Healesville Country Club and Alpacas

The forecast was a bit variable for yesterday so it was decided that we would head across country, through the mountains to Healesville for lunch in the RACV Country Club, where Tony is a member.  I've not been there before, although Tony seemed to think I had, in the distant past.  But I don't think so.  I only remember having been to Healesville to go to the animal sanctuary, and even that not very often.

I have to say, it was rather nice.  We had to be signed in and everything.  Fancy lounge for a pre-prandial gin and tonic (well, for me; everyone else had different things), looking out over the mountains.  A lovely lunch in the terrace dining area.  Food was lovely, although the service was a bit slow.  And Stella got her apple juice in very short order - but there was no wine for the rest of us for ages and ages.  They had FORGOTTEN it!!!!!!!  Tsk!

We had a lovely poke around the facilities.  They're renovated it lately and there's a pool and a spa, a half-size (I think) snooker table, a golf pro shop.  There's a golf course and lots of snacking places.  I think Tony might have been quite happy if we had proposed, instead of coming to Mount Martha for three days, we had proposed going and staying there.  Three rounds of golf for him!!

We came home via an alpaca and gerbera farm (an odd combination, but there you go). Stella wanted a couple of gerbera plants.  I wanted to look at the alpacas.  We have decided that Lindsey and Ian need one for Ballarat.  It would be an excellent companion for Lucy when Zac goes to the Great Bone Store in the sky, and nothing like as exuberant as a great dane.  Plus, it wouldn't take up any couch room in the evenings.  Alpacas are not indoor animals :-)  We just need to convince Lindsey and Ian of this excellent idea.  We also detoured to Tooradin so we could admire the mangroves in the bay.

We went for a brief "walk" on our way to Healesville.  We had to cross this:

  It was very, very slippy, and there was only one dry-ish path through. I oh-so, oh-so nearly went sploosh!  The Builder merely strode across.  Sigh!

Death by Poison

It was bad enough that, when we went to visit Pat, she tried to dedd me by poisoning.  It is just as well that I noticed the flaked almonds dotted over the top of the croissant bread and butter pudding, for I would never have noticed the almond meal stirred through it.  When I sadly pointed out that I would be unable to eat it, Pat asked why I had not mentioned an inability to eat almonds.  But - I've had a tree nut allergy for all the years I have known her.  She knows I have this allergy.  "But," she said; "Almonds aren't ... Oh!"

She and The Builder enjoyed their croissant bread and butter pudding.  I enjoyed another glass of wine.

Now.  My mother knows full well I have a tree nut allergy.  She knows that almonds are nuts.  So when she got a piece of rolled lamb roast out of the fridge for dinner last night, we both read the ingredients carefully. No nuts mentioned.  Excellent.  But when she found nuts hidden in the stuffing as she was slicing the roll, she just took them out and told me not to eat the stuffing but just the meat.  Which had been rolled around the now nutless stuffing. Alas.  It doesn't work like that.  If it's been contaminated then I can't eat it.  So *I* had a very healthy vegetable dinner (with extra dollops of mashed potato) while they had unhealthy, fat-ridden, nut-infested, bad-for-you lamb!  Just as well she thought to mention it, though.

We re-read the ingredients very carefully afterwards.  Still didn't mention any nuts.  And no one can tell me what nuts they were.  We might need to go back to the butcher and quietly complain - and find out what they were.  Not that it matters.   I wouldn't have been able to eat them anyway.

We had great difficulty convincing Lindsey's sat nav (who I have named Wilma, just because) to bring us to Mount Martha.  She remained absolutely convinced that there was no such place.  Didn't matter what I did, she would not take us to such a place.  Eventually, I decided to put in Mornington.  I can certainly find Mount Martha from Mornington, though probably not Stella and Tony's place. I put in Mornington, and discovered that it was bringing up lots of places on the Mornington Peninsula.  I scrolled through - and found Mount Martha.  Except it is, apparently, spelled Mt Martha.  Once we put that it, Wilma was happy to take us all the way to Stella and Tony's place.  Not sure why she brought us down Springvale Road and along the old freeway, though.  Not when there's a perfectly good, brand new freeway running almost all the way from Melbourne to Frankston.  We'll go back that way.

I wish they'd stop putting in new roads when my back is turned.  It gets very confusing!

