky, from my front porch

 

Magpies, the Market and Morning Light

There are lots of magpies who live in the trees around my place. We get other birds as well: sometimes kookaburras, cockatoos, rosellas. We get lots of large black birds, like crows and currawongs, plus, occasionally, very small birds who I think are passing through. There is one magpie in particular who regularly visits the fences around the house. Often it's just pottering around. Sometimes it is tormenting the cats (I am certain it's deliberate - you can almost hear it laughing!). And it frequently stops for a drink and a bathe in the bird bath in the front garden.

The cats were sleeping on my bed,
so didn't notice the visitor

I went to the market on my own on Saturday. Lindsey was at a conference in Cairns. It was a glorious morning and, although I went quite early, it was already very busy. I was VERY impressed that I nabbed a parking spot right by the entrance - a feat worthy of Ian who almost always finds convenient parking spots that elude the rest of us

Straight across the road and into the market

I have topped up my olive oil supplies from the Phoenix Olive Grove, my feta cheese from the Blue Bay cheese people, tomatoes and cucumbers from the Yendon tomato farm. I bought a chicken shish from Kazzam, the Middle Asian food people, which I had as brunch. Then I went to Wilsons for a few extra veg. Then I went home

A shiny bowl of jewels on the kitchen bench

Evening light:

And morning light:

Stella's care home is locked down because of a covid outbreak. The lockdown takes the form of the cancellation of all communal activities, including meals, which are served in the residents' rooms. They can leave their rooms, for a "walk" or to go out. Wendy took Stella out for lunch last Friday, so she is not absolutely in solitary confinement. But she is bored. I think they may have to restart the activities sometime soon - I have noticed people trickling back into the television room and hanging out in the little sitting rooms! Also, the outbreak appears to be dying down. I do understand the need to keep the residents safe from plague and pestilence, but mental health is important too!

Vanilla slices do a lot for people's mental health!

I am once again working Tuesday and Thursday this week. I expect to revert to Wednesday and Friday next week. But then again - I expected to be doing Wednesday and Friday this week until last Thursday. Anyway, I can't go to work in my pyjamas and snuggly dressing gown so I had best go and have a shower and get dressed!

A Mish Mash

It was a glorious day on Saturday. Not hot but sunny and still. Sunday was a complete about face. Cold, wet, gloomy, dank. And the damp, gloomy weather stayed for a couple of days until today which has dawned bright and sunny. Still cold, though.

I am not working today. This week I am working Tuesday and Thursday. It has been surprisingly discombobulating! I am even more confused about what day it is than usual.

I found the electric couch blanket the other day, when I was sorting out some things in the "study". I was sorting through it because I want to convert it into a third bedroom. I don't use it as a study now that I am here on my own, more as a junk room. I suspect that even if I turn it into a third bedroom it will still be used as a junk room but at least I will have an extra bed should I need one. Plus, I have bought the bed. It just needs assembling and the desk needs to be moved out of the room. I might put it on the local Buy Nothing page.

Anyway, while I was sifting through things, I found the blanket. I had chucked it in a corner at the end of last winter. I really should have washed it during the summer when it would have dried properly in the sunshine. (It can go in the washing machine - the electric cord thing comes off.) However, I didn't. It was absolutely COVERED in cat fur, so I spent a merry half hour brushing it all off. It's now back on the TV watching couch, and covered in cats

Some years ago I bought some sparkly Christmas candles in Japan. I didn't put them out last Christmas but I have put them out now as sparkly Winter candles on the sideboard, along with Stella and Tony's Alpine church Christmas decoration.  Very suitable winter decor, I think:

In its youth, the church's bell tinkled
when the candle was lit.
Not any more, but it still looks cosy

I have been tidying up the plants in Stella's room. Lindsey and I are thinking of taking away her little fridge. She doesn't use it any more and we could use the space to put all her plants together, and make a little garden space. 

I contacted the gas company late last week to see about getting the gas supply disconnected. Last time I did this, you may remember, the bloke I spoke to said I would have to have the meter removed and it would cost upward of $1000. This time, the woman I spoke to said I could just have the supply turned off and the gas people would plug it. This would mean that if anyone wanted to reconnect the supply later, they could do. Someone was supposed to come to do a final meter reading yesterday and then the plug will happen sometime in the near future. I wonder if they did. And how much the final bill will be. Not $1000, apparently.

Gratuitous Cat Photos:

Lindsey's Birthday Weekend

It was Lindsey's birthday on Saturday, so we made a weekend of it.

She and I, as usual, went to the fortnightly market at the lake. On this occasion, Ian came too. The market was very busy! We went out to the Smythes Creek Farmgate Shop (Formerly known as the Ballarat Mushroom Farm). It was very busy there too. It's good that the farmgate shop is busy. At one point they were thinking of closing. But it is VERY busy on Saturdays at the moment. I might think about going on Thursdays, instead. 

Our second fortnightly vegetable box came on Saturday afternoon. I don't think it will ever have really interesting, exotic veg in it; it's vegetables that the supermarkets have rejected for various reasons and supermarkets don't tend to be adventurous in their vegetable supplies. But it does have things that we might not have thought to buy unless we needed them for something specific. Such as pak choi. Celery. And sweet potatoes. I don't often buy sweet potatoes, unless they are called for in a recipe and ordinary potatoes won't do.

I visited Stella in the afternoon and reminded her that we were going to Lindsey, Ian and Hugo's house for lunch on Sunday. We had hoped to go out for lunch, but had failed to note that it was Mothers' Day. By the time we thought about it we couldn't get a table in any of the pubs we usually go to, so arranged to meet Up On The Hill.

