Animal Caring Tag Team Relay

 I went down to Melbourne late on Monday afternoon and went directly to Clifton Hill where I was having dinner with my brother Simon, and various members of his family, along with Lindsey and Ian. I hadn't seen Simon and his people since Stella's party in August so it was good to catch up.

Then I drove to Ghost's place, where she was very pleased to see me. Anyone would think she had been abandoned for days and days and days, although it was only a matter of hours. However, I think she is aware that she can extort more treats out of me than she can out of Ross 😂

You're back! Finally!
Where are my treats?

Good morning. Hope you are well.
Where are my treats?

I had a Japanese lesson at 8:00 on Tuesday morning, then Wendy came around and we went out to Kissaten for breakfast

A cooked breakfast smells delightful when it is delivered to your table in a covered outside courtyard

Breakfast for me

and breakfast for Wendy

I made my way home in a leisurely manner in the early afternoon. Brandy and Whiskey were pleased to see me but I had been gone for less than 24 hours so they weren't absolutely excited.

I called in to see Hugo on my way home from work yesterday. He was also pleased to see me, and especially pleased to get his dinner. Not that his dinner was late and nor had he been abandoned for more than a few hours, when Ross left to make his way down to Ghost's house

The animal caring tag team relay is just about to finish. Freyja and Simon get back in the early hours of tomorrow morning so there will be no need for Ross or me to run up and down between Mount Helen and Northcote

I was expecting to be out for lunch today with some interstate visitors who are staying in Melbourne but one of them has been taken ill and is in hospital so the lunch has been abandoned. I am trying to decide whether to do something useful in the house or to do something useful in the garden - or whether to do nothing useful at all and to browse through my library books, both of which are about using native ingredients in your cooking. I suppose I could spread the love and do a combination of all of those things

Mostly Gardening

Lindsey and I went to the Lakeside market on Saturday morning. It was a beautiful morning and the market was nice and busy. The lake was sparkling. The people were happy. The egg people and the tomato people were there. The olive oil man wasn't but I'm ok for olive oil for now.

The Smythes Creek  farmgate shop is now closed, while they sort out their new place in Delacombe. So we went to Wilson's instead. We went to Aldi for a look see. I came home with veg and eggs, tomatoes and milk, bits and pieces.

Saturday was, on the whole, a lovely day. Blue sky, fluffy clouds, still, about 30d.

Sunday was cold by comparison. And wet. It was the one of the few bursts of good rain that we've had for a while.

Lindsey and I went supermarket shopping and got caught in rain downpours from time to time.

What do you do on a wet Sunday afternoon in January? I finally got around to building my egg chair that came a few weeks ago and has been sitting on the front porch in a big box. Putting the basket together was more of a struggle than I expected it to be. The rest of it was fairly straightforward. I moved it all outside once it got bigger and bigger, and especially when I was battling with the basket. By then, the rain had reduced to light and refreshing.

The plan, when I bought it, was to put it here, where it presently is. That bit of the garden has a lovely cool, green shade on hot summer afternoons and I thought it would be a lovely place to sit. I am, however, considering putting it on the patio instead, and possibly moving the table and benches onto the lawn. I am considering moving the herb beds up along, past where the barbecue is, to where the very overgrown side garden bed is. I am considering getting rid of the barbecue, which I never use. I am considering clearing the overgrown garden bed.

I was also considering cutting the grass, but I did that this morning so I am no longer considering it 😛

I have tidied up the front porch

This is a pineapple lily that Chris and
John brought with them last Sunday.
I wasn't sure where I was going to put it
but it seems quite happy on the little table.

The vegetable beds are looking happy. They are enjoying the summer, which so far has been warmer and more settled than previous summer seasons

Tomato hedge

Zucchini and cucumber hedge

Sweet corn, pumpkin and green beans

Mostly runner beans

And now I need to get myself organised and head to Melbourne. I am joining various people for dinner this evening and I am playing with Ghost overnight. Freyja and Simon have left Europe and are now on their way home, via a few days in Kuala Lumpur so this will be my last visit with Ghost, for a little while at least.

But first, I had better sort my cats out. Not that they think they need sorting out. They are outside on the patio, snoozing in the sunshine

Melbourne

I was at Ghost's place in Northcote on Monday night. I went down early afternoon, having spent Monday morning clearing, cleaning and tidying.

Ghost was very pleased to see me, once she had decided that it was me and not Brenda The Burgular Breaking in. She peeped cautiously around the end of the bed, assessed the situation, then bounced down the hallway to greet me with enthusiastic requests for treats, please. (It's not as though she had been alone all that long. Ross had been there earlier in the day)

I met Lindsey for dinner. We went to The Fox in Collingwood. I haven't been there for ages. My grilled barramundi was perfectly cooked.