We were woken at 4:00 this morning by my phone.  It was our mortgage company pointing out that we had not sent in our new direct debit mandate for the house insurance.  Actually, we have.  They haven't got it and the insurance runs out at the weekend.  Somewhat sleepily, I sorted it out, at vast expense, by mobile phone.  It was only, at a more civilised hour this morning, when The Builder was telling Tony about it and they were discussing why the paperwork hadn't arrived, that I remembered the volcano. Of course.  If passengers haven't been able to get to the UK by plane, then neither will direct debit mandates!  Oh well.  Sorted now.

Port Fairy

ANZAC Day.  Lest we forget

We had a lovely Anzac Day weekend in Port Fairy.  We went down on Saturday afternoon from Ballarat with Lindsey and got there about three hours ahead of Ian, Ant, Jess and Emily who were coming from Melbourne in Ian's car.  So, of course, we went for an amble around to see what was where.

Both Lindsey and I have been to Port Fairy before, but not for many years, so it was pretty much as new an experience for us as it was for The Builder, who had never been before.

We wandered around the town centre and then headed for Griffiths Island, which is a shearwater and mutton bird sanctuary.  We got a bit mislaid on the way, but eventually found it.  It has a 2.5 km round walk, loads of gulls and ibises, many dead shearwater fledglings (which are attacked by something that clearly doesn't like them very much but which also doesn't eat them - birds, not foxes), wallabies which show no fear at all, and a lighthouse at one end.  It's a lovely walk - though I think we nearly killed The Builder who is not really used to walking quite so fast.  And he and I have walked very little over the past few months.  We really must get back into it.  I'm sure it's good for us.

He required vodka when we got back to the motel!

The rest got there about 20 minutes after we got back.  We had pre-dinner drinks in The Builder and my room, looking out over the courtyard.  Then we all went for a truly sumptuous meal in the hotel restaurant.  You will find an account of that here

Sunday was Anzac Day.

Wedding guests looking dapper and elegant

And the day of the wedding.  Lindsey and I went for a post-breakfast walk (the breakfast as very tasty but nowhere near the quality of the dinner the night before.  I don't think the owners were expecting anyone to ask for a cooked breakfast!!) then they all tarted up for the wedding.

After they left, The Builder and I went for a walk, along the marina, across the river, along the beach, out along the breakwater, then back along the river.  We had a lovely seafood risotto in Rebecca of Port Fairy's cafe for lunch.  The others came back from the wedding and we joined them in the courtyard for wine in the sunshine and a nibble of their chips.  Then they went to the reception and we went out for dinner.

Stella had recommended a fish and chip place by the jetty.  We had called in at lunchtime and made a table reservation - just in case.  It was quite busy at lunchtime and it was, after all, a holiday weekend.

It was not busy at dinner time.  The place was completely deserted!  Stella had said that when she and Tony were there they had ordered a seafood platter that was so huge that they had been unable to finish it.  Yes - but they didn't have The Builder with them.  We ordered the seafood platter.  And got: 8 fresh oysters, 8 king prawns, a skewer with 6 honeyed shrimps, calamari rings, scallops, flake, whiting and flathead.  Oh - and chips and salad but we didn't eat them!  It was HUGE.  Humungous.  Easily enough for three and probably even four.  Much, much too much for two.  But very delicious.

Monday was a holiday.  So The Builder, Lindsey and I went for another walk around the island, then joined the rest for a much better breakfast than we had had on Sunday.  I think the usual chef must have had the day off on Sunday.  Then The Builder and I stole Lindsey's car, kidnapped Ant, Jess and Emily and brought them down to Melbourne.  Lindsey and Ian went to Ballarat.

Lindsey's car has cruise control.  I MUST HAVE cruise control installed in The Vixen.  It's fabulous.  Although it would have been useful to know that Lindsey's speedo under-reads at the higher speeds.  I wondered why so many people were overtaking me on the highway.  Australians are usually quite observant of the speed limits (they are rigorously enforced here) and it would be highly reckless to be speeding on a long weekend.  It was only after we passed under a speed advisory bridge on the Geelong Freeway that I realised that while everyone else was sitting on 100 km (the speed limit on open roads unless otherwise indicated), I was reading 90 km.  I sped up a bit!

Simon came round for the Monday Steak Night - although we didn't have steak.  We've moved Steak Night this week to Friday, which is our last night here.  We had spag bog instead. Everything was sourced at the little grocery downstairs.  It didn't do a bad job in providing our dinner.

