A Few Days in Summer

After a run of wet and cool days, we are now enjoying a run of very pleasant summer weather. It's been still and warm and sunny for a few days now. It's a bit windier today and we are expecting a cool change later this afternoon, but I have finally put away the free standing heater and brought the pedestal fan out,

Saturday morning at Hill House

Early this morning at Tani

Jim and I decided that the cardboard cat castle wasn't earning its keep. The cats weren't using it and it was taking upon a lot of space in the lounge room. So I started to dismantle it. It turns out that Brandy and Whiskey might not like it as a single castle but they do rather like it as three separate play areas. I have stopped the dismantling for now and the three separate play boxes don't dominate the room quite as much (especially since one of them has moved into the dining area :) )

A box of Brandy

Otherwise, it's been a quiet few days. Lindsey and Ian had a few days in Mount Martha, staying in a AirBnB not far from Stella's place. We stayed at Hill House with Rupert and Hugo. I dropped down each day to sort out Brandy and Whiskey and to do useful things at our place. Lindsey and Ian came back on Saturday afternoon and we moved back to our place. 

Lindsey and I did the Saturday Shopping on Sunday. We dropped out to Elaine. The Mushroom farm is on holiday for a couple of weeks so we couldn't go there and in any case it isn't open on Sundays. We went into town and did the supermarket and the scoop shop. Jim and I  went up to Hill House to help clip Rupert's toenails and to check out the garden. Jim has been enjoying watching the cricket on the telly. I have been enjoying pottering in the gardens at Hill House and Tani. It's all been quite pleasant.

I lost Hugo on Saturday morning.  Couldn't find him in any of his usual spots.  Not on our bed, though Rupert was. Not in the lounge room. Not on the dining room couches.  Not on his bed in the front yard. Not on his bed in the back yard.  Nowhere to be seen. Then I found him. And he was on a bed. But it was the bed in the guest room.  The door had obviously not been properly closed!

A start to 2021

We welcomed 2021 by hosting Lindsey, Ian and Stella to lunch at our place on the first day of the year.  I said it last year, and I'll say it again. Starting the year as we mean to go on. Lunches, joviality, conviviality.  Didn't work last year but I'm hopeful ...

Salad platter for our New Year lunch,
accompanied  by seafood and fried chicken

And a New Year present for Brandy and Whiskey from Lindsey:

Jim and I took Stella back to her place on Sunday afternoon, after a fortnight's holiday in Mount Helen.  I think she enjoyed it. We had lunches out and lunches in. We went to the farm shops and to the greengrocery shops. We went to the lake and out into the countryside.  We saw an echidna. Ian cooked her amazing dinners. After a long, long year of lockdowns and restrictions and physical ailments I think she rather enjoyed the opportunity to get out and about and to do some exploring.

She was also quite pleased to get back to her own place, her own routines and her own bed.  Holidays are fabulous and fun and coming home again is a pleasure.

Jim and I stayed over on Sunday night. We had gone down in Lindsey's car rather than in Ziggy, partly because there was a lot of extra stuff to take to Mount Martha as well as Stella's things. Lindsey's car was jam packed full. You would never have got it all into Ziggy. Also, I was hoping to get Tony's electric piano into the car.  On Monday morning I carefully, carefully measured the piano.  I carefully, carefully measured the interior of Lindsey's car.  I calculated that it would *just* fit.  Jim and I slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly manoeuvred the piano out of Tony's study and slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly levered it into Lindsey's car.  I decided to leave the piano stool until our next visit, later in the month.

Then we left Stella in the hands of her carer and took ourselves and the piano home. Lindsey came by to help us move the piano into my study and to swap the cars back.

I can't actually play the piano.  Stella has, quite accurately, pointed out that I had had piano lessons and it is quite true that I did. When I was a child in London. I think I was probably six or seven. We left London when I was nine, so it had to be earlier than that.  I can't actually play the piano in any meaningful sense now.  I can read music. I know what notes the keys on the piano play.  I can pick out a one fingered tune.  That is not actually piano playing.  But it's a start. I have no wish ever to be particularly competent. No concert pianoing for me. But it might be fun to learn to play something. Lindsey has lent me a book for adult beginners.  I have ordered a couple of books online.  I might look into online piano courses.  YouTube is bound to have something!