I was invited to join Lindsey and Ian at a local Japanese restaurant on Saturday evening. I don't really like going out at night anymore, but an invitation to a birthday dinner in a proper Japanese restaurant (run by actual Japanese people cooking actual Japanese food) is not to be turned down for no good reason. And it was delicious. Edamame, a little plate of salad, a plate of sashimi with a superb spinach and creamy side and a savoury custard, a plate of tempura, then a serving of tooth fish with rice and miso soup, followed by black sesame, and matcha  ice cream. I don't recall ever having had tooth fish before. It was absolutely lovely.

While we were there we had noticed people posting aurora photos on the Buninyong and the Ballarat Facebook pages. When Lindsey and Ian got home they walked to the top of their hill to see if they could see it. And they could. Purple, pink and faintly green. Ian's camera got fabulous shots, showing the irridations and swirls that the naked eye couldn't pick up around here. It is highly unusual for the auroras to come to Ballarat, so no-one was complaining about the light levels. Everyone was just very excited  

I did not walk up their hill. They dropped me off at home and I went to bed shortly thereafter. I did, however, note the beautiful display of stars overhead as I walked up my driveway and paused to admire them - to the consternation of Brandy and Whiskey, watching me through the window and wondering what on earth I was doing!

Ian's photo, on a 10 second delay.
Admire the colours - but zoom in and just look 
at the stars to the left of the photo

Lindsey's photo, with no delay

And so to Sunday. 

I went to collect Stella - and found her in the dining room, about to tuck in to what I have to say was a lovely looking plate of roast pork, roast potatoes and various vegetables. The veg looked to be beautifully cooked. She looked at me and said: "I'm supposed to be going out, aren't I?" I said she could, of course, stay there and have her Sunday roast - but Lindsey and Ian had oysters and prawns at their place. She pushed herself back from the table very quickly, said goodbye to her dining companions and intimated that she was ready to go.

We had seafood, sausages and other proteins from the market, salads and veg from the veg box, a Mothers' Day charcuterie platter from the supermarket, donuts from the market and various bits and pieces from all over the place. Freyja and Simon joined us. Hugo had a great time - he loves having visitors, plus he gets lots of tasty titbits when people are there for Sunday lunch. He is getting more Rupert-like; at one point he pushed his head under my arm to encourage me to feed him tasty morsels. He never did that when Rupert was there (but Rupert did 😉)

Celebratory Sunday lunch (Freyja's photos):

You'll never be able to lose us in a crowded place!

Stella's Busy Weekend

So many visitors!

Wendy came up on Friday afternoon and stayed (with me, not Stella!) until Sunday lunchtime. She and Lindsey visited Stella on Saturday after lunch. Freyja and Simon came up mid-afternoon. They and I went to visit her. Wendy went to visit Stella again on Sunday morning, then my brother Simon, two of his (adult) children and a 4 month old whippet puppy went to visit her after lunch.

Stella had been quite surprised when we told her that we had assumed she would be dead by Monday teatime and that we were surprised that she was still kicking along on Tuesday. All the visitors last week and over the weekend mean that she believes us and is also surprised - but she is happy to report that she remains Not Dead Yet although she is VERY tired.

Must be all the excitement of so many visitors, and a 4 month old puppy.

In the meantime, back at my place, a drama unfolded in the lounge and dining rooms:

Whiskey, the Killer of Librarians

Librarian cowering away from the Giant Killer Kat

We have had some beautiful afternoons recently. Golden autumn sunlight continues to bathe us in the afternoons and evenings, usually after misty, cloudy or even foggy mornings. I have planted some daffodil, freesias and tulips in the garden bed along the side fence, under the Bramley apple, Tahitian lime and miniature peach trees. I put some tulips in rather late last year, which didn't flower. They are starting to come back up. I am hopeful of flowers this year

Looking from my TV-watching couch
towards the kitchen, around 5pm.

Neither of the cats ever sits on my knee if I am on the couches. Brandy will sleep on me if I'm in bed, but not otherwise. They both like to snuggle up close to me, but No Sitting. So I was surprised the other evening when Brandy did come and sit on me. He didn't lie down and curl up,  and it wasn't for long, but even so:

Not Dead - Yet

I did go to visit Stella on Monday, at my usual time of around 2pm.

She was up and dressed and in her chair, but sound asleep, almost unconscious. She would wake up if you spoke her name but wasn't properly responsive. Her breathing was very slow.  I was convinced that she wasn't going to make it to teatime, let alone to Tuesday.

So I alerted everyone.

Carers and nurses came. Stella was popped into her pyjamas, her obs were taken. She was put into bed.

She didn't really know who I was. When I asked her what my name was she said that I was Charlie. She did ask if my jumper was new (no, it was one of Tony's) and how the children were. Otherwise, we didn't have much conversation.

Lindsey came up after work and stayed overnight with Stella.

Wendy came up on Tuesday and spent most of the day with her. I went in at lunchtime, when her GP called in to see what was what. Stella was much more alert - and surprised that she had called me Charlie. Who, she enquired, is Charlie? I don't know. Not me. No, she agreed. Your name is Frances. Wendy asked what her name was and Stella grinned and said: Charlie -  and laughed.

Sense of humour intact!

Matthew and family came up yesterday. Stella was almost back to normal. Still in bed, but noticeably better than she had been. Very happy to have visitors.

Boys crying wolf might have been mentioned to me!

Not dead yet!

Meanwhile, back at my place, I have bought a new mat for the laundry, under the sink:

Someone seems to have commandeered it!

Laundry Kat