I would never expect to find coconut and pistachio nuts in a chocolate gelato.  Rebecca of Port Fairy in her ice cream parlour adds them to her chocolate gelati !

The Stag Restaurant, Comfort Inn, Port Fairy, Victoria, Australia

Ian was quite disappointed, when he went to book a table at the Merrijig restaurant in Port Fairy for last night, to find that all the restaurants were fully booked (it is a long weekend in Australia, plus there are lots of extra people in town for Ian's niece's wedding this afternoon).

So he booked a table at the hotel restaurant.

I would not normally expect to get particularly exciting food in a hotel restaurant in country Victoria.

I would have been wrong.  Last night's dinner ranked amongst the best I have ever eaten!

Lindsey, Ian, Jess, Ant and Emily shared two seafood platters for two for their entree.  The Builder and I had bowls of tomato soup poured around little parmesan souffles. The souffle was delicious and the tomato soup absolutely lovely. They served it with the souffle sat in the middle of a flat bowl with a roasted cherry tomato to one side.  And the soup came in a jug which you poured around the souffle island.  It was very pretty

And then we had the main courses:

Sea bream on a fennel risotto

I had schnapper but was too greedy to stop and take a picture!  I love schnapper and, of course, seldom get the chance to eat it.  Mind you, I was lucky to get it.  They were serving the sea bream as their fish of the day, and the schnapper only after the bream had run out. I got the first serving :-)

Steak and chips

The carrots were cooked with cumin and tiny, tiny currants.  The sprouts were confitted and were delicious.  I must find out how they did them

Mozarella and fig salad

There were several interesting vegetarian options,  not a feta and spinach dish to be seen

Rump steak with garlic butter

I had a taste of Lindsey's steak.  It was very tasty and beautifully cooked

A cone of chips

I think the chips were amongst the best we have ever eaten

Don't think Lindsey enjoyed her meal at all!!

We were all much to full even to consider dessert, until the charming and chatty waiter mentioned that they do petit tarts, chocolate or rhubarb, which are about the size of the top of a small wine glass.  Lindsey and I shared a rhubarb one, Jess and Emily a chocolate one.  They were just right to finish off with, light and creamy and small.  An amuse bouche for the end of the meal.  Oh - and a short black coffee.

I think the wedding reception which the others are going to this evening is going to have quite a job to beat that meal.

(Thanks to Jess for some of the photos)

The local butcher

We came up to Ballarat yesterday so Lindsey could inspect her dogs, check her chooks and generally sort the house out.

We had pies and chips for lunch, from the bakery and the chip shop at Mount Clear.  I have to say that the chips from the chip shop were probably the best chip shop chips we've had while we've been here.  Apart from in cafes, chips have been something of a disappointment on this trip.  Still, now we know.  Mount Clear fish and chip shop is the way to go.

But what shall we have for dinner.  I ambled into the butcher's shop.  We've had lots and lots of steak and red meat in the last fortnight.  I think we'll go with chicken.  Oh, and some bacon.  I'll do chicken fillets wrapped in bacon and grilled.  So I asked for three fillets.  And the cheery butcher got them for me.  Then I asked for "6 slices of your wonderful bacon, please".  The butcher beamed.  He was pleased that I thought his bacon was wonderful.  They cure it themselves on the premises. " Indeed," said I.  "You can see why your bacon wins awards."  (I know the bacon wins awards because there's a sign in the shop that says so)

He asked if I had tried their ham.  I had not.  So he gave me a bit to taste.  It was absolutely delicious.  I gave a bit to The Builder. He thought it was delicious too.  The butcher beamed even more.  And got his mate to slice a few slices which he added to my shopping.  Had we, perchance, tried the saveloys?  Erm - no.  So he chucked a couple of saveloys into the shopping as well.

I don't usually eat saveloys. Normally they are too gristly and salty and fatty and yucky.  We had those two saveloys this morning with our breakfast.  If we lived anywhere remotely near Mount Clear, we would take up eating saveloys with enthusiasm!  The ham was scrumptious sat on top of a slice of cheese, sat on top of crumpets and grilled.

Last night's chicken was rather nice too.  He's a good butcher.

Right.  Must get ready.  We're shortly off to Port Fairy for the wedding weekend. Although fortunately most of the UK guests have now managed to get here and The Builder and I are no longer on standby to make up the numbers

Catching up with an old friend

A few weeks ago my friend Robert posted on his Facebook page that his cat had gone missing.  Among those who posted condolences was Peter. I wonder if that is the same Peter that I once knew and haven't seen or heard of since, oh - around 1986 or so.  It's not a very common surname.