But not today. Today we are at Rupert and Hugo's place. Freyja and Simon came for a spontaneous lunch (I made a vegan lasagne that I was quite pleased with). Our friend Julia came too for a cuppa and a chat, bringing 10 month old Baby Henry with her.  Rupert and Hugo were absolutely fascinated by Baby Henry. Baby Henry was fascinated by them. A mutual fascination society :-)  And then Rupert and Hugo discovered that 10 month old babies drop food on the floor.  A definite win!

The Interfest

We had an extra public holiday on Monday for Boxing Day, which fell on a Saturday and therefore doesn't count as a holiday, apparently.

So Lindsey, Ian, Stella, Jim and I went out to Pipers at the lake for lunch. And then Lindsey, Stella and I went out to the Elaine Farmgate shop, just because. We didn't really need anything, but it's a nice drive and an accessible place for Stella to get into.

There are lots of roadworks along the road between Buninyong and Elaine. A great deal of the way is restricted to 80, with some sections restricted to 60. It's a bit tedious, especially when there is noone around doing anything. So we came back along the forest road.The road through the forest is an unmade track. I think it might be a forestry route.  I almost never go along it if I am driving Ziggy. But Lindsey's car is a robust 4W Drive which can cope with the road, if driven slowly and carefully.  It's not too bad at each end but the middle section is very seldom graded and is full of ruts and ridges and potholes and other hazards to shipping. It's a beautiful route to look at, and the advantage to having to drive slowly is that you see lots of things that you would miss if you were going faster. Such as birds and butterflies. And a big, fat echidna bindling along an embankment beside the road. (It was big as in on the large side for an echidna, not big as in the size of a wombat or an elephant!)

On Tuesday Stella had to have a blood test, so she and I went and had that done and then went out to the mushroom farm.  I did need to go there. I had long run out of mushrooms.  The advantage of taking Stella on a weekday is that all the extra people aren't there.  No coffee van, no seafood van and, above all, no local wine stall. The wine stall is usually right outside the entrance.  With it not there, I could park right outside the entrance and Stella could come in using her walker. She's never been in it and it is exactly the kind of shop she likes.

And so we come to New Year's Eve. Many people are celebrating the end of 2020 as the passing of a very difficult year.  And there is no doubting that, in many ways, it has been.  I am slightly more muted in my boisterous farewelling of 2020. There is nothing to say that 2021 isn't hiding on the sidelines, rubbing its fingers with glee, ready to unleash even more upon us.  It is even possible that the whole decade is in training for turbulence, chaos, disaster and catastrophe.

Lindsey, Stella and I decided to ignore all of that and we bundled Stella into the car and went out to the Wendouree shopping complex which is large and full of the sorts of shops that Stella likes. We had lunch in a Japanese cafe. We went to the Other Wilson's store on the other side of town. We went to Dan Murphy's. We didn't any of us buy very much but we had a good potter around. A calm, peaceful and pleasant end to the year.

In other news, Rupert is very much better. I had a wag of the tail and a Happy Dance when I went to pick up Stella on Tuesday.He is eating his food properly. He is playing with Hugo. He is playing with his toys. We think he is going to be OK.

Rupert and Hugo looking out
through their front door on Tuesday

Oh, and happy Gotcha Day to Hugo. Three years today since he arrived at Hill House as a 10 month old puppy. A good addition to the household

Boxing Day

Wendy drove us home from the Christmas Feast. She doesn't drink alcohol so was fit to drive - and was happy to have a bed in an actual bedroom for the night.

She and I went to the Mill Market in Warrenheip. The Mill markets are enormous trash and treasure and bric a brac indoor markets. I suppose I go once or twice a year for a potter around.  I've been to the Warrenheip and Daylesford ones but not yet the one in Geelong. Wendy had never been to any of them and it seemed to be the sort of place she would like.  And she did. Although mysteriously, she didn't buy anything. Except morning tea in the cafe for her and me.

We dropped up to Hill House to inspect Rupert and to visit Stella, Lindsey and Ian. All the visitors had gone home and it was nice and quiet.

Wendy went home on the train.