This is not barramundi, but it does look a very great deal like a larger version of Freyja's hippo Bernard, carousing in The Fox and eying off my barramundi:

Ghost:

Treats, please

I would like to go out onto the
forbidden balcony, please

I would like to do your Japanese lesson, please

Morning view:

I had a Japanese lesson at 8:00, then got organised and headed into Fairfield for breakfast. It was around 10:15 when I got to Oasis and had to decide what I wanted to eat. I knew I wanted coffee, but what to have with it. I decided on an early chicken shawarma brunch. It was very tasty but I wasn't expecting chilli. The menu description talked of garlic sauce and BBQ mayo. No mention of chilli. I am not a fan, and it definitely made the coffee taste peculiar.

Just after Christmas I ordered a few Australian Christmas decorations from a shop which I thought was in Spencer Street in the city. I didn't notice that I had actually ordered them from their Ascot Vale branch until they rang to tell me the order was ready but that Ascot Vale would be closed until January 5th. Not that it mattered. I wouldn't be in Melbourne to collect them before then anyway, and Ascot Vale was possibly easier to get to from Northcote. It's an easy drive.

Once upon a very, very long time ago, I used to go to Ascot Vale from time to time, to the little library there. I don't think I've been there for very many years. The library itself is closed for renovations, but is pretty much opposite the shop where I had gone to pick up my shopping.

A brief trip down memory lane

The shop itself was rather cute and filled with fun things to buy. Not that I did. I picked up my order and that was all. I do not need any more stuff at my place! But I would be interested to inspect their Spencer Street branch the next time I am in the city.

I was back at my place last night. To add to my general level of confusion, I am not at work today, when I would usually be. I have a Japanese lesson booked at lunchtime, not at the usual 8:00 (and I don't usually do classes on Wednesdays). I am up at Hugo's place this afternoon. I am working Thursday and Friday this week. It's all a bit discombobulating!

Sunday Lunch

The Sunday Lunchers came to my place yesterday, for an Epiphany lunch. It was also my first lunch party of 2025.

It was hot!

I didn't take any photos, although I wish I had remembered to take a picture of our entree. I made small Yorkshire puddings (I had intended to make slightly bigger ones but the oil wasn't hot enough when I poured the batter into my larger tray and I had to default to Plan B, which was the smaller ones). When they were cooked I cut a lid off the top, then I spread some pate over the bottom, topped with buttered leeks, then thinly sliced, rare beef fillet. I put a little red wine reduction (thank you, Maggie Beer) over the top and then put the lid back on. They were very cute and very tasty.

We had turkey slices in a garlic and cheese sauce with roast potatoes and green vegetables for our main, and a deconstructed pavlova for dessert - berries and mango in the trifle bowl, topped with whipped cream,  small meringue circles and chocolate sauce.

It was all very delicious and the company was excellent.

A good afternoon and a good start to the year.

A cold change blew in overnight. From a top yesterday of around 36/37d, today's top is forecast to be 19 in Mount Helen. It is very dark this morning and we have some welcome, heavy rain.

I wish I had thought to bring the clothes horse inside yesterday evening. I am not much inclined to go out and bring it inside right now!

I am heading down to Melbourne later today. It's forecast to be around 24d there. I might take a light jumper anyway

Sliding into 2025

I have had a slow and gentle start to the year. An improvement on last year - I didn't wake up with covid, or any other ailment.

Lindsey, Emily and I went shopping on Thursday. We went to Kmart , the pharmacy and a few shops in Stocklands. I collected some cushion inserts from Spotlight and some soda stream bottles from Big W. Emily bought some baby clothes. We went to Bunnings, where I had bought a gate and a couple of gate posts a few days before. I needed something to stick the gate posts down with.

I can home with liquid nails, which I don't think is going to be robust enough. I really need some cement, although I don't need 20 kg of cement mix and the bloke in Bunnings assures me that you can't buy pre-mixed stuff. I was fairly sure that you could. And indeed you can. But when I looked online, you have to get it from the UK for an extra $60 postage, or from Japan for nearly $100 extra in postage.  I knew I had seen tubs of pre-mixed cement/concrete. I just hadn't realised it was probably in B&Q and not in Bunnings!

I believe you can buy 500g tins of cement mix in Bunnings. I'll have a look the next time I am there.

I am making slow but reasonably steady progress in the front and back yards, mostly the front. It is quite hot today but I am going to have a bash, later this afternoon, at tidying up the front porch. It could do with a bit of attention. I am planning to move a lot of the stuff that is waiting to have things done with it into the Junk Room, formerly known as the Garage. There's a bloke coming later in January to have a look at the garage door - if he can fix it,  I'll sort out the garage so I can get the car in. I can feel a skip coming my way!

I haven't finished putting down the red mulch. I ran out of bags and of weed mat (I don't remember when I started that little project, but it was a long time ago!) I bought more of both and carried on, but I think I may need at least one more bag of red mulch. And the veg beds need a little light weeding. However, the veg seems to be thriving, although the silver beet could do with replacing. They're beginning to go to seed.

Front porch at night:

Lindsey and I went out to Elaine on New Year's Day. The Farmgate shop has opened its annual pick-your-own sunflower paddock. I did not venture out into the paddock. Fortunately, they have been out and picked some sunflowers on our behalf.  I grabbed these from a bucket out the front:

I do like sunflowers.