So I went stalking him around Facebook.  Found his children and through them his (now ex) wife.  Decided it must be the same Peter and sent him a Facebook message.

And it was.  He's living in Craigieburn now with his new partner Daniel.

And so it was that he and Daniel arranged to come into town yesterday to meet Lindsey, The Builder and me for lunch.  In Federation Square.  At the cafe with the orange umbrellas.  You can't possibly miss them!

So Lindsey, TB and I walked to Federation Square and got there a few minutes before the appointed hour. Couldn't see any orange umbrellas, though.  Just some red ones. Which were attached to a cafe.  And might, if you were slightly colour blind, almost be described as orange.

We decided we were in the wrong place when it got to ten past the hour and there was still no sign of Peter and Daniel.  Lindsey went for a mooch around. And found, directly across from Flinders Street Station, and out of our view - a cafe with orange umbrellas, which you couldn't possibly miss if you were coming from the station and where were waiting Peter and Daniel!

The cafe with the orange umbrellas does mighty fine burgers.  And rather nice chips.

It was good to catch up with Peter and to meet Daniel.  Alas, it was a working day for Peter so he couldn't linger.  Plus, we also had things to do.  But it was a lovely hour.  We must do it again.  Although I can't think of any cafes with orange umbrellas in or around Chesterfield.  Perhaps that's a gap in the market!!

In the evening we went to Papa Ginos for pizza night .  Except that Papa Ginos doesn't take bookings and we were expecting 15 people to the pizza night.  So we went to Tiamo 2 instead.  And I didn't have pizza, but a rather magnificent seafood platter.  But apart from that it all went to plan!  And we finally got to see Yvette, Bethan and Jacob who I was beginning to think we wouldn't catch up with on this trip

Wendy was very excited.  She had found a book all about her.

It was a good evening.  I think that I shall declare that henceforth Thursdays will be pizza night.  Although we might not be able to come to Lygon Street absolutely every week!

Dallying in the countryside

We've been up Mount Macedon.

I wasn't absolutely confident of my ability to find it!  And even less confident that I would ever find the car park at the flat when we came back.  So we didn't take Ian's sporty Peugeot but Lindsey's substantial Subaru with built in sat nav.

Actually, Mount Macedon isn't difficult to find.  It's a small mountain.  Off the Calder highway.  Chris's house is a little harder to find, especially since she's disguised it as a concrete bunker!  We did find the parking area by John's music studio though, so parked there.

The doggies found us!  Lucy is a small doggie with springs on her feet.  I don't think I've ever met a dog that can jump quite so high. Oscar is a little older and slightly more sedate.  He just bounces!

They like chasing tennis balls!!

Chris took us on a tour of the renovated house, the studio extension and the glorious gardens. She provided a sumptuous lunch - lasagne with fizzy wine.  We had a raspberry souffle with raspberries from the raspberry patch.  Then we took the bouncy dogs for a walk up around the cross atop Mount Macedon. John came back from work and we had a Nice Cup of Tea before heading back to Melbourne and pub night with Lindsey, Ian and Simon.  It was a splendidly food-laden day :-)

And now you find us in the Gippsland mist.  Lindsey, The Builder and I have come to inspect Belinda and Matthew's renovated house and splendid gardens.  Their dogs are much too venerable now to bounce or spring.  The 9 week old kitten, Sage and William do that on their behalf!

More splendid food last night.  With vegetables from the garden.  Matt and Belinda grow their carrots in the ground.  I have NEVER had any success at all trying to grow carrots in the ground (mine get grown in boxes).

But I am beginning to feel that I should be renovating a house and acquiring splendid gardens!!

While we've been here we've had a concert from Sage :-) 

It may have been a mistake ...

... standing on the bathroom scales this morning.

Especially after a Full English in East Melbourne on Sunday then a family Sunday lunch at Mount Martha, a flake and chips supper, a fried Monday breakfast, a pie and salad lunch and then steak night back in East Melbourne.

Just as well that we will return to Tupton more or less penniless, and heading into fruit and vegetable season.  We may need to do a Holy Week diet (having failed to do it during actual Holy Week) from May to August!!

