A lot of weeding Friday 26th - Sunday 28th September 2025

Well, Shane hadn't come over to weed/fix up the turf between when were up last weekend and now - so I came up to Inglewood Friday afternoon

It was (AFL) Grand Final Day - a public holiday - Justin stayed home in Melbourne

As always I had wanted to get up earlier than I did 

Got to Inglewood at 5pm - changed into my overalls and weeded til around 6.30 - and once again I was getting cold

This is what it looked like on Friday at 5.15pm

On Saturday morning I only did minimal puzzles, and minimal reading of the Saturday Age.  I did have breakfast in bed though

However I was out in the garden in my overalls (and puffer jacket at the start as it was cold) weeding at 9am

This is what I had accomplished within 2.5 hours at 11.30am - you can certainly see the weeding demarcation line

 

and this is what I still had to do

I basically stayed weeding all day til 6pm with 1/2 hour off for lunch

I did have 2 sets of visitors - Maile and David who asked where they could buy tickets for our garden party.  had to tell them that it was sold out

And Terry also visited to say hello

I kept right on weeding while chatting to them

And this is what it looked like by 6pm

 And a slightly different view when I commenced at 9am again on Sunday morning

Yes, it looks nearly done - but there was still more to do around the pomegranates, and also the pathways - I want it looking really nice for the Garden party.  I know that people probably won't look that closely - but I want it done

Carolyn came over to help mid morning and stayed til late afternoon

I despatched the acanthus which had pushed through the gravel near the back door.  I really had to dig it out - hopefully have all of it - but probably not...

Then I filled in the hole, and poured water over it 

Voila - hopefully will be ok -ish

Carolyn and I worked like navvies - I offered her lunch - but she said she doesn't really eat lunch, so I didn't either today - just worked through (did have another coffee each though)

My last self imposed job was the back driveway to the garage - looked awful....

 

But we did it - and also piled up all of the other weeds onto a pile on the driveway.  Didn't look that big.  But I had filled the bin again

I think we finished around 3.00pm or so - I was exhausted and stiff from crouching down for 2 days.  But very pleased that we had made it look so good.  Now all Shane has to do is mow the grass

Michelle also sent me a text to invite me to her Art opening next Friday - and said the invitation was in the letterbox

Merry Wives of Windsor and a Canadian visit 19 - 21 September 2025

Drove up with Justin on Friday night

Dinner party leftovers for dinner  - fancier than normal leftovers

Saturday, and a leisurely lie in  - I made us a modest breakfast in bed, as we were having Peter and Margaret from Winnipeg come and visit and stay for lunch

Pulled out a few weeds before they came 

Gave them a tour of the house - while Justin went to the IGA and got more bread and some smallgoods

Had pate, red dip, a variety of cheeses, ham, salami, salad  etc - one of our typical grazing lunches

   

We ate in the dining room, as it was a bit too windy outside

Was very pleasant

Margaret gave me a very specialised Canadian  cookbook because it was about Manitoban cuisine

After they left back out to the garden for me - have to get rid of the more noticeable weeds - need everything looking as good as possible for our upcoming garden party

Stayed out til after 6pm, and was getting a bit cold

So a bath was in order - Justin brought me in a G&T and some cheese and crackers - very nice

Watched a Jennifer Lawrence movie on Netflix - was quite amusing 

Another lazy Sunday morning - Justin said we should have a sign made up - no callers before 11.30am

However there was one - we sort of pretended not to be there - as we were still in our pajamas. But then my mobile phone rang....

It was Clancy our neighbour from Melbourne, I'd forgotten that he said he might drop in on Sunday, on his way to Mildura ...

Anyway, we opened up for him, and showed him around - as he hadn't been up for ages

Had a cup of coffee and a piece of my banana cake - and then I got dressed into my overalls and back outside to the weeding 

Am a little concerned that there may be another leak (or the pipe wasn't fixed properly) on the side of the house

It's permanently damp and moss/algae is forming - and the ground is dry and hard elsewhere

But bloody weeds are growing in the ground - which are now hard to pull out - not happy!

Started on the turf too -  at least these weeds are easy to pull out.  Shane said that he'd take care of it - but its less than 2 weeks to go, and I don't want brown spots, I'd prefer to hand weeds them out.  Although I have already filled the bin with weeds

Justin also came out and raked up the debris on the paths

Found a dead crow almost hidden by the weeds in the turf

Well I certainly made a difference with just a few hours - had to leave the weed piles there - as there is no room in the bin- 

Finished up around 1.15pm, as I needed to go and have a shower and get dressed for the Merry Wives of Windsor Show which was on at the Town Hall at 2pm, and the doors opening at 1.30pm

We took seats in the second row, Justin didn't want the first row - Rachel and Terry came and sat with us I also saw Anne L, Irene & Neil from Bendigo, Thomas and Simone from Langham Estate, and Jim from Black Wallaby

There were 2 intermissions - during one of which Terry told me that he didn't think the logistics of my run sheet for the Garden party worked - ie needed to open the gates earlier and have more time to serve food

I think it will work - so we tacitly agreed to differ....

Went up onto the veranda as we heard voices, it was Thomas, Simone and Louise from the Hub.  Thomas will be bringing a show to the Town Hall as well as St Augustine's next year for the Keys of Gold festival - sounds great!