It's been a good few days

Tatsuki in Gifu on his Christmas bike

Tabitha, Gareth, Cally and Flynn in Sheffield
with their (home delivered) pub Christmas lunch

Freyja engaging in her favourite Boxing Day activity,
out at the movies

Boxing Day clouds over our place

Christmas

 

Lindsey and I headed out at around 7am on Christmas Eve. We managed Wilson's with no difficulty for the fruit and veg.  The supermarket was pleasantly empty. We headed over to Alfredton to run an errand. We hit Bunnings, which was nice and orderly. Then we headed back into town to pick up the seafood. We got there about 15 minutes after the seafood shop opened. By then the queue had snaked its way along the shopfronts, round the corner, up past the pet shop and computer shop and halfway along the supermarket wall. 

I held our place in the queue while Lindsey did a few other things that we had planned to do.

One hour and forty five minutes later we had the Christmas seafood. I have said this before but let me remind everyone.  I AM NOT DOING THIS AGAIN!!!!!  If anyone wants to order seafood to be picked up on Christmas Eve, they can pick it up themselves.  I got my seafood from the van at the mushroom farm, where there was no queue at all - and very nice it was too.

We launched Christmas by having Christmas Eve dinner at our place.  Stella, Emily and Lindsey came down from Hill House (Ian was invited but had things he needed to do). Freyja and Simon came from Melbourne and we had seafood bisque (seafood from the van, not the shop), followed by roast turkey for the meat eaters, and miso soup followed by a Smith and Deli's roast "turkey" for the non-meat eaters, accompanied by lemon potatoes and creamed vegetables.

Freyja and Simon stayed over and spent Christmas morning on the traditional Put Together The Complicated Present game, constructing a castle for the cats

It must be said that the cats aren't absolutely excited by this castle.  Marlo would have loved it.  Brandy and Whiskey aren't quite as fascinated by boxes.

I spent the afternoon making these vegan-friendly courses for the Christmas Feast:

Mango and raspberry trifle

Festive vegetable and tofu pie

Scalloped potatoes

And then everyone assembled at Hill House for the evening Feast. And a very merry evening it was. 

Stella

Tony's memorial bear with a bottle of good red wine

Rupert

 Rupert enlivened the Christmas season by becoming very unwell late on Wednesday afternoon.

Ian says he was reluctant to eat breakfast, although he ate some rice at lunchtime and his dinner late in the afternoon.  He did, though, reject his after dinner treat.

He was very restless, then he went down the garden, hotly pursued by Hugo who leapt on him. I'm not sure exactly what happened but Rupert started howling.  Ian and I both ran down to find what looked like a fight, although they don't usually fight.  I'm not sure if Hugo had intended to play but had got stuck.  Whatever, his teeth were stuck to Rupert's jowl.  Ian managed to separate them and we all went back inside.  But it was obvious that Rupert was not happy.

Jim and I went home, but I was unsurprised when Ian rang to say that he was worried about Rupert.  He was shaking and drooling and whimpering. He put Rupert in the car and came down to collect me.

Rupert had the classic symptoms of bloat.  If your large chested dog shows symptoms of bloat you need to act very quickly. We were somewhat surprised to discover that in Ballarat, which vies with Bendigo to be the third largest city in Victoria, there is no out of hours emergency vet. The nearest is in Geelong, an hour's drive away. I sat up at Hill House with Stella until Lindsey came back from work, while Ian hot footed it to Geelong with Rupert.

He had successful surgery but had to stay in hospital until yesterday. He wasn't eating- which is hardly surprising when he had just had major surgery on his stomach. Also, on Christmas day lots of people and dogs were coming for the evening. It was probably better for him to be in the peace and quiet of hospital until Christmas was over.

Lindsey and Ian picked him up yesterday and brought him home.  He still wasn't eating but then was tempted by some Christmas pâté. And perhaps just a sliver of ham.  Maybe some home made sausage roll? Oh yes, a little turkey would be pleasant.  But not, definitely not the prescription tinned gloop the vet had sent home with him.  Definitely  not that!

Lindsey says he is more alert today and a bit happier. His legs are more stable. He is  a bit more interested in food. We are cautiously hopeful that he will make a full recovery.

But Christmas does not seem to be good for Great Danes.  Sam the Dane died on Christmas Eve three years ago. And yesterday one of the Danes who goes to the Great Dane meets died of bone cancer.  We won't tell them about Christmas next year.