Tabitha reports that the Bathstore technical help people have given her to understand that the problem she has encountered with the bath tap is not an unknown problem. Furthermore, our taps are still under warranty so they are sending a replacement bit free of charge, together with instructions on how to fit it.  You could hope that they have now redesigned the taps!

RIght.  Off to Mount Macedon.  If I can find it!

Tabitha's broken the bathroom!!!!!

Sound asleep I was at 06:00 this morning.  Suddenly my phone made a noise as of a siren going off. This woke me up quite abruptly!!  (I've had to change the tone my phone uses when text messages come in - SImon and Ian use the same tone and it was all getting far too confusing.  But the siren won't do at all.  Have changed it again to something a little less dramatic!)

Anyway.  It was Taffa.  Could I hop onto Skype.  Well no, because Tony turns off his modem overnight. No Internet access = no Skype.

How do you turn off the water to the bathroom?  Why would you want to do that?  The bath tap is broken?  BROKEN?  How can you have broken the bath tap?????????????

I told her where the isolator valves are in the bathroom. And where the screwdrivers are kept.  Didn't work.  The Builder, also now of necessity awake, issued more detailed instructions.  Still wasn't working.  She couldn't get the screwdriver in at the right angle to be able to turn it.

It seems that plumbers charge £200 at nearly midnight on a Sunday just to turn out (I think I might be in the wrong job!!).

Fortunately, at this point, Steve next door came outside for a cigarette (in his garden, you understand, not ours).  Tabitha rushed outside and pleaded for help.  And Steve rode out to the rescue. I think he enlarged the hole in wall for access to the isolator valves, but whatever he did he has at least managed to get the water off.  We are hopeful that plumbers do not charge £200 just to turn out in the middle of a Monday morning!!

Good Golly Miss Molly

When Lindsey announced some time ago that she and I were to attend a hen night, I can't say that my heart absolutely leapt with joy. Were I to tell you that up until this moment I have successfully avoided all henny parties, this would probably give you some idea how excited I was by the idea.

But needs must.  Lindsey had bought me a ticket (!!) and it was only from 6 to 7:30 (!!!!!) and how awful could it possibly be?  Anyway, Jess and Emily were coming too, and I rather like Fiona, whose hen night it was.  I pinched one of Lindsey's skirts and got dressed up.  Well, in as much as I ever get "dressed up".

The party was in St Kilda, in an art gallery. I was a tad disconcerted to walk in to find a circle of easels with paper pegged on.  This would tend to suggest that we were expected to draw something.  Gulp.  Drawing is emphatically not one of my many talents.  And what were we expected to draw? There wasn't anything in the middle for us to focus on.

And then there was.  A young man.  In a gown.  And then - not in a gown, but completely, absolutely and totally naked. And in a pose.  My God -- it's a LIFE DRAWING party!!!!!!!!!  And we had to draw him not once, not twice, not even three times - but four.  And one of them was a combined drawing where you did a bit, then moved on and did a bit more to someone else's picture. And one was a colour picture that was put into a book and presented to Fiona as a memento.  I've never been to a life drawing class before (as you would expect, given that drawing is not one of my talents).  I don't suppose I'll ever go to another.  But I can at least now say that I've been to one!  And, come to that, to a hen party :-)

And, as one of the guests pointed out, with a life drawing do you get to see more than you do with a stripper.  Well, you see exactly the same amount, I suppose, just for longer.

The eating and drinking has continued apace.  We've had lunch with Pat in Ballarat, and sat outside in the afternoon sun while she and I drank wine and The Builder remained abstinent so he could drive Ian's new Peugeot home.  Lindsey and I (and Emily and Jess) had magnificent Middle Eastern food in Balaclava after the hen party (the hen and her mates went clubbing, I think). We've had a family Sunday lunch in Mount Martha (where Lindsey, The Builder and I still are).

The Builder went to the football with Simon, Ian, Christian and Cassie while we were chasing after naked men.  Simon is a member of the Melbourne Cricket Club so gets to go to football matches at the MCG.  He gets to take guests as well.  The Builder was quite impressed that his first visit to a match at the MCG was in the members' bit.

It's a lovely day today.  Tony is off to golf.  The rest of us are going to Sorrento. Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula, not Sorrento in Italy!

Fiona is a bit worried about her wedding on Sunday.  Many of the guests are coming from England, including her brother and the groom's parents.  It seems that a volcano has erupted and brought air traffic to a halt around Europe.  And the guests probably don't now have time to get here by boat!!