Emily, Andre and the children are back in Vancouver. Freyja and Simon, on the other hand, are in Barcelona for the night. They were in Paris yesterday and are moving on to Seville tomorrow and thence to Lisbon for a few nights, where Tabitha will join them. I would quite like to go to Lisbon. I've never been to Portugal. but perhaps not this week. I have quite a busy schedule coming up. I don't think I have time for a jaunt to Lisbon!

Last Weekend in December

Wendy came up on the train on Saturday morning. Lindsey and I met her and went out to the Lakeside market.

It was a beautiful day and, although there were fewer stalls than usual, there were lots of people there and there was a happy buzz. Then we made our way out to the Smythes Creek Farmgate Shop. A last visit for Lindsey and Wendy. They are closing this afternoon and hoping to relocate to Delacombe once they get all the paperwork and red tape sorted out. I may get there today for a final last visit. I need to do a bit of shopping today which I could do at the Delacombe shops, quite close to the Farmgate shop.

Wendy and I went out to the Ballarat Vintage Market for a spot of lunch and a potter around and then I took advantage of a pleasant afternoon to do a spot of tidying in the garden. I really do need to sort my poor gardens out. I have bought some cottage-y seedlings to plant. Need to organise places to put them!

We went up to Hugo's house on Sunday for a family lunch. Matt, Belinda and Sage had come from Warragul. Emily, Andre, Nate and Cate were there. We had a mighty feast . Ian's family came up later in the afternoon, although Wendy and I had gone by then. Lindsey and Ian had organised a rolling lunch to accommodate everyone coming at various times during the afternoon.

Wendy headed back to Melbourne and I came back to my place, where I didn't do any of the planned gardening, tidying or organising. I might have watched TV and messed about on the internet instead

I did do a little tidying and organising yesterday. I was also very brave and used my step stool to hammer some hooks along the front verandah so I could hang some solar lights. Nothing would induce me to climb an actual ladder but my step stool is only one stair step up and I could reach the edge of the verandah without stretching. I was also VERY careful!

It's a beautiful morning today. No Japanese class - the school is taking a week off for the New Year Holiday in Japan. A leisurely start to the day for me.

So. The sun is shining. The wind is still. We are on the cusp of the new year. All is good.

(So far, at least - the day is yet young 😆)

Christmas

Christmas came early to Hill House this year, with the unexpected arrival from Canada of Emily, Andre, Nate and Cate on Friday afternoon.

It wasn't really a surprise arrival. We knew they were coming. But it was unexpected. Flights were very expensive and they couldn't really justify spending thousands of dollars to come just for a couple of weeks. So we weren't expecting them. But Emily kept an eye on the flight websites and found a good deal, which she pounced on. And three or so weeks later, here they all were

On many Christmas Eves, I host an evening meal at my place. It wasn't convenient for Emily and Andre to come to me (10 month old babies tend to go to bed even earlier than I do), so I took food up to Hill House and cooked there. I bough another pre-cooked turkey crown and made another turkey in a mushroom cream  sauce, with roast potatoes and lots of green veg, followed by summer fruit, ginger biscuits and lemon yoyos.

Christmas morning:

Lindsey, Ian and I went to Daylesford for Christmas lunch, at the Lake House. Ian had booked a holiday house just two doors away from the Lake House, so no one would have to drive after lunch.

Lunch was a tasting menu of delicious morsels. I had my very own, nut-free menu, more or less the same as the general Christmas lunch menu

My white Christmas:

Lunchtime view:

And lunch:

Starter morsels

Marron tails:

Cherry and duck parfaits with brioche:

Ian and I had the snapper for our main:

Lindsey had the turkey:

Lindsey had the Christmas pudding, which I couldn't have

Ian and I had the mango and passionfruit pavlova:

No mince pie for me

They made me a chocolate ganache instead

And the wine flowed alongside all the tasty morsels

Emily, Andre and the babies also came to Daylesford, although they didn't stay in our very cute AirBnB. They rented a different one, just around the corner. It was a glorious evening and we all ate dinner outside in the garden of our AirBnB. You might think we wouldn't have needed dinner, after such a fancy lunch. But Emily and Andre hadn't been to The Lake House and were hungry, and the lunch plates were small and well spaced so there was room for fillet steak and salad and other delicious things in the evening. 

Playing on a sprinkler mat

Boxing Day morning:

We all met at the Frangos Hotel for breakfast and then made our way back to Ballarat. It was an excellent Christmas.

New friend for Christmas

It was hot and windy across Victoria on Boxing Day and the fire danger was very high. There is a very large bush fire burning in the Grampians. Fortunately for us, Ballarat and its environs escaped a fire and a cool change has come through. Even more fortunately, the strong, gusty wind has dropped and all is calm again. I didn't mind the heat so much. I didn't like the wind though. Lots of things got blown around although mercifully none of the trees around my place blew over and no large branches fell. Just lots of sticks and leaves