Rupert, recuperating at home
supervised by Hugo

Christmas Markets

As you might imagine, the big spring and Christmas markets were all cancelled this year. Many of the country farmers' and other markets are only just starting to trickle back. So no Strawberry and Cherry Spring Festival in Bacchus Marsh. The St Anne's Christmas market cancelled.  Talbot only started back on Sunday. Craft markets?  No.  Nor Trash and Treasure markets.

This did not help my Christmas shopping!  Although fortunately we are doing a Kris Kringle this year for the family Christmas Night dinner, which very fortunately can go ahead - we just creep under the 30 person maximum limit. So I only have one present to buy for Christmas Night, plus one for Jim to give.  But there are, of course, other presents that need buying. I have had to use the shops. And the Internet.

So Lindsey and I were pleased to see that the Ballarat Market people had decided to put on a Christmas Market on Friday evening.  Lindsey finished work early and we headed off to the lake to see what was happening. And it was quite a large event.  Most of the regular stall holders were there and there were lots of other stalls.  Craft stalls, Christmas stalls, plant stalls.  All sorts of things.  And food stalls.  Lots of food stalls. Lots of well patronised food stalls.  Fortunately, Lindsey and I didn't need food stalls and had a happy hour or so pottering around. 

It was a good little Christmas market.  I hope they do it again next year. I also hope that the other markets will come back.

We didn't go to Talbot on Sunday.  Lindsey went to Mount Martha and brought Stella up for the Christmas and New Year holidays.  I went into town and pottered around there.

You will, I hope, be pleased to hear that my patio has finally been laid. They came on Friday, which was wet and cold first thing but which cleared up as the morning progressed.  It's not quite what I had planned and there are three tiles which still need laying. They didn't realise I had intended them to go down and by the time I realised it hadn't been done they were packing up ready to go home. But I think we can probably sort them out later.  I have been bringing round gravel from the heap out the front to finish off the edges.  I need to bring more gravel around to finish it off.  When time permits! I have bought loads of little pots to plant herbs in. I had intended to fill the edges with soil and plant the herbs directly but the way they finished it meant that it would be difficult to do that.  No worries.  I can be adaptable. Gravel and pots will look lovely.

A work in progress, but nearly finished

I woke up this morning to this:

Hugo bashes, Rupert Woo Woo Woos,
Brandy and Whiskey simply stare.
Breakfast time!

Jim has lost a lens out of his glasses.  We have searched everywhere. Well, everywhere apart from where the lens actually is. We can't find it. We did find lots of dust, cobwebs, gunk and rubbish as we looked under and behind things that haven't been moved for two years. I found Whiskey's red ball which has been missing for ages. But no lens. I have made appointments for us to see the optometrist in January but Jim's near vision is really not good.  He can just about manage without glasses for distance vision but couldn't see his iPad properly, or even his food plate.  Lindsey suggested I get some reading glasses from the news agency or pharmacy. as an interim measure.  An excellent suggestion.

They suit him

A Green Weekend

The weather this last weekend was absolutely glorious. It was warm, but not too hot. The sun shone, but there was occasional cloud cover for shade. There was a pleasant breeze but no really strong winds. It was just lovely.

Our activities were lovely too.  Lindsey and I did our usual Saturday morning activities - Mushroom farm, Elaine Farmgate Shop.  But we also went to the Lakeside Market, which has moved to Zoo Drive, near the lake. Not that there is a zoo. I don't know if there has ever been a zoo. But there is a market twice a month, at least for the time being.

Being so close to Christmas, there were lots of extra stalls and it was a perfect morning for pottering around the market, admiring things, buying things and thoroughly enjoying the green coolth the trees offered. The lake was sparkling, the people were happy; it was a great morning.  I bought lots of seasonal fruit and have had my dehydrator going ever since. Apricots, nectarines and plums from the market plus loads of mangoes that Lindsey had acquired from a charity drive. I also froze some of the mangoes. I am planning to use the dehydrated mangoes (rehydrated) and the frozen ones for the Christmas trifle with, I hope, some fresh raspberries. There is another market before Christmas and I am hoping to get raspberries then. Also, perhaps, some cherries.