Unfortunately we were a little late to the 3rd act - they'd already started 

Well it was a fun show - and pretty much a full house - so hopefully Jamie will be pleased

It finished close to 5pm, we had to rush off and finish up inside our place

Rachel wanted to drop off some further props for the show ie maypoles, some more silverware, a music stand etc. I helped her with them, while Justin finished off the dishes 

I guess we left around 5.30 and got back to Melbourne  

 

  

Loddon Shire Tourism dinner - Wednesday 10th September 2025

 Just a quick overnighter 

Arrived in Inglewood around 4.30pm  or so, and Terry came and picked me up just before 5.30pm for the Quarterly Loddon Valley Tourism dinner.  He was also giving Chrissie and Nicole a lift.

This is the first time that I've been to one of these (not actually being a business) - however, because Rosemary was going to be a guest speaker, and because lots of Arts trail artists/venue people were going to be there- I thought I'd come.  Terry was there as my "plus one" as Justin obviously couldn't come, and Chrissie was there as Both Banks is displaying some photographs/paintings, and also having a book launch on the Sunday, and Nicole was her plus one as Mark couldn't come

I was also quite interested to see this venue - a huge privately owned wool shed in Sepentine -designed by Vahland (its also going to be included in the Arts Trail)

It was very imposing driving up to it - and the braziers with fire completed the look

I stupidly forgot my mobile phone at home - it was on the charger - and Terry arrived earlier than 5.30pm, so I just grabbed my puffer jacket (luckily), keys and bag - sort of thinking that my phone was in the bag

Anyway, Nicole took photos and shared them with me 

Inside it was magical - but very cold.  At first I didn't need my puffer jacket, but I eventually did, and was very glad that I had brought it

There was an open area - not in the above photos where 10 or so trestle tables were set up for dinner.  And Dave from Black Wallaby was in the corner with drinks

Then beyond this room was the bigger part of the shed - ie the sheep pens etc 

There were a lot of people I knew here ie Rachel, Denise, Steve & Emma, Catherine & Barry etc.

And chatted to lots of other people

There was an official photographer taking photos

And I was also interviewed on video.  Not sure where that's going to end up

Dinner was served buffet style in an adjoining room - barbecued meats, salads and then desserts 

Anyway, a very pleasant night 

I guess we left around 9pm 

Thursday, and I pottered around a bit, and then back to Melbourne for my Fraser Group CWA 1/2 yearly Conference which I was chairing  

Back from Canada 6 -7 September 2025

Well, it's been a while - 6 weeks since I've been to Inglewood - as Justin and I had a holiday in Canada and then a few days in Las Vegas to see his sisters.

I drove us to Inglewood on Friday night - the traffic was pretty good - and I took some pasta out of the freezer to have for dinner 

Saturday, and breakfast in bed, and I then went along the main street and put up flyers for the upcoming Merry Wives of Windsor production at the Town Hall as well as Loddon Valley Arts Trail brochures.  these had been left at our front door

I left for Dunolley around 1pm (J had a bit of work to do, so stayed at the house)

Rachel had a show on Florrie from Fitzroy

It had originally been shown in Fitzroy on her birthday, and now she was showing it in Dunolley

I saw a few people I half knew through Rachel, had a glass of complimentary bubbles and sat in the front row 

The show was great - old music hall style 

Rachel played Florrie to great effect

And there was an ensemble cast - some of whom I'd seen before

The audience was also given some lyric sheets - to sing along

Was all very fun

Afterwards, another glass of bubbles outside - and I chatted with Sue (top hat and tails) about the forthcoming G&S Garden party at our place as part of the Loddon Valley Arts Trail.  She's part of the G&S Society and will work out the nuts and bolts with me.

Drove back to Inglewood and I went and pre ordered dinner from the takeaway to be ready by 7.30pm

Drove up to Kingower around 6pm for the 1st Saturday of the month and sat around the fire and chatted.  

Justin took some great photos as per below

Left around 7.15pm to get our dinner.  Justin was surprised that the shop lights were off, but there were still some lights in the kitchen area. He thought it was closed, but I said it couldn't be as I'd ordered and paid for our dinners

Anyway, it wasn't; the door was open, and he picked up our souvlakis.  Took them home, and they were very good, but definitely not hot enough, they had obviously been made well before 7.30pm - oh well

Sunday, and Father's Day. I volunteered to make Justin breakfast, but he said not to worry about it - as I had made it yesterday, so he made it for both of us

After a very leisurely breakfast the weather was quite good, so I went out in the garden, and did a bit of weeding

And yes, the hellebores and daphne were out

I was surprised to see strawberries

And the new mulberry is looking good - but it needs some mulch

The passionfruit was looking a bit poorly - its disguised amongst all the weeds - so I got rid of them

And there are a lot of weeds in the grass - these need to be gotten rid of.  I've contacted Shane  - as one of the reasons we went with turf was to supposedly cut down on the weeds

Terry also dropped in - he'd found a myki card on the ground at Kingower - and it surprisingly had Justin's name on it - so it was returned.  Must have fallen out of his jacket pocket when he took his mobile phone out to take photos

We all had a cup of tea in the kitchen

left around 4pm or so, and came home to a lovely surprise Father's day dinner put on by the kids