Sunday saw Jim and me driving out to Daylesford, where we were meeting at Gillie's house for the resumption of the meetings of the Sunday Lunchers.  We had had one lunch at our place at the beginning of the year, then all subsequent plans had to be abandoned as Viruses, Pandemics, Panics, Lockdowns and Restrictions made their various presences felt in the course of the year. For now, the Virus has been beaten back in Australia and restrictions across the country have been lifted. For now!  But it did mean that We Six and Flora the Dog could meet at Gillie's house for a long overdue catch up and a delicious lunch.  Gillie lives on the other side of Daylesford from Ballarat and has a verdant, productive garden.  We sat outside under the shade of her enormous walnut tree and passed a very pleasant, greenly shaded afternoon. It was positively glorious.

All in all a great weekend, with a great deal of green shade. Central Victoria is a beautiful place. We are lucky to live here.

Stella is at home

It crosses my mind that, as far as you are concerned, Stella went into hospital last week and promptly disappeared, never to be seen again.

You will be pleased to hear that she has not been lingering indefinitely in the hospital. Lindsey managed to spring her last Monday. This was rather complicated by Stella having woken up on Monday morning to find that her cannula had come out overnight. She is on a blood thinner so her blood doesn't clot well.  This is excellent when it prevents her getting blood clots in her legs or brain or heart. Less desirable when it prevents escaping blood from clotting. She said her hospital room looked like a crime scene. Blood everywhere!

Fortunately, she didn't need a blood transfusion. All of her medical specialists agreed that she should go home. The nurses were persuaded that it shouldn't take 3 or 4 hours for her to be discharged. And she was Home in Time for Tea.

And there she remains. She seems to be in good form and to be managing ok on her own, with her carers calling each day and various other people popping in and out.

Jim had his annual health assessment on Thursday. He is to see a geriatrician next year and has to have a number of tests before then. He's had his blood tests - we haven't heard from his GP so I assume they were within acceptable limits. He has a CT scan of his brain on Monday and then we wait until April for him to see the geriatrician. Apart from having put on a bit of weight this year he seems to be in quite good health. We will aim for him to have lost a bit of weight by next December when his next assessment is due.

Apart from that, things are trundling along in an unremarkable way. Always good when there is nothing particularly startling happening.

Birthday Weekend

I did get down to see what is happening on the former reserve on Saturday.  They are making quite some progress on the new housing estate

Lindsey and I went to the Bridge Mall market on Saturday and then headed out to the mushroom farm and then to the Elaine Farm shop.  It was quieter than it usually is at the mushroom farm.  I'm not sure if that was because the return of the markets is having an impact on their business, whether it was because we were later than we usually are, having been to Bridge Mall and having a potter around the city centre shops while we were there, or whether people were doing Christmassy things.  I guess we'll find out - possibly next weekend.

We started the celebrations for my birthday on Sunday lunchtime, up at Hill House.  Ian had prepared a mighty feast. Tempura to start, roasted lamb for the main and Lindsey had created mini pavlovas for dessert, using some of the fruit she had got at the market.  No real need for an evening meal.  Then yesterday, Freyja and Simon came up from Melbourne and stayed over., also at Hill House, where we were staying with Rupert and Hugo.  I must give a shout out to Shop 29, a pie shop and bakery over in Wendouree. The mushroom shop stocks their pies and we had bought a vegetable and mango curry pie for Freyja and Simon.  It was labelled as "vegetarian/vegan" and Lindsey and I weren't sure whether it was actually vegan. The people at the mushroom farm assured us it was but we were doubtful. So I messaged Shop 29 at around 7:15 yesterday morning. I was somewhat surprised to get an immediate response. It was, after all, very early. Yes the pie was vegan. It was glazed with apple.  Apple!  Had never thought to use apple as a glazing agent. Then he told me how he glazes with apple. (4 parts apple sauce, one part hot water). I was very impressed. Good customer service. 

My patio didn't happen yesterday. The forecast was for rain all day so we put it off until Friday of next week.  In the event, it wasn't all that rainy although it did rain on and off. It was definitely on the chilly side.  I can be patient.  The patio need isn't actually urgent, although I would rather like to get my herb garden underway. It will be around the edges of the patio so I can't plant it until the patio is done. But again, there is no urgency about it.  It can be planted whenever and the herbs that are growing in the planter are quite happy where they are.

We have decked the house for Christmas.  I raided the mini woodland behind our place for some sticks and made this:

I pinched the idea from my cousin Penny, who got the idea from her dad, my uncle Peter.  I am quite pleased with my effort. The dog and cat decorations came from a maker on Redbubble.  I am quite pleased with them as well.